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2008-08-01T16:35:00.003-04:00

Cross-Canada bike trip 2008 – Summary.

Well, the finale of the entries. I can now add my name to the greats that have done this similar trip before me (I think of Tanya and Al from Ottawa, and the great folks I ran into during this trip - you know who you are). For some reason, Canada doesn't seem so big anymore.

10775 km, 65 days, average of 166/day. Ten out of 10 provinces, 0/3 territories (later, later...) If you include +300 k I did for the race, that brings me over the 11,000 k mark. But, it's not really part of the trip, so I guess I'll have to live having done a trip shy of 11k. Approximately 480 hours of biking (I guess that doesn't sound that much). Pedal revolutions: 2,300,000 (give or take thousands).

Province breakdown (approximate numbers):
BC – 1200 km, 12 days (100 km/day) – includes Vancouver Island
AB – 600 km, 3 days (200/day)
SK – 700 km, 6 days (116/day) – notice the winds had an effect on me in SK?!
MB – 700 km, 3 days (233/day)
ON – 3100 km, 16 days (194/day) – few detours here and there
QC – 1600 km, 10 days (160/day) – includes Charlevoix region, and Gaspe region
NB – 700 km, 4 days (175/day)
PEI – 150 km, 1 day
NS – 1000 km, 6 days (167/day) – includes the Cape Breton region
NL – 1020 km, 5 days (204/day)

Rest days: 11, plus 5 pre-race rest days, 2 post-race rest days.

Longest run between rest days: 10 days (3 times)
a) 1843 km, Halifax to St-John's (via Cape Breton)
b) 1592 km, Calgary (Crossfield) to Winnipeg
c) 1366 km, Ottawa to Perce

Honourable mention: Winnipeg to Timmins (Val Gagne), 1624 km in 7 days (232 km/day).

Top 3 days (highs/lows).
Lows: Day 1, 2 (50 km, 53 km respectively), and Day 21 (66.66 km)
Highs: Day 25 (250 km), Day 30 (271 km), Day 37 (303 km).

Accommodations:
Paid camping: 27 nights
Free camping at campsites: 10 nights
Roadside camping: 9 nights
Family/friends/friends of friends: 21 nights (mainly rest days, therefore two nights at a time)
Hostel: 8 nights (half on rest days)
Hotel: 1 night
Overnight ferry: 1 night
Ottawa: my gracious hosts, aka dear family (bro, sis-in-law, and the kids – many thanks)

Nights spent in a tent: 47 nights (two nights at a buddy's house under construction). No wonder I got used to the tent. Near the end, I thought the tent seemed HUGE when I was all set-up (cathedral ceilings, screened-in porch, front and rear doors, etc). I could have a party in there.

Flats:
Around 8 (up to 10? I forgot) in the rear, and two in the front. Longest stretch without a flat: +4000 km (unbelievable). I wore through the tire before the first flat appeared. Front flats: one was a puncture (screw). Provinces with flats: Ontario (6?), Quebec (1 front, one rear?), Nova Scotia (2 rear), Newfoundland (1 front).

Tires:
Total of four used on the rear. First: for the first 4000 km, used right through. Second: changed in Ottawa before it was too used. Third: changed in Halifax, worn through a bit. Fourth: lasted me the rest of the way.

Equipment breakdown:
Original bike – stripped and abandoned in Sudbury. “New” bike finished the trip (rough initiation, 6000 km within 7 weeks?).
Rear rim: cracked, was due to be replaced sometime this year, new wheel rebuilt in Ottawa.
Front shifter cables: two! Really, how'd that happen?
Shoes, replaced in Regina – they were due to be replaced, after 10 years of use.
Tent: replaced in Ottawa for reliability reasons – it is over 10 years old as well.
Helmet: changed in Sudbury. Not due, but mainly for comfort reasons.

Beers:
very noteworthy micro-breweries (not necessarily in order).
a) Garrison's (Halifax)
b) Le Dieu du ciel (Montreal)
c) Grizzly Paw (Canmore)
d) Charlevoix (Baie St-Paul)

Tunes (aka playlist) – not inclusive. In parenthesis is the number of albums (if applicable):
The Cure (7), Radiohead (7) and Thom Yorke (1), Tom Waits (6), Beck (4), Saez (3), Tori Amos (3), The Dead Milkmen (3), Sarah McLachlan (2), Morcheeba (2), Daft Punk (2), Amy Winehouse (2), Smashing Pumpkins (2), Pierre Lapointe (2), Blue Rodeo (2), Caribou (2), De La Soul (2), Hotel Costes (various albums, 6), Massive Attack (2), Portishead (2), Nine Inch Nails (2), System of a Down (2), Tool (2), Voltaire (2), MTV AMP (2), Hawksley Workman (2), Jimmy's Chicken Shack, Justice, Kanye West, LCD Soundsystem, Primus, The Offsprings, Faith No More, Pearl Jam, Wu Tang Clan, Beastie Boys, Peter Gabriel, Ani Difranco, Beth Orton, Big Sugar, Bjork, Black Cabbage, Bob Seger, Deep Dish, DJ Krush, Dr. Dre, Feist, Eagles, Grinderman, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, Groove Armada, Junior Boys, Kill Bill OMPS, Les coyboys fringants, Lunachics, Metric, M.I.A., Ice-T, Pascale Picard, Patsy Cline, Paul Anka, Pixies, Poe, Propellerheads, Pulp, Puscifer, Recoil, St Germain, Singles OMPS, Sonic Youth, 3rd Base, Dresden Dolls, Lounge Del Mar Chill Out (various), Violent Femmes, William Shatner, and a bunch of 80's, some 70's, a fair bunch of 90's, and few 2000's. Noteable groups/songs: Snoop Dogg, Billy Idol, AC/DC, Bruce Cockburn, Bare Naked Ladies, Cake, Bob Marley, Butthole Surfers, Cindy Lauper, Eminem, Genesis/Phil Collins, Israel Kamakawiwoole, Gordon Lightfoot, James, K's Choice, Johnny Cash, LL Cool J, Marc Almond, Mr. Bungle, Ministry, New Order, Nirvana, Placebo, Prince, Pursuit of Happiness, Rush, Skinny Puppy, The Tragically Hip, Sloan, Adagio for Strings (Albinoni, Barber).

Friendliest people:
Northern New Brunswick, NFLD, Manitoba (West of Winnipeg), Cape Breton, PEI, and Northern Ontario.

Well, I guess that's encompasses the trip.

Last words: I've had a hell of a time. Things haven't sunk in yet (still). I feel I saw so much over a long period of time. Yes, lucky bastard. I want to thank all of you who have read bits and pieces (and some crazy dedicated folks who read the whole stuff on a regular basis, even those long entries). Thanks, and I hope you had some fun.

Thanks for allowing me to share some of my passions with you.

What's next you ask? I know what's next...

(sung to the tune of My Way by Sinatra, written by Anka, edited by me): And now, the end is here, and so I post, my final entry.

Signing off, over, out.

Pierre

Day three, St. John's

2008-07-28T21:45:00.004-04:00

Day three in St. John's

Oh my f'n lord.

I saw an episode of South Park one day, where Cartman saw a family that had asses for faces. Seeing that, he basically became catatonic, and realized that nothing will ever be as funny as that. So, he couldn't laugh at anything else, since he saw (what he thought) was the funniest thing on earth. It was an interesting concept, in which I've thought about in similar ways. Could this phenomenon happen with me meeting a woman? Could it also happen with biking certain parts of the country? Or, with the scenery I would take in today?

I dropped so many f-bombs today. They were usually with the words “un.....believable”, “unreal”, “surreal”, “this is a..... different world”. and just plain “holy ......”. Amazing, I couldn't talk at times (except for that one or two words I could muster-up, and could only say that for those minutes I was there). Unreal. More on that later.

So, after 2 hours of sleep (I went to bed after the sun went up), I got up early to get the scheduled 8:15-8:30 ride. I waited. Waited. At 9:00, when the lovely Florida girl (aka worker at the hostel who would be my gopher for the bike box and gift today) walked outside, she realized that the driver hadn't shown up yet. Out goes her cell phone, and calls 'dem bastards. So, 9:30ish, he shows up, and we finally leave around 9:45. We got to the spot (after getting lost, as the guy didn't know where to go) at around 10:15. Nice way to start early. Hopefully I'd be back in town by sundown.

From Maddox's cove, I would hike the Cape Spear path. It is an 11.5 km trail (estimated 4-6 hours, moderate difficulty) to Cape Spear. My gear consisted of close to 3 litres of liquids, bananas, granola bars, some gels as a back-up, the left-over bread I had, with the last of the PB. The kit also included duct-tape. Being limited with hiking gear for this bike trip, I did the hike in my sandals, wearing black socks (what rule does that break – the Jacky-Chan rule? I forget), and duct-taped my feet to prevent blisters. Just 3 km into the hike, one of the straps on my sandals got pulled out of the sole – out comes the duct tape. Useful that stuff.

The hike. The start was quite fun, and I was hoping it'd be like that for the rest of the day. Nice and challenging paths, where you had to occasionally use your hands to pull yourself up or descend (what I call three/four-point contact climbing). The whole hike basically goes along the coast, right back to the city. So, there's some great spots of cliff-side views, staring out at the vast ocean that just seemed to go forever, blue skies with the occasional white fluffy cloud, and drop-offs of up to a few hundred feet just located a few inches from the trail. Beautiful, breath-taking. The second half of the hike was basically on a plateau, where I thought that it would be great to ride a mountain bike in these trails (especially with a 29er). For the first half of the hike, it would be impossible to ride a mountain-bike (especially with a 29er). What was also amazing for the hike was that I was completely alone, and felt completely alone in this amazing world. Great, peaceful and amazing feeling.

Lunch time, at Cape Spear, PB sandwiches were on the menu. Exciting. How was your lunch? I sat on the edge of the cliff, maybe a 100 feet below me was a rocky base, being pummeled by aggressive waves. Lovely sound. I stared-out at the ocean, watching fishing boats coast by in the distance, and spotting whales just bob up and down nearby. The cool breeze from the ocean was nice, and surrouded me with a subtle sea-salt ocean smell. So, how was your lunch?

The second hike was the Blackhead Path. It is a mere 3.7 km path, considered “easy to moderate, 1 to 2 hours”, was nice. But, there was a km that wasn't easy. If this was “easy”, what would “moderate to difficult” be for the last trail of the day? Although short (1 hour), it was quite pleasing.

After stocking up on more water, consuming a fudge Popsicle with an iced-tea just at the trail head of the final one of the day, I trekked on. This was called the Deadmans Bay Path, a 10.6 km, 4 to 7 hour hike. This path would hike along the cliff-sides, then venture into the woods for a while, then dump you back to the cliff-sides at the top. Great scenes. There was one spot, called Peggy's Leg, that just knocked me on my arse (see paragraph 1 and 3 of this entry). I just stayed there for a while. There were many times during the hike that I just stood right on the edge, and I couldn't stay there for too long (got scared). Some cliff sides I didn't even have the courage to get close to the edge. Amazing.

During the first hike, I found that I was taking too many pictures and videos. “Memory Card Full”. Shit. So, I had to delete a few pics and vids to hopefully make it to Cape Spear, where I would hope to buy a memory card there. All the other ones, 3 gig's worth, are full of stuff from when I left Ottawa. But, I had to take videos at times as the pics didn't come close to capturing some stuff. The vids were alright, but can't replace being there. At Cape Spear, I wasn't lucky this time. So, more pick-and-delete stuff. I would definitely make it back to town with a full memory card.

Well, with the views on the 3rd hike, I had to take tons of pics, and a few fast videos of good quality (not compressed). I made up my mind that when I do hit Gros Morne one day (hopefully soon), I will make the detour to come back and hike these trails again (and more trails).

The last part of the last trail was on a plateau full of slanted rocks. The texture is similar to concrete mixed in with small rocks, where their appearance is also multi-coloured (different rocks, some hardened-peat, etc). This could be bike-able. Later on, I guess I had the same thoughts as a few other folks. Four dudes, riding some pigs, were doing these trails. Sweet. I got the big urge to go back to Ottawa and finally ride my new bike – Beckie. What was really making me curious is how they would descend (or at times ascend) some of the long unrideable terrain). Some sections would take me 5 minutes to go down 100 metres, having to grab on to anything and everything to slowly get down. Sweet, excellent hiking.

So, arriving to the edge of town, I took a cab to the hostel. Lazy. I then took a much-needed shower, packed up the bike and my gear. At 10:30, I went out and had supper (KFC). There was still two QB beers I hadn't sampled yet, so I went on a hunt. The QV Ale I found, but the Iceberg beer, I had no luck. I went back to the hostel, where I would get a max of 3 hours of sleep before having to get up to go to the airport.

Rest days, they were.

So, I am finishing the St. John's entries as I am waiting to board on the final flight home, from Halifax.

See you soon,

p
(pics uploaded, finally)
(yes, one more entry left, a little summary of the trip, more stats basically, to conclude this blog).

Day two, St. John's

2008-07-27T21:39:00.000-04:00

Day two – St-John's

Let's do things differently. I am writing Day Two before Day One, but thanks to technology, you'll read them in order.

As always, the day started late, as I really like to sleep. The two frenchies had to get up early in the morning, so that interrupted the rest a bit. Breakfast at noon (strawberry ad banana French toasts with sausage and excellent fried potatoes). Again, as yesterday's breakfast, they were just cut strawberries and bananas on top.

After some window shopping, procrastination, running into the “you're cute” girl, and eventually buying some gifts, I headed to Signal Hill. There, I started my journey at the Johnson's Geo Centre. That is an underground exhibit/museum of anthropology and geology, with special exhibits on the oil and gas industry, plus the titanic story. The latter was quite amazing and enlightening – a no-holds-barred tale of what happened, and why. Newfoundland is a major hot-spot for archaeological stuff for the World. There are so many different types of rocks here (even noticeable by me, a total amateur). The exhibit shows, amongst many other interesting things, how NFLD broke away from Africa and started drifting away. Boy, with this big-bang theory, and evolution, my strong beliefs in the catholic religion didn't permit me to believe all the scientific stuff. Oh boy.

I continued the hike up Signal Hill for some astonishing views of the steep cliffs along the ocean shore, as well as the city itself. At Signal Hill, it's also where the first Trans-Atlantic wireless message came through in 1902 (or 1901).

I continued the hike through the hill and ended up in Quidi Vidi Village, where I wanted to visit the brewery (QVB). When I got there, after that nice hike along the shore, I found out it closes at 5 pm every single night. Took a cab back to the city, and had lunch (par food) at a pub where I continued to sample the QV beers. The VQ beers tasted yesterday were the 1892 Traditional Ale, as well as the Honey-Brown. Today, it was the Eric's Red, as well as the Honey Brown again. The red was the best of today, as the honey brown wasn't anything to write home about.

I finished my meal in time to head down to the haunted walk of St. John's, where I would meet, for the second time today, Kelly and Lindsay. We did the tour together (which was quite good, with an exceptional host), then headed to George Street for some brown pops in some local “house of worships”. It is also fun to be with some very good laid-back folks. A very comfortable, relaxed, no pressure situation. Appropriate lyrics that comes to mind from the song “Instant-club hit” from The Dead Milkmen: “I came here to drink, and not to get laid”.

The bar, Green Sleeveless, or something, was fun. There was a solo artist playing guitar and singing cover songs. What made the night a bit more interesting was the drunken single older guys hitting on the girls. Key lines to remember of the night: “You're a sensible person”, and 'You're a nice looking lady”. Nice pick-up lines, I must remember to use those one day. Other lines notable about the evening, from one of the songs sang: “We're just two lost souls living in a fish bowl... Wish you were here.”.

I took a cab to the 24 hour Sobey's nearby to gather some food for the night (aka supper) and breakfast (which was fast approaching), as well as for the hike planned for tomorrow. That should be a dandy one – an all-day hike (11-17 hours, pending on how well I do). Hung over? I will find out tomorrow.

I also scored today. One of the workers at the hostel will do some gopher work for me. Being stuck in the trails all day, I can not go get that last gift I wanted to get, nor the bike box and pedal wrench necessary to pack my bike for the plane back home in a few days. Time's running out, but I think I'll be able to manage everything I wanted to do in the days I am here. Worse comes to worse, I will come back for more time – more for hiking some trails in the area.

Tomorrow evening, after the hike, it is planned that I continue the George Street festivities, and get “screetched-in”. I am not looking forward to that. But, I might as well keep it to the last day where I can relax (aka sleep) in the plane the next day. Lindsay and Kelly are wonderful to be around. I'm sure they'll watch over me.

Later,

p

Day one in St. John's

2008-07-26T21:23:00.001-04:00

St. John's, rest day 1

Who am I kidding, it's end-of-trip day 1. I am still in denial.

Alright, what did I do that day. The morning started off the usual – I slept in. It was around 1:30 when I finally got out of the hostel and headed for breakfast. There's this restaurant downtown that serves basically only breakfast, and there is often a line-up. I had a nice meal there – the mixed-berries pancakes with bacon caught my eye. Well, it was tasty, but it was simply a few pancakes with mixed berries on top. I guess I was expecting mixed berries into the pancake.

I was a downtown tourist afterwards, doing the sight-seeing on the West, North and South part of town. The East, where Signal Hill and other attractions are located, were on the menu for day 2. I ventured to Mile One Centre, where the St. John's Fog Devils play, an oddly enough, located at Mile Zero of the Trans-Canada Highway. On that site, there were a bunch of little plaques showing how far certain things were (including Ottawa, Dublin, North and South Pole, etc).

Shortly after having breakfast and only visiting a few sites, I decided to hit the (apparently) World famous Ches's Fish and Chips, since I was in the area. Being here, I had to try one of their main dishes, even though I've been scared of fish for years (I generally don't like the smell, so it throws me off ad I don't want to eat it). It was alright, nothing fancy, but alright. I was tempted by the Quidy Vidi (pronounced Kiddy Vidi) Iceberg beer, which is a local company that makes this beer with, you guessed it, iceberg water. Since that brewery was i the plans either later tonight or tomorrow, I decided to skip it.

I was quite full at that point. I can't believe how many times I just stopped at a park bench and just sat there. This definitely felt different than any other rest days, as I was always busy trying to squeeze everything in. This time, I just sat there, with not much motivation (or rush) to move. It did kind of feel nice. It was also a time to soak in the view of multi-coloured houses all over the place. jelly-bean-ish. A local told me that it might of come from a tradition that the house was painted the same colour as the fishing boat. This way, the wife (home-bound) would be able to look out to the harbour and see if her husband was coming home. Years ago, all the levels of government had a program that donated various different colours of paint to home-owners, and started the boom of all the houses painted differently. It definitely adds charm to the city.

I visited a few other local attractions – the Bascillica, a few cathedrals, The Rooms (re-enactment of a soldier's barrack during the time of wars over a century ago), and eventually returned to the hostel to relax a bit.

The downtown, aka South part, was next. The main attractions are the courthouse, the big monument at the harbour, the harbour itself, the many stores lied the main streets, and of course, George Street. St. John's holds the title of having the most bars per capita in North America, where at the centre of it is George Street. I was saving that for the next two nights, where I could hit the sauce a bit, and even try screetch (local rum, terrible stuff apparently).

Something caught my eye: The Yellowbelly Brewering Company and restaurant. Yes, time for supper. Pretty good food, where I had the beer and cheddar soup (Pale ale, white cheddar, chive creme fraiche), grilled Atlantic salmon, with black pepper and horseradishpotato mash, spinach, pancetta and raisin saute. For desert, I ha to try the rosemary and wild honey crème brule, with a tuile cookie spoon, and fresh fruit garnish. That was quite delicious. The waitress stated that if that desert was a man, she'd marry it. Their beers: The Fighting Irish Red Ale, the Wexford Wheat Ale, and their Honey Brown. No testers, so I had to have a pint each. To accompany my desert, I ordered a half-pint of the red, as it was the tastiest of the bunch. But, since they didn't have half pints, she brought over a full one. Oh well, more to enjoy. You could taste the caramelized grains in the red, it really stood out. Tasty.

What was fun, and unexpected, was the conversation some folks were having beside me. At one point, they said “well, Barrymore's on Sunday for 80's night is fun”. What? Hey, Ottawa folks. So, we got into a conversation. Lindsay and Kelly, who drove all the way here, met Matt, from Maine, on the Argentia ferry. The girls were in town for a few days before heading out to Gros Morne for a week. So, with those folks, I would try to hook up later on in the evening.

The night already had a plan. Remember the 4 boys that I ran into just inside the Saskatchewan border, who were biking to raise funds for Cancer research? Well, their final destination was also (of course) St. John's, and their arrival was on Friday (like me). I didnt' expect to be here at the same time as them, so I thought I'd miss out on the bash they'd have on the Saturday night. So, the game plan was to show up, have some beers, congratulate the fine fellows, and eventually meet up with the fine Ottawa ladies.

As soon as I walked in the door, the boys recognized me. I was shocked, as usually cyclists don't recognize each other if we're in our casual clothes (if we're only used to seeing them with tight revealing clothes and a bucket on our head). Very good fellows, quite genuine, and also half in the bag (rightly so). It was great. After sharing some stories, I eventually heard about someone else who was suppose to show up tonight. This person, for the entire province of NFLD and parts of Cape Breton, I referred to as “The Ghost”.

You see, when I was biking through BC an Alberta, when I would stop at campgrounds, I would hear of “this girl from Victoria who was biking by herself across Canada”. I was quite sure I'd run into her at one point. But, it never happened. Once I hit Ontario, where I would take a different path than everybody else (until hitting St. John's), I would probably not run into any other xCanada cyclists. In Baddeck (where I had that lobster lunch), Bob and Joan, two older folks who were also biking this fine nation, told me that just ahead of me was this “girl from Victoria who is biking by herself”. Holy shit, The Ghost is back! Would I eventually run into her on the ferry or in NFLD? Time would tell. The big thing was which ferry she would take – the long one, or the short one like me. But, I never did run into her, and basically thought she took the long ferry and ended a few days before me. Alas, at Club One, where the big shin-dig for the boys was happenin', there she finally was. We met, and had a few stories of our own. She was amused at my story, and surprised as well. For her, she heard about me, as I was called (which became my reputation) “Mr. 200-a-day guy”. Thirty million people, a country that spans 8-9 thousand kms, and two individuals form a reputation that is known amongst select campgrounds and cyclists alike. Freaky. It felt nice to have a little rep. A nice heart-warming story about her trip – three girl-friends of hers from back home, flew to Moncton to ride the rest of the trip with her. They were busy hitting the sauce a bit, and tearing up the dance floor. One was feeling pretty good, was bold and said to me: “you're cute”. That was funny.

At the club, there was also two other cyclists, Darrick and Sinisa, that did the same trek, but did it with recumbent bikes. They, oddly enough, also arrived yesterday. Every one of us had a different agenda, different starting point, different day of departure, and we get there on the same day. Freaky.

At the club, I sampled (a few times) the local “Canadian/Blue” beer of NFLD – the Black Horse. Well, nothing major. It's like a one-legged, toothless, wrinkly lady – not pretty, but it can do the job. Now, would I meet up with the ladies from Ottawa? I was half in the bag at that point, and started doing what I refer to as “walking” back to the hostel. No meeting tonight. Bed time.

p

We did it, Thank you

2008-07-25T19:53:00.005-04:00

I will write the story of the day sometime soon. Pictures of NFLD to be uploaded soon after as well. Tourist time in St-John's, which will have it's own post. Stay tuned, and be patient. Merci.
p

Day 65 - Bellevue to St. John's

2008-07-25T11:22:00.001-04:00

Bellevue Beach to Cape Spear, then back to Saint-John's
The final destination
167 km, a little more than 7 hrs of riding
Sunny, hot, and winds around 20 km/h (mainly in my favour)

So, here I am. We made it to the end, and I can't go any further East. Cape Spear: The furthest point East in North America.

I get times when I don't feel the trip is over; that I have a rest day or two in St. John's and then have to bike somewhere again. Then there's other times that I know (and feel) that it's done. Those times I get a bit chocked up; but you guys knowing me a bit, I control those emotions fairy quick and become “normal” again. It hasn't hit me yet, I guess. After a few days of being the tourist here (which is great, because there's a bunch of things I think I want to do), I'll figure out a way to get back to Ottawa. For that, there's many options; from the quickest (fly back), to the slowest (mixture of bus, train, plain, hitch-hike, ferry, and bike). Honestly, I haven't thought much of the logistics yet, only on Monday or so that I'll make the arrangements.

The ride today. Thinking I was only about 100 from St-John's, I slept in late (8:30-9:00 am). But, going to bed just 5 hours before didn't help. The last ride itself was fun, it felt fairly non-chalant and quite easy. Roads, as usual, were pristine. I was behind on uploading two posts, so I took a little detour to Chapel Arm (15 km from the start) and ducked into that village to access the internet at a local school. I figured that if I upload the short post first, it would give some of you a bit of time to read it, before the monster post is uploaded. The 3 km fairly steep downhill into town was nice, especially with the wind at my back, but I thought that I'd have to climb that puppy and hopefully not use the granny. That was going to be a bitch. But, I stuck to my guns, and grinded up without touching those gears.

The next stop was a small detour to another little town, where I would then upload that big post. I also stopped for some PB sandwiches, before kicking it in to Cape Spear and such. There was a couple on a motorcycle that I had a fun chat with. They confirmed what I was hoping it wasn't true: St-John's city limits was 70 km away, then there's more distance until the downtown, and then another little hike to Cape Spear. No biggie, I knew I'd be alright for time. They also said that George Street is very safe, only a few mishaps happen here and there, with the latter usually a scuffle between some drunken friends. So, they highly encouraged me to spend a fair amount of time there.

