Grafton -> Belleville 78km
The highlight of this day was a stop at Earthwalk, Eco Education Centre. Located just outside of Colborne on a 5 acre plot of land it seems eons away from the hustle and bustle of the city. Peace and quiet surrounded us as we coasted down the driveway to the centre. There we had a snack of freshly picked beans and tomatoes before heading to one of the classrooms for a workshop on "getting your message through" some helpful hints on how to engage your audience were shared with us by Garnet McPherson the program's director. We also learned about the house and how it had been built, essentially carbon neutral using solar power to both heat and cool the house. We had lunch there and were then joined on our ride by a couple of locals who pedalled with us to Brighton.
We stopped for ice creams in Carrying Place a small town about half way through the ride. There we determined that yet again we had managed to lose a member of the group. Eddy was nowhere to be seen and only after some thorough searching by the support vehicle did he turn up having taken a substantial detour! The rest of the ride was uneventful and we arrived in Belleville about 6pm only 2 hours behind schedule! We were supposed to meet with the mayor there but I guess he got tired of waiting around and the town hall was quiet when we arrived. We headed on over to Organic Undgeround a great cafe/multi-use space where we were spending the night. The space didn't have showers so we decided to go the Y we heard was just a few blocks away. We started walking and 45 minutes later were still walking, I guess we should have asked just how far a "few" blocks is. The sauna there made it worthwhile and I had a great sleep that night.
Belleville -> Kingston 92km
Just me and the guys. again. Rita had to return to Toronto for the day and Eddy had to get back to school so our group had dwindled to 7. We left early and made great time as we followed the shoreline east towards Kingston. I finally finished all the Harry Potter books, perfect timing as the tour is almost over! We stopped in Bath for lunch and had arrived in Kingston by 3:30pm.
We went to a tar-sands teach in at Queen's led by Clayton Thomas Muller of the Indigenous Environment Network. He is a great speaker and I was happy to learn more from him. He also told us that Mercury is in retrograde which apparently makes people late, miss connections and generally behind schedule. This makes sense as we proceeded to miss two ferries and a train all within the next two hours! We finally made it over to Wolfe Island by 10:30pm our final destination for the night. While waiting for the ferry we amused ourselves by playing Zoom, Schwartz, Bflude..something, Kingston's citizens were probably wondering what kind of crazies were in town as we crawled, hopped and ran barefoot around the ferry terminal. Or maybe they took no notice since it's frosh week at Queen's and many weirder things are going on!
Today we are having a rest day, this morning we had a tour of the wind farm on Wolfe Island which was very interesting. The structures are very impressive once you get up close. I don't know about you but I would much rather have a wind turbine in my backyard then a coal-fired or nuclear plant! I guess tonight we will just chill out and try and get a good night's sleep before we head out for Westport tomorrow!
Apologies for the lack of pictures but I forgot my camera cord! Will post some next time I have reliable internet!
Friday, September 11, 2009
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
Days 52 & 53 Riding with a new crew
Toronto -> Oshawa 80km??
Left Anubha's after a great stay in Toronto. I was shown that my preconcieved notions about Toronto were completely wrong and it is a very down to earth and friendly city after all. Thanks too very mu
ch to Anubha for having me stay and showing me a great time!
I met with the new crew at union station and got ready to ride out of the city. The majority of the group decided to ride the GO train to Pickering but, the west coast crew plus Leslie decided to brave the busy streets and pedal our way out.
Stopped in Pickering for a photo shoot in front of N.A's largest wind turbine, largest but solo...and in front of a nuclear station... let's think about that for a minute. After that the whole group rode into Ajax and there we met the mayor Steve Perry who rode with us through town. We stopped for lunch at a park on lake Ontario and then got back on the Waterfront Trail to continue east along the lakeshore.
We spent the night camping in Darlington Provincial Park, our site was on the cliffside looking out onto lake Ontario, pretty stunning! It was fun to be part of a larger group again, we had a campfire and played games by the firelight before retiring to our tents.
Oshawa -> Grafton 65km so far
Odometer number 5 is now functioning! Hopefully knock on wood this one will last the rest of the trip! It should considering there are only 5 days left!
We left the campground around 10, our group having already shrunken by 2. Emma had to head back to TO for work and Ted was heading into town to have a broken spoke repaired before he could rejoin the tour. He left me with the map and directions to continue east, assuring me that they were straightforward and easy to follow... I don't know if I'm just bad at directions or he is exceptionally good but we managed to split the group into three, spend time backtracking and do some bushwacking all within the first hour! After trying to leave hints for groups further back as we twisted and turned through the forest we finally gave up and left the trail for a service road running parallel to the highway.
We met back up with Ted at lunch time just outside of Port Hope and I was happy to relinquish the role of "leader" back to him. We stopped in Cobourg for a tour of a geothermal company and then continued on to a press conference at a local cafe, we chatted with local press and did a mock ride by for a good photo opportunity. Check out these links later today or tomorrow to see the articles. Northumberland View, Today.com, The Northumberland News
That brings me up to right now where I am currently blogging away at the Go Green Together office. Big thanks to them for organizing the press conference, riding with us into the city and letting us use their office for blogging! We have a few more clicks to go but have been revitalized by fresh lemonade, fruit and coconut cookies at the cafe next door. End destination is Ted's families farm.
