58 days and counting...

As it is only January in Nova Scotia I have tried not to start the countdown till spring... but today I caved... I looked. Our neighbours to the north in Newfoundland and Labrador are still digging out while in a state of emergency from the copious amounts of snow that came down last weekend, and they are calling for more for us here in NS as well. Ahhhh it is the season.. the positive part to that is that once you are through January the rest seems to go fast... Feb is a short month then spring technically starts in March..
 Not that March riding is always possible... but some years.. for us die hards... it is! May the powers that be and Mother Nature decree 2020 year of the March ride!! hahah  No matter.. come April.. In April I will be out!! This is know. It will be a year of having my license this April so if I can do it brand new.. I can do it now. 

While we wait though.. let me tell you about the OTHER ride moment I mentioned in my previous post. I was talking about scary moments of 2019.. While the rain ride was bad.. this brief moment is likely one of the scariest so far. I don't know if I registered how scary while in the moment.. but I sure did for the 10km after..

We had been riding through Northern New Brunswick, on a road that was tarred gravel for many many KM, and finally got into Quebec. Riding slow on that sketchy, marbly road all day was a tad tiring but we made it and were well onto good roads again when we rounded a corner to see Construction ahead signs... about 10 feet before it actually started. Not much notice indeed... the first few 100 feet was bad, gravel the size of golfballs.. slow and steady and ready for anything, we made it over. The gravel then gave way to just mud... now... 
For those of you who don't know.. QC takes a construction break in the summer for two weeks.. we just happened to travel during it.. so YAY to not having to wait on construction along the way.. BOOO for mud roads that have seen rain and cars for two weeks with no maintenance. 
 Luckily I had DC in my ear encouraging me along.. .which would have been really cool if you didn't hear the "oh shit" tone in his voice.. hahah He was in the lead so I kinda knew when something was coming our way.. 
 For the most part it wasn't tooo bad.. follow in the "track" aka rut (the ruts didn't have the big loose gravel in them that between the ruts had.. it was really a 'pick your evil' kinda moment) that you were in and just keep it steady.. then you realized just how close to that huge bank the track was getting.. annnnd that said track now seems to have a significant slope to it... Bankside.... just focus on the track ahead of you.. keep your balance steady... ignore the other traffic and commotion around you and trust in your ride... just trust in your ride...

WHEW.. ok we made it along the bank and the track seems to have levelled out again.. keep moving.... 
 Then we realized the road was going down a rather insanely sloped hill...  I remember thinking... "REALLLY???Could they put anymore nasty into one small 5km stretch???!!!!"  

OK I was soooo sorry I thought that, apparently yes.. they could..

At the bottom of said steep hill in the mud rut.. was a missing bridge.. in its place was a sharp "S" turn path constructed with concrete dividers. BUUUUT... on the other side of that... was glorious pavement.. normal, two lane road.. complete with painted lines and everything.

This whole stretch was a true test to " trusting your skills" and "don't think; just ride".  Which under normal circumstances likely wouldn't be bad but let's remember I had been riding for a whopping 3 whole months at this point... WHAT DEVELOPED SKILLS?? hahaha
 It is Clear to me however, that I actually was listening to my dad on alllll those rides when he would explain to me what to do in various situations as we would ride. Whenever we were out together on his goldwing, he would tell me what he was doing and why, when we came across sketchy situations... Good to know I listened to something he taught me. I think he would be proud.
The whole time somewhere in the back of my mind I was hoping that the cameras were still recording.. just one of them, sadly as this was getting into late afternoon they were all dead, so no photos... 

We now reference that small section of the trip as "The Mudslide". Life happens when you are out living it. 

Ride Safe and Ride On!!! 

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