Well, that week flew by in a hurry! And I, personally, have achieved almost nothing. Hey, ho.
Lots and lots and lots of rain this week. Probably not on the scale that our family and friends have “enjoyed” in California but more than sufficient for our current needs. Ms Playchute ventured out across the sodden fields one day this week and even reached a point where she was cut off from civilisation. (Not really, but she did have to modify her route home and go all the way up to Canons Ashby). She created a little video to show you how much fun she had:
Thank you to all of you who enquired after my next cycling challenge. You may remember that I finished my virtual Tour de France about six months after I’d started. I really should be able to claim the Lanterne Rouge for being the very last rider to complete le Tour but I guess finishing nearly five months after everyone else probably disqualifies me.
A friend suggested I might do the Giro de Italia next but I think I’ll try something a little more sedate this time. After much research and investigation, I have settled on cycling (virtually) the route of the Underground Railway, a mere 1,997.1 miles from Mobile, Alabama to Owen Sound, Ontario.
The history of this remarkable period comes alive as you pedal along the 1,997.1-mile corridor that traces the Underground Railroad route from the Deep South to Canada, passing points of interest and historic sites. Beginning in Mobile, Alabama, — a busy port for slavery during the pre-civil war era — the route goes north following rivers through Alabama, Mississippi, Tennessee, and Kentucky. Waterways, as well as the North Star, were often used by freedom seekers as a guide in their journeys to escape slavery. Upon crossing into Ohio, the route leaves the river to head toward Lake Erie and enters Canada at the Peace Bridge in Buffalo, New York. In Ontario, the route follows the shores of Lake Ontario and ends at Owen Sound, a town founded by freedom seekers as early as 1843. Owen Sound is located on the southern side of Lake Huron’s Georgian Bay.
As I started in early December, I have almost completed Stage 1 – from Mobile to Fulton, Mississippi and am looking forward to cycling along part of the Natchez Trace Parkway which Ms Playchute and I drove along on our visit to the South all those years ago. Beautiful. Stay tuned.
This week’s You Could Not Make It Up comes courtesy of Brexit, the gift which keeps on giving.
You really could not make up the state into which the Conservative governments of the last ten years have driven the NHS. Out and out vandals.
Finally, on a happier note, how about this beautiful young thing getting closer and closer to walking every day.
And finally, finally, I thought this was quite amusing – I must remember to check my spam folder more often. Who knows what I might be missing?
Meanwhile, keep happy, keep smiling, be careful, wear a f**king facemask in crowded places and keep your distance. And keep safe. And be gentle to wasps and bees.
Lots of love to you all,
Greg
When your finished with that adventure, Hope’s Family Island is just around the corner, Rhodes Island Ahmic Lake, Magnetewan, Ontario. It’s inland from Perry Sound on the Western Side of Georgian Bay on Lake Heuron Her place is just a few hours drive north, She has it until the end of June, so let us know and we’ll throw another shrimp on the bbq..