Historical Field Notes: Complications and F*cked Up Boys from the 90′s


Digging through notes of last summer’s tour in preparation for next week’s adventure down the Pacific Coast from Aptos to ?? (wherever I end up?)


On August 21, 2010, I rode north through Victoria, BC toward Sidney, where I intended to nab a ferry. I took the Galloping Goose Trail, which brought me, at some point, to The Lochside Trail System. It was some of the best riding that I’d had all summer – through neighborhoods and farms and trails that transitioned from pavement to well-conditioned dirt and back again.

Sidney was welcoming, I was hungry, and soon enough I found Toast Cafe. Two old men on a bench outside chatted me up as I secured the bike.

Inside, I ate a BLT sandwich that was so delicious and carby, it brought tears to my eyes. There was a group of older women gossiping at the table next to me.

Here were the notes I put in my little pink book:

Ladies in Toast Cafe talking about bridge.

BRIDGE SOUNDS COMPLICATED.

Ladies in Toast Cafe talking about relationships.

RELATIONSHIPS SOUND COMPLICATED.

Then,

BLT is perfect. Soft bread, just so!

It really was a good BLT.

Later, I listened to a pair of boys my age talking about love and they kept referencing trueeeee love. They seemed confused.

So many boys from the 90s were really fucked up by Princess Bride.

TRUE LOVE!

Man oh man.

None of this is helping me prepare to tour again, but that last bit about Princess Bride is true. That movie did more harm than good, believe me.

On the next page is a crossed out note with a star next to it.

*Rope and ask about bears

I did ask about bears. In Pemberton. I also asked the man I met in Pemberton about riding up the Old Duffy highway. My pink book shows the following notation:

Advice in Pemberton: You’re fucking retarded.

I didn’t ride up the Duffy and I still regret it.
I did see more than my share of bears.
And also tried to kill Sal with a frying pan.

All of this to say: I’m excited to tour again (I’m heading out solo again) and

I really need to tell you about the frying pan attack.


7 Responses to “Historical Field Notes: Complications and F*cked Up Boys from the 90′s”

  1. “Mawwage is what bwings us togwether today….”

    Love this post! I am in the Bay Area (San Mateo) and would love to ride with you for a spell as you make your way. Let me know! 4152253135

    Molly

  2. [...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Heidi Swift and velo mania, Joseph Nicolia. Joseph Nicolia said: "So many boys from the 90s were really fucked up by Princess Bride." I… What…? NEVER. http://bit.ly/i045gy #asyouwish [...]

  3. chr15 says:

    You made me go dig out some old note books…

    Some of the memories in them were to fresh though, tore me apart again.
    Relationships indeed can be complicated, but i’m working on makeing IT less so. :)

    You make me wanna go touring too.

  4. Hey, too bad I missed you in Victoria #yyj (though I was in hospital at the time).

    We’re lucky, we know, to have the Goose/Lochside in our back yard, huh?

    Really too bad you got steered wrong in Pemberton; the Duffy Lake Road is a brute, but well worth the effort, especially now it’s paved. I’ve ridden it before and after.

  5. Been meaning to ask you how you usually secure your bike. Do you bring a lock and some sort of cable/chain? I guess if you bring a heavy one, it adds lots of weight. Pack a light one, and it’s easy to snip. One of my main worries about my upcoming touring debut is that I’ll wake up, unzip my tent and discover someone rode off on my bike while I was asleep.

    • snarkypants says:

      I bring a small $5 lock that I could probably snip with the cutters I keep in my toolkit :)
      At night, I loop it through the wheel and frame and around one of the tent poles. My theory is that if someone runs up and tries to grab it, they’ll jar the whole tent and wake me up.
      The risk is that they’ll break the tent pole, but I can repair that on the road (and then permanently repair later) and it’s better than losing my transportation!

  6. Noelle says:

    You’re rad… I need to keep my handy dandy moleskin in my hands more often than I do…
    Although all my writing is about drinkin’…
    Maybe I should write about ridin’ too…

    I just love looking back over my notes! This is a note to myself too.