Moving Muscles Ride 2008

Just like yesterday

2009-08-12T18:17:00.001-07:00

Hello everyone!

I'm guessing not too many people are still following this blog (or they're going through it reeeeally slowly), but we all thought it would be a cool idea to give people an update on what's going on in our lives one year later. Could become a fun annual tradition!

I am STILL working through my Engineering Physics degree at UBC, one more year to go and I will be done with it. Not too hard of a workload, so I am hoping to get involved with the Model UN delegation here at UBC (New York, baby!), and will be volunteering at the 2010 Winter Olympics here in Vancouver when they come. I am incredibly excited for that, it should be an amazing experience. After I am done, I hope to travel wherever the money will take me before touching down to reality and the real world! I have started saving up money this past summer, working on Co-op in Vancouver, and applying for every scholarship that will take my application. Every little bit helps. The bike doesn't get out quite as much as it did last summer, but I've still used it a fair amount and am still loving it. Getting out on the road brings back fond memories as you can imagine, and I was even able to help a friend train for the Ride to Conquer Cancer which helped keep me in shape and pay forward what I can to others trying to accomplish their own cycling goals.

As for the ride, I never imagined how much it would change me as a person, and my life in general. In the past year, I've had two speaking engagements with Muscular Dystrophy Canada, one alongside Mike here in Vancouver, which were truly amazing experiences. I was recently informed that I was selected as Muscular Dystrophy Canada's Client of the Year, and will be flying to Toronto in October to receive it at their annual awards banquet. It is an incredible honour! Mike, Pat, and I were also recognized several times by our Sigma Chi Fraternity, both at UBC and on the International level. Give and you shall receive, I guess, but we certainly never expected the accolades that have been given to us. We also put together a book from the blog and pictures we kept along the way. It is great to have such a nice-looking log of the trip, and to see how many people have enjoyed reading the stories from their own copy.

Personally, the ride has lent a great deal of perspective on what's important in life. I've found myself enjoying the little things more, and have been more RELAXED. The other four will all be happy to hear that, as they tried many, many times to loosen me up on the trip when I was so wound up in the experience, sometimes too much to truly enjoy it. I could not have asked for better people to be with and to have as friends now.

I think what is most special to me about the ride, beyond the amazing memories and the great experiences and friendships, is the impact I have seen the ride make in others. Every time someone comes up to me and tells me how amazing they thought our accomplishment was, it means a great, great deal. It's most noticeable when we're in a group talking together about the experience around friends: you can notice how carefully people listen. Even more fun was having both Brian and Jon come over to Vancouver this summer, seeing them for the first time since last August. It was an absolute blast, and I can't wait for the next time they come around and hang out with Pat, Mike, and I over here. Or maybe a houseboat or Calgary reunion? Who knows.

Beyond that, thank you to everyone who followed us and supported us along the way! It absolutely blows my mind at what were able to do just one short year ago, but it never would happened without everybody giving us a helping hand. My Mum Judy immediately comes to mind - Nin, thank you so much for everything you did, and I love you so much. You helped take the Moving Muscles Ride from a cool idea to a project of epic proportions! And my cousin Andrew deserves another mention. He took a gamble on five essentially non-cyclists, got them Specialized bikes and gear, and watched them ride it all the way to the finish line. Andrew, I will never, never, never forget it, and I hope that jersey is smiling down on you. To all of you reading, I gave Andrew my light blue jersey from the trip, which my Mum framed. It was the least I could do to thank him. There are many others to mention, but everyone's families are at the top of the list. It makes it so much easier to do something of this magnitude with support from loved ones.

One year's gone by, but the memories are lasting forever, and only growing more fond. Thanks for continuing to be a part of our journey.

Enjoy the ride,

Keith

One Year Later

2009-08-06T16:32:00.000-07:00

A lot has changed in my life since being a part of the Moving Muscles Ride last year. When the trip began last May, I was a recent university graduate, having written my final exam only a few weeks earlier and the prospect of no upcoming school for the first time in recent memory. Since our trip ended last August, I’ve worked in construction - building airplane hangars and other steel buildings, harnessed off and working at heights of up to 75 feet - I’ve gone back to school briefly, I’ve worked as a research assistant on Vancouver Island investigating an ugly fish known as the midshipman, and I’m currently in charge of maintenance at Silver Lake Mennonite Camp, the place I’ve spent the majority of my summer months for the last 10 years. I like to joke that I’ve become transient, moving from place to place and job to job.

As I look back on our bike journey last summer, I think of all the different scenery we saw across this beautiful country, the determination it took to get back on that bike seat day after day, and I think about the incredible amount of money we were able to raise for Muscular Dystrophy. But there are two things that really stand out in my mind: the people we met in the course of our travels and the good times we had among the five of us guys. Even today, it amazes me how people we’d never met before were so generous and willing not only to open their homes to us but also to help in whatever way they could, from providing meals to riding with us for stretches, to helping out with last-minute bike repairs. I think it really speaks volumes about human nature that so many people were so willing to help perfect strangers, especially scruffy, spandex-wearing strangers like us!

And then there’s Mike, Brian, Keith and Pat. You’re never quite sure how well you’ll get along with someone you meet for the first time, but from that first cold rainy day leaving Tofino to the arrival in St. John’s, we all hit it off really well. Going through an intense experience like we did together, I’ve learned a lot about each of the guys and we have forged a friendship that will last for the rest of our lives. As the years continue to pass, I’m sure I’ll look back on this trip as one of the best experiences of my life.

Mike's Final Thoughts

2008-09-20T14:27:00.000-07:00

As I'm sitting here at UBC campus, it's hard to believe that our Bike Trip has been finished for over a month. It seems like yesterday that the five of us were having a weekly video conference, but it has been about 10 months since we had our first meeting. So much has happened since I decided to do the trip; is hard to put into words. I remember Keith's reaction when I first mentioned that I was going to bike across Canada, it took him about half a second to decide that he wanted to do it too. I can honestly say that in that half second my life changed. In that instant, the trip went from being an average cross country bike ride to something extraordinary. Keith's idea to make it a fund-raising effort and the addition of Pat and Jon to the team sparked the beginning of Moving Muscles Ride 2008.

It took months of planning both the logistic and the fundraising aspects of the trip. We all shared the work and by May we were more then ready to start biking. I think the only thing that lacked in our planning stages was training but, in hindsight, no amount of training would have fully prepared us for the first few days of the trip. I always tell people that just worked ourselves into shape over the first few weeks. I remember having lunch in the back of Brian's Dad, Dave's, van and being colder, wetter and hungrier then I ever thought possible; at the same time I was extremely excited to have finally begun and didn't think about quitting for a minute. I had no idea what the next few months had in store but I knew that I was embarking on the experience of a lifetime.

For me, and I think the other guys would agree, the first few weeks were physically the most challenging of the trip. Keith, who had spent more time on a bike in the previous year then the four of us had combined, was definitely the driving factor through BC. On the second day, when the rest of us had nothing left, Keith was the one who raced ahead to catch the ferry (too bad he missed the turn). He was also the one who always wanted to go further and bike longer. By the time we got to Revelstoke, without a rest day and not having done laundry since Vancouver, we were thoroughly exhausted and filthy. We took a day off and, on the advice of a professional, we decided to change a few things - like taking more rest days and spending some time in laundromats. We were always finding out better ways to do things and adapting to situations as they happened.

The most meaningful memories that I have of the trip are of all the people we met along the way. Almost everyday my spirit was lifted by someone who heard our story and went out of their way to show us support. There were lots of simple acts like the lady outside of Revelstoke who stopped at the side of the road to write us a cheque because she saw us on the news the night before. There were also all the great people who offered us meals and a place to stay; most of these people we only knew through friends, or friends of friends. In Brandon, we stayed with the Mennies who were connected to Keith somehow, but neither Keith nor Lloyd could figure out how. Despite this, Lloyd and his family welcomed us to their home like we were family and even sent us a few emails as we continued along the trip; it was very inspiring.

This trip was probably the greatest learning experience of my life. Obviously I learned about biking and maintenance - I can change a tire in record time and can tell the PSI in my tire just by feeling it. I also learned a great deal about Canada, we saw the country from a completely unique view point. Very few people can say that they have seen, and experienced, this country from the Pacific to the Atlantic and I am proud to say that I have. I also learned a lot about the four guys I rode with. I knew each of the guys really well before the trip, but after spending essentially every day with them this summer I know them inside and out. The five of us built a bond over the summer that will last a lifetime.

Pat's final blog

2008-09-15T15:54:00.000-07:00

I walked past Mike McDonald’s room at the UBC frat house one evening last year. Curious to see what he was so excited about I stopped and asked, “Mike, what are you all giddy about?”
“A friend from Ontario and I are going to ride bikes across Canada next summer” he replied. I laughed and walked away. The next day I was walking by Keith’s room, not remembering my conversation with Mike, I asked what they were so excited about; “Next summer we’re going to ride bikes across Canada!” Again I laughed, “You guys are crazy,” I explained, “there’s no way two average university students, Keith with little biking experience, and Mike with zero bike experience are going to ride 8000km across the second biggest country in the world.” Thinking this was another imprudent dream realized by a couple naive college students over a couple beers I knew it would soon fade to an afterthought as the semester moved into final exams. To my surprise two days later I found Mike and Keith were still talking about this epic journey on bikes. I sat down with both Mike and Keith as they explained how people do this trip every summer, how they may get bikes for cheap from Specialized, and how serious they were about this initiative. They asked if I wanted to join the team and not being one to back down from a challenge I agreed. So just like that I was a part of the team, not realizing at the time that this would be the hardest undertaking, both mentally and physically, that I have ever done and hopefully will ever do in my life.

Preparations began immediately following the Christmas break. I changed my workouts in the gym from upper body to lower body, and not owning a bicycle I was on the stationary as much as possible. I told my friends and family of the trip, most of whom had about as much faith as I had originally with Mike. When Keith came to us with the idea of putting our efforts towards a good cause and raise money for MDC we were all excited, but it was impossible at the time to realize just how much of an impact we were to have. Shortly thereafter Specialized and Bombardier gave us the good news of their sponsorships and our dream began to materialize. It wasn’t easy preparing for this ride, sending fundraising letters to friends and family, sponsorship letters to companies, the physical training, creating a website, and purchasing the necessary equipment, while being a full time undergraduate student. But as most of you who are reading this know, the five members of the Moving Muscles Team are not your average twenty-something’s.

Just days before departing from Tofino on May 13th I was sitting in a pool at a resort in Cancun Mexico on a grad trip with a group of friends drinking ‘dos cervezas con hielo’. At that time I was not aware of the fact that in a week’s time I would be in agonizing pain struggling to keep up with the other four riders as we battled our way through the mountains of BC. The first two weeks of our ride brought some of our biggest challenges; an 18% grade hill out of Tofino, a 400m climb out of Port Alberni, 35 degree heat through the Fraser Canyon, and the grueling Rogers and Kicking Horse Passes. I remember thinking at this point in the trip if someone were to miraculously be able to take away one pain from my body I would have a hard time choosing between the large blisters on both my heels, my grapefruit-sized swollen knee that shot pain through my body with every pedal, the sunburn stinging with sweat on my back, the shooting pain between my shoulders from the new posture that comes with biking, or the agonizing pain of the saddle that only a cyclist can appreciate; a true ‘trial-by-fire’ for five non-cyclists. When we arrived in Revelstoke for our first rest day I honestly didn’t know if I would carry on. I saw a doctor in Revelstoke who was also an avid cyclist; thankfully he adjusted my saddle to release some stress from my knees and back, and assured me that once we were through the mountains the swelling and pain in my knee would go down. He was the first of many people along our journey that would give me the confidence and inspiration to finish. At this point we had traversed the mountains of Vancouver Island, the Fraser Canyon, the semi-arid desert Interior Mountains, the Monashee and Selkirk Mountains. All we had left was the Rocky Mountains and it was downhill from there right?

The first milestone, for me, came just before Lake Louise in the Rocky Mountains when the rivers changed direction and we began to bike with the flow of the water. We had reached the highest elevation of the trip and even though I knew it wasn’t all downhill from here (far from it), at this point a part of me felt that we could finish. That night we stayed in the beautiful Chateau Lake Louise and I knew that we had earned it.

Apart from the physical achievements that gave us the encouragement to keep pedaling were the reminders that our journey was truly going to make a difference in the lives of others. When we arrived in Calgary Brian’s father (Dave), had organized a barbeque for us and invited some friends. One of Dave’s friends had brought her young daughters who were inspired by what we were doing, and Nicole wrote an incredibly inspiring letter to us. One line of the letter reads: “It was so amazing meeting you, and I truly think meeting you was way better than meeting a celebrity. It makes you realize that normal people can make a difference”. Deb and Candisse Foster from Muscular Dystrophy Canada had also got word of us in Calgary and came that day to see us at the Barbeque. When I met Candisse (the 2007 poster child for MDC) I realized what our journey was going to mean to Canadians like her who will never get the chance to even ride a bicycle.

The Prairie Provinces were a true test of our perseverance. With the wind blowing into our faces from Calgary to Winnipeg we had no choice but to put our heads down and peddle. I’ll spare the details of the prairies as most of you have heard them and truthfully I’m trying to put that experience behind me. When people ask “what was the low point of the trip” I tell them that it was the day out of Brandon MB; riding into 40-55km headwinds in the cold and rain, averaging 11 km/hr. Reading about all the ‘great tailwinds’ in the cyclists log book at a tourist information stop on the Saskatchewan/Manitoba border didn’t help with my affection for this part of the country. There were good parts of the prairies, specifically Caronport, Regina, Brandon, and Winnipeg. We met some of the kindest people along our journey through the prairies and I will never forget them.

The prairies end abruptly east of Winnipeg. Seeing the line of forest on the horizon that was the beginning of the Canadian Shield was a welcome view, however we had no idea that the climbing we would do in Ontario would exceed that of BC. The winds changed in our favour through Ontario and this helped us immensely through Canada’s largest province. Northern Ontario proved to be physically one of the hardest stretches of the trip as we climbed up and down around the great lakes. One thing that will always stay with me is the stench of dead moose lying beside the highway; something we had the pleasure of experiencing many times in this area. It was an emotional moment when we came to halfway point in the journey of Terry Fox at his memorial. It’s an amazing feeling standing next to the statue of Terry Fox knowing that you have an exceptional connection with one of Canada’s greatest heroes. Through more grueling hills around Lake Superior and Lake Huron we finally made it into Southern Ontario. It was quite an experience having the fire department escort into London, Ont. Sirens blaring, lights flashing, blasting through red light intersections we were an important convoy entering the city. London to Hamilton to Toronto to Cottage Country to Ottawa and that was it for Ontario.

The welcome in Montreal was amazing and the support that Keith’s entire family gave us throughout the trip was truly amazing. In Montreal: we raised a few thousand dollars at the barbeque, had a couple nights out on the famous strip, were on four radio stations, signed an infamous guestbook, had lobster dinner at the club, and again were treated like royalty – no big deal. Moving on to Quebec City (the second best city in Canada next to Vancouver) where we were cheered on by a multitude of fans up the ‘Cote de la Montagne’, met Sir Paul McCartney, and sipped champagne on the Plains of Abraham. I may have embellished those last few instances; however it was interesting experience in one of Canada’s oldest cities. Riding alongside the St. Lawrence to Métis-Sur-Mer where once again the welcoming committee of Keith’s family was incredible. I’m glad I had the chance to see this small beautiful corner of Canada that I’m sure many people will not.

Across New Brunswick, PEI, Nova Scotia, and finally Newfoundland the mental toughness of the trip started to show. Staying focused for the last 10 days of the journey was much harder than I expected but my 4 good buddies helped make it one of the most enjoyable parts of the trip. Crossing the finish line in St. John's was a surreal moment and an epiphany of inspiration from the other four riders, their families, and my family.

From the rainy hills of Vancouver Island, to having lunch on the banks of a glacier fed river in the Rocky Mountains, to spending the night on a bird watching tower in the middle of the prairies, to swimming in Lake Superior, to the nightlife of downtown Montreal, to a lobster dinner in Antigonish overlooking the Atlantic Ocean, to being Screeched in on George Street in St. John’s, this bike trip was so much more than five young men raising money for a cause. I am forever thankful to my family and the families and friends of Keith, Mike, Jon, and Brian who made this trip possible. I am forever a better person for having seen my efforts making a difference in the lives of others. No matter where I end up in life I know this will remain one of my biggest accomplishments. Thank you Dad for a quote that will always be with me when I think of this journey:

“It is the strength of character that separates the doers from the dreamers… you are 7500 kms ahead of us dreamers!”

As in life, the journey was not all uphill nor was it all downhill however a rare path that offers improvement for those with the courage to go down it.

Thank you for the support that made this ride a success!
Merci de votre soutien!

Patrick Cuthbert

Brian's Final Thoughts

2008-09-04T09:08:00.001-07:00

    Well it's been nearly a month now, since we finished our ride in St. John's. Since I have been home, I have had time to relax, sleep, and think about what the five of us did this summer.
    For about two and a half years, I had wanted to make this trek across the country on bike. I had mentioned it to my Dad, and all he said was "Go for it!". For a while, I pictured this being something only of conversation, but soon after I decided to make it happen. When Mike jumped on board, I knew it was going to happen. What I didn't know was HOW it was going to happen. With the support of all our sponsors, we were financially set, and with the support of friends, family, and everyone else, we were mentally set!
    With our initial goal of $100 000 nearly reached before we even started on our bikes, we upped our goal to $150 000, feeling confident in the support of people across Canada. Not being cyclists, non of us knew exactly what we were getting into. So we set off from Tofino in the rain with Mike's words of wisdom ringing in our ears, "It's just a bike...how hard is it to ride???".
    We experienced everything on this trip: Great friendship and comradery among the five of us, rain, sun, sleet, hail, snow, and wind, mountains, prairies, forested Northern Ontario and Quebec, muggy Southern Ontario, and the small town maritimes. The people we met across the country made us all proud to be Canadian. The number of times people opened up their wallets, offered us a place to stay, and helped us with our trip was amazing, and I thank all of you who helped us along our way!
    As of now, it still feels like it was just an amazing summer trip. But when I think of all the people we met, the number of people who told us they read the blog everyday, and looking back at the pictures we took, it comes to realization that this far-fetched, hair-brained idea actually happened!

    It was our pleasure to show our support for Muscular Dystrophy Canada. Keith has given everyone a reason to hold their head high, no matter what challenges they face through life. Thanks to everyone that has given their support to help this trip become the success that it was.

What an adventure! One that the five of us will ALWAYS share.

A mari usque ad mare,

Brian

Final Thoughts

2008-08-30T11:58:00.000-07:00

Now that some time has passed since the completion of our cross Canada bike trip, I have had a chance to reflect on this 7800 km journey we completed. We had many great experiences and met a lot of awesome people along the way. Considering I only met Pat in person the day before and Keith the week before our trip began, as a group we got along amazingly well. I feel lucky to have been a part of the Moving Muscles Ride and will remember this experience for the rest of my life. I want to thank all my friends and family who supported the five of us in many different ways throughout this trip from making donations, hosting us for meals or giving us a place to stay.

Getting screeched in after dipping the tires in the Atlantic

2008-08-08T06:42:00.001-07:00

We have ridden our bikes a long, long way.

On Tuesday our journey came to an end as we arrived in St. John's,
greeted by friends and family in the harbour at Prosser's Rock in Fort
Amherst. The day started with a rough awakening. Our ferry got in to
the terminal really late and only got to bed at 4:30am after biking
nearly 10km to the hotel. We were on the road later than we had hoped,
and with 30km/hr winds in our face and rain, we knew that we had a
long 140km day in store.

The landscape between Argentia and St. John's was barren but scenic,
lakes nestled between the forest-blanketed hills that surrounded us.
The road was hilly, and in the wind we moved slowly, but the thought
that it was our last day was imprinted in our minds. It was hard to
imagine that a trip we had been on for so long was coming to an end.

Arriving into the St. John's area, we were greeted by the city's
firefighters who led us to their station in Mount Pearl. We got a warm
welcome from the firefighters who had assembled, and they led us on
the last 20km stretch into town. A few of them even brought out their
bikes to ride with us! Thanks to Craig Cox and Shelley McWilliams for
their help, as well as all the firefighters who came out with us.

It was a special feeling when we finally saw water for the first time,
indicating that we were near our end point. Our families had gathered
at the harbour, and as we came around the final corner they cheered
until we finally broke the ribbon to end the trip! After greeting the
family and friends who had come out to see us, including MDC staff and
two young boys whose lives have been affected by Muscular Dystrophy,
it was time for the trip to come full circle and dip our tires in the
Atlantic. Everyone gathered around as we made our way down the boat
landing, cameras going all around us with applause and cheers. It was
an incredibly awing moment to think about what we had achieved, and
what better way to celebrate than champagne? We popped the corks and
the bubbly went in all directions, some drunk but most of it
completely soaking our clothing, making for some interesting smells on
the car ride to the hotel.

With the trip done, it was on to celebrating it in St. John's, and
what other way to do it than an official screeching in ceremony? Erin
Townsley-Smith, a representative from the MDC office in Vancouver who
has been incredible in supporting us, and Kathy Cuthbert organised to
have Christian's Pub on George Street to give us all an appropriate
taste of Newfoundland's finest spirit, screech. One of the workers
came out dressed in fisherman's gear with an oar, and started talking
speedily in a heavy Newfoundland accent, funny and entertaining. Much
of the act was trying to teach everyone to say "'Deed I am, ye old
Cock. Long may your big jib draw," a response to "Are ye a
Newfoundlander?" and one person after another fumbled as the crowd
roared with laughter. We then got on our knees and he passed around a
shot of screech, and brought out a big frozen cod for us all to kiss
before downing the burning liquid. Officially Newfoundlanders! We even
have a certificate to prove it.

