Going pear-shaped.

There hasn’t been much of a lull in my summer, leaving me with little time to finish the Slovenian Chronicles. When I’m not working, riding, or running, I’m getting sidetracked by inconsequential mysteries, such as a pile of pears.

Exhibit A:

Without a single pear tree nearby and the nearest source of pears being the supermarket at the other end of the parking lot, I had to wonder how this pile of pears came to be. It’s been consuming me. Do we have a pear stealing whore in our midst? What’s the story here?

And…

Exhibit B:

I’ve also been reading an actual story. Ed, who has been anxiously awaiting my recaps of our time in Slovenia, clearly did not think through the consequences of suggesting such a riveting read.

Wavewalker is a true tale about a couple who refused to let parenthood hold them back from achieving their bizarre dream of following Captain Cook’s third voyage around the world. Oddly specific. Although the kids came along, they ditched the family dog in England. To pursue this adventure, they sold nearly everything they owned to buy a 23m-long wooden schooner, which became their home for the next decade.

A year into their voyage, while sailing the southern Indian Ocean, 50-foot waves driven by hurricane-force winds pinballed the family around in the boat’s cabin. The vessel almost sank, and the author, then just 7 years old, suffered a fractured skull. Despite this close call, Captain Papa’s resilience was praised by the press, and the journey was celebrated by the public and media.

Captain Papa didn’t even know how to swim!

Secondhand rage towards the author’s parents aside, I’m really enjoying the book. What can I say? Boat stories float my boat.

You know what else involves boats? Lake Bled.

Continue reading “Going pear-shaped.”

Am I crazy, or is that a lot of sugar? 

I went into work this afternoon to stock up on fuel for tomorrow’s ride: five energy gels, a bag of “share size” (ok, I see companies are using a more inclusive term these days), Swedish berries, 710mL of Gatorade (Glacier Cherry), and a Honey Stinger energy waffle.

Along with never having done cocaine or changed a diaper, I’ve never bonked.

*knock on wood*

Continue reading “Am I crazy, or is that a lot of sugar? “

Dragons, butterflies, and Cockta.

Everything I knew about Slovenia I learned from Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego, which amounted to knowing its capital.

Ljubljana.

We wouldn’t visit Ljubljana until the end of our cycle tour. Like many international airports, Ljubljana Airport isn’t even located in Ljubljana. Kranj is the closest city, and that’s where we ended up on July 6th aka Day 1.

It was an 11 and a half kilometre ride to our hostel: the best ride of our trip… so far.

In addition to not researching the country beforehand, I also did not research the accommodations. That’s right, I was a passenger princess. I consider these blog posts my biggest contribution to the trip.

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Feeling salty.

The disillusionment persists. Last Thursday, I decided I needed some time off the island. I mashed my overnight gear into my panniers and pumped my legs all the way to Swartz Bay. There, I had seven different destinations to choose from that would take me off Vancouver Island. I’d already decided on Salt Spring Island. Ruckle Park is one of my favourite camping spots, and it’d been several years since I last camped there. In fact, I believe the last time I camped there was with Yann and Ed in 2019.

This time, I was all on my lonesome. The last time I camped alone was… never. That was actually my first time. I didn’t realize until recently that I was an outlier among my friends for never having had that solo camping experience and wanted to change that. (Cocaine and changing a diaper are two other things that most of my friends have done that I haven’t, and I plan on keeping it that way.)

Continue reading “Feeling salty.”