Ottawa Macdonald-Cartier International Airport

It hardly seems real, but here we are, poised to embark on a seven month journey that will see us cross the Atlantic four times, visit at least six countries and rack up thousands of kilometers on our folding bikes. We've been preparing for the trip for months now, hunting down, buying and refining the perfect wardrobe (lightweight, quick drying and versatile), doing a lengthy test ride carrying all the gear we're bringing with us and planning the places we want to visit.

Of course, to leave home for nearly seven months requires some organization and planning as well.
Firstly, we can't just leave out home vacant so we decided to rent it out to a couple that's studying law at Ottawa U. Because it was easier to find tenants for the entire school year, we started the lease on September 1. Since then, we've been living in a furnished apartment in Ottawa's west end.

Yesterday I put my car into storage for the winter. I had the oil changed, pumped up the tires, put in some fuel stabilizer, kissed it goodbye and tucked it under it's cover. Then it was down to checking the to do list, finalizing our packing and wrapping up our bikes in industrial strength Saran Wrap for the flight to Porto.

This morning, as we were filling up our backpacks, Brenda asked me if I wanted her to take one of the spare inner tubes. Although our bikes are similar, Brenda's wheels need a smaller tube than mine, although I can use hers in a pinch. Well, I had my tube with me and had assumed that Brenda had hers. One should never assume. Here we are, 5 kms from the closest bike shop with no car and bicycles that have been wrapped up tighter than a sardine sandwich. It was already just about 11:00 AM and Vanessa was coming to take us to the airport at 2:00 PM. Brenda decided she could walk to the bike store and back in plenty of time, so off she went. Meanwhile, I made us some lunch, cleaned up the apartment and went for a walk myself.

Brenda made it home with time to spare, armed with a replacement inner tube, which she immediately put into her backpack. We had lunch, put the finishing touches on our packing and then moved our stuff outside to wait for Vanessa to arrive. While we were standing there, it suddenly struck me that I had forgotten to decrease the air pressure in my tires. They were pumped up to 90 psi and, at 30,000 feet, they would definitely explode. First, I had to locate the valves through four layers of green Saran Wrap. Then I had to try to pierce a hole through it, large enough to get two of my fingers in, but not so large that it will get caught on things while in transit. How could I know that this damn plastic wrap is practically bullet proof? After much effort, I was finally able to break through the kevlar, unscrew the valve cover and use my glasses to partially deflate my tire. Yes, my glasses. The "L" shape of the part that goes over my ear was the perfect tool for the job. Not exactly McGyver, but pretty clever, I thought.

Then I had to repeat the whole process for the other wheel.

Vanessa arrived right on time, dropped us off at the airport, and after farewell hugs and kisses, we now sit here, waiting to embark on our journey.

Our first leg takes us to Toronto where we have a three hour layover before we get on the plane that will take us to Porto. It's a red-eye that lands at 8:30 AM local time, so we may be a little tired when we get there. There may not be too many Port tastings tomorrow.

It's OK, though. We'll still have 208 more days to do whatever we want.Read more