Toto, I feel like we’re not in Canada

Day 66. Greenville to Lindsy. 92 MI. 4,088 miles TTD. 5,087 FT elevation. Weather good.

If you grew up like I did, being forced to watch The Wizard of Oz repeatedly, then you’ll recognize the above reference. You also, like me, need counseling. That is one wackadoodle movie- especially for kids.

As I rode out of Orangeville and into the countryside today, I felt like I was in Kentucky. Homes, big and expensive, were at the top of acres of grass with lovely fences and horses in the pasture. It was quite beautiful but similar to Kentucky lots of rolling hills. On the back roads, where I was riding, they typically don’t cut through the hills they just go up and over them. Many times, they were so steep I had to walk.

After many hills and back roads, I was given a very brief reprieve on a lovely little Rail Trail. Unfortunately, it only lasted about a mile, and then I was back on roads again until much later in the day.

I started listening to a book by CS Lewis. I don’t even remember putting it in my audio library, but it caught my eye as I was reviewing titles. Also, I’ve loved many quotes from CS Lewis over the years but never actually read a book by him. Of course, I can’t say that I’ve read one still, but I have listened to it.

Having a relatively long day means I listened to almost the entire book. I love his very pragmatic reasoning along with his insights on Christianity. Of course, just as I’m feeling good about myself listening to his words, he slaps me upside the head, and I realize how much more I need to be working on.

I admit that I feel guilty most days. Not just for sin, but for selfishness, which is, of course, sin. Being able to spend all day on myself makes me feel like I’m doing something wrong. Punishing myself with pedaling relentlessly and solitude, like a Middle Ages Monk , doesn’t help. Listening to good books doesn’t relieve me of that guilt. In fact, it partially makes me feel worse because I know no one else has so much time to spend on themselves. I do feel better about the day when I’m able to accomplish my three goals, but that’s only a small chunk of the day, and the rest is devoted to me. Hopefully, I will at least continue to connect with friends and family at a distance until we can be reunited. At least the separation has made me more mindful of the importance of those relationships.

Speaking of not being in Canada, take a close look at the picture above and notice the road way in the distance. This almost feels a bit like Kansas or at least Saskatchewan. There was some seriously long straight distances but unfortunately they were only straight in the x-axis but not the y-axis.

Knowing that the day was longer than I wanted it to be, I avoided looking at my map in terms of miles and just kept my eyes on the map but not the miles. I didn’t want to get discouraged. At about miles 70, I was fortunate to come on to the Trans Canada Trail. It was a rail trail that took me into Lindsay, where I’m staying tonight. That last 20 miles was pleasantly flat or at least close to it and made the long day much more enjoyable.

When I finally started riding through town towards my motel, I came across one of our church buildings. This was almost a shock to me because the vast majority of the towns I’ve been in so far have not had a church building. Unfortunately, I won’t be here on Sunday.

Tomorrow, I’m heading a bit south and back closer to Lake Ontario. I’m altering my course to a more urban route. We’ll see how it goes. I have a lot of reservations to change.