Two Wheels To Nowhere

Chris and I were chilling on the back patio enjoying an evening visit from Cathy and Al in the beautiful late Summer Sun on Friday the Thirteenth. Rachel was due to deliver their little girl on September 8, so we knew we would be receiving a call at any time. well, after more than an…

perfect conditions for a golden ride in the golden hour

Chris and I enjoyed being shown around the hood by Harrison on this, the day his new sister was due to be born. he is a happy, humourous and thoughtful kid who makes friends easily, as demonstrated by his quick connection with sisters Caitlin and Caroline at the playground. energy to burn, that boy!

postponed, postponed, postponed… and so, my August Two Wheels to Nowhere gran fondo became a September epic effort. wind warnings popping up on my Garmin early on, warned me the ride was gonna be a lot of fun. in one direction. 😜 a really strong crew ripped through the first half, leaving one rider to…

one day a few weeks ago, out of the blue, my sister says she wants to swim across Kempenfelt Bay and asked me if I would help with a canoe escort. of course! now, Sylvia is not a routine swimmer but she keeps herself generally strong and fit. So, it was no surprise when she…

a ride at Sunrise and a dip in the Bay, all before work! a fantastic fog blanketed our route. beautiful

…the chassis can be pretty but ultimately it’s the engine that matters

Jordyn turned two in June. our granddaughter comes by the curls honestly from her Mom and Dad. recent heat and humidity has her hair running outta control. we’ve had a lot of fun with her this Summer! It’s so awesome living so close to her.

cone: two dollars fun: priceless

as the Sun slowly edged up over the horizon on the North Shore of Kempenfelt Bay in a shroud of fog, I was so stoked to see seventeen riders rolling out of Meridian Place for our annual double-century Hairshirt North ride through the lakelands of Simcoe County. seven riders took the “Tank Top” 140k escape…

windstill and warm waters were welcoming after a stellar ride along the north shore of #kempenfeltbay

an awesome aviation spectacle over Kempenfelt Bay on Sunday! Leah and Mikayla called me on Friday to invite me for a Father’s Day excursion on our bikes down to the north shore park, followed by dinner at their house. we watched my cycling buddy, Chris Herten, along with several other skilled pilots, entertain the crowds…

as we approach the Solstice, we roll into prime cycling season. early morning rides are such a great way to start the day. I love the Summer light and heat and frequent dips in the Bay, lazily splashing about as I cool off in the calm water, watching the Sun set between my toes

I had to go from my office back to the shop floor quickly, just before leaving work, to pick up some parts. the shop was dark and quiet as I made my way across the shop floor. as I walked back to the office entrance, l was struck by the abstract dark shadows cast on…

an epic day on two-wheelers

wild weather on Wednesday evening led to calm and clear skies Thursday morning over Kempenfelt Bay

my favourite weekly ride is occurring with regularity now. the BCC Sunrise Ride invariably delivers considerable comradery, stunning Sunrise scenes and an energizing entry to the workday. feeling great gratitude for where we live and who fills the spaces nearby

I had some extra help on my ride recently. not sure how many watts these two beauties added, but it was about one horsepower or two times a half horsepower  Oreo and Ember live not far from our house in Allandale with their human, Chris. All three of them were kind and friendly; gentle out-going…

the home stretch. a Starbux kick-in-the-ass got us rolling out of Fort Wayne at the crack of Noon. we had to check our smokes and firearms at the door heading into the ‘Bux. I wouldn’t want to accidentally shoot the barista before they finished making my Americano. stopped to stare across the St Clair River…

slow morning after late smokes and drinks and miscellaneous bullshitting. listened to Neil DeGrasse-Tyson for several chapters followed by interesting discourse filling up much of the windshield time. what is disability anyways? a couple of truck drivers almost took us out on hwy 70 and 69. gotta get Ian’s passport overnighted to hotel. oops.

there is no black and white. everything is a spectrum

after hunting down a recreational cannabis shop (surprisingly hard to find! lots of medical dispensaries, though), we made our way to Pike’s Peak to take in the highest summit of the southern Front Range of the Rocky Mountains. the Pike’s Peak Toll Road was closed at Mile 13 of 19 due to snow clearing operations…

this stretch of our journey brought us from one side of the Rockies to the other. breathtaking vistas, precipitous plunges into mountain valleys and a serious warning for putting chains on our tires as we passed through Eagle-Vail. snowfall wasn’t too severe in the end but nevertheless, Ian and I were happy to roll into…

enjoying the windshield time with my big brother. some spectacular sights, clusterfuckery and belly laughs

every time I’m in this town, I enjoy a running tour that sometimes brings me to some interesting sights that are fun to try to capture in a pleasing perspective. this afternoon didn’t disappoint.

