Hwy. #1--Here We Come

 PEDEGOest I will go...because there is no point in holding still if wheels are meant for turning...HG

      9:30 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.                Monday, May 06, 2013                                                                  

      An empty basket needs filling. So...let’s go!

As I enter the town of Rosedale, I see the quote on the sign, and believe me, I need lots of this: “God’s way leads to endless hope.”

             After Yale Rd., I turned on to Annis Rd.   
These wheels have stopped turning long ago, but you can imagine how hard they must have worked in their "younger years."

And wouldn’t you know it...I thought I recognized the oncoming Land Rover! This is Tony Klassen, my nephew. He was on his way to help a friend with welding. We had a nice chat and then we were both on our way--to do what each had come out to do. I was relieved that he did not ask me where I was going. 

     Is that the #1 Hwy. already!?  

Should I or shouldn’t I..?

Oh, well...A bit more radiation won’t hurt me!

There was something I have wanted to get out of my system for a while now, and that was to cycle from the Annis Rd. exit to the Prest Rd. exit via the #1 Highway. Was I scared? Sure thing! But I told myself that this would be half as scary as chemo, etc.

So...down I went, heading west, and as I traveled it brought back childhood memories of when I was around ten years old, cycling with my friends up and down the on-ramp on the Pan-Americana Highway, in Buenos Aires. My guess is that we lived about five blocks away. But a couple of things had changed: Location; I was much older; I was alone; and there were many noisy vehicles zooming past me. 
Did Peter know my plans for today? No way! If I would have told him which route I was planning on taking, he would have worried all day--while tuning in Aldergrove and Abbotsford-- and for all I know...he may have discouraged me from going. 

Pan-American highway, a road that stretches--except for a 54-mile gap in the Columbian rainforest--from northern Alaska all the way to the southernmost tip of Latin America. (Amazon.com)
I cycled passed different farms: tree nursery, blueberry, cranberry, bamboo and dairy.                      

                            Under we go, and...

...I am still having a good time, but what is that I see...?

 ...Prest Rd. exit! What a welcoming sign!!!

But, before I turn off, I stop again to snap another picture. This is Vic and Laurie Goertzen’s/Brian and Mary Goertzen’s dairy farm. The grass has been cut. May 01, the Goertzens were busy making silage to feed their cows. “Make silage while the sun is shining.” Vic was on the tractor from 10:00 a.m.– 8:00 p.m.--on his birthday!

Vic has been on this farm for sixty-five years. One move in between: from his parent’s place to the new home he and Laurie live in now. Pretty good, I must say...

They will make silage four or five more times from this pasture.

See the bicycle sign? I told you it was allowed! 

 Will I do it again? Probably not. “Bin there, done that.”

              Off the highway and a right onto Prest Rd. 

Looking back from where I just came from. Looks a little musical to me...but where are the notes!? 

Hertha Tessman thought the tree line in the background were the notes: monotones!

                                             Behind me...

...and ahead of me is Ernie and Betty Lou Goertzen’s place. Yes, these Goertzens too are Peter’s cousins. Peter’s father is Jacob (100) , Vic’s father was John, and Ernies father was Peter. 

After a lovely chat on the back deck with Betty Lou, I was on my way again.

                            Open already. How wonderful!

A quick stop at K. Greenhouses for some fresh peppers, cucumbers, and tomatoes. 

                          Now my basket is full! 

                         Yale Rd--heading east and home.

“May the road rise up to meet you, may the wind be at your back. The sun shine warm upon your face, the rain fall softly on your fields. And...until we meet again, ‘till we meet again, may God hold you in the palm of his hand.” (Irish blessing) 

Go ahead, try something different this week (:
Hilda