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Canada - 2022 |
French Fry and I biked 4,208 miles across Canada from Victoria, British Columbia to St. John's, Newfoundland in 39 days of riding in the spring of 2022. Much was on the Trans-Canada Highway facing snow, hail, winds of 30mph, sweltering sun, massive mosquitoes and more. Long light days helped as did friendly Canadians, courteous in their driving and in personal interactions.
Surprisingly, I had no flats on a single set of Continental Contact Plus tires though plenty of other things gave out and needed replacing.
Surprisingly, I had no flats on a single set of Continental Contact Plus tires though plenty of other things gave out and needed replacing.
5/3/22 - Roll Canada!
My stuffed dog French Fry and I are taking off after Mother's Day, flying to Vancouver, British Columbia where I will (hopefully) reunite with my Surly Long-Haul Trucker that I used to cross the US in 2014. The bike is boxed, the panniers are bagged and D-day's a week away. Someone please tell Mother Nature that winter is no longer welcome! It's barely above freezing with sleety rain in southern Wisconsin today!
My stuffed dog French Fry and I are taking off after Mother's Day, flying to Vancouver, British Columbia where I will (hopefully) reunite with my Surly Long-Haul Trucker that I used to cross the US in 2014. The bike is boxed, the panniers are bagged and D-day's a week away. Someone please tell Mother Nature that winter is no longer welcome! It's barely above freezing with sleety rain in southern Wisconsin today!
5/9/22 - Deplaned in Vancouver [Dog Blog]
Finally! Three flights were two too many! Thankfully, the Vancouver airport knows how to welcome mutts like me.
Finally! Three flights were two too many! Thankfully, the Vancouver airport knows how to welcome mutts like me.
5/10/22 - Arrival in Vancouver and Back to the US Again
Three flights on Monday moved French Fry and me and our gear from Milwaukee to Vancouver. A lesson in Lyft’s…checked out Uber and Lyft prices for the 25 minute drive to the hotel and reserved a Lyft at 1/3rd the price of Uber. So it wasn’t too surprising no Lyft Lift showed up and I ended up with a regular taxi, still at a decent discount to Uber.
The driver suggested I walk to the US from my motel. “There’s part of Canada that is the US” he said. Come again? Didn’t make sense to me, but it is true, and I walked a few miles each way to Point Robert, a pene-enclave of Americana in Canada thanks to the 49th parallel demarcation established in the Treaty of Oregon with the UK in 1846. Similar US possessions accessible only via water, air or by land through Canada are only found in Minnesota and Vermont. I got as far as the US customs agency in the pic below, but as I left my covid docs at the motel, my stay in the US was brief.
Three flights on Monday moved French Fry and me and our gear from Milwaukee to Vancouver. A lesson in Lyft’s…checked out Uber and Lyft prices for the 25 minute drive to the hotel and reserved a Lyft at 1/3rd the price of Uber. So it wasn’t too surprising no Lyft Lift showed up and I ended up with a regular taxi, still at a decent discount to Uber.
The driver suggested I walk to the US from my motel. “There’s part of Canada that is the US” he said. Come again? Didn’t make sense to me, but it is true, and I walked a few miles each way to Point Robert, a pene-enclave of Americana in Canada thanks to the 49th parallel demarcation established in the Treaty of Oregon with the UK in 1846. Similar US possessions accessible only via water, air or by land through Canada are only found in Minnesota and Vermont. I got as far as the US customs agency in the pic below, but as I left my covid docs at the motel, my stay in the US was brief.
5/11/22 - Trans Canada Mile 0
Late start today due to prepping the bike and having some front fork problems. Romans didn't use 'em - front forks, back forks or table forks...which is why "Ben Hur" was filmed with chariots and not fat tire bikes.
Missed the 9AM ferry to Vancouver Island by ten minutes which caused me to wait until 11AM for the next one. Not quite as bad as Lyft.
Nice crossing past pretty lighthouse-filled rocky island shores to the north side of Vancouver Island which holds Victoria, the capital of the province of British Columbia. Not to be confused with Victoria Island further to the north which is bigger than Great Britain. I biked twenty miles through mostly designated bike paths to the downtown area. Very bike friendly. Temps were pleasant at 14C, the sun was out and the spring flowers on the trees were radiant.
Another few miles south was the Trans Canada Mile O marker in a non-descript park on a hill overlooking the Pacific Ocean. Took some pics, found a path down from the cliff to the smooth blue-grey stone and driftwood beach where I dipped the back tire in the Pacific Ocean, grabbed a small vial of ocean water and hightailed it back to the ferry to avoid another two hour wait.
After disembarking, I biked another 25 miles to a burb southeast of Vancouver for a Holiday Inn sleepover.
Late start today due to prepping the bike and having some front fork problems. Romans didn't use 'em - front forks, back forks or table forks...which is why "Ben Hur" was filmed with chariots and not fat tire bikes.
Missed the 9AM ferry to Vancouver Island by ten minutes which caused me to wait until 11AM for the next one. Not quite as bad as Lyft.
Nice crossing past pretty lighthouse-filled rocky island shores to the north side of Vancouver Island which holds Victoria, the capital of the province of British Columbia. Not to be confused with Victoria Island further to the north which is bigger than Great Britain. I biked twenty miles through mostly designated bike paths to the downtown area. Very bike friendly. Temps were pleasant at 14C, the sun was out and the spring flowers on the trees were radiant.
Another few miles south was the Trans Canada Mile O marker in a non-descript park on a hill overlooking the Pacific Ocean. Took some pics, found a path down from the cliff to the smooth blue-grey stone and driftwood beach where I dipped the back tire in the Pacific Ocean, grabbed a small vial of ocean water and hightailed it back to the ferry to avoid another two hour wait.
After disembarking, I biked another 25 miles to a burb southeast of Vancouver for a Holiday Inn sleepover.
5/11/22 - There is Hope
I biked northeast from the outskirts of Vancouver to Hope, British Columbia today, a relatively light ride of 82 miles and 2,500 ft of climbing. That was enough as I'm still building my biking with bloated bags stamina. Lovely weather at 15C and mostly sunny skies, aided by a sidewind that turned into a tailwind the last fifteen miles. I let Google map me through park bike paths, meandering inefficiently but interestingly through parks and creeks for the first 20 miles before putting my on highways with wide shoulders. Took BC Highway 7 from Mission, which hugs the north of Frasier River past pretty river and farming scenery with a backdrop in front of me the large mountains to be tackled tomorrow.
Pulled into Hope a little after 3PM. After settling into my motel, I walked the small town nestled in a valley with snow-capped mountains all around. The commercial area featured over twenty chainsaw carvings and the oldest continuously operating church in the province. Several sites around town were full of children's shoes...I didn't get it at first and neglected to get pictures. Turns out it is a protest, Canadian style, of 215 graves found of First Nations children whose graves were found north of here in Kamloops in 2021.
Hope was also the main filming locale for Rambo: First Blood made 40 years ago. Yet another action movie I missed in my formative years. I skipped the Rambo filming site walk and the Rambo nature hike but did try the local breweries' Blood Orange Imperial Wheat. After one 20oz glass, it felt like I'd done a few rounds with Rocky. It's not just cycling calves and biker buns that need breaking in but also proper hydration in cold climes.
I biked northeast from the outskirts of Vancouver to Hope, British Columbia today, a relatively light ride of 82 miles and 2,500 ft of climbing. That was enough as I'm still building my biking with bloated bags stamina. Lovely weather at 15C and mostly sunny skies, aided by a sidewind that turned into a tailwind the last fifteen miles. I let Google map me through park bike paths, meandering inefficiently but interestingly through parks and creeks for the first 20 miles before putting my on highways with wide shoulders. Took BC Highway 7 from Mission, which hugs the north of Frasier River past pretty river and farming scenery with a backdrop in front of me the large mountains to be tackled tomorrow.
Pulled into Hope a little after 3PM. After settling into my motel, I walked the small town nestled in a valley with snow-capped mountains all around. The commercial area featured over twenty chainsaw carvings and the oldest continuously operating church in the province. Several sites around town were full of children's shoes...I didn't get it at first and neglected to get pictures. Turns out it is a protest, Canadian style, of 215 graves found of First Nations children whose graves were found north of here in Kamloops in 2021.
Hope was also the main filming locale for Rambo: First Blood made 40 years ago. Yet another action movie I missed in my formative years. I skipped the Rambo filming site walk and the Rambo nature hike but did try the local breweries' Blood Orange Imperial Wheat. After one 20oz glass, it felt like I'd done a few rounds with Rocky. It's not just cycling calves and biker buns that need breaking in but also proper hydration in cold climes.
5/12/22 - The Canadian Country Music Capital
Nice weather again. The forecast keeps calling for r a i n, but so far, so good. Temps of 14C again had me down to one layer as today involved 6,000 feet of climbing along 78 miles from Hope to Merritt. Started out taking backroads past the Othello tunnels, closed due to construction. I biked past, finding neither white nor black stones in the area, nor any checkerboard patterns for that matter. The Coquihalla Pass along the Yellowhead Highway featured 40km of continuous climb with the last stretch of 5km at grades of 8-10%. Yikes. Nonetheless, the max elevation topped out around 4,000ft, the winds were not a factor and it didn't rain until I got to my motel at 1:30PM.
Merritt is the Country Music Capital of Canada, featuring handprints and explanatory placards of famous country artists around the many small shops in the downtown area. Nice bike shop as well...the owner let me use his pump. I thought my gauge was wrong showing my back tire at 36psi and my front at 45psi. It wasn't. No wonder today was a slog.
Nice weather again. The forecast keeps calling for r a i n, but so far, so good. Temps of 14C again had me down to one layer as today involved 6,000 feet of climbing along 78 miles from Hope to Merritt. Started out taking backroads past the Othello tunnels, closed due to construction. I biked past, finding neither white nor black stones in the area, nor any checkerboard patterns for that matter. The Coquihalla Pass along the Yellowhead Highway featured 40km of continuous climb with the last stretch of 5km at grades of 8-10%. Yikes. Nonetheless, the max elevation topped out around 4,000ft, the winds were not a factor and it didn't rain until I got to my motel at 1:30PM.
Merritt is the Country Music Capital of Canada, featuring handprints and explanatory placards of famous country artists around the many small shops in the downtown area. Nice bike shop as well...the owner let me use his pump. I thought my gauge was wrong showing my back tire at 36psi and my front at 45psi. It wasn't. No wonder today was a slog.
5/12/22 - Blueberry Bannock [Dog Blog]
After 6,000 feet of climbing today, I was in the mood for more than puppy chow. Fortunately, there was an Indigenous Bakery in Merritt that had bannock. Bannock is a type of fry bread that originated in Scotland but has been repurposed by Indigenous Peoples of Canada.
Mid-afternoon offerings were either blueberry or venison...and Dave heeded my ask to be nice to my deer friends and I got to berry the last one. Very scone-like, though probably fattier. I ate the whole thing and was stuffed.
After 6,000 feet of climbing today, I was in the mood for more than puppy chow. Fortunately, there was an Indigenous Bakery in Merritt that had bannock. Bannock is a type of fry bread that originated in Scotland but has been repurposed by Indigenous Peoples of Canada.
Mid-afternoon offerings were either blueberry or venison...and Dave heeded my ask to be nice to my deer friends and I got to berry the last one. Very scone-like, though probably fattier. I ate the whole thing and was stuffed.
5/13/22 - Chase-tened by Google. Redeemed by JJ.
The ride from Merritt to Chase involved 97 miles and 3,740 feet of climbing, putting me at my motel before 3PM. I started with sun and 3C temps, taking Hwy 5A, a relatively quiet road northeast past lovely valleys filled with lakes and streams and saw several birds of prey close-up (including a Golden Eagle, or so I thought, and a few falcons). A tailwind and fully pumped tires had me almost 60 miles in, averaging 17mph. I was proud of myself for not listening to Google who tried putting me on a dirt road "shortcut" northeast, sticking instead to 5A into Kamloops.
Alas, in Kamloops, bicyclists were not allowed on TCH1 (Trans Canada Highway 1), so I obeyed Google in routing me north of the river. After a massively steep, winding descent heading east out of Kamloops, a rural and rather rough-surfaced road for 15 miles turned into a pot-holed dirt and gravel soup ride the last ten miles. Making matters worse, the winds came out of the east, full-on facial. Good practice for later in the trip. Oddly, once I crossed to the south side of the river and continued eastbound for the last ten miles into Chase on TCH1, the winds were at my back and I was averaging 17mph again.
Chase, no relation to JP Morgan, is a small town with a quaint historical museum and beautifully restored log cabin overlooking some semi-alpine lakes. After a walkabout and by burning 5,700 calories on the bike today (per the Garmin Edge 530 bike computer), I was hungry with few options. Reticent to resort to food truck food, I rationalized that JJ's Asian was more a trailer than a truck. I told JJ, the owner/cook/waiter/host that I was thinking about the 'Pineapple Mango with Chicken'. He said, "No you aren't. You want the 'Thai Peanut with Pork Loin'." I acquiesced under his assertiveness....and as a mostly vegetarian starved for protein, couldn't have been more pleased. There was so much flavor and food stuffed into the take-out styrofoam box that I couldn't finish it in my first dinner at 6PM, but it was the main course in my midnight munchies.
The ride from Merritt to Chase involved 97 miles and 3,740 feet of climbing, putting me at my motel before 3PM. I started with sun and 3C temps, taking Hwy 5A, a relatively quiet road northeast past lovely valleys filled with lakes and streams and saw several birds of prey close-up (including a Golden Eagle, or so I thought, and a few falcons). A tailwind and fully pumped tires had me almost 60 miles in, averaging 17mph. I was proud of myself for not listening to Google who tried putting me on a dirt road "shortcut" northeast, sticking instead to 5A into Kamloops.
Alas, in Kamloops, bicyclists were not allowed on TCH1 (Trans Canada Highway 1), so I obeyed Google in routing me north of the river. After a massively steep, winding descent heading east out of Kamloops, a rural and rather rough-surfaced road for 15 miles turned into a pot-holed dirt and gravel soup ride the last ten miles. Making matters worse, the winds came out of the east, full-on facial. Good practice for later in the trip. Oddly, once I crossed to the south side of the river and continued eastbound for the last ten miles into Chase on TCH1, the winds were at my back and I was averaging 17mph again.
Chase, no relation to JP Morgan, is a small town with a quaint historical museum and beautifully restored log cabin overlooking some semi-alpine lakes. After a walkabout and by burning 5,700 calories on the bike today (per the Garmin Edge 530 bike computer), I was hungry with few options. Reticent to resort to food truck food, I rationalized that JJ's Asian was more a trailer than a truck. I told JJ, the owner/cook/waiter/host that I was thinking about the 'Pineapple Mango with Chicken'. He said, "No you aren't. You want the 'Thai Peanut with Pork Loin'." I acquiesced under his assertiveness....and as a mostly vegetarian starved for protein, couldn't have been more pleased. There was so much flavor and food stuffed into the take-out styrofoam box that I couldn't finish it in my first dinner at 6PM, but it was the main course in my midnight munchies.
5/13/22 - Precision Canadian Engineering [Dog Blog]
Are Canadian engineers that good or might it be a case of spurious precision?
BTW-I like how Canadians use kilograms and not the dog-demeaning avoirdupois system of "pounds". While "kg" refers to the mass of 1,000 cubic centimeters of water, "lb" gets is origins from the Roman ancestor of the modern pound, the libra pondo. Libra is the seventh sign of the zodiac (symbolized by scales) and the "L" with an added squiggly became the sign for British currency. Humans have so much Roman pedigree in them..
Are Canadian engineers that good or might it be a case of spurious precision?
BTW-I like how Canadians use kilograms and not the dog-demeaning avoirdupois system of "pounds". While "kg" refers to the mass of 1,000 cubic centimeters of water, "lb" gets is origins from the Roman ancestor of the modern pound, the libra pondo. Libra is the seventh sign of the zodiac (symbolized by scales) and the "L" with an added squiggly became the sign for British currency. Humans have so much Roman pedigree in them..
5/14/22 - Revel in Canada's National Park Mecca
Biking from Chase to Revelstoke, 99 miles and 4,200 feet of climbing, I’m at the cusp of the Canadian Rocky Mountain National Park UNESCO World Heritage Site. Four national parks and over 70 provincial parks provide plenty of eye candy. Stayed on TCH1 all day, passing Salmon Arm and Sicamous before getting into Revelstoke at 2:30PM. The main stops today were scenery and spikes - waterfalls and spring snow runoff are picking up and I visited the site where the two teams of the Canadian Pacific met to connect Canada by rail in 1885.
Scenery was super pleasant; too bad today was overcast but it didn't rain much and the temps averaged 12C. At a bike shop in Revelstoke where I stopped for more air (no Kwik Trips to be found), I mentioned my mission to the very helpful service tech. He was envious and noted “they say this (meaning British Columbia) is the best province”. In one sense, it will be downhill after the Rockies, but there will be plenty of ups and downs afterwards.
Biking from Chase to Revelstoke, 99 miles and 4,200 feet of climbing, I’m at the cusp of the Canadian Rocky Mountain National Park UNESCO World Heritage Site. Four national parks and over 70 provincial parks provide plenty of eye candy. Stayed on TCH1 all day, passing Salmon Arm and Sicamous before getting into Revelstoke at 2:30PM. The main stops today were scenery and spikes - waterfalls and spring snow runoff are picking up and I visited the site where the two teams of the Canadian Pacific met to connect Canada by rail in 1885.
Scenery was super pleasant; too bad today was overcast but it didn't rain much and the temps averaged 12C. At a bike shop in Revelstoke where I stopped for more air (no Kwik Trips to be found), I mentioned my mission to the very helpful service tech. He was envious and noted “they say this (meaning British Columbia) is the best province”. In one sense, it will be downhill after the Rockies, but there will be plenty of ups and downs afterwards.
5/14/22 - The 11,794 Saga Continues [Dog Blog]
There it is again...the spurious precision number 11,794! Yikes. Dave didn't tell me we were less than two weeks from having to have winter tires or chains on our bikes. If I had known, I would have asked for a raise!
There it is again...the spurious precision number 11,794! Yikes. Dave didn't tell me we were less than two weeks from having to have winter tires or chains on our bikes. If I had known, I would have asked for a raise!
5/15/22 - A Golden Stopover
Moved into Mountain Time and stayed on TCH1 to Golden, riding through two Canadian National Parks – Mt. Revelstoke and Glacier (the Canadian version, not the one in Wyoming), I felt the 5,700 feet of climbing, much of that front-ended, more than the 94 miles.
The scenery today continued to impress. Overcast skies and sprinkles took some shine off the snow-capped mountains, fast-flowing streams and waterfalls, but at least it wasn’t snow showers. Biked through several avalanche sheds and appreciated the road crew efforts to clear paths for traffic, evidenced by many pixy stick piles of cedars and snow piled high on both sides of the road. Sadly, the scenic stops near the road like trails showcasing skunk cabbages, cedars and beavers were all closed. Likely seasonal, though perhaps carryovers from covid.
After spending the day sitting on my butt, I cleaned up and went for a walk to get some exercise. Downtown Golden, like Revelstoke, had a tasteful mix of historic and modern charm. As BC as BC likely gets from a non-native perspective. I walked a few miles to Reflection Lake, but the winds and low clouds made picture taking poor. Did see a pair of trumpeter swans, some coots and heard some marsh wrens and yellow-headed blackbirds. Made me feel at home as all these species are at my conservancy as well.
Moved into Mountain Time and stayed on TCH1 to Golden, riding through two Canadian National Parks – Mt. Revelstoke and Glacier (the Canadian version, not the one in Wyoming), I felt the 5,700 feet of climbing, much of that front-ended, more than the 94 miles.
The scenery today continued to impress. Overcast skies and sprinkles took some shine off the snow-capped mountains, fast-flowing streams and waterfalls, but at least it wasn’t snow showers. Biked through several avalanche sheds and appreciated the road crew efforts to clear paths for traffic, evidenced by many pixy stick piles of cedars and snow piled high on both sides of the road. Sadly, the scenic stops near the road like trails showcasing skunk cabbages, cedars and beavers were all closed. Likely seasonal, though perhaps carryovers from covid.
After spending the day sitting on my butt, I cleaned up and went for a walk to get some exercise. Downtown Golden, like Revelstoke, had a tasteful mix of historic and modern charm. As BC as BC likely gets from a non-native perspective. I walked a few miles to Reflection Lake, but the winds and low clouds made picture taking poor. Did see a pair of trumpeter swans, some coots and heard some marsh wrens and yellow-headed blackbirds. Made me feel at home as all these species are at my conservancy as well.
5/16/22 - The Long Detour - Day 1
Kicking Horse Pass on the TCH1 just east of Golden heading into Banff is closed due to construction until Victoria Day weekend which starts on Friday. Sorry Charlie...Golden is nice, but not my ticket for another five days so I am taking two days to accomplish one – southeast to Radium Hot Springs today on Hwy 95 and then northeast to Castle Junction on Hwy 93s and then on to Banff tomorrow. This adds about 65 miles and ~4K more in elevation gain but provides another day in the scenic splendor of the Rockies.
Today was easy. Tomorrow tougher. Wrapped up my ride at noon, a nice route, albeit heavily traveled due to the detour, with decent shoulder and plenty of still water that made for nice reflection shots of the snow-capped mountains when the clouds lifted. Many signs cautioning travelers to watch out for wildlife but all I saw were a half-dozen deer.
Had the afternoon to explore the small town, resupply, service the bike and take a long hike into Kootenay National Park where I took the Juniper Trail down to Sinclair Falls, up to an overlook of Sinclair Canyon and finally to Radium Hot Springs. Got my dose of the radioactive element radon after which the town is named by soaking in the hot pool outside for 45 minutes in the sun.
Kicking Horse Pass on the TCH1 just east of Golden heading into Banff is closed due to construction until Victoria Day weekend which starts on Friday. Sorry Charlie...Golden is nice, but not my ticket for another five days so I am taking two days to accomplish one – southeast to Radium Hot Springs today on Hwy 95 and then northeast to Castle Junction on Hwy 93s and then on to Banff tomorrow. This adds about 65 miles and ~4K more in elevation gain but provides another day in the scenic splendor of the Rockies.
Today was easy. Tomorrow tougher. Wrapped up my ride at noon, a nice route, albeit heavily traveled due to the detour, with decent shoulder and plenty of still water that made for nice reflection shots of the snow-capped mountains when the clouds lifted. Many signs cautioning travelers to watch out for wildlife but all I saw were a half-dozen deer.
Had the afternoon to explore the small town, resupply, service the bike and take a long hike into Kootenay National Park where I took the Juniper Trail down to Sinclair Falls, up to an overlook of Sinclair Canyon and finally to Radium Hot Springs. Got my dose of the radioactive element radon after which the town is named by soaking in the hot pool outside for 45 minutes in the sun.
5/17/22 - The Long Detour - Day 2
A confession: I did two hikes yesterday to the only grocery store in Radium as the foot-long Subway sub failed to make a dent in my stomach, causing me to eat most of the breakfast items and snacks a day early. Arriving near closing time, pickings were limited so I chose a box of granola and a whole pumpkin pie.
I knew from walking to Radium Hot Springs, this mornings' initial climb would be tough and it proved so. First 13km (8 miles) straight up 600 meters (almost 2,000 ft). I dressed lightly for the 4C temps but found this the hardest hill to date in Canada. After surviving the schweatty balls summit (to Olive Lake) and massive decline, my waterproof mid-layer gloves were dry on the outside but wet from sweat on the inside and causing discomfort. Ripped them off at the first wayside and shifted to my heavy gloves, taking a break to polish off the full pie...with my fingers. Hopefully www.drivebc.ca which has road cameras all over didn’t catch that. Sorry Mom!
