The last ride
As I wrote about elsewhere, the second last ride was not a resounding success. We did have some time though. That said, we didn't know how much and I knew I wanted to make sure we had a last time biking. One that I would remember and hopefully would go well.
The weekend before Hillary's first chemotherapy appointment was Thanksgiving. We would have dinner in White Rock and stay overnight. I brought bikes for everyone in the family and was hoping Hillary and I could get out for a bit at some point.
Monday, October 9, 2017 started out clear in White Rock and brisk, but not overly cold. We talked over breakfast and I suggested we ride along the Boundary Bay Dyke Trail which was a short drive away. It was a gravel trail, well maintained and right by the ocean.
There also were farms and stuff in the area, so I figured that might go over well. I didn't really mention this to Hillary before we headed out.
I'd ridden this trail a few times. Hillary had not and was pleasantly surprised. It starts out pretty loudly as it parallels Highway 99 closely. Then it follows the shoreline. The ocean to your left and farmland to your right when you're outbound.
The trail goes all the way to Tsawwassen, but that's a solid 15km one way and we weren't likley to get anywhere near that far.
We saw a bald eagle. We saw driftwood giraffes.
As long as I'd ridden with Hillary, going past horses was an invitation to stop for a break. Or at least roll very slowly for a while. On this ride, we stopped and she chatted at them for a bit. One wandered over and chewed contentedly (I assume) on the fencepost while Hillary talked and patted for several minutes.
We rode for about an hour including stops. We covered 11km or thereabouts.
This was our last ride together. It would also be the last time Hillary got on a bike.
It was a brief respite from the emotional horrors of the previous month. She was playful on the bike. We appreciated the beauty of the area. We enjoyed just being with each other.
I'm glad that I made a point of doing this with her. I needed to.
It was a good ride.