Left Anubha's after a great stay in Toronto. I was shown that my preconcieved notions about Toronto were completely wrong and it is a very down to earth and friendly city after all. Thanks too very mu
ch to Anubha for having me stay and showing me a great time!I met with the new crew at union station and got ready to ride out of the city. The majority of the group decided to ride the GO train to Pickering but, the west coast crew plus Leslie decided to brave the busy streets and pedal our way out.
Stopped in Pickering for a photo shoot in front of N.A's largest wind turbine, largest but solo...and in front of a nuclear station... let's think about that for a minute. After that the whole group rode into Ajax and there we met the mayor Steve Perry who rode with us through town. We stopped for lunch at a park on lake Ontario and then got back on the Waterfront Trail to continue east along the lakeshore.
We spent the night camping in Darlington Provincial Park, our site was on the cliffside looking out onto lake Ontario, pretty stunning! It was fun to be part of a larger group again, we had a campfire and played games by the firelight before retiring to our tents.
Oshawa -> Grafton 65km so far
Odometer number 5 is now functioning! Hopefully knock on wood this one will last the rest of the trip! It should considering there are only 5 days left!
We left the campground around 10, our group having already shrunken by 2. Emma had to head back to TO for work and Ted was heading into town to have a broken spoke repaired before he could rejoin the tour. He left me with the map and directions to continue east, assuring me that they were straightforward and easy to follow... I don't know if I'm just bad at directions or he is exceptionally good but we managed to split the group into three, spend time backtracking and do some bushwacking all within the first hour! After trying to leave hints for groups further back as we twisted and turned through the forest we finally gave up and left the trail for a service road running parallel to the highway.
We met back up with Ted at lunch time just outside of Port Hope and I was happy to relinquish the role of "leader" back to him. We stopped in Cobourg for a tour of a geothermal company and then continued on to a press conference at a local cafe, we chatted with local press and did a mock ride by for a good photo opportunity. Check out these links later today or tomorrow to see the articles. Northumberland View, Today.com, The Northumberland News
That brings me up to right now where I am currently blogging away at the Go Green Together office. Big thanks to them for organizing the press conference, riding with us into the city and letting us use their office for blogging! We have a few more clicks to go but have been revitalized by fresh lemonade, fruit and coconut cookies at the cafe next door. End destination is Ted's families farm.
Saturday, September 5, 2009
Days 46-51 under sunny skies
Sault Ste. Marie -> Blind River 152km
Our longest day yet! We made good time thanks to a great tail wind and a flat road! Fueled by omelettes, crepes, blueberry flan, deep fried zuchini and fresh tszatziki we were ready to pedal out those kilometres! Andre, Annika and Dusty joined us for the first 35km, I felt for them as they turned around to battle a strong headwind back into town. Huge thanks to Andre, Andrea and Annika for hosting us for 2 nights, we enjoyed ourselves immensly and will think back only on good memories of Sault Ste. Marie.
We got into Blind River just after 6 and being that it was a Sunday of course all the grocery stores were closed. We "dined" that evening at Subway. I was suitably impressed as Malkolm easily wolfed down 2 foot long subs! I let him know that I would be amazed if he could manage 3 by Ottawa! We spent that night on some mossy rocks next to a swamp, a campsite Kesten found while we were eating and deemed "quiet and lovely" by him. It wasn't bad as far as bush camping goes but I think our definitions of "quiet and lovely" differ quite substantially.
Blind River -> Espanola 107km
I will remember this day because of the icecream. On a sunny afternoon after riding your bike for a few hours all you can think about is icecream. I'm not sure if this statement applies to everyone but for me it is always true. As the afternoon wears on I am constantly on the lookout for the sandwich board sign with the all familiar icecream cone on it. That day I wanted to get to our destination before stopping for icecream, i'm not sure why but I guess I was just in the zone. I was lucky though, that Malkolm was in the mood for an icecream en route because when we stopped in Webbwood I think I almost went to heaven. Farquhar's icecream, what a delight! I had the maple twist and it was in the top 5 icecreams I have had in my life. Let me tell you that is saying a lot, I have gone for icecream in probably almost every country, city, town I have ever visited. Farquhar's tops the list. It comes from a small dairy on Manitoulin Island and is only available in that small region of Ontario. If any of you ever get the chance to stop for a Farquhar's icecream I wouldn't pass up that opportunity, it is DELICIOUS!!!!
Espanola -> Tobermory 115km???
Again my odometer bit the dust that day so my daily distance is an estimation. We rode from Espanola over the LaCloche "mountains" over the swinging bridge onto Manitoulin Island, took the ferry across lake Huron and ended our day in Tobermory on the very north end of the Bruce Peninsula.
We had a fairly tight schedule that day, you know with ferry schedules and all finally something familiar to me. The constant slight pressure of knowing you have to be there on time or you will see the ferry chugging out of sight without you. We thought we had left ourselves loads of time until in the firs
t hour Malkolms chain broke. That set us back an hour. Then there was the "mountain" range we had to cross, they were more just like big hills but they did slow us down. Once we were on the island we were hit with terrible road conditions and a strong headwind. Our extra time was slipping away from us. Kesten ended up hitching a ride to make it on time and the rest of us powered on taking few if any breaks. We made it with time for an icecream at the ferry terminal!
That ride was also noteworthy because it was the day I saw my first bear! Finally! I had been on the lookout for ages, all through the rockies and northern Ontario, other people kept seeing them but not me so the bear really made my day!
Tobermory -> Owen Sound 100km??
