That's all Folks! Year 2 Complete!

Well it's official. This morning I went for a 15.2km ride and completed my GCC 2025 challenge! Smashing my ride goal again this year with a total of 220.4km! I'm amazed that I peddled evey single on of those kilometers 😆. Also thanks to my friends, family, and colleagues for your support and encouragement throughout my challenge. It truly means a lot to me that you were just as excited for my challenge as I was. Together we raised $1,066 for Sickkids hospital in their efforts to end childhood cancer and help little kids across Canada kick cancer's butt! So, a big thank you to everyone who donated! You are all awesome! As my challenge comes to a close I think of all the kids out their battling cancer and how hard and scary it must be to go through that. So it fills me with joy to see them smiling and being brave in spite of it all. They are the true heroes of this challenge and we do it all for them. This will be my last post for 2025 which makes me a bit sad. Because so many of you have have told me that you really enjoy reading my posts. I'm glad you've all enjoyed my posts because I enjoy writing them! And there's nothing better than to hear people are reading and enjoying them along with me! Anyway thank you all again for coming along for the ride with me. For today's photo I went down to the Iroquois locks where the big oceanliners come through. I've loved going to this spot ever since I was a kid. So, if you haven't been I highly recommend you go see the beautiful St. Lawrence River and watch the big boats come through. It's an experience you'll never forget! Until next year's challenge see you around!

Squirrels Here, There, and Everywhere

On today's ride I kept encountering squirrels. Squirrels of every kind! Red, black and grey. They were all bounding across the road around town with nuts or acorns in their cheeks. I guess they're stocking up for the winter ahead. Anyway it was very cute and I loved watching them hop-run across the road. People tend to have a love hate relationship with squirrels. On the one hand they are very cute, curious, and fun to watch. On the other hand you don't want them moving into your attic! That being said I'm very much on the "love" squirrel team! I've always really enjoyed them. They are very clever and resourceful creatures which I respect! Anyway end of squirrel rant. Yesterday I gave a TED talk on spiders and today I babble about squirrels. What will tomorrow's post be about? It's anyone's guess really but, *spoiler* it will be my last post of the challenge. Now enjoy this picture I took of this bee on a sedum plant!

I Had a Hitchhiker!

You know what I was not expecting to climb over my pedal and onto my shoe during my ride today? A spider. That's right! There I was stopped at an intersection waiting to cross and as I looked down a medium sized house spider was sitting casually on my shoe. I use to be very afraid of spiders for the better part of my life. I use to get my mom whenever there was one in my room well into my adulthood. When I lived in Ireland for a year there was a spider the size of a plate living in my room. It had big legs! Like some kind of buff spider that goes to the gym and never misses leg day. Needless to say I slept with lights on for a year. Anyway after that traumatizing experience I mostly got over my fear. Anytime I saw one at home or at work I just remembered what my mom always told me. She said "Don't worry about the spider they're eating all the scarier bugs you don't want to see". So, now when I see a spider inside I either leave it be or help it get outside. For my hitchhiking spider friend I stopped further down the road and enticed it to hop onto a stick instead of my shoe. Then placed the stick in a dry spot so the spider wouldn't get wet. We have to learn to live alongside nature not against it. With that thank you for coming to my TED talk about spiders and enjoy today's picture. It's the button my mom made me last year during the Paris Olympics! I conside him my riding buddy 😊.

The Little Pear Tree That Could!

During my rides I've noticed a lot of apples falling off trees and littering the road. It can be interesting trying to dodge them all. But it also smells wonderful! The weather is getting cooler and fall is upon us. Which also means pear season! Nearly my entire life we have had a pear tree. Every year without fail it would produce so many pears we didn't know what to do with them all! I remember my parents trying to MacGyver a pear catching basket out of a pole and an old coffee tin to reach the pears at the very top. The tree is about 26 years old and still isn't a very big tree. But a few years ago during a bad storm it was hit by lightning and one of the main limbs fell off. After that our little tree didn't look very good and we were worried we might have to take the rest of it down. But nature is an amazing healer so, we left our little tree alone and waited. It tried to grow pears but they never got bigger than your thumb and theyd fall off really early in the season. However, not this year! This year our little pear tree is back in action! Loaded to the brim with healthy giant pears! We've been collecting them and happily smiling at our beautiful tree. I'm glad it made it through. It's a part of our family in more ways than one.

