On Cycling the Shore

Seems as if much of the excitement in my life revolves around Lake Erie these days.  (Bad thing? Too much work? Good thing? Work provides adventure? Who knows?)

This past week I cycled a stretch of Lake Erie’s shoreline on the Great Waterfront Trail Adventure.  From Port Stanley to Fort Erie, I clocked over 260km in the saddle! TWO HUNDRED SIXTY KILOMETERS. I have one very sore ass and sick tan-lines to prove it. And some pretty pictures.

I don’t think I have done anything quite so physically demanding in my entire life.  And mentally demanding.  I was very anxious about the entire event & my role in it (cycling 260km AND representing my workplace). The last time I had ridden 75km in one day, I had been positively beat… and somehow I was supposed to travel even further (95km on day one), and then wake up and do it all again (100km on day two) and again (73km on day three).

 

But honestly the opportunity was too good to pass up. With a discounted registration and my work encouraging me to participate, it really was a once in a lifetime opportunity. (Though I fully intend to do it again next year!)  And I need activities like this — events I cannot back out of — to kick my lazy ass in gear.  And I have no regrets… except over not bringing a warm enough sleeping bag. (Nights in August should not get below 10 degrees Celsius!!)

Our “south coast” is gorgeous. The lake, Carolinian forest, fields of corn, tobacco & asparagus, Monarch butterflies and dragonflies, prairies and savanna’s with wildflowers in yellow & purple, crickets & cicadas, and fish & chips (mmm, Lake Erie Perch).

Through it all I cycled.  TWO HUNDRED SIXTY KILOMETERS. Boo Yeah.

Fun facts:

• Carolinian Canada is the most biodiverse region of Canada, with over 2000 plant species, 70 types of trees, 400 species of birds and 50 types of reptiles and amphibians.  Many of these species and their habitats are found no where else in Canada!
• Carolinian Canada makes up less than 1% of Canada’s landmass.
• The north shore of Lake Erie is 592 km long.
• Lake Erie is the 4th largest Great Lake according to surface area, though the smallest by volume and by far the shallowest of the Great Lakes.
• Lake Erie’s average depth is 19m and has a maximum depth of 64m. This contrasts quite remarkably with Lake Superiors average depth of 147m and maximum depth of 406m.
• Lake Erie supports on of the largest freshwater fisheries in the world, which isn’t all that surprising when you consider that it is the 11th largest lake in the world (according to surface area) and is the most biologically diverse of all the Great Lakes.
• Lake Erie’s watershed is home to over 11 million people! (The lake is bound by Ontario, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York and Michigan.)
• Lake Erie has it’s very own legendary lake monster, very cleverly (NOT) named Bessie!
• #nerdrant

Oh, and here are the tan-lines I have to prove it. #bikeshortsftw

An actual tweet from the trail: Drinking a St. Thomas beer called Dead Elephant, a nod to the dear departed Jumbo. Yum!

On Lake Erie

I did it! I went stand-up paddleboarding!  Photographic proof:

(It’s me! I promise!) While I didn’t last the full 25 km (apparently practicing once doesn’t quite prepare your body for 8 hours of paddling), I was very proud of my 8-12 km (there were mixed thoughts on the distance we paddled).

And, I (surprisingly) didn’t take any tumbles in to the water.  I thought I was going down once — after the wake from a boat caused by board to bob quite violently — but I fell to my knees before I could capsize.

Southern Ontario was hit by a massive storm on the Friday night, which pushed our event from Saturday to Sunday because of rough waters.  On Sunday morning we had to wade through knee deep algae to get into the water (ick), but we started the day with glassy waters (ahh).  The lake was beautiful, as I have come to expect. The water was cool, but not cold.  And for a stretch I could see the bottom (which was only 3-4 metres below me).  Throughout the morning we took breaks to enjoy some water and granola bars while sitting on our boards with our feet in the water.  It’s was a neat feeling.

(C and I checking out a shipwreck.)  The whole thing had me reflecting on slowing down. As a novice paddleboarder, I was moving SLOWLY. Super-slow…, and it was pleasant. Once I got into a rhythm and stopped looking at my feet, my head cleared and it was a rather peaceful experience.  If you ever have the opportunity to try it, I’d recommend stand-up paddleboarding. :)

Excellent, Entertaining & Educational

I am an internet addict. My work requires that I be rather plugged in (for file sharing, research, correspondence) and then I spend most of my personal time online as well.  And while I recognize that my sanity could benefit from a little more down time, I like to think I’m learning a lot while I’m at it! So I thought I’d share some of my favourite YouTube channels that are excellent, entertaining, and EDUCATIONAL!!

1. It’s Okay to Be Smart.

2. The Brain Scoop.

3. Crash Course.

4. Sci Show

If I were any good at talking to a camera, I would LOVE to make some environmentally-slanted educational programming for YouTube. Probably something about all the awesome things that live in southern Ontario. *high-fives the Carolinian life zone*.  But I’m not particularly great at talking in general… let alone to a camera… so I’m not sure it will happen. We shall see!

Also, someone should make YouTube videos about English grammar. I could use a refresher course there.

Where do you go to learn things on the internet?

To the hawk’s cliff

Today I visited Hawk’s Cliff — I love that possessive ‘s’ — the cliff really does belong to the birds.

Looking out over Lake Erie, the bluff stands several meters above the blue. It was a sunny, still day, and only two bald eagles were spotted; but on a day with the right kind of winds, hawks can be seen in large  numbers.

On days like that, this lowly road allowance* is inundated with birders hoping to catch a glimpse of these majestic soarers.

If you’re ever in Elgin County, I definitely recommend this little treasure. Hawks or no hawks, it’s a lovely place for a picnic.

*The property belongs to the municipality, because it’s where a road would have gone, had it not dead-ended on the lake.  The properties surrounding the road allowance are both privately owned, and therefore birders cannot use them for hawk watching.