We had spent the night in a friendly ladies back yard. We had met her the night before at her cafe in downtown Tobermory where we stopped after getting off of the ferry to listen to some live music, have a hot chocolate and hopefully find a friendly face willing to have a few campers in their yard. We were successful on all accounts and I suggest stopping by the Mermaid Cafe in Tobermory if you get the chance, it's got a great vibe going on!
We had a very pleasant ride that day, mostly staying on backroads and enjoying the sunshine. I was able to listen to my ipod without worrying about semi's at my back and that always makes the kilometers pass a little faster. We spent the night at a campground in Owen Sound and I was extremely greatful for the showers as it had been a couple hot days without one!
Owen Sound -> Orangeville 105km???
I got my second real flat of the trip that morning. Just 1km out of the campground and we already had to make our first stop. The guys enjoyed muffins at the cafe next door as I sat on the pavement cursing my bad luck and patching the leak. Another darn staple! Just before 11 we were back on the road heading south again. That was about the only eventful thing that happened until we set up camp.
I couldn't find a campground in Orangeville and the guys are all for bush camping anyways so we started looking for a good place as we left Shelburne heading for Orangeville. It was mostly farmland without a lot of cover so there weren't many opportunities for stealth camping. Finally we found a side road and off of that a snowmobile trail. We decided that would have to do. We cooked dinner on the trail, waiting till dusk to set up our tents so that there bright colours didn't draw attention. Shortly after we had gone to bed I hear Malkolm yell "Vehicle approaching" and I could hear him scrambling to throw his possessions tent included into the bush. We hadn't stopped to consider that although it was a snowmobile path it could be used by ATVs during the summer! I was glad that I had set my tent up on the side of the path and I just cowered inside as the machine roared passed the side of my head!
Orangeville -> Toronto 95km??
We all woke early that morning as sleep hadn't been particularly good for any of us. Uncomfortable site, worry of ATVs and a pretty chilly night didn't really add up to a good night's sleep. When I opened my eyes that morning my gaze fell upon dozen after dozen of slugs! All over my tent they were oozing along leaving their slimy trails behind them. I spent the first few minutes of the morning flicking slugs from the inside of my tent and then making sure there were no rogue slugs hiding in my fly as I packed my tent up. I've heard it's pretty gross to discover a mushed up slug when unpacking your tent the next night (Kesten told me - from personally experience).
Kesten decided to take'r easy that day so Malkolm and I took off without him. We took a portion of the trans Canada trail as we rode into Toronto and side roads most of the rest of the time. Getting onto hig
hway 10 going through Mississauga I really noticed the reduction in air quality and we could see the smog hanging over the city. Once we hit lake Ontario we found a bike path which meandered along the lake shore towards downtown. We followed that for quite a while until we needed to head north towards midtown. I headed straight for Anubha's and left Malkolm as he continued further north towards his sister's cousin who he is staying with. Just as I was turning to stop in front of her building I went flying! Seconds later my bike, my bags and myself were sprawled all over the ground and passersby had stopped to help me up, make sure I was OK and stop traffic from running me over! I was fine and it was nice to see people stopping and careing. Luckily I had reached my final destination and didn't need to bike anymore that day anyways.
Our longest day yet! We made good time thanks to a great tail wind and a flat road! Fueled by omelettes, crepes, blueberry flan, deep fried zuchini and fresh tszatziki we were ready to pedal out those kilometres! Andre, Annika and Dusty joined us for the first 35km, I felt for them as they turned around to battle a strong headwind back into town. Huge thanks to Andre, Andrea and Annika for hosting us for 2 nights, we enjoyed ourselves immensly and will think back only on good memories of Sault Ste. Marie.
We got into Blind River just after 6 and being that it was a Sunday of course all the grocery stores were closed. We "dined" that evening at Subway. I was suitably impressed as Malkolm easily wolfed down 2 foot long subs! I let him know that I would be amazed if he could manage 3 by Ottawa! We spent that night on some mossy rocks next to a swamp, a campsite Kesten found while we were eating and deemed "quiet and lovely" by him. It wasn't bad as far as bush camping goes but I think our definitions of "quiet and lovely" differ quite substantially.
Blind River -> Espanola 107km
I will remember this day because of the icecream. On a sunny afternoon after riding your bike for a few hours all you can think about is icecream. I'm not sure if this statement applies to everyone but for me it is always true. As the afternoon wears on I am constantly on the lookout for the sandwich board sign with the all familiar icecream cone on it. That day I wanted to get to our destination before stopping for icecream, i'm not sure why but I guess I was just in the zone. I was lucky though, that Malkolm was in the mood for an icecream en route because when we stopped in Webbwood I think I almost went to heaven. Farquhar's icecream, what a delight! I had the maple twist and it was in the top 5 icecreams I have had in my life. Let me tell you that is saying a lot, I have gone for icecream in probably almost every country, city, town I have ever visited. Farquhar's tops the list. It comes from a small dairy on Manitoulin Island and is only available in that small region of Ontario. If any of you ever get the chance to stop for a Farquhar's icecream I wouldn't pass up that opportunity, it is DELICIOUS!!!!
Espanola -> Tobermory 115km???
Again my odometer bit the dust that day so my daily distance is an estimation. We rode from Espanola over the LaCloche "mountains" over the swinging bridge onto Manitoulin Island, took the ferry across lake Huron and ended our day in Tobermory on the very north end of the Bruce Peninsula.
