Some areas of cancer treatment have made great strides over the years. When Joni was first diagnosed - 2005 I think, they radiated the tumour precisely, after computer mapping it in 3D. We thought this was amazing, though they did warn there would be a recurrence. 2019 was when that happened, and they went to radiate again. When I mentioned the miraculous equipment that had been used in 2005 to the radio therapist, she said "Oh, we threw that junk away years ago". The 2019 treatment lasted until 2023, but could not be repeated. They went for a surgery. This may have prolonged life, but not with much quality. Even so, Joni is still with us, about 18 years from diagnosis, and we shared some great Indian food with her just yesterday.

We hope you cycle on, and have good results with whatever treatments. Will you blog your trips on Cycleblaze?

WOW.. I knew the Grampies were awesome but did NOT have any clue of Joni’s ordeal. 4 years ago! Now it’s “my turn”…breast cancer, discovered last week during a needle biopsy to “accompany” my husband, Michael who has prostate and bladder cancer ( he has had it a full year) We had to postpone our Netherlands trip in 2023, but I will NOT let this stop us from cycling in May AND again, in September to Germany. Bless you Steve and Dodie!

It would be a real pain to cycle the Islands without ebikes. But with, they are delightful.

The forecast for the next 14 days is kind of mixed, with the daily highs declining steadily, from about 13 now to 9. I means we have to take advantage of each nice day that does pop up.

We are trying to have as much time with Joni as possible. The doctors are very vague about what is going to happen next, but like with the weather, we can be sure things are going to get rougher. Thanks for thinking of us!

Really enjoy the Canadian Islands. They are hilly but we will have to try them with out ebikes! We are finally having an Indian Summer down here so we are getting out as much as possible before the rains come. Hope it is as nice up there. We are saying prayers re your daughter, I can't imagine how you manage through such an unexpected event.

Bread bags and rubber bands sound good, but yes, single use.

On my very first long distance ride (Seattle to Jasper, 1978) it was garbage bags over the panniers. When we finally got our hands on Ortlieb waterproof panniers it revolutionized our cycling lives!

Thanks for the tips Jacquie. I am thinking that the Showers Pass jacket, regardless of price, should be my next choice. Something effective and durable is worth it.

Dodie tried the MEC Cloudburst covers in the store and ruled them hard to get on. But now we are thinking she had too small a size, so we'll go back and reconsider. On this trip she used something I didn't mention - waterproof socks in Goretex shoes. She seemed happy with that, though the socks looked uncomfortable to me. Last time we tried waterproof socks they ended up stinking because they did not breathe. So far we have not seen that this time.

Definitely the Cloudburst covers will last longer than the total bootie idea, since the sole of the total bootie can not possibly survive being walked on much. It was refreshing in MEC having a sales associate say "Don't buy those, they'll never last"!

Aha, as it happens after writing that Foul Weather page we were in a local bike shop and picked up an overmitt similar to what you describe. It does not claim to be Goretex, but is seam sealed nylon . Our idea - yours too - is that keeping the surface of the Crosspoints dry has got to make them warmer, useful in extreme conditions. Nature has not provided any rain lately, but I tried the overmitts in 5 degrees the other day. I would not say that they added much warmth in those conditions, but we take heart from your experience, that they will help in the wet.

We have been using the Crosspoint glove with uninsulated Gortex overmitts for about a year now. It's by far the most waterproof and warmest combination we've ever found. We've used them down to about 2 degrees (C). Like you, our hands are the first thing to get cold. Congratulations on finding what we believe to the current ultimate glove treatment.

Hi Steve and Dodie

I've been waiting for this post because I've been considering the Crosspoint gloves too. I have some warm cycling gloves that are supposedly waterproof, but they haven't been tested because, well, I don't ride in heavy rain if I have a choice and I didn't take them on my tour because they'd have been too warm.

I have found my (very expensive) Showers Pass Elite 2.1 jacket works very well. I think I've had it for 5 years and it's still going strong. It's kept me dry during all-day rain many times. Living here on the Wet Coast, I own several waterproof jackets for various purposes and this one is specific for cycling (and all jacket applications when touring). It's loose-fitting so ideal for tours because I can fit warm layers inside. There's a fabric flap behind the zipper which makes a difference when it comes to leaky zips. I have the add-on hood as well which helps if the weather isn't too hot.

With respect to shoe covers, for me, the ones for touring have been the MEC Cloudburst. I had the originals and they were tricky to put on over my bulky shoes, even though they opened fully at the back. When I got new shoes, my old covers no longer fit so I got new ones. The updated model is much better because it goes on loose and then is snugged with velcro straps. I can put them on standing up (which I certainly can't do with my road shoe booties). They don't seem super-durable but mine survived my wet tour in Brittany with plenty of life left. They are only $35 CDN so if I only get a couple of years out of them, I'm happy.

I appreciate the info... Wished I had it decades ago.

In fact, no longer do I ride in rain unless I get caught in a freak storm. Cold, below freezing, is easier to deal with than wet cold below 65F.

Years ago, I commuted 12 miles to work, and kept shoes dry using bread bags and rubber bands. Single use, of course, but it worked. Later, I made waterproof shoe covers up to mid-calf with open bottom. Cumbersome, but it worked. Hardest part was figuring out a good hold-down system. Since I retired nearly 11 years ago, I've now forgotten how I did it.

Hi Jacquie, we can make out the first three letters clearly: Tes, and then guessing the rest a bit we get "Teskey" so it says "Teskey 25/50". I tried hard with internet searching, but did not come up with any other information.

The photo, by the way, is 40 inches wide and I came nowhere near representing it accurately in the blog!

I'm curious. Who was the photographer of Dodie's print?

So I'm looking forward to getting together with you to compare notes and tell you some of the things I know about the islands from our sailing and biking adventures there. I particularly have stories about the north end of Galiano and visits to Dionisio park both by bike and years later by dinghy from Thetis/Kuper islands.

Great journal as usual! Lovely ride over the islands. They would be a hoot on our ebikes. It's been almost 30 years since we've been to Pender and Galiano!

We used to ride up to Saltspring Island each year and stay in Ruckle Provincial Park. Otters, whale pods, and riding over the back road to Ganges...also the bakery in Fulford was always good. Minot (French and I don't know how it is spelled} ran it and kept it well stocked. I wonder if she is still there?