Spectacular sunburn yesterday, affecting my nose, half-moon shapes at the junctions between shoulder, back, and armpit, and some patchy bits behind my ears and on my neck. I think sleeves will be a good idea later today.

Also, my bike shoes are the worst things ever built. Had the same problem as before (Mr Hughes rescued me this time), so I guess they are just absolutely incapable of holding a screw. Shopping for new pair today. One that is not made of cheap plastic.

Falls and burns notwithstanding, the trip was totally worth it. If you’re looking for a lovely day out on a bike, Wolfe Island is pretty nice. Not exactly amenity-filled, but delightful all the same, and there is beer available at Marysville, which is a great way to cap off a long bike ride (lemonade not as available, though – Jackie had to make do with iced tea).

And the ferry from Kingston is free! Hardly anything on Earth is free! How delightful!

We biked the red route here, which is largely on a not-very-busy paved road, with the option of some not-at-all-busy gravelly ones.

Here are some things I saw (not necessarily on the island).

1. A dog on the ferry who was very excited, even though the windows didn’t open. (Sadly, didn’t get a good shot of him on his hind legs on the seat.)
2. Scampering coyotes in a fallowing corn field. (Seriously, I had no idea they did this. They were jumping around chasing each other (or a small creature who was invisible in the long brush). It was bizarre. I know coyotes are common now, but I literally don’t remember ever seeing one, or even hearing about them outside of Looney Tunes, as a child. I guess it’s like the resurgence of wild turkeys. They are everywhere now.)
3. Waldo.
4. A cormorant – I had never seen one away from the actual sea.
5. The US. I haven’t been in a long time and I haven’t arrived by surface means since ca. 2000. Oddly, there are signs up at the Wolfe Island ferry terminal saying “Oh, hey, the ferry on the other side goes to the States! Never more than a 10 minute wait at customs! Avoid the lines at the bridges!” (Okay, perhaps I am paraphrasing.) They don’t, however, mention that the ferry on one side takes 20 minutes not including the long wait to get onto it), one has to drive across the island, then take another ferry (15 minutes?). Not terribly convenient, eh? But quaint, I suppose. Still, I’ll probably stick with Ivy Lea in future.
6. The awesome vintage sign outside the Screening Room on Princess Street.
7. The beginning of the invasion of undergraduate drunks in downtown Kingston, which signalled it was time to go home. On leaving the parking lot, the first vehicle I was stuck behind was suped-up pick-up with the license plante CHIKMGNT (which I initially read as CHIKMGMT, which is either better or worse depending on your interpretation). Bro Powah!
8. A car three vehicles ahead of mine hitting a deer. The driver was fine. Her bumper and the deer were not.

I drove the very long way home, because the 401 is pretty fucking boring, so I took the 15 and the 7 instead. It gets very dark that way, but I got to go through the bustling metropolises of Newboro, Ganonoque, and Lombardy. So, I got to Kingston in two hours and back in three. I should go on meandery country drives more often.

Today’s plans include trying to decided whether I need to go to the boozerie enough to deal with the pre-holiday queues and trying to stare at my back to mock my own tan/burn lines. That’s what Sundays are for, right?