Well, my last Blog update was from a shared computer in a tiny little common room at the Foothills Hospital in NW Calgary, a lovely spot really. I had walked those hallways 5 years ago extensively after heart surgery and recovery. BTW... saw an interesting clip on the news the other day... surgeons at the FH are now gluing one's ribs together after surgery, a much better procedure than the one I had. I remember how painful and flexible my chest was for months after the operation.
As it turns out, the ticker is fine. Both the old and modified parts! I was subjected to a torrent of tests including but not limited to a Thallium injection that very nearly turned me onto "spinning webs, any size... and catching thieves, just like flies."
To think all that was caused by a stress test operator that abruptly stopped my treadmill while I was still on there!
First rule of stress testing, always warm up and cool down. Rule nummer dos... read rule number uno!
After three days getting poked and prodded, I felt like a pin cushion once again.
Do I ever want to go thru the heart attack thing again? Not on my life...
Just prior to my latest ordeal, Holly and I had an opportunity on a decent mid October day, to motor around the foothills on a couple of my dualies. We don't get much of a chance to do this sort of thing, being so busy and all, yet we do enjoy it immensely.
She's been away this past year, taking a Masters degree in Architecture at Dal, in Halifax. That plus her European work experience this summer has limited our contact to occasional phone calls and emails from long distance.
The temperature was in the mid teens, and we didn't get rained on until our return ride. That last 20k was so windy, Hol pulled off the highway believing that she may be blown clear off the road on the light weight Serow. I'm sure it was a relief for her to reach the city limits. We saw later on the weather channel that winds were gusting upwards of 80kph that day!
Our ride was a familiar one for me, having done variations of this route a hundred times. West thru Cochrane, then the back roads both paved and gravel with a stop over in Water Valley, where the skies turned leaden gray/black and the rain caught up with us. We dodged showers and angry black clouds on the return leg, getting occasional downpours but managing to stay relatively dry.
Riding the back roads of rural Alberta, where you can see for a hundred miles, is like that. Feels like a giant chess match to see if you can dodge the cloudbursts zig-zagging along.
Nevertheless, we had a very nice Father/Daughter experience and I hope we can continue doing just that for many years to come.
There are few people out there this time of year, some local ranchers, the occasional pick up truck and wandering bovines. Speaking of which, the UoBUH* I hear have kicked up quite a fuss this year. Apparently they feel that as domestic animals, they really shouldn't have to do laundry or the dishes to earn their keep. If sheep can get away without those chores... why should they have to? Makes for a good argument, eh...
Either way, I have no stand on that particular issue.
I love travelling these back roads during the fall. The leaves are turning, few vehicles about to kick up dust, and temperatures that are conducive to jackets and gloves.
We rolled on about 250km during the day, leisurely puttering about, with no particular place to go. Those, I have found over my lifetime of riding, can be some of the most gratifying experiences.
You just set off in some direction, and let the rear wheel follow the front whichever way it points. Yes, it can be great having a destination, but like we've said many many times... sometimes the Journey... is the destination.
By the end of the day, we were getting quite tired. A lack of riding this season has unconditioned me to the rigours of travel especially on such roads. Holly too, was feeling quite exhausted fighting the wind, on our return home to Silver Springs. The last time she twisted a throttle, was a month back on some Italian guys scooter in Naples. Before that, it had been a long time.
She has mentioned how nice it would be to have a pair of decent wheels of the motorized variety, while going to school on the East Coast. I bet even a decent sized scooter would be welcome. In the meanwhile she bicycles to school regularly.
(It's a shame that I don't have as much time with my girls as I would like, we truly do get along very well. Holly is here for a 2 month work experience at a local architecture firm in Inglewood and Lisa is really overworked at her job with the Calgary United Way. )
The Serow and her big brother, XT 600 are great mounts for this sort of impromptu little adventure. With a 6 speed transmission and sub 250 pound weight, she is a nimble and capable little ride. Well, ummm... except when you're getting a cross-highway 50 mph wind smacking you about!
Pretty soon I will be loading up and heading South for a little spell. Work has been very frustrating as of late, and I could use a warm weather break. I have been keeping tabs on the temperature in PHX this year and the daytime highs of plus 100 F have been cooling off during the past few weeks. I suspect that during my December visit, it will be very pleasant in the mid to high 70-low 80's and the evening will be in the 60's. In other words, just about perrrfect for riding. I have ridden there and in Baja when the thermometer reaches over the ton, and that by itself can be quite unpleasant.
Two of my nieces have flights booked to arrive in AZ just days after my own arrival, and we plan on doing a little exploring as the girls both ride, and visiting with each other as adults without distractions for a change.
I plan on taking one of my mounts with me, haven't decided if it will be the 225 or the 600. I might even buy a local bike when I am there. It would be nice to have a larger DP bike for the occasional hiway ride.
One of the reasons for the PHX purchase was the opportunity to ride the southern reaches during winter months. Baja is a short step away as is Texas, Louisiana and Florida! I've always wanted to ride the panhandle into the Gulf!
In the meanwhile, I may be able to get in a ride to Los Cocos during an upcoming winter. That back route from San Felipe to El Arco has been calling my name for a decade!!!
Work has been very hectic as of late, typical late season stuff plus we have been bought out from the Ozzies by a CDN company and the transition process has been a trifle, ummm... frustrating so far. A brand new back office software program, has pretty much everyone very confused.
Alas... that too shall come to pass.
So for now, it's work work work, little time for anything else. Hopefully the ambulance rides and hospital visits are done... in a few weeks I'll be pointing the Blazer South to my little abode in the US of A, and I can take a much needed break from all these distractions that keep me from life.
Besides.... the Golden Corral's buffet bar beckons!
*Union of Bovine Udder Hood
*Union of Bovine Udder Hood
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