 Alright, first like to show off something here ladies and gentlemen. Do you recognize the dog on my shirt? What is up, John? How you doing my friends? I'm doing well, Brian. How are you? I'm doing great, man, but I miss you and I miss Mira. Where is Mira? I know. Hey, Mira. Mira. Don't you recognize my voice, Mira? Oh, here she comes. I can hear her. I promise I have a stick. There she is. Yeah, she's the true star. Baby, I miss you, Mira. The whole world misses you, Mira. You have a lot of fans now, Mira. Everybody loves you. Do you know that? Yeah. You know, everybody loves you. I heard you call her today. You heard her new caller? Yeah. Yeah, Red. Yeah. I thought you were like pink with rhinestones. Oh, that'd be great. Yeah, she, um, she wore out the last one. She wore out the last one. Well, she does run around a lot. She does. So John, Mira, it's been a long time, mainly because our borders are closed. How's life been treating you? You know, it's pretty good. Yeah, the border situation is, I think, frustrating for lots of people. But I guess it's for the best, maybe. And but here's the thing, okay, we've had a good winter. Yeah, I've used that time and I had planned to do this regardless of COVID. Was to come back to Canada and work for a while. Go back to these really quick. I forgot. You're selling these to fund the trip. How do the people buy these? Yeah, so on our Instagram page, if you go to the bio, there's a link in bio and there's a little button to push and that'll take you to the store. And you can have your very own Mira shirt. Exactly. Stickers, too, right? Yeah, some stickers. There's some coffee mugs, a couple other little things. There's tons of comments on my YouTube. When are you and John going to ride again? We missed John and Mira and for all of you out there, we're trying. I would be up in Canada right now if I could be riding with John, but we can't, I can't go there. And it's just a little tricky, but we promise something will happen in 2021. Yeah, I mean, we probably want as much as anyone else just to ride together. We have a good time. Yeah, we do have a good time. And I legitimately missed, last time I saw you, I left you in tears. I know, I didn't know. Such a softie, but really, that was a big moment. We really got to know each other really well. We bonded, you know, and it was like saying goodbye to a brother who I didn't know when I was going to see him again. I know. And that's one of the cool things about travel like this, but I think this one is particularly special. I didn't anticipate that either. I mean, I ruled into San Ignacio back in January or February, was it? Yeah, 2020. 2020. And I saw the gray hair and the bike and I'm like, that's beautiful. Hey, we both have some. Yeah, that's true. I can say it. Yeah. Yeah, that's where it all started. And somebody left an interesting comment. They said, if you, Ryan, had finished the divide the first time you tried, you probably never would have met John and Mira because you wouldn't have gone back. You know, so the world works in mysterious ways, but it always works. Yeah. Yeah, totally. Yeah. So it's, it's been, yeah, it's been a wild ride and it's more to come. That's for sure. Absolutely. And speaking of more to come, since we can't go on adventures together, you went on an adventure in Canada and filmed it. And that's what we're going to show people right now as a little Canadian overnight adventure. And so I'm going to try to figure this out how we can get this on the screen here. And you're just going to talk to us about what you guys did, right? Yeah. Sure. Great. Looks like we're checking the weather. That's cold. Yeah. Well, it's not too bad. That's Celsius. So, uh, I guess, yeah, we're probably, uh, we're just above or around zero. Okay. Some sunny days that looks good. Yeah. And there you go. This is your backyard. Yeah, pretty much those are the three sisters in Canmore, Alberta. So we're not far from where the Great Divide Route runs. That mountain there, that's one mountain. That's Mount Rundle. Runs between Canmore and Bant. And here we are riding out of the valley and up towards the Great Divide Route. Wow. Man, it is beautiful. This is your, I think my backyard is beautiful. Yours is pretty stunning. Yeah. I mean, our tree line is really low elevation wise, but it's, yeah, this is the valley here. This is Canmore looking into the Bow Valley. Wow. Yeah. Have you climbed that mountain right there? Yep. That's Holling. So that ridge on the, on the left-hand side, there's, there's a bunch of climbs that way and