Training Log Archive: coach ld

It was relatively calm first thing this morning so since we were up anyway with Tman (at 5:00) we drove to Island Lake for Tman's first paddle of the year. He was delighted! Super smiley, chuckling - maybe because canoeing is also typically followed by ice cream. We beat the wind that was forecast and it was getting gusty just as we got off the water. Very nice paddle.

C • Tman on the water 5

Fun ride home from Island Lake on a beautiful breezy summer day. Lucky for me the breeze was behind me:)

Beautiful, breezy day. Took a turn on the bike up to the rail trail over to Mt. Hope and home then tagged off with Goose so he could get out. Tman was ok today again - really smug about being back here with his parents to himself.

Like old times - pushed Tman in the baby jogger. Even though he's a skinny guy, forgot how heavy he is when you push him up Glasgow Rd.! I didn't run the whole hill but I felt like it was work anyway.

Push ups, planks, back/ab ex, stretches

Not exactly a rest day. But not much athletic activity unless you count lifting Tman in and out of the car and wheelchairs. He smoked his bottom teeth in a nasty fall at his house early this morning. Was rushed to emerg without anyone going with him we later found out. I was allowed to go in to see him and stay and speak for him. He was covered in blood, and had been lying in a room with another older man waiting for a couple of hours all by himself! i can't believe he didn't try to get up from the gurney and fall again. The house staff found 2 of his teeth later in his bedroom and the remaining ones were hanging by a thread - all on the bottom. Once the ER doc sedated him (which involved of course getting an IV line in, and leads on his chest for a monitor, and nasal prongs for O2) he tried to clean out the pool of blood in T's mouth and examine him, then do a CT scan for fractures. No lacerations inside for him to stitch so then he sent us to an oral surgeon - in Woodbridge. Not a fun trip with T puking bile and blood in the back seat, driving in circles because we'd been given the wrong address. The oral surgeon removed 4 more teeth for almost $3000 - not covered by OHIP! Then we had to all get a Covid test at Humber River hospital. Not that much fun to wheel T in - still bleeding and drooling blood - and wait in another waiting room. Thankfully there were a couple of super perceptive and nice intake nurses who moved us to the front of the line of about 30 who were ahead of us. I think they wanted the bleeding body in the wheelchair out of there as quickly as possible because we were scaring people. Great day - but we finally got to see Tman:) Now we have to quarantine with him. Crazy times.

C • Wow 7

Another hot day but no thunderstorms developed so we headed up to the Beaver to meet Kelly and Chanse to give them a canoe. Susie wanted hers to go to a good home and so Goose scrubbed it, sanded the gunnels, revarnished it, re-wove one of the seats and passed it on. We did a very relaxed, easy social (distanced) paddle with them from Epping to Heathcote on a lovely summer afternoon.

Another beautiful summer day. Got up relatively early - relative to the other campers anyway. We saw almost no one by the time we had breakfast and pulled out.
Did the same as yesterday, dropped the boat where we finished yesterday, took car downriver to Southmpton then biked back up to the put-in. The rail trail to Port Elgin was shady and cool and smoother than yesterday's, then we were on a country road for a lot less time than we expected. We were on the water by 9:20 and it was just starting to get hot.

We saw fewer people on the river today because were early I guess and it was lovely and peaceful again. There were several fun riffles spread out along our route and it was fun to ride the little wave trains. It didn't seem as hot as yesterday but it was still great to jump in to cool off a couple of times. There was also a breeze today which kept it more comfortable, We had a short portage around the dam just before Southampton and the 3 km from there to the lake were the most work all trip! Despite paddling with the current, here was a strong steady west wind off the lake that we headed into. It wasn't horrible, but it was some work. It was downright cool at the lake with that breeze. Still, the swim at the beach was sweet. I love a cool water swim and I love Lake Huron. Another great day:). No rain for us but we drove into the remnants of thunderstorms all the way home - and saw a rainbow! We are so blessed.

C • Nice Adventure! 2

Goose and I headed up to Grey County to paddle a section of Saugeen that we haven't done before: downriver from Paisley to where it empties into Lake Huron in Southampton. We didn't decide this until mid-morning so it was damn hot by the time we got up there. We dropped the boat etc. at Paisley then took the car downriver 20 km toward Port Elgin. From there we rode our bikes back upriver to the put-in, some rail trail some on country gravel roads. The rail trails in farm country tend to be multi-use which means ATVs in the summer. They chew up the trail and those who maintain the trail tend to put down larger grade gravel which sucks for cyclists, especially if you don't have a mt. bike. But it was a nice rolling ride back to Paisley where we locked up the bikes and got into the canoe. It was a happening spot on a hot summer day. There were several groups of very friendly, happy, slightly drunk "floaters", in various shapes of inflatable watercraft - unicorns, swans, tugboats, rings etc. Almost none with paddles, or lifejackets, but all with coolers! We were hailed with very merry greetings as we paddled by. To be fair there were a few kayaks but still not a lot of paddling going on. Some fishing. A lot of really bad sunburning.
It was quite hot, but when we felt like cooling off we jumped in the river:)
It's not a tricky river, not very deep for the most part, lots of gravel bars and rock gardens, and mucky silty spots but very peaceful with a steady flow. We totally lucked out with finding a campground as we passed a sign about 1/2 way down for "Hidden Valley Campground - Welcome Kayers and Canoers". So when we finished paddling we phoned and they accepted tenters! No one else we've tried will take tents because they need washrooms. This place was a gem. Super nice people, a small but very clean and tidy campground and washrooms, quiet RV seasonal folk, a few young families with well-behaved children, their grandparents (also well-behaved) who did not make much noise. And it was amaaaazing weather. There were lots of trees so it was lovely and shady and cool. Awesome way to spend a summer solstice weekend.

Great day on the river:)