Thoughts so far

Day off today so i thought I'd share some thoughts on the trip so far. I sometimes have to pinch myself to remind me that we are actually doing this. I'm loving every moment. I don't mind the odd retracing of our route to find a way through as I really enjoy the navigational aspects. I'm in my happy place using all the tools at my disposal to find the best route possible (although that does occasionally mean a busy road!). Maps, elevation profiles, tracks and tracking - love it!

The mosquitoes are a bit intense and we are covered in bites. There was a short hike a bike section yesterday and we couldn't walk fast enough to escape the buggers. Our repellant does the trick on bare skin but when I got to camp yesterday I found the buggers had bitten me through my shorts!

The terrain we have ridden through to date is a mix of farmland interspersed with small stands of beautiful forest.  It actually looks a lot like New Zealand in places but with lots of signs that say 'caution active bear here'. We haven't seen any yet but some of the forest looks like prime terrain. Apparently it is the cougars we should be more wary of though! Did see a wee grass snake yesterday.

Gordon is struggling with his bum and fatigue toward the end of each day. This is a mix of not having been touring for quite a while plus the Parkinsons (for the fatigue not the bum). We have always planned to take this slow so will continue to do so according to his needs. It is a holiday after all! These first few days we are a bit limited in accommodation options partly due to wanting to travel shorter distances and because it is peak holiday season so campgrounds are full and hotels pricey. So we are also having to work around this as we plan our days. For example, we will stay an extra night where we are now as it is cheap and we can push another 60km day tomorrow to a warmshowers host as there are no other options along the way. The countryside doesn't quite lend itself to stealth camping yet as it is quite populated.

I'm feeling good and enjoying being on the bike. Gordon is mostly! Although how hilarious is this, I jammed my finger yesterday and have managed to give myself a mallet finger ie have damaged the tendon at the top joint of my finger which means off to Walmart to find a splint today. Good grief, between Gordon's bum and my finger, and only 2 days along, what a pair!