The last bit of biking. Nice. Remember that string of songs that came on in NB (Seductive Barry, Sergio's Theme, Seven Notes in Black, Silverf*ck, Sing, Sing For The Moment, etc)? It was playing again on this leg. Great tunes, the moment wasn't the same though (but still good). The winds were now at my back, and fairly strong (up to 20 k/h), so I knew I was going to enjoy that last bit of riding (100 k or so).

The sun was fairly hot. I did like yesterday and rode without the jersey to try to even out the tan a bit (so I can be white in the front, and tanned in the back). At one point, the road shoulder was covered by a bunch of rocks, and both lanes behind me had cars there. Shit, I knew I was going to go through that. I just hoped that I could dodge most of it. The back wheel (my priority) cleared well, but I did feel the front wheel hit a rock fairly hard. I just hoped that it didn't cause a snake-bite. Sure enough, 5 minutes later, I feel the front a bit soft. So, my second flat of the front wheel for the whole trip. No biggie, I dont mind at all changing the front – it's a lot easier than changing the rear where I have to remove all the panniers and such. But, no flats with the rear since changing my tire in Halifax. The tire itself is looking a bit worn out. I wouldn't give it more than another 1000 km on it. Vittoria isn't as good as Hutchinson's.

When I turned onto the Highway 2 to head to downtown, it was a very very very plesant ride. New pavement, wind at my back, and downhill for probably 15-20 minutes. Fun. Got to St-John's, took some pictures of the “Welcome to St. John's sign. From there, I had to figure out a way to get out of the downtown (bit confusing, lots of loops), and hike (climb big-time) 17 km out of town to get to Cape Spear. Here I was, climbing the side of a mountain, and being very stubborn not to use the granny again. Water was running very low, the heat was still high, and I was getting close to red-lining it at times. But, I managed not to drop down to those gears. Steep stuff though. I guess it's the price I had to pay for that long downhill to St. John's.

Long climbs. Some steep ones too – switch back at times. Grind. But, I got to where I wanted to get. I was expecting tons of people there, but there were hardly any. I was also expecting to feel quite weird and sentimental, where I would just stop 5-10 metres from the spot and just stay there. You know, not wanting to go the whole way as I knew that if/when I touched the spot, it would technically be the end of the trip. But, I didn't feel that way. I just got out the phone to make a few phone calls, and the camera to take a few pics. There were three guys from Trinidad that were there, so they took the pics of me with the signs (when I was ready). I was their camera man and they were mine. They thought it was sharp. “We're here with a guy who biked across Canada, we're part of history here”. They were funny. With their camera, they filmed me. “When the camera rolls, state your name, where you're from, and what you just did”. Fun folks.

After spending a fair amount of time there, buying some water and a lollipop, and watching the whales bob up and down (with nice blow-holes, fun), I headed back to town. Weird to get to the end, and then having to contine biking. But, that ride back was so mellow (especially with that big lollipop in my mouth), even though there were a few nice long climbs, that it was hardly an effort. I debated: “Do I use the Granny, since the trip's technically over, or do I have to stick to my word and not use it for the entire province?”. I tried without the Granny for the first hill, and it worked. So, granny stayed sleeping.

The last few kms into town (well, more like 5-7) were all downhill. It was easy to hit 70 km/h (if it's that steep, think of how it was to climb that), and that's with the brakes on. Nice ride.

In town, I searched for a Hostel, and found the HI. On my map, HI doesn't have a hostel in St-John's, but this one just became a member of HI just two months ago. After settling in, nice shower, procrastinating a bunch, I finally headed out to have supper (at 10:45 pm). My roommates are two frenchies from Riviere-du-loup (QC), who are riding the Avalon Peninsula. Good guys, fun conversations.

So, that's it for the ride today. The next post will be about my touristy adventures (which will include my gastronomic and beer adventures, with maybe some screetch).

I guess my timing was bad, as most of you will read this during the work week (a few days behind my arrival). Understandably so, who wants to sit at the computer on the week-end when they do that during most of the week?

I hope you are all doing well.

Oh, to add to the day, my bike arrived in Ottawa today. My bro, sis-in-law, and my nieces put it together. If I have permission, I will post a few pics of that process with this. I get to ride the new bike soon. I get to ride again soon! But, more importantly, I get to see a bunch of you lovely folks soon. Just try not to laugh at my forehead-helmet tan lines and such. Maybe I'll get burnt on my noggin to blend in that tan before I get back home.

Home sweet home (soon).

Pierre
Final km at Cape Spear: Odometre at 11012 km.
Final km at the hostel: odometre at 11028 km. I'm around 10850 km for the trip. (unofficial).
Original ETA was the 30th of July, 63 days of biking, around 9900 km (estimated), 9 provinces. I guess I deviated and miscalculated a bit.

Day 64 - Gambo to Bellevue Campground

2008-07-24T12:07:00.000-04:00

Gambo to near Bellevue
196 km, 9 hours on the nose
Sunny, winds up to 15 km/h (mainly head, some cross)
*100 km away (most direct route) to St-John's.
*second last riding day...

As per the warning I wrote at the end of the July 22 entry when I uploaded the post earlier today, I decided to divide the entry today in parts. This way, if you are bored, or pressed for time, you can read it bit by bit. That is, if the entry becomes long. I have been in a mood to chat today (maybe the Newfie is seeping into me), and since there's only one day of biking left, I have some house-keeping to do. Out of curriosity, for those who will read the whole thing in one sitting, time it. I am curious how long it will take to read. I'm sure it'll be a lot faster than what it took me to write it. Let me know (those brave and currious ones reading the whole thing) how long it took, s.v.p.

Scroll down to read the day before's entry, just posted an hour ago.

Here goes. The “novel” entry:

Part A: The ride today

Swell morning. When I woke up (well, the second or third time) at a reasonable hour, I knew the alarm would go off in half an hour. I just relaxed in bed for a while. I like resting in bed in the morning – I don't like to rush. But, with the sun beating down, it was getting a bit hot in my appartment. So, I rolled out of bed to start the day sooner than expected. Wow, it could be a nice riding day where I'd finish biking an hour or two before it's dark!

Left town, got back on the highway, and the first tune that played was “Peaceful Easy Feeling”, by the Eagles. How appropriate. It would be like that for the rest of the day. Way to set the mood. Plan: ride to Clarenville (100 k or so), eat lunch there, upload an entry on the blog, check the blog for those comments that I look so forward to reading every day, check email (diddo as the blog), and do a bit of business stuff (never stops, this registration thing for work, insurance, etc).

Well, 30 k into the ride, I spot another rider who just looked like he finished lunch. I pulled over and we talked. More accurately, he talked for 20 minutes or so. Another Swiss guy – that's 3 this trip. He started his trip in May, 2007, in California. From there, he hiked (well, biked upwards) to Yukon, did NWT, hiked down to the Sault. Since it was starting to get cold, he biked to Texas, then to Florida, and eventually went back to the Toronto/Ottawa/MTL corridor. From there, he continued to the Gaspe region, where he spent 3 days in Perce, where it was foggy for 3 days and he didn't see the hole in the rock. Bummer. Then, he rode down basically the same route as me for the Maritimes (I dont know if he did the Cabot Trail), and is now 2 days away from St-Johns. Twenty thousand km so far. He also created a little kick-stand for his BOB trailer, which BOB trailers bought the patent off of him for 500 bucks. Interesting fellow, talks a lot, and is writing a book about his trip. I scored a free book when it's written/published this fall – all I have to do is pay for the S and H, and the tax (2-3 bucks). It's in German, but there's access to the English version online once I have the book. It was the first time I spoke to someone who didn't even ask any questions about my trip. Funny. He rides also 8-10 hours a day, but does a max of 150/day. Since we had a different agenda for the day, and different speed, we parted ways after our brief encouter. A bit of time lost, but no regrets.

Going through Terra Nova National Park, it was starting to get hot. I figured it was one of the last days I could work on my tan (I am soooo vain). Yesterday, I wore my Rin N Hammer jersey, where the zipper unzips to the belly-button. That's the perfect shirt to wear for the days you just want to peel off the jersey while riding, tan, and put it back on when ready. But today, I didn't have that luxury. I pulled over, put away my jersey, and just rode with the shorts (hiked up, of course, to tan those white little twigs I call thighs). I was heading directly South, so that was perfect to tan the front of my shoulders; I have a lovely farmer's tan at the moment.

The park itself is nice. Nothing spectacular, but nice hills (still no use of the granny), few little lakes on the side, and many rocky streams. The shoulder is quite large here (almost a whole lane), which is great. But, the park pisses off the drivers, as there is no passing lane the whole 50 km. Honestly, I'd cut both shoulders in half (still plenty of room to bike on), and form a passing lane here and there.

Just before exiting the park, there was a hill to my left that caught my eye. It was a sight where people would re-arrange rocks (few inches in size) and write their names. One looked like it was similar to “PERRON”, so I decided to go check it out. There was an E, an an O. So, I decided to re-arrange things and wrote PERRON. I tried my art skills and did a bike logo on top, and an '08 underneat. So, I hope it turned out (in the pics). I wonder how many days it'll last. That probably took me 30 minutes, so more time wasted. Again, no regrets.

It was hot at that point, and the water was starting to run out. Just another 15 k left until I hit Clarenville. Finally, I get there. The cutie at the Information Centre let me fill all my bottles with their cold water-cooler. That was nice to drink, and to feel those cold bottles on my low back (in the pockets of the jersey). Off I was to the grocery store for lunch meats (the last of the bread was to be eaten today, yes by), and then find a spot to tap into Internet again. This little piggy rode a bike today. This little piggy had roast beef for lunch today. This little piggy didn't go “wee-wee-wee” all the way home (well, not yet at least – few more days).

Emails – I took care of a couple, where I am now under 40. Gees. There's also one I got from our College (Physio), where they stated they are missing documents. How can that be? As it turns out, my work didn't send out the papers my sister-in-law brought to them. Bastards. That's a delay I dont want. Anyways, after a few phone calls, I hope they fixed the situation.

I ended spending a fair amount of time in that town. Nice place, by the way (people wise, didn't see much of the town to have an opinion, but it felt friendly). So, riding time left was diminishing. On the way back to the Highway, I stopped at Tim Horton for another Iced Cap (seems to be a daily thing, almost), and a donut. I got into a nice conversation with some folks about the trip. After 10-15 minutes or so, I was heading out of town. It was 5 o'clock at the time – not much play to put in close to 100 k before it gets dark. I trekked on.

The winds picked up. Oh, getting out of the park, that's when the winds started (headwind), but honestly, I didn't care. Peaceful easy feeling, remember? That stayed with me the whole day. Leaving Clarenville, it was the last major town/city until St-John's. From there, all the signs just say “St-John's, x km”. They are accurate, as there's only little towns off the TCH from here on. Things started feeling weird from there; hills felt effortless, the wind didn't even phase me, and I was singing fairly loud here and there. Well, I call it singing, but I don't know if you'd call it that. St-John's is within reach. It didn't matter if I stopped right now, or later, but it would be reached in one riding day (or less). As planned, I wanted to leave the last day of riding fairly light (100 k or less). So far, so good.

I continued to ride until I would hit the last possible campground accessible. From here on, there's no campground near the TCH, so it was redundant to aim for further campgrounds. Just like yesterday, I would ride until the sun set. I got to my destination when it started getting dark. Perfect timing. I didn't hit 200 km though (too bad, I hope you are not disappointed in me).

Just within 20 k of the campground, I stopped into a convenience store to buy some supper. I was hoping for some KD or something, but they didn't have such thing (like most convenient stores). I settled for a few pepperoni sticks (for meat, to replenish my hugh bulked-up muscles), and a fresh loaf of un-sliced bread. I have peanut butter left, so at least I could have some PB sandwiches tonight and for mid-ride snack tomorrow. So, that was my supper.

(gees, this guy keeps on writing. doesn't he ever shut up?)

At the campground, I negotiated a serviced site from 22 bucks, down to 18. Then, after some of my usual flirting (lucky her husband wasn't around), she gave me the site for 16. Nice. After a shower, I got into a hockey conversation with the husband. He is a big MTL fan, and collects tons of cards. He has sweet cards – bunch of rookie cards in mint conditions: Rocket Richard, Ryder, Gretzky, Sundin, Lafleur, Boom Boom, you name it. We also had a nice chat about George Street in St-John's. Apparently, I shouldn't go there after dark. Rufi's (rohipnol), stabbings, fights are quite common. Nice. It's the combo of non-local (non-Canadian) fisherman mixed in with drunken Canadian-Irish folks, and some trouble-makers. Dont worry, I will be there during the day.

Well, that concluded part A. If you stuck around to read up until this point, I thank you. I hope it was at least a bit entertaining and not a waste of your valuable time. I give you permission to get up, stretch your legs, go empty your bladder, maybe grab lunch, and when you're ready, and if you're interested, read on. There might be some interesting stuff next.

take a break. the long stuff starts...

Part B: loose-ends (and no, I am not talking about the men at Church and Wesley, nor the ladies attending Curves). Those were really bad jokes, sorry (well, not that sorry).

Here's a bunch of bits and pieces, random stuff. Sorry, long entry. Being fairy organized person, I labeled the sections so you can read what intrigues you, and skip the rest.

Funny names in NFLD.

Blow Me Down Cove, Goobies, Come By Chance, Tickle Harbour, St Jones Within, Little Heart's Ease, Heart's Delight, Heart's Desire, Conception Bay, Witless Bay, Dildo, and South Dildo. I'm sure there's more, these are just some that I've noticed.

Injuries, and worries during the trip

I wasn't sure if I was going to make it past Vancouver. Honestly. I thought I could get some problems with the rear wheel (too heavy of a load for such a small tire), but the 28c (instead of the 25c) turned out quite perfect. Thirty-two might have been better, but I don't live in the “what-if” world. The “c” means millimetre for you non-cyclists out there. That was one of my worries. Once I would reach Vancouver, I could either buy a new wheel that would accept a 32 c tire, or do the trailer thing. I was lucky not to have to resort to that.

The other big worry was my Ilio-Tibial Bands (aka ITB). I've had chronic problems, mainly because I am a lazy bastard who doesn't work out on a regular basis. I tend to load up my training in May/June for Solstice (team or solo), and that's about it. So, having only done two indoor rides on my rollers in April, and 4 outdoor rides (2x30 k, and 2x50 k), I took a big risk with the start of the trip. If you have noticed, I would keep the days fairly light until I got through the Rockies. That was, I guess, my training. But, I pushed it (i.e. risked it), and it turned out well. I did stretch very often for the first few weeks. When I started gaining confidence in my legs, stretching took a back-seat. I would have to have a discussion with you about stretching, but there's no scientific evidence proving that it reduces injuries. The studies show that it leads to more injuries. So, why do I tell people to stretch when I'm at work? Hipocrite you say? Well, let's have a conversation on that (if you want) an allow me to convince you. Trust me, I would not tell you to do something I didn't think it was beneficial. I mean well, and I do care about your well-being.

The trip almost ended just a bit past Winnipeg.

You might recall a photo of my right knee patched up, with a scrape on the right inner-arm, and some puncture wounds above the left knee. I called that picture “Ode to Vinokourov”. Just before Moose Jaw, I was standing beside the bike before leaving for the day. As I was putting on my gloves, the bike started to fall (away from me). I grabbed the bar as quickly as I could, idem with the bike seat, and the bike pulled me down with her. With most of my weight, I landed with my right knee on the chain-rings (the front gears, for those who are not bikers). Nice deep gash, irritated the knee-cap). With such a nice deep cut, it didn't bleed for a minute. But, there was some nice grease at the edges. The other knee? Well, somehow, I got the teeth of the chainrings (5-6?) puncturing just above the knee-cap. I have no idea how. Arm got scraped up too. Dizzie had her handle-bar tape ripped up. I was not happy.

I spent most of the ride to Moose Jaw (30 k, I can't remember – don't hold it against me) cleaning up the wound while riding. The right knee bled for most of the day, on/off. For a few days after that, it would hurt under the knee-cap. I wasn't sure if it was the skin just healing up (scarring), or something else. Few more days later, the knee was affected. If I wasn't moving, there was no pain. But, if I bent the knee, it would be stiff pain until I stopped. It didn't matter if I went from bending to straightening, or vice-versa. At first, it was only at the end of the day that the knee would be quite bothersome (and +++ worrisome). But, a few days later, just before Souris (MB), the knee would start hurting mid-way through the ride and didn't let up. That's a good 4-5 hours of riding with some increasing discomfort. Not good.

I started appying Pennsaid (topica anti-inflammatory) on the knee, as it was noticebly swollen. The contours of the knee were gone (from all the swelling). After a few days, with repeated applications daily, I would start feeling a bit better. But, I quickly ran out of that magic stuff. Winnipeg I was entering, where I would hopefully score some samples at walk-in clinics. Hmmm, seems that no office has samples of that great stuff. No where. Drug reps for that company doesn't visit Winnipeg. I eventually spoke to a pharmacist, who said he hardly sees that drug prescribed in those parts. I'm not a doctor, but that's too bad. So, we discussed the situation, and he suggested I try Baclofen. But, I would have to have an MD prescribe it. Off to a walk-in clinic, pay my out-of-province fee, and got the prescription from an 75 year-old doctor. “So, you're a physiotherapist, what's your diagnosis?” He was a good guy, gave me what I needed, and off I went.

The next few days would be the big test to see if the knee would get better. Yes it did. Baclofen is good (did the trick), but it's a messy cream. Pennsaid is number on in my books though. The whole time the knee was swollen (and a bit hot), I thought of two things: a) pannus formation, leading to osteophytes, and eventually to some sort of early arthritis, b) swelling of the knee causes inhibition of the VMO, creating a delay in the co-contraction, and eventually leading to patellar-femoral tracking syndrome, and possibly illiotibial band friction syndrome. Gees, I was gonna get screwed if I kept going and this didn't heal up.

But, things turned out well, and the trip (and the race) weren't compromised.

How am I feeling now? Relieved, and still no issues with any parts of my body. Honestly, there are two parts that are a bit sore (but very minor) – my triceps, and the skin at the right ischial tuberosity (butt bone) – it feels like there's a tiny little cut there sometimes.

Shorty

You get a whole paragraph. I dont know who you are, where you are based out of, but welcome aboard. Thanks. When you originally posted something (and took it off somehow), I was intrigued. I checked out your blog quickly, but I dont recall if I could find the info I was looking for. I did notice that you were fighting some demons. Good luck with things, and I hope you are still victorious. Feel free to send me an email to give me an insight of who you are.

Friends in need

During the trip, there were times I wanted to be with a few friends who were/are going through tough times. A friend in need is a friend indeed. A friend with weed is better. A friend with breasts, and all the rest, a friend dressed in leather. Anyways, (good tune). But, I was thinking lots about the three people that I was feeling helpless, hoping it would send good vibes to you. So, sorry I couldn't really be there, but I hope that the phone calls and emails did help a bit. See you very soon (now that the storm has passed through for the most part).

Another big worry, pre and during the trip, was having a death in the family. I knew I would have to temporarely halt the trip in case of such event. I feel bad as I feel a bit selfish. But, there's always that possibility.

Being a lucky bastard

Let's see if I can stretch out that simple statement. You know I can.

Lucky. In many ways.

Lucky I can do a trip. I know some can't do a trip for whatever reasons (health, time, commitments, money). To be honest, that gave me a bit of fuel to do the trip, and to (hopefully) bring you guys along with me. With the stories and the pics, I always had a bunch of people in mind. It's much easier to tell a story when you have a specific audience. So, this trip is not just for me, I was a bit of the messenger.

I am also extremely fortunate to have the health and abilities to do a trip like this. Riding up to 11 hours in a day, and getting up the next to do another 8-10 hours, it's not an easy task for most people. By no means am I better than those who can't do this, I am just lucky that I can get away with it. Squeezing a race (and being relativelly happy with the outcome) in the middle of this trip, that too makes me realize that I am very fortunate. A bike trip like this is doable by many of you. You'd be surprised. No, I dont recommend you shooting for 200 k/day, but 100-120 is very reasonable and doable. It's actually ideal distances, very manageable (you'd be surprised).

This trip also takes a significant amount of time. Yes, I did do a bunch of detours, but I did load up the kms to make it happen. Usually, people do around 8500-9000 k in around the same time. So, 3 months off (between school and starting work), I am lucky.

Money. Hell, that shit is mandatory for this trip. Since I was pushing it with some of the old equipment I had (bike, tent, shoes, even clothing), I am very happy and grateful to have the funds to support me and allow me to finish the job at hand. I have such nice equipment, I like quality stuff (MSR, OR, MEC, etc).

Support. My folks have always stood by me, and believed in me. That means a lot to me. You guys have encouraged me tons throughout this journey. I love you for that. You guys believed I would complete this trip waaaaaaayyyyyy before I thought I could complete it. I was (basically) the only one who knew what could go wrong (my worries), and was being cautious on a daily basis. It's only once I got past Quebec City that I thought I might end up in St-John's all in one piece. I started to relax then. So, thank you very much. Thank you, thank you, thank you. The comments on the blog, the emails, the odd phone call, and the family/friends I visited along the way, it all meant so much to me. It all means so much to me, and always will. Thanks. I think I owe you somehow, every one of you.

Work

I haven't worked since the end of February. It'll be interesting to file my taxes next year. From that last working day, the focus was on school, the placement for school, the national exam, moving (since the house was sold), being homeless (literally), buying a car (aka a boat, but can easily do 500 km with less than a 60 litre tank, surprisingly), trying to train for this trip, and of course, doing this trip. So, I technically haven't earned revenue in almost half a year. Ouch. Revisit “I'm a lucky bastard”, as I can survive financially (mainly due to me working full time during university, and buying/fixing up the house to sell it with a gain). Lucky bastard.

But, I love to work. I enjoy what I do for a living, and enjoy the people I get to work with (sure the colleagues are nice, but it's the people under my care that I like, since they are appreciative, and they put their health in my hands). That's the high I get – someone comes to me for some guidance, I try to steer them in the right direction, and they are appreciative of the help. I can't help everyone, but I try. I hope I get to be more and more effective as time goes on.

Solstice

I may seem “la-di-da” about the race. Yes, I am happy with the results, but I think there's more to the story. Where do I start?

a) I was wishing for first place, hoping for second, and expecting top 3. I've never trained much for when I did get the second place finishes, so with this trip, I thought I'd be in good shape (pun intended). With my experience, my training this year, and my amazing support crew, I was pretty sure I'd be on the podium. So, if I seem non-chalant about it, it's because I was pretty sure things were going to go my way (like many things in my life, freaks me out too many times). I didn't realize some of the (new) big boys were going to be there.

b) I didn't get some “flack” per-say, but I did get a bit of comments/criticism for possibly jeapordizing my podium finish by riding with someone during one very messy lap. Comments such as “you know she has a boyfriend”, “would you have done it if she wasn't so (compliments about who she is)”, etc. I was a bit surprised about all that. But, i wouldn't of changed anything. I know she could of gotten out of her own. I knew I wasn't jeopardizing the final outcome (see “things pretty much go my way”, and see “I'm a lucky bastard”, and see the third point).

c) priorities. ride with someone vs risk losing out on the podium. Friends first. Plus, I wanted to ride with someone. There are more important things in life than menial things such as a podium finish. There's probably a reason I get into the transition area and I stay fairly calm, instead of yelling “I need a sandwich”, “I need 5 lbs less in the front shocks, and 8.453 lbs more in the tires”. Relax, it's just an event. Side note: I could get a really talented person on the podium, with some advice I could give to them, but they'd have to swallow their pride. Sorry to pick on you (or your brother, pending on who reads this), but he's so talented now, but needs to learn some major things before he can excel.

Woah, slight tangent there. Oops.

Travelling

This trip was amazing. Not done yet, but I think it's not premature to say so. I really thing everyone, if they have the means, to do so. I reallly dont want to preach, so I'll try in a different manner. I have gotten lots from seeing many different parts of the country, and especially the manner I did it in. There are many things I've learnt, and I'd say it's fairly safe to say that I've changed in some ways. I wont say how, but I think the ones close to me might see a slight change in some things.

I honestly believe that when I do have my own family, I will try to somehow incorporate one or two Canadian trips (say one westward, one eastward) so they can get in touch with the various parts of our great nation (pun intended). It is such a valuable experience, I wish it upon anyone, and hope every one has a chance to do it somehow (bike, car, bus, train, hitch-hike, motorcycle). The world is ours to discover.

Heart rate, and genes

I notice in NB that my heart rate has changed. It was always at 70-80 just resting in bed (no matter what time of the night, how relaxed I was). That is fairly high, especially for someone considered “young” and “healthy”. I was never able to get it lower. But, I now realize it's at 60 when I lie down before I sleep. I wonder what it's like when I wake up. Unfortunately, I always forget to check it, so I might never know. Sixty is a good range for resting heart rate. As for the genes part, I feel I will be able to pass along some nice genes to my (eventual) kids. I guess I got to get a woman first. Always a catch, damn. Anyways, with my VO2max at 71-75 (under normal conditions, i.e. no Dextran injections, not fighting sickness), that's a very high endurance/performance measure to pass along. I wonder if my kids will want to do sports, maybe they'll just turn out to be lazy and trouble-makers. We'll see.

Past year

Freaky. I'd say since last June, maybe July, things have been on a slight roll, with picking up speed after xmas, and I've been riding a nice wave that just keeps going. Honestly, I am afraid of a crash. A year ago, someone important from my past, MIA for a while, came back into my life at a very good time. They helped me out tremendously, and I am forever grateful for that. Merci. I'm glad that the communications lines are open again, and I dont want anything more (or less) than what we have now. Why ruin anything? So, thank you.

