Day 1 - let's go!

July 14th - Day 1

Road trips. The mere mention of the word excites most people. And why wouldn't it? The road trip experience brings so much. It offers respite from our every day routine. It allows us to explore new places, to meet new people. It can be peaceful and exciting at the same time. It can allow for reflection, if we let it. It can also offer an opportunity to step out of our comfort zone, by trying new things, and through reflection, the opportunity to think about things differently. The road trip can also test our patience, our williness to keep going even when things don't go the way we planned or had wanted to.

In the days leading up to this road trip I felt differently than I usually do. In the past I often looked at a road trip as a means to escape, as a way to "solve my problems". This time, however, my mindset was different.

I still felt excited, as I always do before any trip. But instead of feeling like I needed an escape, I found myself feeling fairly content, you might say happy, in my every day existence. I was looking forward to the trip, but I was also looking forward to coming back to my every day existence.

This trip I would be visiting the Maritimes, with the Tall Ship Festival in Halifax being the focal point. My journey would take me by motorcycle, through Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec, through New Brunswick to Nova Scotia. After Halifax, who knows where I would visit. In he road between Regina and Halifax, who knew where I would stop and visit. As usual, I would let fate decide.

Well day one of the trip started as it usually does for me - running around like a chicken with my head cut off trying to get ready. It wasn't until mid afternoon that I finally left Regina. By this point I had already resigned myself to the fact that I wouldn't be making it to Kanora, Ontario this first day. Instead I would be stopping in Winnipeg for the night.

The ride to Winnipeg was fantastic. The temperature was a warm, but very comfortable 21c. The sun was just behind the clouds, so it wasn't bearing down on me. But it was still bright enough so as to give a soft glow to the landscape.

The landscape on the number 1 is beautiful. Alot of people I speak to say the drive to Winnipeg is boring. I have found the opposite. As I rode into Manitoba, my eyes were treated to a smattering of green trees, with farms nestled amongst them. The sunlight wasn't strong, and was just enough to give the landscape a gentle glow. The setting brought peace to my mind, and I found myself being very present in my surroundings.

Including the pain I felt in my rear end. My body needed some getting used to sitting on the bike again. My ass hurt so much, I felt like I had just gotten out of an S & M convention! Not that I have ever attended one!

Eventually I arrived at Winnipeg. The number one into Winnipeg becomes Portage Avenue. As usual, the drive down it brings a thousand stop lights, making my 18k journey down this street very long. It wasn't until 10 in the evening that I arrived at my friend's Jill and Shawn, would who be putting me up for the night.

Minutes after arriving Shawn offered a pile of hot dogs, fresh off the barbeque. I was famished, and gobbled up the 5 hot dogs within minutes. Jill, Shawn and I spent the next few hours sitting on their patio, talking about bike trips - they are bikers and do bike trips as well.