67

 Sunday Sept 8        Rest Day 12

      Moab ( Utah)

Enjoying a relaxed down day and so looking forward to getting home. That’ll be as exciting for me as this trip has been.

TDA covered the motel room last night both for myself and Brian, who also finished in Moab. He left this morning for his flight and I’ve checked into another room  (ground level) just for tonight. 

No need for the alarm this morning but still I arose just after 6:30. Force of habit! Wonder will this habit persist?

Wandered down along Main St, Moab; much quieter than last night. At present Moab is a centre for mountain biking and other adrenaline related activities. Yesterday evening all types of ATVs and mud-buggies roaring on the streets. The Main St is lined with adventure operators and rental outlets.  And also a cool outlet that certain young people I know would find hard to pass.

No matter which way you look, the high red rock surrounds the place. Moab has a basic population of 5,000 but swells to multiples of that with tourists. I’m told the summer tourist rush has ended but another clientele arriving now in September....for a big music festival and plenty of retired folk availing of senior prices (I didn’t see any of those!). For these elder visitors Moab is a base for visits to the National Parks around...Arches and Canyonlands. Moab was a centre of mining and in 1950 was regarded as the Uranium Capital of the world. And not surprisingly John Forde used the locality as backdrops for a number of his western movies.

I located St Prius X Church this morning and was there for Mass at 9. Again an African (Nigeria) priest and a large congregation. Was pleased to be there as they celebrated Grandparents Day. Was quite comfortably warm as I walked down but still enjoyed the air-conditioning inside. I felt very much at home when a heavy shower pounded on the roof just near the end. Next to me was a local lady who had been to Tipp last year and so enjoyed the Rock of Cashel and the walk down to Hoare Abbey.

Met some of the cyclists today and they ask when the book is coming out. Let me explain. Back up in Canada, some seeing me writing (furiously) by the tent each evening asked if was writing a novel, and would they feature in it. I was jokingly gloriously vague saying neither yeah or nay. That query cropped up a number of times. The other evening, in my few words to the group, I just said that if I were writing a novel ( Carlsberg style) that the title and plot was in place. It would be titled ‘The Last of the Canadian Mosquitos’. Some chance! And it would recount the adventures of the last mosquito in Canada ( where we were eaten alive) realizing the threat of extinction, escapes as a stowaway on a rider’s bicycle and makes its way to Costa Rica and Panama (the home of the mosquitos) and there to find a mate to repopulate Canada. All said with tongue in cheek. Some only picked up half of what I said.

I have the bike all boxed up now (and well labeled ) and a shuttle ordered for the morning out to the small airport. I even had time to watch (actually just flick channels)  some TV, a novelty at this stage.

So the epic is over. Has been memorable. Just over 6000 km in distance and just short of 50,000 m of ascent. Only had 5 punctures (all wire related) and only pumped the tyres 5 times. No mechanical problems with the bike. Same set of tyres for the complete trip and there’s more mileage left in them still. And that’s the same bike for all the trips since 2008. Some machine!

And I’m thrilled to relate that I didn’t have an ache, a pain, a strain or a niggle at any point on the trip. Cycling....the cure of all ills!

I actually enjoyed documenting the day to day activities on the blog. I’ll enjoy looking back on those early days, on all the days. But no ‘homework’ after today. I’ll miss it!

My thanks to you all for logging on and I hope it gave some insight into the route and the goings-on of a long distance trip. I am aware that there was a problem with putting up comments. I tried all possible settings. No use. Myself, I couldn’t post replies to comments. However! Sin an saol.

Thank God for the health and thank God for the energy.

That’s all folks.