seeing a small part of Vegas around the Convention Center as we prepare the Hörmann show booth and meeting space. I definitely wouldn’t want to live here but it’s always an interesting place to visit. I’ve seen it change and grow substantially in the 25+ years that I’ve been coming here for work. it’s definitely…

originally posted October 2012 Blue Marinoni ~ by Eric van Wesenbeeck A simple machine, on two wheels I ride.Toothed and chained, one hundred years unchanged.An engine alive, infinitely complex;Fine tuned and perfected over millions of years.Efficient and elegant like no human design.Gentle breeze, howling in my ears; while tires hum a tireless tune.Blood pumping to…

riding with Joe is almost always a pain and a pleasure. we planned a midweek ride that quickly escalated from a quick rip around Barrie to an early Escarpment epic effort that required me to book a half a vacation day to allow time. it was great to reconnect with Joe after a long winter.…

I wonder if he’s working on turning it into Juicy Ass… now that would be miraculous!

while biking home tonight, a waxing crescent Moon hung starkly over the unseasonably dry and clear Dunlop Street. the striking scene made me hit the brakes. while admiring the celestial spectacle, I noticed a faint glow beside the sickle shape. Sunlight reflecting from the Earth lit up the Darkside, ever so slightly. simply magical Earthshine…

when I look at this picture I feel old, but in a good way. Harrison is a bright spot on dark Winter days. Shine on, Harrison. Shine on.

https://twowheelstonowhere.ca/shoe-gazer/ walking in a crowded city street, we learn to keep our gaze straight ahead; no eye contact. if we are constantly looking up, pedestrians around us get annoyed figuring we are just a tourist slowing them down in their busy day. if our gaze is always downward on a crowded street, passersby assume we…

pre-season riding ~ as long as the roads aren’t too messed up with Winter, I’ll ride. commuting around town or cruising Ridge Road on days I cherry-pick: not below -5c, Sunny but not too much meltwater, not too windy. with the right outer gear and electric socks, I can bike comfortably for an hour or…

the last few weeks of increasing darkness keep me looking for bright spots in the day to pick me up. I frequently see the ordinary in new and interesting ways, often as if for the first time, through my grandkids eyes. more time indoors with family makes Christmas prep a little more joyous for us…

https://youtu.be/KEcx9F_FW2U?si=Nr3oXrt_vvissi20I’ve been listening to the U2 back catalogue for the last few weeks. Zooropa is a really great album that I’ve never given any time, until now. Great album and I find myself playing Lemon incessantly, for some reason. Enjoy.

I remember when I was a kid, big boxes and baskets were so much fun. hours of entertainment. apparently that is still the case. proof that what we create in our imagination is more powerful than what is created for us by toy manufacturers.

in November 2017, I travelled to Las Vegas with my old school buddies, Morris, Al, Jim and Jim for a long weekend of fun and shenanigans. it was such a good time that we pledged to do it every other year in an effort to stay connected, blow off some steam and make more memories…

What I remember, vicariously, through my father’s and mother’s stories…   Both my parents were Dutch immigrants to Canada in 1960. All my siblings and I were born in Canada. Growing up, we’ve heard many wartime stories (World War II), vividly remembered by mom and dad who were ten and twelve years old when the war…

some freezing November rain makes the ordinary appear extraordinary

(today’s earworm) LemonSee-through in the sunlightShe wore lemonBut never in the daylightShe’s gonna make you cryShe’s gonna make you whisper and moanAnd when you’re dryShe draws water from the stoneI feel like I’m slowly, slowly, slowly slippin’ underAnd I feel like I’m holding on to nothingShe wore lemonTo colour in the cold grey nightShe had…

incredibly warm and sunny weather in early October forces me to squeeze out every opportunity for a bike adventure possible before the seasonal weather comes around. rolling through the gravel and paved roads of the Niagara Escarpment brings me past so many beautiful scenes, some of which I was able to capture here

a couple of hours at the end of the work week to reset my brain and fix my thoughts on a weekend enjoying the last splendid day of Summer doing as I wish

it’s beginning to feel like Fall around Simcoe County. the low late-day Sun warms both my skin and my soul.

after getting rained out on August 13th’s soggy attempt by six of us at this route, my hopes for a group ride on the Ramble diminished. it was really just a last minute plan when I sent an invitation out the day before my planned September 1 Ramble after seeing a stellar forecast for the…

every Thursday morning in the Summer, I stop at the boat launch at ten to six while on my way to the Sunrise Ride with my bike club buddies. each time the Sun is the same but different; kinda like a kaleidoscope

Well, between an iffy weather forecast and a bout of burnout, Hairshirt North almost didn’t happen for me this year and leading up to the day, I really didn’t have a good idea if I was going to be able to ride or of who was planning on participating, which in previous years I always…

one day humans will look back and recognize how primitive and crude a solution this was

I was pretty stoked to see a group of twelve riders ready to roll for our annual circumnavigation of Lake Simcoe. Most of the riders planned on the full 205 km ride while a few planned an abridged version that would be splitting off at Gilford. Altogether, it was a very capable and fast group…