The rest of the ride through Kootenay National Park was nice. Ample deer, a few bighorn sheep and gorgeous views of the mountains thanks to a very sunny day. Enjoyed Marble Canyon, crossed the Continental Divide and into Alberta at a point higher than Olive Lake but the rise was gradual. The route resumed on TCH1 (in Banff National Park, roughly where my route would have connected in a single day were it not for the road closure). It met up with the lovely Legacy Trail that paralleled much of the interstate but on a hiker/biker friendly path through conifer forests into Banff and to my end destination of Canmore.
My pedaling proxy for lodging is a Super 8 due to reasonable prices, waffles and warm showers. Canmore had one, but it was $45CAN more than Chateau Canmore which gave me a fireplace, a kitchenette and an outdoor whirlpool with gorgeous views. Bonus! Bought and cooked some salmon from Safeway and enjoyed a nice sunset soak before bed.
A confession: I did two hikes yesterday to the only grocery store in Radium as the foot-long Subway sub failed to make a dent in my stomach, causing me to eat most of the breakfast items and snacks a day early. Arriving near closing time, pickings were limited so I chose a box of granola and a whole pumpkin pie.
I knew from walking to Radium Hot Springs, this mornings' initial climb would be tough and it proved so. First 13km (8 miles) straight up 600 meters (almost 2,000 ft). I dressed lightly for the 4C temps but found this the hardest hill to date in Canada. After surviving the schweatty balls summit (to Olive Lake) and massive decline, my waterproof mid-layer gloves were dry on the outside but wet from sweat on the inside and causing discomfort. Ripped them off at the first wayside and shifted to my heavy gloves, taking a break to polish off the full pie...with my fingers. Hopefully www.drivebc.ca which has road cameras all over didn’t catch that. Sorry Mom!
The rest of the ride through Kootenay National Park was nice. Ample deer, a few bighorn sheep and gorgeous views of the mountains thanks to a very sunny day. Enjoyed Marble Canyon, crossed the Continental Divide and into Alberta at a point higher than Olive Lake but the rise was gradual. The route resumed on TCH1 (in Banff National Park, roughly where my route would have connected in a single day were it not for the road closure). It met up with the lovely Legacy Trail that paralleled much of the interstate but on a hiker/biker friendly path through conifer forests into Banff and to my end destination of Canmore.
My pedaling proxy for lodging is a Super 8 due to reasonable prices, waffles and warm showers. Canmore had one, but it was $45CAN more than Chateau Canmore which gave me a fireplace, a kitchenette and an outdoor whirlpool with gorgeous views. Bonus! Bought and cooked some salmon from Safeway and enjoyed a nice sunset soak before bed.
5/17/22 - Crossing the Continental Divide [Dog Blog]
After 31K feet of elevation gain in the past eight days, things will get a little less hilly after exiting the Rockies. Cold weather (tomorrow likely will start out at 0C!), winds and relatively "plain" scenery are in store.
After 31K feet of elevation gain in the past eight days, things will get a little less hilly after exiting the Rockies. Cold weather (tomorrow likely will start out at 0C!), winds and relatively "plain" scenery are in store.
5/18/22 - A Windy Stampede Through Calgary
Today was an intense Alberta immersion where I experienced 15-30mph headwinds and tailwinds, hail, hospitality par excellence and a smattering of helpful City Goggle guiding me along the pretty bike paths of Calgary. Ended up in Strathmore east of Calgary.
Had the latest start of the trip this morning. Free breakfast not to blame as it didn’t exist, but the cozy room and 2C temps encouraged lollygagging. Also had to leave my bike in the ski room, so the reloading process meant I departed Canmore around 8AM. First part of the ride on TCH1 heading southeast was bliss, then the winds shifted with a vengeance to 15-20mph with gusts up to 35mph from the southeast. Not a full frontal, but enough that it was two-hand gripping and speeds of 6-10mph for 25 miles. Disheartening. I got off TCH1 before Calgary and let City Google guide me on backroads in a curvaceous route along lessor travelled roads and bike paths. Normally, I’m a little reticent to weave around vs. taking the crow fly route, but meandering through Calgary kept me out of the wind, offered some lovely bike paths including the Bow River and Rotary Greenway Trails that hugged waterways and took me relatively stop-free into the heart of Calgary from the west and out the east side before picking up TCH1.
Once back on the TCH1 and with 17 miles to go for a 110 mile day and my first century ride of the trip, it began to hail. Raw temps were fine at 12C and the sky was blue in all directions in the horizon except for overhead. Plunk, plunk, plunk went the small ice pellets off the helmet. For once, French Fry didn’t complain about being under my tail. I put on my rain jacket and biked several miles until Art, a wonderful trail angel in a van with his German Shepherd, caught my attention and waved me down. He offered a ride and I agreed. He took me into my end destination of Strathmore where he treated me to two beers at Origin – where, as Art called it, they play “farm porn” on one of the video screens of this local grains and hops brewery. Amidst all the hockey screens, one TV innocuously showed grain-cropping zamboni fare featuring combines at harvest time, moving up and down rows. Mesmerizing in a way. Likely a subtle hint that the evisceration of grains would leave those who like a low alcohol drink stuck with seltzers. Yuck! Art was a great companion and a gracious host. Thanks Art!
Today was an intense Alberta immersion where I experienced 15-30mph headwinds and tailwinds, hail, hospitality par excellence and a smattering of helpful City Goggle guiding me along the pretty bike paths of Calgary. Ended up in Strathmore east of Calgary.
Had the latest start of the trip this morning. Free breakfast not to blame as it didn’t exist, but the cozy room and 2C temps encouraged lollygagging. Also had to leave my bike in the ski room, so the reloading process meant I departed Canmore around 8AM. First part of the ride on TCH1 heading southeast was bliss, then the winds shifted with a vengeance to 15-20mph with gusts up to 35mph from the southeast. Not a full frontal, but enough that it was two-hand gripping and speeds of 6-10mph for 25 miles. Disheartening. I got off TCH1 before Calgary and let City Google guide me on backroads in a curvaceous route along lessor travelled roads and bike paths. Normally, I’m a little reticent to weave around vs. taking the crow fly route, but meandering through Calgary kept me out of the wind, offered some lovely bike paths including the Bow River and Rotary Greenway Trails that hugged waterways and took me relatively stop-free into the heart of Calgary from the west and out the east side before picking up TCH1.
Once back on the TCH1 and with 17 miles to go for a 110 mile day and my first century ride of the trip, it began to hail. Raw temps were fine at 12C and the sky was blue in all directions in the horizon except for overhead. Plunk, plunk, plunk went the small ice pellets off the helmet. For once, French Fry didn’t complain about being under my tail. I put on my rain jacket and biked several miles until Art, a wonderful trail angel in a van with his German Shepherd, caught my attention and waved me down. He offered a ride and I agreed. He took me into my end destination of Strathmore where he treated me to two beers at Origin – where, as Art called it, they play “farm porn” on one of the video screens of this local grains and hops brewery. Amidst all the hockey screens, one TV innocuously showed grain-cropping zamboni fare featuring combines at harvest time, moving up and down rows. Mesmerizing in a way. Likely a subtle hint that the evisceration of grains would leave those who like a low alcohol drink stuck with seltzers. Yuck! Art was a great companion and a gracious host. Thanks Art!
5/18/22 - City Google vs. Country Google [Dog Blog]
Dave tells me previous cross-Canada bikers have complimented Google for its ability to guide bikers through cities and criticisms for its chimerical country routing. We experienced some of the bad "Country Google" a few days ago. Today, "City Google" skillfully routed us through scenic, less trafficked paths. A sheer delight and a big time-saver.
There was only one snafu on the Bow River trail coming into Calgary. The bike path snaking down to a bridge crossing the river was closed due to construction, leading to a creative and somewhat scary bike luge track getting down some serious steps. On an unladen bike, rolling the tires down the steps might be easy peasy. On a steel bike with 50lb of extra weight, wearing clip-in shoes and after Dave ate the whole pumpkin pie yesterday, not for the faint hearted. We made it however!
Dave tells me previous cross-Canada bikers have complimented Google for its ability to guide bikers through cities and criticisms for its chimerical country routing. We experienced some of the bad "Country Google" a few days ago. Today, "City Google" skillfully routed us through scenic, less trafficked paths. A sheer delight and a big time-saver.
There was only one snafu on the Bow River trail coming into Calgary. The bike path snaking down to a bridge crossing the river was closed due to construction, leading to a creative and somewhat scary bike luge track getting down some serious steps. On an unladen bike, rolling the tires down the steps might be easy peasy. On a steel bike with 50lb of extra weight, wearing clip-in shoes and after Dave ate the whole pumpkin pie yesterday, not for the faint hearted. We made it however!
5/19/22 - Brooks and Not Dunn
I will long remember today's ride - pedaling at a fast cadence in the lowest gear with ease at 25-30mph while my breathe visibly shot out from my mouth like a cloud of smoke. Not due to my talents or conditioning...rather a combo of cold weather (ave temp of 6C/41F today but the morning was closer to freezing before windchill), light rain and a powerful wind out of the northwest of 15-20mph. As I was heading southeast, it was mostly at my back though was predicted to shift out of the north by 2PM. It did, but I was mostly done by that time.
Stopped after 85 miles in Brooks at a McD's in the late morning. Had a green tea, used the blow dryer to warm some of my clothes and debated calling it a day or pressing on 70 more miles to Medicine Hat. As tailwinds are a gift not to be wasted, I cranked up my heated socks and heated gloves, added an extra layer and trudged on. Ended up at the Comfort Inn on the southeast side of Medicine Hat at 3PM after logging 155 miles. My pace was e-bike like at over 21mph, far more than my normal loaded speed of 13mphish.
No pictures today. Just too cold and rainy with a more intense focus on the road given conditions. It was even hard trying to stand upright on the bike. One day removed from the Rockies, the terrain quickly turned to pasture and derricks chasing oil. Shoulder remained good and drivers respectful. I did clip in my two Garmin results below to show the impact of the NW winds on speed.
Once in Medicine Hat, it took time to clean up, wash and dry things and address some issues with my bike. I picked the Comfort Inn for its price (as cheap as the Motel 6) and location on the east end of Medicine Hat (making a getaway tomorrow morning hopefully easier traffic-wise). It was too far from the historic downtown and the giant teepee I hoped to see. Not a big loss. I was beat. The winds remained intense and the rain came down harder in the late afternoon, a sign to stay in my room and recuperate. I obliged.
I will long remember today's ride - pedaling at a fast cadence in the lowest gear with ease at 25-30mph while my breathe visibly shot out from my mouth like a cloud of smoke. Not due to my talents or conditioning...rather a combo of cold weather (ave temp of 6C/41F today but the morning was closer to freezing before windchill), light rain and a powerful wind out of the northwest of 15-20mph. As I was heading southeast, it was mostly at my back though was predicted to shift out of the north by 2PM. It did, but I was mostly done by that time.
Stopped after 85 miles in Brooks at a McD's in the late morning. Had a green tea, used the blow dryer to warm some of my clothes and debated calling it a day or pressing on 70 more miles to Medicine Hat. As tailwinds are a gift not to be wasted, I cranked up my heated socks and heated gloves, added an extra layer and trudged on. Ended up at the Comfort Inn on the southeast side of Medicine Hat at 3PM after logging 155 miles. My pace was e-bike like at over 21mph, far more than my normal loaded speed of 13mphish.
No pictures today. Just too cold and rainy with a more intense focus on the road given conditions. It was even hard trying to stand upright on the bike. One day removed from the Rockies, the terrain quickly turned to pasture and derricks chasing oil. Shoulder remained good and drivers respectful. I did clip in my two Garmin results below to show the impact of the NW winds on speed.
Once in Medicine Hat, it took time to clean up, wash and dry things and address some issues with my bike. I picked the Comfort Inn for its price (as cheap as the Motel 6) and location on the east end of Medicine Hat (making a getaway tomorrow morning hopefully easier traffic-wise). It was too far from the historic downtown and the giant teepee I hoped to see. Not a big loss. I was beat. The winds remained intense and the rain came down harder in the late afternoon, a sign to stay in my room and recuperate. I obliged.
5/20/22 - Winded
It was not easy leaving the Medicine Hat Comfort Inn this morning. It was, by definition, comfortable but also calm and warm. Not the case outside as cold temps and wind warnings kept wind chills at freezing all day. Gusts of 30mph were common. The last time I’ve biked this long in this much wind was in Kansas while eastbound crossing the US. I had a feeling we weren’t in Kansas anymore but still kept an eye out for the rainbow. Coming out of the north, the winds were both nuisance and nemesis as my route to Gull Lake on TCH1 was east by northeast. Was harder and took longer to do 102 miles today than the 155 miles yesterday. At least the sun shone and it felt good crossing into my third province – Saskatchewan.
The biggest change in scenery from eastern Alberta was underfoot. The shoulder shrunk in spots, surface was irregular and patched up poorly with potholes and wide spider cracks abounding. The cross and headwinds kept me focused on the road surface and traffic while the cold kept me from pulling off my gloves often to get pictures. Nevertheless, wide shoulders for all their faults are still a gift and I’m thankful for them as they will get worse in Ontario.
My hotel in Gull Lake was poorly rated but nearly my only option as I didn’t have gas in my tank to make it to Swift Current. The hostess was very nice and the space heater she provided kept the dated but clean room warm and dried off my cold and wet gear. There isn’t much in the town and it was freakishly frigid. I got groceries and ate in my room before another early bed. Wind and cold make me sleepy!
It was not easy leaving the Medicine Hat Comfort Inn this morning. It was, by definition, comfortable but also calm and warm. Not the case outside as cold temps and wind warnings kept wind chills at freezing all day. Gusts of 30mph were common. The last time I’ve biked this long in this much wind was in Kansas while eastbound crossing the US. I had a feeling we weren’t in Kansas anymore but still kept an eye out for the rainbow. Coming out of the north, the winds were both nuisance and nemesis as my route to Gull Lake on TCH1 was east by northeast. Was harder and took longer to do 102 miles today than the 155 miles yesterday. At least the sun shone and it felt good crossing into my third province – Saskatchewan.
The biggest change in scenery from eastern Alberta was underfoot. The shoulder shrunk in spots, surface was irregular and patched up poorly with potholes and wide spider cracks abounding. The cross and headwinds kept me focused on the road surface and traffic while the cold kept me from pulling off my gloves often to get pictures. Nevertheless, wide shoulders for all their faults are still a gift and I’m thankful for them as they will get worse in Ontario.
My hotel in Gull Lake was poorly rated but nearly my only option as I didn’t have gas in my tank to make it to Swift Current. The hostess was very nice and the space heater she provided kept the dated but clean room warm and dried off my cold and wet gear. There isn’t much in the town and it was freakishly frigid. I got groceries and ate in my room before another early bed. Wind and cold make me sleepy!
5/21/22 - 400 Miles in 3 Days Deserves a Beer for French Fry
There have been many sweet things about biking in Canada. Wildflowers and friendly car horn honks of support from interstate drivers are among them. Cars that are going my way wait until passing, then beep their blessing. That contrasts with eastern Kentucky and West Virginia where horn honking on approach happened before passing me. Notwithstanding the cold weather and winds (the latter could come at any time), the main May benefit is the length of daylight. Sun rises shortly after 5AM and it stays light until close to 10PM and the window only widens as I work eastbound. Used this to my advantage today.
Left Gull Lake at 6AM and took advantage of mild cross-winds to get a good jump on my goal of Moose Jaw, 142 miles away. The winds picked up as the day progressed, but only to 10mph, a far better situation than the 15mph with up to 30mph gusts from the last two days. As they were solid from the north, I mostly had a cross wind interspersed with enough tail and head wind to make it interesting. I wrapped up the ride before 5PM, staying in Capone’s Hideaway, a nice unsubstantiated marketing ploy for an older establishment conveniently located in the downtown area with the claim that it was once owned by members of the Capone family. Nice hosts and it suits me to be able to walk around and get the vibe of this historic city created by the Canada Pacific Railway’s choice of this spot as a divisional point in 1882.
Today’s ride wasn’t flat as a pancake, more like a Ruffle’s potato chip with 2,333ft of climbing. The most interesting sights along the way were the shorebirds in the salt flats and the flats themselves that looked like lakes from a distance, snow piles up close. It’s a bit Dead Sea like but far cooler and with no tourists…yet today got up to 10C, with windchills never below 4C. Good biking weather.
I credit today's success to both Spotify Premium and a beer pact French Fry and I made at about mile 90 if we made Moose Jaw. Didn't want to camp in 0C nighttime weather. Yes, I'm a wimp with a middle age prostate. Anyhow, Spotify makes the Plains less plain as my listening list is up to 9.25 hrs filled with an eclectic mix of motivational 80s hairband, 90s-10s country (with real lyrics) and a smattering of musicals and more modern stuff like AJR. As for the beer pact, we agreed to each have a beer if we made it to Capone’s as it is a Saturday night after all. Only after showering, washing my clothes, addressing the bike, having Indian food for dinner, picking up groceries at Safeway and then stopping at a liquor store for two beers did I remember that French Fry is a tee-toller. Looks like it’s a twofer for Dave tonight.
There have been many sweet things about biking in Canada. Wildflowers and friendly car horn honks of support from interstate drivers are among them. Cars that are going my way wait until passing, then beep their blessing. That contrasts with eastern Kentucky and West Virginia where horn honking on approach happened before passing me. Notwithstanding the cold weather and winds (the latter could come at any time), the main May benefit is the length of daylight. Sun rises shortly after 5AM and it stays light until close to 10PM and the window only widens as I work eastbound. Used this to my advantage today.
Left Gull Lake at 6AM and took advantage of mild cross-winds to get a good jump on my goal of Moose Jaw, 142 miles away. The winds picked up as the day progressed, but only to 10mph, a far better situation than the 15mph with up to 30mph gusts from the last two days. As they were solid from the north, I mostly had a cross wind interspersed with enough tail and head wind to make it interesting. I wrapped up the ride before 5PM, staying in Capone’s Hideaway, a nice unsubstantiated marketing ploy for an older establishment conveniently located in the downtown area with the claim that it was once owned by members of the Capone family. Nice hosts and it suits me to be able to walk around and get the vibe of this historic city created by the Canada Pacific Railway’s choice of this spot as a divisional point in 1882.
Today’s ride wasn’t flat as a pancake, more like a Ruffle’s potato chip with 2,333ft of climbing. The most interesting sights along the way were the shorebirds in the salt flats and the flats themselves that looked like lakes from a distance, snow piles up close. It’s a bit Dead Sea like but far cooler and with no tourists…yet today got up to 10C, with windchills never below 4C. Good biking weather.
I credit today's success to both Spotify Premium and a beer pact French Fry and I made at about mile 90 if we made Moose Jaw. Didn't want to camp in 0C nighttime weather. Yes, I'm a wimp with a middle age prostate. Anyhow, Spotify makes the Plains less plain as my listening list is up to 9.25 hrs filled with an eclectic mix of motivational 80s hairband, 90s-10s country (with real lyrics) and a smattering of musicals and more modern stuff like AJR. As for the beer pact, we agreed to each have a beer if we made it to Capone’s as it is a Saturday night after all. Only after showering, washing my clothes, addressing the bike, having Indian food for dinner, picking up groceries at Safeway and then stopping at a liquor store for two beers did I remember that French Fry is a tee-toller. Looks like it’s a twofer for Dave tonight.
5/22/22 - Regina Impresses
Warning: Today’s entry is way long and full of more pithy alliterations than normal. Reasoning twofold: (1) I’ve not been to Saskatchewan before and the newness piques my curiosity and (2) today was mostly a day off the bike to give the tush a break. Walked around enough to rack up 28K step, so the soles carried the load today.
Might be best to catch French Fry’s “Dog Blog” first as it explains the day’s start with a walk to Mac the Moose and subsequent “Fish Pic” meanderings. After this, I did two, hour-long tours of the Moose Jaw Tunnels located across the road from the Capone Motel. Craving some history of Prohibition and the Cold War, it was more theatrics. Being a Wisconsinite, I feel qualified to say it was served too cheesy and salty for my taste. The kids on the tour had fun however.
A quick change to biking clothes preceded a picturesque pedaling journey on TCH1 for 45 miles to the north side of Regina (pronounced with a long I), the capital of Saskatchewan. Manageable tailwind of 5-7mph and 14C temps with partial sun meant it was the first ride of the trip where I wore one layer start to finish. The flooded fields reflected cotton ball clouds against a blue background of the Saskatchewan skyline. Gave the Alberta mountains a run for its money, but I’m partial to prairies.
I quickly checked into my waterpark hotel (a truism…cheapest place I could find within striking distance of downtown), quickly showered and Ubered two miles to the Royal Saskatchewan Museum where I closed the joint. Security had to escort me out as my ninety minutes of exploring paleontology and prairies and the lifeforms therein was an hour too short. Fascinating, but then again, I’m partial to prairies.
The museum was on the north side of Wascana Lake. A short walk to the east was the provincial capital’s “Legislative Building” or quasi-state capital in Americanesque. The lake has a lovely 10km path around it with trees, monuments, gardens and other park-like accoutrements. It helped that it was a lovely day and the warblers were active, but I was quite impressed.
One of the things I didn’t know is that 1/5th of Saskatchewan’s have Ukrainian heritage. The Holodomor Statue on the southeast side of the lake was tastefully decorated to reflect the current crisis as well as the suffering at the hands of Stalin in 1932-1933 where more than one million Ukrainians perished in a needless famine.
Walked back to my motel, stopping to get groceries at Safeway. En route, I saw a huge line and did what I learned to do when in Eastern Europe in the 1980s. Queue up. Paid off as shown in my Fish Pic below.
After some waterpark sliding and hanging out in the hot tub, it was on to blogging and bed.
Warning: Today’s entry is way long and full of more pithy alliterations than normal. Reasoning twofold: (1) I’ve not been to Saskatchewan before and the newness piques my curiosity and (2) today was mostly a day off the bike to give the tush a break. Walked around enough to rack up 28K step, so the soles carried the load today.
Might be best to catch French Fry’s “Dog Blog” first as it explains the day’s start with a walk to Mac the Moose and subsequent “Fish Pic” meanderings. After this, I did two, hour-long tours of the Moose Jaw Tunnels located across the road from the Capone Motel. Craving some history of Prohibition and the Cold War, it was more theatrics. Being a Wisconsinite, I feel qualified to say it was served too cheesy and salty for my taste. The kids on the tour had fun however.
A quick change to biking clothes preceded a picturesque pedaling journey on TCH1 for 45 miles to the north side of Regina (pronounced with a long I), the capital of Saskatchewan. Manageable tailwind of 5-7mph and 14C temps with partial sun meant it was the first ride of the trip where I wore one layer start to finish. The flooded fields reflected cotton ball clouds against a blue background of the Saskatchewan skyline. Gave the Alberta mountains a run for its money, but I’m partial to prairies.
I quickly checked into my waterpark hotel (a truism…cheapest place I could find within striking distance of downtown), quickly showered and Ubered two miles to the Royal Saskatchewan Museum where I closed the joint. Security had to escort me out as my ninety minutes of exploring paleontology and prairies and the lifeforms therein was an hour too short. Fascinating, but then again, I’m partial to prairies.
The museum was on the north side of Wascana Lake. A short walk to the east was the provincial capital’s “Legislative Building” or quasi-state capital in Americanesque. The lake has a lovely 10km path around it with trees, monuments, gardens and other park-like accoutrements. It helped that it was a lovely day and the warblers were active, but I was quite impressed.
