Neil's turn to blog.

This time, the blog's on Neil. Or...he's on the blog.

Either way: German touring! (again)

Away, again.

So. The Cedar are on tour in Germany, again. Only this time it's

Longer!

More shows!

More countries!

(We did two shows in Holland. And...drove through France and Belgium on our way here.)

Neil's going to be doing the official blogging this time, and I'll link to those here when he's got them ready. But, in the meantime, a brief update to say:

We are staying in a space-themed hotel. The elevator is black lit with glowing solar systems that move as you ascend. The sinks and counters and floors are all blue and sparkly. There is a "star-walker bar."

I think we might just have the best little label ever.

It was like the olympics.

Last Sunday. Oh, what a day. If you were American (okay, Chicagoan. Okay, Charlian) it was THE CHICAGO MARATHON! (Don't worry everyone, Charlie did not, yet, quite, beat my PB. Mom, Erin, Tori, he did beat yours. I'm sorry.) If you were British it was Nothing Special. But if you were Canadian it was, of course, CANADIAN THANKSGIVING! (Or, as we like to call it: "(just plain) Thanksgiving.")

Anne-Marie and I did our best to educate the British locals. See footage below:

Pancake pancake pancake pancake pancake

Why do I find this so fascinating?

(And, is it just me, or, by the end, has the word "pancake" has been said so many times that it ceases to have concrete meaning and is just aural funniness?)

I ate so much candy.

So. That's it. I biked the length of Britain. From the North-East tip of Scotland to the South-West tip of Cornwall. Total mileage: 978 (miles) in eleven days. This was my first ever bike event/trip/attempt. Why start small when you can start gigantic?



The equipment:
-A beautiful brand new 2010 Trek 1.5 WSD
-Two water-proof panniers.
-Loads of other water-proof stuff.
-Loads of food. Especially candy (Scottish tablet!)
-A tent and sleeping bag (thanks Tori!)
-Naivety, inexperience and an awesome spork.

The ride:
-An average of 90 miles a day, broken up as 30miles (sorry, um, 48km) before breakfast, 30 before lunch and 30 or more before camp and dinner.
-So many hills. Scotland has mountains. Did you know that? It does. And Dartmoor Forrest is the most beautiful place I wish I'd never been. I thought moors were flat? Silly Canadian.
-Headwinds. We learned that most riders do this trip the 'other' way. Because of these winds. Oh. Yeah. Being pushed up a hill you're supposed to be riding down is a little disheartening. There may have been a point, somewhere in Scotland, when I actually had to yell at the wind. Stop it wind. I yelled. It didn't even listen.

The accommadation:
-The breakdown: We didn't want to have to stop riding until we really really had to (ie: the sun was down and it was danger-time), so we didn't have any pre-booked places to stay. This, actually, wasn't the best idea, always. Because, actually, there weren't lovely campsites dotted at even 10km intervals along our route. In fact, there were hardly any dotted anywhere at all. So.
-Campsites: we did find a few. Some even had running water! None of them, sadly, had firepits. No heat allowed in Britain. Ever.
-Other Places: The side of the road, a farmer's field, the front yard of a nice lady named Anne, etc.
-B&B: One night. ONE. After a day of rain and rain and wind and cold, when all our laundry, tents, sleeping bags and selves were soaked and pretty much dead, I convinced Sue that a B&B would be worth the 22pounds. Once. It was heaven. Except when we woke up and discovered all the things we'd hung up to dry hadn't. The never-ending wetness of Scotland.

The People:
-Other cyclists. Although it's pretty ambitious, this is actually a fairly popular ride. Except most people do it with support vehicles and B&Bs. But, still. You see lots of comrades up and down the roads, especially near the beginning and end. Wonderful community comraderie.
-Normal people. Are all shocked and disturbed when you tell them what you're doing. Perhaps more so when you tell them whilst washing your socks and padded shorts in a grocery store bathroom sink.

The Conclusions:
-I scraped up my knee and ankle. Got chilblains and sunburn. Have never been so cold or wet or tired. And had a really really amazing time. My favorite thing: the cycling. My least favorite thing: the not-cycling. Already planning the next one. Maybe with a few more B&Bs....

-Though not one I could continue indefinitely, it's a fascinating way of life, to wake up just before sunrise, and work towards one goal as much as physically possible until sunset. Nomadic and anciently resonant. A life based around movement and light.