One of the Tribe

Met someone from my tribe today; John was from Wales.  "I have two weeks to bugger around," he said.

John

Both of us commiserated about the hills and the heat.  "At least you have a tailwind," I said.  "I don't have a tailwind," John quickly countered.  Then he said like a pirate, "Arrrrgh! The blood crosswind must have her hooks in both of us!"

John had a unique bicycling fashion style which was not at all similar to my fluorescent, wick-away spandex.  He gravitated toward the more casual plaid shirt with easy access ventilation up front.  While his attire did not appear to breath too well, I tried not to look too closely.

With the sun beating down on both of us and softening a patch of tar at my feet, John said he was having a good time, and he was off.

Masstown Market

MASSTOWN, NOVA SCOTIA - A landmark and stopping point for many to refuel. Located about 18 miles north of Truro.

The grocery is similar to Sendik's and the fresh fish market is housed in a

neighboring lighthouse.

Outside the lighthouse is a little display about high tides. The tiny tug boat will go up and down a three-story high cable depending on the tide and location by the Bay of Fundy - a 170 mi long v- shaped pocket of seawater branching off of the Atlantic Ocean.

A hat tip to store manager Dan who donated 10 post cards to the tour so I can share my adventures with supporters back home!

View from atop the lighthouse at Masstown Market.

Morning Interview on WBKV AM With Bob Bonenfant, West Bend, Wisconsin

Judy was on the WBKV AM morning program with host Bob Bonenfant.

Listen to podcast HERE!

Dartmouth to Truro: The Tin Shop Museum in Canada's Milk Can Capital

(Editor's note: Pardon the skewed font.  Blogger is acting like a beast.)

Logged 65 miles from Dartmouth to Truro.  

Traveled primarily on old Route 2 in sunny 80-degree temps.  

Odd start to the morning as my route was the same as the EPIC triathlon. 

People cheered as I passed and police officers stopped traffic so I could roll through red lights. This Nova Scotia really knows how to spoil a gal.

Came upon the Tin Shop Museum in a little burg called Shubenacadie.  

The location used to be the home and shop of Watson Smith who was famous 

for inventing the steel-bottom milk can.  

I know what you're saying....

"Who could drive past this without having a look-see?"

There were so many original tools and characteristics of the shop that 

remained, including the rope supply that came up through the floor.  Holes were drilled in the floor so the rope stock could be stored in the level 

below.  Customers would choose their grade of rope and then pull it across the room to the cutter.  There were markings on the floor that measured the length.

There was a table full of trivia. Old-time inventions that were no longer 

in use.  I needed to phone a friend on many of the contraptions, like a 

metal rod where you loaded a pill in one end and then shoved it down a 

horses throat.  There was a stamp licker, a metal grabber to retrieve food 

from a hot oven and there was....THIS. Any guesses?  (See answer below.)

This was Smith's tin shop. The steel tools were hearty and built to last.  Smith was also creative as he harvested an old railroad tie and used it as an anvil.  He was organized with labeled boxes of nails and screws.

Smith's primary job was manufacturing milk cans, but he also installed cast iron wood-burning furnaces, made roof jacks and installed plumbing fixtures in bathrooms.

Answer to above "trivia" question: It's a chicken catcher! 

You would hook the chicken's neck or foot and pull them in.  

I'm sure they were available in the Montgomery Ward catalog.

COMING UP! Throwback Monday...... Riding in Tribute

I'll be revealing the name of this groovy dude in an update.  Stay tuned!

Busy Day in Halifax

I love air travel. It's so hassle free. (Just kidding.)

It was a whirlwind type of day that I'll highlight in some photos:

Nancy

Nancy was a volunteer at the Halifax airport who helped me while I rebuilt my

bike. I finally arrived around 10:45 a.m. Saturday after another setback.  Nancy, another agent, Anne, and Lucy were all extremely helpful today.... Despite the delays.