We had a fairly tight schedule that day, you know with ferry schedules and all finally something familiar to me. The constant slight pressure of knowing you have to be there on time or you will see the ferry chugging out of sight without you. We thought we had left ourselves loads of time until in the firs
t hour Malkolms chain broke. That set us back an hour. Then there was the "mountain" range we had to cross, they were more just like big hills but they did slow us down. Once we were on the island we were hit with terrible road conditions and a strong headwind. Our extra time was slipping away from us. Kesten ended up hitching a ride to make it on time and the rest of us powered on taking few if any breaks. We made it with time for an icecream at the ferry terminal!That ride was also noteworthy because it was the day I saw my first bear! Finally! I had been on the lookout for ages, all through the rockies and northern Ontario, other people kept seeing them but not me so the bear really made my day!
Tobermory -> Owen Sound 100km??
We had spent the night in a friendly ladies back yard. We had met her the night before at her cafe in downtown Tobermory where we stopped after getting off of the ferry to listen to some live music, have a hot chocolate and hopefully find a friendly face willing to have a few campers in their yard. We were successful on all accounts and I suggest stopping by the Mermaid Cafe in Tobermory if you get the chance, it's got a great vibe going on!
We had a very pleasant ride that day, mostly staying on backroads and enjoying the sunshine. I was able to listen to my ipod without worrying about semi's at my back and that always makes the kilometers pass a little faster. We spent the night at a campground in Owen Sound and I was extremely greatful for the showers as it had been a couple hot days without one!
Owen Sound -> Orangeville 105km???
I got my second real flat of the trip that morning. Just 1km out of the campground and we already had to make our first stop. The guys enjoyed muffins at the cafe next door as I sat on the pavement cursing my bad luck and patching the leak. Another darn staple! Just before 11 we were back on the road heading south again. That was about the only eventful thing that happened until we set up camp.
I couldn't find a campground in Orangeville and the guys are all for bush camping anyways so we started looking for a good place as we left Shelburne heading for Orangeville. It was mostly farmland without a lot of cover so there weren't many opportunities for stealth camping. Finally we found a side road and off of that a snowmobile trail. We decided that would have to do. We cooked dinner on the trail, waiting till dusk to set up our tents so that there bright colours didn't draw attention. Shortly after we had gone to bed I hear Malkolm yell "Vehicle approaching" and I could hear him scrambling to throw his possessions tent included into the bush. We hadn't stopped to consider that although it was a snowmobile path it could be used by ATVs during the summer! I was glad that I had set my tent up on the side of the path and I just cowered inside as the machine roared passed the side of my head!
Orangeville -> Toronto 95km??
We all woke early that morning as sleep hadn't been particularly good for any of us. Uncomfortable site, worry of ATVs and a pretty chilly night didn't really add up to a good night's sleep. When I opened my eyes that morning my gaze fell upon dozen after dozen of slugs! All over my tent they were oozing along leaving their slimy trails behind them. I spent the first few minutes of the morning flicking slugs from the inside of my tent and then making sure there were no rogue slugs hiding in my fly as I packed my tent up. I've heard it's pretty gross to discover a mushed up slug when unpacking your tent the next night (Kesten told me - from personally experience).
Kesten decided to take'r easy that day so Malkolm and I took off without him. We took a portion of the trans Canada trail as we rode into Toronto and side roads most of the rest of the time. Getting onto hig
hway 10 going through Mississauga I really noticed the reduction in air quality and we could see the smog hanging over the city. Once we hit lake Ontario we found a bike path which meandered along the lake shore towards downtown. We followed that for quite a while until we needed to head north towards midtown. I headed straight for Anubha's and left Malkolm as he continued further north towards his sister's cousin who he is staying with. Just as I was turning to stop in front of her building I went flying! Seconds later my bike, my bags and myself were sprawled all over the ground and passersby had stopped to help me up, make sure I was OK and stop traffic from running me over! I was fine and it was nice to see people stopping and careing. Luckily I had reached my final destination and didn't need to bike anymore that day anyways.
Saturday, August 29, 2009
Days 44 and 45
Wawa -> Montreal River 106km
We left the gorgeous campground of Wawa with one less in our crew. Keston's ankle was acting up again so he was planning on hitching to the Soo and meeting us there. We were making pretty good time along the way. It was a little wet and cold so we didn't feel like stopping anywhere for long. We ate lunch under a park map which provided a little shelter from the elements but not unfortunately the bugs. Ontario is pretty bad for black flies, they are much more persistent then mosquitoes and there bites last a lot longer :( After lunch we ran into some bike issues...luckily for me not with my bike, unfortunatley for Malkolm it was his. We spent about 2 hours total on the side of the highway trying to fix his chain. Two bent rings were causing the issue. Let's just say that now we are a lot more experienced with taking apart and putting back together a bike chain - they say practice makes perfect - we should be nearly there! We spent the night at the mouth of the Montreal River in a campground with showers! Yay showers! They have been far and few between on this leg of the trip and I was extremely happy to be clean again!
Montreal River -> Sault Ste. Marie 125km
As we packed it drizzled. As we rode it drizzled. As we ate lunch it drizzled. And so goes the story... luckily the clouds finally cleared as we were coming down into the Soo. Malkolm's chain had managed to pull through - although he was short a few gears and the only misfortune he experienced was a flat.