One of the things I didn’t know is that 1/5th of Saskatchewan’s have Ukrainian heritage. The Holodomor Statue on the southeast side of the lake was tastefully decorated to reflect the current crisis as well as the suffering at the hands of Stalin in 1932-1933 where more than one million Ukrainians perished in a needless famine.
Walked back to my motel, stopping to get groceries at Safeway. En route, I saw a huge line and did what I learned to do when in Eastern Europe in the 1980s. Queue up. Paid off as shown in my Fish Pic below.
After some waterpark sliding and hanging out in the hot tub, it was on to blogging and bed.
5/22/22 - Mac the Moose [Dog Blog]
Dave took me for a walk this morning. Too long, but I had no choice and it was fun to see trees. We stopped at the world's largest moose named Mac. Dave's first pic diminutized me. I was dog-gone mad. So I tried getting him to change the angle and he wasn't getting it. Finally I said "Fish Pic!" "Fish Pic!" and it finally clicked. He can be soooo slow some times.
Dave took me for a walk this morning. Too long, but I had no choice and it was fun to see trees. We stopped at the world's largest moose named Mac. Dave's first pic diminutized me. I was dog-gone mad. So I tried getting him to change the angle and he wasn't getting it. Finally I said "Fish Pic!" "Fish Pic!" and it finally clicked. He can be soooo slow some times.
5/23/22 - Victoria Day
Many Canadians concluded a three-day weekend courtesy of the national holiday Victoria Day today. Canada is the only British commonwealth country who, along with the Scots, celebrate by closing most things down and getting a jump start on the Canadian summer. Queen Victoria, after whom the holiday is named, was born on May 24th but the Canadians in 1952, almost two decades before the Americans with our President’s Day, made the move to a Monday permanent.
I had hoped to be in “plain” and not “touristy” territory for this holiday weekend and found the route today on TCH1 from Regina to Moosomin (140 miles) not only flat (1,400 feet of elevation gain) but also low on traffic. The shoulder was serrated and shrunk at times but the lack of vehicles and courteous drivers made it feel okay. The weather was awesome again with temps peaking around 15C, mostly sunny skies and a cross wind that turned a tad tail-like by mid-day.
Saskatchewan has huge tracks of land, seemingly managed by mega-farms in this area. Communities take pride in their grain elevators. For the few towns I passed, this building was the largest thing in town and always featured the city and province name clearly placed for highway driver consumption. Despite warning signs for moose and deer, I mostly only saw waterfowl, red-winged and yellow-headed blackbirds and thought I heard bobolinks in the fields.
Time for a quiz question…what do Saskatchewan and Arizona (sans the Navajo Nation) have in common? Both are stuck on Standard Time zones for the full year. Arizona-Mountain and Saskatchewan-Central. It is squirrelly. The clocks don’t move ahead in the summer…so in Moosomin the sun will rise at 4:45AM tomorrow and set at 8:45PM.
I will occasionally throw out technical tips in the next few weeks. I am not sponsored by anyone and my experience may not replicate yours. With that disclaimer out of the way, my first tip is to get a good weather app as winds are so impactful on performance and pleasure. Have been using Weather&Radar-Storm Radar app. My US weather apps didn’t cover Canada. This free app with adds gives hour-by-hour predictions on winds, temp, precipitation, etc. The wind element has been most helpful in the Plains. It has been scary accurate in predicting when wind speeds and directions will change and I plan accordingly.
Many Canadians concluded a three-day weekend courtesy of the national holiday Victoria Day today. Canada is the only British commonwealth country who, along with the Scots, celebrate by closing most things down and getting a jump start on the Canadian summer. Queen Victoria, after whom the holiday is named, was born on May 24th but the Canadians in 1952, almost two decades before the Americans with our President’s Day, made the move to a Monday permanent.
I had hoped to be in “plain” and not “touristy” territory for this holiday weekend and found the route today on TCH1 from Regina to Moosomin (140 miles) not only flat (1,400 feet of elevation gain) but also low on traffic. The shoulder was serrated and shrunk at times but the lack of vehicles and courteous drivers made it feel okay. The weather was awesome again with temps peaking around 15C, mostly sunny skies and a cross wind that turned a tad tail-like by mid-day.
Saskatchewan has huge tracks of land, seemingly managed by mega-farms in this area. Communities take pride in their grain elevators. For the few towns I passed, this building was the largest thing in town and always featured the city and province name clearly placed for highway driver consumption. Despite warning signs for moose and deer, I mostly only saw waterfowl, red-winged and yellow-headed blackbirds and thought I heard bobolinks in the fields.
Time for a quiz question…what do Saskatchewan and Arizona (sans the Navajo Nation) have in common? Both are stuck on Standard Time zones for the full year. Arizona-Mountain and Saskatchewan-Central. It is squirrelly. The clocks don’t move ahead in the summer…so in Moosomin the sun will rise at 4:45AM tomorrow and set at 8:45PM.
I will occasionally throw out technical tips in the next few weeks. I am not sponsored by anyone and my experience may not replicate yours. With that disclaimer out of the way, my first tip is to get a good weather app as winds are so impactful on performance and pleasure. Have been using Weather&Radar-Storm Radar app. My US weather apps didn’t cover Canada. This free app with adds gives hour-by-hour predictions on winds, temp, precipitation, etc. The wind element has been most helpful in the Plains. It has been scary accurate in predicting when wind speeds and directions will change and I plan accordingly.
5/24/22 - Manitoba and the Central Time Zone
I set my alarm for 4:50AM Central Standard Time (or Mountain Daylight if you prefer). Didn’t matter as at 4:30AM a train crossed behind the motel with horns a blaring and I got a twenty-minute head start on the day. For large parts of the TCH1 in the west, the rail preceded the road and both run parallel and the tiny townsfolk must deal with truck and train traffic. I was on the road by 5:30AM and within an hour lost an hour in the shift to Central Daylight Time by crossing into province #4 - Manitoba. After getting the provincial sign pic, I biked TCH1 120 miles into Carberry, going southeast in a cross to mild headwind out of the south. Somewhat compensating was the terrain as a dropped 650ft with only 866ft of rise the whole day. Scenery non-descript. More big-scale farming operations, but trees (diminutive) are becoming more common after a few days of barrenness..
Today’s weather was intensely sunny. Reminded me when I was a kid taking this purple plaque disclosing tablets in school that showed the spots missed during brushing. Well, I could have used one of those today to reveal the spots suntan lotion wasn’t applied before the ride, not after in the shower!
I set my alarm for 4:50AM Central Standard Time (or Mountain Daylight if you prefer). Didn’t matter as at 4:30AM a train crossed behind the motel with horns a blaring and I got a twenty-minute head start on the day. For large parts of the TCH1 in the west, the rail preceded the road and both run parallel and the tiny townsfolk must deal with truck and train traffic. I was on the road by 5:30AM and within an hour lost an hour in the shift to Central Daylight Time by crossing into province #4 - Manitoba. After getting the provincial sign pic, I biked TCH1 120 miles into Carberry, going southeast in a cross to mild headwind out of the south. Somewhat compensating was the terrain as a dropped 650ft with only 866ft of rise the whole day. Scenery non-descript. More big-scale farming operations, but trees (diminutive) are becoming more common after a few days of barrenness..
Today’s weather was intensely sunny. Reminded me when I was a kid taking this purple plaque disclosing tablets in school that showed the spots missed during brushing. Well, I could have used one of those today to reveal the spots suntan lotion wasn’t applied before the ride, not after in the shower!
5/25/22 - Rascal Flats
I made it to Winnipeg in a Sweet 16 days after riding 109 miles on a generally flat and gradually descending in altitude route. I'm further along than I expected but have generally experienced decent winds and good weather after the Rockies. So many conversations with Canadians have led with the weather and how cold it has been this year. Looking out to the next week, eastbound conditions point to more headwinds in store but at least reasonable temps. I expect my pace will slow which is AOK as I like forests and lakes almost as much as prairies.
Today’s winds were more head than tail with cross tossed in, It was hard as speeds picked up to 10mph in the afternoon and hard handlebar gripping was in order. I’m not long-winded about winds; well maybe I am… it is ever present on one's mind when there are few trees, hills or buildings to buffer things. Today's major attraction was seeing the world's largest Coke can in Portage la Prairie behind a small motel. French Fry has this covered in his blog.
I kept on TCH1 until the western edge of Winnipeg where I let City Google due the guiding through city streets and bike paths to the Sports Chek in Polo Park. Mike and Glen rotated and added air to my tires, installed a phone holder I bought from them and checked out a few things on short notice. Thanks guys! Then it was another 11km to my Travelodge on the east side of Winnipeg. City Google does not keep tabs on flooding. One of the river paths I took turned out to be a muddy mess and another was totally flooded. Shifting to the side streets, Winnipeg has some of the worst maintained roads I've ever seen with huge potholes, uneven surfaces and deep snake scars akin to railroad tracks going awry.
I am taking my first full day off tomorrow. Have never been to Manitoba, so Winnipeg is new and looks great (once one’s eyes are lifted up off the road surface). I’m somewhat scarred by the Simpson’s trash-talk of the town [1] but have faith it will overdeliver.
[1] Winnipeg is home to the back-to-back Canadian Football League champions, the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and has been teased more than once on the Simpson’s, most famously in 1996 in the clip below:
I made it to Winnipeg in a Sweet 16 days after riding 109 miles on a generally flat and gradually descending in altitude route. I'm further along than I expected but have generally experienced decent winds and good weather after the Rockies. So many conversations with Canadians have led with the weather and how cold it has been this year. Looking out to the next week, eastbound conditions point to more headwinds in store but at least reasonable temps. I expect my pace will slow which is AOK as I like forests and lakes almost as much as prairies.
Today’s winds were more head than tail with cross tossed in, It was hard as speeds picked up to 10mph in the afternoon and hard handlebar gripping was in order. I’m not long-winded about winds; well maybe I am… it is ever present on one's mind when there are few trees, hills or buildings to buffer things. Today's major attraction was seeing the world's largest Coke can in Portage la Prairie behind a small motel. French Fry has this covered in his blog.
I kept on TCH1 until the western edge of Winnipeg where I let City Google due the guiding through city streets and bike paths to the Sports Chek in Polo Park. Mike and Glen rotated and added air to my tires, installed a phone holder I bought from them and checked out a few things on short notice. Thanks guys! Then it was another 11km to my Travelodge on the east side of Winnipeg. City Google does not keep tabs on flooding. One of the river paths I took turned out to be a muddy mess and another was totally flooded. Shifting to the side streets, Winnipeg has some of the worst maintained roads I've ever seen with huge potholes, uneven surfaces and deep snake scars akin to railroad tracks going awry.
I am taking my first full day off tomorrow. Have never been to Manitoba, so Winnipeg is new and looks great (once one’s eyes are lifted up off the road surface). I’m somewhat scarred by the Simpson’s trash-talk of the town [1] but have faith it will overdeliver.
[1] Winnipeg is home to the back-to-back Canadian Football League champions, the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and has been teased more than once on the Simpson’s, most famously in 1996 in the clip below:
5/25/22 - Breakfast of Champions [Dog Blog]
A late breakfast today in Portage la Prairie...the world's largest can of Coke (85ft tall) and the world's most crushed up sleeve of Smore's Pop-Tarts. The caffeine and sugar buzz stuck with me through all the headwinds into Winnipeg. Living the high life!
A late breakfast today in Portage la Prairie...the world's largest can of Coke (85ft tall) and the world's most crushed up sleeve of Smore's Pop-Tarts. The caffeine and sugar buzz stuck with me through all the headwinds into Winnipeg. Living the high life!
5/26/22 - Day Off in Winnipeg
I confess to having mixed feelings after a day meandering around Winnipeg. I like the dedicated bike lanes but the potholes and generally poor state of the roads disappointed. The three museums I visited were very good (more later), but the downtown area was full of panhandlers and the state of some of the public monuments had this unkept look and feel about them. Still, it was a good day well spent. Let’s focus on the positives…
I ended up biking six miles at the day’s start to get to the Royal Canadian Mint. Found this fascinating, but I know not all blog readers have banking backgrounds and interests in coins, so I will make that a bonus blog. As a teaser, it will talk about the 2017 glow-in-the-dark toonies with the aurora borealis.
After dropping off the bike in my motel and changing, I Ubered downtown and took in the Saint Boniface Cathedral, the Canadian Museum for Human Rights and the Manitoba Museum. The dioramas in the Manitoba Museum were very good and the Human Rights museum brought out issues that society should be addressing and considering. Took the recommended walk around the central city and people watched by the Manitoba Legislative Building in the early evening before bussing back to the motel. Lots of pics today tell more of the story.
I confess to having mixed feelings after a day meandering around Winnipeg. I like the dedicated bike lanes but the potholes and generally poor state of the roads disappointed. The three museums I visited were very good (more later), but the downtown area was full of panhandlers and the state of some of the public monuments had this unkept look and feel about them. Still, it was a good day well spent. Let’s focus on the positives…
I ended up biking six miles at the day’s start to get to the Royal Canadian Mint. Found this fascinating, but I know not all blog readers have banking backgrounds and interests in coins, so I will make that a bonus blog. As a teaser, it will talk about the 2017 glow-in-the-dark toonies with the aurora borealis.
After dropping off the bike in my motel and changing, I Ubered downtown and took in the Saint Boniface Cathedral, the Canadian Museum for Human Rights and the Manitoba Museum. The dioramas in the Manitoba Museum were very good and the Human Rights museum brought out issues that society should be addressing and considering. Took the recommended walk around the central city and people watched by the Manitoba Legislative Building in the early evening before bussing back to the motel. Lots of pics today tell more of the story.
5/26/22 - Bonus Blog: Royal Mint Visit - A Toonie that Glows in the Dark
The Royal Canadian Mint in Winnipeg was a treat for a banker like me. Some interesting tidbits:
1. Canada's two dollar coin is called the "Toonie". In 2017, this mint produced 15 million of a glow-in-the-dark coin featuring the aurora borealis. Hard to find on the internet (saw one for sale at about $25US). Check it out.
2. This mint produces coins for 80 countries, including blanks of coins for the US. Apparently there is a law that all US coins must be stamped in the country, so the blanks get shipped to America before finishing.
3. Speaking of finishing, a single die that stamps coins lasts eight hours before wearing out. During that time, it can make 14 coins a second.
4. The use of coins is declining in first world countries..."Loonies", the Canadian $1 coin, are being made at 20% of the volume that was done ten years ago. Poorer countries have not seen as large a decline, so more of what they do is for smaller nations.
5. Canada no longer makes pennies as the cost to produce exceeds the face value. In my stay so far, people get annoyed if you try paying with cash...even for $2CAN slurpies.
6. In 2004, Canadian experimented with adding color to their coins but the color wore off quickly. In 2014, they switched techniques to a pad and are achieving better results.
7. Coins used to have serrated edges to discourage the shaving of the sides. As most coins have little mineral wealth, this isn't a big deal. Rather, many coins now have an elevated lip around the outside to protect the design from getting scratched so they last longer.
8. Canada produced a 2,200 gold coin in 2007 which was the size of a large pizza. Four copies were made, one of which was stolen and has not been recovered. These are probably worth twentysome million today based on their gold value alone.
The Royal Canadian Mint in Winnipeg was a treat for a banker like me. Some interesting tidbits:
1. Canada's two dollar coin is called the "Toonie". In 2017, this mint produced 15 million of a glow-in-the-dark coin featuring the aurora borealis. Hard to find on the internet (saw one for sale at about $25US). Check it out.
2. This mint produces coins for 80 countries, including blanks of coins for the US. Apparently there is a law that all US coins must be stamped in the country, so the blanks get shipped to America before finishing.
3. Speaking of finishing, a single die that stamps coins lasts eight hours before wearing out. During that time, it can make 14 coins a second.
4. The use of coins is declining in first world countries..."Loonies", the Canadian $1 coin, are being made at 20% of the volume that was done ten years ago. Poorer countries have not seen as large a decline, so more of what they do is for smaller nations.
5. Canada no longer makes pennies as the cost to produce exceeds the face value. In my stay so far, people get annoyed if you try paying with cash...even for $2CAN slurpies.
6. In 2004, Canadian experimented with adding color to their coins but the color wore off quickly. In 2014, they switched techniques to a pad and are achieving better results.
7. Coins used to have serrated edges to discourage the shaving of the sides. As most coins have little mineral wealth, this isn't a big deal. Rather, many coins now have an elevated lip around the outside to protect the design from getting scratched so they last longer.
8. Canada produced a 2,200 gold coin in 2007 which was the size of a large pizza. Four copies were made, one of which was stolen and has not been recovered. These are probably worth twentysome million today based on their gold value alone.
5/27/22 - Entering Ontario
I fueled myself with a pumpkin pie for breakfast (pumpkin has ample vitamin A and C, especially if you eat a whole pie) before setting off eastbound towards Kenora. For the first day of the trip, the majority was off the busy TCH1 (Trans Canada Highway). Took Highways 15 and 44 before returning to the TCH1. The ride started off a bit dodgy without shoulder and with high traffic, but about 25km out of Winnipeg things softened considerably and it felt like a magic carpet ride with few vehicles as the prairie flats gave way to undulating hills with rocky outcrops with trees, lakes and bogs.
Managed 131.5 miles and 2,300ft of elevation gain as I exited the penultimate province prior to poutine paradise in favor of the Texas of Canada, the Big O, my numero cinco…Ontario. Cross-country bikers blog about it taking forever (as in a month in some cases) to cross this province. Taking it one day at a time…and today I arrived at the Nature’s Inn motel on the west end of Kenora at 4PM.
The recreation-focused town of 15K in the Lake of the Woods area is hemmed in by many bodies of water and stretches for kms and kms. I’m in the quiet/older part; the lively part with the brewpub and Tim Horton’s is too far east to walk. It’s a Friday in the thick of fishing season, so there were no rooms in those inns on short notice.
After cleaning up, I picked up groceries and went for a walk to the Keewatin Rock Holes. It was warm in the full sun – 25C/77F – so I opted to make dinner, eat on my deck and let the sun set a bit before tramping around the Mink Bay Wetland Trail. Lots of interesting bird calls and the b u g s stayed at bay until sunset.
Several interesting road signs today in the pics section below.
I fueled myself with a pumpkin pie for breakfast (pumpkin has ample vitamin A and C, especially if you eat a whole pie) before setting off eastbound towards Kenora. For the first day of the trip, the majority was off the busy TCH1 (Trans Canada Highway). Took Highways 15 and 44 before returning to the TCH1. The ride started off a bit dodgy without shoulder and with high traffic, but about 25km out of Winnipeg things softened considerably and it felt like a magic carpet ride with few vehicles as the prairie flats gave way to undulating hills with rocky outcrops with trees, lakes and bogs.
Managed 131.5 miles and 2,300ft of elevation gain as I exited the penultimate province prior to poutine paradise in favor of the Texas of Canada, the Big O, my numero cinco…Ontario. Cross-country bikers blog about it taking forever (as in a month in some cases) to cross this province. Taking it one day at a time…and today I arrived at the Nature’s Inn motel on the west end of Kenora at 4PM.
The recreation-focused town of 15K in the Lake of the Woods area is hemmed in by many bodies of water and stretches for kms and kms. I’m in the quiet/older part; the lively part with the brewpub and Tim Horton’s is too far east to walk. It’s a Friday in the thick of fishing season, so there were no rooms in those inns on short notice.
After cleaning up, I picked up groceries and went for a walk to the Keewatin Rock Holes. It was warm in the full sun – 25C/77F – so I opted to make dinner, eat on my deck and let the sun set a bit before tramping around the Mink Bay Wetland Trail. Lots of interesting bird calls and the b u g s stayed at bay until sunset.
Several interesting road signs today in the pics section below.
5/28 & 5/29/22 - A Twofer...Rolling Up and Down in Ontario
This is a double-day entry as poor internet at my lodging in Emo, Ontario gave me troubles.
I’ve conquered mountains and hail in British Columbia and Alberta and the wind and flats of Saskatchewan and Manitoba. My prima facia intro to western Ontario finds it the most challenging province yet. Three reasons: Winds, “Hills” and Remoteness.
Winds - I biked mostly south from Kenora to Emo on Saturday and faced a 7-10mph wind from the south and went mostly east to Atikokan today against a 6-12mph east wind. Thankfully there are trees, rocks and hills to provide occasional buffer. Well, the hills part I could do with much less of.
Hills – Having read other bloggers challenges with the milieu of ups and downs in this area, I expected short but frequent climbs. The intensity of the climbs got rebarbative after several hours, in part due to Google vastly underestimating the effort. Google called my route “mostly flat” on Saturday when there was 4,600ft of climb and gave an estimate of 1,600ft of climb on Sunday when my Garmin recorded 3,400ft of elevation gain. Odd as it got the distance right on both days to within 0.1 miles. I underfueled myself Saturday morning and paid the price. Majorly pooped out. Started Sunday with the whole pumpkin pie for breakfast routine and it helped. I can’t explain the pumpkin pie kick except that there must be one distributor for all grocery stores in the area and the selection of bakery is limited.
Remoteness – Even though I’m carrying the gear to tent it, I’m a far happier camper when I’m not. Especially the last few days when the bug count is high (the plus here is that is discourages leisurely rest breaks) and it is raining and storming like it has been on Sunday. Distances between civilization (herein defined as a motel and a grocery store whereas advanced civilization would include a liquor store to get a single local IPA with dinner) can be 75-125 miles apart. That means carrying more food and drink and perhaps biking further than ideal.
Enough complaining. A bit plus has been the temps – 13-17C (55-65F) which means even downpours don’t require three layers of clothes. The other nice thing is the scenery – beaverdom for certain with all the bogs, creeks and ponds. I’ve biked through Lake of the Woods and now Quetico in the last two days. Outdoor sports meccas, places my Dad visited before dementia robbed him of his ability to make an annual fishing excursion. He’s the reason for the ride and I’m pleased to be partnering with the University of Wisconsin’s efforts to measure long-term studies on Alzheimer-susceptible families, educational efforts and their focus on finding possible causes and cures. Consider making a donation under the “Donate” tab if so moved.
Forgot to mention my route off the TCH1 Friday caused me to miss the Longitudinal Center of Canada, located east of Winnipeg in Lorette, Manitoba. Sadly, it doesn’t mean I’m halfway there. Through Sunday, I’m at 1,966 miles through 20 days, pretty good considering that includes one full and two half-days off. If I make it to St. John’s in Newfoundland, my mile count will be around 4,400.
This is a double-day entry as poor internet at my lodging in Emo, Ontario gave me troubles.
I’ve conquered mountains and hail in British Columbia and Alberta and the wind and flats of Saskatchewan and Manitoba. My prima facia intro to western Ontario finds it the most challenging province yet. Three reasons: Winds, “Hills” and Remoteness.
Winds - I biked mostly south from Kenora to Emo on Saturday and faced a 7-10mph wind from the south and went mostly east to Atikokan today against a 6-12mph east wind. Thankfully there are trees, rocks and hills to provide occasional buffer. Well, the hills part I could do with much less of.
Hills – Having read other bloggers challenges with the milieu of ups and downs in this area, I expected short but frequent climbs. The intensity of the climbs got rebarbative after several hours, in part due to Google vastly underestimating the effort. Google called my route “mostly flat” on Saturday when there was 4,600ft of climb and gave an estimate of 1,600ft of climb on Sunday when my Garmin recorded 3,400ft of elevation gain. Odd as it got the distance right on both days to within 0.1 miles. I underfueled myself Saturday morning and paid the price. Majorly pooped out. Started Sunday with the whole pumpkin pie for breakfast routine and it helped. I can’t explain the pumpkin pie kick except that there must be one distributor for all grocery stores in the area and the selection of bakery is limited.