75% Done!

As of today I only have 47.2km left to go! I'm so excited to reach my ride goal! I'm really proud of my improvements this year with my rides. Last year my average daily ride was 7km or 8km but, this year I've been averaging 10km - 12km a day! I'm already thinking about my ride goal for next year if you can believe it. 250km anyone? Everyone in my house is very excited about my challenge this year including our cats! So, join Puff in celebrating 75% completion of my ride goal and wave your hands (or paws) in the air like you just don't care 😆🥳

Time for a Combo Post!

Yesterday I went out for a short ride after the rain cleared up. The road was still pretty wet so I ended up going slower than usual. Last thing I wanted was to take a spill and risk getting injured. So, it ended up being a cautious ride around the village. Today however was the complete opposite story! Sunny skies and very hot! But at least I didn't have to worry about slipping. Anyway my favourite part of today's ride was watching the big popcorn (cumulus) clouds drifting bye. The sky was full of them! I'm sure my Mom will enjoy watching them out the window at work. She's an avid cloud watcher! So, naturally I stopped to take some good cloud pics for her 😉. You probably thought clouds would be the subject of today's picture. But on Tuesday I received my 2025 GCC cycling jersey! Bask in its glory and know that it's thanks to you and the amazing SickKids hospital that I received this ❤. I also got my thank you card from Nori! You can check out her story and cancer journey on the GCC website homepage. She's a real fighter and I'm going to keep on pedaling for her and everyone else fighting cancer!

This One Goes Out to Mary!

On this mornings ride I hade to wear two layers because it's was very windy and a bit cold out. I guess fall is really on its way and summer is coming to a close. I'll miss the beautiful summer days but not the searing heat! I also had some Seagulls decide to join me on my ride and they flew right beside me! It's was so cool! 😆

I was also reading my fellow GCC rider and colleague Mary McNeill's page. I always love reading her posts! Today she posted about her ride being on hold for now because of her sciatica acting up. Then she very generously gave me a shout out! So, I want to shout out back to Mary! One of the most awesome people I have ever met! You can do it Mary!! Did you know she has raised $3000 so far this year for Sickkids? What an amazing impact she's made to help kid's fight cancer. I'll be thinking of you on my rides Mary! Enjoy today's pic of me and the amazing sky! And checkout Mary's page! https://greatcyclechallenge.ca/Riders/MaryMcNeill

Prepare for Take Off!

Today I went for a short 5km ride after the rain cleared up. There was a very nice cool breeze that made riding even more fun! When I learned to ride a bike I realized that cycling can sometimes feel like you're flying! When you're going down a big hill or slope and the wind is behind you. It feels like you might just take off! Maybe I'll have my own E.T moment by the end of my ride 😉. Enjoy this pic I took the other morning while out on a ride.

Halfway There: A Tale of 215km

Well it's official! I'm halfway through my ride challenge and only have 100km to go! I'm having so much fun doing the challenge again this year! I can't wait to see what my final kilometer total will be! I also wanted to thank everyone who has donated to SickKids in support of my ride. Thank you all so much for your generous donations large and small! I appreciate every dollar it really encourages me to keep riding. I'm always thinking of the kids battling cancer when they should be having fun playing instead! So I want to raise as much money as I can to help them in their fight! Let's kick cancer's butt!! Enjoy this pic of Mantis on the path!

It's Kick Cancer's Butt Day!

I have officially ridden 100km! Woo! And today is kick cancer's butt day! All donations will be matched today so, if you're thinking of donating do it today and double your impact! Every little bit helps in the fight against cancer and helps fund the important research to find cures and treatments. During my ride today I met a very nice lady who stopped to ask me about my bike. She told me she wanted to learn to ride a bike and I told her I just learned to ride a two years ago! We had a very nice chat and we both learned new things. Now she's going to give bike riding another go! I said I'd help her learn if she wanted. It's amazing to me that I didn't know how to ride a bike for so long and now I'm inspiring others to learn and enjoy bike riding! Also it finally rained today! Hallelujah! Hopefully this is the end of the drought!