In denial…

So…. we made it!!! Kelowna, British Columbia to Halifax, Nova Scotia. Two bikes, two very tired girls, and a heck of a lot of support from friends, family and strangers alike.  We arrived in Halifax right on time on July 20th…and had the most insane ride of our entire trek coming into our final destination. It was extremely illegal for us to be on the highway we were on…but in order for us to go else where we would have had to back track a lot…with our panniers that had grown exponentially as we cycled, and we were not up for that at all! Sooo we risked our lives, cycling on this insane passage of life threatening madness with horns blaring the whole way and menacing fists shaking at us out of several windows. But honestly, nothing that day could have taken the smile off of our faces. We just cycled across Canada!! Not a lot of people can say that and our pride was immeasurable.  Celebration was in order. This was the day we had been working towards for 75 days, over 2.5 months, our entire summer. And now we were here…..both Lisa and I looked at each other at the end and had the same moment of panic….Now What?

I’d like to say it was a moment. But it turned into a week, and then a month….most of which we sat there, unsure of what we were suppose to do, or say, or post on our blog. And then we were thrown back into our “regular lives”. I was back at school, teaching spin classes…basking in memories and Lisa was back in Montreal working a big girl job, doing every kind of physical activity she could think of besides biking.  Time was and is flying by, as if this incredible accomplishment was just a small blip in the span that is our lives. Which, realistically, it was.  We worked so hard for this and now…its over.

In saying this, amongst our confusion we both came to appreciate that those 2 and a half months were to be the highlight of our lives for a long time.  It was the most incredible thing we had ever done and the amount of memories, experiences and learnings that we went through are much much more than just a small blip.  We found ourselves over those 75 days. We learnt about our most daunting shortcomings, our strengths, our passions and Lisa even learnt how to cook. Sort of.

There is no way to thank every single person that had a part in this trip.   It was absolutely overwhelming the amount of kindness that we came across.  From people donating to the heart and stroke foundation on the side of the road to the many RV sites that allowed us to stay for free…to the amazing community of cyclists we came across who offered more than advice about the next couple cities…but who offered their support and encouragement in a way that no one else could. We had endless amounts of family, friends and friends of friends of friends who helped us accomplish this dream.  Once you go through something of this magnitude, you gain such an appreciation for the amount of work that goes into accomplishing your goals and for the amount of help you need to do so. 

So from the bottom of my heart; thank you. Thank you to the truckers who moved to the other lane to give us space. Thank you to all the construction workers for cheering us on…in their own way. Thank you to the prairies for having such amazing shoulders for us to ride on. To Ontario for teaching us so much about ourselves and offering a limitless supply of beauty. To Quebec for the most beautiful back highways I have ever seen. Thank you to all the people that donated money to the Heart and Stroke foundation, you have made a difference in so many lives. Thank you to my wonderful friends who came out to events to show their support. Thank you to my amazing family who did more to make this trip happen than I could have ever imagined. Thank you to John for sharing this experience with me, dedicating your time to help make my dreams come true and teaching Lisa how to cook. Thank you to Lisa’s family for taking part in this insane endeavor. Thank you to everyone who had a part in this journey, you have truly touched my life and so many others. Most of all, thank you to Lisa. You are such an amazing person and I am so glad that we could share this experience together.  You made this trip achievable for me, by providing support and encouragement and by being my partner in this. No one will ever know exactly what we went through, but I have gained so much respect for you and your ability to conquer your fears and achieve your goals (daily and long-term!), I love you and I miss you so much!

Until next time….

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