To my mother for Father's Day. She is a volunteer for the Salvation Army as well as a "Bell Ringer' during the holidays. She was both mother and father to me ever since my dad passed away more than 31 years ago. I love you mom!

Yesterday's Pro Cycling Race in Manayunk was unbelievable. It was over 90 degrees and these athletes spent six hours and 10 trips up "The Wall." proving who was the best. Paul and I got in the spirit by parking our car in Valley Forge Park and riding our bikes the 15+ miles to Manayunk to watch the race with Matt and Joanna and their friends. Their house is just feet from the course and we were able to enjoy the shade of their backyard in between the ride by's. It was amazing. The bikers were followed by their support vehicles and I think they were all going at least 50mph. The cars were bottoming out on roads with a 25mph posted speed limit. We saw one crash, we think the riders front fork just cracked so he somersaulted into the air. The rider following him got caught up in the crash. Both riders were back on new bikes within minutes, maybe even seconds. I was surprised the cars didn't crash into one another. The crowd was another story. Most had been drinking from before post time at 9 am. I can't even begin to describe it. I want to go next year. This was a fun day!

vermontreal

This has been a busy time of year. This past weekend we went to Middlebury, Vermont where we stayed with David and Patty Hallam. The purpose of the trip was to take a bike trip with Local Motion, a Vermont bicycle group, from South Hero to Montreal. The trip was to take two days and once in Montreal we would ride in the Tour de L'ile, a 50k loop through and around Montreal. Total mileage for the weekend was 140 miles.

Day One: Paul and I loaded up the bikes and soft sided luggage for our trip. I was a bit nervous about the bike part of the trip. The first day was to be 65 miles and I didn't know if I was up to it. Paul and I both had new bikes for the trip. He bought his on eBay and I borrowed Leslie's. Both are very nice bikes. The trip up to Vermont was uneventful. We had to make a small detour to Alex's apartment to pick up the bike pack that was on the back of her bike. We made it in time for dinner and a walking tour of Middlebury. What a lovely town.

Day Two: We got up early for a 1.5 hour drive to South Hero. The start is at Snow Farm Winery. We began our ride and the first stop was at a donut shop where one of the couples in our group, Chip and Nancy Morgan, had preordered a dozen donuts. They were very good donuts. Then we were off. The weather was chilly but it did not rain. We rode for about 30 miles before stopping for lunch at Alburg. We had preordered sandwiches and sat on the grass out side the town hall. It was starting to warm up. The ride was along the Champlain Bikeway, a beautiful road with little traffic, flat and a view of the water at every turn. Shortly after lunch we crossed into Canada From the border we were on gravel roads and acres and acres of farm land. The sky was getting more and more gray but the rain held off. We arrived in St. Jean Sur-Richelieu at our hotel around 4 pm. The hotel was interesting, we needed a guide to get us to our room. It must have been part of a third round of construction. There was no direct route and we went through at least three different conference and dining rooms. We showered and went outside to the pool to enjoy beer and wine with the rest of our group. Paul announced, to everyone, that it was our anniversary. It was a great way to get to know everyone. We had many people come up and congratulate us. After the cocktail party we walked the mile and a half into town to eat at Manneken Pis, named after the famous statue of a little boy peeing in a pond. The food was delicious and inexpensive. It was great having a guilt free meal. After seven hours of biking we needed the food. We were in bed by 10pm.

Day Three: We woke up to rain, rain and more rain. The hotel provided breakfast prepared by a little french woman who cooked eggs on a griddle. It took some time to get our food but with the weather we were in no hurry to leave the warm hotel. The trip was delayed an hour, hoping the rain would subside. That didn't happen so we put on our rain gear and headed out. We had to ride along a big road for a bit and within the first few minutes between cars and large puddles we were thoroughly soaked. After that it wasn't bad. Most of our trip was on a bike trail, the Montreal Green Way, so we didn't have to worry about cars and with the weather so crappy there wasn't much bike traffic. Our first rest stop was at Fort Chambly. On a nicer day we would've sat on the grass and watched the river but on this day, if we stopped to long we got cold. The next leg of the trip had many turns and complicated mapping so we went in groups with volunteer tour guides. Matt was our guide and the rear was covered by Gregg. They were great and got us into South Montreal with no problems. It finally stopped raining when we got to the ferry. The ferry took us over to Montreal and then a short bike ride to our hotel. The hotel was a beautiful Double Tree by Hilton. My bike and I were covered in mud as was everyone elses. One of the volunteers got a hose and washed us off the best she could before we entered the hotel. It was a very festive atmosphere. After we cleaned up there was another cocktail party. The entertainment was Chip, Patty, Paul and a few others who sang a biking song written by Chip to a Kingston Trio tune. This is where it became apparent that Paul and I were actually on the younger side for the trip. Paul hadn't heard of that particular song and didn't know the tune. But the words were fun. After the cocktail party we headed for dinner. We went to a street not far from the hotel that was loaded with restaurants. We chose an Italian restaurant that had very good food and wine. When we left the restaurant it was raining again. Bah Humbug!

Day Four: We had to get up very early to meet up with the Tour de L'ili. The breakfast at the Hilton was delicious and because it was raining I was taking my time. This ride was optional and who would want to ride in the rain? Well, apparently everyone wanted to ride. They didn't care if it rained. So I quickly decorated my helmet as best I could considering it still was wearing a shower cap. We had a five mile journey to the start of the ride. The rain had stopped and it wasn't too bad out. Montreal is very bike friendly and there many streets with designated bike paths. Our group was given VIP treatment and we were at the front of the pack. They had expected around 35,000 bikers but I don't know what was the actual count. I don't know if the rain deterred smart people from joining us. The beginning of the ride was well executed, not like the NYC 5 borough ride Paul and I did last year but then again were in the front of this ride. By this time my legs were protesting a bit. They were just tired. Surprisingly, it wasn't my butt that hurt. The trip was good, we saw a lot of Montreal. Where there weren't bike paths they had the streets closed for us. There were many people along the ride cheering the riders on and helping us with directions. Paul and I stopped at two of the three stops we saw a drum group playing, reminiscent of the movie DrumLine, and some giant voodoo warriors that were a bit scary. At the end they had vendors who were giving away free things. After we finished the ride we still had to make our way back to the hotel. We made it but it was a bit worrisome. A strange city, a strange language... Did I mention that the language we overheard the most was french and when I asked questions some didn't know any English and I certainly don't know any French. Once back, the hotel had opened up it's exercise facilities to us so we could shower or swim. Paul and I had thought we made pretty good time but I think we were one of the last groups to arrive. There were a lot of bikes ready to be loaded onto the vans. We showered, grabbed something to eat in the bar with David and Patty and then we were off to the bus for the trip back to South Hero.

Once we got back to South Hero we loaded up our bikes and gear and headed to Burlington. David and Patty gave us a tour and then we ate at a great hamburger place where one of David's friends was playing music. What an enjoyable evening.

Day Five: Tired but happy. We then walked to the food co-op to fill up on some Vermont chocolate. Because we were constantly moving in Canada I didn't have a chance to buy Cadbury chocolate but I had to come home with something for the girlfriends. My legs were a bit tired and the hills were tough to climb but it was fun. We left for home at 10:30 arrived home at 6pm. The dogs and Alex were happy to see us. I think the dogs were more excited than Alex but it was good to be home.

Conclusion: I was a bit nervous about this trip. I hadn't prepared the way I wanted to. But I was very pleased with myself for having accomplished 140 miles in three days and for riding in the rain. It was a very satisfying trip.