Sometimes days are like that.  Calm then chaos, then calm again.

The morning started with the usual quiet calm, followed by a flurry of activity and chaos, followed by the calming effect of two wheels.  I marvel at how there always seems to be a rush to get out the door on time when just minutes before, one sipped coffee and chatted at the breakfast table.

I spent the night fussing about where to buy new brake pads for my bike.  Mechanical issues when all local bike stores are closed on Monday’s leaves one to fret at 2am about what to do for Tuesday’s ride.  After what I thought was an exhaustive search on my phone in the darkness of the hotel room – Stevo says at breakfast that Canadian Tire has such items!  Eureeka!  Mind you, my trusty partner reminded me that he had already suggested that but I dismissed the idea.  Why?  I’m not sure.  It made perfect sense.  The iconic Canadian store carries bikes – so why not parts?  I don’t know.  It seemed too easy.  I won’t doubt him again.  Really I won’t.

After a mad dash to the store, a quick brake-pad change in the hotel hallway and a sprint (as much as one can sprint in bike shoes, pushing a bike and juggling extra gear), we were almost ready to roll.  While this was happening, Gord had the chain cleaning gear and the entire group performed a de-grit-degrease/re-grease of their chains after Monday’s ride in wet conditions.

09:19 and we were on our way and all within 20mins of our scheduled departure time.  Not bad for a Tuesday. 🙂

A nice tour through the country-side north of Courtenay as we meandered our way toward Cumberland.  Day 2 was a little drier than Day 1 so the group was more chatty along the way and able to enjoy the scenery a bit more.  Still a bit overcast, but definitely more enjoyable.

After the climb to Cumberland, some of the group members chose to start their coffee break immediately, while others rode a little farther to Comox Lake.  Regrouping at the Cumberland Grind for a spot of coffee and some baked goods from the local bakery, we were ready to head back to Courtenay.  The hard work was over, and now the descent.  Royston Rd, to Minto to Frazer – we were on our way again.

A little debriefing over some beer and potato chips (thank you Haid’s), we could toast another terrific day with a great group of people.

Until next time.

LiveSplendidly!