KINGSTON TO BUCK LAKE 2005

KAREN & DAVE STARTING OUT FROM HER HOUSE IN HENDERSON PLACE

Saturday September 10, 2005

As usual, we got a late start.  We decided to bike from Kingston to my house at Buck Lake, spend a relaxing weekend and bike back.  Previously Karen had dropped off her kayak so we would have some extracurricular activities to indulge in.  We oiled up our steeds then Karen set her house alarm as I began to strap my overnight bag to my carrier.  My rear tire took this opportunity to blow out.  Since we were running out of time, Karen put the carrier on her car and drove me to J&J cycle where they replaced my tube.  It turned out the inner pad had cracked and punctured the tube.

Finally, at 1:55 we set out against a strong headwind...all the way.  It was a fairly exhausting ride although a short one as we arrived at 3:58.  If you went by my speedometer we had done 27.36 miles or by Karen's, 45 km.  Regardless of our differences, we felt we had earned a couple of Mike's hard lemonades out on my deck.  We relaxed and read for a while.

POCAHONTAS RELAXES IN HER TEEPEE

Later, I commissioned Karen to make a broccoli cheese casserole while I took my first stab at making cherries delight for dessert.  Karen's part turned out perfectly...I had a few problems.  First of all, I was supposed to mix butter and graham crackers together but I got talking and next thing I knew, I had accidently mixed the cream cheese into the base as well.  I didn't let on and figured I might get away with it.  I had bought all the ingredients previously.  One of the ingredients called for a package of dream whip.  It didn't mention you needed milk to make the dream whip and of course I had not bought any.  We had no car there so we were pretty well stuck unless Karen wanted to bike a round trip of 20 km to the grocery store. Again, I didn't let on and used water instead.  Karen said it was very good...however I noticed she was "much too full" for more and wasn't even able to eat the small amount I gave her.

REQUIRED DRESS FOR WASHING DISHES AT BUCK LAKE

As per usual, Karen complained that it was very difficult to wash her face.  I have the old style sink with a tap for cold and one for hot.  Strangely enough, Karen prefers to mix the two together.  

I said, "You'd make a poor settler.  What would you have done in the pioneer days?"

Karen Replied, "I just wouldn't have have been a pioneer, that's all.  I would have refused."

I couldn't argue with that.

Sunday September 11, 2005

We arose at the crack of dawn for some early morning kayaking.  Unfortunately, the crack of dawn was closer to noon today.  I guess we slept in a little.  We actually got up around 10:00.  I made us a breakfast of fried eggs, coffee and chocolate English muffins...one of our favourites (Nutella).  We ate that on my deck then we actually went kayaking.  Since daylight was at a premium we only paddled for about an hour going completely around Porcupine Island.  The wind had picked up so we could do some minor surfing.  We also took in a small hike to the summit of Buck Island.

SETTING OUT FROM 7920 PERTH ROAD

At 1:48 we re-mounted our steeds and headed back.  Our friend, the wind, was once again head on and much stronger than yesterday.  The first hill, which is right at my house, exhausted us.  It was a very tiring ride back with the wind pushing either against us or sideways.  We each took 10 km shifts so we could draft behind the other.  

DAVE FINDS HIMSELF A RELAXING WINDBREAK

KAREN KICKS DAVE OUT OF HIS SPOT

THE VIEW I'M ALWAYS STUCK WITH

TRIPLE SHOTS OF KAREN

BIKING ALONG PERTH ROAD

FARM COUNTRY...SEE THE CALVES!

KAREN'S BEHIND....ALTHOUGH SHE'S IN FRONT

We arrived back at Karen's at 3:59 - only 8 minutes slower than our ride out.  We were so tired we could hardly mow Karen's lawn.  Fortunately she has an odometer on her mower so we each took 10 km shifts until it was done.  We had an incentive of a pitcher of margaritas and our books under Karen's large maple tree.