And We're Off!!!

The days preceding the tour were a bit of a scramble. Viera bicycled in from Toronto on July 1st but left a bit late, and was thus caught unprepared (no lights) when it fell dark and she could no longer see the road or be seen by cars. So, amusingly only 5 km away from Guelph! she camped out on the porch of a random office building and biked in at 5am the next morning. Lucas amazingly managed to get all his gear together, including not one but two bikes!, on the day before the tour . Amazing!

July 2nd was celebrated by a pizza party, with homemade pizza made in the homemade cob oven we all helped make at the Onean house (out of cob: clay, straw, and gravel gotten locally from  a nearby construction site and a farm!). Lots of friends came out and it was really fun. A friend Carelynn made us all wonderful gifts: clay PEDAL necklaces she handcrafted herself!

After a morning of last minute packing and organizing and re-fitting bikes (generously helped by Garrett's father), we were ready to go! 20 or so family, friends, and interested strangers came at noon to send us off. Especially meaningful was an intended smudge ceremony (intended because the wind kept blowing it out) and Christian prayer said for our safety :). We did a critical mass/ bike tour around Guelph, with people leaving us along the way. By the time we hit the highway it was just the 5 of us.

It was a nice ride, although we hit a tiny stretch of cycling hell where Lucas' chain inexplicably fell off, Viera's panniers rammed into her tires, and Justin just randomly fell over when he stopped to check out what the trouble was about. All random and all within a 3 meter stretch of road.

After a nice picnic lunch by the lake (kindly packed for us by the Onean house :), we rode to just past Fergus. There Kristi hit some knee trouble, so after some deliberation (mixed with roadside raspberries) we decided to camp where we were for the night. We unpacked all our stuff and staked out a squatted spot for our tent, when Justin and Lucas decided to scout the lake for camping sites. They came back and said they found a great site right by the lake, and best of all it was free! When we asked how they were able to negotiate such a great price, Lucas joked that... it might just come at the price of our lives :P. Apparently we got the site for free because it was a haunted campground. Nevertheless us brave adventurers re-loaded and biked to the site. It was beautiful! We went swimming in the lake, cooked supper over a campfire, Viera explored the abandoned buildings (exploration being one of her favourite activities!) and slept in one of them. Some dog or coyote fights happened during the night, but no ghosts were sighted.

The next day (July 4th) we set out for Whole Village. Kristi was able to fiddle with her bike and find the perfect adjustment so that her knees wouldn't hurt - something that made the whole group very happy. Lunch on the trail was sourdough with foraged clover and vetch (a small purple flower on a bush - much prettier and more delicious than it sounds).

When we arrived at Whole Village that afternoon we were floored with the warm welcome we received. Brenda showed us around and the place is amazing - a fireplace (using old Slavic tradition to build it *cough* shameless Slavic plug *cough*) that circulates the air inside to heat the whole house for 24 hours, geothermal heating, sewage treatment through ponds, rain collection, eating local, and a whole host of inspiring things (to be elaborated on later and in other sections of the site as well). The people we met there were all great, including CSA (community supported agriculture) interns, a WWOOFer (World-Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms), and residents that all bought in to live in this sustainable intentional community.

Philosophical conversations with the residents, some amazing piano playing on the part of Garrett, a house meeting check in, strumming on a ukelele, taking advantage of free long distance to reconnect with family, swimming in a pond, and an amazing dinner rounded off the evening. In a wonderful coincidence, Whole Village is sistered with the eco-village Durika, our end destination in Costa Rica. We decided to stay an extra day to learn more and help more. Feeling full, well rested, free of physical pain, at an inspiring place, and in great company is a great way to round off the second day :).

Viera