Fabulous tour of the Maritime Museum in downtown Halifax.  Lots of great history and artifacts about the Titanic and the huge explosion in downtown Halifax in 1917.

Visited the wonderful Farmers" Market in Halifax. Here's a bit of a Peter-Pan

view. The market has two levels and full until 8 p.m.

Some local art across from the Maritime Museum

 

Kids climbing sculpture

I could sit and watch this all day. It's right along the boardwalk.  No kid

could walk past without trying it and some adults too.

Staying with my host family Jane and Eric tonight.  

Headed north tomorrow morning. 

Butterbox Babies

Halifax, Nova Scotia - Finally arriving in Halifax 12 hours late; I was already behind my self-imposed schedule.

Air Canada managed to help me hail a shuttle to the Maritime Museum in downtown Halifax about 60 miles away.

Bill Sullivan

My driver was Bill Sullivan. A happy-go-lucky guy with three days growth of gray stubble, a Bluetooth in his ear and a plastic-looking wood cross around his neck.

"I left school when I was 11 to get a job," Bill said with a blended Nova

Scotia/Boston accent.

Bill delivered telegrams on a bicycle. "We had a uniform and everything," he

said, describing his cap, boots and high collar.

"I delivered a birthday message to an old woman. She stood in the doorway and

said, 'Aren't you supposed to sing?'"

"Then I had to deliver a telegram with black running down the edge. I got to the ladies home and she knew right away." The woman said, "Ain't you supposed to ask me if I'm alone?"  Bill said he did.  "Ain't you supposed to come in and set with me?"  Bill said he did. For a while. The woman left the telegram lying on the table unopened. "Craziest thing I'd ever seen, her eyes welled up but she never cried one tear," he said confirming the woman's son had been killed in the war.

Bill, 73, was great at conversation. He kept it going. No sense in silence when it could be filled with a story.

"You familiar with the Butterbox Babies?," he asked.

"There was a dairy that sold butter in boxes and those boxes were the perfect size for a coffin of a child born at the Ideal Maternity Home," Bill said about the outfit that ran in an eastern province of Nova Scotia in the 1930s and '40s.

"That couple, the Young's, would take in unwed mothers, charge them $500 a week and either tell them their baby had died and then sell it, or they eventually did die because all they fed the babies was molasses and water.

"I was one of those babies, but I was adopted," Bill said, explaining he bounced around to a number of foster homes, including a family in New Jersey.

"When that story about the Butterbox Babies came out, the kids that survived

started finding each other," said Bill. "We had a reunion recently and 120 of us showed up."

Bill confidently drove through traffic. He wore rectangular glasses and had a

collection of sunglasses hanging from the visors in the van.

"You into cowboy movies?" asked Bill, not waiting for an answer. "What was Tom Mix horse's name?"

Old Westerns. That was another one of Bill's passions. "Tony. Tony the Wonder

Horse," he said with confidence.

"You know any cowboys?" I fumbled out a weak guess of Ronald Reagan. Apparently he wasn't big enough to have his own horse with a name.

"Gene Autry - now there's a cowboy. What song was his most famous?" grilled Bill. "You sing it once a year...."

I was about to blurt out "Happy Birthday," but Bill couldn't wait for my incorrect answer so he started singing, "Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer...."

He was so proud of himself, but he wasn't smug.  "Autry's horse was Champion. How about Roy Rogers - what was his horses name?"

The cowpoke trivia continued. "Trigger," he said quickly. I knew that one, but

just blanked - and Bill wasn't big on a 3-second pause in conversation.

Arriving at the Maritime Museum, I knew I definitely needed to work on my equine movie history.

Bill was a gracious driver.  He helped unload my bike and was eager to pose for a photo before hitting the dusty wagon trail again. 

