Toto, I feel like we’re not in Canada

Day 66. Orangeville to Lindsay. 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 pastures. It was quite beautiful, but similar to Kentucky, with 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 the roads again until much later in the day.

I started listening to a book by C.S. 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 of C.S. Lewis’s quotes over the years, but I’ve 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 and 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 by pedaling relentlessly and in solitude, like a medieval 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 roadway in the distance. This almost feels a bit like Kansas, or at least Saskatchewan. There were some seriously long straight stretches, but unfortunately, they were only straight along the x-axis, 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 mile 70, I was fortunate to come onto the Trans Canada Trail. It was a rail trail that took me into Lindsay, where I’m staying tonight. Those last 20 miles were 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 haven’t 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 to change a lot of reservations.