Remoteness – Even though I’m carrying the gear to tent it, I’m a far happier camper when I’m not. Especially the last few days when the bug count is high (the plus here is that is discourages leisurely rest breaks) and it is raining and storming like it has been on Sunday. Distances between civilization (herein defined as a motel and a grocery store whereas advanced civilization would include a liquor store to get a single local IPA with dinner) can be 75-125 miles apart. That means carrying more food and drink and perhaps biking further than ideal.
Enough complaining. A bit plus has been the temps – 13-17C (55-65F) which means even downpours don’t require three layers of clothes. The other nice thing is the scenery – beaverdom for certain with all the bogs, creeks and ponds. I’ve biked through Lake of the Woods and now Quetico in the last two days. Outdoor sports meccas, places my Dad visited before dementia robbed him of his ability to make an annual fishing excursion. He’s the reason for the ride and I’m pleased to be partnering with the University of Wisconsin’s efforts to measure long-term studies on Alzheimer-susceptible families, educational efforts and their focus on finding possible causes and cures. Consider making a donation under the “Donate” tab if so moved.
Forgot to mention my route off the TCH1 Friday caused me to miss the Longitudinal Center of Canada, located east of Winnipeg in Lorette, Manitoba. Sadly, it doesn’t mean I’m halfway there. Through Sunday, I’m at 1,966 miles through 20 days, pretty good considering that includes one full and two half-days off. If I make it to St. John’s in Newfoundland, my mile count will be around 4,400.
5/30/22 - Thundering into Thunder Bay and the Eastern Time Zone
I moved into both the Eastern Time Zone and crossed the Atlantic Watershed today in biking 125.1 miles to Thunder Bay. Gobsmacked longest stretch in the saddle sort of day where the weather turned on me. The forecast for my easterly ride looked like clouds with a 40% chance of mild rain and a mild crosswind out of the south. Reality sometimes bites. An hour after I left Atikokan, the heavens released a downpour with heavy winds and lightning. Thankfully, prior bloggers referenced a small hotel and restaurant, perhaps the last one open for 75 miles, a half hour ride away.
Ended up having three cups of tea, blueberry pancakes and a nice chat for two hours with the friendly owners before setting out in the by then mellow drizzle. The winds picked up and turned out of the east, requiring me to battle a 6-10mph headwind and climb over 4,000ft of elevation to get to a warm bed. On the plus side, by noon the rain stopped and the scenery remained pretty, the road shoulder was decent and the traffic courteous. Though I’m in moose territory, I only managed to see beavers, a skunk (frightfully close up in a roadside ditch) and lots of waterfowl including many loons.
Despite starting before 6AM, I arrived at the Econo Lodge in downtown Thunder Bay after 7PM (did lose an hour). After hauling my bike and gear up to my second-floor room, I managed the fastest cleanup to date to make it to the Sleeping Giant Brewing Company behind the motel for a beer flight before it closed. I know it is only Monday, but the last three days of headwinds and hills have felt like a week’s worth of work, so my beer brain thinks it’s the weekend! The server took pity on me and provided generous pours which numbed the tiredness and sore tush feel for a bit. Caught a nearby Wal-Mart Superstore right before it was closing to get supplies for dinner and for tomorrow’s shorter ride in beginning to circle the north side of Lake Superior.
I moved into both the Eastern Time Zone and crossed the Atlantic Watershed today in biking 125.1 miles to Thunder Bay. Gobsmacked longest stretch in the saddle sort of day where the weather turned on me. The forecast for my easterly ride looked like clouds with a 40% chance of mild rain and a mild crosswind out of the south. Reality sometimes bites. An hour after I left Atikokan, the heavens released a downpour with heavy winds and lightning. Thankfully, prior bloggers referenced a small hotel and restaurant, perhaps the last one open for 75 miles, a half hour ride away.
Ended up having three cups of tea, blueberry pancakes and a nice chat for two hours with the friendly owners before setting out in the by then mellow drizzle. The winds picked up and turned out of the east, requiring me to battle a 6-10mph headwind and climb over 4,000ft of elevation to get to a warm bed. On the plus side, by noon the rain stopped and the scenery remained pretty, the road shoulder was decent and the traffic courteous. Though I’m in moose territory, I only managed to see beavers, a skunk (frightfully close up in a roadside ditch) and lots of waterfowl including many loons.
Despite starting before 6AM, I arrived at the Econo Lodge in downtown Thunder Bay after 7PM (did lose an hour). After hauling my bike and gear up to my second-floor room, I managed the fastest cleanup to date to make it to the Sleeping Giant Brewing Company behind the motel for a beer flight before it closed. I know it is only Monday, but the last three days of headwinds and hills have felt like a week’s worth of work, so my beer brain thinks it’s the weekend! The server took pity on me and provided generous pours which numbed the tiredness and sore tush feel for a bit. Caught a nearby Wal-Mart Superstore right before it was closing to get supplies for dinner and for tomorrow’s shorter ride in beginning to circle the north side of Lake Superior.
5/31/22 - Breaking Down in a Blast Zone
Long entry today as I have a story to tell…experienced the first material mechanical breakdown today. Thankfully, it was a more of a recovery day in cycling 68 miles east around the top of Lake Superior to Nipigon. The “evilation” or climbage was only 2,000ft with a nice tailwind.
Today was billed by bloggers I researched as one of the most mentally difficult days of the ride due to poor to no shoulders, two-lane roads and lots of truck traffic. The first 25 miles were off the TCH1 and the next 10 miles on the TCH1 had adequate shoulder. I was very happy…until…I crossed a pothole-laced bridge, took a bump in heavy traffic and felt my front tire shimmy in a big way. Thought I had a flat. Biked to the end of the bridge and pulled out of the way to find my front pannier bracket screw on one side snapped leaving the threaded portion inside the bike and the bag dragging on the ground. Tried to extract the screw with a tweezer to no avail as the break was clean with nothing to grab.
Soon after, I see a construction truck with its lights flashing coming up behind me. I thought it was a Nissan in shining armor offering assistance. Instead, the guy politely said I had to leave as I was in a blast zone and I was holding up their fireworks until I vacated. No wonder no cars had passed me after I crossed the bridge! So he took my detached bag and frame and I cycled on a quarter mile ahead where he gave me back my stuff. A few minutes later, I heard sirens and a loud “BOOM!”; part of a highway expansion project with my Canadian tax dollars at work (and the taxes here on food, drink and lodging are quite high by US standards, so its good to see things getting blown out of proportion).
I strapped the unframed bag to my back. Heavy. I feel the pain of my bike now! Magically, the nice road shoulder disappeared and the precarious path with riding a white line between traffic and a 4” drop-off into loose gravel played out the next 20 miles. Yuck. Riding with an unbalanced bike in heavy traffic was not fun but it is done.
When I pulled into civilization outside of Nipigon, I stopped at a Ford auto dealership and went to the service garage. A great guy comes at me with a hose and said “Bet you want some air!" I thanked him but said I had a more interesting problem. He took a look, got a titanium drill bit and drilled a hole in the center of the bracket screw. Pulled out a pocket knive and twisted the screw out – no stripping whatsoever. Brilliant! I offered to pay but all he would take was my thanks.
Not much to say about Nipigon. I walked into town to see the historical museum but it closed early. Town itself appeared to have glory days long gone. I did miss two other attractions today – the first was the Fort William Historical Park in Thunder Bay. Like many historical attractions, is has yet to open (for the season? due to covid? Inability to find staff?...not sure). The second was the Terry Fox Memorial on a part of TCH1 east of Thunder Bay prohibited for cyclists. Terry is an inspiration to all Canadians. At the age of 18, he was diagnosed with bone cancer and had his right leg amputed above the knee. He decided to run across Canada to raise awareness for cancer. Began in St. John’s, Newfoundland in April of 1980 and ran about a marathon a day through Canada's Atlantic provinces, Quebec and Ontario. In early September, he was forced to stop outside of Thunder Bay because cancer had appeared in his lungs. He passed at the age of 22. All across Canada, Terry Fox memorials exist and a foundation in his name carries on his inspiring work.
Long entry today as I have a story to tell…experienced the first material mechanical breakdown today. Thankfully, it was a more of a recovery day in cycling 68 miles east around the top of Lake Superior to Nipigon. The “evilation” or climbage was only 2,000ft with a nice tailwind.
Today was billed by bloggers I researched as one of the most mentally difficult days of the ride due to poor to no shoulders, two-lane roads and lots of truck traffic. The first 25 miles were off the TCH1 and the next 10 miles on the TCH1 had adequate shoulder. I was very happy…until…I crossed a pothole-laced bridge, took a bump in heavy traffic and felt my front tire shimmy in a big way. Thought I had a flat. Biked to the end of the bridge and pulled out of the way to find my front pannier bracket screw on one side snapped leaving the threaded portion inside the bike and the bag dragging on the ground. Tried to extract the screw with a tweezer to no avail as the break was clean with nothing to grab.
Soon after, I see a construction truck with its lights flashing coming up behind me. I thought it was a Nissan in shining armor offering assistance. Instead, the guy politely said I had to leave as I was in a blast zone and I was holding up their fireworks until I vacated. No wonder no cars had passed me after I crossed the bridge! So he took my detached bag and frame and I cycled on a quarter mile ahead where he gave me back my stuff. A few minutes later, I heard sirens and a loud “BOOM!”; part of a highway expansion project with my Canadian tax dollars at work (and the taxes here on food, drink and lodging are quite high by US standards, so its good to see things getting blown out of proportion).
I strapped the unframed bag to my back. Heavy. I feel the pain of my bike now! Magically, the nice road shoulder disappeared and the precarious path with riding a white line between traffic and a 4” drop-off into loose gravel played out the next 20 miles. Yuck. Riding with an unbalanced bike in heavy traffic was not fun but it is done.
When I pulled into civilization outside of Nipigon, I stopped at a Ford auto dealership and went to the service garage. A great guy comes at me with a hose and said “Bet you want some air!" I thanked him but said I had a more interesting problem. He took a look, got a titanium drill bit and drilled a hole in the center of the bracket screw. Pulled out a pocket knive and twisted the screw out – no stripping whatsoever. Brilliant! I offered to pay but all he would take was my thanks.
Not much to say about Nipigon. I walked into town to see the historical museum but it closed early. Town itself appeared to have glory days long gone. I did miss two other attractions today – the first was the Fort William Historical Park in Thunder Bay. Like many historical attractions, is has yet to open (for the season? due to covid? Inability to find staff?...not sure). The second was the Terry Fox Memorial on a part of TCH1 east of Thunder Bay prohibited for cyclists. Terry is an inspiration to all Canadians. At the age of 18, he was diagnosed with bone cancer and had his right leg amputed above the knee. He decided to run across Canada to raise awareness for cancer. Began in St. John’s, Newfoundland in April of 1980 and ran about a marathon a day through Canada's Atlantic provinces, Quebec and Ontario. In early September, he was forced to stop outside of Thunder Bay because cancer had appeared in his lungs. He passed at the age of 22. All across Canada, Terry Fox memorials exist and a foundation in his name carries on his inspiring work.
5/31/22 - Going Canoewhere [Dog Blog]
While Dave tried getting cultured in Nipigon, I attempted hitching a ride with a local oarsman. Here's how the conversation went:
French Fry: "Could I get a ride?"
Oarsman: "Certainly. I take Loonies."
French Fry: "Speak for yourself. I'm not crazy."
The nerve of some people. I'm guessing he was stoned.
While Dave tried getting cultured in Nipigon, I attempted hitching a ride with a local oarsman. Here's how the conversation went:
French Fry: "Could I get a ride?"
Oarsman: "Certainly. I take Loonies."
French Fry: "Speak for yourself. I'm not crazy."
The nerve of some people. I'm guessing he was stoned.
6/1/22 - A "Marathon" Day of Climbing
Biking engages all the senses and gives a topographical feel not easily discerned from a vehicle. Today was a good example. Living directly south of Lake Superior (in Wisconsin), I had no idea how hilly it would be on the Canadian side. My route today along Hwy 17 on the northeast corner of Lake Superior from Nipigon to Marathon featured 6,600 ft of climbing in 117 miles (added a Garmin recap in the pics below). That is more than the highest evilation gain in the Rockies! Who would have thought, eh? Thankfully the weather was ideal with mostly sunny skies and temps around 8-14C and a tailwind for most of the ride. Road conditions were generally good and traffic modest.
Today's highlights were water-related and certainly Superior. The big lake's views were great as were the small ponds and rock outcrops along the route. The two biggies were (1) Aguasabon Falls near Terrace Bay which feds into Gitche Gumee and (2) Pebble Beach to the south of Marathon where I moteled up for the night. Aquasabon was doubly interesting as it featured spring flow falls splashing down from the left, creating a kickback spray from the observation deck. From there the flow pushed out down a narrow canyon to the great lake.
I've met only three fellow touring cyclists to date. One was a man going from Ottawa to Victoria heading westbound and yesterday a retired couple making their third cross-country trek heading eastbound. I sense my departure was early and expect things will pick up once I get to Ottawa (the provincial capital of Ontario).
Biking engages all the senses and gives a topographical feel not easily discerned from a vehicle. Today was a good example. Living directly south of Lake Superior (in Wisconsin), I had no idea how hilly it would be on the Canadian side. My route today along Hwy 17 on the northeast corner of Lake Superior from Nipigon to Marathon featured 6,600 ft of climbing in 117 miles (added a Garmin recap in the pics below). That is more than the highest evilation gain in the Rockies! Who would have thought, eh? Thankfully the weather was ideal with mostly sunny skies and temps around 8-14C and a tailwind for most of the ride. Road conditions were generally good and traffic modest.
Today's highlights were water-related and certainly Superior. The big lake's views were great as were the small ponds and rock outcrops along the route. The two biggies were (1) Aguasabon Falls near Terrace Bay which feds into Gitche Gumee and (2) Pebble Beach to the south of Marathon where I moteled up for the night. Aquasabon was doubly interesting as it featured spring flow falls splashing down from the left, creating a kickback spray from the observation deck. From there the flow pushed out down a narrow canyon to the great lake.
I've met only three fellow touring cyclists to date. One was a man going from Ottawa to Victoria heading westbound and yesterday a retired couple making their third cross-country trek heading eastbound. I sense my departure was early and expect things will pick up once I get to Ottawa (the provincial capital of Ontario).
6/2/22 - Wawa-More than an Infant's Cry
The northeast corner of Lake Superior in the hamlet of Marathon was 12C/20F colder this morning than Nipigon was yesterday when starting out. That’s a big lake effect. I began in 3C/36F temps and once I had cycled 20 miles to the east away from the Great Lake on Hwy 17, it was warm enough to go from three layers and winter gloves down to single layer summer riding gear.
Today’s route took me 117 miles to the east to White River, then south to Wawa. Although there was 4,150ft of climbing it was gradual up and downs and easy on the knees and mental spirits. I didn't like the 8-10mph wind out of the south but it was nasty only in spurts thanks to trees, rock escarpments and curves in the road. The scenery started hugging Lake Superior and continued to feature little lakes the rest of the day. These small bodies of water were especially scenic by not having any signs of human encroachment – no houses, piers, jet skis, etc.
No sightseeing stops until the days end in Wawa where the most photographed goose in North America rests overlooking Hwy 17. I have pics of the original and the current Wawa Goose below. It was put in place in 1960 to commemorate the conclusion of the Trans Canada Highway (the “TCH” I keep referencing) and shortly thereafter got a much improved upgrade.
I did take several short breaks by streams and lakes. Was quickly joined by black flies and then mosquitoes which hastened my reentry onto the road. Passed three young guys from Quebec biking eastbound today. They are doing 100K (62 mile) days. I’m managing ~180K (110-120 miles) while carrying the same four pannier setup with camping gear. I'm likely not more fit; rather more motivated to have a bed which is often well-spaced in these parts. Plus we started a palindrome last week - the IPAPI - the IPA Pedaling Incentive where French Fry buys me a beer from The Beer Store if I do more than 100 miles in a day. It works.
Most everyone I meet on the bike seems to have three questions:
When the Quebecers found I average about the same speed as them (14mph +/- for the winds), they were surprised my distance was so high. I get going between 6AM-6:30AM and try stopping by 4PM. These guys start at 9:30AM, take an hour lunch and tend to camp with occasional motel stops where they share a room. Definitely cheaper than my route, but interior lodging lets me sleep and rise earlier.
The northeast corner of Lake Superior in the hamlet of Marathon was 12C/20F colder this morning than Nipigon was yesterday when starting out. That’s a big lake effect. I began in 3C/36F temps and once I had cycled 20 miles to the east away from the Great Lake on Hwy 17, it was warm enough to go from three layers and winter gloves down to single layer summer riding gear.
Today’s route took me 117 miles to the east to White River, then south to Wawa. Although there was 4,150ft of climbing it was gradual up and downs and easy on the knees and mental spirits. I didn't like the 8-10mph wind out of the south but it was nasty only in spurts thanks to trees, rock escarpments and curves in the road. The scenery started hugging Lake Superior and continued to feature little lakes the rest of the day. These small bodies of water were especially scenic by not having any signs of human encroachment – no houses, piers, jet skis, etc.
No sightseeing stops until the days end in Wawa where the most photographed goose in North America rests overlooking Hwy 17. I have pics of the original and the current Wawa Goose below. It was put in place in 1960 to commemorate the conclusion of the Trans Canada Highway (the “TCH” I keep referencing) and shortly thereafter got a much improved upgrade.
I did take several short breaks by streams and lakes. Was quickly joined by black flies and then mosquitoes which hastened my reentry onto the road. Passed three young guys from Quebec biking eastbound today. They are doing 100K (62 mile) days. I’m managing ~180K (110-120 miles) while carrying the same four pannier setup with camping gear. I'm likely not more fit; rather more motivated to have a bed which is often well-spaced in these parts. Plus we started a palindrome last week - the IPAPI - the IPA Pedaling Incentive where French Fry buys me a beer from The Beer Store if I do more than 100 miles in a day. It works.
Most everyone I meet on the bike seems to have three questions:
- Where did you start?
- Where are you headed?
- How fast do you bike?
When the Quebecers found I average about the same speed as them (14mph +/- for the winds), they were surprised my distance was so high. I get going between 6AM-6:30AM and try stopping by 4PM. These guys start at 9:30AM, take an hour lunch and tend to camp with occasional motel stops where they share a room. Definitely cheaper than my route, but interior lodging lets me sleep and rise earlier.
6/3/22 - Wrapping Up Lake Superior's East Coast
Very pleased to be in Sault Ste Marie on day 25 in Canada and very happy to be spending the next two nights with my wife who made the long drive up from Milwaukee. I'm also somewhat relieved to have rounded Superior. While the scenery was pretty, the hills were hard and the last two days featured the worst biking shoulder of the trip with the most traffic flow since coming out of Winnipeg (in my mind anyway). The winds, often blowing from the southwest, also provided a cross to headwind that spat Superior-chilled air in my face. Plus it sprinkled for much of the afternoon. Today's average temp was 10C/50F, but going down the steep hills (which today often dropped onto the shores of Lake Superior) gave me a facial freeze that thawed only with exertion getting up the next hill, only to repeat the experience. They say beer isn't as good when treated to a cold/warm/cold cycle...I can't imagine the brain and body are much different.
Food seemed to be the redeeming element today. Signs promoted the "world famous apple fritters" at the Voyageur's Lodge and Cookhouse many km in advance...and given the paucity of commercial establishments the entire day, stuck in my stomach until we crossed paths. Had two of them (one for French Fry and one for me); then after meeting up with my wife and after having done some waterfall touring of the gorgeous Crystal Falls and Chippewa Falls, we ate dinner close to our hotel. I had five of the daily special quarter-pound burgers. I kid you not. Did not have any fries due to the fried fat content. Crazy. I think it was because I missed the grocery store last night which closed at 6PM and couldn't get my pumpkin pie fix for breakfast.
Tomorrow will be a day off riding and blogging. Catching up with Kathy and visiting more of the sites on the Canadian site of the Soo. Then it is back to the grind on Sunday as I head east to Sudbury.
Very pleased to be in Sault Ste Marie on day 25 in Canada and very happy to be spending the next two nights with my wife who made the long drive up from Milwaukee. I'm also somewhat relieved to have rounded Superior. While the scenery was pretty, the hills were hard and the last two days featured the worst biking shoulder of the trip with the most traffic flow since coming out of Winnipeg (in my mind anyway). The winds, often blowing from the southwest, also provided a cross to headwind that spat Superior-chilled air in my face. Plus it sprinkled for much of the afternoon. Today's average temp was 10C/50F, but going down the steep hills (which today often dropped onto the shores of Lake Superior) gave me a facial freeze that thawed only with exertion getting up the next hill, only to repeat the experience. They say beer isn't as good when treated to a cold/warm/cold cycle...I can't imagine the brain and body are much different.
Food seemed to be the redeeming element today. Signs promoted the "world famous apple fritters" at the Voyageur's Lodge and Cookhouse many km in advance...and given the paucity of commercial establishments the entire day, stuck in my stomach until we crossed paths. Had two of them (one for French Fry and one for me); then after meeting up with my wife and after having done some waterfall touring of the gorgeous Crystal Falls and Chippewa Falls, we ate dinner close to our hotel. I had five of the daily special quarter-pound burgers. I kid you not. Did not have any fries due to the fried fat content. Crazy. I think it was because I missed the grocery store last night which closed at 6PM and couldn't get my pumpkin pie fix for breakfast.
Tomorrow will be a day off riding and blogging. Catching up with Kathy and visiting more of the sites on the Canadian site of the Soo. Then it is back to the grind on Sunday as I head east to Sudbury.
6/5/22 - So Long Soo...Welcome River Riding
[No 6/4/22 Entry]
Had a very nice time with my wife yesterday in a surprisingly subdued Soo for a pleasant Saturday in June. While my bike was in for a new chain and a check-up, we started with the Farmers Market, walked the locks area and later the downtown and historical river/lock frontage, took in the Ermatinger Clergue National Historical Site which offered historical context to the Canadian side of the Sault Ste Marie area and partook in the two breweries in the downtown area. The highlight, next to spending time together, was the late afternoon hike in the Fort Creek Conservation area, a one-way paved trail across several catwalks spanning some sizable bluffs with some pretty views down into the creeks and valleys below.
Back in the saddle bright and early today as I bid adieu to my wife and headed east on Hwy 17 and 17B. I followed Google’s suggestions to veer off the main TCH route on Hwy 17 to the B side but found the track scratchy with a really rough road for several miles. It was scraped down to a mix of sand, gravel and partial blacktop with lots of pernicious potholes that led to over-gripping the bike (contributing to finger numbness) and generally banged the bike up more than I’d like. I stuck with the A side of the vinyl afterwards despite erratic shoulders the rest of the day. Much of the route was close to the Serpent River which meant flatness - only 2,700ft of evilation today. That compensated for a 3-7mph headwind coming out of the east.
Shoulder safety level was low today as has been the case in Ontario where small margins are generally compensated by low levels of traffic. The river scenery was pretty. As it was Sunday, I was able to see five horse-drawn buggies from Amish or Mennonites heading to church in the AM. Also made my first stop at an A&W in over forty years to get a root beer float. No great shakes there. Still have not been to Tim Horton’s. Holding off on that for a special or perhaps desperate occasion.