Making My Bed in Toronto Airport (Delay)

TORONTO- Bit of a rough start.  Delayed flight out of Milwaukee combined with customs and cumbersome bike box adds up to missed connection to Halifax.  "Take the train, transfer, and it's only six minutes away," said the helpful agent. "Oh, and you'll have to take that bike box and your morning flight leaves at 6 a.m., so be here by 4 a.m." It was already 10:45 p.m.  I just decided to sack out at the airport.  Had my air mattress and sleeping bag, and made do in a corner by the luggage carousel.

Arrived well ahead of time for my 2-hour flight to Halifax and already another delay as the front tire is swapped out on the plane.

I have the tools and feel like helping.  I'm going to ask.

Stay tuned.

3, 2, 1.... I'm OFF!

The Amazing Ride for Alzheimer's is underway!

My friend Lisa picked me up on schedule and we made it to the airport in record time. Air Canada generously waived the $50 fee to fly my bike when I explained the tour as I checked in. 

Trying to get some sleep before my 7:30 flight. Happy to report my host family in Halifax and Truro have both checked in. 

Below: Neighbor Peachie Keehn photo-bombs my departure photo.

Wrapping it up and not ready just yet....

                                                          

My friend who is driving me to the airport called and asked, "So are you ready? Are you excited?"

The answer is I'm focused - - which, makes me look too serious for someone about to embark on a fabulous three week bicycling tour from Halifax, through the east coast and back to Wisconsin. 

Behind the scenes - - you get the idea of how things are going. I'm still packing, cleaning, and throwing things into the pile of 'now don't forget this.'
                          

When I'm nervous I multitask and tend to lean hard into food. In this case, that's a good thing because I have to empty my fridge before going. I just finished my tenth Popsicle of the day.

With lips red and fingers sticky I'm fighting off the temptation to over pack. I'm holding strong - - still at two bags and my carry on.... and then the bike box. It's normally cumbersome and heavy - - like a sleeping 8 year old that needs to be carried to the car after a hot day at the zoo.

I have to be methodical in my packing just in case this ends up being like my New Zealand tour where the bike arrived and my luggage did not. Luckily I just finished my 10,000 push up - so I'm feeling strong and accomplished as that's one more promise kept to a sponsor.

I just passed the mirror and in a quick glance I'm shiny with sweat, some hair has escaped my ponytail, and I have dense, black shark eyes. I'm thinking about another Popsicle to try and relieve some of the self-imposed tension.

Another friend calls, "So are you ready? Are you excited?"  This is the friend who no longer drives me to the airport. I'm not the best when flying - - I can be five hours ahead of departure and still have zero sense of humor because I'm concentrating on everything that can possibly go wrong.

My driver normally takes the brunt of my angst. This one tried to add levity by suggesting we "stop for ice cream" on the way. After that, there was some unnecessary urgency to pull off the expressway to wash the van.

I think I'm good to go now. My Plan B - - if I forget something, I can always buy it and I have a pretty solid team of friends back home to hold down the fort or call in an emergency while I'm away.

Before I forget - - a big THANK YOU to all the sponsors and advertisers that are supporting this year's Amazing Ride for Alzheimer's.
                                                                           

Just a reminder of why I tour. This photo is from 4 a.m. when I was getting on my way in California in 2010.

Future bikers at KinderCare in Green Bay, Wis

                                                                                 

GREEN BAY - Before taking off this week I had the opportunity to speak to the class at KinderCare Learning Centers in Green Bay. The group was FANTASTIC! Very bright students that were not shy about asking questions like "how many miles from Nova Scotia to Wisconsin?" and "Did I ever run into any alligators or sharks?"

Every student helped identify some of my gear including a bike lock that looked like a walkie talkie, there was laughter about my half a toothbrush and a lot of ooooohs and ahhhhhs over the mini keyboard with which I write my stories.

There was only one small distraction when a 6-and-a-half year old boy noticed a chipmunk running through our make-shift outdoor classroom .... otherwise we managed to stay on task.

                                                                        

All students were given color photos of some of my animal encounters including a big brown bear from Montana, a baby spider monkey from Minnesota, and an intimidating Tyrannosaurus Rex I saw during a behind-the-scenes tour at the North Dakota Heritage Center in Bismarck, ND.