Everyone is taking off over the next few days, and I don't think we'll
forget our time here anytime soon. And now we have an entire month to
rest and relax!

*****

With the trip at an end, all of us will be writing a final blog to air
out our thoughts on the trip (and whatever else comes to mind).

The trip's been an emotional challenge. When I decided that I wanted
to accomplish the feat, I put every ounce of what I had to give into
the project. I'm driven to challenge myself, and I saw this as an
exciting way to see our beautiful country while pushing my body and
mind to achieve what relatively few people have. There were times when
I wondered whether my body would be able to handle it, but it meant a
lot to me to prove to myself that I could do it. Others have, so why
couldn't I?

A big motivating factor for me was the fact that I have Muscular
Dystrophy. There have been many times over the past several years when
I struggled mightily to cope with the realization that my body was not
going to function how I wanted it to. I completely lost interest in my
favourite sports over seeing the decline in my performance, and was
unsure as to how to deal with people's reactions to my physical
appearance and the difficulties I had with seemingly normal physical
tasks. Not only did I see this trip as a way for me to deal with my
affliction, but I wanted to be able to turn it into a positive and
help others. The knowledge that my confronting the ailment could
inspire not only others with the disease, but anyone who would learn
about the ride, was a huge motivator and only pushed me more.

It's pretty special to be able to say that we have made a real
difference in people's lives through our actions. I am so lucky to
have been able to accomplish what I have with Mike, Pat, Brian, and
Jon. Not being as physically strong as they were, they helped me by
taking most of the weight, pulling the trailers and carrying the
water, drafting for me when I needed it. Thanks to their unselfish
actions, we moved quicker, and I was able to conserve my body's
strength without pushing it over the edge. When it wasn't helping me
keep up, it was trying to slow me down when I was getting ahead of
myself, or a bit of comic relief when the times got tough. Group
dynamics are a funny thing, and we were blessed with a fantastic team
that got along relatively harmoniously all the way through.

I also need to give a big thank you to my entire family for their
support, but in particular my mother. She was an absolute force in
helping us with various aspects of the organization. I don't know how
many hours she put in, but I know from many past experiences that when
she puts her mind to something, you either have to step in line or get
the hell out of her way, because she will stop at nothing. From
getting sponsorship, to designing donor cards, having the shirts made,
organising media contacts, and who knows what else, she helped us
bring our ride from a simple affair to an event that got attention
from ocean to ocean. We are all incredibly lucky to have had her on
our side. Thanks Nin, I love you SO much.

From mooing at cows to sleeping in a birdwatching tower, swimming in
Lake Superior to swimming in the Atlantic Ocean, drinking beer across
the country to getting screeched in on George Street, we have had some
incredible experiences, and it's going to take us a long time to fully
appreciate it. We're five extremely lucky young men who got to live
the dream this summer, and despite some of the hard times we had to
push through, we're never going to have a better "job" than this ride,
and that's the bottom line.

Thanks for being a part of it with us.

Across the ferry to Newfoundland

2008-08-05T00:12:00.000-07:00

This will be short, as it's late, and we need sleep.

We spent the entire day and part of the next on the ferry to Argentia. Way longer than expected, as we only got in after 3am. We then had to bike nearly 7km to get to our hotel to try and get some sleep before the ride to St. John's.

Our journey will end tomorrow as we ride into St. John's Harbour to cut the ribbon!

One...
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To North Sydney, our gateway to Newfoundland

2008-08-03T17:49:00.000-07:00

After last night, we are officially done camping. No more tents, no more cooking with single burner stoves on camping pots and pans, no more setting up and taking down camp in the rain. From here on in, we'll have motel nights on both sides of the ferry before we ride into St. John's, a nice change from nearly three months of tenting it.

We saw Cape Breton's hills today, and some of its less attractive weather. The wind blew in our face and it misted all day, turning into legitimate rain just as we climbed 250m to the top of Kelly's Mountain. It was our first big climb in a long time, winding up over 7km. What goes up must come down, though, although in the rain and wind we couldn't exactly go full out.

We got into North Sydney completely drenched, so it was nice to be able to dry out in our room at the Clansman Motel just off the highway. We're close to the ferry, too, so we don't have too much work to do tomorrow before getting out the door. The ferry leaves at 7:30am, and we have to be there at least a full hour before, making for an early start. We will then have 17 hours to kill on our way to Argentia; normally the crossing is about 14 hours, but they will be working on one of the engines during the run, so it will make the trip longer. We will get in very late over on the Rock...

We can't believe we're on the ferry tomorrow. Only a few days to go.

Two...
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Surf and Turf in Antigonish before the last few days in Cape Breton

2008-08-02T18:23:00.000-07:00

We are getting very close.

So are two English men whom we met as we left PEI on the ferry to Pictou. They work in the Alps during the winter, and one night at the bar they talked about the upcoming summer. Neither wanted to work, so the idea came up to bike across Canada. Sound familiar? They will be taking the ferry to Port-aux-Basques in the next few days, while we take the one to Argentia Monday morning, so they've got a bit further to go. Moreover, they are biking back to Halifax once they're done, because that's where their flight leaves from to go back home. We will not be choosing that option...

The wind's been in our face for the last two weeks, and why would anything change on our way to Antigonish? Fortunately it was a relatively short day at 95km, and when we got into town, we were met by my cousin Andrew and his wife Laurell and brother-in-law Shane. They were picking us up to drive us out to Arisaig, where Laurell grew up and is now staying for most of the summer with my two cousins. Her family has a great location near the shores of the Northumberland Strait, but even better was their hospitality.

When they fetched us as we came into town, my cousin Andrew picked up 15 lobsters, steak, and sausage, and that evening we all gorged ourselves up at Laurell's parents Vince and Bobbi's home. Vince is a retired lobster fisherman, and on numerous occasions has cooked 100lbs of lobster at once, in a gigantic homemade cooking pot which he heats with a huge propane torch. The food was incredible, and we got in a bit of horshoes as well - Vince and his family host a horseshoe tournament every Labour Day weekend.

We couldn't eat all the steak, so it became this morning's breakfast before they drove us back out to Antigonish so that we could get on our way. We then had to plough through more headwinds and some rain as we headed onto Cape Breton Island.

Before crossing the causeway onto the Island, we were met by firemen from one of the local volunteer fire departments. Mike's mother Polly had told them a few days earlier that we would be coming through, and gotten them to help us out. Sure enough, Ian and Lou came out to meet us, escorting us across the narrow causeway with no shoulder. They even gave us some bottled water back at their station before we continued on. Thanks guys!

We pushed on for a 105km day to Whycocomagh over the hills and into the wind, leaving us a short day to our motel in North Sydney before we catch the ferry on Monday morning to Argentia. Countdown's getting close...

Four...

Three...
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Two sleepy days on Prince Edrward Island

2008-07-31T17:08:00.000-07:00

We are close to the end, and our bodies and minds can sense it. As we near the last few days of the trip, the exhaustion from the long trip is catching up with us. Now on Prince Edward Island with a bit of time on our hands, we decided to make the most of our time and spend as much as we could here. We decided to not take a rest day on our way from Metis to the ferry, and instead took two slow, short, and easy days across the Island.

The first day was a 60km trip to Charlottetown. It absolutely poured on us as we came into town, where we met Pat's Mum and Dad for lunch. While we were there, CBC Radio came and interviewed us, and funnily enough Pat saw Mike's family taking a horsedrawn carriage ride right past where we were eating! They were taking some time to see the city before continuing on their way around the Maritimes. We later found a hotel room, and everyone stayed around before we went out to dinner to see the sights. It's a beautiful little city, and with the trip nearing an end, it was nice to have time to enjoy it and take it in.

With only a short trip down to the ferry, we took the morning to sleep in before heading off today. We had a place to stay right near the Woodlands ferry with Darla Thompson and John Rousseau. They stayed in the Eastern Townships with my grandparents about a month ago, and they were returning the favour to us. The location was perfect for us, and they were gracious hosts at their beautiful property. They fed us well while John told us stories about his masonry business, an absolute passion for him. While we were there, we also took the opportunity to decide who was going to get what gear to take home. we had an NHL-style draft, with 10 packages up for grabs. Funnily enough, nobody really wanted to take the trailers which carry it all, but everyone went home with some good loot, and it avoids our having to divide it up in St. John's last minute! The Island has been absolutely beautiful to bike across. The rolling landscape is complete with farming fields, and views of the water. Most distinct are the potato crops, with the red earth that they are planted in.

Tomorrow, we'll take the ferry off of the Island onto Nova Scotia, our ninth province of the trip, heading towards Antigonish. And the countdown continues...

Six...

Five...

Spanning the Confederation Bridge to Prince Edward Island

2008-07-30T03:04:00.000-07:00

All our family is slowly making their way to St. John's.

We met up with Pat's parents in the morning for breakfast, and soon after Bob, Polly, and Mary McDonald drove by us on the road. They drove from Ontario and will tour the Maritimes before crossing to Newfoundland.

We wanted to get to PEI today, and it made for a long 135km day. The scenery along the small highway we took for the last 20km was absolutely beautiful, and we could just make out the Island across the water, a pencil-thin line on the horizon. As we moved South, the Confederation Bridge slowly came into view, and it is very impressive. It was completed in 1997, and spans 13km from NB to PEI. It is even slightly curved to force drivers to pay attention to the road. Unfortunately, no pedestrian or bicycle traffic is alowed on the bridge, so we took the shuttle which runs back and forth.

Once on the other side, we found a campground quickly, and set up before the rain hit. The McDonalds met up with us, taking us out for a seafood dinner in Summerside. Tomorrow, we'll continue to Charlottetown to have lunch with Pat's parents. One week to go!

Seven...
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CTV News Montreal

2008-07-30T02:29:00.000-07:00

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A visit from Pat's parents on our way to Rexton

2008-07-28T18:16:00.000-07:00

It's been a while since we last had to wake up and take down camp in the rain, and this morning was brutal. We got up to rainy weather, a road under construction, and wind in our faces coming out of the rest area where we made our home. It was slow enough that we only made it 25km by lunchtime in Miramichi, where we settled down at Boston Pizza to use up the last of our free individual pizzas. Delicious.

The conditions weren't showing any signs of improving weather, and we weren't too sure what lay ahead, so once we crossed the bridge we picked up food for our next two meals to carry with us. Ironically, the rain died down soon after, the sun came out, and the wind improved, so we made quick time the rest of the way to Rexton, where we found a site and set up camp.

As we got there, Pat got in touch with his parents. They arrived in Halifax a few days ago, and have been driving around the Maritimes in a Ford Mustang rental car. They came and found us at our campground, and it was nice to see them, as Pat has not seen them since the third day of the trip. They took us out to dinner at their motel, and we'll have breakfast with them tomorrow before heading out, at Eastern Canada's version of their Vancouver Starbucks: Tim Horton's. Good thing we got all that food in Miramichi, eh?

Tomorrow, we'll cross over the Confederation Bridge to camp out just on the other side. On to PEI as the count goes on.

Eight...
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Leading the parade through Bathurst on our way down the coast

2008-07-27T18:07:00.000-07:00

A few people in Bathurst might now about the ride now.

After covering 50km to get there for lunch, we ran into a parade that was running along the main drag through town, also our route out.

We had options. There were a number of streets available to take around it to get on our way. There was also the option of just joining the parade itself and acting like we were a part of it. We went for the latter.

We bypassed the lineup of vehicles that were actually part of the parade, slowly pedaling while waving to the crowd and smiling for the cameras. Eventually we got to the front, passing a few firetrucks and a cop car or two, and were leading things along. People who were waiting for the parade in behind us saw us first, and clapped and cheered us on. It was a pretty funny experience.

The winds have been fighting us all the way South, and today was no different. Complicating things was the fact that there was essentially nothing to be found between Bathurst and Miramichi, a full 80km apart along a deserted highway. Worse, there was a repaving project on the road making riding a nuisance, and with the hour getting late, the outlook was bleak. Luckily for us, a rest area opened up, with a gas station across the road. We've set up camp and will stay the night.

The countdown continues as we continue down the coast towards the Confederation Bridge to take us across to PEI.

Nine...
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The countdown begins in New Brunswick

2008-07-26T19:18:00.000-07:00

We're in the final countdown to St. John's, and now that we are in the Maritimes in New Brunswick, it is hitting us that we are very close to the end.

At our campsite last night and this morning, we waged a serious battle with the local blackflies. They were by far the worst we've had to date, just swarming every part of our body, worst when we were standing still trying to actually do something. They definitely won the fight, and we got out of there as quickly as possible this morning to avoid them.

There was little between Sainte-Florence and Matapedia, so we made it through in solid time. The ride was absolutely beautiful, following several of the regions rivers through the valley, surrounded by pine forest. We weren't quite ready for lunch when we arrived, so we pushed on across the border to Campbellton. It was quite a feeling to be in the Maritimes, and thankfully they had a great sign for us to get a picture with!

There's not much along the East coast of NB, and we went a long distance without seeing any grocery stores or restaurants. Worse, we had lost an hour coming into the province, so it was getting late to find something. Signs to one campsite were completely false, but regardless we didn't have any food, and after 120km of riding, all we knew about was Pizza Delight in tiny Jacquet River 10km away, which somehow came up in searches. We figured we had no choice but to go there, so we ordered 4 of their biggest pizzas for takeout, and figured we'd find somewhere to camp once we got there.

We lucked out big time. Not only was the pizza delicious, but there was a campground right next to it. It was right on a beach, and with clear skies the sunset was amazing. We took the pizza with some beers down to the water, had a swim with LOADS of jellyfish (Jon got stung), and had rock skipping, rock throwing, and caber toss competions. The caber toss was the most exciting, and everyone was able to get the first, lighter log to 12 o'clock. The second log, taller and heavier, posed a greater challenge. Contestant after contestant tried and failed, until Jon stepped up to the plate for his third attempt, throwing it up in Herculean fashion to get it to land at the 12 o'clock position. We even had a crowd, as a couple had just ridden over along the sand in their ATV. With the competition settled, we headed back up to set up camp, with two full pizzas left for tomorrow. They were huge, so we'll definitely have enough for breakfast, possibly even lunch!

With the trip nearing an end, I've decided to run the battery on our GPS locator down, and have it tracking us all the time through the day. If you click on the "current location" link on the homepage, you can see where we are throughout the day, and follow us all the way to the finish line until August 5th. It is a cool extra feature for you who follow us along.

Moreover, we sit about $11,000 short of our fundraising goal to date. Please help us out be telling anyone you haven't already about the ride to help us make it before we're done! Every little bit helps.

With that out of the way, the countdown is on to St. John's.

Ten...
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Up and down and into the wind along the Matapedia to Sainte-Florence

2008-07-25T19:02:00.000-07:00

After getting an incredible welcome into Metis, we were treated to an equally impressive sendoff this morning.

A crowd of 100+ people had gathered for our 9am departure, and cheered us on as we wheeled our bikes onto the Beach road outside my house. Lots of cameras took pictures while I went to find my 90-year-old grandmother, who was waiting in the middle of the street with her scooter donning a helmet to lead us out, with the firetruck trailing us. Kids, parents, and grandparents alike dusted off their bikes to ride East out of town with us to the highway, before the following crowd stayed behind as we rode off.

Turning onto highway 297 after Baie-des-Sables, we ran into steep hill after steep hill as we climbed up to the Matapedia highway (also the 132). Once there, the road flattens out as it runs along the river valley, Southeast towards New Brunswick.

In Amqui, we were met by their fire chief who trailed us out of town until the far side of Lac-au-Saumon. There he switched off with one of his colleagues to take us to Sainte-Florence. We didn't know the area very well, so we were lucky that he asked us where we had planned to stay for the night. We hadn't gotten that far ahead in the plans, so he warned us that there was essentially nothing between Sainte-Florence and Matapedia, another 50km away, which would make for a long day. Thankfully, he led us to a municipal campground where we could get set up. Another big thanks to the region's firefighters, who have been very supportive of us and extremely cooperative.

Once in, it was Jon's turn to make dinner, the last meal of the competition. He went for a fettucine carbonara of his own creation, with baguette on the side. It was good, but it was now up to the judges to decide. Each person ranked the other meals 1-4, with a reverse points system to make a score. We must have saved the best for last, because Jon came out on top, followed closely by myself, then Pat, Brian, and Mike respectively. We'll have to find some kind of prize for Jon, but until then, he gets bragging rights as MMR's Iron Chef.

Tomorrow we'll cross into New Brunswick as we make our way along the coast.
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A second homecoming in Metis-sur-Mer

2008-07-24T19:57:00.000-07:00

One of my absolute favourite places in the world is my Martin family's summer home on the St. Lawrence in Metis-sur-Mer.

It's hard to describe, but families from all over Canada and even overseas take time every year to make the pilgrimage back for a weekend, a week, or a month or two to see friends that they only see there and have known all of their lives. Life is slow, limited to golf and tennis on the country course and courts, walking along the beach, and plenty of cocktail parties and bonfires in the evenings. It's akin to Never-Never Land from Peter Pan, because nobody in Metis ever grows old, returning to a perpetual childhood state whenever they come down for their summer holidays. It is a very special place indeed.

Yesterday, we left Trois-Pistoles with more of the same brutal winds we'd seen the previous two days. At the very least it was sunny, and we rode hard throughout the morning as we enjoyed the pleasant scenery along the shores of the St. Lawrence, much more beautiful in the sunlight than under the gloom of the previous days.

We made it to Rimouski for lunch, more than halfway for the day, and were met by my cousin Ted Savage who drove out to find us. He is part of Metis' volunteer fire squad and had recruited the neighbouring fire halls to help escort us from Pointe-au-Pere (just East of Rimouski) into Metis, about 50km of our day. It was pretty cool having them for such a long time, and along the highway people turned to watch and cheer us on. Once we hit the Metis Gardens, we were to switch escorts to the Metis team, and continue into town with them for the last 10km. Friend Peter Swinkels drove Ted's Mercedes convertible for my Mum, who videotaped us the whole way in. (A girl on her way home from work at the Gardens joined us randomly, and even made fun of us because she was faster than we were.)

What was waiting for us when we arrived was a most amazing scene, something I've never seen before in my 23 years of going down there, and totally blew me away.

As we came into town, the church bells started ringing announcing our arrival onto the main road through the village; my Uncle Kerry was ringing the Presbyterian bells himself. People were on their steps clapping and cheering, and as we made our way along and came up the hill to Town Hall, a crowd of 200+ people had gathered to greet us outside, almost everyone who is down here for the summer right now. It was extremely moving for me, because I knew almost everyone, and Metis, as I said, is an incredibly special place for my family and I. To be welcomed like that was truly amazing.

My cousin Ted had set up speakers and a microphone, and did all the announcements before motioning me to the front. I said some words of appreciation to the mass who had gathered, introducing the other guys to them and thanking everyone for coming out and giving us their support. We stayed briefly for a meet and greet (Mike and Pat recruited some of the kids to bike out with us), before a final escort through the rest of town and back home for some showers and some well-deserved rest after three hard days.

Today was a day of doing absolutely nothing. The most exercise any of us got was Pat, Brian, and I going out to play a few holes of golf with my Mum in a cart before going back home for dinner. After some spaghetti and an incredible dessert (ask Brian yourself), we got down to business, breaking out the shaving cream and the moustache dye. Our legs are smooth once more, and we are all sporting dark brown moustaches; hopefully people won't be too afraid of us as we near the finish line, and will still be willing to say hello.

Tomorrow we head off towards New Brunswick, hopefully with an escort of children with their bikes. Thanks to everyone for making the welcome in what it was, particularly to my fantastic cousin Ted for his help and to the Mont-Joli and Metis firefighters for their time.
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Another tiring day to Trois-Pistoles

2008-07-22T19:33:00.000-07:00

The wind didn't let up for us today, and was blowing harder than yesterday as we moved down the St. Lawrence.

We had to draft pretty consistently throughout the day to save as much energy as possible. Brian and I, not carrying trailers, rotated the duty of cutting the wind at the front, while the three guys with trailers rotated behind us to get a draft. We've been using the dropdown handlebars pretty frequently, as they allow us to get lower, more out of the wind. The difference is a few kilometres an hour faster, anything to move quicker.

It's a beautiful place even without any sun, riding past fields of all sorts, canola being the most striking crop with it's neon-like yellow colour. On one break, it literally looked like there were waves in the fields, an effect of the winds we encountered. When it's blowing in your face and cold, anything is entertainment.

One funny story: leaving this morning, Pat went into a pharmacy to pick up a few things. Nobody spoke a lick of English and must have wondered what he was doing in there, asking for the following items:

Vaseline, men's Nair (we "need" to shave our legs again), hand sanitizer, and moustache dye (or as Pat asked, "du produit de colorissant pour le moustache"). Absolutely ridiculous. We wonder what people think of us when they see us.