Other bike trips

As mentioned in an earlier post, here are some cool ideas for other bike trips (no specific order)

a) tip of Alaska to the tip of Chili/Argentina (Patagonia), going along the Pacific coast.
b) Europe – especially Norther Europe (even ducking down to Romania, Czeck Rep), and doing the Scandinavian countries. Might as well throw in Iceland and Greenland.
c) South America (i.e. the perimetre)
d) South BC, up to Jasper, and towards Whistler (and down to Vancouver)
e) Yukon, NWT, Nunavut
f) Gaspe (with/without starting in Quebec City to do the Charlevoix region)
g) Saguenay/Lac St-Jean (route des bleuets)
h) Cape Breton (mainly the Cheticamp-Ingonish strip)
i) Russia
j) hell, might as well throw in New Zealand, and sure, Australia
k) Canada (again, but with my family, maybe nephews/nieces)
l) USA
m) I'm sure more will come to mind in the years to come. any suggestions?

Well, that's enough of me rambling. I do hope some things were interesting, and not a waste of your time.

It's now 2:45 am, and I guess I should go to bed soon. I have up to 150 km to ride tomorrow (detours and such), so I should rest up.

See you soon.

p2
(thanks for your patience and interest).

Day 63 - South Brook to Gambo

2008-07-23T10:33:00.001-04:00

South Brook to Gambo
243 km, 10h20mins
Sunny, winds: tail (for 50 km), cross/head for 100 km

(updated on Friday, at noon. another post will be uploaded in an hour. warning, that one will be long - feeling chatty, lots of things that i wrote, and even feeling sentimental. so, i wrote a friggen novel. pictures to be uploaded in the next few days).

So, here's Wednesday's post.

Day 3 on the Rock. South Brook was basically the peak North that I would hit on the Island. Now, it's South and East, to my final destination. The ride started out swell with the tailwind of 10 k/h for the first 50 k until Badger. The first song played was “Mercy Street”, by Peter Gabriel (So, 1986). Great tune, mellow, which set the tone for the ride today. The tune was quite captivating that I had to listen to the whole album right after that.

In Grand-Falls, I did some grocery shopping (lunch meat for sandwiches), checked out the falls and the associated Salmon Interpretation Centre (Five dollars to get in, dang). As the ticket gave me in/out privileges all day, I decided to give the ticket to someone on my way out. I hope they were able to use it. In town, I also went to the post office to mail a few things. It is where I tapped into someone's Internet, where I was able to upload the post people refer as Hockey Night In Canada, check email, and do some business. Emails are piling up – sorry, I'll be able to get to the bottom of them soon (thanks for your patience and understanding). As for Grand-Falls, the people are nice, but a bit slow for service wherever I went. Corner Brook and Deer Lake are much nicer places (so far).

I spent a fair amount of time there, so I had to boogie a bit. I figured I could stay in Gander that night, or, light (and winds) permitting, continue to the next campsite 40 km away.

Gander is a swell place, from what I saw. Big sign coming in: “Ranked top 10 best places to live”. With an airport AND a drive-thru Subway (really), why wouldn't it be? After shopping for my supper (lunch meat again, as I am trying to finish off all my bread and condiments), I decided to continue. The campsite in Gander was 10 km North (away from the TCH), so that made me not want to hike up there and back. Go on, even though it would be dark in an hour (thus up to an hour of biking in the dark). With the wide shoulders, light traffic, and good/nice/respecting drivers, I wasn't concerned a bit.

I picked up the pace, almost TT for a while until it got dark. Sunset behind me was pleasant to see in my rear-view-mirror, and up in the sky ahead of me was Venus. Such a pleasant sight to ride with. Darkness fell eventually, and things were still alright (traffic, temperature, safety, etc). At one point, I could see at the crest of the hill up ahead, the cars/transport putting on their brakes. Why? I would find out a few minutes later when I reached the top. Fog, fairly thick too. That was cool in a way (no pun intended), as the traffic would slow down a bit, and the riding would be a tiny bit tricky (but quite fun). So, I too slowed down a bit. Yes, red flashing light was on, and I was using the light I won at Solstice this year. Good little thing that light. Better prize than I thought, and much better than the Camel-back I won for 2nd place the last time. Side note, what would I do with another Camel-back when I have 2-3 already? Shitty.

After finding the signs for the camping, and hiking a bit off the highway to the other side of Gambo, I found my spot (around 11 pm then). Twelve bucks again (showers included). The dude there was quite nice. Once I had my shower at the Office, I gave him my computer and mp3 to charge up in his office (as he didn't have a service site for me), and then lead me, on his bike with lights, to my campsite. I didn't know until we got there, but he brought a carpet to put underneath the tent for me. Luxury.

So, after eating a bit, I headed off to bed for a good night sleep.

That's my story, and I'm sticking to it.

Now, I understand that some of you don't know Sarah Jane, so I'll tell
you a little bit about her. She's a lesbian Eskimo midget albino. She
went to college and she started the Lesbian midget Eskimo Albino
Student Union, and four hundred people signed up. There they were,
hundreds of 'em, lesbian midget left-handed Eskimo albinos. Did I
mention the fact that she's left-handed? She's left-handed, alright.

Girl's got some strange hobbies. One of her hobbies is lowering children
into open manholes, which is kinda difficult 'cause a lot of the
children are taller than her, her being a midget and everything... or
her being a left-handed midget... or her being a left-handed lesbian
midget... or her being a left-handed lesbian albino midget... or her
being a lesbian left-handed albino midget Eskimo... life can be really
difficult on that young lady.

She bit me once, you know. Right here, ya see this? Left a mark. She was
lowerin' a friend of mine's kid into the sewer, I run up, and tried to
stop her. I said, "Listen there, you lesbian midget left-handed albino!
And you stop right there!" Then she bit me. I'm afraid I'm gonna... I'm
gonna turn into a lesbian left-handed midget albino when the moon is
full.

Oh my God, the moon is full tonight! I can feel myself shrinking! I can
feel myself getting left-handed! I can feel myself getting the urge to
build an igloo! I can feel my skin turning white and my eyes getting
red! I can feel... I can feel the urge... to buy a Suzanne Vega album!!

NOOO! NNNNNOOOO!!!!
NNNNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!

Oh, I'm okay; it was just gas.

Day 62 - Corner Brook to South Brook

2008-07-22T15:46:00.001-04:00

Corner Brook to South Brook
183 km, overcast
Winds – up to 30 k/h for half of the day, then quieter (but present) until the end, all headwind

I didn't want to get out of the tent today. As I was lying on my side, with my back close to the tent wall, the wind was blowing fairly hard, pushing the tent, thus nudging me. I knew that it'd be a windy day, and I had an idea that it would not be in my favour. So, I was lazy getting rolling. Eastern winds, so I predict that bad weather is on it's way.

The start of the bike ride confirmed my earlier thoughts. It was a battle for the first half. Plus, I believe I gained altitude to that point – the slight uphills that went on for a couple km, with barely a downhill, and another uphill that followed. Repeat. It took me until the 80 km mark to finaly hit an average speed of 20 km/h. With the winds, and no rain, it made it a perfect day to dry the laundry that I did the night before. I just hook it on top of the panniers, and ride. With the clothes flopping in the wind, it's a rolling dryer.

In Deer Lake, which also seems like a nice town nestled on the water and in between hills, was a quick rest stop. Only 45 km into the ride, and I stop to eat some cereal. I usually stop at the 100 km mark. The plan was to quickly stop at a grocery store to load up on some sandwhich meat and some fruits, and to upload yesterday's entry so a few readers wouldn't worry too much. At the Information Centre was a bit of information of the Viking Trails. Cool. While I was eating, a guy was intrigued by the bike all loaded up. So, he came over and we had a decent chat. PJ is also a rider in the area, and was genuinely interested in the trip and the logistics associated with it. I felt bad to cut the conversation short, but I had to hit the road at one point. Internet connection wasn't feasable (damn Alliance Network, like Rogers over here, a password is needed for all hot spots, or a VISA number – screw that). So, no post uploading.

I thought it'd be a 150 km day to the destination I planned the night before. But, when I looked at the map a bit closer when I left Deer Lake, I realized I forgot to include two little numbers that were a bit hidden on the map. Not 150 k that I had to do, but in fact, 180. Dang. There goes the ighter day I had planned, and things were looking tight to make it to where I wanted to go by the time the sun set. Off I went.

I ate a few sandwiches at the mid-way point, bought a Red Bull, and I was on my way again. Luckily for me, it seems like the hills were not as frequent, and the wind appeared to die down. But, then again, it could have been because my mind was not focused on the terrain as much, as I played two albums of System of a Down, followed by Tool (10,000 days), NIN (with teeth) queued up to get things a bit mellower, and finished the day off with Puscifer's album (for some fun rock). Then again, it could have been the Red Bull. I've never tried that stuff, and I'm sure it wont become a habit.

I ended up where I wanted to get for the night. The campsite was 13 bucks total. Again, I am in the washroom re-charging the mp3 player and computer as I write this entry. It was also a place to do the laundry that I soiled today.

Fun thing to say lately: “I've biked over 10,000 km so far”. It has a nice ring to it.

When was my last rest day? Oh, Halifax. I have no idea how many kms I've done since then, but I think I'll keep riding until I hit St-John's. As Puscifer's track “Trekka” states: “Climb away, get higher son, never stray, just move ahead. I dont know, but it's been said, we'll rest forever when we're dead.”

For those of you keeping track, the series is tied at one. It was an 8.5 hour battle, where they had to go upstairs to see who won. The judges awared the Rock the victory – they stated it landed more blows than I. Next time.

tere, mina igatsen sinu. moodalask! head ood, paikesepaiste. kallis-musi. naba.

Am I having fun still? (as they say over here) “yes by”. I got to hear that saying a few times today. Plus, there were many times during the trip that I envisioned certain moments. Now, these “visions” are stronger, and I go through a few different sentimental moments. I can feel that I am close. Cool feeling.

So, another few days... I'll be in Ottawa by the end of the month. Plan for when I reach St-John's – be a tourist for a couple of days, then head home. I'll try to bike back in record time. No, maybe I'll skip the biking and take the plane back.

Later,

p2
(uploaded from 179 km short of st-john's. stopped for lunch, more km to do today. kicking it in mid afternoon on friday. entry for yesterday not written yet. today's entry will be a long one as i'm going to try to tie up all loose ends before the end of the trip. plan: friday's post will be about the day, then the two or so days after that, i'll have a post of how st-john's is from a tourist perspective, and a last post about a quick summary of the trip. if you have any questions to ask, please post them or send them by email - i will answer it all on that last post. sounds fair? cheers, and see you guys very very tabarnacen' soon.)

Day 61 - Port-aux-basques to Corner Brooke

2008-07-21T12:55:00.002-04:00

Port-aux-basques (NFLD) to Corner Brook
230 km, mainly overcast, drizzle/rain for 2-3 hours, sunny for 2 hours
Winds – up to (maybe more) 30 km/h, with gusts, mainly cross-wind with some head and tail

De pebble is on de rock.

Welcome to the finals, post-game one interview:

- Good show today, can you give me some of your insights of the past 10 hours?

- Yeah, sure. We were expecting the Rock to throw a bunch of things at us right off the bat. Coming onto their territory, we knew this wasn't going to be a cake walk. They knew we took the long road to get here, and having to travel overnight, they had a pretty good idea we'd be tired. They threw some nice tough winds right from the get-go, adding rain, then the hills. We knew it was going to be tough from the start. But, we stuck to the game plan, we were patient, and just put in our time. After a pep-talk mid-way through, and some help from a nice coconut cream pie, the Rock started to show signs of fatigue. The winds calmed down, but the hills just kept up the assaults, coming one after the other. We have to give it to them, they played hard. But in the end, we came out on top.

- I noticed you didn't use the granny today, is there any reason for that?

- It was a last-minute decision. It was used lots in the past few weeks, so we thought we'd try to get through these series without it. We'll see what happens in the next few days.

- You are the heavily favoured side to come out on top in this series. Today, you basically did a quarter of the Rock. Do you plan on using the same tactics as you did in Northern Ontario and try to go for a sweep here?

- No, definitely not. There will be some longer matches, but you never know what will be thrown at you. Never underestimate things, never take things for granted, and never use the word never. We're pretty sure this series wont end in 4 days, we'd be pretty surprised if that happened.

- Any last words for your viewers?

- Yeah. I'd like to say hi to my mom and dad, and to all my friends and family back home, and all over the place, who have supported me from day 1.

- Thank you.

- No problem Elliot, anytime.

- Back to the studio with Ron and Don.

(Ron) – Thanks Elliot, just talking to.. (interrupted)
(Don) – Good ol' hard-workin' Canadian boy, good kid, eh? He's definitely ain't a Sweede. Are you sure he's French?
(Ron) – Yes, but not from Quebec. Northern Ontario boy.
(Don) – Well, he's still a good Canadian kid.

I hope that was different and entertaining. Throw in the accents in there to make things a bit more fun. I had fun thinking of it during the ride.

Alright. The rest of the details.

Ferry – left late (apparently, as usual). I put in my earplugs, my toque over my eyes, and just slept on the floor between chairs. We docked around 8 am or so. Still in my casuals (i.e. jeans, sandals, t-shirt and coat), I biked into town to have breakfast at Timmy's. Afterwards, I went to the Information Centre and got a bunch of information (and a new free map of NFLD). The ride started maybe around 10:30.

Nice tail wind getting out of town (for 1-2 km), until the road turned, and it would then be mainly crosswinds (alternating a bit of head and tail winds with the crosswinds). It felt a bit cool, so the knee warmers and arm warmers came out, plus the coat. Arm warmers didn't last too long, but the coat lasted for the first 5 hours.

The road is nice – new pavement, nice shoulder (2-3 feet). At the 100 k mark, the shoulder is reduced due to the “wake-up” strip (I forgot what it is called). With the bike, it was fine, but if I had a trailer, it would be annoying. Most of the signs, and painted on the road itself, is written TCH (Trans-Canada Highway). Dyslexic being me often, I see “THC”, which is not the same thing. I find it amusing whenever I see it.

The scenery is nice getting out of Port-aux-basques (the first 10-15 km), after that, it's pretty barren. There's nothing – no houses, businesses, lakes (rare), mountain ranges, or shore lines. I can see why people would want to skip this section and just take the long ferry across. But, no regrets on my end. The terrain is some long straight-aways in between long up and down hills. Not killer hills, but enough to make you work a bit. Granny not necessary. Going downhill, you can only hit a max of 60, so they are not too big. There was a service station and restaurant at the 100 k mark, but nothing before that. The second exit off of the highway came at km 150. The third was at the 215 km mark. Besides that, not much in between.

Corner Brook seems nice. Did some grocery shopping, then headed out of town (East) to a campground. I didn't try to get free accommodation anywhere. There are some nice little mountains in this corner.

The big mental battle I had today was if I was going to do a detour and visit Gros Morne National Park. I didn't plan it before, but in the past few weeks, I thought I'd make a detour and spend a rest day there. But, doing some reading, and talking to others, I would need a good week (up to a month) to do stuff there. Going there for a day would only permit me to do a little easy hike, not the beautiful hike to the fjord as I wanted. That one is a 3 day hike (advanced). The spot is a UNESCO World Heritage site. So, final decision: bypass the park, and come back for a longer time with someone/group. Anybody up for a cool time here?

So, slowly knocking down the days.

Ciao,

p
(uploaded from Grand Falls-Windsor, lunch, on humpday. another upload tonight at suppertime)

Day 60 - Englishtown to North Sydney (and beyond)

2008-07-20T21:39:00.001-04:00

Englishtown to North Sydney
140 km, sunny
Ferry to Port-aux-basques (NFLD) overnight

Short version: lobster dinner at noon, odometre showed 10000km, ferry to Newfoundland, nine provinces down, new time zone.

Regular version.

Another lazy morning. I haven't slept well for the past two nights. The wheel is spinning but the hamster is dead. I left for Baddeck around 11 am, did a quick stop to Giant McAskill's Museum, then rode 30 km for a lobster lunch in Baddeck. Tasty. A glass of white wine and deserts (cherry pie, and ginger cake) was also at my table.

I took a quick jaunt in Alexandre Graham Bell Museum. Not much excitement there – bunch of plaques with stories, but I must say that he was an interesting fellow. The first Canadian flight was also here, in 1909.

After lunch, I continued South-West for another 30 k to take another cable ferry to the South shore of the body of water I was riding along. From there, it would be a 80 k ride North-East, to North Sydney. Maybe 90 minutes after leaving Baddeck, I just didn't feel right. Stomach was not sure what to do, fatigue was a bit there (yawning), and motivation was low. I just had to ride to get where I wanted to go. Luckily, after 90 minutes of feeling like that, with no bad reactions, I started to feel better. It could have been the lobster dinner, the water I was drinking, the past few days of less-than-needed sleep, or a combo of all. But, I must say that I dont think I'll have a tasty lobster dinner before a 100 k ride – not recommended.

My computer hit 9999.9 km, and I watched it go to 10000. I thought it would roll over to zero, but nope. That's cool. So, I am approximately at the 9830 km mark.

The pamphlet I had on the ferry said that it would leave around 23h30, but the departure is at 1 am. I just have to kill time in the meantime. I hope to get a nap somewhere before the departure. The sleeper cabins were all sold out, so I hope to be able to crash on the floor somewhere. The trip will be around 7 hours. I just took a shower at the ferry terminal, and now I just have to wait.

Let's talk about xCanada trips. There are many levels, and all of them are cool. Usually the departure is from Vancouver, some leave from Victoria, and then there's the odd one that leaves from Tofino. Final destinations are sometimes Toronto, a lot end up in Halifax, and the rest tend to finish in Newfoundland. Now, to get to St-John's, there's two ways: the short ferry (to Port-aux-basques), where you still have to drive through the province, and then the long ferry (15 hours?), which lands you around 60 k from St-Johns. Many folks take the long ferry and hike up to St-John's to complete their xCanada trip. But, I think if someone has the legs, the time, the money, and motivation, the short ferry should be taken. I feel it's more of an authentic xCanada trip. But, any xCanada trip is amazing, don't get me wrong. For me, there's only one way to do this, hence the route I am taking. That's all. I want to ride every single connecting inch, from coast to coast.

Interesting new way of crossing NFLD – some guy I spoke to said he knew this guy who would hop from one ferry to another, connecting all the little towns south on the island. On the map, you see a ferry route connecting those little towns. Cool.

So, by the time most of you read this, I'll be on the rock, and in a time zone that's 30 minutes off of all you guys. I guess they don't deserve a whole hour change.

Carole – your draw dropped? Do you mean your drawers dropped? JNS, you're on to me. I am in Kanata, and using photoshop to put myself in pics. I'm actually just eating pizza everyday, gaining weight. Tubby. As for bike riding with both hands – that's for sissies. No risk in that. Glad I entertain you folks. Matante Jocelyne, my buns might be firmer now, do you still want to grab a handful? (ok, I wont bother saying more on this).

Well, take it easy, and enjoy the start of the work-week. I'll be joining you in that mundane routine very soon. Odd to say, but I can't wait.

p

Day 60 - Cheticamp to Englishtown

2008-07-19T09:46:00.001-04:00

Cheticamp to Englishtown
166 km, overcast, with rain, drizzle, mist, and fog
Winds – some here and there, and all directions again
(even on a straight-away, it would be tailwind, and 500 metres later – headwind).

Sweet. I am a bit lost for words. But, I'll try to get some out to write a little entry.

I am coming back to Cape Breton to ride the Highland Park again. I could consider yesterday (part one of the Cabot Trail) foreplay, today was the “main event”, and part three, from Ingonish to Baddeck (as an example) is the cuddling phase. Sure, part one and three can be done, but we can also skip to the main event. What I do see myself doing (with a few people) is to ride from Ingonish to Cheticamp one day, and ride back the next. Super nice scenery, the hills are nice (uphill not bad at all, and the downhills are something to experience for yourself). Hill one, maybe 3, 3.5 k uphill, not a bad grade (they didn't post the ), but very doable. Just put in your time. The downhill was sweet. It is a nice winding road, nice switchbacks. There are many turns that the signs say “30 k/h max”, and they mean it. Very fun – just lean the bike here and there, with the brakes on for most of the time. Hitting 60 k/h is tough to do.

Hill number two, aka the North Mountain, is a nice 4 k hill. It was a pleasant grind. Again, very doable. Funny stuff happened on that hill. There was a Westfalia having a hard time climbing it, just put-putting along us for a bit. Us, that's the funny story. At the start of the hill, some tri-geek, who was out on a 300 k ride, was behind me. I let him catch up to me (he would of caught up to me anyways). We chatted for a bit, and then he was off. But, he was always no more than 100 metres away. When the hill kicked-up a notch, the gap was slowly decreasing, and decreasing. At one point, he dropped something, and had to do a little turn-around to pick it up. I passed him, and just had fun watching him in the mirror struggling up the hill. To his defense, he only has a double chain-ring (so less gears than I), but in my defense, I have 60 pounds more than him. But then again, he already rode 100 k that morning. We would eventually play cat-mouse until Ingonish (60 k later), where I stopped for lunch and he took off.

The rest of the park is pretty nice. Lots of places to pull over and take pictures. There were very few cars out there, 3 buses that we would play cat-mouse with, and maybe 3-4 transports. I finally did see plates from PEI today, along with Ohio, Idaho, Maine, New Jersey, Florida, and California. The big surprise was that 50 % of the plates were from Ontario.

Now, the start of the day. I was't too motivated to get up when my alarm went off, as I could hear the rain pouring down on the tent. I was hoping it would let off soon, but it didn't. Eventually, I got my lazy ass out of bed, and got started. Everything was packed ahead of time as I wanted to leave fairly quickly. I packed up, grab my food that was hung in the tree (bear country again), and took off. The plan was to eat breakfast outside of the campground. A neat thing – I took down my tent backwards today – I kept the fly on, unhooked the tent itself under the fly (to keep it, and me dry), rolled it up under that little fort thing, then took down the fly. It did keep things dry, but I'm sure with the rain during the ride, it was pointless to do.

Things went smoothly leaving the campground. I found a pic-nic area to eat. Since it was still pouring rain, I ate in the outhouse. Luckily, the smell wasn't bad. I was dry, for the time being. Afterwards, the ride started, and what a ride it was.

Once I got out of the park, where the original plan was to stay overnight in Ingonish, I decided to just keep going. It was raining a bit, I felt good, and there was still a fair amount of daytime left. I figured if I roll a certain number of kms today, and do the same tomorrow, I'd be a day ahead of schedule (from what was planned a few days ago). Things look good for schedule. Things look so friggen good actually, as I have one more day before I am on the Rock – the final phase. Calice je suis excite, c'est fricken weird. Surreal.

I took a cable ferry to Englishtown – the thing is being pulled by a cable that's hooked up to both sides of the river-bank. Neat. Also, I am around 30 k from North Sydney (the ferry to NFLD), but I'll do a long detour of around 150 k to get there tomorrow. Why? Because I'm sometimes a dolt. There's a few things I want to see before hitting the ferry. The big question is: Do I take the ferry to Argentia, or to Port-aux-basques? You can always give me some input on that. Louisbourg, no, I can't go down that far. Maybe some other time. I can't look at my map, as it's drying out. It's actually in 3 different pieces now (ripped, due to being wet). We'll see if I cave in and buy another one. Maybe getting into NFLD, they'll give me one.

Nothing spectacular for food today, except that I purchased a Cloudberry jam. It's some sort of small apple the size of a blue-berry or something. I haven't tasted it yet. It's an exclusive thing from NFLD. The other day, I tasted Merrick at the Glendale Manor (aka at the outlaws). Thanks again, by the way, for letting me crash there and to feed me. Gros merci les MacGillavray's. Oh ya, merrick. Some sort of sausage-ish thing. Very soft, almost like fried mashed-potatoes, little spicy. I think it's also called white-pudding, but dont quote me on that. I dont think it's like blood-pudding, whatever that is.

Alright, off to bed in a little bit, after I just relax for a while.

So, wishing you all a very swell day (Sunday, I believe).

To quote one of the few anthems of the 90's: “I want a perfect body, I want a perfect soul. I want you to know, when I'm not around, you're so very special”. So, my parting words of the night – you guys are so very special. See you very soon,

p

(the video - sorry for the quality. i pressed "compact mode" when i was filming. plus, it's hard to film holding the camera in one hand, trying to go fast when it's drizzling and the roads are wet, and winding). (the risks i take for you guys).

Day 59 - Glendale to Cheticamp

2008-07-18T09:44:00.000-04:00

Glendale to Cape Breton Highlands National Park
153 km, sunny.
Winds – on/off, and in all directions, nothing major

Interesting day, pleasant again.

I decided to take a little detour to Glenville. To get there, I would ride a secondary highway parallel to the Cabot Trail. That part of the trail isn't too spectacular (except for when the leaves are turning), so I didn't miss out. The route I took was along a big lake, so there was some nice scenery. All the roads today were pretty decent, but no shoulders. No biggie, the traffic was quite light at times, and the cars do give you plenty of space. Interesting fact for today – the only province I didn't see plates of was Saskatchewan and PEI. Tons of Ontario plates. Yukon was also seen. So was Massachusetts, Maine, New York, and a few more States.

I would have to break what I call the “Hanham rule” (no back-tracking), as I took a detour of 5 km (each way) to visit the Glenora Distillery. It's the only single-malt whiskey in North America. Essentially, it's scotch, but they can't call it that because it doesn't come from Scotland. So, I went, got the tour, and sampled their award-winning product. The end of the tour, they gave us a sample of their 10 year old batch.