The highway was substantially flatter which was a nice change from all of the hills. It was clear we were nearing a city as traffic increased dramatically that day as did the cottages dotting the lakeshore. We arrived shortly before 5 and headed for the bike shop Velorution to meet Kesten and our host Andre, the shop owner. Back at his place we ate a huge dinner with homemade raspberry flan for dessert! A great end to a long day!
Today we have a rest day here in Sault Ste. Marie. I indulged and slept in till 9 this morning. Woke up just in time to enjoy crepes and french toast before heading out into the rain. We had a 10:30am coffee date with local MP Tony Martin, the first MP meeting for myself and only the 3rd or 4th for our group over all. The Soonews was there to cover the story and we had a good chat - we look forward to seeing Tony again in Ottawa, hopefully with a bike!
After our coffee date we headed back over to Velorution for a quick tune up on our bikes, or not so quick in the case of Malkolm who found out he had more problems then expected! My brakes are good and I gained a gear I didn't know I was missing so I am a happy camper! Thanks Andre and the guys at the shop for the helping hands!
For those of you trivia buffs our there I have put together a little photo trivia game on facebook so feel free to check it out and leave your guesses behind!
http://www.facebook.com/inbox/?ref=mb#/album.php?aid=2168111&id=120401629&ref=mf
We left the gorgeous campground of Wawa with one less in our crew. Keston's ankle was acting up again so he was planning on hitching to the Soo and meeting us there. We were making pretty good time along the way. It was a little wet and cold so we didn't feel like stopping anywhere for long. We ate lunch under a park map which provided a little shelter from the elements but not unfortunately the bugs. Ontario is pretty bad for black flies, they are much more persistent then mosquitoes and there bites last a lot longer :( After lunch we ran into some bike issues...luckily for me not with my bike, unfortunatley for Malkolm it was his. We spent about 2 hours total on the side of the highway trying to fix his chain. Two bent rings were causing the issue. Let's just say that now we are a lot more experienced with taking apart and putting back together a bike chain - they say practice makes perfect - we should be nearly there! We spent the night at the mouth of the Montreal River in a campground with showers! Yay showers! They have been far and few between on this leg of the trip and I was extremely happy to be clean again!
Montreal River -> Sault Ste. Marie 125km
As we packed it drizzled. As we rode it drizzled. As we ate lunch it drizzled. And so goes the story... luckily the clouds finally cleared as we were coming down into the Soo. Malkolm's chain had managed to pull through - although he was short a few gears and the only misfortune he experienced was a flat.
The highway was substantially flatter which was a nice change from all of the hills. It was clear we were nearing a city as traffic increased dramatically that day as did the cottages dotting the lakeshore. We arrived shortly before 5 and headed for the bike shop Velorution to meet Kesten and our host Andre, the shop owner. Back at his place we ate a huge dinner with homemade raspberry flan for dessert! A great end to a long day!
Today we have a rest day here in Sault Ste. Marie. I indulged and slept in till 9 this morning. Woke up just in time to enjoy crepes and french toast before heading out into the rain. We had a 10:30am coffee date with local MP Tony Martin, the first MP meeting for myself and only the 3rd or 4th for our group over all. The Soonews was there to cover the story and we had a good chat - we look forward to seeing Tony again in Ottawa, hopefully with a bike!
After our coffee date we headed back over to Velorution for a quick tune up on our bikes, or not so quick in the case of Malkolm who found out he had more problems then expected! My brakes are good and I gained a gear I didn't know I was missing so I am a happy camper! Thanks Andre and the guys at the shop for the helping hands!
For those of you trivia buffs our there I have put together a little photo trivia game on facebook so feel free to check it out and leave your guesses behind!
http://www.facebook.com/inbox/?ref=mb#/album.php?aid=2168111&id=120401629&ref=mf
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Days 39-43 Riding the North Shore
Thunder Bay -> Nipigon 109km
First day on the road without Nadia, and we were also missing Kesten as his ankle was still acting up. We met with a couple local environmentalists and MP Bruce Hyer's assistant Andy for breakfast at the famous finnish restaurant Hoito. Three plate sized pancakes and mounds of scrambled eggs filled our bellies and when Nod stepped onto the scale to do her official weigh-out she was the exact same as when we left Victoria. I'm sure it's more muscle and less fat right?
We said goodbyes outside the restaurant and then Malkolm and I were off. We managed to stay off highways for the first 25km which was nice. Back on the trans we came upon a couple other touring cyclists, they too had left Vancouver and were heading east. The highways wasn't too bad for the most part and we made pretty good time getting into Nipigon. So good in fact that when we arrived our host for the night was not yet expecting us and wasn't at home. She found us sitting outside the convenience store having a snack on her way back from blueberry picking.
Thankyou Bonnie for a deliscious dinner fresh from the garden and for sharing your tasty wild blueberries with us! We were well fueled for the next day!
Nipigon -> Rossport 80km???
Third odometer bit the dust that morning so our distance is a rough guess. It lasted 2,576 km which i
s about 2500 km more then the last one so I guess I shouldn't complain!
We set off under sunny skies with beautiful views of the lake to the south as we climbed and descended hill upon hill. We coasted into Rossport around 2pm, perfect timing for a second lunch! We had heard great things about the Serendipity Cafe so that's where we headed to wait for Kesten as he had a ride which would bring him to Rossport that afternoon. We sat on the patio and enjoyed veggie burgers and spanokopita.