We pushed on today despite the weather, and made it another 115km to Trois-Pistoles. Unfortunately, it's gotten pretty cold, and is now raining on us. Mike upped the ante with dinner tonight, making chicken Caesar salad, complete with impressive homemade garlic bread, and extra spicy Clamato juice to drink. Drawback? Longest preparation time thus far, especially since he had to buy chicken thighs and cut them up to stay on budget. Jon will be last up, having the benefit of seeing all of us go before him before making his meal. Pressure's on.
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Fighting wind and cold to La Pocatiere

2008-07-21T20:00:00.000-07:00

After last night's fun, we got a bit of a late start today, and didn't exactly wake up to a pleasant day. The wind was blowing hard in our faces, and it looked like it could start pouring down at any time (thankfully it didn't!).

Once again, we passed cyclist after cyclist today. We've seen more cyclists in the last few days than the entire trip combined, without question. Seeing them coming the other way was tough, because they were just flying as opposed to us, heads down, grinding out whatever we could. We still moved well, but the work was draining. You just had to get into a good frame of mind and keep on going.

Same as the North shore, we are passing through one small town after another. Towns where we could actually get groceries were hard to come by, and eventually near the end of the day we got to La Pocatiere, big for these parts (meaning it's got an IGA and a Metro). We got food, but it was getting late, dark, and cold with the fog coming off the river looking more and more like oncoming rain, so we headed off to see what we could find at the local CEGEP. We couldn't camp on the nearby grounds, but thankfully Pat noticed someone in an office for the residence, and we were able to get one of their apartments!

We're now set up here, and thankfully so. We had a kitchen and showers, got to do some laundry (which had been getting a bit fragrant...), and tonight was Brian's night on dinner! He made chicken nuggets with corn on the cob, baguette, and a "5-pack" of beer. Three down, two to go, so we'll have to see what Mike and Jon come up with before the voting takes place, and the champion crowned.
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Celebrating Quebec's 400th anniversary with Sir Paul

2008-07-21T02:03:00.000-07:00

Quebec City is in the midst of celebrating its 400th anniversary, and we rolled into town at exactly the right time to take it all in. Sir Paul McCartney of Beatles fame was scheduled to play a concert on the Plains of Abraham as part of the year-long festivities, and everyone was invited.

The only problem? Finding a place to stay.

We got into town around noon after a short ride from our campsite West of the city, and headed straight for the area right around the water. The city is absolutely stunning, rich with history, and abound with friendly and relaxed people. A lot of people approached us randomly, asking if we were staying for the night, and telling us how once-in-a-lifetime this opportunity was. After making some calls, we couldn't find anything in town, so we resigned ourselves to continuing across the water on the ferry, and continuing along.

While we were shopping for groceries just across the water, Brian found a campsite that was closeby. We would be able to get a taxi back to the ferry across to Quebec to watch the show, or at least try. After all, it would be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!

While we were on our way there, my Mum found us along the road, and followed us in. She's heading out to our place in Metis, anticipating our arrival. She gave us some money to help with cab and ferry expenses, and we headed out shortly after dinner.

The city was alive as people walked in the streets and hundreds of thousands were all around the Plaines d'Abraham to watch Paul's show. We couldn't even get close to the stage, and walked all around only getting views of several screens that had been set up around the area. He played hits from the Beatles and Wings, charming the crowd. We walked on, around, and through old battle structures that have been standing for hundreds of years as we walked around, the city is absolutely beautiful. We wanted to get a jump on the crowd leaving, so we took off to the ferry a bit before the show ended to miss the rush. What a way to be a part of Quebec's festivities!

Tomorrow we'll continue along the south shore of the St. Lawrence as we make our way to my family's place in Metis.
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Cyclists, poutine, and thunderstorms on our way to Quebec City

2008-07-19T19:21:00.000-07:00

The Route Verte is apparently pretty popular.

We have seen cyclist after cyclist along the way and they seem to be all over the place. The highway's great for it and B+B's and campgrounds are abound with "Bienvenue cyclistes!" messages on their signs ("Welcome cyclists!" en anglais).

We go through through small towns very frequently, and other than some business owners, very few people speak any English at all. The three cyclists we met yesterday have been having trouble, but we've been getting by with my French when we need to. It came in handy today at lunch, when we decided to stop at one of the many "casse-croutes" along the highway for some burgers and poutine, as the owners barely spoke a word of English. It was absolutely delicious and supremely greasy, and some of the guys needed a bit of a nap afterwards before getting going again.

We've started a dinner competition that we have not told you about yet, Pat's brainchild a little while ago. Each of us makes a dinner on a $40 budget, buying the groceries and cooking ourselves. Whoever's dinner is judged to be the best by their peers will win. Before tonight, Pat was the first to cook in Arnprior, making his "welfare salad," which consists of a bag of Doritos into which you throw lettuce, taco beef, cheese, peppers, and onions, topped with Catalina salad dressing. You eat it straight out of the bag, and the beauty of it is that you only have one dish to clean and it's quick to make. Tonight I stepped up to the plate and made "Kmart cheese steaks," for which I cut up stew steak, and added sauteed onions, mushrooms, and peppers, shredded cheese, and bbq sauce, on fresh baguette. It was pretty good, with the drawback that it took a long time to make. The other three need to make theirs before the trip is over, and we'll see who comes out on top in the end. Lots of bragging rights (and we're pretty sure Brian is just going to buy $40 worth of cookies and ice cream and plop it on the table as his entry...we'll see).

Unfortunately, it started to pour down on us during dinner, and the ground around the tents is completely soaked. We're about 20-30km short of Quebec City, so we'll at least pass through, although we're mulling over whether or not to stay for the outdoor Paul McCartney concert tomorrow night, but we'll make that decision tomorrow.
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On the Route Verte to Trois-Rivieres

2008-07-18T19:34:00.000-07:00

After a late arrival home from dinner last night, I don't think any of us got much sleep before the morning's wakeup. We were supposed to be at Martin Swiss Cycle at 8am to be escorted out, but we were a bit late, and the thunder and rain coming from outside wasn't making things easier.

Thankfully, we weren't so late that we missed the "departure committee" that had assembled to see us off. There were 30+ people who had come out to see us go, many friends and family of mine. I had a tough time keeping it together, touched by everyone's effort to make it out despite rainy, stormy weather this morning. My cousin Andrew led us out, and two other Specialized employees came with us along with three others. The Specialized crew led us downtown before they had to go off to work, but Ron Perowne and Rick Hart followed us all the way to the bridge off the island to Repentigny before turning around. Ron's been taking lots of video of us while we've been in town, and at times had to work to catch up to us, one hand on the camera getting shots, one hand steadying his bike, while trying to make sure he didn't run into anything!

Luckily for us, Quebec boasts the top-rated network of cycle routes in the world, the Route Verte. We are following it along the North shore of the St. Lawrence along highway 138 through Trois-Rivieres and Quebec City right now. It's got very little traffic, and we often had a generous shoulder to boot. The weather was rainy for the most part, but it cleared up at the end, and we met a number of other cyclists along the way who were also travelling the Route. Before arriving at our campground just West of Trois-Rivieres, we met three cyclists who have been going across together, two from Regina and one from London who joined up in Ottawa. Something else that we have met so many people from London making the journey!

The rain returned as we went to bed, now pouring down on us with thunder cracking loudly on the river. Tomorrow we'll go through Trois-Rivieres first thing on the ride, before heading towards Quebec City.
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Out of Ontario, into Quebec, and two great days in Montreal

2008-07-17T20:30:00.000-07:00

This last stretch in Southern Ontario has been filled with rest days, as the London crew were able to spend time with their friends and family along the way. Why else would we all have added 1-2 weeks to the trip to make the effort? Going through your hometown - and in Mike's case, his cottage as well - is a comforting feeling, indeed, and for those three it was special to have that opportunity.

Our two days in Montreal was my turn to get greeted by the friends and family who have been so supportive of us along the way, and it has to be one of the greatest feelings of my life.

We had a long ride into the city, but we were helped with strong winds at our backs. We were on the road early and made few stops along the way - we didn't want to overstay our welcome on the lawn that was our home the previous night. Crossing into Quebec along one of the smaller highways, I think I was the only one who knew we had crossed the border for several kilometres. There was no sign indicating the change along the highway, so unfortunately we weren't able to get our usual picture at the welcome sign. I guess we'll have to find something else along the way so that we have a full set at the end of the trip. The cultural change became more pronounced as we heard more French being spoken around us, but thankfully Pat and I have been practising the last few weeks, so we were ready.

Getting onto the island itself posed a challenge, as there was construction on the bridge and quite a lot of traffic trying to get across. We had to be careful as we took up the entire lane, holding up the cars behind us as we crossed over. Needless to say, they were none pleased, and one in particular had some choice words for us on the other side. Mike gave him as good as he tried to give us, and we brushed it off before continuing on to our stop at Specialized Canada's headquarters in St-Anne de Bellevue. We were greeted by my cousin Andrew McGregor, who has been instrumental in getting us supplied with gear for the ride. We got a tour before CTV showed up to get some footage. When all was done, my aunt Susan came to pick up our gear, and Andrew suited up to lead us the rest of the way into Westmount. He must have forgotten that we had already gone 115km that day, and with 40km to go he flew ahead, pulling us all the way for a beautiful ride along Lakeshore Boulevard and the Lachine Canal.

What was waiting for us when we got to the limits of Westmount was unbelievably special for me. Friends and nearly all of my family, about 25 people in total, had gathered to cheer us as we came in. I would be lying if I said I didn't get emotional, and the only one missing was waiting at 24 Windsor for her son to ride in along the street. She didn't want to wait at the Home Depot with everyone else to see him ride in.

She wanted to see him ride home.

I am extremely fortunate to have the family that I do, and literally all of my family in Montreal was out for dinner when we got in. Roast lamb was on the plate and the fridge was stocked for us when we arrived, and we talked with everyone about the trip to date. When it started to wind down, it was time for the boys to head out, and we went to meet some great friends of mine on St. Laurent before getting some of Quebec's trademark poutine and calling it a night.

The next morning was a little tough as we got up for some radio spots at CJAD, MIX 96, and CHOM, before heading back to bed once they were over. When we got up, it was time for the block party that my family had organised to celebrate our arrival, and what an event it was.

Nearly 200 people gathered, Global did a live broadcast (I couldn't get over how cool that was), and CTV came for some more footage. We all had an interview with the Montreal Gazette, and some Concordia Journalism students even came out to do a mini-documentary! I barely ate as I talked with as many people as I could who had come out to show support for what we're doing, and congratulate us on our achievements to date. It was amazing seeing everyone, and it is something I will never forget. Thanks to my parents, sister, aunts, uncles, and cousins who did all the work to make it a success. I am very lucky to have them in my life.

We got more sleep after another night out on the town, before getting some massages at Club Mansfield and a complimentary lunch at the Bistro on Greene. The owner of the restaurant even gave us the privilege of signing the guestbook, which is filled with names of actors, athletes, etc. who have dined their over the years. My sister treated us to ice cream before we took care of errands, and then it was off to the Hillside Tennis Club, where my parents treated us to their Surf and Turf dinner night. We wore our red jerseys, and people cheered us as we came in, which was unexpected! They had agreed to let us come in casual attire, as none of us are carrying any nice clothes with us in the panniers, and I didn't have enough to go around!

Tomorrow, we'll leave from Martin Swiss Cycle at 8am, and we should have a good number of people riding with us (at least for a little while). Andrew will lead the way out of town, as we continue to travel along the North shore of the St. Lawrence towards Trois-Rivieres and Quebec City, before crossing over to the South shore, making our way to my family's place in Metis Beach.

Thanks to everyone who made our stay in Montreal so special. I will never forget it.

A trying day through Ottawa

2008-07-14T19:07:00.000-07:00

The park in Arnprior served us well, and we had no problems to report with anyone kicking us out of there. However, we did have to get the tents packed up a bit prematurely, as they were cutting the grass, and starting near our area, so we had to get out of there. No problems there either, and we headed out of town.

We got a bit stuck on the highway 17, adjacent to the larger and busier 417, coming to what was essentially a dead end. We had no choice but to pass the gear over a chicken wire fence, and cross the highway to the other side. Thankfully there was relatively little traffic and a u-turn spot as well, so we got across safely to a much wider shoulder as we went into Ottawa. When it got busier around Kanata, we got off to take a bike route into the city to the Ottawa River Pathway.

The bike route was absolutely great, as we had no traffic to deal with, and it passed by all of the government buildings along the way, and they are quite a sight. At the War Museum, my uncle John McKinnon, aunt Odile, and cousin Mathieu came out to greet us with lunch. After a brief storm passed over, we were able to eat in comfort, and they had even managed to get CTV out to film us! They got a lot of shots for our spot on the 6 o'clock news. Once we got back on the road, we took some pictures with the Parliament Building, and headed out of town.

We had trouble figuring a way out, and it caused some frustration. Once we got some dinner at a Tim Horton's in Rockland, it was getting late and a bit dark, so we went in to knock on a door to ask if we could stay in an adjacent field. It wasn't theirs, but they allowed us to stay on their lawn, so that's where we are! The mother, Tammy, was very nice about it, and we really appreciate her letting us stay there.

Tomorrow we're heading into Montreal!
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Finished with the hilly highways (for now) in Arnprior

2008-07-13T20:21:00.000-07:00

We got some rain last night, and waking up this morning, Brian and Jon had a bit of a surprise. Their tent was sitting right beside an enormous puddle, the water had soaked through the groundsheet and the bottom of their tent, and Brian's clothes were damp with moisture. Nothing much they were able to do except pack it up and wait for an opportunity to dry it.

After yesterday, we were left with little water, and had to take our first opportunity to fill up. We found a hotel caled the Swiss Inn in Denbigh that let us fill up our water sacks, but it was cloudy. We showed it to the owner, but it was all she had and had been serving it all morning, so we didn't get much sympathy. Not our first choice, but we took what was available until we could find better.

At lunch, we were able to kill two birds with one stone. We found a rest stop near a river to get a swim, the sun came out allowing us to dry everything out, and a nearby gas station had some clearer water for us to drink. Didn't taste great, but at least it was an improvement...

Coming out of Kennisis Lake, the road has been quite hilly and we've been slow going through it. We did hit some milestones today, however, as Brian, Jon, and Mike all cracked 80km/hr on the second of two consecutive downhills (Mike once again holds the record just above 82km/hr). The ups and downs finally disappeared as we hit Renfrew and were back on the Transcanada, much flatter and faster for us. Too bad it was near the end of our day, but we still flew to Arnprior, where we turned off to look for a spot to pitch a tent.

We had a few options around the Madawaska River, which cuts through the city. An old woman whom Jon, Pat, and Mike met near one of the churches walked them past a cemetery (they were a bit weirded out by that) to a park that sat along the river, and we have set up camp there. There were some trees in which we could somewhat hide the tents, and tables for us to eat on, and as long as nobody comes in the middle of the night to kick us out, we'll be fine. Unfortunately, the water is no good for us to swim in, and the bugs were absolutely brutal as we set up the tents just after dark. We had to kill a whole bunch of them once were inside, as they just swarmed trying to get in!

Tomorrow we'll pass through Ottawa along the Ottawa River Parkway, stopping for a picnic lunch at the War Museum before leaving. Hopefully, along the relatively flat terrain from here to Montreal, we can make good time.
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I forgot to mention...

2008-07-13T14:42:00.001-07:00

All 5 blizzards at DQ were courtesy of Jon-boys Tante Ingrid, Uncle Dave, Abby and Hannah!
Delicious!
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An addition to yesterdays blog

2008-07-13T14:21:00.001-07:00

We also went to Dairy Queen in Bancroft, and it was delicious!

That's all for now!
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From a cottage to sleeping on a random property

2008-07-13T04:07:00.000-07:00

Due to a lack of cell phone reception, you will get this on a delay.

***********

You may remember that the road coming into Mike's cottage was absolutely miserable. It was a bad road with ridiculously steep inclines, and we didn't really feel like backtracking along it for 20km to get on our way. Thankfully, Bob and Polly were able to get a trailer to haul the bikes and gear out to the junction where we came in. Except for Mike's brother Jeff, who's gone for the weekend, the whole McDonald family was there to see us off as we left Kennisis Lake this morning. We had a great stay with them, and their hospitality was much appreciated.

There wasn't much sun, but it was really humid all day, and for the most part we had the wind in our face along the hilly terrain. Once we were past Bancroft, we were on the lookout for a campground, but nothing was coming up on Google or the GPS, and we weren't passing anything along the highway. It was going to come down to either a really long day, or finding another random place to stay. We saw a property that was perfect: nice lawn, a picnic table, even a pond where we might have been able to have a swim. Pat and I went up to knock on the door, but unfortunately nobody was around but the dog, so we had to keep going.

Luckily, only a little ways down, we found what appeared to be an abandoned, for-sale farm warehouse property. We figured it was our best bet, so we set up the tents, and ate dinner on a picnic table that we found lying around. We were a bit worried when the owners came up to us on an ATV, but they did not seem the least bit concerned that we were there. It even turned out that they owned the property whose door we had tried earlier! Bad timing for us.

The bugs here are absolutely brutal, so we have retreated to the tents early. Tomorrow we'll continue on our way East as we head towards Montreal over the next few days.
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Steep hills to Kennisis Lake; waking, tubing, and barging on our days off

2008-07-11T20:34:00.000-07:00

It's been a few days since the Kennisis-bound crew checked in. We've been having an absolutely incredible time up at Mike's cottage, with little to no cell reception and a dialup connection that sometimes makes email tough. It's a pretty nice part of the country, so we've been taking our time to enjoy it.

The ride from Balsam Lake Provincial Park was relatively short, and Pat, Mike, and I took our time, especially in the afternoon. After lunch, we passed by the Kawartha Dairy ice cream shop, a favourite in the area, so we had to stop for a cone. They must have had 50+ flavours, all of it delicious. We knew we were getting our gear picked up by Mike's mother and sister, and we were really looking forward to riding without the panniers and the trailer. It made quite a difference without the extra weight, and we made good time the rest of the way to Mike's cottage on Kennisis Lake.

There were some absolutely wickedly steep hills along a bad stretch of road for the final leg of the ride. Just before we got there, though, we had one downhill on which Mike and Pat both broke our previously highest recorded speed. Mike cracked 76km/hr, and Pat hit 74km/hr; without the gear it didn't seem nearly as fast as it would have. Some of the inclines afterwards were just terrible, definitely the steepest we've seen, hard even without the extra weight.

Our prize was certainly waiting at the end. Mike's cottage sits right on Kennisis Lake, complete with a boat and wakeboarding and tubing gear. We did nothing but sit out on the water both days we spent here, and could not have been happier. We went out in the boat on the first day, where Mike flung me around on the tube, while he and Pat did anything but rest their legs on the wakeboard, as it's a pretty heavy workout. We got a tour of the lake and once we got back, we broke out the inflatables and sat out in the sun before it went behind the trees.

Today was more of the same, and we enjoyed an incredible steak dinner in the evening. Brian and Jon had arrived from Bracebridge earlier in the day, and Bob McDonald had come up for the weekend, so there were lots of people around. A friend of Brian's showed up as well. There has been lots of Kawartha Dairy ice cream as well! Who knows how many tubs we went through while we were here.

Tomorrow we'll start heading East again, making our way to Montreal over the next four days.
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Getting to and resting at camp big canoe

2008-07-10T21:05:00.001-07:00

Jon and I got up at our usual time on the morning of the 9th, to get an early start to camp and begin our day off! We jumped in the black river as a wake up, packed up the tent and tarp, and were out of there in record time (it helped that the bugs were bad too!)!
The bike ride was a short 60 km to camp, but it was muggy, and threatening with rain almost all day! But we got there for a lunch of submarine sandwiches! Its always a funny feeling when you come back to a camp that you've worked at for a number of years, but have been away from for a while. As usual, both jon and I were welcomed qwith open arms by everyone!
After lunch, we helped Gordo (a good friend of mine since grade 3) spray a wasps nest, then jon and I joined right in on some extreme kayaking daily rotations with doug. Dinner came around quickly, and we were eating more food before we knew it. For the rest of the night, we hung out with Gordo and Maddie until we were too tired to keep our eyes open.

July 10 - our rest day here at camp.
We couldn't have timed our stay here any better! Today was the last day of session 1 for the campers, so there was a lot of fun things planned! It started with polar bear swim in the morning to wake up, followed by lake swim after b reakfast. Each session the campers have the opportunity to swim across Hart lake or to party on the bea9h. We experienced both, as I was in a canoe escorting two campers across the lake, while jon played volleyball and body painting on the beach.
After lunch, we helped Sean out with a few odd jobs, the took a nice nap before we met up with Lauren, yet another friend of ours working in Gravenhurst as a lifeguard this summer. Gordo, Jon, Maddie, Lauren and I all enjoyed a banquet dinner of turkey, just like we were all together back in Hamilton. After dinner, we had a camp-wide campfire, where "p- p- p- peanut buttered" to keep the bugs off of us! We hung out in a tent full of staff for the rest of the night, and listened to the soothing noise of the rain falling on the canvas tent-cabins.
Tomorrow we'll be up and out of camp soon after breakfast, to meet up with the other boys again, near Haliburton.
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Q107 Interview July 7th

2008-07-09T12:21:00.001-07:00

Q107July7.mp3

Power 97 Interview June 13th

2008-07-09T12:20:00.001-07:00

Power 97 Skimmer_08-34.mp2

Mike Interviewed on EZ Roc July 1st

2008-07-09T12:19:00.001-07:00

Mike975EZRoc.mp3

Groove FM June 13th

2008-07-09T12:18:00.001-07:00

Keith's interview can be found at minutes 18-25.

