Reason for this Bicycle Tour

On June 10, 2013 I set out from my brother and sister-in-laws home in Brantford, Ontario on a solo bicycle tour to Florida. Life has seemingly come full circle. This tour is a healing journey... mentally, physically and spiritually.

In 1986, at the age of 24, I had taken a term off my university study and bicycle toured from St. Thomas, Ontario to Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The 1986 tour was a significant turning point in my life and included my being severely assaulted by clergy, something that I repressed for over 20 years. Despite the assault I made decision to answer my life's calling to be a healer and educator - a chiropractor.

After over twenty years of repressing the "crisis" event during that tour, writing a memoir was an initial act of growth and healing. In the end, the memoir offers the reader profound insight into the healing journey. The memoir can be found Amazon, International Health Publishing.

Physically, I am recovering from a severe shoulder injury and subsequent disability. The injury led to the sale of my chiropractic practice in Halifax, Nova Scotia in September of 2012.

Thanks for looking in on my journey. Sincerely, Dr. Pat

Saturday 27 July 2013

Canaveral National Sauna, I mean Seashore 51 miles (81 km)

Remember drive-in movies? How about a drive-in Christian Church? It was a first for me, but there's one located along Highway A1A in Daytona Beach.


If you're curious you can visit their website at www.driveinchurch.net


I was riding by the New Smyrna Beach Airport when I spotted this DC-7 airplane parked in a field. It's not everyday you get to lean your bicycle up against the landing gear of a huge plane. Built in 1957 this one flew more than 33,000 hours as a passenger and cargo plane before being decommissioned in 2005. It was rescued by the Perna family from becoming scrap metal and will soon become the DC-7 Grille which they plan to open this fall... very cool use of an old airplane... www.dc7grille.com


Today was a bit of a Forest Gump kinda day, you know, "life is kinda like a box of chocolates," metaphorically melted chocolates that I took a bite out of and then put back for another one, thanks to google maps which lead me to believe that I might be able to follow a trail through the Canaveral National Seashore along Klondike Beach to Playalinda Beach Road and Route 402.

So I rode 27.7 km (44.6 km) to the Canaveral National Seashore and was told by the park rangers that I couldn't take my bicycle on the trail. Not too sure I understand why, given that they drive ATVs on the trail. I did meet a couple nice rangers though at the National Park's Information Center though. Then I turned around and rode 14.7 miles (23.7 km), missing a turn to Highway 1, stopped a McDonald's for iced tea because my brain was boiling due to the 93 degree heat with humidity that told me you better stop soon or someone will be picking you up off the pavement, and then rode another 8.6 miles (13.8 km) to where I stopped in Edgewater. That was 51 miles (81 km) of cycling to only be about 21 miles (31 km) south of where I started in Daytona Beach... good thing I like to ride my bike.


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