Spanish is a very small community where I have my first Airbnb of the trip. Picked the locale because it seemed a nice stopping point at 115 miles and I can say “I’m in Spanish” even though the signs are only in English and French. The Airbnb host Sue was very nice. We had a good chat, got to make friends with her dog and she fed me in the hopes of putting some meat on my bones. I have nothing against Airbnb’s, just shied away from them early in the trip when the cleaning fees for one night’s stay in the BC area were more than the cost of the room. In this part of Canada, you aren’t taken to the cleaners in that regard so I may mix it up a bit more. It does add more stay options.
[No 6/4/22 Entry]
Had a very nice time with my wife yesterday in a surprisingly subdued Soo for a pleasant Saturday in June. While my bike was in for a new chain and a check-up, we started with the Farmers Market, walked the locks area and later the downtown and historical river/lock frontage, took in the Ermatinger Clergue National Historical Site which offered historical context to the Canadian side of the Sault Ste Marie area and partook in the two breweries in the downtown area. The highlight, next to spending time together, was the late afternoon hike in the Fort Creek Conservation area, a one-way paved trail across several catwalks spanning some sizable bluffs with some pretty views down into the creeks and valleys below.
Back in the saddle bright and early today as I bid adieu to my wife and headed east on Hwy 17 and 17B. I followed Google’s suggestions to veer off the main TCH route on Hwy 17 to the B side but found the track scratchy with a really rough road for several miles. It was scraped down to a mix of sand, gravel and partial blacktop with lots of pernicious potholes that led to over-gripping the bike (contributing to finger numbness) and generally banged the bike up more than I’d like. I stuck with the A side of the vinyl afterwards despite erratic shoulders the rest of the day. Much of the route was close to the Serpent River which meant flatness - only 2,700ft of evilation today. That compensated for a 3-7mph headwind coming out of the east.
Shoulder safety level was low today as has been the case in Ontario where small margins are generally compensated by low levels of traffic. The river scenery was pretty. As it was Sunday, I was able to see five horse-drawn buggies from Amish or Mennonites heading to church in the AM. Also made my first stop at an A&W in over forty years to get a root beer float. No great shakes there. Still have not been to Tim Horton’s. Holding off on that for a special or perhaps desperate occasion.
Spanish is a very small community where I have my first Airbnb of the trip. Picked the locale because it seemed a nice stopping point at 115 miles and I can say “I’m in Spanish” even though the signs are only in English and French. The Airbnb host Sue was very nice. We had a good chat, got to make friends with her dog and she fed me in the hopes of putting some meat on my bones. I have nothing against Airbnb’s, just shied away from them early in the trip when the cleaning fees for one night’s stay in the BC area were more than the cost of the room. In this part of Canada, you aren’t taken to the cleaners in that regard so I may mix it up a bit more. It does add more stay options.
6/6/22 - Sloshing into Sudbury
I took zilch pics today. Nada. Rien. It was my first ride entirely in rain and the 10C/51F consistent temps and modest headwind out of the east made the route from Spanish to about eight miles east of Sudbury rather unpleasant. I even missed the big Canadian Nickel monument as I took a wrong turn on the outskirts of Sudbury and cycled around it. Didn't have the interest in doubling back in the rain. It's only a nickel anyway. Were it one of the Glow-in-the-Dark Toonies; a different story. Just wanted to get in a dry spot and queue myself up for a ride into Mattawa tomorrow.
Must say I so enjoyed my Airbnb stay in Spanish. Sue got up early and cooked me an English breakfast of scrambled eggs and toast before she went on her morning walk with her partner. Very special.
Managed 89 miles today, good given the conditions. French Fry has been staying warm in one of the dry panniers and hasn't had much to blog or say. However, this old dog learned new tricks today. In my motel in the middle of nowhere by 1:30PM and with rain still pouring down, I had free time. Figured out how to alarm my bike through my phone, how to remove explicit content from one of my son’s otherwise excellent Spotify playlists (I max out on podcasts after about three hours a day and am bored with my 11 hours of Spotify - he has 48 hours to listen to) and now can take Google bike map directions and convert then to .gpx files without a Strava subscription and then pump them into my Garmin Edge 530. Probably things a normal human could tackle far faster, but that’s okay. Also am prepping for some board meetings in the next few weeks as the real world is starting to encroach on the ride. That’s a good thing too in its own way.
I took zilch pics today. Nada. Rien. It was my first ride entirely in rain and the 10C/51F consistent temps and modest headwind out of the east made the route from Spanish to about eight miles east of Sudbury rather unpleasant. I even missed the big Canadian Nickel monument as I took a wrong turn on the outskirts of Sudbury and cycled around it. Didn't have the interest in doubling back in the rain. It's only a nickel anyway. Were it one of the Glow-in-the-Dark Toonies; a different story. Just wanted to get in a dry spot and queue myself up for a ride into Mattawa tomorrow.
Must say I so enjoyed my Airbnb stay in Spanish. Sue got up early and cooked me an English breakfast of scrambled eggs and toast before she went on her morning walk with her partner. Very special.
Managed 89 miles today, good given the conditions. French Fry has been staying warm in one of the dry panniers and hasn't had much to blog or say. However, this old dog learned new tricks today. In my motel in the middle of nowhere by 1:30PM and with rain still pouring down, I had free time. Figured out how to alarm my bike through my phone, how to remove explicit content from one of my son’s otherwise excellent Spotify playlists (I max out on podcasts after about three hours a day and am bored with my 11 hours of Spotify - he has 48 hours to listen to) and now can take Google bike map directions and convert then to .gpx files without a Strava subscription and then pump them into my Garmin Edge 530. Probably things a normal human could tackle far faster, but that’s okay. Also am prepping for some board meetings in the next few weeks as the real world is starting to encroach on the ride. That’s a good thing too in its own way.
6/7/22 - I am Rainman
I like advance planning but have grown comfortable with being a Schneider rider – One Day at a Time for you 1970s sitcom aficionados. Last night I checked the weather and it showed a 40% chance of light rain throughout today so I booked a motel in Mattawa, 112 miles to the east by southeast. Got up and it was sprinkling. Set off and soon the windshield wipers on the vehicles coming at me were on a slow steady state. When they turned to fast steady, I knew it was going to be a long day.
Ended up raining for the second straight day, all day. The first time I can recall riding in a back-to-back extra innings doubleheader dousing. Wow. Everything is wet that wasn’t in my back panniers (my fronts are not waterproof I’ve come to find out). Focusing on the positives:
I like advance planning but have grown comfortable with being a Schneider rider – One Day at a Time for you 1970s sitcom aficionados. Last night I checked the weather and it showed a 40% chance of light rain throughout today so I booked a motel in Mattawa, 112 miles to the east by southeast. Got up and it was sprinkling. Set off and soon the windshield wipers on the vehicles coming at me were on a slow steady state. When they turned to fast steady, I knew it was going to be a long day.
Ended up raining for the second straight day, all day. The first time I can recall riding in a back-to-back extra innings doubleheader dousing. Wow. Everything is wet that wasn’t in my back panniers (my fronts are not waterproof I’ve come to find out). Focusing on the positives:
- Traffic was kind given the poor state of shoulders to ride on. The trucks seemed almost remorseful passing me slowly, knowing the tire puddle upchuck spray would blanket me. I got better at positioning my face to minimize what ended up my nose while keeping my eye on the narrow pavement.
- A pair of kids waiting to pick up the school bus waived at me and said “Hi” under their umbrellas. Felt as good as getting encouragement while running the Boston marathon.
- I helped a snapping turtle cross the road today by routing traffic until Yertle made it across. Not a joke. He slowed up after I arrived and seemed to revel in the attention..
- After taking Hwy 17 into North Bay, City Google routed me on some very nice bike paths with thick tree-lined sides. Coming out of North Bay heading towards Mattawa, I was on part of the Voyageur cycling system which kept me off the main roads for 20 more miles. The rural pastoral scenery reminded me of home.
- I’m so glad I downloaded the Google route to my bike computer as my phone charging port, which has been giving me problems, chose last night to stop working. I tried the seven self-help steps to fix to no avail, so no pics today. Stopped at two computer repair stores in North Bay and they pretty much laughed at the idea of fixing cell phones. Was directed to Samsung support which wanted me to load WhatsApp on my computer to get chat support…but WhatsApp would only finalize install by using your phone. Bit quirky having to use your phone to get tech support when the phone is what you want support on.
6/8/22 - Ride with the Wind
Christopher Cross’s “I’ve got to ride, ride like the wind, to be free again” went through my head today. Free of what, perhaps rain and gloomy skies as today’s conditions were ideal. It won’t stick, as more rain is forecast for tomorrow. Covered 132 miles at over 15mph despite 4,500 ft of elevation gain as I ended up at a Day’s Inn in Renfrew. A mild tailwind helped. If things go well, I have a shorter 100km (62 mile) ride in more rainy slosh tomorrow before 1.5 days off in Canada's capital of Ottawa where I have several tours booked and a board meeting to take in via Zoom. Then I aim to continue enjoying Canada’s cultural corridor with stops in Montreal and Quebec before working my way to the smaller provinces in the northeast.
The route today went southeast. Hwy 17 was the bookends or Oreo wafers through the most stressful riding of my trip. Long stretches of two-lane road had only enough shoulder for a rumble strip and a drop off to gravel that looked slippery and sketchy after the heavy rains. Traffic was heavy and often not kind. French Fry composed a poem in his Dog Blog to express our mutual frustration. Thankfully, the creamy filling in the middle was sweet - Google directed me on bike trails through Petawawa and Pembroke and farming roads thereafter where large potholes and Dairy Air replaced vehicles as the main concern.
Highlights today included:
I was at the Day’s Inn by 4PM. Tucked behind civilization, yet close enough to walk to a Wal-Mart for my daily grocery fix. I tend to not eat out. Not anti-social; one meal doesn’t do the trick. It is embarrassing how much I eat. Tonight’s dinner was sushi, a quart of strawberries, a bag of pea pods, a quart of Silk Almond Milk, a mango kombucha and a box of cereal for a snack. I’m sure I’ll be up at midnight finding something to fill the fat void. Motels that say “breakfast included” have mostly shifted to a small "Grab-and-Go" bag that’s rarely worth waiting for, so the ride fuel is easy eat, quick process carbs like bakery items and protein bars which sadly are sugar loaded. This goes in a zip-lock grab bag and melds with a chocolate milk stop or two along the way. I’ve yet to find an all-you-can-eat buffet I didn’t like…but as I haven’t found any buffets yet in Canada, that’s not saying much.
Christopher Cross’s “I’ve got to ride, ride like the wind, to be free again” went through my head today. Free of what, perhaps rain and gloomy skies as today’s conditions were ideal. It won’t stick, as more rain is forecast for tomorrow. Covered 132 miles at over 15mph despite 4,500 ft of elevation gain as I ended up at a Day’s Inn in Renfrew. A mild tailwind helped. If things go well, I have a shorter 100km (62 mile) ride in more rainy slosh tomorrow before 1.5 days off in Canada's capital of Ottawa where I have several tours booked and a board meeting to take in via Zoom. Then I aim to continue enjoying Canada’s cultural corridor with stops in Montreal and Quebec before working my way to the smaller provinces in the northeast.
The route today went southeast. Hwy 17 was the bookends or Oreo wafers through the most stressful riding of my trip. Long stretches of two-lane road had only enough shoulder for a rumble strip and a drop off to gravel that looked slippery and sketchy after the heavy rains. Traffic was heavy and often not kind. French Fry composed a poem in his Dog Blog to express our mutual frustration. Thankfully, the creamy filling in the middle was sweet - Google directed me on bike trails through Petawawa and Pembroke and farming roads thereafter where large potholes and Dairy Air replaced vehicles as the main concern.
Highlights today included:
- Getting my disc brakes fixed by the great gang at GearHeads in Petawawa. After the “Superior” workout they received last week, there was more play in the lines than a comedy improv act and it was getting dangerous. The GearHeads team dropped what they were working on and in twenty minutes had me good to go. Saved me big time and did a better job than I could ever have. An aside…every bike shop I’ve went into in Canada has offered the most courteous and prompt service. I am in awe and extremely grateful.
- Sadly, I saw the detritus of several turtles that did not make it across the road safely. Hopefully my turtle bro from yesterday is doing okay.
- Thanks to all the rain of the last few days, the views from the bike trail over the Petawawa River’s rapids were very impressive.
I was at the Day’s Inn by 4PM. Tucked behind civilization, yet close enough to walk to a Wal-Mart for my daily grocery fix. I tend to not eat out. Not anti-social; one meal doesn’t do the trick. It is embarrassing how much I eat. Tonight’s dinner was sushi, a quart of strawberries, a bag of pea pods, a quart of Silk Almond Milk, a mango kombucha and a box of cereal for a snack. I’m sure I’ll be up at midnight finding something to fill the fat void. Motels that say “breakfast included” have mostly shifted to a small "Grab-and-Go" bag that’s rarely worth waiting for, so the ride fuel is easy eat, quick process carbs like bakery items and protein bars which sadly are sugar loaded. This goes in a zip-lock grab bag and melds with a chocolate milk stop or two along the way. I’ve yet to find an all-you-can-eat buffet I didn’t like…but as I haven’t found any buffets yet in Canada, that’s not saying much.
6/8/22 - Why I'd Can the Rumble Strip Man [Dog Blog]
Dave and I found riding surfaces the last few days especially trying due to little to no shoulder and often a rumble strip in the only meager shoulder that exists. To channel our frustration in a positive way, I composed a puppy poem. Here it goes:
He lays his stripes
On center and side,
Making it hard
For bikes to ride.
It would be just fine,
With a wide right of line.
Because it ain’t
We ride the paint.
And trucks may beep
And think “What a creep!”
We do what we can
Thanks to you - Rumble Strip Man.
So next time you tackle
Ontario’s shoulder debacle.
Please go three meters wide
To give all a safe ride.
Dave and I found riding surfaces the last few days especially trying due to little to no shoulder and often a rumble strip in the only meager shoulder that exists. To channel our frustration in a positive way, I composed a puppy poem. Here it goes:
He lays his stripes
On center and side,
Making it hard
For bikes to ride.
It would be just fine,
With a wide right of line.
Because it ain’t
We ride the paint.
And trucks may beep
And think “What a creep!”
We do what we can
Thanks to you - Rumble Strip Man.
So next time you tackle
Ontario’s shoulder debacle.
Please go three meters wide
To give all a safe ride.
6/9/22 - Breaking Things Getting to Canada's Capital
Today was tougher than I envisioned a few days ago in mapping out the end of my first month in Canada and entry into its capital of Ottawa. Let's set out the garbage first, then focus on the good stuff.
The east-bound ride into Ottawa was 65 miles and I aimed to get it done by noon. Rain accompanied me the entire ride. Winds out of the east created facial spray notwithstanding vehicle backsplashes. That makes moisture three out of four days, giving Mother Nature a better batting average than Meatloaf. Worse still, Google routed me on "multi-use trails" for over 15 miles which were very rocky and muddy or wet with sticky limestone. The pursuit was slow and the bike took a beating. One of my back bike rack support arms snapped, a new waterproof shoe cover zipper ripped, my front bike light stopped working (seems to have taken water) and I lost one of my wireless earbuds in the fiasco. My body wasn't having fun either. To put it bluntly in as few words as possible as only a German can, it led to sloshencyclegitshinderchaff.
With that behind us, the afternoon ended up being another clean up the mess and crank up the heat effort folllowed by trips to a bike shop for a new rack and to a few phone repair stores to order a new charger port. Thankfully, I'm staying in Ottawa two nights and will hopefully get the phone fixed tomorrow.
On to the fun stuff. I had a serendipitous "run in" in nowhereland with a Guinness world record holding runner named Dave who is attempting to cross all of Canada on FOOT in 66 days. French Fry has that in the Dog Blog.
I also had the fortune of taking in Canada's Museum of Nature, the nation's oldest national museum. Thursday night it is free with an advance ticket and stayed open until 7PM. I continued my streak of having to be escorted out at closing as I got thoroughly engrossed in the paleontology, birding and rock exhibits. Canada does its museums well. The bird displays were less dioramas as in the plains states and more side-by-side stuff (literally stuffed birds) but arranged in a way to enable size comparisons as well as seasonal, sexual and regional variations within species and individual birds. Then I walked around Parliament Hill, admiring the Gothic Revival buildings where Canada's government, library, central bank, etc. are housed. Apart from some anti-vaxers protesting, it was a mellow experience. Especially moving was sitting on the granite circle containing the Centennial Flame while surveying the surroundings.
I crossed over the 3,000 mile mark today. I'm now on the longest continuous country ride I've ever done - the US (2,915 miles), New Zealand (1,760 miles) and the United Kingdom (991 miles) are runners up.
Today was tougher than I envisioned a few days ago in mapping out the end of my first month in Canada and entry into its capital of Ottawa. Let's set out the garbage first, then focus on the good stuff.
The east-bound ride into Ottawa was 65 miles and I aimed to get it done by noon. Rain accompanied me the entire ride. Winds out of the east created facial spray notwithstanding vehicle backsplashes. That makes moisture three out of four days, giving Mother Nature a better batting average than Meatloaf. Worse still, Google routed me on "multi-use trails" for over 15 miles which were very rocky and muddy or wet with sticky limestone. The pursuit was slow and the bike took a beating. One of my back bike rack support arms snapped, a new waterproof shoe cover zipper ripped, my front bike light stopped working (seems to have taken water) and I lost one of my wireless earbuds in the fiasco. My body wasn't having fun either. To put it bluntly in as few words as possible as only a German can, it led to sloshencyclegitshinderchaff.
With that behind us, the afternoon ended up being another clean up the mess and crank up the heat effort folllowed by trips to a bike shop for a new rack and to a few phone repair stores to order a new charger port. Thankfully, I'm staying in Ottawa two nights and will hopefully get the phone fixed tomorrow.
On to the fun stuff. I had a serendipitous "run in" in nowhereland with a Guinness world record holding runner named Dave who is attempting to cross all of Canada on FOOT in 66 days. French Fry has that in the Dog Blog.
I also had the fortune of taking in Canada's Museum of Nature, the nation's oldest national museum. Thursday night it is free with an advance ticket and stayed open until 7PM. I continued my streak of having to be escorted out at closing as I got thoroughly engrossed in the paleontology, birding and rock exhibits. Canada does its museums well. The bird displays were less dioramas as in the plains states and more side-by-side stuff (literally stuffed birds) but arranged in a way to enable size comparisons as well as seasonal, sexual and regional variations within species and individual birds. Then I walked around Parliament Hill, admiring the Gothic Revival buildings where Canada's government, library, central bank, etc. are housed. Apart from some anti-vaxers protesting, it was a mellow experience. Especially moving was sitting on the granite circle containing the Centennial Flame while surveying the surroundings.
I crossed over the 3,000 mile mark today. I'm now on the longest continuous country ride I've ever done - the US (2,915 miles), New Zealand (1,760 miles) and the United Kingdom (991 miles) are runners up.
6/9/22 - A Truly Famous Dave [Dog Blog]
Dave was taking a oatmeal raisin cookie break in the middle of nowhere on a rural road 20 miles east of Canada's capital (Ottawa) when this guy in a cowboy hat and an orange poncho comes running along and asks if we need help.
Turns out he's a three time Guinness World Record holder, motivational speaker and a famous Dave, unlike the Dave I'm stuck with. His full name is David Proctor and he is trying to best the FKT (Fastest Known Time) running the 4,500+ mile route across Canada we are presently biking. He's average over 2.6 marathons (almost 70 miles) a day and aims to be done in 66 days, beating the record by 8 days. Incredible!
[PostScript: Mr. Proctor succeeded in crossing Canada in the fastest time ever (at least when he finished). Truly Amazing!]
Dave was taking a oatmeal raisin cookie break in the middle of nowhere on a rural road 20 miles east of Canada's capital (Ottawa) when this guy in a cowboy hat and an orange poncho comes running along and asks if we need help.
Turns out he's a three time Guinness World Record holder, motivational speaker and a famous Dave, unlike the Dave I'm stuck with. His full name is David Proctor and he is trying to best the FKT (Fastest Known Time) running the 4,500+ mile route across Canada we are presently biking. He's average over 2.6 marathons (almost 70 miles) a day and aims to be done in 66 days, beating the record by 8 days. Incredible!
[PostScript: Mr. Proctor succeeded in crossing Canada in the fastest time ever (at least when he finished). Truly Amazing!]
6/10/22 -Ottawana One More Day in Canada's Capital
I was impressed with Ottawa. For a capital city, it was approachable, well laid out, full of parks, interesting architecture and very good museums, all without pretense. So nice. Thankful to have a day and a half to address gear and phone issues, a Mobcraft Brewing advisory board meeting and some exploration time. Would have liked one more day as I enjoy culture and history even more than beer and came up a few glasses empty in not seeing the National Gallery of Canada and the Canadian Museum of History.
What I did take in was worthwhile. After having enjoyed the Winnipeg Royal Mint tour so much, I did the only other one in Ottawa where they make the collector coins and precious metal coins. Interesting to see 10.5 meter rolls of gold sheets worth $42 million Canadian (~$33 million US) sitting on the floor waiting to be pounded out. Also found out Canada is the only Commonwealth country where the Queen’s portrait has no crown on her head. This was at the Queen’s request in deference to anti-royalty sentiment in the country…yet I did see some Queen’s Platinum Jubilee flags and signs up around the touristy parts of the city. Sadly, no northern light glow-in-the-dark 2017 Toonie for sale so I’ll have to fall back on eBay.
I had bought an annual pass for Canada’s national parks in Radium Hot Springs. Wasn’t sure how much use it would get, but it was for a good cause, and, well, Canadians are so nice. Showed it for the first time today in touring the Laurier House, home of two of the most influential Canadian Prime Ministers. French Fry has more in his Dog Blog about a little known foot race between Winston Churchill and the “King” that might appeal to history buffs.
The Notre Dame Cathedral was small in seating capacity but colorful with its blue ceiling and colored marble spiral columns. Charming. Walking around the parks showcased plenty of war memorials typical of a country’s capital. Viewed Rideau Hall from the exterior as I managed so screw up reading the date on my on-line ticket for the interior tour (bike travel was a way of doing that). Rideau is the home of the governor general, the Queen’s representative who exercises the responsibilities of head of State in her name. The size of the mansion and expansiveness of the grounds leads me to believe it’s a pretty good gig but also makes me question why a country so practical, smart and forward thinking as Canada still steeps itself in this protocol. The last stop on the evening walkabout was past the two water flows of Rideau Falls. Impressive spray and a great way to end my time in a very enjoyable capital city.
This is a bit quirky, but yesterday was the first time I heard a language other than English spoken in Canada. I’m a bit of recluse in biking mode, but have got around enough that it was strange hearing both French and Spanish in the Canadian Museum of Nature last night.
I was impressed with Ottawa. For a capital city, it was approachable, well laid out, full of parks, interesting architecture and very good museums, all without pretense. So nice. Thankful to have a day and a half to address gear and phone issues, a Mobcraft Brewing advisory board meeting and some exploration time. Would have liked one more day as I enjoy culture and history even more than beer and came up a few glasses empty in not seeing the National Gallery of Canada and the Canadian Museum of History.
What I did take in was worthwhile. After having enjoyed the Winnipeg Royal Mint tour so much, I did the only other one in Ottawa where they make the collector coins and precious metal coins. Interesting to see 10.5 meter rolls of gold sheets worth $42 million Canadian (~$33 million US) sitting on the floor waiting to be pounded out. Also found out Canada is the only Commonwealth country where the Queen’s portrait has no crown on her head. This was at the Queen’s request in deference to anti-royalty sentiment in the country…yet I did see some Queen’s Platinum Jubilee flags and signs up around the touristy parts of the city. Sadly, no northern light glow-in-the-dark 2017 Toonie for sale so I’ll have to fall back on eBay.