GROOVE_08-30.mp3

Q107 Interview June 13

2008-07-09T12:16:00.001-07:00

Q107June13.mp3

A scorcher to Balsam Lake Provincial Park

2008-07-08T18:29:00.000-07:00

As Brian said, we're split up as we head North of the GTA, so here was the day for Pat, Mike, and I.

Getting up at Peter's place in Pickering, he treated us to some eggs and toast, while we watched coverage of the Tour de France. It is absolutely amazing watching the Tour cyclists, and this trip definitely gives us an appreciation for what they're doing, even if they are averaging double our speed if not more on their 200km+ days...insane. They absolutely fly!

Today was probably the hottest day we have seen so far. When we looked outside, the air had the consistency of pea soup (GTA weather for you...), and we were sweating bullets as we left the city. A consequence of the muggy weather, there were thunderstorms forecast and we headed right into one. We could see the dark clouds in the distance, and were hoping it would blow over before we got there, but all of a sudden lightning bolts were getting close, so we headed for shelter at a nearby house. Luckily someone was there, and we got inside just as the rain started to pour and the wind to blow. The couple was really nice to us as we watched the storm pass over, lightning coming down all around close to the house.

We headed back out into the heat, so hot that Pat and Mike eventually went shirtless at the end. We were hoping to leave a short day to Mike's cottage tomorrow, but despite some strong tailwinds, the break for the rain slowed us down and we "only" made it 115km to Balsam Lake Provincial Park. After a long day in the heat, it was nice to get in a quick swim before settling down to dinner.

Tomorrow we'll get to Mike's cottage, where we will be able to take two days off before meeting up with Jon and Brian and continuing East.
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Also...

2008-07-08T17:42:00.001-07:00

I also wanted to say thanks to everyone in hamilton who came out to see us! It was sweet to see everyone again, so thanks! We'll definately do it again once we're done, so keept mid august clear in your schedules!
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Brian and jonno relaxing at black river campground!

2008-07-08T16:06:00.001-07:00

while we're split up, I'll try and maintain the blog that keith usually does, despite my lack of irish proverbs...

Last night, after we split up, jon and I biked to a mark beaumont's house, a friend of ours from mcmaster, who also saw us off in tofino! He had offered us eats and a bed, so we had to take him up on that! It was a late dinner, but mark and katie (also a good friend from mac) waited until we got there and we enjoyed steaks on their patio, surrounded by tiki torches. As we were eating, we were joined my john magee, and d-fox (yet again, more good friends from mac), and we caught up over some beverages.
Jon and I had to call it an early night, as we were still pretty tired from hamilton.

This morning, mark threw on the apron, and made us some sweet egg mcmuffins, before we all grabbed our bikes and headed north. John, mark, and darren biked with us to the city limits of scarborough, in the already scorching and muggy s. Ontario weather! It was wicked to have an escort of friends! Thanks a lot guys!
Jon and I were drenched in sweat by the time we stopped for lunch at 1pm (in sunderland I think...). We ate at a bar and grill, anf found shelter just in time, before a big but b reif thunderstorm hit! Lots of lightning, and strong winds. It passed quickly, and we biked in the now cooler weather. We turned north on hwy 169 to gravenhurst, and found a nice campsite on the Black River. The owners of the campsite were very nice, giving us the best site in the park and a donation for the ride! Our campsite is on our own personal island, surrounded by the black river (which was awesome to swim in after a hot day like today). We had the usual canned salt for dinner, and now we'll catch up on some much needed reading and sleep, before heading to camp big canoe (a camp I worked at for a number of years), in bracebridge tomorrow for lunch, and a day off.
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Trekking through Toronto along Lakeshore

2008-07-07T22:04:00.001-07:00

Being in Brian and Jon's university town, we stayed up a bit later than usual, and got a pretty late morning start out of the Hammer. We were all pretty tired, but a good breakfast at Tim Horton's got the day started off right before we set out into a baking Southern Ontario sun.

We knew the GTA spread far and wide, but we really got to see how much it sprawls out as we biked today. All the way from Hamilton, we passed through suburb after suburb as we travelled along Lakeshore road. Absolutely stunning properties lined the streets as we rode through Burlington and Oakville, before finally hitting Mississauga, downtown, etc on our way to Pickering. When we weren't on Lakeshore road, we travelled along the the Waterfront Trail, a bike route that started in Hamilton and went all the way through the GTA along Lake Ontario. It was really beautiful, and while it slowed us down and added some distance, it was quite a relief from the alternative of having to ride along the city streets in traffic (which we still had to do once in a while, but that's life). On the way in Mississauga, we had an enjoyable, albeit late, lunch with Jon's aunt and uncle at a great Greek restaurant. It was tasty fuel for the rest of the way, and nice for Jon to be able to meet up with them.

After riding through downtown and past the famous CN tower along the shores, we met up with Pat's friend Brian from his hometown of North Delta. He goes to Ryerson University in Toronto, and thought it would be fun to ride to Pickering with us. It is always nice to have a bit of company, and it also gives the people who ride with us an opportunity to get a taste of what we do every day. Those who go home sore after riding a fraction of what we do then have some idea of what we go through!

We had a few options for accomodations, and as a result we split up the group. Brian and Jon went to visit their friend Mark Beaumont in Scarborough, who was in Tofino for the takeoff. Mike, Pat, and I continued to Pickering to stay with my cousin Peter Dalglish. It works well, because we will be splitting up as we go North out of the city. Brian and Jon will head to Brian's camp in Bracebridge, while the other three of us will head directly to Mike's cottage on Kennissis Lake, where we will meet up in the end.

Peter was amazing to the three of us who stayed with him, and his brother, son, niece, and daughter all joined us throughout the night. We swam in his pool, relaxed in his hot tub, and enjoyed a delicious chicken and pasta meal. He'll also be cooking up a hearty breakfast before we head out tomorrow morning. A nice way to end off our stay with him and his family!
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A hot one to Hamilton

2008-07-07T05:13:00.000-07:00

Every 'real' cyclist we pass seems to have shaved legs and arms, or so it seems. In an attempt to look more like 'real' cyclists ourselves, we picked up some hair removal cream, and took all the hair off our legs the night before leaving London. This is 22-23 years of growth for us, so we didn't quite get it all, and had to go in afterwards with a razor to finish the job. It's a pretty weird feeling having bare legs, and all the women poked fun at us, especially Jon because he cut himself!

It was a really hot day going to Hamilton. The police and firefighters escorted us out to Thamesford, where we met some of Mike's family along the road before continuing on. Being slower than the other guys, I sometimes get a head start on the road after our breaks, and did the same after one in Paris. It didn't work out so well, as I missed a turn to a different highway, and Mike and Jon had to come and find me in Brantford several kilometres down. Luckily it wasn't too bad of a detour, and we ended up meeting Brian and Pat in Hamilton. We were staying at Brian and Jon's old house on Thorndale Crescent, and several of their friends who were in the city came out to welcome them in. We all went out to dinner at Boston Pizza before coming back to their place.

We'll get a late start Monday going to Toronto. We'll be riding through the GTA most of the day along the No. 2 highway, which turns into Lakeshore road, so it could be really nice going along Lake Ontario.
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Video at London Free Press Website

2008-07-05T20:37:00.000-07:00

http://www.lfpress.ca/newsstand/Videos/

You can find the Moving Muscles Ride video is the list under "Local News".

A special homecoming day in London

2008-07-05T18:07:00.000-07:00

There's always something special about coming home.

Family. Friends. Love. Laughter. A comforting feeling that this is exactly where you should be at this exact point in time, no excuses needed. It's where you belong.

This is a homecoming for Mike, Jon, and Brian, and their families have done an absolutely superlative job in making sure that the time we have spent here today was special, worthy of their respective sons returning amidst a long, rewarding, and enriching journey across our country.

And how special it has been.

The mothers - Elenor Taves, Polly McDonald, and Joan Hutton - organised an incredible barbeque lunch for us in Springbank Park, London's equivalent to Stanley Park in Vancouver, or Central Park in New York City. They got the local A&P grocery store to donate all the food, and went to the extent of setting up balloons and tablecloths on the picnic tables, having two incredible cakes made (one with a map of Canada with our route to date, one with the logo and our names written in script above), and having the firefighters once again come out with a truck to put on display. Donald Taves had his high quality SLR digital camera out to capture the moment, while Bob McDonald worked a bit of everything including the grill with his son Jeff. Matt Taves played some frisbee with the kids while Mary and Brad McDonald helped the mothers with the finer details. Everything was thought of and taken care of, giving the five of us the chance to talk to the people who had come out for the event, and the London natives in particular the chance to reconnect with their friends and family who had come from all over to share the occasion.

We were extremely fortunate to have some incredible weather for the lunch. It was hot but dry, without a cloud in the sky, and the park was absolutely stunning. There must have been 200 people who came by throughout the day, and we got to meet a lot of people who have donated to the cause and have been following us along every step of the way. Judy from the London MDC Chapter came along with some of their other members, and helped take in donations and give out receipts for those who donated. We stood out in the crowd with our matching light-blue jerseys, and thankfully our names are on the left sleeve so people knew who was who!

What was most satisfying was seeing the enjoyment that Mike, Jon, and Brian got out of being home. It really showed in the smiles on their faces when we got into town, with the escorts yesterday and the turnout to the barbeque today, having their family and friends come out and celebrate our achievements to date, and those to come. Jon made a great speech thanking everyone for coming out and for all the support that everyone has shown us, and we even got a gift from MDC to take home with us! It was an MDC coffee mug (they must know something) with a miniature Canadian flag each, better quality than the paper ones we picked up in Sauble Beach! It was a much appreciated gesture on their part.
So after a barbeque like that, how do you up the ante? With full-body massages courtesy of the Taves family after lunch is how. They were our first ones of the trip, and really helped relax our bodies (especially the legs). A big thanks also needs to go out to Gary Good, the family friend who rode in with Jon and Mike on Thursday. Not only did he take all of our bikes into the shop for tune-ups AND pick them up, but he covered the cost for it all, even two new racks that Mike and I needed, having broken both of ours on the same weld in the days before we came into town. It was totally unexpected, but he told Jon this was how he wanted to contribute in helping us make it across Canada. Thanks Gary!

All five of us are truly lucky to have had the London families treat us so well, and we are extremely thankful for the care they took to make the day a special one. It's going to be tough to leave tomorrow morning, especially for Mike, Brian, and Jon, and why wouldn't it be? It's always tough leaving home, especially when you get the welcome that we did.

Tomorrow will be another homecoming of sorts for Jon and Brian, as we head to Hamilton to their former haunts on Thorndale where they lived while attending McMaster University. Once again, we will be escorted out of town by the London firefighters, whom we cannot thank enough for their time and effort!
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London Free Press Article

2008-07-05T06:27:00.000-07:00

http://lfpress.ca/newsstand/News/Local/2008/07/05/6074001-sun.html

Escorted into London by their finest

2008-07-05T05:24:00.000-07:00

After Mike and Jon came into London on Thursday, yesterday was Brian, Pat, and I's turn to make the 120km ride into the city. We didn't quite have the strong tailwinds that they had coming from Dungannon, but it was blowing in the right direction and we made good time into London.

Yesterday was probably our best reception for one of our arrivals to date. Once we had hit the city limits at Sunningdale and Wonderland, we were met by several media: A-Channel, Rogers, the London Free Press, and BX93 and Q97.5 summer cruisers all came out to interview us. We were then paraded through town with a police car running with his lights in front of us and a brand new firetruck running in behind us while photographers and camera crews took shots as we rode. People were looking at us and honking their horns; it was a pretty great entrance! It was an especially nice homecoming for Brian, Mike, and Jon into their hometown.

The family friend who rode in with Mike and Jon, Gary Good, was very kind to take all of our bikes into Champion Cycles so that we can get a tuneup. Our drivetrains have gotten really grimy, so they'll be working hard to take that off the cassette and the chain - they've already gotten some practise on Jon and Mike's, so they should know what to expect for us other three! Apparently it took quite a while for them to clean off the first two on Thursday, but they looked brand new, so they did a good job.

Once the fanfare was over, we relaxed by Jon's pool (where, in fact, another reporter came to talk to us), and enjoyed a nice dinner before heading out to downtown London. Today we have a barbeque planned in Springbank Park from 11-1, organised by the London riders' families. After we're done there, we're booked in for full-body massages, and we laughed when we found out all the masseuses will be females. Luck of the draw I guess, but there will probably also be some pain involved when they try and loosen up our quads...
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Two into London, three rest in Dungannon

2008-07-03T20:20:00.000-07:00

As we near London with two rest days to use, we all had the option of staying out in Dungannon today before biking into London and using another rest day on Saturday, or heading into London today and taking two straight rest days. Wanting to spend an extra day in London with friends and family, Jon and Mike biked in today. Here's Jon's recap of the ride:

"Today, Mike and I got up early to ride to London while Keith, Brian and Pat slept in to enjoy their day off in Dungannon. Mike and I were joined for the ride by Gary Good, a good friend of mine, who was driven up to Brian's parents place by my dad this morning. With a solid tailwind and Gary drafting for us the entire way, we made great time and managed to average over 30 km/hr for the 120 km ride. Upon arrival in London, we quickly got our few chores out of the way and Gary helped us out a bunch by setting us up with bike tune-ups at Champion Bicycles in London. Then Mike and I took the rest of the day off to relax and hang out with friends and family."

Pat, Brian, and I were pretty jealous when we heard about how fast they went, but we should have good winds tomorrow when we head into town ourselves to meet up with the other two.

On our day off, the three of us slept in late, and Rudy made us a delicious brunch as we had coffee and relaxed. That was the theme for the day, as we grabbed a beer and sat outside in the sun all afternoon. The view from the house was incredible, Lake Huron and wind turbines clearly visible on the horizon from the hill it sits on. After a rib dinner, Brian and I headed out for a drive around the beachfront in Goderich as the sun set, getting some great pictures of the water and the fields.

Tomorrow, we'll bike into London, escorted by firefighter trucks, and will be met by the BX93 summer cruisers and a reporter from the London Free Press as we near the intersection of Wonderland and Sunningdale. Brian will also do a phone interview with CJBK before we leave in the morning, so listen for him around 7:20am or so. Mike and Jon will get driven out to meet us, so that we can all come into the city with our escort. Should be fun, and hopefully we'll turn a lot of heads!
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A blustery day to Dungannon

2008-07-02T21:12:00.000-07:00

Jon's former camp, Silver Lake, was kind enough to let us tent on their grounds yesterday evening, and gave us breakfast this morning. Jon was Mr. Popular, having worked there as a counselor for several years after being a camper. He had trained some of their current staff, so it was fun for him to get a chance to stop by for the night and see everyone again. We certainly appreciated the hospitality!

Getting on the road, we were met head on by a strong headwind as we left Sauble Beach. It's a great area for cottages, as they line the highway along the beach. The wind was our worst since the day we left Brandon and only made it 60km to Carberry, except today we had to make it just over 110km to Dungannon, where Brian's mother Joan and stepfather Rudy have just built a beautiful new home. Rudy designed the entire thing himself, and did all the contracting, a dream for Pat.

The wind took a lot out of us, so we took some extended breaks to regain some energy and strength throughout the day. About 25km out of Dungannon, we were met by Joan, Rudy, and Brian's grandparents from Guelph. They had originally planned on having dinner with us, but because of the winds, we were going to get in too late for them to drive back. They brought us water, watermelon, and delicious chocolate chip cookies to fuel us the rest of the way before heading out.

Once in Dungannon, Rudy made us some great steak. While we ate, a reporter from the Goderich newspaper came by to interview us and snap a few photos. With little light outside, we had to do with the garage, but we were pretty amazed that he drove out to meet us at 9pm.

Tomorrow, Jon and Mike will bike into London to spend an extra day with their families, while Pat and I will stay out in Dungannon with Brian, hoping for some good weather to relax on the beach in Goderich. We will then head into London Friday to meet up with the other two.
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A Happy Canada Day in Sauble Beach

2008-07-02T10:09:00.000-07:00

For our Canada Day out of Tobermory, we made sure to wear our red jerseys as we rode along. When we were in Tofino, we had some dollar store Canadian flags which we somehow misplaced, and they would have been perfect for the ride. We were still wearing the right colour as we rode down along the coast of Lake Huron to beautiful Sauble Beach.

We're heading more South now, so we've been battling winds more often. The ride was not a long one, and we made it with plenty of time to relax. The first order of business was changing to go for a swim in the Lake. The Great Lakes are so big they look like oceans from the beach, but the fresh water is a nice change and Lake Huron is much warmer than Superior.

Sauble was packed with people from all over the place, getting some sun and relaxing. We hung around for quite a while enjoying everything, picked up some mini Canadian flags, and watched the Canada Day fireworks.

Thanks to Jon, we were able to stay a night at his camp nearby. Today, we will head to Brian's Mum's place near Goderich.
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Through Manitoulin Island and across the ferry to Tobermory

2008-06-30T20:55:00.000-07:00

Today was Jon's birthday, and while we wanted to do something for him, we made sure to not make a fuss about it in the morning, preferring to wait until later in the day. We got on the road from Whitefish Falls, crossing Great la Cloche Island before the bridge to Little Current, the gateway to Manitoulin Island. We were lucky to get there at the right time, as the bridge swings for boats on every hour, but we didn't have to wait at all.

Manitoulin Island was beautifully picturesque, highway 6 winding along the coast with views of Lake Huron and farmer's fields. We even had a bit of a tailwind. At a particularly nice rest stop, we met a Dutch cyclist doing the trip East-West, Antoine de Schipper. He started rollerblading in St. John's, until he eventually had to hitchhike all the way to Guelph to stay with family. He bought a bike there to continue his journey and was pushing some long days. He has previously done some trips in Europe and recommended it highly. You can read his blog at inspire2move.wordpress.com.

We continued to South Baymouth to catch the Chi-Cheemaun ferry over to Tobermory. By this time, we had bought Jon a card and some strawberry-rhubarb pie with a full tub of Cool Whip. When we got to the other side, we found a restaurant to sit in, and brought out the pie and the whipped cream. We weren't too sure what to do about the whipped cream, so we just dumped the entire thing on top of the pie and ate it. Jon certainly appreciated the gesture, and the waiter even made him a special balloon hat!

Tomorrow we will make our way down the coast to one of the beaches. It will be Canada Day, so it promises to be a fun time wherever we end up!
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Rounding the corner to Whitefish Falls

2008-06-30T08:37:00.000-07:00

Once again, due to a lack of cell reception in our area, you will get this on a delay.

*****

We were pretty surprised that the front desk staff allowed us to set up our tents on the hospital lawns, but we didn't argue when we got the green light. The situation this morning was a little more awkward, as there was a new rotation on, and they had no idea who we were.

Once we had eaten and packed up, we took turns going to the bathroom inside, avoiding eye contact with the people hanging around the front desk as we went by. Four of us got away without any confrontation, but Brian wasn't so lucky. When he went in, one of the women gave him the fifth degree, first asking him if he needed medical attention, then telling him that it wasn't a rest area, and that he should leave. He tried to explain what we were doing, and was finally able to reassure her that we'd been given permission. After that, everyone was friendly, and they came out to talk to us before we left. Apparently there was also a bear living nearby to where we set up camp...good thing we didn't pick the wrong spot!

We had a good wind behind us along highway 17, and moved well 100km to Espanola. We turned South onto highway 6 at this point, and the pace slowed quite considerable. We stopped for an Iced Cap break at Tim Horton's before continuing past the city, where it got a lot hillier, and we only went another 20km to Whitefish Falls.

We were hoping to make it to Manitoulin Island today, but we'll have to do so tomorrow as we head to the ferry which will take us across to Tobermory.
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Cracking thunder, Golden Dragon as we make our way to Blind River

2008-06-28T19:23:00.000-07:00

Pat has commented several times on the fact that most Chinese restaurants that we see are called "Golden something" or "something Dragon" and have a ridiculously cheap buffet. We've been waiting for our opportunity to eat at one, and when we saw the "Golden Dragon" restaurant across from our hotel with a $13.95 buffet, we knew it was meant to be. We went there for dinner last night, gorging ourselves until we couldn't eat anymore. The food wasn't exactly high quality, but it filled us up, although afterwards we didn't exactly feel 100%.

Heading out of Sault Ste. Marie, we hit some rain as a thunderstorm passed through the city, and the wind was directly in our faces. Despite only leaving the hotel at 11am, we made good time, making it 145km to Blind River. The road was fairly scenic once we passed Thessalon, passing by a number of lakes, and thankfully it was smooth and flat. The wind even changed direction for us later in the day, pushing us along.

Once in Blind River, we weren't too sure where we were going to stay, and it was getting late. We decided a good meal was pretty important, so we grabbed some Subway before heading out to look for a spot. Heading out of town and nearly in the dark, we figured that we would give the local hospital a shot, since it had a lot of surrounding greenspace. Seemingly the only person in the building, the guy working at the reception desk saw no problem with our pitching the tents on the lawn. Not too sure how much authority he had, but it was good enough for us!

Tomorrow we will head past Espanola, and will likely cross just onto Manitoulin Island by the end of the day.
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In the Soo, Lake Superior conquered!

2008-06-27T13:51:00.000-07:00

After Wednesday's 120km day to Pancake Bay, we were left with a short 75km day to our stop in Sault Ste. Marie. We are now done with Lake Superior, and will cut through Lake Huron as we travel through Manitoulin Island to Southern Ontario.

The ride from Pancake Bay started out fairly chilly, with a misty fog rolling onto the highway from the lake. It warmed up later in the day, and we made good time to our accomodations at the Water Tower Inn, thanks to the Soo's EDC. They were kind enough to let us stay for two nights so that we could take a rest day today. It has been fantastic relaxing at the hotel.