Lunch was also there. Beer (Garrison's Red), 5 dollars. Cream of spinach soup, 7.50. Atlantic smoked salmon (smoked using the casket wood from the whiskey), 13.00 dollars. An ounce of their 18 year old single-malt whiskey, 25.00 dollars. An ounce, tabarnac. So, I tried it. The 10 year old stuff is tasty, but a bit fiery in the throat. The 18 year old stuff, which the distillery is only 18 years old, completely smooth. No burning. Good stuff. Everyday stuff for me? Nope. I think an ounce was good enough for me for a long time.

Off I went again by bike. I eventually made it to Cheticamp. The plan was to stay at St-Pierre's campground, just outside (before) Cheticamp and walk into town. But, it would be an 8 km walk into town, so I decided to change plans. It was still a good 90 minutes of daylight, so I decided to eat at a restaurant, do my breakfast shopping, drug store stop, and then head to the inside edge of the park in order to find myself the campground. They dont make you pay when you arrve at the park, but only when you leave. They are there at 9 am, so guess who will try to get up early to GTFO before they get here. Side note – the moon is full(ish) tonight, and I can't get a good view of it. Too bad. Maybe tomorrow.

Supper tonight. Since it was the last Acadian town I will see for the rest of this trip, I decided to try this little Acadian restaurant for some local food. Their meat pie (not tourtiere, but similar) was the first thing I had. What followed was a chiard, which is basically a beef ragu with vegetables. For beer, they had Moosehead Dry – something I've never seen or tasted, so that was the chosen brew of the night. Good, pretty decent. Desert – it's been a long time that I wanted strawberry-rhubarb pie, so I ordered it (a la mode). The butterscotch meringue pie also caught my eye, so I ordered it too.

I am starting to count the dodo's left. Feels good. Tomorrow, the hills are calling me. I'm expecting to work a bit tomorrow, and the granny will definitely be woken up. It's time to work.

Get high on beauty.

p2

Day 58 - Sherbrooke to Glendale

2008-07-17T09:33:00.000-04:00

Sherbrooke to Glendale
145 km, sunny, hot (28) and humid (35) during the ride
Winds – up to 10-15 km/h, in my favour

Cape Breton. Every day these days, I tend to break a few different records: the longest trip I've ever been, the longest I've been away from home (or the town where I technically reside in), the furthest East I've ever been on a bike, the longest bike trip I've ever been on, and I get to break the previous day's record of the longest I've ever lived (in this life-time, of course).

The day started off a bit wet. Well, to back-track a bit, I decided to test my luck a bit and not put the fly up on the tent. Again, in the middle of the night, I had to get out to put the fly in a hurry.

There were roosters near the campsite. I didn't realize that until they were doing their morning “wake-up you bastards” screech. It was also at that point that I realized I forgot my earplugs in Halifax (I believe, as I can't find them). No biggie, I'll go to a pharmacy to purchase some more.

I ate my breakfast in the washroom, as it was raining cats and dogs while I was packing up. No visits from bears while I was there. When I started cycling, the rain had stopped, but the humidity levels were quite high.

When the sun came out, the humidity seemed to be reduced at times, but it stayed fairly high for the rest of the day. It was probably a high 20's day, with the humidity bringing it up to mid thirties. The winds started after lunch, luckily at my back for most of the ride. (Thanks Joyce. That old Irish saying was true today. Top of the morning to you.)

What's neat about these towns around these parts, is that they have the Gaelic name of the town below the English name. Some are pretty close, but other's are way out there. What also threw me off a bit during the start of the ride were signs to local towns nearby: Aspen, Denver, Rocky Mountain, and Ohio. Where am I?

Cape Breton Isand. Not bad so far. The highway leading me to the Cabot Trail has nice pavement, wide shoulders, and gentle but long hills. Fun ride. The drivers here are saying hi (honking and waving) a fair bit. In these parts, they have to assume any cyclists they encounter is about to finish their x-country trek.

I arrived at the outlaws 15 minutes later than I anticipated. I didn't remember the directions correctly, so I didn't turn at the right moment at first (lost maybe 1-2 km), but the kicker was that I turned left instead of right to access the final stretch to my destination. That 2nd detour took me through a really rough unpaved road, where I was hoping that I wouldn't flat. In the morning, I'll get to see if I acquired a small snake-bite with a slow leak.

After supper, I was able to clean the bike a bit, replace my front brake pads, cut a hole in a wooden board for Stephanie's home-made Ouija board, and work on Christopher's bike. So, I felt useful.

Well, time to retire.

Air do dheagh Shlainte. (to your excellent health)

p

Day 57 - Halifax to Sherbrooke

2008-07-16T10:10:00.001-04:00

Halifax to Sherbrooke
220 km, sunny (high of 28, humidex 33)
Winds – calm, from the ocean.

It was a beautiful day, so I decided to go for a bike ride. What a ride it was. Two hundred and twenty km. Boy. (I'll let you in a little secret – it was easy today, very enjoyable. don't tell anyone though, this is just between you and me. i can't afford for people to think this trip is easy. I think I was smiling the whole time.). On the menu today: mainly winding and smooth roads with rolling hills, add shore-line biking, drain out any traffic (as much as possible) until there's virtually no cars, add a few drops of 1.5 meter waves crashing on the shore nearby, mix in a fairly constant cool breeze coming in from the ocean, and let simmer under the sun for 8h45 minutes. Result – one great ride.

The first thing to do this morning was to go see my name in print at the Dartmouth Trans-Canada Trail. Dem' folks wrote to me and told me it was in Halifax, not the (apparently) lower-class Dartmouth. But, I saw it. Neat feeling.

Climbing out of Dartmouth was fun. A bit of hills (I had to wake up my granny), and play with a bit of traffic. I decided to take a 10 km more detour to go along the shore, and to go through Cole Harbour to see if there was a sign of “Sidney Crosby's home town”. Nope. But, the road out of town, which eventually dumped me onto the 7, where I would ride that for the rest of the day (and a big chunk of tomorrow). Wow. Super nice detour. I found a super nice spot for surfing. Tons of surfers here. Waves were up to 1.5 metres. Screw Tofino for surfing, here's where I'm coming next. Sweet stuff here. I could hear the waves crashing on the shore from the road. Beautiful spots.

At the 40 km mark, I saw a sign I liked: “Serving breakfast all day”. I stopped in, as I semi-skipped breakfast in the morning (toasted bagel with cream cheese at Tim Horton's near the ferry). I had the Junior breakfast (egg, toasts, potatoes, bacon), and the half order of the Belgian waffle with fresh local strawberries and whipped cream. Delicious. Little Acadian town named Grand Desert. Folks from this corner are quite nice. Plus, more and more folks (about 10 today) wave as they drive by. Good sign.

Onto the 7, traffic was a big busier, but eventually became quieter once I was further away. It's there that the B-52's (music, not planes) coincidences started. Check out the pics to get what I'm talking about. The ride was basically along the coast the whole time, detouring around bays constantly. A little bit of construction, but it was still fast.

The riding was quite enjoyable. I hardly noticed that it was 5 hours into the ride, and I should stop for lunch. The grocery store wasn't too stocked up, so I bought a package of ham (close to 300 grams). A block of cheese was also purchased to add some more stuff on the three sandwiches. That was a heavy meal. I felt sluggish for up to an hour after lunch, with the water on occasion wanting to pull a Matt at Solstice. But, everything stayed down. Side note: there's some chatter that I should find a fast woman (biking wise) so I could do Hot August Nights Tag Team. But, we'll see. This would only fuel Paranoid Android's conspiracy theories, but would make a few other people have a chuckle here and there. Time will tell....

There's one section where I got freaked-out. I was riding, then something caught my eye on the left of me. It looked like there was a yard beside a house where there were random people just walking and standing there. But, no movement. It was like those zombie movies that I dont know much about. There were at least 20 mannequins. Weird. I stopped, stared for a bit, took pictures, tried to fight off that weird spooky feeling, then turned around and did a drive-by video. I do hope it will capture that feeling of biking by and spotting those freaks.

The riding was so easy today, it just felt right. I felt fresh. Ever have that not-so-fresh feeling? I felt good, legs felt great, but I'm sure I might of smelled a bit. Just a nice cruise today. I almost feel guilty that it was so pleasant. I could of gone for a long time, but decided to stop in Sherbrooke as there was nothing for another 50 km (no camping, no service stations, etc). Shower and early night trumped riding for another 2 hours.

In town, I bough a 650 ml Propeller IPA (room temperature), then headed to the grocery store to buy ice and the rest of the supplies for tonight/breakfast. I tapped into people's Internet in town, where a Swiss guy approached me. Nice fellow. He said he remembers passing me during the construction part. Neat tid-bit of info: Cancellara stayed at his place for 4 days, and Martin Gerber's sister lives right beside him. Gerber himself stays there in the summer (his town). He invited me to crash at his place if/when I decide to do Europe.

I went to the campground to eat and such. There, some Wyoming people saw me and said “We passed you on the road today, and we had a feeling we'd all be at the same place at the end of the day”. Cool. Two different crews from Wyoming, coming from different directions (one towards, and one from Cabot Trail), are here at the campsite. Nice little campsite on the waterfront, cheap (twenty bucks), and Internet is here too. My food is hung up in a tree. I wonder why?

I am now finishing the entry sitting in the bathroom while I recharge things. The IPA is doing well, but that's a big bottle. Luckily, I am close to the toilet. I feel like staying up a bit later tonight, as it's not a long day tomorrow (140 k or so).

Next stops – Glendale, Cheticamp, Ingonish, Baddeck, North Sydney. No backtracking, but few detours to visit different spots (including a little surprise – somewhere where I might get more class! - imagine that).

Lastly, I want to thank Ian and Luke for their hospitality, and to A for hooking me up. AS, A+.

Night night.

p

Rest Day - Halifax

2008-07-15T00:37:00.001-04:00

Rest day in Halifax, Nova Scotia

Busy day, busy day. Over 12 hours of being downtown.

Let's try to get some order in this entry.

Oh, but first 1. Mario, thanks. 2. Brenda-Lee, it's pedaling, not peddling. My peddling days are over. 3. jnicole, you're welcome. I must say I'm surprised, and honoured that you appear to be reading my entries fairly quick. merci.

bien, ca commence mal mon recit bien organise.

Ok. Touristy stuff that I saw: Keiths Brewery (with it's theatrical/entertaining tour), Brewery Market, Casino Nova Scotia (I lost my 40 bucks at the black jack table – I didn't have my good luck buddy with me, le “beau” Matthieu”), Cathedral Church of All Saints, Old Burying Ground, Halifax Citadel (the outskirts, as it was closed after 5 pm) and it's Naval clock, Halifax Metro Centre (where the Mooseheads play), Halifax Public Gardens (nice, peaceful, and lovely), Maritime Museum of the Atlantic (Titanic exposition, Halifax Explosion expo, and various stuff there), Old Town Clock, Pier 21 museum, St. Mary's Basilica, Tall Ships Quay, and a bit of the Jazz festival. I even went to the laundromat to do a load. Oh, and I walked around a bit.

Food. Had a quick bite to eat at the Cabin Coffee (I think it's called that) – take-out, as I wanted to drink a beer somewhere remote with the meal. Eventually, I ate at the Lower Deck (Privateer's roasted red pepper and caramelized onion dip with warm pita wedges, French Fry wedges with pesto mayo) with a Keith's Traditional Lager. For supper, I wanted sushi, since I dot think I can get good sushi in NFLD. But, when I got there, it was closed. Ate supper at the Economical Shoe Shop (weird name). Spring rolls with a spicy Thai sauce, followed by their Bouillabaise (with shrimp, mussels, and scallops, i a rose sauce seasoned with fresh herbs and spices). I had the Propeller IPA with the meal. For desert, they had cheese-cakes (chocolate mint, strawberry, or chocolate). I actually skipped out on that. Imagine that. During supper, there were these annoying 22 year old celebrating one of their birthdays. They were quite loud, very annoying. Yelling quite often like "Ya, give it up for Stacey (whatever the b-day girl's name was). Hi five!" One girl was especially loud. I really wanted to shove something in her mouth to shut her up. Maybe the styloid process of the ulna would of been a good start. It is know as the "soyez bonne" technique.

Now, on to the beer. It's an amazing thing when you sample a new beer and you are blown away by it. It happened today. I was surprised, and giddy. Keith's Traditional Lager is only brewed (and sold, I believe) here. But, it's not that crap I'm talking about. But, let's start in order.

Keith's brewery tour – sampled the beer mentioned above, then their red. Nothing special, just hype.

Afterwards, as I told the girl at Garrison's Micro-Brewery: “I just went to the Keith's Brewery tour, now I want some real beer”. Samples came quickly, with a smile. Raspberry Wheat, Tall Ships Amber Ale, Irish Red, Nut Brown, and the Unfiltered Imperial Pale Ale (6.9 %). Holy shit, that last one was amazing. Strong, bold, very hoppy taste, and something that I couldn't put my finger on, but my taste buds were going crazy. So was I. Eventually, the cutie behind the bar told me – white grapefruit. Damn, that was (is) amazing. I hope that when Joel and Carole go to Cape Breton, they can do a detour to Halifax to buy me a few Growlers of that stuff. Plus, Joel would be able to sample some good beer. Once you go good beer, you try not to go back (something like that). Sacrament, c'etait bon. Big Al, you gotta be here. You to Hardcore Dave. I wonder if that ruined it for the rest of the other beers to be sampled today. So good, I had another IPA (not India, but Imperial, just thought I should re-iterate that). I bought the Jalepeno beer (bottle) to take out, as they didn't have it on tap. I would have to find a spot to drink it in public, as it's not a bar there (license to sample, but not to serve beer). After the Keith's tour, and this, I was almost having a spin-on. Not bad for 2 pm. It might be a long day...

Propeller Micro-Breweryr. They make their own pops there too (like Garrison's). The beers: hmmm, I didn't write the names down. Ok, I remember they had a IPA, a nut brown, an amber, a red, and I think a cream ale. Damn. What was I thinking? I should check to see if I took some pictures. Maybe I should find it on the Internet later on. But, that takes time. Eventually.

(Top ten reasons to procrastinate: 1. )

Rogue's Roost Brewery. Good stuff, clean and crisp, but nothing spectacular. I would definitely drink that stuff anytime. Beers: Weizen (German style), Czech Pilsner (with imported Czech hops), they didn't have the Cream Ale (as stated on the taste-test page), IPA, Raspberry Wheat, Brown Ale, Red Ale, and an Amber (or Pale Ale?). I am going by memory, but it's in the on-line picture album.

Finally, Granite Pub. They had 6, I believe. Now, you know I am getting lazy, as I just took the picture of them. So, hold on, I'll go look at the pics to get the names. Best Bitter, Real Bitter Special, IPA, Ringwood Ale, Keefe's Irish Stout, and the Peculiar.

So, that was it. Busy day. Sampled many things. Didn't get sushi.

On the road again tomorrow. I just fixed a flat tonight – when I brought the bike in the preivous night, I realized it was flat. It deflated sometime between getting in, and bringing it in the house. I think I found out why – the tire is basically toast. That makes sense, the other one konked out at 4000 km. When I hit Dartmouth tomorrow (via the ferry, as it's 2 bucks, and supposedly nice), I'll hit 9000 km. Let's see if it's the cause of the last few days of flats.

It is now 1:30 am, I am now all packed, the blog is up to date (and the pics too), and I have to get up in 5 hours at the same time as Ian. I wonder if I'll take a nap somewhere tomorrow. It's maybe a 200 k day, so that should be interesting. Oh, I'll get to see my name in print tomorrow... Stay tuned.

Rock on,
p2

(seems like the beer writings took up half the entry. I'm laughing as i write this).
The old game of guessing which town in Quebec started with St/Ste – it was a bad joke. Just pointing out that 80 % of the towns start with a St/Ste. But, I found it funny. Hell, I'll laugh at almost anything (much easier to live that way).

New game – how many kms will I end up doing? The winner gets to go riding with me (I'll bring a pizza for the road, and a beer or two).

Do I do Cape Breton clockwise or counter-clockwise? It's tricky to go to Glendale, then the Cabot Trail, then head to North Sydney, while trying not to back-track or do the same road twice. But, I think I figured it out. Any suggestions?

p

Day 56 - Mount Thom to Halifax

2008-07-14T09:11:00.000-04:00

Mount Thom to Halifax
134 km. Overcast, with periods of light to heavy rain
Winds – low to mid twenty km/h, with gusts, headwind

Hurricane Bertha, in the Atlantic Ocean, originally a category 2 storm, is the cause of these winds and rain. Fun. It should be getting better in the next few days.

I have gone the furthest South for this part of the trip. From now on, it is North-West (basically, with detours, of course).

The spot I stayed at last night turned out to be quite good. No bears, so I was fairly safe (I wasn't sure when I went to bed). When I was packing up, I felt a few drops of rain. Luckily, it didnt' turn out to be anything, but I still had to hurry since there was no fly on the tent.

The tire felt soft when I left, so the first thing to start the ride was to change the tube. Just part of the process. The ride itself to Truro (30 km) was decent – nice pavement, and ok winds. In Truro, I was able to do a bunch of work to have all my papers in order so I can start work in 3 weeks or so. The lttle things I am stressing about are slowly reducing. Now, I can just think of the people who I wish I could be around them to help them out in their current shituations. I hope my thoughts sends them positive vibes. Courage, et j'arrive bientot pour essayer d'aider.

Rest of the ride – on/off rain, with downpours here and there. Nice scenery from Grand Lake (30 km before Halifax) and beyond. Pavement decent only in that last part, but the bit from Truro to there was quite rough at times. With the rain today, not much opportunities to take pictures of things. I didn't even find a “Welcome to Halifax” sign with the highway I took into town.

I made it at Ian's place, a cousin of my new landlord. (en passant, un stress de moins maintenant, gros merci). Feels a bit like frat boys, but behaved. Good steak dinner, with cooked spinach, tomato, and a (new to me) seed called quinoa. Apparently, the oldest seed there is. It is quite tasty, and very healthy. Fun times at the table to, talking about trips, surfing, which direction to do the Cabot Trail, etc, over a few beers. One of the hot topics today was differentiating between a causeway and a bridge. Does the latter consist of an overhead suspension system, or can it rely strictly on piers. I believe I have the answer now.

After a few beers, we headed out to the hot spot for donair meat. We each had a donair pogo, with the (what I call) maritime donair sauce (sugary garlic sauce), and I ate a small donair on top of that. The spot is known to the locals as the best location for the meat.

Tomorrow, rest day, I will be a tourist for the touristy spots. But, besides the Keith's brewery, I found out there is 4 micro-breweries. So, when I'm done with the touristy stuff, and went to the “ok stuff” beer, I will head to the “good stuff” beer joints. Of course, I will eat a bit here and there.

So, I will report back to you in a day or so.

So long, from your favourite traveling Chia Pet (TM).

p

(pics uploaded, up to date)

Day 55 - Charlottetown (PEI) to Mount Thom (NS)

2008-07-13T10:24:00.000-04:00

Charlottetown (PEI) to past Mount Thom (NS)
115 km, sunny, high of 25 (29 with humidex)
Winds – against me, 30 km/h winds, with gusts up to 37 k/h

Blah. Blase, blase. The winds were strong right from the start, and in my face. The mp3 player gave me a little treat though. There are two albums that the songs are just labled “Track 01, Track 02, etc”. Those two albums: Portishead (Portishead), and The Cure (Bloodflowers). So, the music would alternate between the two albums. Bring out the heroin. It was one of those days that I just looked ahead by 10-15 feet, pedaled, and soaked-up the tunes. Besides those two albums, a few other tracks were labeled the same: one by Hawksley Workman, and two by Amy Winehouse (To Know Him Is To Love Him, Unholy War), which kept up with the mood that was previously established. After that run was done, I continued with more Portishead.

Backtrack a bit. When I was writing the entry last night, in that awesome lounge, I was joined by Melanie. She's an Aussie (of of many around here, and surprisingly to me, many Japanese that moved here), works as the hostel for the past 9 months. The chat was nice, but it also tapped into my needed beauty sleep. She too was quite tired, and was slowly becoming part of the couch. Eventually, she slowly went home, and I finished my entry. Later, her pal (I forgot his name) comes in, fairly wasted, and we start up a conversation. He had two Canadian beers left, which one became mine. Free beer, even though sub-par quality, I will still take it. That lasted probably an hour, so that definitely put me in debt again. I figured I would have a total of 8 hours of sleep in the past 2 nights. Nice.

The morning came quickly (once I went to bed). The breakfast at the hostel was mainly a variety of breads, and some fruit. To my surprise, they had a jar of Saskatoon berries – I finished what was left of it. After I updated the blog and pictures, I headed to the information centre to find out where was located the pavilion of the Trans-Canada Trail, as I have to take a picture of the name that is engraved there. They were completely lost, and the Internet didn't help them out any further. So, I did my own search on the Internet. Within 2 minutes, I informed them of the spot, where it turned on a light in their noggin (they forgot about that spot).

Off I went to find it, and I found what I needed. Cool. Her name made it on the first of the three boards (therefore one of the first batch of people to make a donation). It's cool to be a part of that. My name, well, it'll be in Halifax where I will find it.

I left late to start with, and lost a bunch of time at the Information Centre (also talking to folks about the bike trip). I pondered doing a 60 k TT to try to catch the ferry for a specific time, but nixed that pretty quick. Had a quick lunch on the edge of town, then just faced the wind for the next 3 hours.

At one point, I pulled off the road to buy a quart of strawberries. I also noticed potato fudge, which I bought it, and split it with another person who was curious about it as well. I haven't tasted it yet. The quart of strawberries ended up in the front pannier, and I ate the whole thing within 5 km of riding. I think I got my fruit quota for the day. Tasty, great strawberries.

The ferry. I plugged the computer and mp3 to recharge, and just slept on and off. At the end, I was out, and had to be woken up by an attendant.

New Scotland. Nova Scotia. Eight provinces done, two more to go. I had to head South to then start heading West again. Gees, more detours. Seeing signs that stated “Cape Breton – 89 km East, Halifax – 119 km West”. The trip would be a lot shorter if I just went East. But, no, I have to do this. The winds weren't nice. There's going to be some bad weather coming soon, as the winds were from the East, and South. So, we'll see what happens in a few days.

I decided to keep on biking to reduce the amount of kms I would have to do tomorrow to kick it into Halifax, where I have another rest day. I think there's going to be lots to do there. My friends, Kim and Sean, ended up being shipped to sea and to Base Borden. Dang. Revenons a nos moutons. So, I kept on biking.

After some groceries for the evening and breakfast, I headed back out on the road. If you remember that the mp3 was playing song titles that started with “Track”, some of you might have an idea of what song came a bit later. That was a nice moment, as the winds did stop for 20 minutes or so. Later on, it was back to the grind. My companion in my ears was Saez for a few albums.

I found an abandoned house on the side of the road, surrounded by little pine trees. I thought I could go on biking for another 30-60 minutes, but decided to stop for the night. I took advantage of the light, and took out my sowing kit so I could sow a screen patch to cover the rip on the tent. Lazy night. But, now, I get to just stare at the ¾ full moon and crash.

So, semi-blah day. There are a few avenues I can take with a day like this, but in my opinion, I'm choosing the best one: turn the page.

Ciao,

p

*** I'm a total dork. I was convinced my god-daughter's birthday was in August. Two days ago. Shit. I'm a bad godfather. Dork. Sorry Paige and crew. I'll try to make it up. There goes me trying to finish my rip a day or two earlier so I could show up as a surprise to her birthday party. dork.

Day 54 - Moncton (NB) to Charlottetown (PEI)

2008-07-12T09:52:00.001-04:00

Moncton (NB) to Charlottetown (PEI)
176 km, nice sunny day
Winds favourable in NB, and all over the place in PEI

As I was enjoying my Darkhorse Ale at the Gahan House Brewering company, I was just letting things sink in. This still isn't real. I am currently sitting on a grey leather couch, in a garage converted into a lounge, walls painted red, pool table in front of me, Beatles pictures on the wall along various paintings and mirrors, beside an old-style metal fridge, while listening to Dazed and Confused (Led Zeppelin, The Song Remains The Same, 1976) on the record player. This isn't real. There is a few things missing – one of them is another beer. I could steal someone's beer in the fridge, but I can't get myself to do that.

Today. Nice day to ride all around. I left Moncton and joined Marcel, from Ottawa but vacationing in Dieppe, and he escorted me to the PEI bridge. It was great to ride with him, he knows how ti ride (smooth rider, good etiquette, good pace). He does have more than one speed (his usual fast), he was able to ride constantly slow with me today. On top of being my guide to this part of the country, he was also my photographer.

Near lunchtime, he introduced me to deep-fried clams. Not too bad. Greasy too. We stopped in at his girlfriend's parent's cottage to eat the greasy meal, where they also fed me lobster tail. Nice folks, typical NB hospitality. Must be the Frenchies around here.

The bridge – massive. I didn't read the fact sheet on it yet, but I did see a documentary on it in the past. Beautiful. You can see it from pretty far too. No biking allowed, but there was a free shuttle taking us across (pay when you come back, or pay the ferry on the other side of the Island).

The Island – nothing spectacular to take pictures. Just kidding. Flat it isn't. I was hoping not to wake up my granny for today, but I had no choice at times. I decided to venture a bit and stay off (as much as possible) the Trans-Canada. I admit that I didn't make the best decision (but no way of knowing otherwise) with one of the roads I took. Things were rolling nicely, until I saw an uphill (following a long downhill) of red sand. Thinking it might be a short discontinuation of the road, I kept going. Eight km later or so, with some tricky sections, and lots of horse tracks, I got out. Interesting. I guess I was off-road riding today.

