Two Wheels To Nowhere

It was a no-brainer for Mom: drive back to her place or ride? Duh! We decided to do a little off-road through the trails near the South Shore Centre. Halfway, we stopped for a rest and drink. We met Karen sitting on the bench at the end of the Rail Trail where there happens to be a memorial to Barrie’s first mayor: Willard Kinzie (see his bronzed hand print?). Turns out Willard was Karen’s husband! I told Karen that I remember, as a child, hiking with Willard on the Bruce Trail with my Dad in the mid-Seventies. Willard continued to plan and lead hiking tours until he was eighty-seven and remained active until only four weeks before he died recently, at ninety-nine years old! As rain clouds rolled overhead, Mom and I booked it to her place, stopping only to snap a quick photo of the Holiday traffic heading south. Mom made it with only a few drops of rain but I got hosed as I headed back home with my phantom rider behind me, peddling in perfect synchronicity.