Unbeknownst to us, on their way back from Thunder Bay, Mike's mother and sister got a room at the same hotel! We had breakfast with them this morning before they headed off to their cottage further East.

We've had very little to do while we've been here, so the pools and the TV have gotten good use. Tomorrow morning we will head out, as we bike towards Espanola, then down through Manitoulin Island and across the ferry over the next few days.
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To the Soo, we're most of the way in Pancake Bay

2008-06-25T20:36:00.000-07:00

From our campground in Lake Superior Park, we had a long way to go before we were going to see anything for lunch, nearly 80km to Montreal River. About 25km along, we met up with Mike's mother and sister, Polly and Mary, who were driving to Thunder Bay to get a look at Lakehead University, as Mary is thinking of taking one of their education programs there next year.

It was great for Mike to see them, and he got his younger brother's iPod out of it to use for the rest of the trip. We had had some problems getting it sent to Kenora earlier, so this worked out well. Polly brought us some Sunny Delight and cookies, and even had some lawnchairs for us to take a break on. Eventually, we had to move on, but it was really nice for everyone while it lasted.

We had heard about a great downhill into Montreal River when we were in Marathon, one that even the truckers talk about, and we were not disappointed when we got there. This baby was a 7% downhill grade for several kilometres, and we gathered a lot of speed on it, hitting around 70km/hr at the max. It had been a long time since we've flown down a stretch like that, so it was a lot of fun.

For the first time in a while, we had a fairly strong headwind on the 40km stretch remaining to Pancake Bay Provincial Park, but it was nice to cover it. We got set up a bit late, but managed to get a dip in Lake Superior right next to our site (it's not as cold as we thought...not exactly warm though), and the 120km day leaves us with only 80km into Sault Ste-Marie tomorrow. We will be staying at Algoma's Water Tower Inn, so we'll be able to get there fairly early, relax, and enjoy the stay. Thanks to the Soo's EDC for setting that up for us!
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A Tale of Two Parks - first Obatanga now Lake Superior

2008-06-25T05:20:00.000-07:00

NOTE: Due to bad reception where we are, you may get this on a delay.

**********

The situation with the flies was just as bad this morning when we got up in Obatanga Park. It has definitely been our worst experience to date, mosquitoes and blackflies just swarming around us constantly. In the morning, they were covering the inside of the flies on our tents, but thankfully relatively few ever made it inside, not even any "no-see-ems," tiny flies that you can barely see, but that pack a mean bite. MEC Apollo and Wanderer 2 in case you happen to be in the market.

We had our first real headwind today as we lunched in Wawa and settled down in Lake Superior National Park. The park covers 83km of highway, so we'll be in it for quite a while. We were a bit slow, so we decided to stop earlier than usual, about a 90km day, as we weren't too ken on going another 56km on windy hilly road to the next campground on the other side of the park. It was a pretty nice feeling getting into camp!

The girl working at the office was a bit surprised when we asked for a "windy" campsite. We wanted anything we could get to help keep the bugs away. Fortunately, this park is way less secluded than Obatanga was, so it was windy almost everywhere, but we spent most of our time at a neighbouring site that was on the water without a bug to be found. It was phenomenal, as was the dip in the lake. It's not actually Lake Superior, so the water was warm enough to comfortably swim in. Amazingly that's our first swim of the trip!

Tomorrow we'll make our way out of Lake Superior Park and will be heading into the Soo tomorrow.
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Buggy in Obatanga Provincial Park

2008-06-23T18:28:00.000-07:00

We were lucky to get out of Manitoba with relatively few problems with flies, but Northern Ontario is making up for it. We're getting eaten alive by mosquitoes and blackflies, and it only gets worse in camp when the sun goes down.

Indeed, as we had been told, the road out of Marathon was flatter for us, and we did fairly well to make it 130km along to Obatanga Provincial Park, about 40km past the town of White River. The flies here are absolutely brutal, but it will be a while before we can say goodbye to them (almost) entirely. They did, however, drive a big bull moose out of the woods for us to see before it ran back.

A big thanks once again goes to Joe and Larry for driving us out this morning along the gravel road into town. The people we met in Marathon were really fantastic, and we really appreciated their hosting us for two nights so that we could take a day off.

Tomorrow we'll go through Wawa, after which Highway 17 will get hilly once more on our way to the Soo.
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Winding along Lake Superior's hills and plateaus to Marathon

2008-06-22T20:42:00.000-07:00

I have to apologize for the last few days. I've been a bit lax in posting, having been sick for a few days and having gone out Saturday night once we got to Marathon. So, here's two days' worth for you.

Part 1: Dorion to Rossport

We had been told by people we'd met that the stretch between Thunder Bay and Sault Ste-Marie would be one of the most scenic on the trip. At the same time, however, the continuous up and down on the hills would pose a challenge. We didn't really encounter any tough terrain on our way to Dorion, but the effort level certainly ramped up on our 110km ride to Rossport.

It was the mountains all over again, for sure. The hills in Ontario might be smaller than BC's mountains, but they're just as much work, steep and winding. An initial tough climb is followed by long rolling stretches up on the plateaus, before descending back down to the level of Lake Superior, usually to a new town. In the sun, the climbs are hot, but the cool air coming off of Lake Superior makes the descents absolutely frigid. It makes it tough to decide what to wear during the rides.

Our first stop was lunch in Nipigon. Nipigon is at the crossroads of Canada, as all highway and railway traffic has to pass through it going east-west. We were sitting down to lunch when were approached by Levina Collins. She was pretty excited to see five young cyclists making a stop in her town, and brought some Nipigon pins before inviting us to a barbeque for a new business opening. Their mill burned down a few years ago, nearby Red Rock's closed, and a lot of people have been leaving the area, particularly young people, so this was an exciting event. We were more than happy to meet some new people and have a few burgers, so we took her up on the invite.

The grand opening of Epic Adventures was a fun affair. There were plenty of burgers, pop, and cake and people were dropping in and out wishing the owner, Mike, good luck with his venture. Levina is known as Mrs. Nipigon, and we got to meet the man known as Mr. Nipigon, both of whom act as ambassadors for the area. The mayor came by as did their head of economic development. Epic Adventures will provide guided outdoor adventure tours of all kinds, and you can learn more at their website, www.epicadventures.ca. We wish them the best of luck!

After the usual up and down throughout the day, we arrived in Rossport and set up camp at a playground. There were loads of kayakers and we got to talk to a number of them. There was a basketball net and a ball, so we shot some hoops before getting some rest before the next day.

Part 2: Rossport to Marathon

The coffee drinkers finally have gotten a percolator and some joe for the mornings, and they've started a rotation for making it. Saturday morning was Brian's turn. It makes 9 'cups' according to the box it came in, but realistically only makes enough for three, perfect for Mike, Pat, and Brian, and definitely helps with getting up in the morning. Jon and I are not java fanatics, but the option is always there if we need an extra lift to get going!

The 110km stretch to Marathon was more of the same, with a chilly breeze coming off of the Lake. It was cold enough to see your breath in the middle of a perfectly sunny day on some stretches, and there was some fog just off the shore in places. People here must be used to it, because they were walking around in shorts and t-shirts while we ate lunch in jackets, arm warmers, and leg warmers.

Once we got to Marathon, we were picked up by Larry and Joe at the road into town, which is completely gravel due to repaving work. They brought us to Pearl's place in town, where various people from the area had gathered. We enjoyed a few burgers and some beers before getting settled at Larry and his wife Carol's place down ths street.

As we were taking a day off today, we wanted to head out. Some local bands, Six Pak and Wooly and the Mammoths, were playing at the Canadian Legion branch, so we headed there to have some drinks. We definitely stood out in the small town bar, but we met a few people and played some pool and darts before calling it a night. On our day off, we took it easy after sleeping in, taking care of what we needed to before settling into the hot tub and enjoying a nice dinner.

Tomorrow we'll continue on as we head towards Sault Ste-Marie over the next few days. It should be fairly flat for us to Wawa, so that will be a nice change.
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Whitewood Herald Article

2008-06-19T22:58:00.001-07:00

movingmusclesride.pdf

Articles on MMR

2008-06-19T21:42:00.000-07:00

Thunder Bay Tourism Partners
Netnewsledger.com Article Here

2008-06-19T19:57:00.000-07:00

Keith forgot to mention that we decked our bikes out with sweet streamers, and disney windmill spiral things. They're pink, and pretty sweet, so you had better watch out when we come to your town. We figure we had been riding these puppies for a month now, and it was about time for a little customization!
Yep. we get a lot of weird looks now from passing cars, not knowing what to think of us, wearing sweet specialized gear, and pink streamers flying off the handlebars.

We'll try and update all the pictures in marathon as well, if we can find a computer.

Brian
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A visit with Terry Fox en route to Dorion

2008-06-19T19:33:00.000-07:00

Today we came face-to-face with a Canadian legend, a man whom we all admire very much, Terry Fox. His Marathon of Hope was cut short just East of Thunder Bay, due to his cancer struggles. A monument in his name was erected just outside the city, close to where he was forced to abandon his dream of crossing the country, running 26.2 miles every day (the length of a marathon). Slightly further East, and surprisingly unimpressive considering the paramount importance of the location, is the actual spot along the highway where he stopped. A small plaque commemorates it, indicating the number of miles he had completed. His courage and spirit brought the nation together, so it was amazing for us to share at least a part of history while we were there.

We forgot to mention that coming into Thunder Bay yesterday, about 70km out, someone had written "GO MUSCLES MOVING GO" in white paint on the shoulder. The paint was still wet! Whoever it was, we really appreciate the gesture, and hope you let us know who you are so that we can thank you.

We got a pretty late start today, taking advantage of the hotel, and first having breakfast with Judy Bouchard and her daughter Jessica. They took us to a fantastic Finnish Hoito restaurant, which had absolutely incredible pancakes and french toast, very reasonable priced. Jessica then took us on a quick sightseeing tour of a lookout before heading back to the hotel and getting on the road.

The weather is getting hotter and we started right in the middle of the heat. The terrain is getting a bit hillier, but not overwhelmingly so, but we crawled along the under-construction highway to Dorion. The traffic and the road quality were pretty brutal, and there were a lot of numb hands from the vibration of the bikes as they went over all the potholes. We'll need to get used to it, because apparently most Ontario roads aren't so great.

Tomorrow we'll make our way somewhere between here and Marathon, arriving in the latter on Saturday.
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A hot day to Thunder Bay

2008-06-18T21:07:00.000-07:00

Weather certainly changes moods.

All through the Prairies, the rainy, windy weather got us a bit dejected. It made for some short days and some miserable mornings getting out of bed. It's been a completely different story in Northern Ontario, as we've had sunny weather with winds at our backs all the way through. As a result, the last three days we've pushed 145km, 160km, and 200km, capping off our push to Thunder Bay with a 140km day today. It's been a really nice change, and a really nice feeling.

As we get further into the province, the terrain is starting to get hillier and hillier. We started to encounter some pretty steep climbs up Ontario's hills just short of Thunder Bay, and from what we've heard the terrain is here to stay until Sault Ste-Marie. It's been nearly three weeks since we've encountered anything close to the mountain climbs we had, so we'll have to get back into climbing shape! The weather is also starting to heat up tremendously, as this was our hottest day since the Fraser Canyon, and it will only get worse as we get closer to Southern Ontario, renowned for its hot and humid weather.

Once in Thunder Bay, we were set up in the Valhalla Inn, courtesy of the city, and particularly thanks to the work of Steve Demmings and Paul Pepe. We grabbed some dinner at a nearby Boston Pizza before heading back to our rooms at the hotel. They gave us three double rooms! Steve came to meet us later on in the evening at the Valhalla, buying us some beers and nachos. He was really keen on the ride, being a cyclist himself, and has been all across the country (in a car). We then retired for the night to our queen-size beds on the second floor.

Tomorrow we will be treated to breakfast before we head out on the road. We have three days to make it to Marathon for a rest day, so we will likely take our time in the morning, taking care of some errands before heading out of town.
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A milestone to Upsula

2008-06-17T20:37:00.000-07:00

"May the wind be at your back, and the sun on your face."
-Irish proverb

When he learned of the trip, friend Ben Spencer in Montreal hand-delivered a card to my house, wishing us luck. He signed off with this saying, and it has stuck with me. If there was ever a day where this proverb came to life, it was today.

The morning started with Bruce making us all coffee. He had been up since 4:15am, and seemingly waited all morning for us to get up just so he could do so. Mike, Pat, and Brian absolutely loved it, and are now more determined than ever to find something similar to what he used. He left shortly after, and we never saw him again during the ride.

It was an absolutely beautiful day. There wasn't a cloud in the sky, and the wind was right behind us as we left camp. Our first order of business was finding water. There are fewer towns in Northern Ontario than there were in the Prairies, and the water here has a boil advisory, so we were running really low. We had to bite the bullet and buy water for the first time so far, because we weren't finding any along the way that we could drink. Thankfully, jugs of water aren't overly expensive, but we certainly won't be making a habit of it.

We made good time as we cruised over 25km/hr. We saw Lisa again over the course of the day, always just a bit ahead of us, and funnily we seemed to stop for breaks at the same spots. The scenery is beautiful: lakes, rivers, streams, and trees line the highway. We even saw some wildlife today. Mike saw the most with 4 moose and a black bear. It's amazing to see a moose up close. They are enormous animals, yet graceful at the same time. They run away as soon as they see you, even if you're far away from them. We will be seeing plenty more of them all through Ontario.

We had originally expected to take three days from Dryden to Thunder Bay, but it became apparent during the day that we could do better, and decided to do it in two. We had been waiting for weather like this to push long days, and we now had our opportunity to really cover a lot of ground.

We didn't realize just how much ground we would cover. We had to go 165km to get halfway, but about 140km in, we figured we should try to push for 200km. Upsula was ideally situated for it, so we decided to go for it. The sun got low and the shadows got very long, but we managed to do it! It's a pretty big milestone, and who knows if we'll do it again. We may not get another opportunity! It also leaves us with a relatively short 135km into Thunder Bay tomorrow, which is ideal as we will be switching time zones (it didn't switch at the border as we previously thought).

Funnily enough, near the end of the ride we saw a Blind Bay Road, the same as when we were in Sorrento and stayed at the community centre. Ironically, we are staying on the lawn of the Upsula community centre tonight. The bugs are out in full force, as mosquitoes and blackflies like to make dinner of us. They won't get much better as we progress, unfortunately!

When we get to Thunder Bay, we will have complimentary rooms at the Valhalla Hotel. We're really looking forward to the bed and the shower. Friends have been great to set that up for us! A big thanks to Steve Demmings and Paul Pepe.
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Meeting other cyclists on our way to Dryden

2008-06-16T20:32:00.000-07:00

Throughout the trip, we haven't met too many other cyclists doing the trip across, and those that we have, we have not seen again. So far, we have met Ryan in Rogers Pass, some of the riders of the Kids Cancer Tour, the Japanese kid on our way to Brandon, and another Ryan, the bartender at Earl's who's starting his trip within the next week or so.

We riders of the Moving Muscles Ride ask that you check out www.visiongreennow.ca if you have a few minutes. It is the website for Ryan the bartender's initiative, as he raises money for the David Suzuki Foundation. We wish him the best of luck on his own journey!

On our ride from Kenora, we met some fellow cyclists making the trip across the country. We first met Lisa as we pulled in to a picnic rest area on the side of the highway. We invited her to eat with us, and found out she is also from London, Ontario, and graduated from Bishop's University last year. She's doing the trip alone. We then met Bruce as he was leaving the same rest area, who's doing his third big touring trip on his own. He lives on Cortez Island in BC, and left Vancouver on May 28, so you can imagine that he is just flying. We ended up catching him after lunch, helping him fix a flat and lending him a spare tire after his had some problems. Amazingly both he and Lisa have only had one flat apiece. Does that say something about us? Probably that the original tires we had had worn out, because we haven't had any flats wince the switch.

We all rode together throughout the afternoon, talking about our trips. They were both impressed with our group's dynamic and by how much money we have raised to date. It was nice for us to have someone new to ride with, and it was nice for them to have anyone to ride with at all! Lisa confessed to us that she never would have made it to Dryden if she hadn't met us. Turns out she was pretty low on motivation in the morning, but it's amazing how seeing some new faces can give you energy. It sure helped us today as well.

With a slight wind at our backs, we all cruised easily to Dryden, eventually setting up at Aaron Provincial Park 160km past Kenora. Lisa parted ways after we all stopped for some groceries, but Bruce stuck with us to camp for the night. We shared some of our food with him (we had lots), including our dessert of macaroons and slowpokes. He's promised Pat, Mike, and Brian some espresso in the morning, as he has a small personal percolator that he carries with him. They've been looking for something similar for a while. We may catch up to Lisa tomorrow, but she gets up a bit earlier than us, so we'll see how the day goes.

With shelter from the wind, the riding in Northwestern Ontario has been pretty smooth to date, so hopefully we can keep it up. We'll see where we get tomorrow.
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A mix of weather to Kenora

2008-06-14T21:56:00.001-07:00

We could start getting used to the weather we had this morning.

We were surrounded by blue sky and a hot sun, but the air was cool. Once again, we had a west wind pushing us along; it's just too bad they weren't more frequent across the Prairies.

Over the last day and a half, the scenery has completely changed as we move into the Canadian Shield. There are trees all around, lakes, and grey rock faces lining the Transcanada as it slowly winds around the easy-rolling hills into Ontario. All of us passed the 3000km mark today.

Our first stop was scenic Falcon Lake near the provincial border. It is beautiful cottage country, and we took a longer-than-usual lunch to enjoy the weather and some ice cream from a local shop. Many people stopped to talk to us, and one man even heard one of yesterday's radio interviews.

Unfortunately, as typical East weather goes, the sunshine quickly faded into rain just as we were leaving. We seemed to get out of it for a while, but after we crossed the border into Ontario and got closer to Kenora, it just got worse, escalating to a full-out rainstorm. It might rain often in Pat's home province of British Columbia, especially in Vancouver, but the rain is misty at best most of the time. In Ontario and Quebec, the home provinces of us other four, when it rains it pours, and the skies just opened up on us we passed Lake of the Woods along the highway. Mike, Jon, Brian, and I loved it, no matter how hard it came down, but naturally it didn't last very long. It eventually it turned into sunshine, and back to rain once more, before clearing up again for the evening. Classic lake weather.

After our 120km day to Kenora, we are now set up in Brian's stepsister Heather's house along the Winnipeg River. Her husband Tony works for the Ontario Provincial Police, and they have two young children, Tyler and Emma, 15 months and 3 years old, respectively. Once they got over their initial shyness at having 4 strangers in the house, it was fun watching them compete for our attention. Even though he can't speak, Tyler understands what the garbage is, and his 'trick' was to take ours and put it in there. Emma did a song and dance, and there was defintely some competition between them.

Tomorrow we'll take a day off, taking care of some errands during the day, and watching some movies at night, trying to do as little as possible to rest up as much as we can before we continue on through Northern Ontario.
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Smooth sailing out of Winnipeg

2008-06-13T21:18:00.000-07:00

It was nice to finally sleep in this morning after a nice dinner last night. But can we really call an 8am wakeup sleeping in? We'll just have to take it.

We had some errands to run this morning before heading out of town, trying to get as much done in a big city like Winnipeg while we have the opportunity. Jon and I finally got our chains fixed, although it took until late this morning to get them back. Brian went to see a physiotherapist, and I had two radio interviews in town, and a third over the phone in Calgary. We also took the opportunity to meet with the MDC staff in Winnipeg. There are only three of them - Kathy, Angelina, and Michelle - but they were kind enough to take us out to breakfast at Stella's Cafe. They were really glad to have the opportunity to meet us, and we threw out the idea of them coming for the big celebration in Newfoundland. Why not? We had a lot of fun and the food was great. We were able to give Kathy the donations we have picked up in the Prairies, and there is even a chance she will pass us on the road in Ontario.

It was getting to be late morning after breakfast, so we headed out from our apartment at the Mennonite University over to Andrea's place to have some lunch and get our bikes ready to go. We have now replaced all of our tires, as our old ones had been getting worn, and we have had a number of flats recently. Andrea was really helpful in sourcing supplies for us, and was absolutely amazing to us while we were there. We got some pictures with them before taking off, including some really good ones of Jon wearing a Viagra Nascar racing jacket that her husband Steve received for his 50th birthday. It is a gem, and you can credit Andrea's brother for the gift idea.

Heading out fairly late around 2:30pm, we felt that something wasn't quite the same. It happened to be Friday the 13th, and there was something different about the day. Was it the late start? The tornado warnings? The exhaustion from the late night at Earl's?

Maybe it had something to do with the roaring west wind we had pushing us.

We have been waiting for one of those all across the Prairies, and it just happened to come when we were only going to be able to use it for a half-day. The feeling was incredible. We flew at 30+km/hr, barely turning the pedals. Mike even managed to get up to 59km/hr, on completely flat ground. Thankfully we had it, because it allowed us to make a lot of progress towards Kenora despite the late start. Seeing the flags we passed all blowing in the right direction was a fantastic sight, and we made it 105km to a campsite outside of the city in short time. It looks like it's with us to stay for now, as we seem to have it tomorrow.