I had bought an annual pass for Canada’s national parks in Radium Hot Springs. Wasn’t sure how much use it would get, but it was for a good cause, and, well, Canadians are so nice. Showed it for the first time today in touring the Laurier House, home of two of the most influential Canadian Prime Ministers. French Fry has more in his Dog Blog about a little known foot race between Winston Churchill and the “King” that might appeal to history buffs.
The Notre Dame Cathedral was small in seating capacity but colorful with its blue ceiling and colored marble spiral columns. Charming. Walking around the parks showcased plenty of war memorials typical of a country’s capital. Viewed Rideau Hall from the exterior as I managed so screw up reading the date on my on-line ticket for the interior tour (bike travel was a way of doing that). Rideau is the home of the governor general, the Queen’s representative who exercises the responsibilities of head of State in her name. The size of the mansion and expansiveness of the grounds leads me to believe it’s a pretty good gig but also makes me question why a country so practical, smart and forward thinking as Canada still steeps itself in this protocol. The last stop on the evening walkabout was past the two water flows of Rideau Falls. Impressive spray and a great way to end my time in a very enjoyable capital city.
This is a bit quirky, but yesterday was the first time I heard a language other than English spoken in Canada. I’m a bit of recluse in biking mode, but have got around enough that it was strange hearing both French and Spanish in the Canadian Museum of Nature last night.
6/10/22 - Winston Races the King [Dog Blog]
In December of 1941 while visiting the White House following America's official entry into WWII, experts believe British Prime Minister Winston Churchill had a mild heart attack. Shortly thereafter, Winston was in Ottawa visiting Canada’s Prime Minister William Lloyd Mackenzie King at his residence in the Laurier House (pictures below).
Perhaps to show he wasn’t ready for the junkyard just yet, Churchill challenged King to a race to the third floor of the house where King had his study and received guests. Churchill took the stairs while King took the elevator (which is the door to the left of the grandfather clock in the pic below). I'm standing in the spot where Winston took his first step up.
Churchill made it to the second floor before stopping, out of breath and unable to continue. So while King won the bet (the elevator worked), the allies also likely came out on top had Churchill had the hubris to overexert himself and suffer terminal consequences.
Also in the pics below is one of three surviving copies of a face and hand plaster casts of Abe Lincoln after his first inaugural speech in 1861. That was a bit creepy getting so close as to see the veins on his hands.
In December of 1941 while visiting the White House following America's official entry into WWII, experts believe British Prime Minister Winston Churchill had a mild heart attack. Shortly thereafter, Winston was in Ottawa visiting Canada’s Prime Minister William Lloyd Mackenzie King at his residence in the Laurier House (pictures below).
Perhaps to show he wasn’t ready for the junkyard just yet, Churchill challenged King to a race to the third floor of the house where King had his study and received guests. Churchill took the stairs while King took the elevator (which is the door to the left of the grandfather clock in the pic below). I'm standing in the spot where Winston took his first step up.
Churchill made it to the second floor before stopping, out of breath and unable to continue. So while King won the bet (the elevator worked), the allies also likely came out on top had Churchill had the hubris to overexert himself and suffer terminal consequences.
Also in the pics below is one of three surviving copies of a face and hand plaster casts of Abe Lincoln after his first inaugural speech in 1861. That was a bit creepy getting so close as to see the veins on his hands.
6/11/22 - Tailwind Takes Me to Montreal
I pressed on in the warmest conditions of my ride to date (ave temp of 26C/79F) with mostly sunny skies and a lovely tailwind, covering 126 miles to get from Ottawa to the north side of Montreal. I should be happy with the day as it included some quiet rails-to-trails riding on the Prescott-Russel trail out of Ottawa with much of it tree-lined and pastoral, reminding me of similar trails in my home state of Wisconsin. Closer to Montreal, the trail was literally taken over by two festivals - one with costumed characters, singers and tents set in a “New France” period and a Dragonboat racing party on one of the river channels entering from the southwest of Montreal. With the general drift into speaking French from English, it was like cycling into a new world.
City Google impressed again with a nice mix of on-road cycle lanes on roadways and dedicated cycle and walking paths along water. Meandering along waterway with mansions to admire and dragonboats and sailboats to see was special. Montreal bike traffic, as prior bloggers suggested, is a thing of beauty as soooo many people were on cycles. As an added bonus, I met my first public water fountain in all of Canada in a southeast Montreal park today. On a warm day, that led to much rejoicing!
Despite all this, bike breakdowns picked up from the ride into Ottawa on Thursday and proved both time-consuming and annoying. My disc brakes likely are dirty and either need to be replaced or cleaned. They generate embarrassing amounts of noise at stops and I get the "Don't you know your brakes suck!" look in a city that prides itself on conscientious cycling etiquette. Two bike stores I visited didn’t have time to fit in the work. No fault there – lovely Saturday’s generate lots of bike activity. One of the connecting bolts on a rear Ortlieb pannier broke off and I spent 45 minutes at a Canadian Tire store trying to get a replacement bolt/washer/nut without success despite a very helpful service rep. Tried a bent bolt solution after no washer or nut fitting the slot size was available. That didn’t hold, so I am using my straps to take weight off this pannier for the interim. Finally, one of the aluminum water bottle holders cracked and detached from the bike, sending a water bottle and cracked rack ricocheting into traffic. Recovered things and can easily replace the holder. The brakes are now the main fixing foci and I hope my cleaning job tomorrow provides some relief.
I am taking another day off to explore Montreal tomorrow and will also try to remedy some of the gear maladies before carrying on to Quebec.
I pressed on in the warmest conditions of my ride to date (ave temp of 26C/79F) with mostly sunny skies and a lovely tailwind, covering 126 miles to get from Ottawa to the north side of Montreal. I should be happy with the day as it included some quiet rails-to-trails riding on the Prescott-Russel trail out of Ottawa with much of it tree-lined and pastoral, reminding me of similar trails in my home state of Wisconsin. Closer to Montreal, the trail was literally taken over by two festivals - one with costumed characters, singers and tents set in a “New France” period and a Dragonboat racing party on one of the river channels entering from the southwest of Montreal. With the general drift into speaking French from English, it was like cycling into a new world.
City Google impressed again with a nice mix of on-road cycle lanes on roadways and dedicated cycle and walking paths along water. Meandering along waterway with mansions to admire and dragonboats and sailboats to see was special. Montreal bike traffic, as prior bloggers suggested, is a thing of beauty as soooo many people were on cycles. As an added bonus, I met my first public water fountain in all of Canada in a southeast Montreal park today. On a warm day, that led to much rejoicing!
Despite all this, bike breakdowns picked up from the ride into Ottawa on Thursday and proved both time-consuming and annoying. My disc brakes likely are dirty and either need to be replaced or cleaned. They generate embarrassing amounts of noise at stops and I get the "Don't you know your brakes suck!" look in a city that prides itself on conscientious cycling etiquette. Two bike stores I visited didn’t have time to fit in the work. No fault there – lovely Saturday’s generate lots of bike activity. One of the connecting bolts on a rear Ortlieb pannier broke off and I spent 45 minutes at a Canadian Tire store trying to get a replacement bolt/washer/nut without success despite a very helpful service rep. Tried a bent bolt solution after no washer or nut fitting the slot size was available. That didn’t hold, so I am using my straps to take weight off this pannier for the interim. Finally, one of the aluminum water bottle holders cracked and detached from the bike, sending a water bottle and cracked rack ricocheting into traffic. Recovered things and can easily replace the holder. The brakes are now the main fixing foci and I hope my cleaning job tomorrow provides some relief.
I am taking another day off to explore Montreal tomorrow and will also try to remedy some of the gear maladies before carrying on to Quebec.
6/12/22 - Sunday in the Park in Montreal
I took my fourth full day off the bike to explore Montreal, Canada’s second largest city. Had been here twice before for short visits but found enough new things to occupy the day after addressing some issues with the bike in the morning.
In summary, I liked how the parks made use of the waterways, greatly appreciated the excellent bike system and enjoyed some of the cultural highlights. Despite this, I’m looking forward to moving on. I found the city a bit overwhelming, want to get back into the cycling routine and feel the need to focus to finish the goal at hand.
Began the day once more working on bike repairs. Cleaned the brake rotors which seemed to help in a morning test ride but I sense the noise relief is short-lived if the pads have been compromised. Tried two bike shops in the odd chance one could do a pad and rotor replacement but had no luck. I did fix the panniers and water bottle holder and have phone numbers for all the bike shops in the flat terrain of the next two days.
The touring part of the day started with a visit to the Pointe-a-Calliere museum focusing on the archaeology of Old Montreal. Liked how they integrated the substructure of some of the earliest European buildings with modern means of display and education. One of my masters degrees is in archaeology, so I might be biased…but pretty much everyone in the crowded museum seemed to be enjoying themselves. They had a special exhibit on the Vikings that was well-done. A factoid…the ”Bluetooth” technology was invented by Danes who borrowed the name from the Viking king Harold Bluetooth and the Bluetooth logo is an amalgamation of the runes H and B.
I next visited the Notre Dame Cathedral. The pulpit and alter were impressive for certain. The admission price of $15 CAN seemed a bit steep but it is definitely on the tourist and cruise boat itineraries as the church was packed with gawkers. I rounded out my long walkabout by climbing the 537 steps up the Grand Staircase to Mount Royal Park with decent views overlooking the city. Today was on and off rain, so the clouds took some sparkle off the setting but it was still lovely. Only odd thing were the multitude of police cars patrolling the limestone paths with their red lights spinning. No noise, just a free light show for safety reasons. I walked down the staircase and finished the tour by visiting the summer Sunday favorite Tam-Tam Festival by the Sir George-Etienne Cartier monument at the northeast base of the park. Had some Jamaican food and listened to the droning of drums and other instruments as people danced, tossed frisbees or played hacky-sack. Probably most intriguing were the splinter groups of other musicians who were playing music in other parts of the park, under trees or gazebos, often all decked out in matching uniforms. Neat experience.
I took my fourth full day off the bike to explore Montreal, Canada’s second largest city. Had been here twice before for short visits but found enough new things to occupy the day after addressing some issues with the bike in the morning.
In summary, I liked how the parks made use of the waterways, greatly appreciated the excellent bike system and enjoyed some of the cultural highlights. Despite this, I’m looking forward to moving on. I found the city a bit overwhelming, want to get back into the cycling routine and feel the need to focus to finish the goal at hand.
Began the day once more working on bike repairs. Cleaned the brake rotors which seemed to help in a morning test ride but I sense the noise relief is short-lived if the pads have been compromised. Tried two bike shops in the odd chance one could do a pad and rotor replacement but had no luck. I did fix the panniers and water bottle holder and have phone numbers for all the bike shops in the flat terrain of the next two days.
The touring part of the day started with a visit to the Pointe-a-Calliere museum focusing on the archaeology of Old Montreal. Liked how they integrated the substructure of some of the earliest European buildings with modern means of display and education. One of my masters degrees is in archaeology, so I might be biased…but pretty much everyone in the crowded museum seemed to be enjoying themselves. They had a special exhibit on the Vikings that was well-done. A factoid…the ”Bluetooth” technology was invented by Danes who borrowed the name from the Viking king Harold Bluetooth and the Bluetooth logo is an amalgamation of the runes H and B.
I next visited the Notre Dame Cathedral. The pulpit and alter were impressive for certain. The admission price of $15 CAN seemed a bit steep but it is definitely on the tourist and cruise boat itineraries as the church was packed with gawkers. I rounded out my long walkabout by climbing the 537 steps up the Grand Staircase to Mount Royal Park with decent views overlooking the city. Today was on and off rain, so the clouds took some sparkle off the setting but it was still lovely. Only odd thing were the multitude of police cars patrolling the limestone paths with their red lights spinning. No noise, just a free light show for safety reasons. I walked down the staircase and finished the tour by visiting the summer Sunday favorite Tam-Tam Festival by the Sir George-Etienne Cartier monument at the northeast base of the park. Had some Jamaican food and listened to the droning of drums and other instruments as people danced, tossed frisbees or played hacky-sack. Probably most intriguing were the splinter groups of other musicians who were playing music in other parts of the park, under trees or gazebos, often all decked out in matching uniforms. Neat experience.
6/13/22 - A Five-Hour Mid-Day "Brake" & Scenery to Make the Church Lady Dance
Years of encountering the unexpected cycling lead me to early starts to build a big light buffer in case things don't go as planned. Grateful for that today as great conditions and a great trail following Le Verde Route 5 out of Montreal had me 80 miles into a 125 mile ride by 11AM when I entered the highest rated bike shop in Trois-Rivieres to get my disc brake pads and rotors fixed. Had called in advance and they offered to get to it immediately. Walked in, saw about eight techs working on bikes and two guys got on my Surly Long Haul Trucker right away. I thought to myself...heaven must be full of Canadian bike shop workers. A tech in Montreal said yesterday it should be a 60-90 minute job, so I worked my phone in planning for the next few days.
I waited. And waited. One of the few English speaking employees came up to me and said "You have much patience." Another said "You are very calm." Almost as if this wasn't a one-off thing. More waiting. After two hours they started taking test rides. Three guys were huddled over it, working intently. Then after three hours one of the English speaking techs tells me they hadn't made any progress and suggested new pads and rotors. Surprised, as that was what I thought I asked for...but I take the hit for not conveying that in French. So we agreed to put on new parts. Waited another two hours when they wheeled the bike to me and I was told they didn't have the right pads so they only cleaned the rear pads and put a front pad set not meant for the bike that will brake better but will continue to squeak. Bummerland. Wish I knew they lacked the right parts before proceeding, but that's a stale baguette at this point, so I paid up and was back on the road a little after 4PM with 45 miles more to go. Made it to my lodging in Deschambault with an hour of good light to spare.
I did really like the ride today. It was the flattest of the trip at only 550 feet of elevation gain. Much of the route loosely followed the wide St. Lawrence River and it was interesting to see silos on one side of the road with dairy air and high end houses with river air on the other. The bugs were also the most intense to date - flies and mosquitoes kept rest stops short and my mouth closed while riding. Not the sort of protein I'm looking to ingest. Passed many small communities, each seemingly with its own glorious church. I took a few pics in the slideshow below but there were many more. Enough to make The Church Lady due her jiggle of joy. Well isn't that special? I thought so.
Years of encountering the unexpected cycling lead me to early starts to build a big light buffer in case things don't go as planned. Grateful for that today as great conditions and a great trail following Le Verde Route 5 out of Montreal had me 80 miles into a 125 mile ride by 11AM when I entered the highest rated bike shop in Trois-Rivieres to get my disc brake pads and rotors fixed. Had called in advance and they offered to get to it immediately. Walked in, saw about eight techs working on bikes and two guys got on my Surly Long Haul Trucker right away. I thought to myself...heaven must be full of Canadian bike shop workers. A tech in Montreal said yesterday it should be a 60-90 minute job, so I worked my phone in planning for the next few days.
I waited. And waited. One of the few English speaking employees came up to me and said "You have much patience." Another said "You are very calm." Almost as if this wasn't a one-off thing. More waiting. After two hours they started taking test rides. Three guys were huddled over it, working intently. Then after three hours one of the English speaking techs tells me they hadn't made any progress and suggested new pads and rotors. Surprised, as that was what I thought I asked for...but I take the hit for not conveying that in French. So we agreed to put on new parts. Waited another two hours when they wheeled the bike to me and I was told they didn't have the right pads so they only cleaned the rear pads and put a front pad set not meant for the bike that will brake better but will continue to squeak. Bummerland. Wish I knew they lacked the right parts before proceeding, but that's a stale baguette at this point, so I paid up and was back on the road a little after 4PM with 45 miles more to go. Made it to my lodging in Deschambault with an hour of good light to spare.
I did really like the ride today. It was the flattest of the trip at only 550 feet of elevation gain. Much of the route loosely followed the wide St. Lawrence River and it was interesting to see silos on one side of the road with dairy air and high end houses with river air on the other. The bugs were also the most intense to date - flies and mosquitoes kept rest stops short and my mouth closed while riding. Not the sort of protein I'm looking to ingest. Passed many small communities, each seemingly with its own glorious church. I took a few pics in the slideshow below but there were many more. Enough to make The Church Lady due her jiggle of joy. Well isn't that special? I thought so.
6/14/22 - Quebec-ons with Nice Colonial French Charm
It seemed far easier today entering Quebec on cycle on the La Verte 5 route (aka "Corridor du Littoral" once on the outskirts of the city) than 25+ years ago when my wife and I briefly visited with a rental car and a one year old in a stroller. The 46 miles went by quickly with nice shoulder and light traffic in the countryside and somewhat choppy but generally decent bike trails once civilization thickened. I was walking the streets by 10AM after stowing the bike and changing at the motel.
The weather started off sunny and peaked at 26C/79F by mid-morning before turning windy, cloudy and cooler by mid-afternoon. Being a Tuesday, several attractions were closed due to trouble finding help (so said the tourist information office anyway). I first visited Notre Dame. Not far behind Montreal's with its gold-plated alter and entirely free. Walked the Old Town and did an GPS My City walking tour of the Upper Town's major sights. Viewed the below ground archaeological exhibits under the Forts-et-Chateaux (the ice box was the "coolest" thing, the rest fair) the capped off the day with a two-hour Parks Canada tour of the walls of Quebec led by Francois. Would highly recommend this tour. Very informative, funny and we got to go places within the citadel off-limits to most tourists.
On the walk back to my motel, I stopped at J.A. Moisan's, the oldest grocery store in North America having started business in 1871. I love touring local grocery stores when traveling and couldn't pass up the chance to see a legend. Small in size, they focused on boutique items like cheeses, beer, wines and touristy takeaways like anything one can make with Canadian maple syrup. A line of cat IPAs pictured below shows just how far brewers will go to create the purrfect label.
As someone who embarrassingly suffers from monoglottism, it was hard meandering about without a phone app or a guide. Much of Canada outside the Quebec province goes bi or trilingual (adding in First Nations occasionally). Once in Quebec, most signage and placards are in French only.
It seemed far easier today entering Quebec on cycle on the La Verte 5 route (aka "Corridor du Littoral" once on the outskirts of the city) than 25+ years ago when my wife and I briefly visited with a rental car and a one year old in a stroller. The 46 miles went by quickly with nice shoulder and light traffic in the countryside and somewhat choppy but generally decent bike trails once civilization thickened. I was walking the streets by 10AM after stowing the bike and changing at the motel.
The weather started off sunny and peaked at 26C/79F by mid-morning before turning windy, cloudy and cooler by mid-afternoon. Being a Tuesday, several attractions were closed due to trouble finding help (so said the tourist information office anyway). I first visited Notre Dame. Not far behind Montreal's with its gold-plated alter and entirely free. Walked the Old Town and did an GPS My City walking tour of the Upper Town's major sights. Viewed the below ground archaeological exhibits under the Forts-et-Chateaux (the ice box was the "coolest" thing, the rest fair) the capped off the day with a two-hour Parks Canada tour of the walls of Quebec led by Francois. Would highly recommend this tour. Very informative, funny and we got to go places within the citadel off-limits to most tourists.
On the walk back to my motel, I stopped at J.A. Moisan's, the oldest grocery store in North America having started business in 1871. I love touring local grocery stores when traveling and couldn't pass up the chance to see a legend. Small in size, they focused on boutique items like cheeses, beer, wines and touristy takeaways like anything one can make with Canadian maple syrup. A line of cat IPAs pictured below shows just how far brewers will go to create the purrfect label.
As someone who embarrassingly suffers from monoglottism, it was hard meandering about without a phone app or a guide. Much of Canada outside the Quebec province goes bi or trilingual (adding in First Nations occasionally). Once in Quebec, most signage and placards are in French only.
6/15/22 - Staying at the Hotel Fleurs Karaibes in Saint Alexandre de Kamouraska. Yes, it is still North America.
Headed northeast on Hwy 132 which coursed along the east side of the St. Lawrence River. Excellent weather (mostly sunny with an average temp of 21C/70F), mild crosswinds, great road conditions (ample, smooth shoulder and light traffic) and interesting farming scenery speckled with small quaint French villages along the way.
Started the day taking the commuter ferry to the east side of the river, then managed to go the wrong way for 2.5 miles. My Garmin, which sometimes slips into "Take a U-turn" when I'm going the correct way, played with me and seemed content taking me on a massive detour. It didn't help the only French lessons I received as a kid were from "The Pink Panther" movies - "I vant a voom" doesn't get you far here. Once on the right course, things went smoothly. I saw more "panniered" bikers today than in total trip-to-date. I've learned to say "Bon Voyage" to fellow long-haul looking bikers and once offered up "cul de sac" after taking a wrong turn on a dead end street and was almost followed by another biker. So my French is expanding greatly, yet I look forward to crossing into New Brunswick tomorrow where hopefully English will be at least a strong second language. I skipped most of the brown sign stops (historic sights) today in finding the placards French only.
Thanks to my errant ways, I racked up 119 miles by 3PM today with 2,500ft of climbing before arriving at Saint Alexandre de Kamouraska, a one-rink town a bit west of the larger Riviere-du-Loup. I'm staying at the Hotel Fleurs Karaibes which I biked past twice before deducing it had to be the place. No signage, undergoing major renovations and I may be the only one staying here tonight. Lacks certain essential toiletries which I'm too embarrassed to Pictionary out, but there were leftover croissants in the fridge. Fair trade?
Shopping takes more time in Canada, and I had time on my side today and hit a few stores. Quebec is the first province encountered where they sell beer in the grocery store and not in a separate licensed liquor-only facility (I skipped and had kombucha and milk instead), but I have to go to pharmacies for personal items like toothpaste and suntan lotion. Maybe that's why Canadians are so nice...they keep a tighter grip on who can buy Crest and Colgate.
Headed northeast on Hwy 132 which coursed along the east side of the St. Lawrence River. Excellent weather (mostly sunny with an average temp of 21C/70F), mild crosswinds, great road conditions (ample, smooth shoulder and light traffic) and interesting farming scenery speckled with small quaint French villages along the way.
Started the day taking the commuter ferry to the east side of the river, then managed to go the wrong way for 2.5 miles. My Garmin, which sometimes slips into "Take a U-turn" when I'm going the correct way, played with me and seemed content taking me on a massive detour. It didn't help the only French lessons I received as a kid were from "The Pink Panther" movies - "I vant a voom" doesn't get you far here. Once on the right course, things went smoothly. I saw more "panniered" bikers today than in total trip-to-date. I've learned to say "Bon Voyage" to fellow long-haul looking bikers and once offered up "cul de sac" after taking a wrong turn on a dead end street and was almost followed by another biker. So my French is expanding greatly, yet I look forward to crossing into New Brunswick tomorrow where hopefully English will be at least a strong second language. I skipped most of the brown sign stops (historic sights) today in finding the placards French only.
Thanks to my errant ways, I racked up 119 miles by 3PM today with 2,500ft of climbing before arriving at Saint Alexandre de Kamouraska, a one-rink town a bit west of the larger Riviere-du-Loup. I'm staying at the Hotel Fleurs Karaibes which I biked past twice before deducing it had to be the place. No signage, undergoing major renovations and I may be the only one staying here tonight. Lacks certain essential toiletries which I'm too embarrassed to Pictionary out, but there were leftover croissants in the fridge. Fair trade?