Once we had met up with Kesten we got back on the road to find a place to camp for the night. It was to be my first experience "roughing it" We ditched off road and set up camp on some rocks on the lakeshore. Probably the most beautiful campsite of the trip! Sure it lacked facilities but made up with it view! I was slightly nervous about wild animals, specifically bears, as we had been warned not to wild camp but I woke up still in one piece the next day!
Rossport -> Marathon 105km??
Left camp early that morning as we were supposed to be in Schreiber (next town on the hwy) by 9am according to a press release which had been sent out from Thunder Bay. We had breakfast on the side of the highway in Schreiber on the lookout for reporters. None were to be seen but that could be as much our fault anyways since we were running about 20 minutes behind schedule! Kesten decided to hitch from there so it was just Malkolm and I again.
Very hilly highway with not great shoulders wasn't the best day for riding especially not coupled with a headwind! We made it into Marathon about 5pm and hit the grocery store to load up. We seem to always make the mistake of shopping when we are hungry! I also went to Canadian Tire in search of a new odometer! We headed out towards the campsite and were just setting up when Kesten rolled up. Apparently hitchhiking takes just as long as cycling if not more so! That night we also met in the campground another cross-country cyclist who we had been catching glimpses of for the past few days. He has since joined the crew so now it really is just me and the boys!
Marathon -> White River 100km
We left town and couldn't see more then 20ft ahead of us the fog was sooooooo thick! Luckily that didn't last too long and before we knew it we were being wisked along by a delightful tail wind! The road was a lot flatter so we made good time, except for one flat tire (kesten's) that is. When we got into town we found out that there was free camping behind one of the motels! Yay! Also free showers at the truck stop next door. Hooray for showers! I hadn't had a real one since Nipigon!
White River - Wawa 107km
Posed
with Winnie this morning before we left town. White River is where Winnie-the-Pooh first came into being (little known fact of the day). Again flatter road so we made really good time. Had lunch on the side of a small lake. Very picturesque but very stinky, must be something in the water! Got into Wawa about 3pm and am now at the library getting in some good internet time! We are heading a little south of here to stay with some friends of our host Darrell (thunder bay) they have an adventure kyaking company on lake superior and have offered to let us camp there! Internet time is running out so that's it for now...
First day on the road without Nadia, and we were also missing Kesten as his ankle was still acting up. We met with a couple local environmentalists and MP Bruce Hyer's assistant Andy for breakfast at the famous finnish restaurant Hoito. Three plate sized pancakes and mounds of scrambled eggs filled our bellies and when Nod stepped onto the scale to do her official weigh-out she was the exact same as when we left Victoria. I'm sure it's more muscle and less fat right?
We said goodbyes outside the restaurant and then Malkolm and I were off. We managed to stay off highways for the first 25km which was nice. Back on the trans we came upon a couple other touring cyclists, they too had left Vancouver and were heading east. The highways wasn't too bad for the most part and we made pretty good time getting into Nipigon. So good in fact that when we arrived our host for the night was not yet expecting us and wasn't at home. She found us sitting outside the convenience store having a snack on her way back from blueberry picking.
Thankyou Bonnie for a deliscious dinner fresh from the garden and for sharing your tasty wild blueberries with us! We were well fueled for the next day!
Nipigon -> Rossport 80km???
Third odometer bit the dust that morning so our distance is a rough guess. It lasted 2,576 km which i
s about 2500 km more then the last one so I guess I shouldn't complain!
We set off under sunny skies with beautiful views of the lake to the south as we climbed and descended hill upon hill. We coasted into Rossport around 2pm, perfect timing for a second lunch! We had heard great things about the Serendipity Cafe so that's where we headed to wait for Kesten as he had a ride which would bring him to Rossport that afternoon. We sat on the patio and enjoyed veggie burgers and spanokopita.
Once we had met up with Kesten we got back on the road to find a place to camp for the night. It was to be my first experience "roughing it" We ditched off road and set up camp on some rocks on the lakeshore. Probably the most beautiful campsite of the trip! Sure it lacked facilities but made up with it view! I was slightly nervous about wild animals, specifically bears, as we had been warned not to wild camp but I woke up still in one piece the next day!
Rossport -> Marathon 105km??
Left camp early that morning as we were supposed to be in Schreiber (next town on the hwy) by 9am according to a press release which had been sent out from Thunder Bay. We had breakfast on the side of the highway in Schreiber on the lookout for reporters. None were to be seen but that could be as much our fault anyways since we were running about 20 minutes behind schedule! Kesten decided to hitch from there so it was just Malkolm and I again.
Very hilly highway with not great shoulders wasn't the best day for riding especially not coupled with a headwind! We made it into Marathon about 5pm and hit the grocery store to load up. We seem to always make the mistake of shopping when we are hungry! I also went to Canadian Tire in search of a new odometer! We headed out towards the campsite and were just setting up when Kesten rolled up. Apparently hitchhiking takes just as long as cycling if not more so! That night we also met in the campground another cross-country cyclist who we had been catching glimpses of for the past few days. He has since joined the crew so now it really is just me and the boys!
Marathon -> White River 100km
We left town and couldn't see more then 20ft ahead of us the fog was sooooooo thick! Luckily that didn't last too long and before we knew it we were being wisked along by a delightful tail wind! The road was a lot flatter so we made good time, except for one flat tire (kesten's) that is. When we got into town we found out that there was free camping behind one of the motels! Yay! Also free showers at the truck stop next door. Hooray for showers! I hadn't had a real one since Nipigon!