Charlottetown. Nice city. I got the scoop on what to visit from the folks at the Information centre, then went directly to the hostel for a shower so I can start my touristy thing before it gets dark. Lovely hostel. That garage lounge thing impressed me from the start. A word came into my head that I associate Charlottetown with: vintage. Historical would be the second word, as it's pretty rich in things that shaped Canada.

The city is fairly small, with the downtown core quite doable in a few hours. Few nice Victorian homes too. There's a Jazz festival happening at the moment; I was able to sample a bit of the great music.

After my touristy jaunt, I headed for the micro-brewery, the Gahan House. Nice beers. The one that impressed me the most was the Darkhorse; a dark ale with a hint of chocolate. The meal: bacon-wrapped scallops as an appertiser, followed by the recommeneded Gahan burger (typical bacon cheese burger, nothing special). But, all was tasty. Desert was a deep dish warm pecan pie with vanilla ice cream.

I spent some time figuring options for possible destination points, and also had a long look at Cape Breton and what kind of days I could be looking at.

But, I must say that there's four highlights of the day: riding with Marcel, PEI itself, the beer at the micro-brewery, and sitting here with Zeppelin playing in the background.

So, I will now retire for the night, and hope to have a nice lovely sleep. I believe I can have an easy day tomorrow, with an average day the day after where I will have a rest day in Halifax. Tomorrow, I am done with the 8th province.

Marcel stated today that he enjoys the blog, as it's not just about biking, but “half of it is about beer and food”. I hope I get to entertain a few of you lovely folks.

Love you guys, and see you soon.

Pierre

Rest Day - Moncton

2008-07-11T19:22:00.000-04:00

Rest day in Monkey-town.

Nice sunny day, not too hot.

A good day to relax and do a few errands. First on the list – fix the dish on the wheel. That turned out quite well. I guessed by how much I had to shift it over, and it turned out excellent when I tried the wheel at home. Lucky. I did get a chance to see a bit of the Tour at the bike shop.

Afterwards, Paul-Rene and I went to a few spots to see what can be done about a broken part on his mast. He also took me to his sailboat – nice little “beaut”, a twenty-footer.

Lunch was at the bottling part of The Pump House brewery. Moncton's oldest micro-brewery (circa 1999), as it's the only one that basically got started here. Side note – Pizza Delight was started here. The owner of it now owns the chain of Mike's restaurants, and the Baton Rouge chain too. Impressive for this little town. On the menu for today: “The burger that ate Moncton”, which consists of a 6 oz beef patty, topped with chipotle rib meat, fried onions, cheese, and bacon. Very tasty. Sweet potato fries (huge) was my side dish. Paul had the “messed-up poutine”, which is a regular poutine (with two types of cheese), and the rib meat on top. It definitely looked “messed-up”. Pics don't look too appetizing. Yes, beer was the beverage of choice.

After a bit more running around for more parts for his boat, we then headed home for a little breather. Near 6 o'clock, we headed downtown to check out these tides. Since a ritzy part of the city built a lake, and had a sort-of damn put in years ago, it screwed up the tides. Now, only a foot of water comes in (compared to the 6-10 feet as before). So, for a period of 20 minutes, we watched maybe a foot or so of water rushing in. It's neat to see a small, slow wave coming in, but it wasn't what I was hoping for. I guess I'll have to see Hopewell Rock in the Bay of Fundy to see the World's biggest tides. Those puppies, I hear, are huge.

Afterwards, since I had too many things to do, I decided not to join Paul-Rene and Mel to a BBQ. This way, I could go to the Pump House downtown (again) for more brewskies and a meal, spend some time at the car show, spend some time at their place to get “pretty” (hair cut, pluck the mono-brow), laundry, drink more beer, pack, and maybe go to bed early. The latter didn't happen. It is currently a quarter to 1, and I am almost done my work (just blog stuff to do, and upload the pics).

Since I am in NB, and it's my last day, I had to sample the big beers from here. I went to the liquor store to get two specific beers – Moosehead, and Alpine. I've never had the latter. Let's just say that Moosehead is the “good stuff”, and Alpine (also made by Moosehead) is the “ok stuff”. The teenagers drink Alpine, and the adults drink Moosehead. So, I purchased them both, plus another one I wasn't aware – Picaroon's blonde ale, from Fredericton. After coming home from the Pump House and sampling good beer, tasting the Alpine wasn't good. I didn't know if I could drink more than a few “tastes”, but I was a trooper and “got the t-shirt”. I decided not to tap into the Moosehead (500ml), and just go for the Blonde Ale. Oh, that was nice. Mmmmm.

Oh, Pump House. I almost forgot. Every beer is tasty, but I preferred the SOB (special old bitter, I believe it is called), and the Scotch Whiskey Ale. The Cadian Cream Ale (name is a mix of Canadian and Acadian) was quite good, and so was the blueberry ale (with blueberries in it). The stout was quite light. IPA and Wheat are good, they get a passing grade. Meal: the chipotle burger (includes cheese, ranch dressing) with a Caesar salad. Starters were Pepperoni poppers (fried pepperoni chunks with a honey/plum dipping sauce). On top of the tasters, I had another Scotch Whiskey Ale. Desert – I decided to do it again. The white-chocolate blueberry cheesecake was the choice. Very very good.

Alright, that was basically my day. Not a lot of things done, but somehow I still manage to use many words to describe my day. Tomorrow, I have a guide to lead me out of NB – Marcel. He resides in Ottawa, but originates from Dieppe (Moncton). He will ride with me to the Confederaton Bridge (an engineer masterpiece), where I will take the shuttle (can't ride on the 13 km bridge, except for on Canada Day). I should be in Charlottetown at night, the town where our confederation was created (thus tbasically the start of our country).

So, signing off. Poca.

p
(updated from Charlottetown, PEI, on the 12th of July).

Day 53 - Fredericton to Moncton

2008-07-10T15:40:00.005-04:00

Lincoln to Moncton
180 km, 7 hrs
Overcast in the morning, sunny, hot (28) and humid (35) in the afternoon
Winds – tailwind 5-10 km in the morning, tail/cross 15 in the afternoon

Happy birthday to my younger sister. She must be 34 now. I guess I should call her, as she doesn't read this. I am sure I lost a few readers along the way. Probably like the play-offs, I might get a few readers back on board when I am very close to the end. I dont blame the dropped readers, this is a long trip, with long entries. It must be time consuming for some.

Well I don't know, I don't know where to begin,
I am North American,
And for those that think I am from Quebec,
Well, I'm not, so.
(LCD)

Nice day. Scorcher at times in the afternoon, but a pleasant ride.

Oh, but first. The prior night. I didn't put on my fly, so I was watching some shooting stars. I did wish a few things for me, and for a few others, but I didn't say “I wish upon a star”. I wonder what the rule is on that. At 2 am, I felt a few rain drops. I quickly put on my sandals, went outside, and my entire body (except for the majority of my feet) was at the mercy of mosquitoes as I threw on the fly. After I was done, those few rain drops stopped. Argh.

The mosquitoes were crazy yesterday. When I threw (literally) my stuff inside the tent as quickly as possible, I managed to get around 20 or so mosquitoes inside the tent. I spent a good 5 minutes on a killing rampage. Now, there's blood here and there inside the tent. Bit freaky, actually. The floor looked like Jonestown (but with bugs).

The roads – the old Trans-Canada was nice. Big shoulders, but that didn't matter. I could of ridden on the road itself as there was no cars. Pas un chat. Well, did find one, and tested an old saying. It's true, I swung it by it's tail and didn't hit a single thing.

At the 80 k mark, I stopped for a long lunch (which means boiling water to finish the pasta and Alfredo sauce that I started the night before, as it will go bad without being refrigerated (but you know that). Bill, the guy at the info centre gave me his card and asked me to call him if I got into trouble on the way to Moncton.

I did notice that where there is more of a French population, they enjoy the cyclists more (i.e. wave). North NB, and close to Moncton. Small note.

The road into Moncton was pristine. No trucks are allowed there, and the pavement is probably 5 years old. Smoother than poop out of a ducks bum. I really enjoyed those roads. I could ride in the middle of the lane (no shoulder), and there would hardly be any cars.

On the map, near Moncton, I noticed that the Magnetic Hill was close. I chose to go. What a treat. The locals don't think much of it, but I found it quite hallucinating. Total illusion. I stood there (on the bike) on “top” of the hill, staring “down” the “bottom” of the hill. I started riding down (not pedaling), then I would be halted by the “uphill”. I had to pedal to the “bottom” of the hill. Ok, I am overdoing it with the quotations, but you get the picture. When I got to the end, I would turn around, stop, and then just let myself be “pulled” up the hill. I hope the video captures it. Keep in mind I was stopped, and I didn't pedal. I reached speeds of 22 km/hr (all loaded up with my bags). Weird. I did it a few times. It's free for the bike. Cars drive down, stop, and let themselves get pulled up that hill backwards. Fun to watch too.

I later headed towards Melanie and Paul-Rene's place. SMelly was one of my roommates from school – 3 years with that girl. Good ol' Capricorn. I bought a bottle of wine (Carmen, Chili, as recommended by Yvette), as Mel's a wino. I also went through drive-through at Burger King with the bike, and didn't have to make car-noises (Christine, I didn't have to).

We eventually made our way down to the Pump House – the local micro-brewery that won the brewery of the year award in 2004 (or so). Good beer. Had the taster – 9 x 2 oz. There was the usual stuff, and a new one for me – the blueberry beer (with floating blueberries in there). As I forgot my camera, I will go back tomorrow and order more beer (and more food). As I was a bit peckish, I ordered the Brie cheese with roasted garlic, with beer bread and pear. Tasty. P-R gave me a slice of his wood-oven baked Chipotle chicken pizza. Quite delicious. Something that was highly recommended there was the chipotle pork sandwich.

Tomorrow, rest day, off to Shediac to help P-R fix his sailboat, play a bit with my wheel, check out Main Street (closed-off as +++ cars are on display of all generations – dad, I think you would like it here this week-end), check out the Tidal waves (raises 10 feet within 10 minutes), and some shopping for the trip. But, let's not forget, I have more tasty food to sample, and of course, more beers.

Do, if you get to read this, bonne chance avec ton voyage. Have fun. Enjoy a great meal in Charevoix, and don't skip the 362 (?), the highway that goes along the fleuve through St-Irenee to La Malbaie.

Je vous aime la gang, and I'll see you guys quite soon. La fin arrive, je le sens. J'ai hate, et j'ai un peu pas hate.

(the video - i am stopped at the bottom, and just get pulled up the hill without pedaling at all. i know what you are thinking - my bike is aluminium, so what's magnetic that's getting pulled. My metal plate inside my skull?)

p2

Day 52 - Perth-Andover to Fredericton

2008-07-09T23:46:00.001-04:00

Perth-Andover to Lincoln
190 km, mainly sunny, hot and humid
Winds – 15-20 km/h, 1/3 headwind, ½ cross, rest tailwind

Where to start. At the start of the ride, it was raining a bit (drizzle), but subsided after an hour. The sun came out after that, followed by the hot and humid weather. Another scorcher, and the bystanders commented on it when I pulled over for a rest and such. It didn't make the roadkill smell nice.

There are 18 different ways to get to where I wanted to go today. This part of New Brunswick is weird. There are also 18 ways to get to Moncton from here. Yes, I am exaggerating a bit, but look at the map and you'll see what I'm talking about. Side-roads galore, but nothing straight-forward. From Hartland, I chose a route that seemed less humid after a while, but just trees and hills. I did encounter some construction for 5 km, and some fairly rough (potholes galore) roads in Millville. There, the hot topic was the roads. Tons of signs for “fix our roads”, sometimes spray-painted on the road, and also the topic of conversations in the little shop I stopped to fill up my water bottles, grab a Pepsi, and an ice-cream cone. The flavours were interesting. I only remember two names; Death by chocolate, and pineapple-orange. I had the latter. Quite tasty.

For the first part, as I was on the old Trans-Canada Hwy, the shoulders were nice all the way to Hartland. The big thing for that part of the ride was the tunes. On the mp3 player came a string of songs that I just got lost into them. Seductive Barry* (Pulp), September Lily (Hawksley Workman), Sergio's Theme* (Deep Dish), Seven Lonely Days (Patsy Cline), Seven Notes in Black* (Vince Tempera, Kill Bill OMPS). After a little interlude, Silverf*ck (Smashing Pumpkins) came on, followed by Sing* (Blur), Sing* (Dresden Dolls), and Sing For The Moment* (Eminem) (music basically by Aerosmith). The * indicate great tunes that I had to ride with my eyes closed for 5 seconds at a time. It was great. The Pumpkins song reminded me of the Texas training camp back in 94, where that album was the album for the trip (for all the boys in the van). Great day for tunes. Plus, add a Cure song here and there, some Radiohead, some Saez, and even some Dresden Dolls, and you've got a great mix. Near Fredericton, I popped in Dr. Dre's Chronic 2001, a very solid album (in my top 20, if not in the top ten). I think that was the big thing of the day – just getting lost in the music.

In Hartland, I rode (through and back) the World's longest covered bridge. That's basically the only touristy thing I did today. In Fredericton, it was too late to visit the information centre, and touristy landmarks seemed all over the place (that tower, the Universities), so I just kept rolling out of town heading East. I did notice a few little houses on the waterfront that I found had charm. Fredericton almost ended up being the city where I was going to start my new career. I would of left my home province, family and friends to come here. It was something I'd do for a girl I was dating. After the break-up, I still thought it was the place I was going to end up. But, Ottawa had a few tricks up it's sleeve. Family, friends, work opportunities, and the city itself all snuck into me a bit more and didn't want to let go. So, I am happily staying in Ottawa, where reside the majority of the great folks that I know.

Today was also the first time I got chased by a dog. Teeth were out, and the bark was loud. Big dog. They were just protecting their territory, and didn't come close. But, scared me though. My leg hairs were standing on end, felt tingly actually.

The word of the day that I heard: “feller”, as in “that feller engineer that fixes the roads”.

For sleeping, I didn't score a free night in a hotel, but did find along the road a business that was for sale. I checked out the back, and it was deserted, with nice flat area. I stopped, ate there, no one bothered me (pretty sheltered), so I pitched the tent up, and went to bed (nice run-on sentence there).

Tomorrow, off to Monkey-town, where I will spend two nights and a rest day. I shall try to fix the dish of my rear wheel, change my front brakes (they are worn out, all since Sudbury!), be a tourist, and stay with Smelly. Sweet.

So, that's another entry. I hope you enjoyed the not-so-long entry.

Tere naba. Head naba. Sinu Poorane.

Bonjour, salut la visite.

p2

Day 51 - St-Quentin to near Perth-Andover

2008-07-08T18:16:00.001-04:00

St-Quentin to Perth-Andover
126 km, slightly overcast, then sunny, hot and humid (+++)
Winds – crosswinds, negligable

New Brunswick is in the midst of a little heat wave. It's very humid here for the past few days.

Luxury – start the day off with a shower, and a big breakfast. The latter consisted of two bowls of Fruit Loops, one bowl of raisin bran, glasses of orange, apple, and fruit punch juices, two toasts with Grenache caramel, a bagel with raspberry jam, and a blueberry muffin. Mmmmm. Pierrette joined me during my breakfast, and I learnt about the Auberge. It's new – just over 2 years old. Funny stories about the contractor vs the inspector. Plus, new (local) word "patchouie", as in "ca sent patchouie icitte".

The nice roads continued today – new pavement (mostly) for the first 60 km until I hit the old Trans-Canada Hwy, then older pavement but with big shoulders with the latter. For the past 400 km though, there is a lot of broken glass from beer bottles being thrown out of the cars – tell-tale sign of drinking and driving. I dont drink and bike, I drink then bike (in moderation, of course).

On the way to Grand-Falls/Grand-Sault (the town has both English and French names, so it's a bit long to write all the time), my mp3 player was playing Rear-View-Mirror, by Pearl Jam. I thought it was quite appropriate for what part of the province I was heading in. A few of you will know what I'm talking about. A little peep inside of my Samsonite, I dont like people who have no memory, which leads to no conscience (I guess it can be the other way around). As Zack de la Rocha one sang, “Ignorance is bliss”.

Today was a social day. In Grand-Falls/Grand-Sault, over lunch, I chatted with a couple from MTL who were touring N-E USA and a bit of the maritime. I didn't expect the conversation to be that long, but I guess I can gab a bit at times.

Afterwards, I visited someone from my past. It was extremely nice to see them. Unfortunately, it was only for ¾ of an hour. I really wanted to stay longer and chat. They looked quite good – I was really glad to see her with a smile on her face. Authentic. Whatever she is doing, keep on doing. Bottom line, it's all about quality of life. QoL is something I try to follow as much as possible (something I've learnt in the past 12 months), and something I try to keep in mind as much as possible for the people under my care in my career.

Afterwards, back roads to my destination. I asked someone if I was heading in the right direction. They were a Newfie, so the conversation lasted a bit more than a few minutes. They were currious of this toothpick guy dressed like Richard Simmons (well, close), riding a bike wearing funny shoes. She informed me that in NFLD, she'd be extremely surprised if no-one offered me a spot to crash at on any given night. I think I have a challenge (well, to come out of my shell a bit and ask in a tricky way if I can crash at their place). I can't wait until I am on the island (for a few different reasons).

Got to my unofficial B & B near supper time. The original plan was to pay a visit to those folks, and be on my way. But, he insisted that I crash at their place, and join them for supper. They were heading out to Caribou, Maine (USA) for Chinese food at a restaurant I've previously been. The “B & B” guy is a nice fellow, who likes to give, and gets insulted if you say no. So, I agreed, and he appreciated it. So, I went to the States. If the folks I visited weren't home, or unavailable, I was going to try to cross the border with my motor-home and few pieces of ID and ride the border for a bit. But, technically, I would of missed a bit of Canada, so this trip would not be cross-Canada. Hmmm, something to be debated.

I was also dealing with some abdominal cramps today. My guesses: big breakfast, and/or the big fatty supper the night before, and/or the extra (compared to lately) bran I've been taking. The bread loaf I have now is a double-bran, which I had a sandwich after eating that 9 inch pizza and 9 inch round garlic bread the night before. But, nice trips to the bathroom subsided those puppies.

Now, I am full of MSG, ate quite a bit at the Chinese place, and hopefully took care of my thirst as my body is now full of MSG. Fortune cookie - “You are the man of righteousness and integrity” (in bed).

I will soon retire for the night, let my electronic appliances charge up, and sleep in a bed. What kind of touring am I doing? Not roughing it too much. But, free trumps many things.

For those who were hoping to hear me talk about the lobster cooked in champagne – I didn't have time to find the spot, and no one (not even the information centre) knew of a place that did it. So, maybe I'll just have to wait until Glendale....

Bonne nuit,

p2

Day 50 (really) - Carleton (PQ) to St-Quentin (NB)

2008-07-07T08:54:00.001-04:00

Carleton (PQ) to St-Quentin (NB)
163 km, sunny (high of 29, 33 with humidex)
Windy – 20+ k/h with gusts in the low 30's (headwind)

Short version:

New Brunswick, new time zone, headwind for 6 hours, 8000+ km, nice people in NB, scored in St-Quentin.

Semi-long version:

I woke up at 4 am to the sunrise. Nice, but I wanted to sleep more. I left late from Carleton (nice sleep – slowly caught up from the lack of sleep during my rest day stop-over). After i finally found an internet connection in town, I updated the blog and pictures, read the always-appreciated comments, and checked my email, I jetted out of town. Well, crawled is a more appropriate word.

The winds were not pleasant today. Westernish winds, and I am heading West. Relentless, but not like in the prairies. With the heat, it helped to keep me a bit cooler (or I could pull an Abraham Solstice 2007), but I worked hard. It was a bit of a work-out on the bike today. When I finally reached Campbelltown, New Brunswick, I finally got my average speed to 20. Besides the day from Gaspe to Perce (average 19.7), it was in the prairies that I dipped below 20 k/h. I didn't want another day of that. After leaving town, the speed was below 20 k/h again. Gees. I finally was able to hit 20 k/h again at the 100 k mark, but the 11 % 2 km hill brought it down again. That hill had a cool-down period, a 3 k at 6 %. Fun. The upper part of NB has a little mountain range to go through, nice long gradual hills. At the 6 hr mark of the ride, near 115 km, I finally reached the 20 k mark and didn't look back. Finished the day at 21 k/h.

The winds died down after I switched direction – was heading West/Southwest for a while, then Southbound. It was also 6-7 pm (I lost an hour with the time zone change, had a long lunch in Campbelltown, and left late in the morning). The goal was to reach at least Kegwick, but hopefully St-Quentin as the goal set last night, St-Leonard, was unattainable. So, at least I am happy how the day turned out after battling the heat and winds.

What was nice were the roads – nice shoulders, mostly new pavement (especially in NB). Plus, when I got to NB, lots of people honked to say “hi”, or even waited for me to go by before getting onto the highway, sporting a super big smile and waving. definitely nice people, tres chaleureux.

I got info of a B & B in St-Quentin, so I seeked it out. I dont know if it's the one I found, but I got to an Auberge of some sort (Auberge Evasion de reves) near the far edge of town. I inquired about just putting my tent in the back as I am in bear country again (just outside of town, not in town). I just explained I was trying to save a bit of money, and be safe. She had no problem with it, and didn't want to accept any money. I also, just for fun, inquired how much for a room - $110 for the night. Pierrette, the owner, then offered me a shower in the morning when one of the guests leaves. Sweet. After that, she offers me a free continental breakfast. Super sweet. Super nice.

I then headed a bit back in town to get a pizza and garlic bread. Busy town, as its their Western fair (b ig country jamboree, even a cowgirl beauty competition).

When I was eating the pizza after being all set-up, the daughter of the owner comes to the tent. (you know where this is going). Anyways, she says “my mom wants to talk to you”. I put on my shoes, and go see her. She was offering me a room for free. They were insisting I take it, even offered me help to take down my tent and such. But, I was all set up, and couldn't take their generous offer. I like it outside, nice breeze, quiet, and I am quite comfortable in the tent (as odd as it might seem). It's free, so that's good (so is the room, but that's luxury). Maybe next time.

So, the day started a bit rough (relatively speaking), but ended quite nicely.

Odd bits and pieces.

I am now officially over the 8000 km mark.

New province (6 down, the 4 smallest to do), new time zone (Atlantic).

Remember La Malbaie, where a pick-up truck cut me off? I read in the papers that 2 car speed racers (aka yahoos) died there a few days ago. Probably not the same person, but on an unrelated note, crazy behaviour like that – I call it natural selection.

Tour de France – a TT on the 3rd day? That's crazy!

Last night, around supper, I bike by a house having a BBQ. Boy did that ever smell nice. It was killer.

I passed through a town today called St-Simeon. Quebec has two St-Simeon? Odd, don't you think?

Let's play a game. I am thinking of a Quebec town that starts with St or Ste. Can you guess which town I am thinking of?

Alright, time for bed.

I hope everyone has a swell day.

p2

Day 50 (?) perce to carleton

2008-07-06T10:59:00.000-04:00

Perce to Carleton
194 km, sunny, hot and fairly humid
Winds – 10-25 km/h, in all directions

After reaching where I planned on staying for the night, I decided to keep going as the conditions (wind, light, roads) were favourable.

Somethings I forgot to write about the Perce Rock: you can not walk around it anymore, and there is around 300 tons of rock that fall from it yearly. When I was there, that's basically a ton of rock gone. It is close to 500 metres long, 90 metres high, and just as thick in some spots,

Leaving Perce, the winds were almost inexistent, and in my favour. It was a nice ride out. Oddly enough, the tune on the mp3 was “Like A Rock”, Seger.

Just a little while longer, I run into the 2 girls from France who were staying at the hostel for the nights I was there. They were hitch-hiking. We all wondered if we'd see each other again, as we're heading in the same direction.

At the 30 k mark, the winds started getting stronger, and in my face. They stayed that way for another 50 k. That was a bit draining. The average speed just dropped. I stopped for lunch in Port-Daniel, as I heard there was a neat little train tunnel (100 metres) all dug up by hand (no dynamite), and it is fairly pitch black when you walk through, Neat.

The wind finally died down to 10 k at the 100 k mark. From there, it was at my back, and the road switched direction (from South-West to North-West). But, the big thing of the day is that the shoulders were excellent. I was able to just ride, to lose myself – in the music, in the moment (I owned it, and I never let it go).

The scenery was nice, as I was riding on the coast for most of the day. Hills weren't bad at all. The wind was the toughest thing today (and the heat).

I wanted to poach camp, but didn't know where. But, I lucked out. I saw a big sign for camping in Carleton, so I followed it to see if I could sneak in. It lead me to a beach, where I saw two tents side by side on the shore. Sweet. I just went a bit further on the shore, and pitched the tent. I didn't put the top layer on the tent, so I get to enjoy the breeze off the Baie de chaleurs, and to look at the quarter moon, stars, and the occasional fire-works. Drawback – people who walk by get to see me in my little “cage”. It's kind of funny. I even ventured into the bay for a little skinny dip to clean up.

So, nothing major today, except that I can see New Brunswick from here, and that I seem to have a nice camping spot. I get to go to sleep to the waves crashing on shore.

Alright, I hope you are all doing well.

A la prochaine chicane.

p2
(pics updated. click on entry title)

Rest Day - Perce

2008-07-05T10:27:00.000-04:00

Rest day – Perce et L'anse a beaufils
(20-25 km of biking, but it doesn't count – I purposely didn't put on my computer today)

Nice little busy day.