then some more central to climb. Yeah. Yeah, that makes hiking great up the backside too for, for people that want to, you know, have a bit more leisurely pace. And so what's your mission on this specific adventure here? Where are you going? So, yeah, and now I'm, uh, I've, I've crossed over the Great Divide Route and I'm, uh, rotting down Goat Creek into, uh, Banff, Alberta. People recognize the iconic Banff Springs Hotel there. Is that your house? Yeah. Yeah, that's right. You want to come on over and stay? Yeah. I have a dog house in the front there. Oh. Yeah, so. I love. Yeah. So we've made it to, um, we're into Banff and we've gone to the end of Lake Minnewanka and, uh, which is this here. And it's all frozen solid this time of year. So early season, before the snow hits it, it's great skating. You can, uh, skate, uh, 40 kilometers, 20 out and, and back. So basically a marathon on, uh, on beautiful ice. And then. Look at any escape to school. Is that true? Is that what I heard? Yeah, that's right. Yeah. Yeah, we do. And, uh, you know, but the rich kids, they have snowmills. Okay. Of course. Yeah. Yeah. Well, that is beautiful, man. Wow. Look at that. And so this thing freezes every winter. No matter what, even if you have a warm winter. Oh yeah. A warm winter here, it's still going to be well below zero. We'll just have more breaks. And, uh, yeah, so it makes for, makes for good riding out there. And then I'm just going to go to the end of the park. And then eventually, um, into an area called the ghost wilderness area. So it's, uh, provincial and crown land. Oh, wow. So it's kind of like BLM land. Yeah, gotcha. Interesting. Yeah. Yeah. So it doesn't have the same rules and regulations that, uh, the national park does. And you're going to get onto this ice, huh? Yeah. Yeah. So the footage is kind of popped around a little bit. So this is, um, just to the right there is the, the Canmore Nordic center. Okay. That's Mount Rundle again. And, and, uh, people might remember that from the 88 winter Olympics. And, uh, yeah, we're riding downhill. Although it's quite warm, uh, this snow was quite soft. So even downhill, I had to pedal quite a bit. And, uh, yeah, a little love break. Yeah. You got to have a love break. That's what I really enjoy about riding with you guys. It's just having like mid ride hugs. I mean, you and I hug every now and then, but it's a little more fun to have it from Mira. It's not the same as it Ryan. It's definitely not the same. Does Mira like the cold weather? Yeah. She loves the snow. I mean, it's incredible. She loves everything. I mean, she'll run around in the sand and the snow and she loves water. Whether it's moving water, fresh water, salt water. I mean, I've had a hard time getting her out of the sea of Cortez on occasion. And, uh, yeah, now she's just rolling around in the snow. So yeah, she's a dog for all seasons. Look at those tires with the studs. Yeah. So those tires are 4.8 inches wide. Okay. So they're big, wide things. And then, uh, yeah, the studs allow for grip. On the ice, but it was super windy this day riding out. So I had to go with the wind, putting the bike on too much of an angle, even with those studs was, uh, was a challenge. I thought I might crash. Wow. And now so we can like see right into the ground here. It's so clear. Yeah. I mean, it's shallow in some areas, but other areas are so deep, that just clear blackness, it's a little unnerving to be honest, even though, you know, here you can see the cracks in the ice. So you know it's thick and I've been there about a week before, I think skating. Okay. But yeah, it's still a little bit unnerving when you first get out there. There's Mira having the time of her life. Oh yeah, that's classic Mira. She's gotten sticks from the shore. It must be, what's life like her when it's just like apartment life? She must go nuts. You know, it's funny when she's in the house, like right now she's out, she's just laying down somewhere and, uh, you know, relaxing and people come over, then she's, you know, excited and, uh, high energy, but I got to get her out. I can't leave her in the house all day long. She needs exercise. And here you're talking about all your layers and stuff, right? Yeah, right. So that's the challenge with winter riding is you got to layer up, as soon as you stop. So when you're riding, just like in the summer, you're going to sweat. So you're maybe protecting yourself from the wind. So I have some light pants underneath there. Um, and then, and breathable, uh, layers that, uh, keep the wind off, but, um, um, you