Wishing...

Okay, okay. I know it's a tad unrealistic to think that I could possibly do a 9 day bike/farm tour around Ottawa with an infant - but a girl can dream, can't she?
This tour just sounds so amazing that I thought I'd share it with you. BUT, promise me, if you go, please, PLEASE tell me all about it.
I'm hoping that going with a 1 year old next summer will be a little more feasible??

http://momentummag.com/blogs/families-on-bikes/spokes-and-sprouts-a-9-day-velo-adventure-of-ottawas-foodscapes

Vanilla Update

Just over a month now...

Played around with some photo software to really emphasize the "Canadian Mason..." on this one.  Thought it was kinda cool.

Seems like there's still a long way to go before this will be flavouring anything...
Patience is a virtue, right?

Goals Revisited

"By recording your dreams and goals on paper, you set in motion the process of becoming the person you most want to be. Put your future in good hands — your own." Mark Victor Hansen

Okay. So I recorded my goals on the intra-web, that still must count, no?
The Coles notes of my initial goals from the beginning of this year are:
1. Get chickens
2. Build a garden
3. Stay happily married
4. Learn how to make bread
5. Learn how to make cheese
(all in no particular order...but if I had to choose the marriage thing would come first, just so you don't think I put poultry before my husband)

Outside of making cheese, I can check off the rest. That's not to say that the others don't have room for improvement, which is why I'm amending my goals.
New goals:
1. Learn how to make a kneaded bread
2. Learn how to make cheese
3. Create a new garden plan for next year
     - this I'm so excited about already! I've even bought seeds (I know, I know...they are technically seeds from last years crop but I'm sure they'll work out just fine).
4. Knit more. (I guess that goal should actually be 'finish the knitting that you start' - that's more of the problem. For example, I have several projects that are in different stages of being finished. Blocking, sewing on buttons, fixing mistakes, etc).
5. Stay happily married (especially since we've added the stress of me going back to school this year....and for the next 5 YEARS!!! - crazy).
Again...in no particular order.
I have many more things that could go on that list but I'm working on time management and with my free time now mostly being spent on my masters, I thought I'd keep my goals attainable. But to give you a hint....I think I may get some chicks in the new year. Don't tell my husband yet 'cause he doesn't know. It's our little secret.

Day 6

Our final day! It was very bitter-sweet waking up this day knowing it was our the last leg of our amazing family bike adventure.
Chambord to Alma. 54.7km.

Riding into Chambord the previous day we went up a hill, so mammoth, that it literally took about 10 minutes on the bike to climb it. Needless to say, leaving Chambord that morning, I was really looking forward to feeling the wind in my face and the speed of the bike going down that hill on our way to Alma, and it didn't disappoint. In hindsight, I was probably going a little too fast considering I had my only child attached to the back of me (we were going about 45km/hr) but it was FUN (even Gage was saying "weeeeeeee" in the back). We don't have any pictures of us going down the hill, as, well...that would have been really unsafe!

This is my favourite picture of our trip. I love my bike, and it looks awesome in this shot. Also, Gage and I look like bad-asses (minus the stuffed seal).

This is one of the dams we had to ride over.

This was the view to the left of the dam

This was the view to the right of the dam

Another dam we went over

After the dams and some killer hills we ended up at this. No more path, no road...nothing. Just water.

But don't worry!! We had a ferry ride across the lake. As you can see, Gage was quite excited to be on a boat. He kept saying "This is my first boat ride in forever in my life"! (I can assure you, it wasn't his first boat ride, but why burst the bubble?)

After the ferry ride there were more hills. And not just regular hills, these were gigantically steep hills that I had to walk some of them. I thought it would never end, until I came to this:

This is where we had STARTED our trip. We were DONE!!!

I was so excited...and sad...and proud...I literally started crying (just a little). I was so proud of my little family. Still am. It was a great trip and I'd do it again in a heartbeat. Even all those pesky hills that made me get off my bike and walk - I'll own them next time).

Day 5

St. Felicien to Chambord. 49 km.
It was a slow start to the day. Gager woke up feeling a bit better. Still feverish and vomitted the meds we gave him. We considered staying at the B&B for the day until we found out it was fully booked that night (and rightfully so, it was a beautiful B&B). So on the road we went. Gage was content to just sit back and enjoy the ride - but we did bring a little bucket with us just in case.

He's not looking so good, but full of energy



So far we had biked this many km's





The precautionary bucket



Even though he felt like poo, he still wanted to ride. It didn't last very long. Maybe 3km.

