Reports from Jamie's latest tour

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day 90

the end is near

Actual Date: 2007-08-02
Uploaded: thu, 2 aug 2007 17:49:50 -0700
Distance: 102.00 km

Delhi, Ontario.

Every tour eventually reaches that point when you can tell that the end is near.

The last two days have been like that as I've crossed familiar roads while I criss cross the south-western part of the province of Ontario. I have crossed the tour tracks from both my Lake Erie and Lake Ontario tours. This morning I saw the waters of Lake Ontario and before tomorrow darkens I will likely see the waters of Lake Erie as well. I've also seen road signs mentioning London with distances either decreasing or increasing depending on where I am on my route.

Getting close to the tour's end always brings some mixed feelings. On the one hand there is happiness at another positive and rewarding experience especially when injury hasn't been a problem during the tour. There is also a bit of sadness at the need to return to civilized life with it's schedules, rules and demands.

Touring can be very seductive and for some the temptation to keep going is so strong that they do just that. The danger of course is that the longer they stay out, the harder it will be to reintegrate into society once again. Since touring seems to require money those who do stay out have to consider how they intend to continue funding their adventure. In the course of my lake tours I have met two or three tourers who have been on the road more then seven years and they've reached the state where touring is all they have left with little money and not always the best health to offset the long time that they've been nomadic. The very idea of returning to a more permanent job is both scary and seems beyond their ability at this point.

Touring is a bit of an escape for me. It allows me to re-energize and put my brain on a different wave length for awhile. This tour is ending at just about the right time. I've enjoyed having the chance to explore some more of the world and have a bit more of a carefree and child like existence.

Today turned out to be hot as expected and the wind also acted as a headwind in my direction of travel. It might have been the heat, the wind, the climbs up the escarpment hills, the long day yesterday, the lack of a rest day since before the end of Lake Superior (Day 80, Obatanga) or a combination of all of these things that saw me stop at Delhi rather then continue onward to my Lake Erie destination.

For most of the day I slogged onward feeling a distinct lack of energy in my legs. When I stopped for some supper and had mild trouble getting back on the bike, I knew it was time to listen to my body and call it a day.

I've heard reports all day of touring cyclists around me but I haven't met any. Some are apparently riding the new Adventure Cycling Underground Railway route while others are circling Lake Erie or taking a short cut across the top of the lake as part of their cross-continental journeys. Hopefully I will meet a couple more before heading for home.

Guestbook replies:

Dale: Space within the hammock is sparce compared to a tent. I usually hang my Petzl head lamp on the main rope above/behind/near my head. My journal is written on my pocketmail device so I hang that from the same rope. I place my id, cards and cash in a plastic holder that sits in the pouch that hangs from the rope and I typically tie two socks and a fleece cap to the rope as well in case it gets colder during the night.

After that the hammock contains me, my sleeping bag and a thermarest. The sleeping bag is used as a quilt and the thermarest is mainly used as an insulating layer (please don't underestimate the ability of the hammock to suck heat from your body) although it's also good if you need to use the hammock as a bivy sack.

All other gear is left on my locked up and in my line of sight bicycle. If camping in bear or other wild life areas then my bear bag is actually 100 to 300 metres away in a clear space if at all possible. A large towel or jacket makes open air changing easier.

Jackie A: Thanks for the kind thought of treating me to an ice cream had you known I was going to be in Hamilton. If you check out my Deja Vu/Return to Port Burwell tour there is an ice cream shown in one the pictures. That's what I will likely have as the last ice cream of the tour before going back to non-touring mode eating patterns (one of the hardest parts of touring for me happens after the tour when I need to cut back on intake since I am no longer riding and my body is still screaming for food. It makes for a few hungry/grumpy feeling days).

Sleep is calling me. I must go....
~Jamie N

Interested in bicycle touring? www.bicycletouring101.com

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Tour Statistics

(Based on riding days only)

Number of Riding Days: 34
Overall total so far: 3840.10 km
Daily Average: 112.94 km
Shortest: 53.00 km
Longest: 163.00 km

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