know, shelter me from the wind. And then as soon as I stop, I'll put on insulation layers to try and trap that heat. Because the thing what I'm trying to do here is, is manage moisture. You get too sweaty, you soak through your layers, then it conducts all the heat and you can get cold quite easily and hard to warm back up. But here it's, it's, uh, it's actually quite warm. I think we're, we're just below zero, maybe, uh, minus five or six. Gotcha. Okay. And then you were going to make some beans here or what? Yeah, more frijoles. Yeah. I don't know what I'm doing here. Coffee, maybe. We're a coffee drinker. Yeah. This is morning breakfast time. So I'm just, uh, and then I wouldn't be able to find running water. So I would, I brought some with me and then I was melting snow. So that we'd have water. Gotcha. Oh, now you're back and playing on the, look at you. Yeah. Just trying to, you know, those, those evening walks, you know, legs after being on the bike all day long. I think we did about 60 kilometers this day. Oh, I love this scene. What is that in her mouth? Can you guess? Yeah. I think we're near a campsite. So some people that've cut, you know, limbs, cut little, uh, dead fall trees and, and, uh, yeah, the bigger, the better for this one. Look at her face. She is so funny. I love that. That should be the t-shirt right there. Oh man. Yeah. It's hard to throw and stick that big. Yeah, definitely. That's pretty heavy. Look at her go. She doesn't think it's hard. She's like, come on, take this for me, dad. Come on. And she's smart enough to let it hit the ground before she picks it up too. So yeah, that's good. Stick with that. I could hurt a dog. Now you're in the tent, all cozy. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. So it brought a, just a single wall tent. So it's easier to set up and keeps the wind office and, and, um, and then Mira will share the sleeping bag. I'll, I just use it as a quilt kind of. Also she gets in there with you. That's cool. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Wow. And so this is your, this is your backyard. This is so. Yeah. But there's a mountain bike trail on the left hand side here. You can follow in the, in the summer or hike it. And then, um, people go boating here or diving, that kind of thing. So. Mira still got her stick. Don't forget dad. Yeah. That's right. Pack this. But I think this is the next day we're packing up and getting ready to head back to Cameror. Right on. Yeah. Oh, there you are. See, you're a good job. You went to the Ryan Bender's School of how to film yourself. Yeah. I know I've had a good example of how to do it. It's a lot of work. I mean, if people don't realize, you know, because it looks so easy. There you are just riding your bike, having a good time. But, you know, you set the camera down and then you make sure you have, at least you're in frame and then you go do your thing. And then you got to go back and collect it. And, and, and then it was a challenge. Most of this footage comes from the Sony that we both have, the RX100. But the GoPro, even in these mild temperatures, had a real struggle keeping the batteries and keeping it running. So there's not a lot of GoPro footage. It's mostly, you know, still shots or, or this month. And I'm sure if some of it might be GoPro, but yeah, it was a challenge. And then as I'm in the park, I can't fly the drone either. Yeah, exactly. Yeah, it's definitely a lot of work. But it's when it all comes together, it tells a good story. And look at that ice. Yeah, beautiful, isn't it? It's so beautiful. I mean, we have, you know, frozen ponds and lakes in Colorado, but not out my door in Colorado or not, not on my door in Boulder. Yeah. And this is like the real deal, high alpine frozen lakes. Yeah, totally. Yeah, we're probably, we're not super high here. We're probably about 4,600 feet. Okay. So yeah, just 15 or 1600 meters. And there's Mira just licked it. Oh man, what a beautiful sunny day. Oh yeah, it was gorgeous riding back. That's so lovely. And then a lot of this snow here has been, has been hammered by the wind. So it's really hard and easy to ride on actually. Yeah. So this footage is from what's a 360 camera called the Rylo, right? Yeah, that's right. And there's a couple of different cameras like that on the market. And yeah, so two lenses and then the software, it just stitches them together, but allows you to do all kinds of weird and wonderful things. And I think it might be, you know, for me, like I still don't have the, you know, the inclination to, you know, to