Wet feet, not cold feet

I just got back to my tent after spending a half day in Roma and the rain is just starting to come down. Better to hide in here than get soaked again. Since I last wrote I’ve been through two good bouts of rain. The first on my final leg from Venezia to Firenze. I ended up spending two consecutive nights on the side of the road again on that leg. I had thought about spending a night in Forli on my way to Firenze, but the main draw there, Gardelli Specialty Coffee was going to be closed on the Sunday, so I decided it would be best to just continue on down the road. After my second night on the road I managed to get an hour closer to Firenze before a thunderstorm rolled in. I tried to wait it out under a balcony in a small town, but after nearly two hours I gave in and continued on through the deluge. The second rain riding day came on my way out of Pisa. I had just come off of three nights in a hostel in Firenze fourth night indoors in Pisa as I started south towards Rome. I checked the weather before leaving the hostel in the morning of the 9th, and it only showed a minimal chance of rain. Perhaps that weather app isn’t entirely reliable, because before I had even gotten to Livorno, I found myself in another downpour. I was not prepared at all for the rain. My rain gear was spread out in my panniers and buried beneath all the other things I shove in my bags. Further, I had tried to seal the holes in the bottom of my cycling shoes with tape and wax - which ultimately had no effect in stopping water from coming in through the extra bolt holes/the sides of the metal plate where the cleat attaches. While in Rome this week I need to find a tube of silicone to ensure that I won’t be getting wet feet anymore. That day I left Pisa was actually quite miserable. The first wave of rain in the morning got my feet wet for the remainder of the day. I was hit by rain three more times that day too. The third time was just as I was sneaking off into the forest at dusk to find a place to put my tent for the night. Once I found a spot that wasn’t strewn with garbage and was large enough for the footprint of my tent it started to pour. Not wanting to get my tent soaked before I could hide in it, I stood there and waited for at least 45 minutes for the rain to let up. It was literally just standing in one spot too. I’m still a little paranoid when I first get to a camping spot. I do my best to make sure that I am not near an inhabited area, but you never can really know whether or not other people will be around. Fortunately the next two days down to Rome from Pisa were much less eventful in the weather department. I was able to take in a lot more castles, a lot more rolling hills, and a lot more archaelogical sites from the Roman Empire. It is still a little surreal to see all of the history, even if it is just in passing. I’ll have the chance to take in a little more of the remnants of the Roman Empire over the next two days. I booked myself into this campground for four nights total. My length of time in cities previously has been three nights, but I figured I would add a fourth, seeing as I have an extra country to explore here in Rome. The Vatican is, if I am not mistaken, the world’s smallest country! I spent a good part of today taking in St. Peter’s square/basillica. It was actually kinda fortunate that I got here in time for Sunday. On Sundays the Pope makes an appearance from the high atop the square and delivers a short message/blessing on the parishners and pilgrims below. I couldn’t understand a single word Pope Francis said, aside from the buongiorno he gave as he appeared in the window, and the arrivederci he gave in parting. All the same, it would be difficult to not feel uplifted in that atmosphere! That’s what has been going on over the last week or so! I’m looking forward to the next two days in Rome! I’m hoping to check out all the sights this city has to offer! I am also looking forward to have the chance to tackle my to-do list. Even when on holidays there are chores to do. Travelling lightly means doing laundry as often as possible. Travelling by bicycle means that routine maintenance has to occur more frequently as well. The rain has actually made me enlist one of the skills I learned while treeplanting five years ago -- how best to hang laundry to dry inside a tent. I don’t know how interesting this actually is for you all, but I managed to cross the 4,000km mark this week! Oh, I just punched it into my calculator! 4,000km is exactly 2500 miles! (Convenient conversion for my aunt and uncle in Oregon) :) I can’t remember if I’ve mentioned this before or not, but I have a superlatives list going on my phone for my daily bike stats. Everyday I write a little journal for myself and close it out with the stats recorded by my bike computer, I’ve taken those numbers and created a top three for each category. I get a lot of energy from competing with myself - if that makes sense, so everyday is another attempt to beat out the day before in the stats columns. Within reason! As of right now it looks like this: Longest day (time spent with bike in motion - does not include lunch breaks, etc) 7:45.00 - September 11 6:42.44 - September 30 6:41.11 - October 2 Furthest Day 136.08 - September 11 127.63 - October 15 123.74 - October 2 Fastest Average (again - does not account for time when bike is not in motion) 23.0 km/h - November 3 21.5 km/h - October 29+30 21.0 km/h - November 9 Top Speed 62.7km/h - October 9 61.4 km/h - October 29 60.7 km/h - October 3 I don’t think I care to surpass that 7:45.00 in the saddle anytime soon. On the whole it is really cool to look back at some of the earlier days and see just how much I have been able to build up my strength and increase my daily average speeds. Back in September I was averaging high 17s and low 18s per hour, and now I am pushing to somewhere between 19 and 20km/h on most days! I quickly want to say thank-you to everyone who has been reading these blog posts! There are times when it can feel like I am alone on the road. Welll, I am alone, but knowing that there are people at home that are supporting me means the world, really! I’ve heard from family members this week asking why I hadn’t updated my location recently (or whether I was in fact hiding out in the forest for a prolonged period of time). I’ve also heard of/from people in Winnipeg who have been following along as well! I just want you to know that I really appreciate it! The rain sounds like it has taken a brief hiatus, should be time enough to try and clean my chain before heading to bed. Best, Gavyn.