Let the Riding Begin...God-willing

I'm sure you are all brimming with anticipation to hear how the first leg of the biking portion of our journey has gone. We apologize for not cluing you in sooner. But the truth is, we have been stranded. Stranded in the middle of nowhere for days with no food source within walking distance, much less an internet connection.

How is it, you ask, that such a fit and resourceful batch of youngsters could have lost their way? It would take a series of catastrophic setbacks to hold us back, and indeed, that is what we have had.

On day one, we were met with a continuation of Canada's weather so far: grey skies and precipitation (we have felt the warmth of the sun for a grand total of...well, 10 minutes would be a generous estimate). No matter! Drenched, we happily rode on, noting that it would take a far greater challenge from the gods to bring us down. And so we were delivered with one.

Disaster Strikes Knee and Knee and You Too!

Not 20 miles into our first day of riding, Nick and Dominic realized they had both suddenly developed a potentially crippling pain in their left knees. What a coincidence! Gretta, taking pity on us, grinned and silently bore the pain she had felt in her ankle from the get-go, till it dutifully spread to her knee as well. Talk about solidarity.

Despite the incredible physical pain and mental anguish we were suffering, our spirits were lefted by the beautiful scenery--lakes rivers, shrubberies, lush trees, and flowers of every color imaginable.

The Ceilidh

This carried us all the way to our destination: Highland Village, in Iona, where we were able to take in traditional Cape Breton style music (the aforementioned Ceilidh)--fiddle, piano, guitar, and dancing! Here are a couple videos of the lovely music and dancing that we saw.

So all in all, things on day 1 were quite pleasant. Our knees hurt, but that's not really stuck... Don't worry, the part where we get good and stuck is about to come. Stay tuned...