Ooops I did it again!

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OOPS, I DID IT AGAIN!

Hmm, that sounds like the name of some song from ‘way back - sung by some ditzy blonde babe - sorry Britney fans. But the idea is the same: For those not following hockey, our team, the Senators, did beat Buffalo to advance to the Stanley Cup Championship round - woohoo!!! They’re playing the Anaheim Ducks, a team we’ve not played since one time the previous season. Alas, we lost the first game, in Anaheim, after a long layoff, but there are seven games, so we hope to do better - maybe win the next four games!

As a result, our departure date has now been changed a third time - now it will be June 12, which is the day after the final game of the Finals, should they go the full seven games. It will have been an away game, so it’s not like we’ll come home late from the game and then leave early the next day - will just have to moderate any celebrations if the Sens win it. And that’s the final change - as it is, we probably won’t be getting back home till mid- to late August.

I’m using both bicycles now, Blue seems so tiny and lightweight compared to Silver. Have had some fun rides - sometimes making allowances for the wind, which seems to blow pretty steadily from the west here, other times just taking it as it comes. The hills here are getting a bit easier, the only question mark is how well the butt will hold up over 4-6 hours of cycling. My “rules” state that I want to go out for at least 4 hours, even if I cover more than 60 km; however, I intend to stop for the day after 6 hours of cycling, as that will probably take about 8-9 hours of the day (allowing for lunch, butt breaks, etc). If the terrain is too rough, steep, sloppy, or rainy, I’ll allow for a 10 km walk or hike with Panna - may even do so the odd time under good conditions, to give Bob and Panna a break from each other - there are only so many things one can do with a dog as companion, and I don’t want him leaving her alone either in the motel rooms (usually that’s not even allowed) or in the van (it will probably be too hot). He would like to do some casual fishing, not even to eat, just for fun - depending on the situation, I can see Panna having a great time in the water, just scaring all the fish away!

Mapping has gone pretty well - it’s kind of fun transferring what I’ve marked on the maps to the mapping software - drawing the lines I THINK I’ll follow. Will transfer that information to the GPS and also print up the step-by-step maps, even if they don’t show the names or numbers of the minor roads. I may just have to operate on “turn left at the 2nd crossroad” - we’ll see. If the smaller roads are gravel, I may have to break down and use the more major, paved roads, especially where there is no open TransCanada Trail in the vicinity.

Other things I’m trying to get done is load as many tunes/cd’s on my MP3 player. I’ve not had to listen to it yet while riding around here - strangely, I enjoy hearing the sounds around me and listening to the sounds of the bike. But after I’ve been on it 4-5 hours a day, day after day, I might decide to listen to some lively music. So I’m going to put a bunch on the computer and then onto the Sansa. Seems like the preparations never stop!

But I must tonight - more, with photos, to follow...;-)

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