drop off the camera and then run back and forth all the time. This is so nice even for maybe for yourself that you just let it run and you can point the camera after the fact. Yeah. So I'm not moving the camera around while I'm riding. It's all happened in the little app on the phone after the fact. And so, yeah, you can do strange little things, keep it kind of flat like this or, or make the world do wonderful and weird. Yeah. Did you find some mushrooms out there or what? Totally. I feel like I'm, I got Dolly coming along for a ride. Stabbledore Dolly. Oh, look at Mira. She's just chilling, loving life. Oh yeah. And so do a lot of people ride bikes on the, on the lakes out there? It looks. You know, I, no, actually not. I would have thought I would see more out there. You see lots of people skating. That's a, that's become a really popular thing around this part of the world is wild ice. So whenever these lakes freeze, it's on Facebook or Instagram and people are out skating and taking pictures. And there's some beautiful folks at Paul, Paul Zika. Okay. He's a, is a well-known photographer in this part of the world. And what's that? Look at that. Just incredible. Yeah. Isn't it though? Wow. Yeah. Look at that. Yeah. This is pretty special by man. And we both live in pretty amazing places to ride bikes and just to be outside. Yeah. And yet we want to go other places. Yeah. We want to go to Baja all the time. We love the desert. Yeah. So that's us just about to leave the national park. We're just taking a little break, having a little lunch, and then we're almost back in Kenworth. Love it. Man. So cool, my friend. Thank you for sharing that with us. People are going to be psyched about that. Yeah. Yeah. And you can send me footage whenever you want. I'll make your videos. People keep bugging you about you creating your own YouTube channel. But I'll just, I'll just, you know, I'll broadcast your adventures. Yeah. Well, that sounds great. But you're not going to have any time to go riding if we do that. That's true. That's true. Well, you know, I also hope to hit the road here someday soon. Travel restrictions seem to be lifting. For those of you wondering if I'm going to finish the Great Divide, I will. New Mexico seems to be open right now. So I'm going to go back down there and finish that. And you know, here's to a summer of adventure, whatever that looks like, right? Yeah. I got to say I'm a little, I have a melancholy feels about you going down to go without us. Yeah. Well, you can, you can meet me there. Maybe we can watch them now. But we are going to do something. That's the point. We're going to figure something out in 2021. Yeah, for sure. And I'm going to steal Mira. She will go willingly. I'm certain of that. Yeah. She'll lose her mind when she sees you. Oh, I can't wait to see her. I really can't. She's become a very, she's like, I have like, you know, my inner circle of special people and she is definitely in the inner circle. Yeah. It's like John, Mom, Dana, Zanta, Mira. No, no particular order. Yeah, exactly. Yeah. Exactly. Well, I hope springtime temps are coming your way soon. It's nice and warm here in Boulder. Yeah. The Groundhog says that it was coming early, but we just had another snowstorm a couple of days ago. So I'm not sure about our Groundhog. You might not be tuned in properly this year. Yeah. And so if people want to follow your adventures, when I don't broadcast them on my own YouTube channel, how do we do that? Yeah. You can currently do that on Instagram at Mira Lapera. So that's Mira, M-I-R-A, underscore, L-A, underscore, P-E-R-R-A. Yeah. They can also watch your videos. Yeah, that's right. You see that at Dooser. And we are thinking about a YouTube channel in the future, but you've set a pretty high bar. So we'll see. In the meantime, Instagram is the place to come and see our stuff. Right on, dude. Well, I'm sending you a big hug. Yeah, likewise. Get Mira here one more time, actually. Can we get over here? Yeah. Get Mira a hug. Come on. Mira, come on. Here she comes. Come here. Mira. All right, here, baby. Hop, hop, hop. Oh, there she is. She's that guy. Hi, Mira. I love you so much, Mira. Hi. Yeah. Hi there, baby. How are you doing? What a sweetie. Well, thank you for sharing some beautiful images with my audience and everybody watching this, go follow Mira La Pera and you will be filled with joy and happiness because that's what Mira does. She makes people happy and smile. Right, Mira? Yeah. Yeah. Thanks, Ryan. It's been good to see you again. Absolutely. You too, buddy. Cheers.