We can also start to notice the changing landscape. Heading out of the city, there have been far more trees as we move out of the Prairies. Tomorrow we will cross another provincial border and a new time zone as we head to Kenora to take a day off with Brian's sister-in-law's family.
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A long leg to the 'Peg

2008-06-12T23:33:00.000-07:00

After yesterday's demoralizing struggle to Carberry, we got up early this morning to give ourselves a shot at making Winnipeg today. We didn't know what to expect from the weather, and the 160km day ahead of us would be our longest yet regardless. After only 60km yesterday in the blowing wind though, we figured we had to try.

To our surprise, when we got on the road, we had a slight tailwind, only the fourth day we have had a tailwind for any length of time. Heading back to the Transcanada along the 351 highway, we stopped to stretch (as we do every morning) outside a farm along the road. As we were loosening up, the husband Gary came out and started chatting with us. He was retired, having worked over 40 years in a plant nearby. He owns some horses, drives Polaris snowmobiles (thus suggesting we should change the Bombardier logo on our jackets), and talked about the high prices of gas and flour and how they were taking a toll on him. Unfortunately, we only understood about one-third of what he was saying! He was a character for sure.

The tailwinds made us feel like we were riding on a different planet. Instead of crawling along like yesterday, we were cruising at 25+km/hr down the highway, making great time. By the time we hit Portage la Prairie for lunch, we had already gone 80km relatively easily, and knew we could make it the rest of the way to Winnipeg. After lunch, we were still making great time, but all of a sudden the winds switched on us, and once again we were fighting with 60km still to go into town. We had flashbacks of yesterday's ride, but continued to grind it out knowing we could make it.

The last 20km were painful. All of us were running on completely empty tanks, just willing ourselves to get through the last stretch into Winnipeg. Once we got in, we headed to Andrea and Steve Leblanc's house. Andrea has been absolutely amazing, setting up accomodations for us, sourcing bike stores, and buying repair supplies before we got into town. We had a few beers at their place before they took us to our evening accomodations at the local Mennonite University. We got ready quickly, and she drove us to a nearby Earl's restaurant where we had reservations.

A brother of family friends, Mark Tooley, heard of our trip and generously gave us a $300 gift card to use at Earl's while we were in town. We have never even met him, but wherever you are, Mark, thank you so much! We ate to our heart's content and sampled their drink menu at will. The staff was great, and one of the bartenders, Ryan, is preparing for his own cross-country trip starting July 1st from Victoria. He is doing a run-bike-blade across the country, raising money for the David Suzuki Foundation. He has been training for a few years, and will run 20km a day and bike 100km a day, on average. When he gets the opportunity, he will strap on the rollerblades. I can't remember the website, but will get it up soon so that you can check it out. We wish him the best of luck!

Amazingly, we only ate and drank $270 at Earl's, but we used the balance and then some to tip our waitress, who was a lot of fun, and really interested in our trip. A bunch of the staff were heading out afterwards, and although we would have loved to join them, we were way too exhausted after the long day, so we've come back to our apartment at the University to crash for the night.

Tomorrow we need to wait for Jon and I's bikes to get fixed before we hit the road. The poorly installed chains both broke on us in the last two days, so we are having them looked at (thanks Boh's Cycle in Moose Jaw for that mishap). In the meantime, we will have breakfast with some MDC people in the morning, and will have a radio spot on Power 97 at 8:35am local time. Beforehand, at 8:10am local time, I will also do an interview with Q107 in Calgary as a follow-up to the one we did when we were there a few weeks ago. Hope you can listen in!

After all that is taken care of, we'll take off in Kenora's direction over the next two days, where we will take a day off.

PS: The SPOT device we use to track ourselves has had a tough time finding satellite signals at our last few stops, including today's. Unfortunately, that means you can't see our location! Sorry for the inconvenience, and we'll try and do better for you in the future.
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Caught in Carberry

2008-06-11T18:29:00.000-07:00

After a nice stay in the Mennies' winnebago, we were treated to a fantastic breakfast: eggs, bacon, toast, and some fantastic hashbrowns. Barb even did some of our laundry for us, so that we had clean clothes to go on the road with. Lloyd drove us out along the gravel road from their place, and took lots of pictures as we got ready to go. It was amazing to see how happy THEY were to take US in for the night. We have been incredibly fortunate to have so many incredible people take us in. They don't even know us, but they treat us like family. We are five very lucky guys!

Lloyd had called the Brandon tv station, and as he drove to work, he stopped to let us know. They met us just as we went out of town. We didn't see it, but apparently we made the newscast! Pretty good considering the Federal Government was apologizing today for the scandal over residential schools, likely taking up quite a bit of airtime across the country.

Once we got outside, we knew today was going to be terrible. The wind was blowing due East in our faces, and it was chilly. A quick check of the weather online showed the winds were blowing at 40km/hr, with gusts up to 55km/hr. We were travelling at an average just over 12km/hr into it, over flat terrain no less, by far our lowest average day of the trip. It was tiring and demoralizing, and just seemed to get worse over the course of the day.

It got bad enough that we had to get off of the Transcanada onto the smaller highway 351 because we weren't sure what we were going to get to, and we needed food for dinner. We got a bit more shelter from the wind, but not much in the end, and the road was worse. We made it to Carberry, about 60km outside of Brandon. The closest campsite was another 20+km back on the Transcanada, and in an effort to make it to Winnipeg tomorrow, we were willing to do it after some dinner at a restaurant.

Well, unfortunately for us, it only got worse. It started to rain, got colder, and the wind was still blowing strong in the wrong direction. None of us wanted to bike to the campsite. We would have gotten soaking wet, we would have been miserable, we would have gotten in late to the campsite, and would have had to set up our tents in the pouring rain. We have now gotten a hotel for the night. There's nothing we can do about the weather, and we have to remind ourselves that this is a bad stretch. We've gotten some of the worst weather the Prairies have seen in a number of years.

Tomorrow we'll get up early and see if we get lucky. We'll try and make it to Winnipeg, but otherwise will go as far as possible. The weather's supposed to clear up later in the week, with better winds, so hopefully we can make up some ground then.

Until then, we'll just have to tough out this bad stretch, and wait for it to end.
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A new friend on our way to Brandon

2008-06-10T22:16:00.000-07:00

With the time change at the border, we were losing an hour, so we decided to switch over the next day. We still need our sleep! The Visitor's Centre made for a great campsite, and funnily enough, as we were eating breakfast this morning, one of the workers showed up, and we weren't too sure what to expect. Luckily for us, she had no problems, and was just happy to hear that we weren't too cold the night before.

Mike, Pat, and Brian are big coffee drinkers, and love to get a cuppa joe when one is available, so it was a nice surprise to find that they served complimentary coffee inside (albeit a tad weak). As they sat enjoying it, they found a cyclist's guest book which had been signed by a number of people, including many charity rides. Almost every entry mentioned how great the Prairies were, how great the winds were, and how much they loved it. You can imagine that ours was the complete opposite! The Prairies have been a really tough stretch for us, and today was no different.

We got on the road to another headwind, blowing at about 20km/hr in our faces the 105km to Brandon. Making things worse, our tires have started to wear, so we are popping quite a number of tubes on a daily basis, slowing us down. We'll be getting that remedied in Winnipeg, and hopefully we can spend more time riding on our tires than changing them!

The roads in Saskatchewan were not the greatest, but Manitoba has one-upped them, as we now have no paved shoulder to ride on. All the shoulders are gravel, completely inconvenient for us. Thankfully cars are good about pulling out for us, but when we're trying to draft, it makes it tough when it's out on the side. We can't go on the shoulder, nor do we want to go out too far on the highway!

On our travels, we saw a cyclist loaded down with a lot of gear ahead of us. Once we caught up to him, it turned out to be a Japanese guy biking across Canada and the United States. He was carrying a TON of gear. He even had a generator running off his back tire to power his front lights! He was super friendly, so we got some pictures with him and wished him well.

Coming just West of Brandon, we were met by Lloyd Mennie, who was taking us in for the night at his place. We loaded our bikes and gear into his horse trailer and truck so that we didn't have to go down the dirt road to he and his wife Barb's place. Their son Mark was there, his girlfriend Erica, and their son Dallas' girlfriend Lacie. We're not too sure how I came into contact with him and exactly who knew who and where the degrees of separation were, but he was happy to have us and treated us to a fantastic rib dinner and some beers. We are big fans of red meat and hops, so it's always a treat!

Sitting around the dinner table, one of the guests, Drew, made some calls to try and get us some media on the radio the next morning. Well, sure enough the Japanese guy we passed earlier on had been on the radio that afternoon, and the mayor had presented him with a key to the city! At the right place at the right time I guess. We may pass him tomorrow, so we'll have to ask him about it.

Lloyd and Barb have set us up in their winnebago outside the house for the night, and tomorrow we'll have breakfast with them before heading out of Brandon. We'd like to get as far as possible, maybe Portage, leaving us a short day into Winnipeg the next day.
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Calgary's Q107 FM Interview

2008-06-10T11:09:00.001-07:00

MDS.mp3

Big Dog 92.7 Interview

2008-06-10T01:06:00.001-07:00

Keith_Martin_with_the_moving_muscles_ride.mp3

Finally out of Saskatchewan and into Manitoba

2008-06-09T21:56:00.001-07:00

It will come as no surprise to hear that Saskatchewan has been our most hated province so far in terms of riding. We had nothing but headwinds and rain, and the scenery rarely changed. Despite this, the people have been incredible friendly. We get all sorts of honks from cars and trucks as they pass us by...even the trains let out a horn for us every once in a while. The people we meet are always interested in what we're doing and seem to really enjoy life for what it is.

Today was really quite a drab, unexciting one for the most part. No real weather to speak of, little wind, not even any flat tires until later in the day. We biked until we had lunch in Whitewood. When Mike and Pat went in to the grocery store they talked to the mayor about our ride; it just so happens that he doubles as the store's butcher. He called the Whitewood Herald next door, and they came out to ask some questions and get some photos. Totally out of the blue for us! We continued to Moosomin, where we stopped for some Dairy Queen - we can eat ANYTHING we want - and some more groceries for dinner.

The only exciting part of our day was finally getting out of Saskatchewan and into Manitoba. We've had a tough go of it in this province, and we hope that this brings about some new fortunes. We stopped for some photos, and took a great video of us "paddling a canoe" before breaking into our Manitoba Man-Dance. You'll have to wait until we post the videos to see it, and we also took the opportunity to give Saskatchewan the full moon before we rode out. We won't be looking back!

About 5km from the border, Mike and I went into a hotel, and they told us about the Manitoba Visitor's Centre, which is making for quite a camping spot. It's essentially a trucker's stop and a rest area, so it's got picnic tables set up and lots of green space. We wonder if they'll find us in the morning, but what will they tell us to do? Leave? The joke will be on them if they do, but I don't think it will be a big problem for us.

Tomorrow we'll be battling some pretty heavy East winds as we head to Brandon. Guess we'll have to wait and see if Manitoba treats us better!
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Storms to Grenfell

2008-06-09T05:43:00.001-07:00

Apparently there has not been any rain in Regina at all in the last month, and for years the Prairies have been fairly dry.

Well, we must be just what they've been looking for, because it hasn't stopped raining since we've hit Saskatchewan.

It was pouring down as we left Regina, and continued all morning. For a brief while, it seemed to stop and clear up for us, but the dark clouds kept coming in waves. Being Sunday, stores in the smaller towns weren't open, so we decided to wait 65km to hit Indian Head for some lunch. Pat got a flat just outside of town, so Mike and I headed in ahead of them. Just a few kilometres out, we could sense we were heading right into a storm. We were cruising along at ~30km/hr when all of a sudden the wind picked up from the South, and we slowed to about 10km/hr. It pushed me halfway into the highway as I tried to turn back into it, and we were fighting hard. Then came the hail, hitting us like sharp pellets from a gun. We had to get indoors, and found shelter in a restaurant while we waited for the others to get in. They finally made it, and we sat down to a hot meal to wait out the wind and hail.

The flash storm subsided, and we got back on the road to calmer conditions. It only lasted about 30km though, because 20km outside of Grenfell another set of dark clouds loomed and the wind picked up. Amazingly, the winds blew everywhere from due south to due north, but never helped us at all. Some luck! We had to battle into town, and after a day like that with more rain on the way tonight and tomorrow, we ditched the thought of camping and crammed everyone into a motel for the night. It's pretty sleazy, made of trailers connected together and with a nasty funk to it, but it's better than the alternative.

Tomorrow we'll likely cross into Manitoba, and we may get some good winds finally! At least the forecast says so.
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Storms to Grenfell

2008-06-08T22:18:00.000-07:00

Blessings from Caronport and into Regina

2008-06-07T22:27:00.001-07:00

After a good night's rest in one of Briercrest's dorms, we were treated to a free breakfast (great cinnamon buns, in particular) in the morning. Tracy joined us, and Debbie did as well. They both made our stay there possible, and it was much appreciated!

After breakfast, we were to talk to two of the high school classes before leaving to Regina. Our first was Mr. Appleby's class of grade 12s (Ron to us). It's been a long time since high school for us, but the kids were really receptive to what we had to say, and seemed to really enjoy having us there. Ron was particularly enthused, as he loves bicycles in general, and according to Tracy practically supplies all of Caronport with them. He also thought that having us in could be a great way to inspire the young minds in his classroom; he would have made an amazing high school teacher for any of us, as you could really sense his passion for teaching. Before we left for the second class, we played a 'current events game' with the rest of the students. Ron had taken bits and pieces from the world news, complete with a "Who Wants to be a Millionaire" list of multiple-choice questions ranging in difficulty from $100 to $1,000,000 (even three lifelines). He chose Mike to represent the class, and considering we've led a pretty sheltered life on the road, he answered every one correctly (he did have to use his lifelines, though). Pretty impressive, and he got to take home a wooden carving of a car as a prize!

Afterwards, we went upstairs to a grade 9 class. They were fun, as they asked a lot more questions, making it easier on us. Brian had a funny moment when he started talking about our time with the grade 12 class, using Ron's first name instead of 'Mr. Appleby.' As I said, it's been a while for us, so we've forgotten things like these. Mike even had to remind all of us to take our MMR hats off inside the building. Wouldn't want to be breaking the school's rules! When we were done talking, one of the teachers said a prayer wishing us well on our journey, and asking for better winds. Nice to know we have them looking out for us and thinking of us as we go. We got pictures with both grades before hitting the road to the bike store in Moose Jaw.

When we got into the Jaw, we found Boh's Cycle Shop. Unfortunately, we were only able to get new chains for three of the bikes (apparently 10-speed bikes are not common in this area), and we had to wait a few hours, but what could we do? We got some KFC while we were waiting, and as we left, we saw a big group biking across Canada as well, the Kids Cancer Ride. They had about 60 people relaying in two groups, with tons of support vehicles and trucks with them. It was quite a sight, and good to talk with them. They were excited for us, and it's too bad that we weren't able to join them out of town. Good luck to them!

When we got about 10km out of town, Jon and I started noticing some problems with our newly-replaced chains, as they were skipping on us. We took a look, and the pins keeping them together had been poorly inserted by the mechanic who worked on them at Boh's. We were really incensed, called them to let them know, and had to fix it ourselves. We're pretty sure that their rookie mechanic did the job, because Pat's was fine. Our only consolation is that they did the fix without charging us for labour, but it wouldn't have mattered if something had gone really wrong out on the road. Luckily nothing did, and they'll just have to be more careful next time.

Once we had the problem fixed, it was 4pm, and we still had 60km to go into Regina to make for a 100km day. We also ran into our good friend the headwind, so we simply put our heads down and grinded it out all the way there, stopping only to eat a quick dinner. When we got there, we had been set up with a place to stay by Philip Price, a former cornerback for the Montreal Alouettes in the 60s and 70s, friends with a family friend of mine from Montreal who played with him, Ron Perowne. He was out of this world. He was fun, funny, and really appreciated what we were doing. Little did we know he had set us up to stay in his Pentecostal Church for the night! One of the other members, Tom, was with him, showed us where we could sleep, and gave us keys to the building. After we were settled in, we left the building to get some beers at nearby Bonzzini's Brew Pub, which we had passed along the way. We were planning to take a rest day, so we got a bunch of pitchers, some nachos, and some other fried appies which didn't last long in front of us. By 11-12pm though, we were completely out of steam, and headed back to sleep.

When we woke up this morning, we were treated to an incredible breakfast prepared for us by Phil and Tom, as well as members Neil and Ira. It was absolutely delicious. Eggs, sausage, baked beans, potatoes, and some great cheese biscuits courtesy of Tom's 'special recipe,' complete with coffee and orange juice. Tom said grace, also wishing us well on the trip, so now we have more people looking out for us. We swapped stories with them and snapped a picture before heading just out of town about 10km to a campsite, not wanting to overstay our welcome! They were all really great people, and we really appreciated their taking us in and treating us so well.

Tomorrow we'll head out of Regina, and our next major city will be Winnipeg in about 5 days. With our experience from the last 3-4 weeks in hand, we went over the rest of our route, and have set August 5th as our arrival date in St. John's, so put it in your calendars!
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Climbing flat mountains to Caronport

2008-06-05T22:08:00.001-07:00

The answer, my friend, is blowin' in the wind,
The answer is blowin' in the wind.
-Bob Dylan, "Blowin' in the Wind"

So, how quickly can a group of cross-Canada cyclists make it across the Prairies?

Well, the answer is blowin' in the wind. With tailwinds, you never really have to work very hard to make great time, so it's easy to push a lot of distance. Of course, we would know nothing about that, and the headwinds we've encountered are slowing us down and making us earn every click on the odometer.

The night on top of the birdwatching tower was pretty fantastic. It was a perfectly clear night, and with no big urban areas nearby, the stars were out in full force. It was really beautiful to see, and the first time we've been able to see them that well so far on this trip. It was, however, quite cold with little protection, so we had to bundle up in our sleeping bags. Even as we woke to a perfectly sunny sky it was chilly, but it warmed up quickly and we got on our way.

Today we experienced probably the worst winds to date, 25+mph right in our face all 95km to Caronport. It held us to a pace comparable to our days climbing through the mountains, even though we were on flat ground. Worse, winds like that are really draining because we have to work to stay stable in it, making for a tough ride today.

Along the way, we stopped in Chaplin to pick up some lunch. The Prairies are full of small towns, and it has been a real eye-opener for the five us to see how few big cities there are in Canada. "Real" Canada lies in the small towns where everyone knows everybody else. Everyone is really friendly to us, asking us where we're going, where we're coming from, what we're raising money for, etc. One guy today in Chaplin went on and on about land he used to own near Tofino, which he leased out to the big mining companies. He also worked in Vancouver and was approached by an Englishman who laid out twenty $100 bills to get him to talk about making a deal for the land. We don't know how much of it was true, but he was sure willing to tell us all about it. Apparently about 5 groups come through every week in these parts making the cross-Canada trek. We will soon pass a group who are WALKING across. Might take them awhile.

After our long day, we finally made it to Caronport, and were met at Briercrest by Tracy. She gave us a tour of the buildings, and showed us to our dorm rooms. We got a free Subway dinner and any drink from Starbucks, and tomorrow we'll enjoy a free breakfast from their cafeteria before talking to two groups of their high school students in the morning. Should be an interesting experience! We should also be getting a phone interview with Regina's Big Dog 92.7FM afterwards, which they'll air later on. Unfortunately we will be busy during their morning show.

Tomorrow we'll head into Moose Jaw to get some new chains, before heading into Regina later in the day, but the winds are supposed to be bad once again, unfortunately for us! We'll take our next rest day there before continuing on.
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Roadkill on the way to a birdwatching tower in...Somewhere, SK

2008-06-04T20:46:00.001-07:00

Saskatchewan is flat, and we knew there would be wind (unfortunately for us in the wrong direction), but we never expected to see the amount of roadkill that we have on the highway thus far.

Prairie dogs live all around the fields, and their holes lie along the highway. They seemingly love to come out to look around and play, but they're obviously not too careful around cars. Other casualties today have included a few porcupines, a mallard duck, a coyote, and a red-winged blackbird. It gets to the point where you have to swerve to avoid them as they litter the shoulder. Awful? Yes, but it's part of our life on the road (sorry to the faint of heart for the description).

We got to sleep in this morning, waiting for Swift Current's only bike shop to open at 10am. We all need new chains at this point, as we've ridden over 2000km and they've stretched. If they stretch past 1/8", the cassette will start to wear badly, but it's best to switch them around 1/16", which we've all pretty much reached. Unfortunately, the shop didn't have any for us, but the owner was really great, and despite his busy schedule took time to fix Pat's bike, which had some problems with both derailleurs which we couldn't fix. He also thought that we had all broken 5-6 broken cogs on our cassettes, and thought we were really strong riders, but we're pretty sure it's a feature on them to help the chain switch gears, so the jury is still out on how much he knew about our bikes.

With the stop at the shop, we only got on the road at noon after getting groceries. We have beds and food at a Christian school in Caronport, Briarcrest College and Seminary (~150km away), but with 20-25mph headwinds and a late start we weren't making it today. We resigned ourselves to the fact that we were going to have to rough it in between. Moving along slowly, Lady Luck smiled on us. Just off the highway, 55km out of Swift Current, Mike and Jon spotted a birdwatching tower, and we went to check it out.

The location was perfect. It was two-leveled, so we could sleep on the top level, and cook and eat on the lower one, storing our bikes and trailers on ground level. It sits about 1000ft from Reed Lake, and we were hoping to walk out to it to have a swim.

