These are two blog posts that came in while the blogger was experiencing internet connectivity challenges whilst returning from Western Australia.

Some Bees are more equal than others - courtesy of Tom A.
The April Fool’s ride to Melinda's attracted 41/2 of us: Jim McN, Rusty, John C. Tom A, and Dave A who had to turn back early to meet a previous engagement, or so he claimed. With the exception of John, we huffed and puffed our way there, but since this was a "rest day" for him he was under instructions to keep his heart rate down below 100 bpm. It was no problem for him to amble alongside the rest of us despite the fact that we were all up in the 150+ bpm region. Discussions over coffee ranged from housing prices, the increasing congestion on the roads and the safety issues for cyclists and Mason bees. Rusty, when he first moved to his Island View home noted that there was a pear tree with a profusion of blossoms but alas very few pears appeared. Upon inquiring he was informed that honey bees are ineffective as pollinators of fruit trees whereas Mason bees do a good job. He installed a hive and since then has more pears than he knows what to do with (however they produce no honey.)

Practice makes . . . . . . courtesy of Norm T.
It appeared to be a good bet to try an early spring ride to Leechtown[on April 4] after a week of drying sun and winds. But alas, 5 hardy riders assembled in the cloudy drizzle at Stickleback and mounted up without a whimper. 2 Davids, Jim, John and Norm T proceeded along the steady, historic uphill grade into the light drizzle. A brief potty break at the half way station and onward to the summit. Only a few grimaces and muted muttering. At a fairly short stop at the Leechtown story board we confirmed that Frank Leech was the namesake for this gold rush town that in 1850-ish was indeed larger than Victoria!! We headed down the grade into more cool drizzle, the ride down was faster and fairly silent. We agreed that despite the esteemed company, we were mostly focused on getting this ride over with. A further disappointment ensued when we found the Stickleback Eatery closed. We quickly rebounded and retired to the 17 Mile Pub for a warm drink and lunch. Spirits improved notably as we dried off a bit and refreshed. Discussion was wide ranging and included corruption, tax evasion, the Panama Papers, Isotopes/ Atomic Energy Commission, Burma/ Myanmar, CIC, and more. After comparing today’s pace with those in the past, a self satisfied glow descended on the Peloton - today’s average was 21.5km/hr, which compares favourably with the previous best time of 19 km/hr. How good is that?

To round out this blog, this comes courtesy of Norm L.

What you always wanted - a bitumen bath!

Our Oil Patch members will enjoy this - they may even go to Azerbaijan rather than wait for the Edmonton spa to open!! If you want to see the video, go here