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

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 is 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!

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 ;)

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!

Days 29-31 It's raining Bacon!

Reston -> Brandon 115km

Woken by the roar of a motorcycle (our campground neighbour) a little earlier then we would have liked, we made eggs for the first time that morning (a little burnt but not too bad). Stopped in the town of Souris for lunch as recommended to us from our friend Jon of Kipling. Jon was right Souris is a good town with good people! We continued on secondary highways all the way to Brandon. There, we experienced couch surfing for the first time and I know I speak for all of us when I say it definitely left a good impression. The sprawling old Victorian style house welcomed us in and there we found organic loving cyclers - people right up our alley! Barbequed loads of veggies for dinner and finished the night off right with old fashioned dipped cones at the local Velvet Dip.

Brandon -> MacGregor 100km

Sunshine and smoothies were a good start to the day. We headed out with Kayleigh (our host) to her work and the family's cafe/pub/gift shop, Lady of the Lake. Malkolm had his second breakfast there while Nod got her bike fixed at the bike shop next door. We set off around 11 taking the longer but more pleasant secondary highways. Stopped in Carberry for lunch end enjoyed seeing many other people out on their bikes! Riding along after lunch listening to a little more HP I smelled a familiar smell, something reminiscent of home and the west coast to be exact and as I became more aware of my surroundings I realized I was surrounded by fields of pot or what I thought at first. It must have been hemp, the female less potent relation but I definitley got off my bike to check it out hiding between the bushes pretending I was Leo Decaprio in The Beach. That was pretty funny but the highlight of the day was the veggie stand we discovered just outside of MacGregor. A small family farm produced new potatoes, beets, carrot and kolrabi, all of which were on the menu that night. A steal of a deal all for $5. Big thanks to the generosity of the farmers who kept pressing us with more as we were leaving.

MacGregor -> Winnipeg 122km

The thunder and lightening storm was so close we could feel the ground vibrating with each clap! Sleep was illusive that night as we opened our tent as much as we dared to watch the storm. The alarms sounded particularly loud and angry that morning as much of the night had not been devoted to sleep. At least once we got going we were pleasantly surprised to find the road's shoulders had been recently paved - despite what we had been told! Another surprise was in store that afternoon as we discovered that thunder and lightening weren't all that had come from the sky that night, we were passing strip after strip of bacon all over the road - cooked at that! It reminded me of a book we read as kids "Cloudy with a chance of meatballs" I will forever remember Winnipeg as the city that rains bacon!

Day 26: 96 km, Day 27: 128 km, Day 28: 104 km--Rural Prairie Riding

Apologies for the lack of blogs recently, long days and rural towns leave us without internet! In Winnipeg for a "rest" day today--lots of running around, not a lot of resting :)

We are also now travelling totally carbon neutral, the support vehicle has left us! Not too much has changed, mostly just added weight of food and making sure we get to grocery stores along the way.

Day 26: Regina-->Montmarte

Didn't get on our bikes until 2:00 today. I then got 3 flats before reaching the city limits so we didn't actually make it out of Regina until 4:00. I'm real handy with a patch kit and pump these days :) At a busy intersection, while hobbling to a gas station for air, we bumped into some old Pender friends; Patrick, Karen and Willow. Willow was one of Martina's best friends in elementary school--small world!

Managed to stay off highway one and hop onto a quite rural road for our ride into Montmarte; the Paris of the Prairies--complete with its own Eiffel Tower!

Day 27: Montmarte-->Kenosee Lake

Turns out everything in rural Saskatchewan is closed on a Sunday. Lucky for us, when lunch time rolled around, we bumped into a friendly local. 11 year old Jon (in photo) showed us the only open spot in town where poutine and ice cream were the only vegetarian options! We were in Kipling, famous for being home to the world's largest red paperclip--not to be mistaken for blue yellow or green.

Checked out this most famous site, bumped into the editor of the Kipling Citizen, managed to set up an interview and we were on our way!

Day 28:Kenosee Lake-->Reston

Crossed the border into Manitoba today--wooo 3 provinces done! It really is "Friendly Manitoba". Off of Highway 1, motorists honk and wave their hello's and move all the way into the other lane to pass us :D More flats today as usual. Friendly farmers stop to make sure I am okay, and then come back again, this time with a load of hay in the truck, to double make sure I am okay and offer a lift into town if I need it.


Restin' in Reston tonight. These small towns sit well with me; locals always say hello and want to know our story; campgrounds are usually empty; and the grocery store always easy to find!

Showdown in Regina

I'm leading a double life, I'm pretty much superman's sister, no big deal. Climate action super cyclist by night and news photographer by day. Dressed in our "costumes" otherwise known as biz casual, Malkolm and I stealthed our way into press conferences with the premiers. Palms sweating we approached media check in, our story perfectly thought out. Our picture passes safely around our neck 5 minutes later and we were breathing easier. Alas it was our simple question of "where exactly is the photo shoot?" that got us into trouble. Security approached us asking for our media ID, which of course we did not possess... He then asked for a contact at our radio station, luckily I had one. He tapped his foot and continued making snide remarks as I quickly looked for the number. One ring then 2 and we hear "hello?" Security asked for the station manager to verify our identity. "He's on vacation and were all just volunteers anyways" came the slow lazy reply. Security hung up the phone looking at us skeptically and asked to search my bag. Finding nothing but the camera and our lunch he had to let us go. I think our youthfullness was on our side, we were passed over as silly university kids in over our heads. Malkolm asked me as we walked out of the building, "just how fast was your heart beating in there?"

To be honest I don't think the knots really left my stomach until we had left Regina far behind us. Leading a double life is stressful, especially when you are being interviewed by the same press who are to be your colleagues hours later. Sunglasses on at all times was integral! Paranoid of being followed and having tapped phones we were constantly looking over our shoulders. Nod swore she saw the same guy staring at her funny at least 3 times in one day.

Our goal of attending these photo shoots and press conferences was for me to catch a premier in a compromising position ie: picking his/her nose or some such equally awkard position and Malkolm to ask a stirring climate change question. Unfortunatley neither of us was successful, but we now have a better idea of what it's like to be on the inside as opposed always the protester on the outside of the gates.

Regina passed in a blurr of showdown activities, and I know that I for one have left Regina with a lot more knowledge about the climate change and the tar sands in particular. Big thanks to Sejal, Devan and Nigel for hosting us for the first few nights and then to Kayli and Josh for the next 3 nights. Your hospitality was GREATLY appreciated! Now we are back on the road and we will try and get the blog caught up when we are in Winnipeg, longer days on the road mean less time to go looking for internet sources!