White River - Wawa 107km
Posed
with Winnie this morning before we left town. White River is where Winnie-the-Pooh first came into being (little known fact of the day). Again flatter road so we made really good time. Had lunch on the side of a small lake. Very picturesque but very stinky, must be something in the water! Got into Wawa about 3pm and am now at the library getting in some good internet time! We are heading a little south of here to stay with some friends of our host Darrell (thunder bay) they have an adventure kyaking company on lake superior and have offered to let us camp there! Internet time is running out so that's it for now...
Days 35-38 Come Again Another Day
Apologies for the slackage, i was supposed to do this up on my last day in Thunder Bay but getting my bike in a box proved more difficult than expected ;)
I am now back in glorious Prince George after a lovely and relaxing four day train ride.
so to back track about a week, I will take you back to Dryden!
Day 35 Dryden-Ignace 107km
Left late today as we hadn't had internet in awhile and really needed to catch up on some things. Dryden is a mill town and with the mucky weather mixed in, the stench was pretty bad...reminded me of Prince George.
Got on the road without the rain, shortly into the ride Kesten got a flat, after making sure he was okay the rest of us powered onwards. Finding a lunch spot we decided to stop and leave one of our bright yellow pannier covers on the shoulder, held down with a rock, to let Kesten know that we had stopped just off the highway. Turns out someone took the pannier cover....still a mystery as to why this would be useful for anyone else. A great loss for us. Luckily Kesten spotted us off the road and we sat down for some hot soup in the rain and bugs :)
We met another cyclist who was heading East and shared a campsite with him in Ignace!
I am now back in glorious Prince George after a lovely and relaxing four day train ride.
so to back track about a week, I will take you back to Dryden!
Day 35 Dryden-Ignace 107km
Left late today as we hadn't had internet in awhile and really needed to catch up on some things. Dryden is a mill town and with the mucky weather mixed in, the stench was pretty bad...reminded me of Prince George.
Got on the road without the rain, shortly into the ride Kesten got a flat, after making sure he was okay the rest of us powered onwards. Finding a lunch spot we decided to stop and leave one of our bright yellow pannier covers on the shoulder, held down with a rock, to let Kesten know that we had stopped just off the highway. Turns out someone took the pannier cover....still a mystery as to why this would be useful for anyone else. A great loss for us. Luckily Kesten spotted us off the road and we sat down for some hot soup in the rain and bugs :)
We met another cyclist who was heading East and shared a campsite with him in Ignace!
Day 36 Ignace-Savanne 130km
Woah, this was a long day. For some reason i was feeling particularly tired and my butt was insistent on reminding me of this for the last 50km of today's ride. Headwinds and rain all day again. We were tempted (me especially) to call it quits in Upsala, 20 km from Savanne. After hot chocolate and pie at a cafe, we ventured back out onto the highway.
At this point in the day it probably would have been much safer for us to have stopped. Just outside of Upsala, we came upon a construction zone coupled with a single lane highway and semi's. We had to haul off the road when a semi came up from behind and Martina had one very close call. I had pulled off just ahead of her and stopped due to the deep gravel, she came up behind me but couldnt stop as she was stuck in the clips of her pedals. Just as the semi was passing she toppled over into the road and we screamed as the wheels missed her head by 2 feet. I was pretty shaken up and the rest of the ride went by fast as all i could think about was getting to Savanne alive
. Rain, Semi's, Construction zones, single lane highways, and narrow shoulders don't mix. Finally we arrived at 9pm local time and set up our tents in a downpour as we made curry in the dark with bug nets on our heads. The night ended in laughter as we ate our dinner in the bathroom to escape the elements and the mozzies.
Day 37 Savanne-Thunder Bay 123km
Agh, rain and a headwind again! The semi's have become demonic as they roar along, with smokestacks for horns and grills for teeth. I am still feeling unsafe on these roads and can't wait to safely arrive in Thunder Bay! We also have warm and dry beds tonight!
Today's ride was fairly uneventful. We did manage to check out Kakabeka Falls and get off the trans for about 20km---such a relief!
We rolled into Thunder Bay absolutely drenched and freezing cold. We took refuge in a coffee shop, chattering we looked up directions to our much needed homes for the night ;)
Woah, this was a long day. For some reason i was feeling particularly tired and my butt was insistent on reminding me of this for the last 50km of today's ride. Headwinds and rain all day again. We were tempted (me especially) to call it quits in Upsala, 20 km from Savanne. After hot chocolate and pie at a cafe, we ventured back out onto the highway.
At this point in the day it probably would have been much safer for us to have stopped. Just outside of Upsala, we came upon a construction zone coupled with a single lane highway and semi's. We had to haul off the road when a semi came up from behind and Martina had one very close call. I had pulled off just ahead of her and stopped due to the deep gravel, she came up behind me but couldnt stop as she was stuck in the clips of her pedals. Just as the semi was passing she toppled over into the road and we screamed as the wheels missed her head by 2 feet. I was pretty shaken up and the rest of the ride went by fast as all i could think about was getting to Savanne alive
. Rain, Semi's, Construction zones, single lane highways, and narrow shoulders don't mix. Finally we arrived at 9pm local time and set up our tents in a downpour as we made curry in the dark with bug nets on our heads. The night ended in laughter as we ate our dinner in the bathroom to escape the elements and the mozzies.Day 37 Savanne-Thunder Bay 123km
Agh, rain and a headwind again! The semi's have become demonic as they roar along, with smokestacks for horns and grills for teeth. I am still feeling unsafe on these roads and can't wait to safely arrive in Thunder Bay! We also have warm and dry beds tonight!