Since we were focusing on fitness all the KinderCare students, including a tiny 5-and-a-half year old girl, took a shot at dead lifting my steel-frame bike. The little girls was tiny, quiet and did a complete clean-and-jerk dead lift. No sweat. It was very Mighty Mouse. Then a line formed (see photo below).  I had to remind the students I normally rode my bike on tour.... I didn't carry it.... but it was fun nonetheless.

                                                                             

Flight leaves Friday for Nova Scotia.  Signed, Judy Steffes (age 50 and a half).

New tour jersey is here!

My friend and primary-tour sponsor Helen Reinke is presented with a 2014 tour jersey!

                                 She's game to try it on for size...

                                                   .... and it's a fit!

Helen's name is on the front of the jersey along with other sponsors including USCCA, Kettle Moraine Detachment 1203, Thrivent Financial, and Wiedmeyer Trucking.

Major thanks to Husar's House of Fine Diamonds which printed and donated the jerseys.  All money raised during the upcoming bicycle tour from Halifax, Nova Scotia to Wisconsin will be donated to Alzheimer's exercise and activities at Cedar Community.

Behind the scenes: Helen is the one who kicked off the tour this year with a generous $10,000 donation. After she decided she liked the jersey she said, "How much do I owe you for this?"

Tour leaves June 27.

Cross-training run: Madison to Chicago

                                                                               

Took a break from the bike and spent the weekend leapfrogging 196.1 miles running with a team from Madison, WI to Chicago, IL.  It was the Ragnar Run: an overnight relay race that makes testing your limits a team sport. I was with team "Dude, Where's my van?" which was organized by captain Amanda DeRuyter.

Behind the scenes: Exhilarating Friday and Saturday, traveling with six people in a van, chasing between 3-and-9 miles down the road until the next transition point when we finally reached Chicago. We ran in (what felt like) 90-degree heat. We ran at 2:30 a.m. in the dark - which felt very Sunday-morning paper route. We cheered everyone's success - including our competition.

- Awesome view of the back roads, trails, communities, and small-town businesses including a stop at Franks Diner in Kenosha. A regional institution that mixes a flamboyant staff, with a cozy elbow-to-elbow crowd, topped off with a hearty menu that features an item called The Garbage Plate: start with five eggs and use your imagination along with anything you find in the refrigerator drawer.
                                                                   

Franks was a step back in time. The diner was the size of an old railroad car - with a couple additions. It dripped heavy with butter, personality, and an 'order-what-you-want-eat-what-you-get' sassiness. Franks Diner has hosted many celebrities since 1926 including The Three Stooges, Lawrence Welk, Bela Lugosi, Duke Ellington, Liberace - - and now the Ragnar team 'Dude, Where's my van?"

Riding in tribute

                                                                           

The Amazing Ride for Alzheimer’s bicycle tour leaves June 27 for Halifax, Nova Scotia. I will be pedaling the next three weeks as I make my way back to West Bend.

While on the road, each day, I will bicycle in tribute to one individual including Betty Christen, the former director of home and apartment living for Cedar Community. She died last year of complications from cancer. 

Each day, for a simple $100 tax-deductible donation to Cedar Community Foundation, I will be riding to honor someone’s life or legacy. That person’s photo will grace the top of my website, imthebikewriter.blogspot.com

This is just one of the ways for people to take an active part in the tour and help raise awareness for Alzheimer’s. 

A jpeg photo may be sent to email at thebikewriter@gmail.com or judyharley@yahoo.com   

Racine radio interview Monday, June 2

                                                                            

I'll be joining WRJN afternoon radio host Ted Ehlen live on Monday, June 2 to talk about the upcoming Amazing Ride for Alzheimer's. We'll be chatting just after 3:35 p.m. on AM 1400.  You can listen in live by logging onto wrjn.com