Bedtime was around 1 am last night. After I drank the two beers I bought, I helped one guy finish his brown pop before retiring for the night.

In the morning, I had to be at the kayak spot for 9 am. Too early for me. But, I made it. We had to wait on this one couple for a good half hour before we could suit up and go. Too bad, as I could have been in bed longer. The kayak was great – went around the rocher, to the Three Sisters (three peaks on the edge of town), and back. A good 2 hours or so. I had a chance to see a few seals, and a whale that was coming up for air here and there. Unfortunately, I was too slow to retrieve the camera from the dry bag to take a picture of them.

Afterwards, I was fairly hungry. I tried this little spot in town. Decent food, but overpriced. I felt like a pizza, but settled for a lobster club, with a poutine, and a Cheval Blanc blanche beer. Ok beer (blanches are hit and miss, I find), and the club wasn't bad.

I was then off to the boat cruise near the Rocher Perce (but not as close as with the kayak), and then around the Bonaventure Island. I was the only one on board, so I had a fun chat with Marie, the Parks Canada guide. On top of the usual touristy speal she gives on board, we also talked about some bike trips we both did. She is quite interested in doing xCanada. her biggest (and only) trip was from Quebec to Perce. Gees, another one who does Gaspe region. On the boat ride back, I ran into the (l)onely passenger, who was a cyclist who just got into town and hopped on the boat for the ride. As he stated, similar to Marie, me talking about my trip lights a little fire for them as they want to do something like that. I feel good being part of that.

On the island, there was only time to walk the shortest path (3.5 km, near 45 minutes one-way) through the island to visit a bird sanctuary. Tons of birds (well, mainly one species). The duct tape for my foot helds up quite well – I can walk and not make the blister worse. As a snack, I had a coffee, a fairly nice and light (fluffy) sucre a la creme, and a package of authentic English toffee. All quit tasty (well, coffee was average).

Afterwards, I headed out of town to L'anse de beaufils, where I wanted to hit the micro-brewery there. I found it, right at closing time, and was able to have a nice 30 minute chat with one of the brewmasters about the product. Pretty interesting stuff. We talked about the different factors that can affect beer (other than the usual change of ingredients), such as humidity levels on certain days, altitude, atmospheric pressure, all kinds of stuff. They sell the beers in jugs (like in Vermont at the Trout River brewery), too much for me to buy and consume before biking 30 minutes back into town. So, I went next door at the pub, had the two beers the brewery brews (the Blonde, and the Rousse), with a small supper.

The first supper was something similar to a Coquille St-Jacques. But, instead of just having shrimp, there was also some (French is Petton) (scallops?). Tasty. The beers were quite good, with the blonde being my preferred one. Very clean and simpe taste.

I rode back into Perce to hopefully catch a nice sunset onto the Rocher Perce. Unfortunately, the sun didn't want to cooperate tonight. No biggie.

I then proceeded to climb the hill to the Gargantua Restaurant. Huge hill. This one has to be over 17 % (compared to the hill on the other side of town). I always feel weird having supper alone. Plus, I feel the service is poorer too. In this case, it was. I asked for a glass of water before my meal, midway through my meal, and even near the end of my meal, to two different waitresses too. No, I didn't get my water. I was fairly thirsty, and didn't want to rely on drinking the ¼ litre of white wine. The meal: un eventaille fruit de mer. It consisted of 5 different types of seafood, including a half lobster. It was the first time I had to crack open the claws and use the special tools to dig out the meal. Plus, with the lobster litterally cut I half, I didn't know what I was suppose to eat. So, anything that seemed edible, I ate. The white house wine was decent. I wasn't sure if I was tasting some apple, strawberries, and vanilla. Nice pleasant wine. But, since the waitresses never came back, I could never ask them. Desert was nice. I think I was only allowed one, but I asked for two. What did she give me? Basically three. The cherry pie (something I wanted to have for a while, like rhubarb pie), a orange cream thingy in a dark chocolate shell, and some crème anglaise as an extra thing. Good food, good atmosphere, fairly good price, and not the best service.

Riding down the hill in the dark was intersting. I was riding the brakes (almost fully squeezed the whole way), in complete darkness, for a good 3 minutes. I had to focus and stick to the yellow line, the only thing I could make out.

I am now at the hostel, all packed, and basically ready for bed. I did want to shave tonight, but for some reason, my shaving gel has no more pressure in it. A whole (and new) can that is basically useless now. Oh well.

So, I am on the road again. I think things will go fairly quickly for the next little while, and maybe sort-of slow (due to anticipation) when I am in NFLD.

Hills are basically done for a while, until Cape Breton. Apparently, the second hill is the killer. Afterwards, the major hills are all behind me. I hear the biggest hill in the world is in New Zealand (steepest over 4 km). I've heard the longest hill (100-150 k) is somewhere near Malasia or something, near the highest highway in the world. Maybe I'll have to take some more bike trips. Later on, remind me of the other trips I've thought of doing, as I have a bunch of them on my mind now (lots of them are local too).

The winds seem fairly strong and consistent lately, and not in the direction I want. But then again, I am heading West now, before I duck down South for New Brunswick.

Getting my motor runnin', heading on the highway, looking for adventure, and whatever comes my way.

p2

Day 47 - Gaspe to Perce

2008-07-04T12:47:00.001-04:00

Gaspe to Perce
86 km, sunny
Windy – 20-25 km, in my face

Happy independence Day to the (I believe) only American reading this – the sweet Vicky.

Nice little pleasant day. I knew it was going to be an easy day, so I slept a bit this morning, and visited the town before I headed out.

Last night – I walked into town (35 minutes, nice little uphill for a bit, then a long downhill). Quiet town at 10 pm. I am not used to walking. With my feet being wet for half of the day, and the walking, I started blistering at the ball of one foot. I was quite thirsty, probably from the tons of fries I had just a few hours before. The beer of choice for the tent was (I believe from Unibroue) Le cap d'Espoir (une blanche).

The morning started alright. I noticed I had a rear flat when I was in the tent, so I fixed it before heading out. I went to the Jacques Cartier Museum first, where I would not see the original cross he erected in 1584 or something (rotten, and no one knows the exact location). But, I did get to read up on it from the book I had, and get a story or two from the museum girl. The dude came here because something was broken on his ship. This trip, he was nice to the natives. On his second trip, the book I have says he kidnapped the chief and 9 other Indians. Nice. Quite civilized. I also checked out the Jacques Cartier church, I believe it is the first one built out of wood.

I left town, and did a little detour to visit a spot along the bay. Nice uphill for the first half, against the wind, and rough roads (Quebec style). Then, when things were nicer with the winds (behind me for the last 3 k of that 8 k detour), the pavement was beautiful with a nice shoulder. Then, for the rest of the trip, I would have a wind in my face. Oh well.

With almost 25-30 k left, on the other side of the bay, I saw the Rocher-Perce. Huge, and quite nice. The last 7 k were a surprise. I had to climb over some hills – 12% at first, then a measly 11% (all 1 km long or more), then a quieter 9%, and another 11 %. Little ones. The reward was a downhill at 17%, where I had to use the brakes (speed of 78 k/h). Imagine if it was all open. Oh, yesterday with one of the downhills, I did a Dukes of Hazard – launched off a bump in the road, got some air, and landed front wheel first. Sure, it might of only been 1-2 inches, but I felt some air. Freaky.

The town is quite lovely, very touristy. Everyone is friendly. I am staying at a youth hostel, 20 bucks (total) a night. I dumped my bike, and will walk for the next day and a half. I duct-taped my foot to prevent the blister from getting worse.

The day tomorrow is getting slowly booked-up. I have a kayak tour around the rock in the morning, followed by lunch somewhere, then a boat cruise in the early afternoon. The latter goes around the Rocher-Perce, then drops me off on Ile Bonaventure for a hike. I got news of a micro-brewery in the neighbouring town, so I might have to go there for a brew or two. There's two restaurants I want to have supper tomorrow night. One has lobster cooked in champagne, and the other has plates that live up to it's name: Gargantua. I read that watching the rock at either sunrise or sunset is quite beautiful. Sunrise is at 4:20 am (ouch, probably wont happen), and sunset is at 20h21. We'll see how I can make all things work. I might have to eat two suppers tomorrow. I'll see what I can do for you guys.

On a somber note, did you hear about the two cross Canada cyclists that got killed in Manitoba? Two different cyclists on different days informed me of it. Apparently, a family (including two kids) and their uncle were riding across the country to raise funds for diabetes or something. A 27 year-old driver hit the father and uncle, and they didn't make it. I will look for news on it, as I am currious on what happened. But, it's a risk we all take. Quite frankly, my odds of getting hit by a car while biking are probably the same as any of us getting hit by a car while crossing the street. Dont worry, I'll be vigilant. I've got the picture of pepere with me, that'll be for more safety.

Food tonight consisted of a sea-food shish-kabob, and fries (served with ketchup and mayonnaise). I always enjoy the latter. Oh, Mario, right actor, wrong movie. I do know what scene you are talking about from the Whole 10 yards (he flips out at the waitress so she doesn't bring him mayo with his fries). Did you notice Matthiew Perry (or whatever his name is, from Friends) has a Senator's t-shirt in that movie? Correct movie where the quote is from: Pulp Fiction.

Back to food. The beer was a Belle Geulle Rousse. For desert, which was more the highlight of the meal, was an open-faced chocolate and pear pie. Tasty. I should try to make that at home.

I am currently in a little coffee shop, having an espresso viennois (has a espresso ice cream scoop in it), with a sugar pie. I might go for another little bight to eat tonight to sample more stuff from the area, and bring back a beer or two to the hostel.

Ran into a guy at the hostel that has biked across Canada when he retired. Andry-Richard is now doing the Gaspe region (from Quebec) for the 14th time. He is 73 right now. Amazing fellow to ride those hills. You guys have to see this area, you'd understand why someone would want to come back here over and over.

Well, I'll call it an entry. Enjoy your day.

p2

Day 47 - Mont St-Pierre to Gaspe

2008-07-03T10:33:00.002-04:00

Mont St-Pierre to Gaspe
186 km, overcast, rain for 1 hr
Winds – behind me, 15 km/hr (25 right before the storm)

Sweet baby Jesus.

If I was flirting with the mountain range yesterday, I definitely went “all the way” with them today. Many times. The mountain bikers in Ottawa know what M.O. means. M.O. today. (I still haven't ridden that trail yet.)

Foreshadow: speed difference (riding) today from slowest to fastest = 80 km/h (well, maybe 79).

Where to start. How about in chronological order.

I was quite titillated by the possibility of delta-planing today (tandem). When I stopped by at the centre, they informed me that the winds were going Westbound, which is the wrong direction for them. They would jump off the top of Mont St-Pierre – there are pictures of it. The last picture or so in the July 2nd photo album shows the top. If you can zoom in, you might be able to see a flag on top. So, no jumping off a cliff today. Too bad. Off I went.

I ran into two Quebecers (60 y.o.) riding until they are pooped for the day. They are on a little Gaspe tour. We chatted for a few minutes, then I was off on my own. I saw, later up the road, a cyclist taking pictures on the other side of the road. I recognized his jersey (a tuxedo jersey, soo cheesy, too cheesy for me), so I had to pull over and take a picture of it for you guys. We chatted a bit. He was heading in the same direction as I, and was riding apparently the same speed as I. So, Yannick and I rode together for a while. He left Gatineau, basically did the same route I did (he went to Baie Commeau then crossed over), and was heading to Perce before taking the train back home. He was loaded up pretty good. He even has two pairs of cycling shoes for when it rains one day, he has a dry pair for the next. Luxury. When you see the pics, see how he wears his helmet.

When we reached Gros Morne (I took a picture as I know a guy who's named Morne), the hills started. Very sweet. These are the hills I wanted out West, and was hoping Charlevoix would be able to provide as well. But, I haven't tried the Southern part of BC – to be done sometime later. No more of this wimpy 10% stuff, bring on the 12, 14 % over 2-3 km. Winding, on the edge of cliffs where the water is at the bottom. Nice. With the very humid weather, and warm winds at times (inexistent in the mountains, but present on the waterways), sweat was pouring out of me (even my elbows). Very lovely. The first little hill, Yannick got dropped pretty severely. I stopped on top to let him catch up. We continued to ride for a while, until the bigger hills came. We exchanged good-bye's, and I was on my way. Nice. I think it was 12 or 14 % for 2 or 3 k. I dont recall, but I remember that there were more and more. The fun thing about these past few days is that there is around 1-22 k (max) of km between towns, with the average being maybe 5-10 k. Plus, today, it seems like all the little towns are at the bottom of these huge hills.

How were the downhills, you ask? Well, hairy. They were not straight down, so I could not take advantage of just letting her go. Many times, I was riding the brakes as I was going too fast to hold the line. When I start leaning the bike too much, and hitting some bumps, being all loaded up, it gets sketchy. One of my panniers actually got unhooked (both hooks on top, and the hook at the bottom) from the rough ride + the bike leaning. It was only holding on by being hooked on to the other pannier.

But, one hill, going into town (appropriately named Grande-Vallee), I was able to hit 87 k/h. I was riding down, with the brakes, and thought to myself “hey, I think I can let her rip a bit”. If it wasn't for that moment of hesitation (maybe 100-200 metres), I might have been able to hit 90 k/h. So, new record for speed for this trip. Lindsay held her own. The modifications I did back in Ottawa made the front more stable.

There are at least 5 times I've hit over 80 k/h in these hills. When I feel comfortable at 75 k/h, it's freaky. I am totally thrown off on my guessing of speed today. I think I'm doing 25-28k/h, but I am actually doing 35. Thinking I'm at 65k, but doing 75. Weird. Completely off my game. Diddo for hill percentage. I think I'm climbing 10 % with the speed and effort, but it turns out to be 12 or so. Way off.

So, to quote a song that played today (which was appropriate): Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger. I feel them all. For the past few days, I have felt quite strong. I really wonder if I did Solstice now, how well it would turn out. I bet you I would come at least in 3rd. My legs feel a bit sore today (when I push on them). I definitely tapped into them today. But, they are not sore to walk. They are probably tender every night, but feel normal by morning.

The rain started at the 120 k mark. For the next 20 k, things were quite hairy. The towns had really rough roads (no shoulders), rain was coming down, nowhere to stop (except for houses), and the traffic was pretty heavy (lots of gravel trucks too). The rain stopped after an hour or so. The last 40-50 k, it was quite of a relaxed ride. Very enjoyable. I felt like I just conquered a big challenge, and I just had to ride easy to get home.

Today, I felt like I was not in Quebec anymore. The people are so friendly, and the drivers (including those gravel trucks) are very courteous. They give you lots of room, will be patient if they see on-coming traffic, and wont even honk if you're not paying attention and riding in the middle of the lane (they think nothing of it and just pass in the other lane). They are so used to cycling tourists here (for extremely obvious reasons to me now), it's no worries for them. But, the rough roads did remind me I am in Quebec. The old saying: Bonjour Quebec, bye bye tires. Oh, and there's a few yahoo's here (you know, gino-wanna-be's, like the glorified Vanier-victims) with their pimped Honda Civics or Mazdas, who like to drive in excess of 100 k in these park roads. They give lots of room, but they are just jerks in general.

I stopped at a campground in Gaspe. Cheap – everything included (showers, internet, laundry) for 20 bucks. I am out of clean clothes for cycling, so it's laundry time (as I write this). They also have a cantine, where I decided to be lazy and eat there. Double burger with bacon and onions, and a large poutine. For some reason, she gave me the burger platter, which consists of another order of fries. That was tough to finish, but I managed. The people talk differently here. It's quite interesting. I hear a lot of English too (normal English), but the French is sure different. Makes me think a bit of Smellly from Moncton, or more like France from Shediac (I think she's from there).

Do, you'll have a blast with your trip down here. Do Charlevoix, do Gaspe, and have a swell time in Quebec for the 400th.

Tomorrow is a very light day. I'll spend some time in Gaspe to visit some spots, then ride into Perce (70 k?), where I get to have a rest day (half a day tomorrow, and another full day the day after). I will be ahead of schedule by 3 days. I am trying to bank hours (aka days) so I can figure out how to do PEI, and be ahead, in case there are unforeseeable circumstances along the road ahead.

I must say that I keep enjoying the emails and comments you guys write. Keep them coming. It's a fuel for me. Having a blast on the trip, but still lonely at times. The next face I'll probably get to see will be Smelly, down in Moncton. Can't wait.

So, so long from the road,

r2p2

(pics up to date)

Day 46 - Metis-sur-mer to Mont St-Pierre

2008-07-02T20:14:00.001-04:00

Metis-sur-mer to Mont St-Pierre
189 km, sunny
Winds – calm (and occasionally cool)
headwind at first, then crosswind from the St. Laurence

(pics will be up very soon, with comments – right after I am done my poutine. 8:20 pm, safe and sound somewhere, and now clean + dry. New entry by midnight or the morning.)

Another day of very pleasant riding. The start of the day was on those nice shoulders of new pavement. It was nice scenery (same as yesterday) until Matane. I wanted a little snack in town, so I found a nice cantine to have a poutine. It was one of the better ones I've had in a long while. It gave me a chance to check my email and update the blog. I also got gas there (for the stove). For the first part, it took me a while to feel the rhythm. It was also oe of those days that I wanted to meet another cyclist on the road to have some company. But, the best would have been to have one of you guys here with me for the ride. But, I'll settle for sharing my story with you via this little computer thingy.

Outside of Matane, right to St.-Anne-des-Monts, the shoulders disappeared, and the roads became very rough. The scenery was hit (same as yesterday) or miss (nothing spectacular). In St-Anne-des-Monts, I had lunch (late afternoon), and met a couple from the Netherlands – Erik and Angela (hard G). They have toured many counties: Thailand, Turkey, a lot of Europe, New Zealand, all Canada. They decided to return to this area to do some more touring. I wonder why.... (being sarcastic). They informed me that the nicest part was coming up (of the day, that is). They were right.

I had around 50 k left before I got to one of the destinations I chose. The shoulders came back (sometimes they were wider than the car lanes), which made for mindless biking. I just ended staring all over the place. With slight little hills, winding roads that hugged the St. Laurence (literally – the only thing between the water and the road was a barrier and some rocky beaches), and huge cliffs (walls, to be more precise) to my right, it was magical. It is completely different scenery that I've ever encountered on a bike. Spectacular. I tried to capture stuff on film, and I even took a video or two to see if I could do it justice. My next step is to organize a bike trip with you guys here so you can experience it.

Got to Mont St-Pierre just when the sun finished setting. I did find something quite interesting in town that I'll have to check out tomorrow. Since I left a day in advance, and made up some time in the past 2 days, I am now 2 days ahead of schedule. I wanted to do that so I could somehow make the trip to PEI. I took the time to look at the map, the schedule, and some specific sites to hit so I can plan my days up ahead. I had scheduled 2 rest days coming up, but I am going to play with that a bit. We'll see.

Miscellaneous:

I forgot to write in the entry yesterday that I officially entered the Gaspe Region.

Since MTL, I've ridden “la route du roy”, then “la route du vin”, followed by “la route du fleuve”, then “la route de la baleine”, and eventually “la route de gaspe” (I cant recall exactly if I am correct on the latter, but it's close).

My left hand numbness has disappeared (around Quebec City), so back to normal. The right hand strength (pincer grasp) is up to 50 % of the left, so it is improving. Adduction of the index finger is maybe 25 % of where it should be.

Shifting gears on the bike is not an issue anymore – things feel normal. So, Dawg, I can't name the bike “shifty”. The bike's name is Lindsay. It was not my first choice, but I'll save that name for the next road bike. The other suggestions didn't cut it. No, ma, I ain't naming a bike after you – that would be too weird.

The rear wheel is holding up quite fine. It wasn't 100 % perfect (maybe 95%) when I built it, but at 4 am, it was good enough. It hasn't budged since I left Ottawa. I guess I have to trust my wheel building. The dishing is a bit off, but I'll fix that when I get to Moncton where I can have access to a trueing stand.

Getting out of Quebec City, I stopped at BK for a small meal. I didn't feel like fries, so I had onion rings instead. She asked “would you like honey with that?” I asked “For what?” She said “For the onion rings”. I agreed to try it out. Not bad. I alternated between the honey and the usual ketchup.

You know what they put on French fries in Quebec instead of ketchup?
What?
Mayonnaise.
Damn! [laughter]
I've seen them do it, man. They f*ckin' drown them in that sh*t.
(you know what movie that is from...)

p2

Day 45 - St Simeon to Metis sur mer

2008-07-01T13:12:00.000-04:00

St-Simeon to Metis-sur-mer
205 km, 7.5 hrs
Sunny, mid twenties, only humid in the morning
Wind at my back starting at the 60 k mark, 10-15 km/h

Beautiful day. Happy Canada day too, eh? Maechante, happy move.

New records – most Eastern I've ever been (and biked) in Quebec, and 2 ferries in one day.

I started the day at 9 am, as I gave myself enough time to reach Escoumins for the 1:30 ferry to Trois-Pistoles. What I did not anticipate was a) a snake-bite flat with my rear wheel right out of the campground (I took a wrong turn getting out of there, where it was a really pointy-rocky section – probably where I did the damage), and b) having to take a ferry to get through the Saguenay fjord. But, as always, I seem to be quite lucky, and everything worked out well. As I couldn't buy any milk the night before (no stores had 500 ml 1-2 % milk), I thought I'd buy some milk somewhere on the route out of town. No such luck. With a loss of time fixing the flat, and thinking that I'd be tight making both ferries, I just jet out of town and rode. I figured I'd be able to eat breakfast 60 k later on the first ferry.

The route threw a few hills at me today, including the one out of town – a nice few km 8% hill. When I planned this trip, I wanted to ride the entire Charlevoix region, which I did. The hills basically dwindled 50-60 k into the ride; except for getting out of Tadousac – two nice honkin' hills of 3 k each, probably at 8-9 (maybe 10) percent. Nice.

The first ferry, maybe a km long, was free. It is there to get across the fjord, as the road just stops. Apparently there is no other way around. Beautiful area though. There's tons of whale-watching and zodiac tours there into the fjord, where you are guaranteed to spot a whale or two of various species.

In Tadousac, I thought about breakfast. As I looked at my watch, I realized that I had 2 hours to do 50 km. So, skip breakfast, get some water, and suck on maple candy as some sort of fuel. But, since I am not the goodest in math, 10:30 to 1:30 is 3 hours. Only 30 minutes later I realized that I had plenty of time. What I didn't factor in was the wind that started, which was at my back. The roads are beautiful there (like the other regions). Traffic was light, and the shoulders (of new pavement) are huge (a good half-lane of a car lane). With hard tires, smooth road, things rolled quite nicely. The many little lakes and cliffs along the route gave me lots to look at.

Reaching Escoumins by 1:30 was a breeze. I got there at 12:15. Did some groceries, and then waited 45 minutes in line (while eating lunch) to get onto the ferry. On the boat, I stood at the front for 30 minutes soaking in the cool (and strong) refreshing winds, and took some pictures of a nice sailboat from France. Vive la France. Speaking of France, the tour probably started. I get to miss out on the Stanley Cup playoffs AND the tour this year. Gees. After a while, I went inside and sat down while I charged up the mp3 and computer. I got semi-comfortable (sitting while twisting my body to try to rest my head on my arm for a little nap). Awkwardly, I managed to fall asleep, and woke up 20 minutes later to change positions (did that three times). The boat ride was 90 minutes long.

In Trois-Pistoles, I decided to upload the entries and pics of the past few days. I found a connection, and just chilled (again) for another 45 minutes. I figured I lost around 4.5 hrs of prime riding time (12:15 to 4:45). That probably amounts to another 100 k of riding. But, I dont live in “if's”, I get to live in the now.

I wanted to stop in Rimouski to grocery shop, and stock up on gas as I was running a bit low. The Info centre was still open at 6:30, so I stopped in to get info on grocery store and Canadian Tire (or Walmart, whatever was around). With their advice, I set out on a little jaunt a bit into the other side of town (uptown), but when I got there, everything was closed. Even those commie bastard Walmart, which is basically a slave operation, are off on Canada Day (even in seperatist Quebec). What gives? So, I went to Tim Hortons for a donut and Iced Cap to feel better.

Just a bit before the end of town, I found a convenience store/epicerie that I was able to buy some spaghettini, sauce, beer (Stella Artoise), milk, apple juice, and a cream soda. I settled for spaghettini as I was afraid I'd run out of gas, and that stuff is quicker to cook.

Another 50 k had to be done before nightfall. Off I went, with speeds hovering just around and below 30k. Things were rolling fine – beautiful roads again, and more importantly, beautiful scenery. The sun was slowly setting over the St. Laurent, so I just kept on starting at that. I stopped and took tons of pictures.

Got into the campsite just a few minutes after 9 pm, where it was still light out, but getting dark fast. But, I did what I wanted to do today (well, 50 k more than planned, but changed my destination halfway through the day). While setting up my tent, I was boiling water for supper. The gas ran out shortly when the water was warm. I let the pasta soak up for 30 minutes (finished with the tent, set-up, and showered), then ate “sort-of el dente” spaghetti. Doable, but not an every day meal.

I am now currently sitting in the shower of a woman's washroom writing this entry. The power in the men's washroom doesn't work, so I am on the other side. Luckily, no one has entered yet (so far...)