Shopping takes more time in Canada, and I had time on my side today and hit a few stores. Quebec is the first province encountered where they sell beer in the grocery store and not in a separate licensed liquor-only facility (I skipped and had kombucha and milk instead), but I have to go to pharmacies for personal items like toothpaste and suntan lotion. Maybe that's why Canadians are so nice...they keep a tighter grip on who can buy Crest and Colgate.
6/16/22 - New Brunswick Beckons
Despite French Fry’s objections, we were rolling by 5AM today. Paid off with moose in the meadow moment that French Fry talks about in the Dog Blog. Today’s ride of 128 miles was very enjoyable but exhausting due to two factors. (1) Followed a crushed limestone path for 75 miles on the Petit Temis section of the Trans Canada trail bike and recreation path into Edmunston. More friction on the tires, I tend to ride one or two gears up the back stack and go slower as a result and (2) continued on with a strong headwind of 10-12mph with gusts up to 25mph the last 35 miles in open road riding. That headwind also was out there on the path but buffered by a beautiful cover of trees on both sides of the trail for most of the journey. Got into Grand Falls at 4PM, pretty wiped out. Although over 90% of the 5K-ish residents in this town speak French, there was enough English on signs and in conversation that I didn't feel like a "foreigner" on home soil.
My motivation to push for Grand Falls was twofold. I wanted to see the falls and gorge which proved lovely with recent rains creating a high volume spectacle with the bonus of rebound spray on the face following the Lover’s Lane trail on the east side of the falls. As quirky as it sounds, I also wanted a full breakfast, something the Hilltop Motel includes in its attached restaurant. Canada, perhaps somewhat covid-related, has been a breakfast bust on this trip with most places declining to offer anything and those that do usually anteing up a take-away bag of a muffin, juice box and a boring Macintosh apple. Baloney for biker appetites.
After cleaning up and noting microwaves and large bars of soap are back in vogue, I walked to the tourist office, arriving six minutes before closing and getting excellent advice from a young service specialist. Walked the 1.6km trail to various views of the falls and downstream to the gorge before coming back and buying plenty of groceries to “gorge” myself. Also celebrated the moose, return of the microwave and tough mileage with the highest rate beer from New Brunswick on BeerAdvocate…the Hu Jon Hops IPA from Trailway Brewing out of Fredericton. Quite good with my 50% Off "Enjoy Tonight" salad, salmon and melon dinner.
Despite French Fry’s objections, we were rolling by 5AM today. Paid off with moose in the meadow moment that French Fry talks about in the Dog Blog. Today’s ride of 128 miles was very enjoyable but exhausting due to two factors. (1) Followed a crushed limestone path for 75 miles on the Petit Temis section of the Trans Canada trail bike and recreation path into Edmunston. More friction on the tires, I tend to ride one or two gears up the back stack and go slower as a result and (2) continued on with a strong headwind of 10-12mph with gusts up to 25mph the last 35 miles in open road riding. That headwind also was out there on the path but buffered by a beautiful cover of trees on both sides of the trail for most of the journey. Got into Grand Falls at 4PM, pretty wiped out. Although over 90% of the 5K-ish residents in this town speak French, there was enough English on signs and in conversation that I didn't feel like a "foreigner" on home soil.
My motivation to push for Grand Falls was twofold. I wanted to see the falls and gorge which proved lovely with recent rains creating a high volume spectacle with the bonus of rebound spray on the face following the Lover’s Lane trail on the east side of the falls. As quirky as it sounds, I also wanted a full breakfast, something the Hilltop Motel includes in its attached restaurant. Canada, perhaps somewhat covid-related, has been a breakfast bust on this trip with most places declining to offer anything and those that do usually anteing up a take-away bag of a muffin, juice box and a boring Macintosh apple. Baloney for biker appetites.
After cleaning up and noting microwaves and large bars of soap are back in vogue, I walked to the tourist office, arriving six minutes before closing and getting excellent advice from a young service specialist. Walked the 1.6km trail to various views of the falls and downstream to the gorge before coming back and buying plenty of groceries to “gorge” myself. Also celebrated the moose, return of the microwave and tough mileage with the highest rate beer from New Brunswick on BeerAdvocate…the Hu Jon Hops IPA from Trailway Brewing out of Fredericton. Quite good with my 50% Off "Enjoy Tonight" salad, salmon and melon dinner.
6/16/22 - The Other Day, I Met a Moose, Out in the Meadow, and it was Loose. [Dog Blog]
Dave made me get up way too early today. Burning daylight, he says, given that sunrise was at 4:15AM. Because we were losing an hour by crossing into our fifth time zone (Atlantic) when we got into our seventh province (New Brunswick) today, he wanted an early start in cool and slightly less windy conditions. “Light buffer” he keeps chirping about.
Anyhow, we’re coasting on some country road on the outskirts of Saint Alexandre de Kamouraska with the full moon at our back and the sun just starting to creep out from behind some low-lying clouds when suddenly a beastly noise in the meadow to our right startles us. Two moose, perhaps a mother and a calf, were in the ditch and moved quickly into the meadow as we passed.
Pictures below are poor due to the low sunrise light and my delay in getting the phone camera ready. Still an impressive sight. First moose of the trip and it proves right all the moose warning signs. The early bike gets the wildlife.
Dave made me get up way too early today. Burning daylight, he says, given that sunrise was at 4:15AM. Because we were losing an hour by crossing into our fifth time zone (Atlantic) when we got into our seventh province (New Brunswick) today, he wanted an early start in cool and slightly less windy conditions. “Light buffer” he keeps chirping about.
Anyhow, we’re coasting on some country road on the outskirts of Saint Alexandre de Kamouraska with the full moon at our back and the sun just starting to creep out from behind some low-lying clouds when suddenly a beastly noise in the meadow to our right startles us. Two moose, perhaps a mother and a calf, were in the ditch and moved quickly into the meadow as we passed.
Pictures below are poor due to the low sunrise light and my delay in getting the phone camera ready. Still an impressive sight. First moose of the trip and it proves right all the moose warning signs. The early bike gets the wildlife.
6/17/22 - Feasting on Wind, Rain, Potatoes & Lupines into Fredericton
Enjoyed a fortifying veggie omelet, potatoes, toast and chocolate milk breakfast included with the Hilltop Motel stay before taking off after 7AM. Relatively late for me. Knew it would be a long day given the wind advisory forecast coming out of the south, my pure direction for the first 65 miles followed by a southeast path thereafter. Ended up in Fredericton, the capital of New Brunswick, after 7PM, pleased but pooped after the longest day in the saddle of the trip at 9.5 hours and another ~200km (123.2 mile) effort.
The temp was the only consistent weather factor today, hanging out at a pleasant 15C/60F. I took prior riders advice of trying the Trans Canada trail as it snaked close to the Saint John river which flowed south to the sea. The concept was right - flat terrain, wooded, great views of the river, but the route was generally poorly maintained and likely used by ATVs, snowmobiles and giant golfers (given the huge divots that collected water). After getting my bike and self caked with clay, I opted for a few 100-series highways that generally stayed close to the river but veered far enough off for some massive hills - 3,501 feet worth over the day. That brings the trip-to-date evilation to over 101,000 feet, more than my cross-USA ride.
It was so windy and hilly, I was averaging 10mph and getting disheartened. Had slated a visit to Potato World after about 50 miles but arrived too late (they closed early on Friday for a company function). I'm sliding through spud centrale, Canada French Fry capital, and the museum looked interesting. To more than compensate as I don't like French fries or potato chips, the lupines were lovely. Never seen so many as on this day. Also interesting was the Longest Covered Bridge in the World spanning the Saint Johns.
After about 65 miles, Google attempted to route me off the longer river route to get to Fredericton in favor of a more "direct" direction set. Based on prior experience, I was reluctant to listen and asked a lady at the Tourist Info office next to the bridge for advice. She cursed at Google and put me on a few other country roads before taking Hwy 104 into the capital. Looked okay on the map, but the surface was difficult due to basketball size potholes and road construction that meant miles of crushed gravel or Ruffles-like road stripped down to its core. To make matters worse, it poured buckets from mile 65 to 75, then just rained until mile 100. After that, the rain stopped and the road got smooth.
Fredericton is the province's capital but only has a population in the 50,000 range, so it is manageable. Checked in to my motel at 7:30PM and it was 9PM before me, my equipment and bike were drying off, clean and presentable. Given the town in renowned for its craft beer culture, did a rarity and went out for an evening, walking 4km along the river to Trailways Brewery where I had a beer flight and mapped out the next day. Trailways has the highest rated and quite good beer in the province consumed yesterday. I was pumped but found the other beers so-so; ditto on the vibe. Worth the walk but would not repeat. Atmosphere was so-so with a nice patio but the mosquitoes were intense, so I was chased inside quickly.
Enjoyed a fortifying veggie omelet, potatoes, toast and chocolate milk breakfast included with the Hilltop Motel stay before taking off after 7AM. Relatively late for me. Knew it would be a long day given the wind advisory forecast coming out of the south, my pure direction for the first 65 miles followed by a southeast path thereafter. Ended up in Fredericton, the capital of New Brunswick, after 7PM, pleased but pooped after the longest day in the saddle of the trip at 9.5 hours and another ~200km (123.2 mile) effort.
The temp was the only consistent weather factor today, hanging out at a pleasant 15C/60F. I took prior riders advice of trying the Trans Canada trail as it snaked close to the Saint John river which flowed south to the sea. The concept was right - flat terrain, wooded, great views of the river, but the route was generally poorly maintained and likely used by ATVs, snowmobiles and giant golfers (given the huge divots that collected water). After getting my bike and self caked with clay, I opted for a few 100-series highways that generally stayed close to the river but veered far enough off for some massive hills - 3,501 feet worth over the day. That brings the trip-to-date evilation to over 101,000 feet, more than my cross-USA ride.
It was so windy and hilly, I was averaging 10mph and getting disheartened. Had slated a visit to Potato World after about 50 miles but arrived too late (they closed early on Friday for a company function). I'm sliding through spud centrale, Canada French Fry capital, and the museum looked interesting. To more than compensate as I don't like French fries or potato chips, the lupines were lovely. Never seen so many as on this day. Also interesting was the Longest Covered Bridge in the World spanning the Saint Johns.
After about 65 miles, Google attempted to route me off the longer river route to get to Fredericton in favor of a more "direct" direction set. Based on prior experience, I was reluctant to listen and asked a lady at the Tourist Info office next to the bridge for advice. She cursed at Google and put me on a few other country roads before taking Hwy 104 into the capital. Looked okay on the map, but the surface was difficult due to basketball size potholes and road construction that meant miles of crushed gravel or Ruffles-like road stripped down to its core. To make matters worse, it poured buckets from mile 65 to 75, then just rained until mile 100. After that, the rain stopped and the road got smooth.
Fredericton is the province's capital but only has a population in the 50,000 range, so it is manageable. Checked in to my motel at 7:30PM and it was 9PM before me, my equipment and bike were drying off, clean and presentable. Given the town in renowned for its craft beer culture, did a rarity and went out for an evening, walking 4km along the river to Trailways Brewery where I had a beer flight and mapped out the next day. Trailways has the highest rated and quite good beer in the province consumed yesterday. I was pumped but found the other beers so-so; ditto on the vibe. Worth the walk but would not repeat. Atmosphere was so-so with a nice patio but the mosquitoes were intense, so I was chased inside quickly.
6/18/22 - Back on the TCH into Moncton
I biked across the river this morning into downtown Fredericton to see the historic quarters and the highly acclaimed Saturday farmer's market. I was early (7:30AM), but it was pretty sleepy all around. The legislature buildings were pretty with their burnt sienna brick color but much was in a state of repair. The farmer's market was mostly food vendors...so I didn't stay long.
Gave Google Maps the day off (perhaps in punishment?) and plotted my own course, opting to take Hwy 105 south and east from the front of my motel to the Trans Canada Highway, this time route #2 heading east vs. #1, and road into the west side of Moncton. Hwy 105 had pretty river views and the ride was flat. TCH2 was a bit hillier and boring as could be. I began to long for billboards or something to detract from the sameness of woods and fields that seemed to go on and on. The ave. temp today was 25C/77F, not hot in itself but with a slight tailwind and mostly sunny skies, the heat reflecting off the interstate was plenty warm for me. Especially after chugging a half liter of chocolate milk. Felt great going down, but once inside, it felt like I was curding, not cycling. I admire those cross-country riders that start out in June. Not sure I'd like dealing with the Plains or the Lake Superior hump in a summer setting like today.
My lodging, with bonus points awarded for creativity to the owners, the Hotel Moncton, rests on the edge of one of "Canada's Natural Wonders" - Magnetic Hill. Reminded me of "The Wonder Spot" from my childhood. Try as I might, I couldn't make out the idea of putting the car in neutral and letting it role uphill. Slippery slope in a sense, yet it attracts visitors who come for the golf, the go-karts, the casino and other sundries.
I had intentions of getting healthy food for dinner by walking to the nearest grocery store 5.5km away (3.5 miles), but ran into an iHOP 1km into the walk and the lazy, evil side of me opted for the blueberry lemon protein pancakes instead. French Fry and I waddled back to our room after that carb loading.
Getting near the end of the trip and logistics are playing a bigger role as we start taking a series of shuttles and ferries over the next few days to get to three more of Canada's maritime provinces. Some of the hilliest miles are yet to come!
I biked across the river this morning into downtown Fredericton to see the historic quarters and the highly acclaimed Saturday farmer's market. I was early (7:30AM), but it was pretty sleepy all around. The legislature buildings were pretty with their burnt sienna brick color but much was in a state of repair. The farmer's market was mostly food vendors...so I didn't stay long.
Gave Google Maps the day off (perhaps in punishment?) and plotted my own course, opting to take Hwy 105 south and east from the front of my motel to the Trans Canada Highway, this time route #2 heading east vs. #1, and road into the west side of Moncton. Hwy 105 had pretty river views and the ride was flat. TCH2 was a bit hillier and boring as could be. I began to long for billboards or something to detract from the sameness of woods and fields that seemed to go on and on. The ave. temp today was 25C/77F, not hot in itself but with a slight tailwind and mostly sunny skies, the heat reflecting off the interstate was plenty warm for me. Especially after chugging a half liter of chocolate milk. Felt great going down, but once inside, it felt like I was curding, not cycling. I admire those cross-country riders that start out in June. Not sure I'd like dealing with the Plains or the Lake Superior hump in a summer setting like today.
My lodging, with bonus points awarded for creativity to the owners, the Hotel Moncton, rests on the edge of one of "Canada's Natural Wonders" - Magnetic Hill. Reminded me of "The Wonder Spot" from my childhood. Try as I might, I couldn't make out the idea of putting the car in neutral and letting it role uphill. Slippery slope in a sense, yet it attracts visitors who come for the golf, the go-karts, the casino and other sundries.
I had intentions of getting healthy food for dinner by walking to the nearest grocery store 5.5km away (3.5 miles), but ran into an iHOP 1km into the walk and the lazy, evil side of me opted for the blueberry lemon protein pancakes instead. French Fry and I waddled back to our room after that carb loading.
Getting near the end of the trip and logistics are playing a bigger role as we start taking a series of shuttles and ferries over the next few days to get to three more of Canada's maritime provinces. Some of the hilliest miles are yet to come!
6/19/22 - PEI-The Land of Lupines & Red Dirt
Today is Father's Day and it reminds me of the reason for my ride - my Father died of Alzheimer's-related dementia and I'm cycling to raise funds for the University of Wisconsin-Madison's Alzheimer's initiatives. Try as medical professionals might, finding a cure for this terrible set of conditions has been elusive. One of the UW-Madison programs has been running long-term studies on families where Alzheimer's runs high in an effort to better diagnose actions, diet and other factors that might influence susceptibility. While there are many worthy causes to direct your charitable dollars, consider giving to this cause by clicking on the "Donate" tab on top. My family is matching donations and a donor from UW-Madison is also matching...so $1 = $3. That's a favorable exchange rate!
Today I crossed into province #8 - Prince Edward Island (or PEI as it is known) - by taking a free shuttle on the longest drive over water I've ever crossed - Confederation Bridge. It is almost 13km (eight miles) long! Not safe for cyclists, so the transit authorities offer a shuttle service for walkers and bikers. Had challenges finding the pick-up spot, but once deduced and after a 45 minute wait, the process went smooth. It's free to get on the island, but they claim to charge when you leave (yet I didn't pay extra for my bike in taking the ferry on Monday). Bit of a Hotel California concept going on there.
I road a relatively short 101 miles today, the first 66 getting to the shuttle and the last 35 once on PEI. My morning diversion on the way out of New Brunswick was in Shediac to see the world's largest lobster. French Fry has that one in the Dog Blog.
I am impressed with PEI. Great weather helps – sun and 22C/72F temps. I cycled a combo of the TCH1 and some country roads into Charlottetown, the province’s capital. Traffic was light and the roads reasonable with enough hills to make it a cardio challenge. Two things struck me – the red ochre color of the dirt and the prevalence of lupines. New Brunswick had lupines as well, but PEI has them in excess – almost dandelion in intensity with the purple variant overwhelming the pinks and whites. I got off my bike and walked up a trail where I stood in red dirt, immersed in the sounds of bumble bees buzzing, the smells of the lupines meshing with the fresh salty sea air and the sight of the purple spires at chest height all around me. A sensory sensation that dominated the day.
I’m staying in the daintiest lodging of the trip – a Victorian B&B. Normally not my thing to have more pillows than days in the week on my bed, but it was the cheapest thing in the downtown area and the property’s history as an ice cream parlor and dance hall as recently as thirty years ago intrigued me.
Once settled in, I did a walkabout to a grocery store to fuel myself, then doubled back and toured the downtown area. Victoria Row was particularly quaint. This historic part of town featured handsome red brick buildings from the late 19th century converted to oyster bars, microbreweries and dining establishments. Nearby, the waterfront’s Confederation Park told the story of how the maritime provinces met here in 1864 to discuss banding together, in part a countermeasure to threats of an American invasion. Though a union of some of the BNA (British North America) provinces was discussed elsewhere, in Charlottetown it was first discussed as a coast-to-coast collection (Atlantic to Pacific).
Today is Father's Day and it reminds me of the reason for my ride - my Father died of Alzheimer's-related dementia and I'm cycling to raise funds for the University of Wisconsin-Madison's Alzheimer's initiatives. Try as medical professionals might, finding a cure for this terrible set of conditions has been elusive. One of the UW-Madison programs has been running long-term studies on families where Alzheimer's runs high in an effort to better diagnose actions, diet and other factors that might influence susceptibility. While there are many worthy causes to direct your charitable dollars, consider giving to this cause by clicking on the "Donate" tab on top. My family is matching donations and a donor from UW-Madison is also matching...so $1 = $3. That's a favorable exchange rate!
Today I crossed into province #8 - Prince Edward Island (or PEI as it is known) - by taking a free shuttle on the longest drive over water I've ever crossed - Confederation Bridge. It is almost 13km (eight miles) long! Not safe for cyclists, so the transit authorities offer a shuttle service for walkers and bikers. Had challenges finding the pick-up spot, but once deduced and after a 45 minute wait, the process went smooth. It's free to get on the island, but they claim to charge when you leave (yet I didn't pay extra for my bike in taking the ferry on Monday). Bit of a Hotel California concept going on there.
I road a relatively short 101 miles today, the first 66 getting to the shuttle and the last 35 once on PEI. My morning diversion on the way out of New Brunswick was in Shediac to see the world's largest lobster. French Fry has that one in the Dog Blog.
I am impressed with PEI. Great weather helps – sun and 22C/72F temps. I cycled a combo of the TCH1 and some country roads into Charlottetown, the province’s capital. Traffic was light and the roads reasonable with enough hills to make it a cardio challenge. Two things struck me – the red ochre color of the dirt and the prevalence of lupines. New Brunswick had lupines as well, but PEI has them in excess – almost dandelion in intensity with the purple variant overwhelming the pinks and whites. I got off my bike and walked up a trail where I stood in red dirt, immersed in the sounds of bumble bees buzzing, the smells of the lupines meshing with the fresh salty sea air and the sight of the purple spires at chest height all around me. A sensory sensation that dominated the day.
I’m staying in the daintiest lodging of the trip – a Victorian B&B. Normally not my thing to have more pillows than days in the week on my bed, but it was the cheapest thing in the downtown area and the property’s history as an ice cream parlor and dance hall as recently as thirty years ago intrigued me.
Once settled in, I did a walkabout to a grocery store to fuel myself, then doubled back and toured the downtown area. Victoria Row was particularly quaint. This historic part of town featured handsome red brick buildings from the late 19th century converted to oyster bars, microbreweries and dining establishments. Nearby, the waterfront’s Confederation Park told the story of how the maritime provinces met here in 1864 to discuss banding together, in part a countermeasure to threats of an American invasion. Though a union of some of the BNA (British North America) provinces was discussed elsewhere, in Charlottetown it was first discussed as a coast-to-coast collection (Atlantic to Pacific).
6/19/22 - Colossal Crustacean [Dog Blog]
I'm catching on to a theme and I'm not really keen on it. Dave has me pose in front of the Largest X and has me blog 'bout it. As we're near the rides' end, I'll keep playing along so long as I'm not diminutized.
While parts of the Caribbean may get wealthy from shell companies, the maritime provinces of Canada add value in aquaculture - shellfish in particular. Canada as a whole exports more than $2.2 billion lobster to over 140 countries around the world with New Brunswick ranking as Canada's second leading province for aquaculture.
So today we caught up with a tribute to the industry, a 55 ton lobster resting on a 35 ton pedestal. Given current high inflation, the going price for a lobster this size has to be up there...so much so, the fear of it being pilfered for edible protein exists Kudos to the public works department for carefully arranging saw horses around the lobster to prevent this from happening.
I'm catching on to a theme and I'm not really keen on it. Dave has me pose in front of the Largest X and has me blog 'bout it. As we're near the rides' end, I'll keep playing along so long as I'm not diminutized.
While parts of the Caribbean may get wealthy from shell companies, the maritime provinces of Canada add value in aquaculture - shellfish in particular. Canada as a whole exports more than $2.2 billion lobster to over 140 countries around the world with New Brunswick ranking as Canada's second leading province for aquaculture.
So today we caught up with a tribute to the industry, a 55 ton lobster resting on a 35 ton pedestal. Given current high inflation, the going price for a lobster this size has to be up there...so much so, the fear of it being pilfered for edible protein exists Kudos to the public works department for carefully arranging saw horses around the lobster to prevent this from happening.
6/20/22 - Nova Scotia Makes the Nueve Province
After slogging through Ontario, the province count is quickly creeping up. Ferried into Nova Scotia this morning and road 114 miles. Had my first 5,000+ft evilation day since June 1st's Superior slogfest to get to the west end of the Canso Causeway on the cusp of the Cabot Trail. For American readers, I've now gone more than 4,000 miles. For Canadians, to say I've crossed 6,439 kilometers just lacks pizzazz, so I won't mention it.
I skipped the second B in my Victorian B&B in Charlottetown this morning in favor of a 33-mile high rolling (i.e.-hilly) ride to Wood Islands for the 75-minute ferry ride to Caribou, Nova Scotia. If I had stuck around for the bacon and eggs offering, instead of catching the 9:30AM ferry, the next departure was at 1:30PM.
Part of my sunrise ride on Price Edward Island (PEI) was on the Confederation Trail, a 470km converted rails-to-trails route throughout the island. Nice riding on the crushed red gravel path, at least in summer. I can appreciate why PEI is a mecca for biking enthusiasts given the lovely flowers, the fresh sea air, the generally quiet roads and the touristy infrastructure.
