Grin and bear it - we're in Merritt!

Day 3 SNM tour
When I was growing up, my favorite hockey team was the Montreal Canadiens by far.  My absolute favorite player was the big centre Jean Belliveau.  He embodied everything good about hockey at that time - a true Canadian icon, classy, soft spoken, a great leader.  Later on after his retirement, I really liked Guy Lafleur - fast and showy, a real scorer! Why am I blogging about this? Not everyone knows, but Guy Lafleur was a very heavy smoker and actually smoked in between periods of hockey games. Where am I going with all this? - it was very, very smoky today and I think I smoked the equivalent of two packs of unfiltered Players today.

It was muggy, windy, up and down (there were a few good climbs and descents today) and hazy - a great day of cycling...really. The last 10 km into Merritt were a blur (literally). 


This tour day is dedicated to the Blank family in Vancouver. Myles was a classmate of mine in med school in Winnipeg and he has always been extremely supportive.  He is a creative, gregarious and exceedingly kind and caring person and has been a true friend - even though we see and talk to each other so infrequently (a shame).  Myles and Tricia's son Lev has a birthday today - HAPPY BIRTHDAY LEV! 


Did some media work today and an interesting question posed by the reporter was - "what were you most worried about during the planning leading up to the tour - physical health, mental health etc?"  I'm not sure we really worried about anything more than running out of time juggling 60+ hour work weeks, intense training and constant organizing and preparation (and that's Monique we're talking about!).  We have both had a very positive and optimistic attitude towards this tour and without being naive, felt this was the only way to approach this tour (and life in general).  I had a brief bit of trepidation when I fractured my clavicle exactly a year ago, but again, the right attitude (and a bit of stubborness) goes a long, long way - maybe clear across Canada!


Best finds on the highway today
I know this list will be extensive by the end of the tour - but I had to mention that we found a "Creed" CD ("Weathered" if you're a fan), a black harley (just a bit of a sine dicendo - look it up if you're not sure) leather side bag and a beautiful but very dusty lacy black bra (estimated at 38 DD by both Monique and Gab - neither of whom dared try it on).


Random quote of the day
No doctor is better than three.   German proverb  
hear, hear, (hear) - threw in a third opinion


No excellent soul is exempt from a mixture of madness.    Aristotle


Best and worst Canadiana of the day
Best - saw an absolutely beautiful big deer standing by the most picturesque rocky creek poising (it seemed) just for the SNM Tour
Worst - beaver roadkill (just a bit too old for supper tonight......)