But, I am done this entry, except for a little story that you guys can skip if you are not interested in more reading. In spirit of Canada Day, here's a little story:

I had a job before this
I had a job before this
Ultimately it was that job that drove me into this
I worked at an aquarium
An aquarium with lots of money from the government
So it was HUGE
I was clean & scrub man, they called us in the CNS Union
I scrubbed the inside of the killer whale tank
And after a while the boys in the CNS, the Clean & Scrub, we just sorta made it one word
The Killerwhaletank, i'm goin into the killerwhaletank
I got along with these two big beasts so well,
it was like they knew me
they'd look at me with their 100 year old eyes
and it was like they knew me
I'd put on my scuba gear, my mask, my regulator
and I'd fall into the tank with nary a sound
and I was underwater
sometimes -- I'd JUMP OUT -- right in front of the window
when people were expecting a killer whale
and they'd see a human
and they'd get spooked ... anyways, I'd do that
but I was in the water this particular day
unbeknownst to me, Shamu and Bartholomew, their relationship had gone stale
seems I was going in there so much
and I was looking so good
Shamu took a shining to me
And their so smart those things, you know
they've got all these human emotions
love, lust, greed, 100 year old jealousy,
Bartholomew... WAS LIVID!
Unbeknownst to me I can't hear a goddamn thing underwater
He was bumping up against me
The stale
killer whale
bumping up against someone so pale
and frail
how was I to know the killer whale relationship had gone stale
he bumpedup against me
his skin was like sandpaper
and he circled around
I thought we were all patched up and
I was cleanin and scrubbin
and he took my...
he came up and...
he ripped my left arm off...
and their quite docile and friendly in captivity but
somewhere along the line he snapped,
he took my left arm
he took my fuckin left arm.

good old gord. what would we do without him on cocaine or something like that?
p

Day 44 - Baie St-Paul a St-Simeon

2008-06-30T15:43:00.000-04:00

Baie St-Paul to St-Simeon
84 km, mainly sunny, hot and humid
Winds on/off, 10-15 km tail and crosswinds

Incredible. Incredible scenery. Incredible hills. super nice here. I really enjoyed the ride today.

I ended up sleeping in fairly late – probably from the combo of the amount of beers consumed that night, and the lack of sleep the night before. The site was quiet, no one disturbed me, and it was free. Too bad it was quite sandy.

I cycled into town to buy some juice and milk for my breakfast, ate cereal while sitting on a curb, and then power-washed my bike at a car wash. That puppy was very dirty and gritty. Clean as a whisle now.

The route decided to give me around 8-9 km of climbing as soon as I left town. We're talking from 7 to 10 %. My biggest concern of the day was not to overheat with the effort and the hot and humid conditions. With every bottle that I drank, another was used to dump on my head to cool the mellon down. At the 9 k mark, I checked my average speed: 12 or 13 k/h. Nice. I wonder what it'd be if I did't have that 2 k or so of flat roads leading me out of town. The route along the St. Laurent is very beautiful. The hills add a nice majestic feeling. Very enjoyable ride. Oh, the downhills were quite nice too – max of 78 k/h today. There were a few hills I took it easy (used the brakes), as it was a bit rough, and I got scared.

In a few of the little towns, some hills were 18 % and hovering around that. Those weren't 400 metres either, up to a km. They were usually winding roads, so you never know when you're going to reach the crest. The downhills on those hills? Well, the brakes were on the whole time.

In La Malbaie, I stopped for a quick little lunch, and to try the other beer from the Charlevoix micro-brewery that I didn't get a chance to sample. The milk stout, by the name of La vache folle – noir. The grocery store didn't have them in the fridge, so I would have to sample it at room temperature. It was rather tasty. Sweeter than most stouts (except for those chocolate or coffee stouts).

In Malbaie, there was a jerk who has a rather interesting way of life. He (or she?) values making a quick right turn a lot more than a human life. A**hole cut me off, and it was probably the closest I've ever had to leaving my teethmarks in someone's side panel. I can just wait for karma.

Arriving in St. Simeon, due to the high levels of humidity, there's fog all around. It makes it a bit damp and cool. I am wearing my toque at the moment while writing this entry.

The other day, in MTL, I thought I'd duck down to Sherbrooke and zip up to Quebec City. I thought it would be nice to hit the Eastern Townships (with a bunch of englishies there?). But, I opted not to do that (yet). If Frank and Annick would have been there that week-end, I would of done that route. But, I'll do another special trip in that area as I hear it is quite lovely riding (and touristy things).

Oh, today, I believe I have officially gone over the 7000km mark. Another day of riding the North shore before I take the ferry to ride the South shore on the way to the beautiful (and another mountain range) Gaspe region.

Bonne nuit. How's that for a shorter entry?

Pierrot

(updated from Trois Pistoles, mid afternoon on July 1st. Happy Canada Day. 141 years old country). (Trois Pistoles is the subject of a Tragically Hip tune. I should do my research and find out what it is). Pics uploaded, comments are next...
Vous me manquez.
p2

Day 43 - Quebec a Baie St-Paul

2008-06-29T15:40:00.000-04:00

Quebec a Baie St-Paul
105 km
Overcast, negligeable winds.

(photos up, click on the title of the entry)

New record – I climbed my steepest hill today (with full gear too). Twenty four percent, for 400 metres. Nice. I was going to write about it later, but I might as well do it now. It was steep. My front end, even though it has a front pannier on it, was bobbing at time from me pulling so hard. There was one kicker that almost made me stand still, but I had to just push it through. Fun, really fun. I had to slalom twice – but only because the first time I was surprised by a tiny little wheelie, and the second time due to bad road in front so I had to go around. It would have been nice to have someone there to see that. Gilles, wish you were on the ride, man.

When the alarm clock went off, I reset it for 45 minutes later. I slowly got out of bed the second time it went off. But, the day started alright. I ate at a Belgian restaurant. The breakfast consisted of a raspberry and crème anglaise crepe, with a side order of bacon and fruits. After finishing packing, I left the hotel to go to MEC and got what I needed (the tent repair kit).

Out of town wasn't a bad ride. I was expecting rain and unfavourable windy conditions the whole way, so I was ready for what Mother Nature had to throw at me. Raining it was, and the wind in my face was there. For the route, I was able to find a path that led me fairly safely to the Montmorency Falls, and to the 360 route I wanted. From there, I would see probably 10 more small falls, as that road is at the base of a big long cliff. It would be there that I would find that 24 % hill (near Ste-Anne de Beaupre). I really enjoyed that route through those small towns, plus I felt like I was sheltered from the wind. The rain settled a bit, reduced to a fine dirzzle.

In Ste-Anne de Beaupre, it was a nice little spot to have a small lunch (honey sandwiches and banana). There were many churches (3, that I could see) for that small town, and a building with the name of “Cyclorama de Jerusalem”. What does that mean?

I almost continued the 360 to/through Mont Ste-Anne, but wanted to see the sign for “7 to 10 % for the next 7 km” on the 138. I got a few pics of hill grades, but not the overall one that I was hoping for. But, I did get one that was even better. The rain stopped at that moment, but it was still fairly humid.

Right out of town, the climbing started. Nice. I was grinning lots. I really enjoy climbing. I guess I like the struggle. The hills kept on coming, one after the other. Seven percent, 8, 10. Sweet. There were little interludes in between (flat, or just a bit of a downhill), but the general tone was uphill. Near the summit, there was a bus crashed into the ditch on the other side. That was weird. They were just pulling it out with a massive tow-truck. More upward trekking, and the fog started getting thicker and thicker. You could not see beyond 75 to 100 metres (even the cars with lights on). I figured it would be a weird downhill once I reach the top.

Just a while later, I reached the top. Something like 677 metres. While checking my photos at supper, I accidentally erased the picture I wanted of the summit. Dang. It was foggy. It might have been a fine mist actually, as my skin had a small white layer of water, and the occasional drip would fall from my helmet or the mirror. That was neat, something I've never experienced before.

The top. There was around 20 k left, and the sign had something pretty nice to announce me “7-10% grade for the next 20 km”. Nice. It would be a sweet ride into town, the destination for the day. But, what was misleading was that it's not all downhill – there was a nice uphill (7-8% for a km) in there. No worries. I still did the last 20 k in just about 30 minutes. Apoptigma Berzerk was the choice music for that descent. I put on my arm warmers, zipped up my jersey, and looked for a guy on the side of the road to hand out newspapers so I can throw them in my jersey. The latter didn't happen. It was a cool ride down.

In town, I went straight to the Microbrasserie Charlevoix. Oh god, it's like an angel crying on my tongue. I am writing this while taking a break between my two deserts. I just want to stay here for a while. I do have another 5 k left before I hit the campground, but I might just look around to see if there's a spot to pitch my tent for the evening. I dont really care for a shower tonight, and I can charge up my stuff later somewhere. Truthfully, I want to save a few bucks (even though I'll probably spend a bit here at the meal). Quebec City, with the hostel, the beers, and the food, did cost me a bit. Side note – Quebec City also made a nice positive impression on me. I would like to spend more time there.

Ok. Food for tonight. I started with the beer and oninon cream au gratin with migneron cheese soup. Quite lovely. What followed was the pear and quail terrine served with carrot and ginger marmalade. I slapped that stuff on the bread they served. That marmalade was quite tasty. The main course was tough to chose from. There was a few different choices, but the lovely Jessie took one of my suggestions and said that it was one of the specialties, so I had it. It was the red deer steak served with a fruit sauce, Greek potatoes, and vegetables (entire roasted red pepper, a zuccini, and something else). Quite lovely.

For beers. Well, I started, with the sampler. It consisted of their Premium Lager, then the Premium Lager Red, followed by the Dominus Vobiscum Blanche, and concluded with the Bootlegger Brown Ale. All very different, but quite tasty. They were about 3 oz each. I still had three more to taste, but they came in 500 ml bottles. So, one at a time, I had them. It was the Vache folle to start (6% alcohol), a tasty and bitter beer (probably my preferred of the evening). The Dominus Vobiscum Triple (9%) followed. Nice, very flavourful, bold, and surprisingly not too heavy. While awaiting desert number two, I was enjoying the Dominus Vobiscum Double, a darker, yet strong (9%) beer. Now, I forgot to take a picture of the taster, so I might just order another round of that to get the picture. The things I go through for you guys.

I must say that sitting here, after desert, it is such a nice feeling. I think it gives me a time to just relax a bit, and let a few things soak in. Hell, there could be someone on my mind too. Hell, it could be the amount of beer I just consumed. Whatever it is, I'll really enjoy it for the time being. Did I ever tell you I am one lucky bumhole?

Desert. First, I had the Migneron mousse cheese cake. It was extremely light, but full of flavour. The second desert is their own warmed tarte au sucre (sugar pie) made with beer. It just arrived, so I will take a quick (well, not that quick) little break.....

Sweet, very nice. Lovely. I just got a nice tip from Jessie the waitress on where to stay for the night. I was thinking I would head out of town to the campsite, but I will settle for a spot in the back of a school, but she recommended an even nicer place. So, after I settle up, and have another tester, I will head there for the night and retire. But, I think I'll have more beer before I head out...

As for the blog entry, I will call it a night now, wish you a swell day, and will catch up in the next entry.

So long, from the wandering, lucky bastard,

p2
(sorry for the longish entry). I will really try to keem them shorter for the next few days. Nothing major is expected, expect for the most Eastern in Quebec that I'd ever go – that takes one line, and I already wrote it.

Another addition to the entry. When I finished the tester thing, so 4x 3 oz of different beers, it started raining. So, after a bathroom break, I gave it some time to cool. Just a bit later, it started to pour again, so I waited. What does a guy do when he waits? Answer – he orders another beer. So, another pint. Tonight, I consumed 1.5 litres, plus 24 oz of samplers (how much is that in mL – that's not a rhetorical question), plus another pint (20 oz). How many ml is that for tonight? Let's see if I'll have another pint to sample the milk stout, I didn't see that on the menu, so I didn't know if it existed until AFTER I ordered my last pint. Oops, should of spoken up before I ordered.

Later (again),

p2

Day 42 - Trois-Rivieres to Quebec City

2008-06-28T10:14:00.000-04:00

Trois-Rivieres to Quebec City
140 km, overcast and raining
Windy – 20-30 km/h, all in my face

Against the wind,
I was riding against the wind,
I was riding to live,
and living to ride,
Against the wind.

This time, the song was playing while I was actually against the wind.

The day started alright. I slept in, was relaxed, and was expecting a shorter day (than the previous day). I updated the blog and picture album before I left town, and then went for a hair cut.

Getting out of town, that's when I noticed the wind. It didn't look favourable, and it was a bit on the strong side. I just hoped it would subside – it didn't. The winds slowly picked up and remained fairly constant for the rest of the trip. The rain started at the half-way mark, and didn't let up until, well, it just didn't let up. Writing this now, at 3:50 am, it has stopped maybe 90 minutes ago.

Just 30 k or so from my destination, when I stopped to get a bit of food in me, the coat, gloves, and knee warmers came out. Luckily I decided to bring the gloves on the rest of the trip.

Along the road, I saw tons of cyclists touring. It looked like they were local tours – 2 days or so. They were heading in all directions, and some were in groups of 8. I also ran into another cyclist all dressed in Time Trial gear. I caught up to him when he stopped for a pee. I should of taught him how to pee while riding. He did a triathlon in Trois-Rivieres in the morning, and was riding to Quebec City. I called it a “cool down” ride.

Just 20 k before arriving at my destination, I heard a “thunk, thunk, thunk”. I looked down at my front wheel, and noticed a screw in it. Nice. As soon as I remove that puppy, it'll start leaking. So, pulled over and fixed it. It is my first front flat of the trip (at the 7000k mark on my odometer – so in 1.5 days, I'll actually reach the real 7000k mark).

Finally, I get close to downtown, even though it was later than expected. It wasn't even 8 pm, and it was a bit dark due to the clouds and such. Are the days getting shorter now? I zig-zagged into the downtown, I saw a hostel nearby (fairly close to downtown), but decided to trek on a bit. When I finally reached the top of the hill, I decided to double-back and actually stop there for the night. Well, no vacancy. Dang.

Just over the hill, a few streets down further, the old downtown was there (as well as the usual hostel I frequent). So, with such a busy time, it too was full. I managed to get a room (the last one) just a few doors down at a 1-star hotel/hostel. It'll do the job, but more expensive than I was hoping to pay.

After a good shower and a shave, I headed to one of two micro-breweries. If I was lucky, I'd hit them both tonight. Just near the first one, La Barberie, I overhear a girl talking about La barberie. Feeling like I am an informed tourist, I asked them if they needed help getting there. They were locals, and knew where the spot was. We started chatting a bit, and they invited me to join them for a few drinks. I obliged, and joined Elysabeth and Mae. They turned out to be great hosts. Gros merci.

The beers were quite good. The one that stood out the most was La blanche classique – citrus flavours, and fairly light taste. The stout double chocolate wasn't bad. For all the names, please see the pictures (I took a picture of the board instead of writing them down).

I still didn't have supper yet, and I was feeling a bit peckish. They didn't serve food there (too small of an establishment). So, after finishing our eight 5 oz samples, we headed to the second micro-brewery: Linux (or something like that). They served food there.

Their beers were also quite tasty. I had the blanche with corriander, the five malt beer, and the rousse caramelized. The food was fun – first was the plain nacho chips with typical salsa and con queso, then the 5 types of cheese with bread platter followed, and finished the “meal” with the sausage in a carved-out baguette. Tasty. The tunes at that bar were interesting – some Metric, and the locals Lost Finger. The latter is basically jazz lounge remakes of classics (some Soft Cell, Bon Jovi, Alanah Miles, Michael Jackson, etc).

May walked me home, and showed me some neat spots to take some nice pictures. I thought I might get up early and be a bit of a tourist, but I think I'll just have breakfast and head out of town. I'll save the tourist thing when I'm hear next time – which will include the world's (or close to it) smallest apartment. Breakfast might be at my usual latin restaurant.

A story I always think of when i come here: The short, yet sound really bad, version: I got herpes from a Danish guy in Quebec City. The longer, but clarifying, version: I was having a 5-Alive drink at a hostel, when the Danish guy asked what that was. I let him have a drink. The next day, I feel a sensitive spot on my lip – shit, that guy gave me a cold-sore.

Alright, soon is bedtime. I will go to MEC tomorrow while i head out of town to find some no-see-um screen kit for the tent. The hills start tomorrow (well, a mountain range). Shorter, but steeper. I know there's one hill that's around 5 km long, with an average grade of 7-10%. Should be fun. You know what I'll be doing for a good 30 minutes (probably smiling lots). We'll see what the downhills will bring – bad weather? Wobbly front-end on the bike? Tobin, don't expect me to beat your 80 k/h heading into Baie St. Paul. Plus, I might get a chance to see (and take a picture) of that 24% hill. For that one, for every 4 metres in length, it goes up by a metre. Nice.

Ok, bed time. It's 4:20 am, and I'm now tired. Dodo time.

p

Day 41 - MTL to Trois-Rivieres

2008-06-27T11:03:00.002-04:00

Montreal to Trois-Rivieres
150 km
Sunny, muggy, (26 degrees, 32 with humidex)
Negligeable winds

And I have never felt
Quite this close to hell
All this rock and roll baby
Only time will tell
But we're young now, having fun now
On the town now, get around now
It's fine for now
But someday we'll settle down
But not now baby

Smoke baby, smoke baby
More alcohol baby
Cocaine in Montreal
And back out on the road baby

Who gave you time to cry?
Who gave you time to find yourself?

I slept very well, and felt quite rested in the morning, even though I didn't get a full eight hours. As you guys know, I need all the beauty sleep I can get. But, I got up at a reasonable hour (9:30 or so), and had breakfast at the hostel.

Hey, apparently, the MTL hostel is ranked 3rd in the world. I believe it – showers in every room, and they probably do a hell of a job with the social/entertainment stuff.

When I was loading up the gear on the bike, I notice this guy lugging his bags outside. He was another cyclist. He had tons of stuff, I was quite surprised (see pictures in Picasa). Thurston, from Switzerland, already rode a bunch of countries in Europe, before starting in St. John's on his way to Vancouver. Neat guy. I also met Shawn, from California, who came to Montreal to visit and ride a bit. He's new with touring, and was just testing a few things. He rode to Quebec City (with a pack sack and some panniers), took the train back, and will probably do a few more jaunts in the area.

Before heading out of town, I did more sight-seeing by bike. Montreal is quite nice, I could probably survive here.

The ride today was quite nice. Very flat though. The slight cross-wind breeze was nice, as it came from the Fleuve (what's the English word for it?) and would bring some cool air. Unfortunately, the road deviated from the shorelines for probably a third of the ride. But, super nice scenery while I was riding it. It'll be what I'll be seeing (from either my left, or my right) for the next 8 days or so. The route will lead me to the Atlantic Ocean, until I go through the mainland again and yo-yo back to it.

I am now at the campground just on the Eastern edge of Trois-Rivieres (there is not actually 3 rivers here, but two – the name comes from the original belief that there was 3 rivers – they were just fooled). I was hoping to get in for free, but there was still someone at the gate when I got here. I tried to kill lots of time downtown (food shopping, tourist information centre) to increase my chances of sneaking in. Nope, no luck. Plus, the guy that was there is the same dopy guy who was here last year. He is definitely a few fries short of a happy meal.

Supper was by the Fleuve. There was a patio on the beach, where I just took a table and brought it to the edge to prepare and eat my meal. On the menu: Capicolo ham, with garden vegetable havarti cheese, on whole wheat bread, with some honey mustard. Four of those sandwiches, with some chocolate milk, was plenty for supper.

I then proceeded to go for a dip in the cold waters. I went to my waist, but couldn't dip my trunk in it. I'm a chicken with cold water. Shower was next, followed by charging the mp3 while writing this entry. Next step – the campsite (right in the middle of tons of ferns), where there was lots of mosquitoes, to set up the tent and relax a bit before crashing for the evening.

Voila, short entry. I'll try to keep them short. I have a feeling that Quebec City itself will be a bit longer entry, but the days preceding it will be very short.

Bonne nuit (bonne journee). Tere paevast, paikesepaiste.

p2

Day 40 - Rigeau(ish) to Montreal

2008-06-26T10:59:00.000-04:00

(pics are up - do the usual)
Voyageur campground to MTL
94 km
Mainly sunny, overcast in MTL

Bonjour from la belle province, ou il y a tellement de belles filles, de la bonne biere, et aussi de la bone bouffe. Les filles, apparently they have a certain reputation over here, so I'll try to do some research (theoretical, of ccourse).

I am currently starting this entry even before I finish off my cycling. I am sitting in the St. Ambroise patio having the samples of bear. Tasty. There are no tours offered in the summer – too bad.

I was really lazy today. I think my body needs a bit of rest (sleep). In a few days, I'll be all caught up. I thought I might leave at 10 or so, but left the campground at 11:45. Nice relaxed, easy and lazy morning. I did end up chatting with a Montreal guy, originating from Czech Rep who cycles a bit. One of the stories he told me completely amazed me – he knows a guy who paddled from North-West BC to Newfoundland. The longest portage was around 13 miles (near Thunder Bay). Imagine that, water connects East to West. Plus, the accomplishment of doing such a thing. Incredible. Another story I heard from a MEC guy the other day was – he knows a guy, who could be the only guy up to date, that cycled across Canada in the winter. One day, in the prairies, after 4 hours, only did 10 km. Unbelievable.

Leaving the campground, it was a beautiful strip (Hudson, Como) into MTL. There are beautiful homes, correction: mansions, on that strip. After a while, I would be dumped onto Ile Perrot, where I expected to fight some traffic. Luckily, there were lots of detours due to construction on the bridge, so there was very little I had to battle. I did go by the Dairy Queen that I have always stopped at for the last 10 years when I go to/through Montreal. But, breaking tradition (call it a new beginning, or turning a new leaf), I didn't stop for a Blizzard.

In MTL, I get to ride on the paths all along the water, and eventually on the canal – which lead me to the St. Ambroise Brewering company.

I saw that last year on the ride with Tanya and Atilla, but it wasn't my trip to say “Stop! I want to drink!”. On the menu for beers over here: 1. St-Ambroise Blonde, Noir (Oatmeal Stout). 2. McAusland Cream Ale, Apricot Wheat. 3. Griffon Rousse (Red), and Extra Blonde. They were all tasty. The Apricot Wheat is a regular at my place. The Rousse turned out to be quite tasty. They were all good. Extra Blond was a plesant surprise too. Seems like they are a bit sweeter beers – could be the hops they use, or maybe that I've been biking a bit (things tend to taste sweeter after a day of riding). But, I haven't ridden that much today, so it must be the ingredients.

Next stop – the hostel. I chose the one downtown so I could go to a few different micro-breweries in the area, see the Bell Centre, and have some good food. I'll try not to stay up too late, or end up at those swinger's party.

(interlude. insert elevator music here).

I'm back. After a nice shower, I decided to hit something I saw earlier that looked like a micro-brewery. It was called “Brassiere (something)”. I sat down, asked what was on tap, and nothing was original (special). So, I actually had enough guts to say that I was going somewhere else.

I put in some Tom Waits (the more bizarre, yet great albums) on the MP3 as I thought it was appropriate. It makes me think of Frank the tank a bit. It was also appropriate for the city, as it gave me a freaky, excited and scary feeling (all mixed in together). For those who dont know Waits, it can be beatnik jazz, sort-of pirate music, singing over rhythmical screaming (as music), even melodic poetry over soft piano. It's everything. Great stuff.

I was walking up the street, and saw Peel Street. Great, I get to find the famous Peel Street Pub. I found it, and went in for a pint. But, I had to have some food with it (without ruining my supper). I found the smallest and cheapest thing on the menu – potato skins with cheese and bacon. What a misnomer – they were actual potato quarters with that stuff put on top. A bit filling. But, it all worked out well. For the beer, I had their house Red beer. I hope it's not recycled beer.

Afterwards, I had to burn off the supper to make room for the supper. I climbed up the street to reach the base of Mont Royal, then headed to a spot that Alex recommended. Some of you have read comments from Alex and were hoping that person was a girl (since they were saying things like “I love you”, and “I want you”). Mystery. Anyways. The micro-brewery “Le Dieu du Ciel”, quite nice. I tasted eight 6 oz samples, with the following names: Paienne Ale Blonde, Fumisterie rousse de chanvre, Corne du diable (IPA americaine), Gaelic Irish Cream Ale, Solstice d'ete – biere de ble sure aux framboise, la Basse Messe (Kolsch), Penombre (IPA noir), et le Peche Mortel (Imperial Stout aux cafe). Toutes les bieres etaient 5%, appart de la corne du diable (6.5%), et le peche mortel (9.5%). Je plannais d'avoir souper la, mais c'etait de la bouffe de pub. Donc, j'attendais a mon souper. Le lunch etait un panini Cappocoli, Provologne cheese, pickled eggplant and hot peppers, mmmm) en rentrant a MTL, drette avant que j'y alle a la micro-brasserie St-Ambroise. Oops, I just realized I started writing only in French. Maybe I'm a bit drunk.

Alright. After drinking close to 50 oz of beer, and a bit hungry, I headed towards home (close to an hour walk, as the micro-brewery was further than I thought). I spotted Schwartz, a meat shop that has been running sice 1928. I figured with a name like that and opened for that long, it probably had a good reputation, so I decided to have their smoked meat sandwich. That is the best tasting smoked meat I have ever had. So good. The secret is to have tons of juicy meat, and a very very little piece of bread. The meat has to overflow. I was eating while walking, and a chunk of meat fell on my arm. As I bent over to eat it, I dropped the other half of the sandwicch on the street. Shit. Now what. On to search for another meat place. I was also craving another beer, as I was beyond just having a drink to chill, and under being drunk.

