Reflecting on my cross-Canada cycling trip

This is the last post in my series about my cross-Canada cycling trip.

My trip officially took 90 days to complete and ended in New Glasgow on what would’ve been my father’s birthday if he were still alive.

It was a personal journey for sure, but on the way I met many new friends and had many great experiences —  so much so that I think if I had just a little more time I would have pushed on to St John’s, Newfoundland and beyond.

Despite the challenges involved with an undertaking such as this, it was a great experience for me and one that I would recommend to others.

Out of the 90 days, I spent about a third of my time as holidays exploring cities and visiting with relatives and friends. Another third of the time was beautiful weather, but I would say nearly a third of my time during the 90 day stretch was suffering through the rain and strong wind.

I like to think that the difficult experiences helped to develop my ability to persevere no matter the situation, and I felt a lot of gratitude for the opportunity to build this skill.

Also, even though this journey was a very personal one, I gradually became more comfortable with the idea of cycling for charity and the mission to raise awareness for hospice. In the beginning it was clear to me that I didn’t want the charity to be the main motivation behind the trip because it was all about my dad and the journey to overcome his passing away 5 years ago; however, through the process of meeting many people and visiting hospices, I developed a sense of how important it is to raise awareness for end of life care.

In this vein, even in Victoria, I intend on continuing to volunteer for hospice because I know from personal experience how beneficial the services are. The more people that I talk to, the more I see that there is a need for awareness of what hospices are and the services they offer. I think there’s always room to improve healthcare services, but reminding people is a good way to keep the ball rolling.

Starting this semester at UVic, I am taking the post-degree professional (PDPP) program to be a high school teacher in the Canadian school system. I can’t say definitively that this is my destination because life always has its twists and turns, but I know in the core of my being, that I am definitely moving in the right direction. School is yet another challenge, but I have to say these past 3 months cycling on the road across Canada have being wonderful.

Thanks for reading my blog!

If you’re interested in reading more of my stories, please visit rideforrand.blogspot.com