Today's ride was fairly uneventful. We did manage to check out Kakabeka Falls and get off the trans for about 20km---such a relief!
We rolled into Thunder Bay absolutely drenched and freezing cold. We took refuge in a coffee shop, chattering we looked up directions to our much needed homes for the night ;)
Friday, August 21, 2009
Days 32-34 Rain, rain go away...
Winnipeg -> Prawda 125km
First off huge thanks to Mary for having us stay! The home-cooked meals and fresh bread were wonderful and we won't forget your hospitality anytime soon!
Sheets of rain were falling from the sky as we set out from Mary's on Saturday morning
. We were soaked within seconds. Our send-off from the leg was composed of only the very bravest and we were accompanied out of town by only one other cyclist - James, leader of the Manitoba green party - thanks for showing us the way!
The rain continued for nearly the entire day and Malkolm and I lost Nadia and Kesten due to flats and found ourselves passing the afternoon at a truck stop in Richer, MB as we waited for them to catch up.
By the time we finally reached Prawda darkness had fallen and the rain was still coming down. We managed to find shelter in the cooking area of the campground, surrounded by the glow of Christmas lights we drifted off to sleep, happy to be out of the rain.
Prawda -> Kenora 107km
Crossed our last border that day! Seems crazy that we still had a
month on the road and it is all in Ontario. We ate lunch in the tourist info centre on the Manitoba side, escaping the rain once again. Hitting Ontario the highway was under construction and we lost both the four lane highway and our shoulder. That stretch was somewhat nerve wracking seeing as it was still pouring rain and visibility was at an all time low.
As we rode into Kenora the sun came out briefly and we saw a rainbow as
we crossed the bridge into town. Picturesque, Kenora definitely was. A cute little town set on the side of the lake. We camped just outside of town where again we were able to find shelter under another cooking area. The lights didn't go out that night so we just pretended it was the full moon, although there were 8 instead of just one!
Kenora -> Dryden 141km
We left town under fairly blue skies with a nice tail wind. We were able to get a lot of distance
done before the skies started changing. We stopped for a picnic lunch next to a small lake, made it a quick break so as not to waste our tail wind. We stopped again in Vermillion Bay for ice creams in the afternoon.
I was in the zone so after leaving Vermillion I just pedaled on and arrived into town around 5:30pm. I found the phone numbers for the campgrounds and started calling around to find
somewhere to stay for the night. I finished and the rest of the crew still hadn't shown up...more flats perhaps? 45 minutes later Nadia came down the hill to let me know that both of the boys had had flats. I was freezing so I took off into town to get groceries for dinner and then to start setting up camp.
Dinner in the dark with all the mozzies wasn't the most pleasant that night. We took refuge in our tents to eat they were so bad. Again we stayed on the lakeside unable to really enjoy it due to late arrival, plentiful biting bugs and bad weather. One of these days we will manage to go for a swim!
First off huge thanks to Mary for having us stay! The home-cooked meals and fresh bread were wonderful and we won't forget your hospitality anytime soon!
Sheets of rain were falling from the sky as we set out from Mary's on Saturday morning
. We were soaked within seconds. Our send-off from the leg was composed of only the very bravest and we were accompanied out of town by only one other cyclist - James, leader of the Manitoba green party - thanks for showing us the way!The rain continued for nearly the entire day and Malkolm and I lost Nadia and Kesten due to flats and found ourselves passing the afternoon at a truck stop in Richer, MB as we waited for them to catch up.
By the time we finally reached Prawda darkness had fallen and the rain was still coming down. We managed to find shelter in the cooking area of the campground, surrounded by the glow of Christmas lights we drifted off to sleep, happy to be out of the rain.Prawda -> Kenora 107km
Crossed our last border that day! Seems crazy that we still had a
month on the road and it is all in Ontario. We ate lunch in the tourist info centre on the Manitoba side, escaping the rain once again. Hitting Ontario the highway was under construction and we lost both the four lane highway and our shoulder. That stretch was somewhat nerve wracking seeing as it was still pouring rain and visibility was at an all time low.As we rode into Kenora the sun came out briefly and we saw a rainbow as
we crossed the bridge into town. Picturesque, Kenora definitely was. A cute little town set on the side of the lake. We camped just outside of town where again we were able to find shelter under another cooking area. The lights didn't go out that night so we just pretended it was the full moon, although there were 8 instead of just one!Kenora -> Dryden 141km
We left town under fairly blue skies with a nice tail wind. We were able to get a lot of distance
done before the skies started changing. We stopped for a picnic lunch next to a small lake, made it a quick break so as not to waste our tail wind. We stopped again in Vermillion Bay for ice creams in the afternoon.I was in the zone so after leaving Vermillion I just pedaled on and arrived into town around 5:30pm. I found the phone numbers for the campgrounds and started calling around to find
somewhere to stay for the night. I finished and the rest of the crew still hadn't shown up...more flats perhaps? 45 minutes later Nadia came down the hill to let me know that both of the boys had had flats. I was freezing so I took off into town to get groceries for dinner and then to start setting up camp.Dinner in the dark with all the mozzies wasn't the most pleasant that night. We took refuge in our tents to eat they were so bad. Again we stayed on the lakeside unable to really enjoy it due to late arrival, plentiful biting bugs and bad weather. One of these days we will manage to go for a swim!
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