I've placed great credence in the biking blog of John Burt who crossed Canada several years ago. Thank you John. Your insights have been far more educational than my ramblings. Anyhow, John is originally from Nova Scotia and recommended taking the TCH1 after exiting the ferry over the more scenic and far hillier coastal route. At this point in the ride, my legs carry disproportionate directional-setting voting power, a bit like Wyoming getting the same number of senatorial seats as California. So the straight shot, still hilly but not sadistically so, won out. I debated stopping for the night in Antigonish after 80 miles. Pulled into a Burger King/KFC/Gas Station outside this town to sort it out. The $1 ice cream cone machine was broke, so I got the half-liter chocolate milk again, chugged it and debated my options. How soon I forget about heat, milk and sloshing cycling...but thankfully it was cloudy, cooler and the crosswind kept my stomach from overheating.
I pressed on for 32 more miles, impressing the retiree-looking motel clerk at day's end who, when asked where I had come from, retorted "That's more miles than I've biked in my life!" High praise (I think), but it didn't earn a discount on the cozy cabin in a cove isolated from civilization. Its leftovers for dinner and nothing for breakfast until 30 miles into my ride tomorrow!
After slogging through Ontario, the province count is quickly creeping up. Ferried into Nova Scotia this morning and road 114 miles. Had my first 5,000+ft evilation day since June 1st's Superior slogfest to get to the west end of the Canso Causeway on the cusp of the Cabot Trail. For American readers, I've now gone more than 4,000 miles. For Canadians, to say I've crossed 6,439 kilometers just lacks pizzazz, so I won't mention it.
I skipped the second B in my Victorian B&B in Charlottetown this morning in favor of a 33-mile high rolling (i.e.-hilly) ride to Wood Islands for the 75-minute ferry ride to Caribou, Nova Scotia. If I had stuck around for the bacon and eggs offering, instead of catching the 9:30AM ferry, the next departure was at 1:30PM.
Part of my sunrise ride on Price Edward Island (PEI) was on the Confederation Trail, a 470km converted rails-to-trails route throughout the island. Nice riding on the crushed red gravel path, at least in summer. I can appreciate why PEI is a mecca for biking enthusiasts given the lovely flowers, the fresh sea air, the generally quiet roads and the touristy infrastructure.
I've placed great credence in the biking blog of John Burt who crossed Canada several years ago. Thank you John. Your insights have been far more educational than my ramblings. Anyhow, John is originally from Nova Scotia and recommended taking the TCH1 after exiting the ferry over the more scenic and far hillier coastal route. At this point in the ride, my legs carry disproportionate directional-setting voting power, a bit like Wyoming getting the same number of senatorial seats as California. So the straight shot, still hilly but not sadistically so, won out. I debated stopping for the night in Antigonish after 80 miles. Pulled into a Burger King/KFC/Gas Station outside this town to sort it out. The $1 ice cream cone machine was broke, so I got the half-liter chocolate milk again, chugged it and debated my options. How soon I forget about heat, milk and sloshing cycling...but thankfully it was cloudy, cooler and the crosswind kept my stomach from overheating.
I pressed on for 32 more miles, impressing the retiree-looking motel clerk at day's end who, when asked where I had come from, retorted "That's more miles than I've biked in my life!" High praise (I think), but it didn't earn a discount on the cozy cabin in a cove isolated from civilization. Its leftovers for dinner and nothing for breakfast until 30 miles into my ride tomorrow!
6/21/22 - Happy First Day of Summer!
Pleased to report that Alphabet - Google's Parent Company - stock is down 24% YTD (as of today, the first day of Summer in the northern hemisphere.) I thought I had the ABCs of Google direction-setting down...avoid country routing but stick with the city stuff...until today where I made the biggest tactical blunder of the trip.
I was less than four miles outside North Sydney, the "cool" Nova Scotia version near the top of Cape Breton Island vs. the operatic Aussie alternative, and took Google up on a "scenic" route that "saved" four minutes over the highway option and placed me within a half mile of a grocery store. After surviving on a half-liter of chocolate milk and a sleeve of cookies for 85 miles and 4,000ft of evilation, I was starving. Surprisingly, the three cafes and/or convenience stores on my route were all closed! Being so close to a city, I figured Google would guide me on bike paths, often safer than stop light intensive, narrow shoulder city roads.
After making the turn-off decision, I climbed a gravel hill. Not a great sign, but Google often has short side roads leading to blissful trails. Came down the hill and two unleashed dogs chase me. I pick up the pace, heading on the gravel and dirt mix into some woods. The dogs give up. They probably knew the thick tree covered, dark path was mosquito-infested. A bit like a Fire Swamp, but I knew not all its secrets. After a quarter mile, the gravel road takes a 90 degree turns onto another gravel road and Google gives me a "2.5 mile to go" notice. A see occasional puddles and large and sharp gravel chunks in front. Due I take on the dogs or plow on? Surely the road can't stay pock-marked and puddled for long. Can it?
Well, it did, and the puddles got wider and deeper, occasionally deep enough to wetten the bottom of my biking shorts with no shrubbery strolling around the sides possible. With no tire flats so far on this ride, I wasn't risking stress fracturing my steel horse and walked the distance. It was a mess and took an hour more than the longer route and left me in a foul (smelling and mental state) mood.
On the plus side, I was at my Airbnb hosted by Chris and Nancy by 3PM. I'm a walk away from the 16 hour ferry ride I'll take late tomorrow to Newfoundland where, fingers crossed, I arrive late morning and bike hard 90+ miles up the center of the hilly province to St John's, the end point of the Trans Canada highway. If I have time and the energy, I'll tackle late Thursday or early Friday the Cape Spear Lighthouse, the northernmost point of land in North America.
Grabbed some weird groceries tonight and toasted the luck of the muck with BeerAdvocate's top Nova Scotia made beer - Tim's IPA from Big Spruce Brewing. Felt sorry for badmouthing Google after polishing off the beer. No more needling a free directional service...need to use my own noggin a bit better next time.
No blog tomorrow. Will pick up Thursday or Friday, depending on my light buffer.
Pleased to report that Alphabet - Google's Parent Company - stock is down 24% YTD (as of today, the first day of Summer in the northern hemisphere.) I thought I had the ABCs of Google direction-setting down...avoid country routing but stick with the city stuff...until today where I made the biggest tactical blunder of the trip.
I was less than four miles outside North Sydney, the "cool" Nova Scotia version near the top of Cape Breton Island vs. the operatic Aussie alternative, and took Google up on a "scenic" route that "saved" four minutes over the highway option and placed me within a half mile of a grocery store. After surviving on a half-liter of chocolate milk and a sleeve of cookies for 85 miles and 4,000ft of evilation, I was starving. Surprisingly, the three cafes and/or convenience stores on my route were all closed! Being so close to a city, I figured Google would guide me on bike paths, often safer than stop light intensive, narrow shoulder city roads.
After making the turn-off decision, I climbed a gravel hill. Not a great sign, but Google often has short side roads leading to blissful trails. Came down the hill and two unleashed dogs chase me. I pick up the pace, heading on the gravel and dirt mix into some woods. The dogs give up. They probably knew the thick tree covered, dark path was mosquito-infested. A bit like a Fire Swamp, but I knew not all its secrets. After a quarter mile, the gravel road takes a 90 degree turns onto another gravel road and Google gives me a "2.5 mile to go" notice. A see occasional puddles and large and sharp gravel chunks in front. Due I take on the dogs or plow on? Surely the road can't stay pock-marked and puddled for long. Can it?
Well, it did, and the puddles got wider and deeper, occasionally deep enough to wetten the bottom of my biking shorts with no shrubbery strolling around the sides possible. With no tire flats so far on this ride, I wasn't risking stress fracturing my steel horse and walked the distance. It was a mess and took an hour more than the longer route and left me in a foul (smelling and mental state) mood.
On the plus side, I was at my Airbnb hosted by Chris and Nancy by 3PM. I'm a walk away from the 16 hour ferry ride I'll take late tomorrow to Newfoundland where, fingers crossed, I arrive late morning and bike hard 90+ miles up the center of the hilly province to St John's, the end point of the Trans Canada highway. If I have time and the energy, I'll tackle late Thursday or early Friday the Cape Spear Lighthouse, the northernmost point of land in North America.
Grabbed some weird groceries tonight and toasted the luck of the muck with BeerAdvocate's top Nova Scotia made beer - Tim's IPA from Big Spruce Brewing. Felt sorry for badmouthing Google after polishing off the beer. No more needling a free directional service...need to use my own noggin a bit better next time.
No blog tomorrow. Will pick up Thursday or Friday, depending on my light buffer.
6/22/22 - Chillin for the Ferry Ride to Newfoundland
My day off in North Sydney waiting for the 5:30PM, 16-hour ferry to Newfoundland was restful. I slept until 7AM, the latest rise of the ride. Woke up a few times and saw feint rays of light before 5AM. Given that it was pitch black by 9PM on the summer solstice last night, I researched and realized I’m further south presently than on average for this ride. The Atlantic sea breezes add a chill to the air that creates a more northerly feel.
Hung out at Indian Beach for a few hours before checking in for the boat ride early. Had aspirations of doing part of the Cabot Trail, but one day car rentals were over $250CAN, so that was out. No organized tours fit the available time, so the only other option was biking south 14 miles to The Giant Fiddle in plain ol’ Sydney. Getting French Fry to pose picking at the big strings didn’t tug at me enough, so I took a chill pill and rested for a big push the next two days.
The ferry ride was cold despite warm temps outside...well warm for these parts at 14C/60F. Complained, got two blankets and scanned all floors to find the warmest and quietest spot to get some rest before the boat docked in Newfoundland at 10AM.
Newfoundland is province #10 and is on its own fence-sitting time zone...30 minutes ahead of the Atlantic time. Bit like moving up a half key with a sharp on the piano.
My day off in North Sydney waiting for the 5:30PM, 16-hour ferry to Newfoundland was restful. I slept until 7AM, the latest rise of the ride. Woke up a few times and saw feint rays of light before 5AM. Given that it was pitch black by 9PM on the summer solstice last night, I researched and realized I’m further south presently than on average for this ride. The Atlantic sea breezes add a chill to the air that creates a more northerly feel.
Hung out at Indian Beach for a few hours before checking in for the boat ride early. Had aspirations of doing part of the Cabot Trail, but one day car rentals were over $250CAN, so that was out. No organized tours fit the available time, so the only other option was biking south 14 miles to The Giant Fiddle in plain ol’ Sydney. Getting French Fry to pose picking at the big strings didn’t tug at me enough, so I took a chill pill and rested for a big push the next two days.
The ferry ride was cold despite warm temps outside...well warm for these parts at 14C/60F. Complained, got two blankets and scanned all floors to find the warmest and quietest spot to get some rest before the boat docked in Newfoundland at 10AM.
Newfoundland is province #10 and is on its own fence-sitting time zone...30 minutes ahead of the Atlantic time. Bit like moving up a half key with a sharp on the piano.
6/23/22 - Finished!
Completed the cross-Canada cycle adventure this evening. I was majorly pumped (like pumped^3) to make it to St. John's, the oldest city founded by Europeans in North America and the site of the Atlantic Trans Canada Mile 0 and Cape Spear, the easternmost point in North America. Disembarked from the ferry after 10AM and was greeted by a 10% evilation grade hill, a forebearer of what would be a 6,499ft evilation day across 107 miles. Shortly afterwards, traffic slows to a crawl and I see police cars with cherries flashing ahead. Turns out to be a "pothole protest" where a crowd of about 75 carrying placards protesting road conditions was causing the delay. Nice in a way to be part of a society that permits peaceful protests. Very European-like. One in the crowd singled me out as I rode past cautiously and said "Take care biker man!" Heightened my vigilance a bit, but I found the roads decent (though the shoulders were a mix of sand and gravel in spots). Winnipeg was far worse.
My Garmin registered 11 "hill climbs" today, far in excess of any other day of the trip. Despite this, a tailwind tickled me and a managed a strong pace of over 16mph in getting to my lodging at the Memorial University in St. John's by 4PM. Dropped off most of my gear and took off for the two classic touring sights - the Terry Fox memorial at TCH Mile 0 (Atlantic side) and then the arduous climbs and descents for a dozen miles to Cape Spear, home of the oldest lighthouse in North America and the most eastern point as noted above.
More than on any day of the trip, vehicles were honking support, perhaps acknowledging that even getting to Newfoundland with a bike is noteworthy. At my chocolate milk fix stop halfway through the days ride, several people came over to inquire about the ride, where I was from, etc. and this curiosity continued at the Fox memorial and at the lighthouse site. The whole experience was moving. I'll share more in a day or two. Processing it all presently.
Completed the cross-Canada cycle adventure this evening. I was majorly pumped (like pumped^3) to make it to St. John's, the oldest city founded by Europeans in North America and the site of the Atlantic Trans Canada Mile 0 and Cape Spear, the easternmost point in North America. Disembarked from the ferry after 10AM and was greeted by a 10% evilation grade hill, a forebearer of what would be a 6,499ft evilation day across 107 miles. Shortly afterwards, traffic slows to a crawl and I see police cars with cherries flashing ahead. Turns out to be a "pothole protest" where a crowd of about 75 carrying placards protesting road conditions was causing the delay. Nice in a way to be part of a society that permits peaceful protests. Very European-like. One in the crowd singled me out as I rode past cautiously and said "Take care biker man!" Heightened my vigilance a bit, but I found the roads decent (though the shoulders were a mix of sand and gravel in spots). Winnipeg was far worse.
My Garmin registered 11 "hill climbs" today, far in excess of any other day of the trip. Despite this, a tailwind tickled me and a managed a strong pace of over 16mph in getting to my lodging at the Memorial University in St. John's by 4PM. Dropped off most of my gear and took off for the two classic touring sights - the Terry Fox memorial at TCH Mile 0 (Atlantic side) and then the arduous climbs and descents for a dozen miles to Cape Spear, home of the oldest lighthouse in North America and the most eastern point as noted above.
More than on any day of the trip, vehicles were honking support, perhaps acknowledging that even getting to Newfoundland with a bike is noteworthy. At my chocolate milk fix stop halfway through the days ride, several people came over to inquire about the ride, where I was from, etc. and this curiosity continued at the Fox memorial and at the lighthouse site. The whole experience was moving. I'll share more in a day or two. Processing it all presently.
6/25/22 - Canada Wrap
This will be my last entry for the 2022 Cross-Canada Cycle Adventure and will be longer than most as it contains some acknowledgments, reflections and suggestions.
A quick recap on getting back home. I had intended on taking in some of the St. John's sights on Friday while getting my bike boxed at Outfitters. My trek home started with a dawn flight Saturday morning. Began the day with a short but steep bike ride to Signal Hill where the views were great of both the ocean and the city. Meandered around the Quidi Vidi fishing village for a bit before taking my bike to the downtown Outfitters store. Found out that the bike work is done at their other store...about seven miles away. Oooppps!
So I had more mileage in me, but thankfully half of that was along a pretty river path for non-motorized traffic only. Almost surreally, City Google took me on a path to a cul-de-sac within a quarter mile of the Outfitters store. I could not find a way to get past the houses and driveways to the store and was about to give up when I saw a sign on the edge of one of the driveways. It's in the pics below. Can't explain that one, but it was a fitting cap to my time on the saddle.
The team at Outfitters was accommodating and after a taxi ride dropped the box and me at Memorial University where I'm staying (the kid inside of me gets to be a student again), I had several hours to tootle around. Visited the underground river exhibit at the Fluvarium, the university's botanical garden and the premier provincial museum - The Rooms - that was open and free on Friday nights. Sandwiched in between, I had a happy hour liter of beer on Water Street which is within earshot of the music playing on the famous George Street. A nice cap to an awesome trip.
Flights on Saturday went well and I'm back in Wisconsin, having taken home many special memories of a great trip while leaving behind the blackflies and mosquitoes. Wisconsin has enough and ours are a bit smaller.
On to the recap...my thanks to my wife Kathy and the rest of my family for their support on this ride, for the great people I met along the way and those that honked their support, for the patience and politeness of the drivers and for Mother Nature for making it a challenge but not an insurmountable one. I also thank all of you that wrote comments about this blog or the Facebook posts and to all who have donated to the UW-Madison Alzheimer initiative. I will reach out and give individual thanks in the weeks ahead. It all truly meant a great deal to me and provided a breeze at my back that words (and winds) can not measure.
On to my impressions and opinions...
I am very glad to have taken a week-ish off the saddle to see Canada in more depth. I intend to come back to the maritime provinces with a combustible engine to take in more of the sights some day. In particular, driving the Cabot Trail in Nova Scotia and the East Coast Trail with destination stops at Gros Morne and L’Anse aux Meadows in Newfoundland. The latter two are national parks with L’Anse being the first Viking settlement in North America around 1000 CE which piques my archaeological interests.
I probably over-blogged aspects of the trip. Weather being one, but there’s no escape from wind, rain, heat or cold when on a bike. Food would be another. Eating will now become pleasurable, not immeasurable. I am thankful pumpkin pies placated my hunger in the Rockies, muffins were the mainstay in the Plains, the palindrome IPAPI incentivized me in Ontario and hot cross buns were the sticky solution for the maritime provinces.
I likely under-blogged other aspects. I didn’t cover road routes in enough detail for aspiring cross-country bicyclists as I assumed my mostly US-based audience wanted more color commentary than play-by-play. Other bloggers have done a far better job in the details. However, I would offer up a few general perspectives for bikers:
I wished I had more people interactions on this trip, including staying at more Airbnb’s than I did. I met wonderful people and truly feel Canadians are among the nicest of people.
The passing of time will see certain memories stick our more than others. With near-term recall, I would list the following as my Five Top Cross-Canada Pedal-Bike Ride Experiences:
Gear generally performed well. Most impressive, my Continental tires had no flats despite rotating them only once. That was unreal. 4,208 miles (6,787 kilometers) and 123,774 feet of evilation (38,172 meters). Kudos to the Canadian highway crews for keeping the shoulders reasonably free of debris like those nasty steel threads on tires. My decade-old Surly Disc Long-Haul Trucker bike was rebuilt before this trip and will need lots of work post-trip. While riding when it counted most, I only replaced the chain, part of the disc brakes, the rear pannier rack and a water bottle holder. My body also held up nicely for an old fart. Probably helped to have some touring days off, yet the only rest day I really wanted was in the Soo with my wife after the Superior evilation ended.
Thanks for hanging in there with me. May the winds always be at your back!
This will be my last entry for the 2022 Cross-Canada Cycle Adventure and will be longer than most as it contains some acknowledgments, reflections and suggestions.
A quick recap on getting back home. I had intended on taking in some of the St. John's sights on Friday while getting my bike boxed at Outfitters. My trek home started with a dawn flight Saturday morning. Began the day with a short but steep bike ride to Signal Hill where the views were great of both the ocean and the city. Meandered around the Quidi Vidi fishing village for a bit before taking my bike to the downtown Outfitters store. Found out that the bike work is done at their other store...about seven miles away. Oooppps!
So I had more mileage in me, but thankfully half of that was along a pretty river path for non-motorized traffic only. Almost surreally, City Google took me on a path to a cul-de-sac within a quarter mile of the Outfitters store. I could not find a way to get past the houses and driveways to the store and was about to give up when I saw a sign on the edge of one of the driveways. It's in the pics below. Can't explain that one, but it was a fitting cap to my time on the saddle.
The team at Outfitters was accommodating and after a taxi ride dropped the box and me at Memorial University where I'm staying (the kid inside of me gets to be a student again), I had several hours to tootle around. Visited the underground river exhibit at the Fluvarium, the university's botanical garden and the premier provincial museum - The Rooms - that was open and free on Friday nights. Sandwiched in between, I had a happy hour liter of beer on Water Street which is within earshot of the music playing on the famous George Street. A nice cap to an awesome trip.
Flights on Saturday went well and I'm back in Wisconsin, having taken home many special memories of a great trip while leaving behind the blackflies and mosquitoes. Wisconsin has enough and ours are a bit smaller.
On to the recap...my thanks to my wife Kathy and the rest of my family for their support on this ride, for the great people I met along the way and those that honked their support, for the patience and politeness of the drivers and for Mother Nature for making it a challenge but not an insurmountable one. I also thank all of you that wrote comments about this blog or the Facebook posts and to all who have donated to the UW-Madison Alzheimer initiative. I will reach out and give individual thanks in the weeks ahead. It all truly meant a great deal to me and provided a breeze at my back that words (and winds) can not measure.
On to my impressions and opinions...
I am very glad to have taken a week-ish off the saddle to see Canada in more depth. I intend to come back to the maritime provinces with a combustible engine to take in more of the sights some day. In particular, driving the Cabot Trail in Nova Scotia and the East Coast Trail with destination stops at Gros Morne and L’Anse aux Meadows in Newfoundland. The latter two are national parks with L’Anse being the first Viking settlement in North America around 1000 CE which piques my archaeological interests.
I probably over-blogged aspects of the trip. Weather being one, but there’s no escape from wind, rain, heat or cold when on a bike. Food would be another. Eating will now become pleasurable, not immeasurable. I am thankful pumpkin pies placated my hunger in the Rockies, muffins were the mainstay in the Plains, the palindrome IPAPI incentivized me in Ontario and hot cross buns were the sticky solution for the maritime provinces.
I likely under-blogged other aspects. I didn’t cover road routes in enough detail for aspiring cross-country bicyclists as I assumed my mostly US-based audience wanted more color commentary than play-by-play. Other bloggers have done a far better job in the details. However, I would offer up a few general perspectives for bikers:
- Start off early in the day. It offers a light buffer, the weather (winds and intense sun) is often less a factor than mid-day riding and it affords more lodging options if you are not camping inclined.
- Consider getting a Garmin Varia RTL515 or similar. This backlight radar device gave me 8-11 hours of use and sent signals of oncoming cars to my Garmin Edge 530. When combined with my rear-view sunglass mirror, it was especially helpful when on the TCH and I was trying to thru ride past exits. I’m not paid to say that, just found it a nice safety feature.
- Carefully scrutinize Google’s directions, especially outside major cities. It assumes the Trans Canada Trail is bike worthy for laden touring cyclists. Most often it is not. When outside major urban areas where road surfaces were bike friendly, I often put Google on “drive” mode as it kept me off these sketchy bike trails.
I wished I had more people interactions on this trip, including staying at more Airbnb’s than I did. I met wonderful people and truly feel Canadians are among the nicest of people.
The passing of time will see certain memories stick our more than others. With near-term recall, I would list the following as my Five Top Cross-Canada Pedal-Bike Ride Experiences:
- The 155-Mile ride with a tremendous tailwind in sub-freezing wind chills [May 19th]
- Art saves me from the storm and buys beers after…a great early experience [May 18th]
- Five burgers & two beer dinner with wife in the Soo (and I still snacked at midnight) [June 3rd]
- Sensory satisfaction standing in the lupine meadow on PEI [June 19th]
- Endless hills (evilation), rock escarpments and colorful Lake Superior views [June 1st-3rd]
Gear generally performed well. Most impressive, my Continental tires had no flats despite rotating them only once. That was unreal. 4,208 miles (6,787 kilometers) and 123,774 feet of evilation (38,172 meters). Kudos to the Canadian highway crews for keeping the shoulders reasonably free of debris like those nasty steel threads on tires. My decade-old Surly Disc Long-Haul Trucker bike was rebuilt before this trip and will need lots of work post-trip. While riding when it counted most, I only replaced the chain, part of the disc brakes, the rear pannier rack and a water bottle holder. My body also held up nicely for an old fart. Probably helped to have some touring days off, yet the only rest day I really wanted was in the Soo with my wife after the Superior evilation ended.
Thanks for hanging in there with me. May the winds always be at your back!