We never guessed that it would be a long walk on ground I can only describe as 'scorched mud.' The ground was badly cracked, obviously from the dry climate, but was soggy from the rain we had yesterday. It was fine for about the first 400ft, until it got pretty spongy. Then it just got downright muddy. Jon and Pat started sinking into it about 100ft from the lake (Pat lost his flip-flops in the episode), and we realized we would not be able to get there, much less swim in it. We returned to our temporary home dissappointed and muddy, and cleaned it off as best we could before making dinner and relaxing as the sun slowly set over the flat horizon.

We've set up our tarp and the groundsheets along the railing to protect us from the wind as we sleep tonight, but it will get cold. Tomorrow we'll make our way to Briarcrest in Caronport, where they offered us room and board for tomorrow night. In return, we will talk to their high school students about the trip during chapel the next morning.
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Singing in the rain to Swift Current

2008-06-03T22:40:00.000-07:00

When we started on this trip, we knew we would be doing lots of camping. All of us had varying levels of camping experience, but certainly none of us had done anything of this magnitude, essentially camping for 2.5 months.

Well allow me to tell you something: camping in the rain sucks. A lot.

The tents get soaked and you have to put them away wet, which can make them moldy if you're not careful, so you have to dry them out. Your gear and clothes get damp, as do you. It's not fun, and it makes it that much harder to get up in the morning when you hear the rain hitting the tent's fly, because you know you have to go out and bike in it.

That was our situation this morning as we left Maple Creek. Rain was coming down steadily and it was cold. Our only solace was the fact that we had a tailwind to start, a veritable rarity for us so far. Nevertheless, we got absolutely drenched, and the cold was enough for us to want to stay ON the bikes just to keep warm.

When we stopped for lunch in Tompkins, we were about to go into the grocery store, when the owner of a restaurant across the street started talking to us. We figured that warm food and some shelter would be better for us than making cold sandwiches out in the rain, so we went in. It was fantastic. The soup, sandwiches, and fries we shared were just what we needed to keep us going.

Unfortunately, when we got back out, our tailwind had turned on us, but thankfully was not too strong. Unfortunately again, however, it got stronger and stronger as we got closer to Swift Current, even as the rain cleared up for us. The last 30km were just a brutal struggle into the wind, bringing us in to town for a 140km day.

Tomorrow we'll start late, as we need to get the chains on our bikes checked out (they're all pretty close to done). The wind is supposed to be blowing right at us hard (~15-25mph, same as the last 30km today), so we're not sure how far we'll make it. The winds are your boss in the Prairies!
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A late start, a new province

2008-06-02T22:43:00.000-07:00

We've had a few more flats than normal since Calgary (if you leave that day to Saltspring out), and some of our tires have gotten worn, so we needed to get to a bike shop before leaving Medicine Hat.

We had breakfast at a nearby Tim Horton's (we don't get coffee very often, or hot chocolate for Jon and I, so it's a treat), and had to wait until 9:30 before we could get to a cycle shop near there. We discovered Google Maps for the Blackberry, which will be very useful to us, and helped find it. When we got there, they didn't have any tubes or tires, but we were able to pick up some chain lubricant and, ahem, medicated vaseline (don't ask). We were in a bit of a bind, but the store owner was a super nice guy, phoned a different sports shop nearby, and they were able to get us what we needed. We could have been in big trouble if we had needed a tire or had popped a lot of tubes!

Fortunately, we needed neither today as we rode 90km to Maple Creek. The 11am start and continuing headwinds limited our progress, but we did hit Saskatchewan! When we got to Alberta, there was a huge sign and we took several pictures, but unbelievably there was nothing like that for Saskatchewan. We had to make do with a random sign that happened to have the name "Saskatchewan" on it, but we made up for it by doing a hat dance in front of it and getting it on video (our parents can rest assured that we got one 'normal' photo of us).

Saskatchewan is known for being flat, but ironically, as we crossed the border, there was actually a climb, albeit nothing compared to what we saw before Calgary. Along the way, we ran into Stefan Pincente, a friend of Pat, Mike, and I whom we know through our Fraternity back at UBC, Sigma Chi. He had passed us and stopped to say hello, which was really cool (he's driving to Toronto). He came back to the campsite with us, where AMAZINGLY they had a TV and we were able to watch the hockey game! We're all Pittsburgh bandwagon fans, so were pretty happy that they pulled it out in the third OT.

Tomorrow, we hope to make it to Swift Current, but the headwinds are making it tough to cover a lot of ground. If it's like today, we should be able to do it, but we'll take things as they come.
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The wind turns against us to Medicine Hat

2008-06-01T22:02:00.000-07:00

Althouigh it's a bit late, we have seen some flocks of geese still moving North for the Summer. Their flights back and forth from the South are absolutely incredible. They fly thousands of miles in their trademark V-formation in search of warm weather and food.

What's so special about the V-formation? It happens to be an incredibly efficient way to travel over long distances, as the geese draft off of one another in the process. The lead flyers do most of the work to break the wind, while the ones in back get a breather. You see them switch every once in a while to share the load, and if one happens to get out of formation, then he's got to work his tail off to make it back, fighting the wind alone all the way.

This is pretty much the exact same way we feel when we're fighting a headwind as we were today. The guys without trailers break wind (literally...and sometimes figuratively unfortunately) for the guys carrying the trailers so that their job is just a little bit easier. Once you find the draft, life is pretty good, but be sure to not get outside of it or you'll be fighting your way back. In a headwind, or when you're travelling at high speeds, you have to try to stay 6-12 inches behind the front man's back tire for greatest effect. If there's a crosswind, you have to move to the side to find the draft, but the effect is the same, and it results in a considerable reduction in effort.

Battling the headwind today was hard work, but not without its rewards. As we travelled 105km to Medicine Hat, we passed a whole herd of Prairie antelope. As we cycled along, four of them ran essentially beside us, allowing Brian to get some unbelievable video. We'll try and get it up soon for you to see (whenever we can get to a computer anyways).

We also got to learn a bit about the area. Alberta is known for its oil and gas, and even just off the Transcanada, there were some pumps working in the fields. Along the way, we passed a sign which gave some insight on the history of Medicine Hat. In the late 1800's, the CP Rail struck natural gas while drilling a well. Realizing the potential for power production, it drilled in several other locations with similar results. The abundance in this area gave Medicine Hat its nickname as the "Gas City," and prompted Rudyard Kipling to proclaim that it had "hell for a basement."

After a meal and some ice cream, we're now in a campground in the city along the Transcanada. Tomorrow we'll hit our second provincial border as we head into Saskatchewan (hopefully with better winds).
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Selwyn House School Article

2008-06-01T10:56:00.001-07:00

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Selwyn.pdf

Judy's Radio Interview

2008-06-01T10:53:00.001-07:00

Click to the play button to listen to the interview

Judy.mp3

Riding the wind into Brooks

2008-05-31T22:12:00.001-07:00

As I've said before, one of the coolest things about this trip is the people you meet who say they've been inspired by what we're doing. In particular, a big thanks goes out to Nicole for a beautiful letter she wrote to us all before we left Calgary, and another goes to all the boys in the 4A class at SHS. Your words inspire us!

Today, we finally got what we were looking for, a good tailwind! It started out by coming across us in the morning, but as the road turned it got behind us and we just sailed. It was a fantastic feeling compared to grinding against the headwinds we'd seen previously.

Now that we're out of the mountains, the terrain is much flatter. It's not completely flat in these parts by any means, but features gently-rolling hills that do not really pose us any problems whatsoever, especially with the right wind. It will likely only get flatter as we continue as well, and hopefully the wind cooperates!

As you can imagine, almost all the land in these parts is devoted to some kind of farming, much of it livestock. Cows are not exactly the brightest bunch, and we have taken to mooing loudly at them as we pass the herds along the highway. Why do we do this? We do it because they have no idea what's going on, and when just one of them gets nervous and starts to head off in the opposite direction, the entire herd follows. It is really funny to see them all running off away from us, and amazing that all you need to do is get one chicken to flinch. It doesn't get old, either.

After a 140km day to Brooks, we've found a campsite in the city at the right price. Unfortunately, mosquitoes have started to make their appearance on the trip, so we have to be careful to close the tents! Once the sun starts to go, they like to make their appearance. Good training for when we hit Manitoba and Northern Ontario, where the blackflies will try to eat us alive.

Depending on the wind, we'll be close to the Alberta-Saskatchewan border by the end of the day. We'll see how things go for us.
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Stupid mistake...

2008-05-30T21:53:00.001-07:00

When I said that we could make it to Moose Jaw tomorrow, I meant Medicine Hat...got my Prairie cities mixed up.

Mea culpa.
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A break in Cowtown and a group ride towards Strathmore

2008-05-30T20:51:00.001-07:00

Calgary, with the exception of Vancouver, has been the biggest city we have been through thus far, and we were all looking forward to the day off and the opportunity to hit the town to do some partying.

Thanks to Pat's brother Colin, we got on the guestlist at Cowboys on Wednesday night, and had an unbelievable time. With our Goodwill-bought clothes, it was interesting for the guys who had never been out in Calgary before to see the scene there. Lots of cowboy hats and boots, and people ready to have a good time. We partied so late that we had to wait until the CTrain started up again in the morning to get back to Dave's place. We definitely made the most of it.

Once we were up and running in the afternoon, Dave had planned a bbq for friends and some Calgary donors. We were a small group, but a good one, and the food was delicious. One Calgary donor, Erik Nowers, arrived in his red Lotus Elise, so all of us checked it out, took turns sitting in the driver's seat, and snapped some photos with it. Nicole, who brought us some more baked goods, entertained everybody by playing the violin. She was pretty incredible. At the end of the evening, Deb Foster, the MDC Calgary Chapter President dropped by with Candisse and Angie McCormick, two people very involved with MDC. Candisse was the face of MDC as a kid. It was nice for all of us to meet. They were very appreciative of what we're doing, and we were able to give them the donations we had collected along the way, just over $700! They also brought us over some leftover pizza from a function they had come from, which made for a great breakfast this morning.

Before leaving Calgary, we were scheduled to be on Q107 Classic Rock this morning. They were on location at the Deerfoot Inn and Casino, and had a buffet breakfast and about 50 people there watching. When it was our time to get some air, show co-host Patty Lorange came and got everyone's name, and then I had the opportunity to get interviewed by host Terry Dimonte, whom I grew up listening to in Montreal. It was really exciting for me, and the guys haven't stopped making fun of me for it. Nevertheless, they were great to us and have offered to help with some media at later points in the ride.

When we were finally ready to get on the road in the early afternoon, we were joined by Dave, and two of his friends Joe and John. It was really helpful because they led us out of the city along the bike paths. Getting through the larger cities is a real pain because it's dangerous to be on the Transcanada with all the traffic. They rode with us until Chestermere, about 35km, before heading back, and we continued along to Strathmore, another 35km. The flat road is a nice change from the mountains, but the scenery was not nearly as exciting.

We made it to Strathmore in good time, but had nowhere to stay! We didn't really feel like biking anymore, and with a storm approaching and the hour getting late, wanted to find some shelter. Mike and I found a church and asked if we could camp out on the lawn. They had no problem with it and it was good timing, because the storm came right away. We just finished setting up when it started to pour on us, and we scrambled into the tents. The rain's finally stopped and the forecast is looking good for tomorrow!

We'll most likely be making our way to Brooks tomorrow, but it all depends on the wind. If it's strong enough in the right direction, we could probably make it all the way to Moose Jaw. We also hope everyone is enjoying the pictures that we finally got up.
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Out of the Rockies and into Cowtown

2008-05-28T17:42:00.000-07:00

It's been a long time coming, but we are finally out of the mountains! After leaving Jen and Dave's place, we stopped in at Christine Iversen's home two blocks down the road (a family friend from back home), for a quick chat, a picture, and some delicious cake!

We got out of Canmore and rode a nice tailwind past the Three Sisters in the morning. We have not really had any tailwinds thus far, and it was a treat. We were flying at 35-40km/hr with relative ease with the wind at our backs for about 30km, until the winds changed and once again we were fighting headwinds all the way into Calgary. Hopefully our fortunes change as we go across the Prairies, otherwise it will be miserable.

As we neared Calgary, we were greeted by Brian's father Dave, with a reporter from Global! He asked us some questions and took some shots, and hopefully it will air. We've just been watching the 5pm news, and nothing came up, but hopefully we'll make the 11 o'clock news.

When we got off the highway, we were greeted by Dave and friends with signs and some unbelievably delicious cookies when we arrived at his place, thanks to Nicole. Double chocolate chunk, amazing. The beers that greeted us were very welcome as well.

We're taking a day off tomorrow, and we're finally heading out tonight, downtown Calgary. We'll have a barbeque tommorow evening at Dave's place, and Friday morning we'll be on Q107 with Terry Dimonte, on location at the Deerfoot Inn and Casino 8-9am local time! Hopefully he and "Peppermint" Patti Lorange can come to Dave's tomorrow. I personally grew up listening to them in Montreal, following Terry from station to station.

We don't have any clothes tonight, so we've just gone to a thrift store to find anything to wear. Looking forward to the well-deserved night out tonight and a sleep-in tomorrow!

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Hungry birds and an elk to a bike camp in Canmore

2008-05-27T22:08:00.001-07:00

When you get a room at the Chateau, you might as well live it up a little while you're there. For us, that meant a wake-up call at 8am after making use of the hot tubs and the flat screens the night before.

Before leaving, we made sure to get some pictures next to Lake Louise. It's still partially frozen, but the view of the mountains in the backdrop of the blue-green glacier water is pretty surreal. When we finally get pictures up, you'll be able to see it for yourself! (We're working on it in Calgary...)

We weren't paying Chateau prices for breakfast, so we stopped a few kilometres down the road from the hotel to eat our own food at a picnic area. Granola and bananas in the cold...delicious. Apparently some birds thought so too, and decided to hang around our table. To get one away, Jon threw a pinecone, and as luck would have it, a park ranger just happened to be driving by. He wasn't too impressed, but didn't give us too hard of a time thankfully, amd we went on our way.

The 85km road to Canmore was very flat...a nice change from yesterday. As I've said, we're starting to get lucky with wildlife, and we can check 'elk' off the list today. As we were drafting, we passed by a big male with an enormous rack just grazing on the side of the highway, but somehow noone saw it until we were right close. They're not exactly animals you want to get close to, but he just ran back into the forest. Couldn't snap a picture unfortunately...he was pretty magnificent to see.

Once in Canmore, we had a place to stay at friends in town, Jennifer and Dave. They own Unlimited snowboard and skate shops in Canmore and Banff, and have young sons Keir and Tait. While we were doing some maintenance, Jen's godfather Bruce stopped by and dropped off a bottle of wine for dinner in appreciation. Fantastic!

Dave instructs for an under-9s mountain biking camp in town, and had offered to have us come up and talk to the kids after they were done. This was a really cool experience. We had the chance to talk to and answer questions from about 50 kids and their parents, and we and they alike all really enjoyed it...the kids' questions were fantastic, and we got to tell them all about what we're doing. They were really excited! Afterwards we got to take a picture with all of the kids at the camp for the local newspaper, which was great. It was really a special feeling. (We'll try and get that one up soon, too...)

After a nice dinner and a few beers at Dave and Jen's place, we're getting ready for the last stretch into Calgary tomorrow, where Global should catch us coming in to town, and hopefully some other stations as well! We'll also be on Q107 Friday morning with Terry Dimonte, a man I grew up with listening to the radio in Montreal. They'll be on location at the Deerfoot Inn and Casino, so hopefully there will be a lot of people and we get some good airtime! We'll kep everyone posted.

PS: The guys would like everyone to know that I accidentally took someone else's 4L of milk when we were in the grocery store in Golden. It was sitting right there, and I just figured it was ours. Mea culpa.
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Up the Kicking Horse Pass to a stay at the Chateau

2008-05-26T22:26:00.001-07:00

You can tell right away when you hit the Rocky Mountains.

The Rockies shoot out of the ground, sharp, jagged, and steep. Through the Kicking Horse Pass from Golden to Lake Louise, they surround the highway and are an impressive sight. Just as impressive is the emerald blue-green glacier water that runs in the rivers. There are really no words to describe how beautiful it is.

We've also been snake-bitten with the wildlife scenery.

Until today, we had not really seen any interesting wildlife (other than some ospreys and eagles through the Fraser Canyon, which were actually pretty cool). Right out of Golden, we saw several mountain goats relaxing next to the highway. Their horns were something else, and realistically we probably shouldn't have stuck around so close to them, but they were really calm so it didn't seem like a problem. And FINALLY we saw a black bear. He was seemingly grazing for food just off the railroad tracks, it was too bad we couldn't have seen him (a bit) closer up. We couldn't believe it took this long to finally see one.

The Kicking Horse Pass was much like Rogers Pass, a straight up climb about 800m the whole way. What made it particularly hard were the headwinds we fought all day, and after passing through our FIRST provincial border, we finally made it 85km to Lake Louise. When we got there in the late afternoon, we assumed we would find a campsite. They were all closed, and the nearest one was 27km away.

We were looking at our options when I remembered I had asked my parents to try and get us a stay at the Chateau Lake Louise. You just never know! I hadn't checked my Blackberry all day, so I figured it was worth it.

Well thank goodness I did.

I had voicemails and emails telling us we had a free stay at Banff Springs. Not much good to us in Lake Louise, but after a quick call, the Chateau was willing to do the same for us.

After a gruelling 4km trip up there, we got into our rooms and hit the hot tubs right away. It is an absolutely beautiful hotel, and our rooms overlook beautiful Lake Louise. We are incredibly lucky to have the opportunities we've been afforded to date.

Tomorrow we'll go to Canmore to stay with family friends before stopping in Calgary the next day for a day off. It looks like we'll be getting some media as well!
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Down the hill to Golden

2008-05-25T20:20:00.001-07:00

The last few days have brought about several firsts,

Yesterday, we reached 1000km for the trip. Today, we crossed our first time zone. Tomorrow, we will cross our first provincial border into Alberta.

Our ride to Golden was pretty much the exact opposite of yesterday's ride. In the mountains, what goes up must come down, so after a long 900m climb over 70km to the Rogers Pass summit, we were rewarded today with 80km of almost pure downhill. We probably could have done it yesterday it was so easy, but didn't realize it.

The highway between Revelstoke and Golden has been closed several times over the past few weeks due to mudslides, and the snow sheds that protect the roads have been covered in snow, not allowing us to walk around them as cyclists normally would. As a result, Darryl, a Parks Canada employee, blocked off the highway for us as we went through the snowsheds, then escorted us past the area where the mudslides have been occuring recently. Thanks Darryl!

The scenery was absolutely incredible. On either side of the highway, there were huge snowy peaks, the Purcell mountains according to a map. We couldn't help but stare as we went along the highway, it was pretty breathtaking.

Once in Golden, we found the Kicking Horse Hostel just off the highway, and got a reduced rate for camping outside with use of the indoor facilities. There weren't too many people around, so we decided to watch one of the movies available. Mike got to choose after winning a game of straws, and decided on "Conan the Destroyer" starring Arnold Schwarzenegger. It was definitely low-budget because they sure didn't pay much for storywriters or screenplay writers...it was absolutely terrible. You know a movie is bad when the guy who chose it falls asleep 30 minutes in, but some of the scenes were so incredibly ridiculous that we got some good laughs out of it.

Tomorrow we'll cross into Alberta, making our way to beautiful Lake Louise on our way to Calgary.
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Climbing out of Revelstoke to the Rogers Pass Summit

2008-05-24T21:50:00.001-07:00

Some have commented on the fact that references to the local geography haven't been particularly accurate, mostly in relation to the number of mountain ranges in BC. I had always assumed that they were ALL the Rockies, but that is not the case at all. Here are some facts and corrections.

Through Vancouver Island, we passed through the Vancouver Island Ranges. As we left Hope, up until around Kamloops, we were travelling in the Cascade Mountains. Up until Revelstoke, we were in the Monashee Mountains.

After Revelstoke, the next city to speak about is Golden, through Rogers Pass in Glacier National Park, into the Selkirk Mountains. It's a long way to go for one day's ride, so today we went halfway to the Rogers Pass Summit.

It was pretty incredible. We were surrounded on all sides by huge mountains covered in glaciers. All through the day we could hear and see water running down the mountainside as the snow melts with the coming spring, creating streams that connect with one another and continue down.

Unfortunately for us, it was essentially a 70km day straight up, with few flats or downhills to speak of. The summit of Rogers Pass is at an altitude of 1330m. We climbed about 900m of that today alone! It was an absolute grind.

Along the way, we met another cyclist making his way across the country. His name was Ryan, works in real estate marketing in Calgary, and was doing the trip alone. Moreover, he was pulling a trailer like ours, except with the 90L drysack COMPLETELY full of gear, plus his tent on top. He was carrying three days' worth of food, and about 9L of water. It was pretty crazy, as he was trying to make it all the way to Golden in one shot...for a 9-10pm arrival time. We have a feeling we'll be seeing him later on in the trip.

Once done for the day, Barb set us up to have the bikes locked up in a warehouse at the summit, and drove us back to her place for the night. Tomorrow morning we'll pick up where we left off, and head into Golden.
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High in the sky in Revelstoke

2008-05-23T23:04:00.001-07:00

After 10 straight days of cycling without a break (not exactly recommended practise by any means), it was nice to finally get a day off today in Revelstoke. It allowed us to recover and regain some strength for the remaining mountain passes to come.