I was a little jealous

Guess what Eric's next bike will be?

The storm we were trying to outrun. (we succeded)

End of the day

Dinner time. Gage was all over the chicken wings.

Bedtime. We're reading '50 Below Zero' by Robert Munsch.



I found this day to be pretty tiring. Maybe I was over the honeymoon phase of cycling, but I had a hard time this day. We only biked for 49km, a pretty easy day but the wind was pushing against us. There were some really cute little towns that we passed through that I now wish we had stopped to explore. Oh well...maybe we'll just have to go and do it again?!

Day 4

Dolbeau-Mistassini to St. Felicien. This was our longest day of cycling. 70km. The weather was beautiful, the ride was beautiful and we were all in great spirits. We stopped along the way to pick some wild blueberries that are scattered along the trail. Can you get more local than that? We also stopped at a cheese making shop. A 'fromagerie'. Fresh curds and more blueberries were a welcome snack near the end of our ride.
Gage says his favourite part of the day was stopping at the St. Felicien Zoo. 'Zoo Sauvage'. We arrived around 5:30pm. The cashier was nice enough to give us a 50% discount since we were entering so late in the day. The zoo was separated into 5 sections. The 'Parc Des Sentiers De La Nature' (Buffalo, Moose/Meese?, Deer), 'Montagnes' (Mountain goats, Lynx, Cougars, Grizzly Bears, Turkeys, Wolf), "Asie' (Tigers and Monkeys), 'Mongolie' (Camels, Wild Horse, some other mountain goat-looking animal) and the 'Foret Mixte' (Beavers, Seals, Fox, Racoon, Rabbit, Porcupine, Polar Bears).
Gage's favourite animals were the seals. They had an underwater observatory as well as an above ground. The seals just kept swimming in circles and showing their bellies to everyone. Needless to say, we purchased a stuffed seal animal in the gift shop before we left.
My favourite were the polar bears. One was laying in the sun while the other played with a huge traffic cone in the water. At one point the cone ended up on the bear's head and it wasn't quite sure how to get it off. You couldn't ask for better entertainment! Hilarious.
After the zoo (we basically Olympic speed-walked through the whole thing) we headed back to the bikes to go to our next B&B. We should have known something was up with Gager when he refused to eat any dinner. We just thought he was too excited to be at the zoo and wanted to get back out there. Were we ever wrong! After I put him in the trailer, he vomitted all the fresh cheese curds and blueberries he had had 4 hours earlier. The smell.....uck.
After another hour of waiting for him to vomit everything out enough to get back on the bike, and we were off. I don't think I've ever biked that fast in my life. It was getting dark, I didn't have any lights on my bike and I had a sick kid towing behind me. Lance Armstrong, move over.
The B&B owners, who we had called saying we were on our way just before Gage got sick came looking for us in their car. How sweet is that? They showed us the way and we got Gage to bed asap.
It was a long day but it was great day (even with the vomit).

Picking blueberries. Delicious!

This was our view most of the way. Beautiful rolling hills of green

This field is planted with Canola. It kinda smells like cauliflower and manure.

The beginning of the end. Cheese curds and blueberries!!

The underbelly

This was the Polar Bear after if figured out how to get the cone off it's head. I love how all the kids were cheering!

One of the bridges overlooking the monkey and tiger exhibits.

Eric pointing out the tiger.

Just before the vomit...

Just after the 2nd vomitting episode (see left corner - sorry), in fresh clothes and cleaned shoes. Gotta love the Crocs.

Day 3

St. Monique to Dolbeau-Mistassini. Total distance was 49.75Km. The second day of cycling was much better than the first, despite the rainy weather. The route was less hilly and the rain was light enough that it felt nice. We had the BEST lunch at a tiny restaurant in the back of a general store. Spaghetti and chicken noodle soup. Delicious and much appreciated when it's wet and rainy out.


Gage navigating the map




Me taking a break on Eric's trike




A museum we stopped at but didn't tour.




The museum's shop. They had an art installation of 'heaven and hell'. Heaven was this blue and white cloudy, puffy, comfy looking thing and hell was, well, exactly what Gage was drawn to.




Gage refused to bike past these cows because they were too close to the bike trail. He's scared of cows.




Enjoying the homemade apple pie with real cream after our amazing lunch.




Nap time




The Mistassini River. Don't worry, Gage was being yelled at to get off the fence.





Enjoying Daddy's dessert.

 A great day!