The Cow Hotline

Let the trumpets sound - One Crazy Summer just turned 50, as to day is my 50th post and boy is it a good one as the morning swim was stellar and the bike out to Naramata was simply scintilating..... but let's not get ahead of ourselves, shall we.

I am really begining to curse my alarm as I slowly morph into B.C. time. That two hours is enough to really screw with you. When my alarm went off at 5:00 a.m. just a couple of days ago I felt rested and ready to take on the world. All of this was most likely due to the fact that my body was telling me in its gentle way that it was all okay because really it is 7:00 at home. And trust me when I say this, if I could sleep until 7:00 at home it would be a miracle. However, as we get to the crux of this situation, I am now feeling like 5:00 is bloody early and that 6:00 or even say (hang on for this one 'cause it my be a bit blasphemous).... oooh I am thinking... 7:00 is more rational. Either way... I am pretty sure that although I had coffee this morning, I woke up around the 900m mark in the swim staring at the bow of a huge paddlewheeler.

Don't you just want to leap in and splash about.... hey you can join me. Save this picture as your desktop on your computer and you can be here too.

After getting the Xterrra supersuit out from the secret bat cave hidden in the deep dark recesses of my parents basement, I made my way down to the "Peach" for the start of my swim. Even at 6:00 in the morning, the beach is alive with activity. There are all types and kinds on the boardwalk out for a morning stroll. Grey hairs, Blue hairs, joggers with strollers, joggers with ipods (a very popular choice), roller bladers, skateboarders and even a lovely couple, arm in arm, trying to stagger their way back to their hotel.

Really I am not squinting.. I am just waking up.

I waited for the sun to come up so that I could see as much as possible in the water. I f I haven't said it before, let me say it again... I LOVE CLEAR WATER. I love chasing the fish and seeing the crap (or carp - take your pick) on the bottom. There is just something about that sensation of appearing to be flying through the water in your supersuit.

With the sun well over the mountain, the beach comes alive and although the water is totally placid, there are ripples from the 5 or so Ironpeople in the water doing their thing. I, like them, am half asleep, but I go through the motions on auto pilot and find myself paddling away towards the 1st buoy in no time...... hello fishies... how are you today?

After about an hour, I am back at the truck and it is all quiet in the water. I step out of the supersuit and let it float gracefully in water like some freakish mirror image of its former self. I thought this looked interesting enough for a photo.

If I was a frog, this would be my lily pad.

Around about 11:30, I picked up my bike from Bike Barn. Seriously people, this place is all the things that a bike store should be. I walked in, and although I don't know a soul there, it just feels comfortable. I found Lisa out in the shop washing a bike. Check this out.... before the work on any bike.... they wash it. Talk about class. Anyhoo.. she went over all of the things they had done and answered all of my questions. For the lack of a better word it just has class. I saw people buying kids bike there and I saw this old couple come in with their beat up bike and they also seemed to have a great time. Besides the very cool open door policy, they have a coffee shop inside. All in all a very hip... and you cannot beat their expertise... you want to talk Ironman... they are all over it.

Lisa and I chatted about a great route for my ride today and settled on the hike up the 3-4 rollers that consitiute Vancouver Hill and thenthe Naramata road out to...... you guessed it...... Naramata. If you do not know this place, let me give you a bit of an insight. This is the Napa valley of Canada... yes I know they grow grapes in Ontario... but their wine is pure goat pee. Naramata wine, on the other hand, is pure mana from heaven... a glassful of the purest nectar from the Gods themselves.... or so I've been told by some very respectable winos.

What does this mean to you.. well to put it all in perspective, you could honestly throw a baseball and land it in a winery anywhere along a 15K stretch of this road. There are Wineries everywhere. Some you may know, some you may not. Here is a list I ripped off of the Naramata Bench Winery Association web page. Loads of beautiful ranch-like orchards and multi million dollar estates.... and I got to ride through it all afternoon..... definitely don't see that at home.

To get there you must summit Vanouver Hill... well it is actually a series of hills that brings you out above Penticton right behind the infamous Penticton sign. Many a triathlete and cyclist alike has hit 70kmph or higher coming down this series of rollers only to realise, way to late, that there is a round-about at the bottom. There have been some wicked wipe outs there in the past, and I imagine there continues to be.

Anyway, I am not much for the winery thing and I am old enough to remember when it was all peaches, cherries and apples as far as the eye could see. Progress I guess you might call it...

Out past the turn into the city of Naramata, there is a stetch of beautiful road that connects the houses and wineries over a series of epic easy climbs and rolling hills that remind you of what the area must have looked like before irrigation. Sage and cacti abound amongst the cliff faces and I though I would share it with you.

looks like a game reserve for Rattlers.

Here's a look back towards Naramata.

I decided the Giant needed a rest as we were braking in the new chain and cables..... aka.. Tri-Guy needed to... well let's just say is was a feeble attempt to irrigate the arid plateau near the painted rock.

the Giant looks for love in all the wrong places. Here the Giant finds out that the Painted rock really has a ... wait for it... wait for it..... heart of stone.... Hahahhahhhhhhhh...hh..h..... a

Well, from the markings on the road, and the length of my ODO, I am going to guess that this is the turnaround for a local Triathlon as we are about 20K from the city and there are the appropriate markings on the pavement.

I have always thought of B.C. as a rich province, sorta more money that brains scenario. So I was not to surprised to see this sign on the way home extolling the new looking for cattle program. Apparently, people are so apathetic about seeing cattle on the road, the province wanted to entice voters to call-in to a "Cow Hotline. And, if it tuned out to be a verrified bovine, the lucky caller would get a free limited edition watch featuring the faces of the various provincial MP's.... my Mom loves her Stockwell Day edition.... they are all the rage.

Here's the campaign sign... maybe you have seen one in your area... I hear they are quite popular.

No lie... I have been laughing out loud for the past 5 minutes about that... Hell.... I was laughing 3 hours ago when I took the picture... I am all Diamond Dave... just Crazy from the Heat.