While this was a "rest" day, we still had quite a lot to take care of. First things first, we got on the air at one of the local radio stations. It was a lot of fun, and hopefully we got the word out to a lot of people in the area. A few guys got checked out by a chiropractor friend of Barb's for some pains they had noticed, and no serious problems to report. We got our bikes back from tuneups, and they're all in top shape, no major mechanical problems. We even met with a reporter from the Revelstoke Times Review!

But this was all boring housekeeping for us. The best part of the day was the helicopter ride we got to take just after lunch!

A friend of Barb's flies helicopters out of Revelstoke airport, and had agreed to take us up for a spin. The first major step was deciding who got what seats. At lunch, Mike and Brian lost out on our makeshift "pick the joker" game, and were relegated to the middle seats away from the windows. Once arrived at the airport, it was down to Pat, Jon, and I for the co-pilot's seat, prime viewing location. Jonno lost out on a game of 'even or odd,' so it was down to Pat and I in a best-of-three rock-paper-scissors showdown. Pat took the first one, but I made a valiant comeback to claim the prized spot! I was pretty psyched about it, and Barb's got some photo evidence to prove it.

Except for Mike, none of us had ever been up in a helicopter before. It was something else. After a quick briefing, we were up and away, flying around the mountains around Revelstoke. It was surreal. Our pilot, Matt, took us around a nearby dam before taking a dive down towards the forest, which took us quite by surprise but was a really cool feeling. He then took us around Mount Begbie, high up into the glacier. It was so close you felt like you could touch it...and then he took another steep dive down the mountainside before heading back in. Eighteen minutes of pure exhileration. Thanks to Barb for setting it up for us, and thanks to Matt for taking us up! It was the experience of a lifetime.

To end our stay, Barb treated us to dinner. She's been wonderful to us, and it won't end here. Tomorrow we'll scale Roger's Pass before locking all of our gear up in a shed and getting driven back to stay at her place before continuing on to Golden the next day once she takes us back to our gear. There is absolutely nothing between here and Golden, so this is our safest option, and we really appreciate it!

***

PS: For those who have commented about the lack of photos recently...we know. It's hard for us to find time to load them up to our site, but we've got loads and we'll try and get them on there as soon as possible for everyone to check out. Good things come to those who wait, I guess, but we appreciate that you want to see them so badly!

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An easy ride to our first rest day in Revelstoke

2008-05-22T23:55:00.001-07:00

After spending a great day in Sicamous with the Thomsens, we had what was probably our best night of sleep since the trip started on one of their houseboats. We got a later start than usual, but still got in a few pictures with Knud on the docks before taking off. I still can't believe we were on a houseboat.

Right as we left town, we stopped for breakfast at Tim Horton's. All of us are big fans, and the previous evening, Paul, a friend of Marianne and Knud's, stopped in at dinner to give us a $100 gift card. What a gift! We ate well and headed off for Revelstoke. Just as we did, we were stopped by a woman pulled over on the side of the road who asked if she had seen us on TV. Tracy (hope I didn't get that wrong) was very appreciative of what we are doing, and said that although she didn't have a lot of money, she wanted to contribute. It was quite a moving encounter, so I hope she's reading!

To our surprise, the road there was relatively flat, so we made great time. With only a 76km day ahead of us and quite a bit to see, we made a number of quick stops. The first was at a museum commemorating the driving of the last spike in the CP Railway. They had a mural set up and we took a picture. Later on, we tried to get to a suspension bridge along the highway, but figured it wasn't worth the $9 just for a picture.

For lunch, we stopped in Three Valley Gap, but were expecting to grab a quick snack before heading off. That is, until Russ, one of the employees, came out and asked us what we were doing. When we told him, he went inside, later returning to tell us we could come in and get a soup and sandwich on the house! We even got a donation out of it, and were able to get some good pictures outside. It was a pretty touristy day for the group.

After getting into Revelstoke, we brought our bikes into a shop and got into Pat's aunt Barb's place. She had set us up with free passes to the aquatic centre in town to recover. Tomorrow we will take a day off, but will still be busy. We have a spot on the local radio in the morning, a helicopter ride, and a meet-and-greet in the afternoon outside of the bike shop. Should be fun!

And you heard right, a helicopter ride!

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Moving Muscles trek makes short Salt Spring pit stop

2008-05-22T22:12:00.000-07:00

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Houseboating in Sicamous

2008-05-21T22:16:00.001-07:00

We all knew that at points during the trip, we would meet some amazing people and have some great experiences, completely out of the blue.

Today was certainly one of those days. We knew we were getting set up on a houseboat upon our arrival in Sicamous, but had no idea what to expect. We had been told that the owners were wonderful people, but what would that really mean?

Today's ride was a short 60km trip to Sicamous. Nothing very special happened, although lunch in Salmon Arm was interesting. After picking up some groceries, we proceeded to set up shop inside the local mall. We had gotten cold cuts and some salads, and broke out our sporks and bowls to eat at one of the tables inside. As this sight probably looked absolutely ridiculous to most people, lots came up to talk to us. One woman from the local media called up one of their reporters, so we got to take some pictures and chat with him before moving on to Sicamous.

Let's get serious, though. Who cares about today's ride? Today was definitely about the two wonderful people we got to meet, and the incredible generosity they extended to us.

When we arrived in Sicamous, we had been told to call Knud and Marianne Thomsen, who we had been told ran a houseboat company in town, Twin Anchors. We did as we were told, and Knud came to meet us and lead us to their marina on the Shuswap. Once there, we met Marianne, and they invited us in to have lunch on them, and we all got to talking about their lives, and how their company, Twin Anchors, came to be.

Knud had an incredible story. He immigrated from Denmark about 45 years ago in his mid-20s, as a bricklayer in search of work. There wasn't much in the field at the time, so to make more dough he "moved into the bush" and worked as a logger. Over time, he and his brother bought land, acquiring 880 acres which they logged themselves. At first they just sold it, but later processed it as well to make more money.

Knud had been looking to buy land near the Shuswap area, and one night while having a drink with the owner of the marina they now own, the then owner suggested that he buy the property off of him. He was sold on the idea, and has built Twin Anchor Houseboats into what it is today.

Marianne was Knud's cleaning supervisor, and as she said herself, Knud figured "it was cheaper to marry her than to pay her." They have 6 children and 16 grandchildren together, and couldn't be more proud about it. Their son Greg now runs the family business.

After lunch we were set up in our boat, and this thing was something else. Hot tub, kitchen, TV, multiple bedrooms, and two floors. Unreal. We got familiar with it for a few hours before Knud picked us up for a tour of the office and their manufacturing plant. This was amazing. Knud took us around the plant floor where new houseboats were being built, and some of them were stunning. Three levels, multiple waterslides, flatscreen TVs, you name it they had a boat with it. Everybody was friendly with us and it was quite something to see how they were built. It also helps when the owner is showing you around, because nobody's going to tell him where he can and can't go...even if the tour guests are wearing their flip-flops on a shop floor.

From there, we went on to a barbeque dinner at their place, and we got to meet Marianne a bit more. She regaled us with stories of her children, grandchildren, various paintings, and pieces of art while we gorged on cheeseburgers, potato salad, and baked beans, with ice cream for dessert. Over a few beers Knud told some jokes and we heard all about the Vasa, the Swedish warship built in the 1600s which capsized in the harbour on its maiden voyage, and was subsequently salvaged and restored through the second half of the 20th century. They were absolutely incredible to us, and Marianne gave us their personal numbers so that we could give them a call for anything we needed...even reservations for a houseboat next summer.

As I said, this day was all about the people, and we met two of the great ones in Marianne and Knud. I'm sure we'll be seeing them in the near future, perched on one of their beautiful houseboats on Shuswap Lake.

Tomorrow we have a short ride to Revelstoke to stay with Pat's Aunt Barb, where we'll take a day to rest before making our way through the Rocky Mountains, but we'll never forget the kindness and pure generosity that Marianne and Knud offered us today.
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On the Shuswap in Sorrento

2008-05-20T18:05:00.001-07:00

As I've said, we've been keeping a pretty torrid pace to date, considering we're inexperienced cyclists on our first touring trip. Our ride today was expected to be one of our easiest, a relatively flat road out of Kamloops past Chase and into Sorrento.

We spent a great night at Daryl and Anne Schimpf's place. They have been moving their children in and out of their home, and were gracious enough to clear out their living room so we could sleep there. After a good night's rest (for me anyways...apparently I sounded like a truck downshifting on the highway), we were woken to breakfast and coffee. They had some of the best cinnamon buns I have had in a long time.

Once we were ready to go, Daryl got out his motorcycle and drove out of town with us, following for about 40km. It was fun having him as an escort, and he got us away from the dangerous section of the Transcanada through town, further away from the city. Thanks Daryl!

We got to Chase after 60km of riding and stopped for lunch. There was a big hill out, and Jon became the proud owner of the trip's first broken spoke. Thankfully we have all the repair we need to fix just about anything, but unfortunately the spokes we were sold were just slightly too short to replace the broken one. We had no choice but to do without, and adjusted some of the other spokes to settle the resulting wobbly wheel. We switched Jon's trailer to another bike, and kept on going.

Unfortunately it started to rain as we progressed to Sorrento. Worse was the lack of campgrounds for us once we got there. We passed one closeby on our way there, but backtracking is a waste. The other ones in the right direction wouldn't take tenters, and we didn't want to press on. What to do?

Make your own campsite is what you do.

Brian and Jon found a great location for us along Blind Bay Road. It had shelter, it was dry, had lots of seating, room for our bikes and gear, and space for cooking our food and drying our clothes. Lots of greenspace, not out of the way at all, and with a great view of Shuswap Lake. Best of all, it was the right price! What was this location, you ask?

The Blind Bay Community Hall.

It was our best option, so we started setting up. As a courtesy, we made a call to their number and left a message letting them know what we were doing. Right now we're eating delicious hamburgers as we cook on one of the ramps around the back, and plan to sleep on one of the porches. It might get a bit cold, but we'll dress for it and we have fantastic sleeping bags, so it shouldn't be a problem.

As long as this dog that keeps hanging around goes away and doesn't blow our cover, we'll sleep here before making our way on a short ride to Sicamous for a night in a house-boat! Should be more comfortable than tonight's lodgings.
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Fighting headwinds to Kamloops

2008-05-19T22:39:00.001-07:00

Ashcroft sits downhill from the Transcanada, along the Thompson River. After a longer-than-expected day yesterday, the climb out of Ashcroft was tough on stiff, tired legs.

We've been keeping a hard pace, a bit too hard for the start of the trip, and were expecting a relatively easy day to Kamloops. Everyone we had talked to didn't mention any difficult road, and it was less than 100km away.

The winds decided to change things up on us.

Battling a headwind is like trying to scale an escalator in the wrong direction. Sure you'll make some progress, but you have to work hard for it. You feel like you're expending energy for nothing, but you have no choice but to keep going. It's a defeating feeling, and completely drains you.

We were also told the road was relatively flat.

While the climbs were not very steep, they were long grades, especially against the wind. Our highest climb was up to 731m just short of Kamloops. We were met by Dave Sprague who was heading back towards Calgary, and headed downhill into town.

After stopping at a Tim Horton's, we began looking at our options. There were few campsites close to town, and were in no mood to travel any great distance to settle down. We tried phoning hotels pretending to be "assistants" looking for a discounted rate, with no luck.

Finally we called Ian Schimpf, a friend of the Vancouver boys, who we knew lived in Kamloops. While he wasn't in Kamloops, he talked to his parents who have taken us in for the night. Furthermore, they have set us up in a house-boat Wednesday night in Sicamous after a phone call to a friend of theirs. Amazing!

Given our exhaustion, we are taking three days to our rest day in Revelstoke instead of two. Tomorrow we will have a shorter day to Sorrento, then to Sicamous for the house-boat stay, and finally into Revelstoke to rest at Pat's aunt's.
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Through the drylands to Ashcroft

2008-05-18T17:43:00.001-07:00

The mountains play tricks with the eyes.

False flats are stretches of road that appear perfectly straight, but are actually climbs, sometimes steep. The highway in these parts is full of them, and the only way you can really see them is by looking backwards. Your only hope is to grind it out until you're done. The downhills are never as downhill as you hoped, the straights are uphill, and the climbs are long and arduous. It's a mind game.

Today we left the Blue Bay campground back down the steep hill, and took off down the Transcanada. After a quick stop in Lytton, we pressed on until we finally pulled in to an RV camp to fill up on water and ask about the road ahead. Here we met Don, the owner, who entertained us with stories, gave us some cold Pepsi in iced mason jar glasses, and offered insight on the road as we rested up and refuelled. He was something else.

He told us we could find groceries in a small convenience store behind a cafe in Spence's Bridge. The cafe itself was fantastic. It had a great atmosphere with a folk band playing, and beautiful hardwood floors that we were afraid to walk on with our cycling shoes for fear of damaging it. Thankfully they were very accomodating and filled us up with water before going on our way with some groceries for the next few meals.

As I believe I've said before, this area is remote. We lost cell phone coverage for about a day and a half, the towns are small and spaced apart, and there are few good campsites. It's essentially a desert. Because of this, we had to push on in the heat, all the way to Ashcroft for a 110km up and down day. Thankfully we've been maintaining a manageable pace, so we're not tiring ourselves out too much.

Right now, we're resting at a random campsite in town, along the Thompson River. Unfortunately the currents are too strong to swim in, but we've got some shade and some grass, so have done pretty well given the circumstances.

Tomorrow we'll move on to the Kamloops area, before hitting Salmon Arm on our way to Revelstoke where we'll take our first rest day of the trip, at Pat's aunt's place. It will be well-deserved indeed.
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I think I can, I think I can, I think I can...all the way to Boston Bar

2008-05-18T14:49:00.001-07:00

*****

Unfortunately, you the reader will get this latest post on a bit of a delay. Our location has no cellular signal, so this will come through at the next opportunity.

It's also long. Brace yourself.

*****

As engineering physics majors go, we tend to think we're the cream of the engineering crop. Studying quantum mechanics sometimes inflates your ego (insert your own joke about that here). We particularly like to rag on civil engineers.

Well, I've discovered a newfound respect for them.

The road out of Hope is a slow-winding highway through the Rocky Mountains, along the valley cut out by the Fraser River as it flows through central British Columbia. It's full of slow-rolling ups and downs as we climb our way into the Rockies along the Transcanada. What was most amazing was the work that must have gone into building the highway itself. It's chiseled right into the mountainside, sometimes even through it. Even more amazing were the railroad lines that run along the highway closer to the river. Pulling thousands and thousands of tonnes of weight, they can only handle the slightest grades, slowly making their way through the Fraser River Valley.

The ride today reminded me of those trains. The Rockies will be unforgiving, so we have to take our time, pacing ourselves appropriately so that we don't completely burn out. Being self-sufficient, we're carrying quite a lot of gear with us in trailers behind three of the five bikes, just like a train carries its cargo. The trains eventually reach their destination, as will we, but we will be unable to keep up the mileage we have covered on a daily basis thus far.

Today we took things as they came on an 85km ride to Boston Bar, which sits high above the Fraser Canyon. We kept a steady pace through the first 50km, feeling out the mountains and conserving our strength for later days. I was our first casualty of the trip, just catching a road sign at slow speed as we came out of a tunnel. Realistically, I should have gotten off my bike, but instead ate a fistful of dirt and got some good scrapes. No big deal, we just cleaned it up later.

After taking a picture outside of an Elvis-themed restaurant in the middle of nowhere, we headed into Boston Bar to pick up some groceries. We found out about a campsite about 15km past the town, and pushed on.

Let me tell you this, just getting to this campsite was the most physically challenging part of the day.

Once we got there, we had to get off the bikes and climb up a 1km dirt road, pushing everything up a steep hill to Blue Lake campground. Pat put his front brakes on by accident, and slid downhill, it was so bad. It was torture in the heat, after a day of climbing through the mountains. Thankfully, once we got there we were treated to a dip in the lake, and a nice meal in a nice quiet site.

Tomorrow we'll do more of the same, feeling out the road as we climb along the Transcanada.

...and the civil engineers can rest easy. I won't be making fun of them anymore.
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Across Canada Bike Ride for MD

2008-05-17T01:09:00.000-07:00

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A long trek to Hope

2008-05-16T21:20:00.001-07:00

After a nice half-day of rest in North Delta, we took off along the Lougheed Highway, destination Hope, our gateway to the Rockies.

After the hilly passages through Vancouver Island, the relatively flat road to Hope was a nice change. There's only one problem: Hope is pretty far away from Vancouver, a solid 140km day. After an easy ride through North Delta and Surrey, across the Albion ferry, and along the Lougheed to Mission, we were met there for an early lunch by Jon's uncle John, aunt Mary Ann (Jon gave me the spelling...blame him if it's wrong), and cousin Lando. The best part was the huge banner they had along the side of the highway: "Jonathan go home." We took a picture with it and headed in to eat at the nearby ABC Country restaurant. We were hungry, so the food didn't last too long. The owner even gave us a donation! Out of gratitude we took a picture with their staff outside.

After lunch, we were scheduled to do some media with CTV. We were really excited because they're coast-to-coast. We spent a long time with them taking different shots. It's interesting to see how choreographed the footage is. They took shots of us getting ready, interviewed us all, then came out on the road with us to get some bike footage. They got some great shots of us, and we were on the air for the 6pm news. Everyone has told us it was really well done. Thanks CTV!

Despite how much fun the media was, it did set us back a bit. Thankfully the road to Hope is easy-going, because this was our first day with intense sun and heat. We had to stop frequently to hydrate and were constantly applying sunscreen. Despite this, it was a really nice change from the wet we weather we had been going through on the Island. We'll take it every time.

In the baking sun, the distance adding up, and the hour getting (relatively) late, we were determined to push on to Hope. The road seemed to go on forever, and the last 10km got really hard. When we finally arrived, we were hungry, and headed to the first thing we saw: Subway. We ordered 8 footlong subs and almost ate them all. Several people came by to talk to us, and we even got a donation out of it. Several people have been giving us donations randomly, and love talking with us. It's a great feeling.

After gorging on food, we have now settled in to the Coquihala Campground for the evening, and will be going to bed early tonight. We even have visitors! Friends of Mike, Pat, and I - Cam McCormack and Aria Kashefi - have stopped by to say hello on their way to Cam's cottage. We're going to head back to them now...wouldn't want to be rude hosts!

Given our hard pace the first few days, were going to tone it down through the Rockies. The next week or so will be a pure climb into the mountains, so we won't be able to span a lot of mileage, especially with all of our gear weighing us down. We'll take things as they come tomorrow and see how we feel.
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Moving Muscles Ride 2008

Just like yesterday

One Year Later

Mike's Final Thoughts

Pat's final blog

Brian's Final Thoughts

Final Thoughts

Getting screeched in after dipping the tires in the Atlantic

Across the ferry to Newfoundland

To North Sydney, our gateway to Newfoundland

Surf and Turf in Antigonish before the last few days in Cape Breton

Two sleepy days on Prince Edrward Island

Spanning the Confederation Bridge to Prince Edward Island

CTV News Montreal

A visit from Pat's parents on our way to Rexton

Leading the parade through Bathurst on our way down the coast

The countdown begins in New Brunswick

Up and down and into the wind along the Matapedia to Sainte-Florence

A second homecoming in Metis-sur-Mer

Another tiring day to Trois-Pistoles

Fighting wind and cold to La Pocatiere

More stories of quebec city...

Celebrating Quebec's 400th anniversary with Sir Paul

Cyclists, poutine, and thunderstorms on our way to Quebec City

On the Route Verte to Trois-Rivieres

Out of Ontario, into Quebec, and two great days in Montreal

A trying day through Ottawa

Finished with the hilly highways (for now) in Arnprior

I forgot to mention...

An addition to yesterdays blog

From a cottage to sleeping on a random property

Steep hills to Kennisis Lake; waking, tubing, and barging on our days off

Getting to and resting at camp big canoe

Q107 Interview July 7th

Power 97 Interview June 13th

Mike Interviewed on EZ Roc July 1st

Groove FM June 13th

Q107 Interview June 13

A scorcher to Balsam Lake Provincial Park

Also...

Brian and jonno relaxing at black river campground!

Trekking through Toronto along Lakeshore

A hot one to Hamilton

Video at London Free Press Website

A special homecoming day in London

London Free Press Article

Escorted into London by their finest

Two into London, three rest in Dungannon

A blustery day to Dungannon

A Happy Canada Day in Sauble Beach

Through Manitoulin Island and across the ferry to Tobermory

Rounding the corner to Whitefish Falls

Cracking thunder, Golden Dragon as we make our way to Blind River

In the Soo, Lake Superior conquered!

To the Soo, we're most of the way in Pancake Bay

A Tale of Two Parks - first Obatanga now Lake Superior

Buggy in Obatanga Provincial Park

Winding along Lake Superior's hills and plateaus to Marathon

Whitewood Herald Article

Articles on MMR

A visit with Terry Fox en route to Dorion

A hot day to Thunder Bay

A milestone to Upsula

Meeting other cyclists on our way to Dryden

A mix of weather to Kenora

Smooth sailing out of Winnipeg

A long leg to the 'Peg

Caught in Carberry

A new friend on our way to Brandon

Calgary's Q107 FM Interview

Big Dog 92.7 Interview

Finally out of Saskatchewan and into Manitoba

Storms to Grenfell

Storms to Grenfell

Blessings from Caronport and into Regina

Climbing flat mountains to Caronport

Roadkill on the way to a birdwatching tower in...Somewhere, SK

Singing in the rain to Swift Current

A late start, a new province

The wind turns against us to Medicine Hat