Getting things sorted

First of all, thank you to everyone who donated or supported me in any way. I feel honoured to be part of something like this.

The last 4 days have been so crazy. After landing in St Johns on my first day, I took a taxi to a cycling store with my bike in a box to be assembled. There was only one small problem: I didn’t book an appointment. I spent the next few hours putting my bike together on the windy sidewalks of St. John’s (it was a great learning experience!).

After talking to a few people, I realized a servicing appointment was crucial for my bike trip before I got started, especially since I did a bad job assembling the bike. Again, one small problem: I didn’t book an appointment. You might be seeing a pattern here.

The next day, I found a bike store up at Mount Pearl. I biked up there with a fender in one hand and my handlebars crooked, where I met Coady. Initially, the turnaround time for my bike was going to be 2-3 days because I was so last minute, but Coady was able to get it done the very same day and I picked it up the day after!! Again, thank you Coady!!

I ran/walked back to St. John’s (honestly that was dumb, should’ve called a cab) because I needed to get my camping gear sorted out. After talking to Jacob and others from the Outfitters, I realized I needed way more equipment. Jacob was even kind enough to show me how to set up a tent.

The next day, I took a taxi back to Mount Pearl where my bike was waiting for me. With the panniers and gear set up, I biked to a campground for a camping dry run (I’ve never camped before). This time I booked a reservation! But when I reached there they told me it was closed till Monday. I probably should’ve read their website. However, Leanne let me in for free after hearing what I’m doing. It’s amazing how kind everyone has been here.

I survived the night and today I went to Middle Cove to dip my rear tire in the Atlantic Ocean; the goal is to dip my front tire in the Pacific at the end of my trip. I also took some Atlantic water with me.

The biking today was really rough to be honest, and I didn’t really get that far, but hopefully it gets better in the coming days.

✌️