I heard music near Ste. Catherine, as the Jazz Festival was still going on. Sweet – I get to experience it again. In the festival area, they were selling beer – your choice of Heineken, or Heineken, or Molson 0.5. Guess which one I took. So, I had to drink that one fast as I was walking in the streets and the edge of the Festival boundary was fast approaching. What do I see up ahead? Another micro-brewery: something with the number 3 in it. The Three Micro-brewerers? Anyways, I entered, hoping the kitchen was still open. Negative. I just went next door to have another Montreal Smoked Meat Sandwich. It's Celine Dion's restaurant (Nickel's). I noticed they had beer there, so I had one. The sandwich wasn't as good, but the beer was better than the Heineken. Twenty minutes later, I finished my meal and beer, and headed for home again.

There's a church downtown that caught my eye. I decided to stop and take pictures. While focusing on the structure, I hear nine inch nails playing somewhere – a great instrumental tune. That was odd – nails, and watching a church. As I approached the church to take a picture, there were kids on the front steps who were saying sarcastic things such as “dont take a picture, jesus will come down and strike you”, “Jesus is a f***”, etc. It was funny.

While heading to the hostel, I spot a familiar face. I know MTL is only over 2 million people, but I run into “the Doc”. His father is opening and closing the Jazz Festival. Weird that I run into him in a big city, at 1 am on a Thursday.

Well, I finally made it to the hostel. I will now head to bed. I pretty much decided to change my travel plans for the next two days. I just will wait a bit tomorrow to see if I get an answer. But, I think I'll still go that route even though I dont get confirmation that they will be in that area. Being spontaneous – the way I have always been. Ok, that was a bad joke. As I like to say, “I plan on being spontaneous one day”.

Bonne nuit.

p2
(oops, longer entry than I thought).

Day 39 - Ottawa to Voyageur Campground

2008-06-25T19:19:00.001-04:00

Ottawa to Voyageur Campground (before Rigeau, PQ)
127 km
Sunny, winds (15-25) mainly at my back.

(pics by clicking on the title)

The time has come, the time has come, it's time to get away. Get innocuous.

A bit of LCD Soundsystem to start off the entry (and second “half” of the trip).

I really enjoyed the winds today. Being a bit tired (went to bed at 6:30 am, slept for max 3 hrs), the winds and the short distance were quite appreciated.

From the race, I had a Red Rain (knock off of Red Bull) that Dave bought for me. I brought that along for the trip in case I would need it today. I tapped into it a few hrs into the ride – just for fun. The recommended max intake for the day is 500 ml. I drank what I had left, so 750 ml or so. Apparently, the bottle is equivalent of 5-6 cups of coffee, plus some other additives in there for extra pep. I dont know if it was the tunes, or the drink, or just being high from the week again, but I was singing, foot was tapping while I was coasting, just genearally gittery. If I would have had a riding partner, they would of thought I might have been on crack. The tunes were excellent.

Ok. The naked truth on nudist camps. 1. You can't be alone to go into one. 2. Rule number 1 doesn't apply if you can prove you are a member of another club. 3. To get in, you must be part of a couple (I assume heterosexual). Because I was alone, and not a member of another club, I could not go to the nudist club near the campsite. Too bad, as I wanted to go for a dip, get a bunch of funny pictures that I had envisioned. It would have been quite funny and entertaining. Oh well, maybe next time I'm with someone.

Campsite was nice. I took a spot near the water, and was able to go for a partial dip. I bought a new tent as the one I've had for the past 12 years ran into more problems at Solstice. It was just a matter of time. MSR Hubba Hubba, 2 person, 3 season tent. Nice, very nice. I am starting to have lots of MSR and OR stuff, and I love it. It is also 1.5 lbs lighter (at least). Having dropped off a few things in Ottawa, I am probably leaving with 5 lbs less for this part of the trip.

My family (nephew, nieces, sister-in-law) came down for the start of the evening, and special K spent the night. So, the tent is good for 2 people, with the gear outside in the compartments. It was very nice to have people for the evening, having marshmallows around the fire and just relaxing.

At night, a skunk got a little currious by the smell of junk food drops around the pic-nic table. So, she came near and ate whatever she found. Then, she came towards us, with the tail up and all, and came within 2 feet of me at my back. Both Ka and I were trying not to move, and hoping she didn't spray us. We are safe.

Later, it was the racoon's turn to come and be bold. That bastard eventually snuck up behid the tent, and tried to get in. As a “welcome to my trip” for the tent, the racoon ripped the screen and left me a nice little hole I have to patch up. Dang.

So, that's the day – favourable winds, sunny, light day for km, rejected at a nudist camp (i usually get rejected when i have no clothes..), and a nice campsite with friends and family.

Oh, and I love 28c. I am not talking about chest size, but rear tire size. That stuff goes through everything, including the sections I had flats on last year.

What was odd, was that almost to the day (if not exaclty to the day), I was in these neck of the woods (almost the same camp site, almost the same route, and probably the same areas in the next 5-6 days) as when I was riding with Tanya and Attila last year.

Expect shorter entries for a while, maybe for most of this part. I figured you guys had a handful already, so I'll try to keep them shorter. Plus, MTL and QUE, I have been here before, and will do more of the touristy thing when my little Eesti friend comes here in October. Can't wait, should be fun. Moodalask!

Ciao,
p2

Race week-end - Summer Solstice, June 21-22, 2008

2008-06-24T02:15:00.004-04:00

Well, time to start writing entries for the blog again. I am such a narcissistic person. People who know me will agree that I just talk about myself. Quite frankly, they are right – it’s because the world revolves around me and people have to hear about what I have to say.

Short version - look at the pictures.

Long version (longest post yet?), read on...

Pre-post race days:

It was quite a busy time for me – doing a bunch of errands, trying to see as many people as possible (and only got to see 50% of the folks I wanted to see), figure out the mountain bike stuff (rental for the race), prep for the race, then prep for the re-start of the trip. It probably sounds weird, but I am quite anxious to start the biking again so I can finally get some rest.

Race week-end:

Well, you probably figured out by the picture how the race went. But, there’s more of the story than the finish, so here is my version.

Firstly, it was great to see some friends that were at the race. I was surrounded by swell folks the entire time.

Secondly, as things didn’t feel real for the longest time (just the past 6 weeks or so), being back in a very familiar environment, with a specific job to do (the race), it seemed familiar again. Still a nice feeling, even though I had a bit of stress (expectations of good results, a challenge ahead of me, and the concern of injuring myself at the race that could jeopardize the rest of the trip). But, in the grand scheme of things, those are fairly insignificant. I am a lucky bonhomme.

I decided to take a different approach with this race. I usually just race my own race, and not worry about others. This time, I kept my eye on Klymson, the guy who beat me at the last 24 hr solo race. I thought that if I rode “conservatively hard” and keep him in sight (within 30 minutes by the 12 hours mark), I would hope to be in a good position to podium. Knowing he was at the race, I seriously thought the highest I could place would be second. He is an amazing rider, quite a machine.

The plan worked very well. Dave, my ever-so amazing support crew (and always effective in getting us onto the podium), would inform me that he was 13, 12, 11 minutes ahead. He was slowing down, and I was speeding up. Oddly enough, I was averaging close to hour laps – faster than I thought, but things felt good. By midnight, I did 11 laps (includes the stops I had for supper, snacks, etc.) Things were good. Oddly enough, Klymson’s number didn’t show up amongst the people ahead of me. I thought that was odd.

Midnight or so rolls along, and the rain starts. Just moments before, I overtake a guy who has the same amount of laps as I. He figures he’s in 3rd place, maybe 2nd. So, I thought I was getting into a very nice position. The rain picked up more and more, and the trails became quite slick, dangerous in my opinion (well, everyone had to be careful). It's one of those times when you had to pray ("Save me, Jebus"). Things just slowed right down. Some parts were quite difficult to walk, especially with the bike. Near the 2/3 mark of the lap, I run into a super nice person from Ottawa that I get to ride with here and there. She seemed a bit concerned, not too frazzled, but happy to see someone she knew. We decided to ride together out of this. Sure, it might seem like I was helping her out, but honestly, I would enjoy the company too. I hardly think it was a one-sided affair. She’s a strong rider (even though rather young in her “career”, I knew she could get out of this alive. A little while later, the guy I overtook a bit earlier in that lap, was able to go in front of me again and retake his original position. I didn’t want to tell her what just happened, in case she would feel bad about the situation. But, honestly, I was fairly confident that I was going to overtake him later as he did look like he was starting to crack a bit. I just had to be patient, to put in my time.

We made it out of the woods alive, and I stopped for my midnight supper. Returning onto the course was fun (semi-sarcastic). It was quite a slow and messy experience. But, I had a job to do, and it was the same conditions for all. I did take a nice spill on a downhill. Luckily, only a few scrapes on the knees (and a rip in my knee warmers), with some minor fixing of lights had to be done (they got knocked off the bars). After a while, the rain stopped, and the course became rideable again. At four or so in the morning, I experienced my first major mechanical on the course – one of my pedals fell off. No one, not even marshals, have a pedal wrench on the course. I knew I was a bit toast for that. Only one thing to do (in my books) – ride out, one legged. I was just hoping that I wouldn’t cramp up, especially in my hamstring. Because of that little mishap, I lost a good half an hour.

Dawn was finally here, so I decided to stop early for breakfast and let it get a bit lighter out there. Luckily, I had my other bike all ready, so she came out to play for a lap. Dave, with the gracious assistance of Gilles, cleaned up the bike a bit, and put the pedal back on. I would return to the rental (or H17N, as she is also known), upon my return.

Breakfast time also brought on the news that I was in 3rd place, a full lap ahead of 4th (maybe 1h 15 mins buffer). Dave and I discussed the situation, and he highly recommended I keep on truckin’ until noon, which would mean another 3 laps or so. We didn’t want to risk me stopping earlier, and letting the 4th and 5th place boys catch up, and sneak in another lap at the tail end and push me off. So, I obliged (with a bit of resistance). Because of the buffer, I was told I could do those laps fairly conservative, which I did.

The last few laps were nice (except for the skin irritation that was growing, the fatigue setting in, and the loss of “pep” when biking). But, I had a chance to relax a bit, take my time, and even stop for a good 15 minutes chat with Mark – a good guy I haven’t spoken to in around 10-12 years. He was at the Misfits campsite, a spot where they blared music all night, had a disco ball, and a dancing stage. If you stopped and danced under the ball, you’d get a t-shirt. I decided I’d get a t-shirt for Dave. While I was there, Turn The Page (Metallica version) was playing. When a Bon Jovi song came on, we both looked at each other, and he darted to change the tune. “It’s my friend’s mp3 player”. I took my sweet-ass time for that one.

The last lap was also a very conservative lap. I hardly pedaled in the single tracks – just pumping bike over the woopty-doos, cruising through the single tracks, and dropping into the granny gear for probably all the climbs. Taking my time. What was weird is that nothing from the course registered – I didn’t have a clue where I was, or how much was left. The only way I could judge how much was left was by looking at my watch and thinking that I should be done by noon. It was a very bizarre lap, with the mind and mood playing weird tricks on me.

I crossed the line, and quickly went to the electronic results board to see what position I was (unofficially) in – 3rd, with 18 laps. (recap – 11 laps in the first 12 hrs, and 7 in the last 12 – fun times, fun times). I was happy that it was done, and that I made it on the podium. But, I must admit that I was a bit disappointed that I didn’t get in 2nd place. Out of the previous three times I did the 24 hr solo, I placed 2nd twice. So, weird disappointment, but very minor. I would eventually not be as disappointed when I found out that the first place guy is a pro (I believe), and the other one apparently just turned pro. I was in good company.

On that note, I would like to thank my sponsors:

Official result - 3rd out of 32 in my category (under 40 year old), and 3rd overall, out of 52 or so. I rode around 300 km (17 km lap, I think). Tied my record for solo.

While being on the podium, I thought it would be funny to wear a t-shirt like in the movie “Porky’s revenge”, specifically the “Who farted” shirt with a bunch of holes burnt into it. I thought it would be funny wearing rags beside people who were wearing their sponsor’s gear.

Dave said a nice thing to me at the end of the race. “Pierre Perron, three-time medallist as a solo at the 24 hour event”. Sort-of has a nice ring to it. Nice to retire (again, and for good this time) on top.

I have to say congrats to Gilles and Stef’s team for finishing 2nd in their mixed-team category. Tobin, despite his passing out in the lodge and waking up in the first-aid tent, did a fairly good job too. He’s a machine. What has to be the most amazing surprise is Rick, the ox, who decided to lose 40 lbs and grind his way into 5th place. Huge jump, amazing accomplishment. Unbelievable. Considering that the field is getting stronger every year, a fifth in this race is probably equivalent to 2nd 4-5 years ago.

Damage post-race: minimal hand numbness (median nerve distribution) in both hands, left worse than right, and weakness with median nerve innervation in the right hand (basically decrease in fine motor dexterity). All this peaked on Monday night, and slowly getting better. Numbness is gone in the right hand, and just present at the left thumb as I write this. As for weakness, I can still do most things (even trueing the wheel, but with difficulty), and it'll probably take 4-5 days to get back to normal. As for skin irritation, I was able to sit on a bike today and still feel comfortable. I don't walk awkwardly due to the latter anymore. The joys of solo 24 hr riding...

I want to say thanks to Gilles for jumping in quickly to help when asked to help Dave with fixing the bike during the pedal mechanical. Another big thanks goes to Doris and Ruth for helping Dave with the support in the wee hours in the morning so he could get some rest. Thanks also go out to all those who were all around me (mainly near the campsite) that gave me the encouragement to continue.

Lastly, and definitely not least, great big thanks to Dave, who again, went beyond the call of duty, and got us on the podium again. Another person I am forever in debt with.

So, fun and interesting week-end. I was quite happy with the results, and very happy to see folks that I haven’t seen in 2 days and up to 10 years (Lepper, Denny, the latter being a huge surprise). Before the race, I was concerned that I could be injured or too tired for it. Now, tables have turned – has the race made me more susceptible to injuries, or more fatigue? Time will tell.

Well, I am looking for a fun team for next year. I still think I want to put together a team with the name “24 in 24”, and the first 24 I am not referring to the number of laps to do, but amount of beers to be consumed by each rider on the team. Any takers? I might just settle for a good, fun crew (mixed team?). I’m available.

Now, the trip starts (Wednesday). I will be staying at the Voyager Provincial Park, just at the tail end of Ontario before I enter into another “country”. Bonne St. Jean Baptiste (c’est le 24 juin aujourd’hui, quand j’ai écrit cette entrée). I will be getting a visit from my family, where we’ll get to share a little supper near the fire, and maybe go for a dip in the water. The more the merrier, if some are available for the hour drive out of town (I know, it’s far, but I can still dream).

pics are available by clicking on the title of the entry.

Ciao,

P2

Day 38 - Seeley's Bay to Ottawa

2008-06-15T00:01:00.001-04:00

Seeley's Bay to Ottawa
155 km, under 5h30mins
Hot and sunny until Smith Falls,
followed by thunder and lightning (and rain) for 30 mins,
overcast and sunny until Ottawa,
overcast in Ottawa, with another thunder storm
Winds – behind me for the first 3.5 hrs, against me for an hour, then a resumed tailwind

(I guess the intro sums it all up).

Slept in, so I will not be going to the gardens and downtown as tentatively planned. I want to get “home” in time for supper, and visit the kids before they go to bed.

Fun day. I expected a hot day all day. These thunder and lightning storms surprised me. Out of Smith Falls, t and l started, and were around 10 k away. When they got to under 5 km, I pulled off the road to seek shelter to be safe. After a good 10 minutes, I resumed the ride. Fifteen minutes later, the lightning came back to within 5 km, so I had to get off the road again. What is the official concensus for riding in a storm like that – find shelter, or we are safe as bikes?

I was concerned about my cracked rim all day. But, things didn't seem to get worse (wheel didn't get untrue much), even though the crack was getting bigger (spoke pulling appart the rim). But, it held up. I am home now, I get to build (or buy) a new wheel.

The first 100 k flew by. I was at 29 k/h. The winds helped lots, and I was pushing it for most of the ride. I realized I only trained for endurance for the upcoming race, but haven't done some speed work. So, today was a push-it day. It felt good.

When I reached North Gower, I pulled off the side of the road to send a quick update on the blog to let people know I am safe. Getting back on the road, I was wondering why I was stopped in my tracks. Flat. Damn. Fixed it. Just a minute away, I flat again. It looks like I either overinflated it, or there was a piece of sand (or metal from the rim) that ended up inside the tire, and created a nice opportunity for a flat. So, I will take blame for that bad tube replacement (even though I checked the tire for any punctures, as usual). This time, I didn't inflate to max, in order to avoid the same mistake, and to hopefully let the tire take more of the brunt of the road (instead of the cracked rim). Drawbacks would be that I am more at risk of a pinch flat, and it'd be slower. But, it was a risk I took. Everything turned out well.

It was nice to ride in Ottawa again. Weirdly enough, I feel that I haven't been gone at all. Hell, feels like school just finished a week ago or so. But, in reality, I have been living a pretty surreal life – biking daily, seeing tons of different cities and what they have to offer, eating at various places, sampling beers from all over, and visiting family and friends. Totally weird life. We'll see what happens when I snap back to reality in 6-7 weeks.

So, I am now at my bro's place. You guys can reach me on my cell at 613.218.5976, or at their place at 613.xxx.xxxx. For the latter number, please dont call after 8 pm as the kids (should) will be in bed. Cell, anytime.

I hope to get to see a bunch of you guys within the next week or so. I am fairly sure I'll have a bunch of errands to do. I have a feeling I'll keep quite busy (which I dont mind).

The blog will have a rest for a little under a week.

Next entry – probably about the race next week-end.

Talk to you guys soon, and enjoy the break.

Ciao,

p2

Day 37 - Toronto to Seeley's Bay

2008-06-14T23:58:00.000-04:00

Toronto to Seeley's Bay
11h15m
Overcast at first, sunny most of the day, muggy all day
Winds – behind me, SW 15 k/h

Firstly, thanks to Anna and Andrew to let me crash at their place last night, and to Shawn, accepting me inviting myself to crash at his place the night before.

Secondly, it was Friday the 13th yesterday.

Third, congrasts to all who did Rideau Lakes Tour last week-end. I forgot to write that earlier. I know this girl who was telling everybody this year that she was going to do that race. It's not a race, it's a tour. What a goof.

I realized something when I reached Oshawa: Toronto to Kingston was not 300 k as I thought, but only 260. The first time I did Ottawa to Toronto straight, it must have been 425, and not 475 as I thought. So, I always thought there was 300 k seperating the two, I was wrong (luckily). But, Ottawa to Newmarket is 475 k.

The plan today was to do reach Kingston at the 300 k mark, and sleep at my usual spot near just off the 15. But, only being 260 k, I had to continue. I didn't mind, as it would tap into the km I have to do tomorrow.

Final verdict – 303 km. In one week, I hope to ride twice as long (time wise), and do as much km. We'll see. At the moment, I am around (just below) the 6200 km mark. I expected Ottawa to be the 6000k mark. Not bad. I guess I am over half done. If I dont do the detours (Gaspe, Cape Breton, all Newfoundland), it'll be a lot shorter. At least I have options.

Today was a great ride. Kurt asked me if this trip is doing wonders for my fitness. Today was the first day that things felt really good. They felt good before, but today is a bit different. I feel like I have the endurance, and still have some pep when I want to put the hammer down. I am ready for the 24 hr race – I have an amazing support crew (Dave, and the helpers from around the campsites), I have experience, the mindset, and I believe I have the fitess now. But, I am missing one key ingredient – the bike isn't ready until the 24th. So, I will have to figure out something. I would really hate to have to cancel the race as I planned many things around this (ordering the bike early so I'd get it on time, leaving for the trip when I did, doing the long milage days in North Western Ontario all to get back in time for the race). So, some stress that I get to deal with when I get back. I'm sure I'll make it work.

The ride today was swell. Not much pictures though. The first 60 k were basically in the Greater Toronto Area – I finally got out of the big civilization just past Oshawa. After that, they were nice roads going through towns every 10-20 km. Brighton and Colburne were very nice towns to bike through. Well worth a second look.

Few mechanicals today. For some reason, I busted my front shifter cable again. I've never had that happen in my entire cycling “career”, but twice in 1 week. Very odd. If it happens again on this trip, I might be the probable cause, but it could also be the extra resistance of the bent cable due to the front pannier. I am searching for things to blame it on...

Trenton – known as a base, but unofficially known as the city with major sunken manholes (up to 3 inches). I caught one (had no choice), which I tried to bunny-hop (side note, try to bunny-hop a hole with a 50 lbs rear-end). I thought I was sure to flat on that puppy, but didn't. I thought I must of broken a spoke, but didn't. Both my panniers came out (two of the three attach points) from the impact. Shortly after (20 k), I felt my rear was a bit wobbly – the wheel was a bit untrue again. All the spoke had tension. Just a bit later, I noticed the rim being ripped appart at one of the spokes. Yikes, not good. I took out my nipple wrench and trued it on the spot – taking away a bunch of tension from that ripped rim spot. It seems to be holding up, even though I had to redo that getting out of Kingston. There is another spot that is starting to do the same, so this concerns me a bit. Worse comes to worse, I hope I make it to Smith Falls where Greg has his bike shop. I hope he's open tomorrow. It's a play-it-by-ear thing. I just have to make it “home”, and then I get to rebuild a new wheel.

What else to report today. It was a humid one, very muggy. High of 25, felt like 29 with the humidex.

Once I hit the 300 k mark, I saw a sign for a campground nearby. Good timing. Decent spot – mainly seasonals (tons of trailers, I am the only tent), people that have been here every summer for 15 years. Had a nice shower – warm at first, then purposely cold to cool me off.

Food today – I am trying to finish off my food so I have less to lug to Ottawa. I purchased some honey-maple ham, some Monterey Jack cheese with jalapeno peppers, and made sandwich (with mustard) with the cinnamon-raisin bagels I had. I wasn't sure of the combo (the idea), but it actually turned out to be quite tasty. Very flavourful.

Well, approaching bedtime.

The plan tomorrow (hoping there's no fudge factor) – stop by at the gardens on Prince Of Whales to take a bunch of pictures, head to the parliament buildings to get a picture or two, then off to my bro and his family. I will be there by supper. But, if things dont go well, I will try to head there directly.

See a bunch of you very soon. I can't wait.

On Sunday, around suppertime, I will post the number(s) to get a hold of me. Email always works, but will be slower.

One dodo left. Next stop, Ottawa.

p

Rest day - Toronto

2008-06-13T23:54:00.000-04:00

Rest day – Toronto
28 km bike ride.
Hot, humid.

What a week-end to chose to be here. Oh, I might go all over the place and even tell some stories of the past with this post – just a heads up.

First, it's NXNE in Toronto this week-end. North by North East is a music festival. Ten years ago (or is it 12?), it was 350 bands from around the world, playing in 15-25 different venues (mainly on Queen Street), 5 bands per bar (9 pm, 10, 11, 12, 1, sometimes 2), over 3 days. You buy a wrist-band, and it's your cover for all these bars. You just hop from one place to another. Awesome. Well, it's here at the moment. I scanned the bands playing for that night, but nothing grabbed me. (Evan Dando, from the Lemonheads, was playing on Friday night, interesting).

I was first introduced to those festivals when I went to a triathlon training camp in Texas back in '94. The SXSW, 500 bands from all around the world, 4 nights, x amount of clubs, and fairly huge bands, is the original festival. A must to attend. Even though I was underaged, we were waiting in line to go see Beck. He just came out with his single “I'm a loser”, so he was getting fairly popular. We didn't have wrist-bands, so our chances of getting in were slim - especially being underaged too. So, as we're waiting, who comes out? None other than the legendary Johnny Cash. Freaky – just 10 feet away from me. He waves at the crowd, and then walks away.

Back to Toronto. It's also the World Championships for bike messengers on Toronto Island. I'd love to see that. But, no time. Oh well.

The day started alright. The ride into town is mainly downhill, but with some traffic. Somehow, my wallet fell out of my pannier (front), and I had to retrieve it after a car told me what happened. I'm a lucky SOB.

I found Andrew at the dog park near their place. We headed back to his house and had my first beer of the day – Mill Street Wit beer. Tasty, different, but good.

He dropped me off downtown on his way to work. First stop – Amsterdam Brewery. I heard they dont do tours – I was wrong. They do them on Saturdays. Argh. But, the girl let me take pictures of the place, and then took out a glass and offered me samples of all the beers there. So, I had the Natural Blonde lager, Dutch Amber lager, Nut Brown ale, Irish stout, and the Stong Framboise beer. Amsterdam Breweries also brew KLB (Kawartha Lakes Breweries), which makes the Raspberry Wheat Ale. A few of the kids from school have tasted that at my place. What a good beer. The Beer Store seems to never have it in stock – what a shame.

Feeling almost a little buzz, and being quite hungry, I headed to a spot the girl at the brewery recommended – The Bank Note. The meal I had wasn't that special (worth mentioning), but the desert was. It was a caramel and chocolate brownie cheese cake. Cheese cake with chunks of brownie inside, the crust was a thin brownie, caramel covered the cake, and a honkin' big chunk of brownie on top. Oh, and the beer I had with the meal had to be an Amsterdam beer. Mmmmmm.

I was then off to the CN Tower to check out the view. I want to climb those stairs. Being short for time (and I didn't ask), I opted to take the elevator – 22 km/h for 58 seconds. Goes pretty fast, and pretty high. The scenery was neat, so was the building, but the wait for the elevators (to go to the top top, or go back down) was not ideal – 30-45 minutes long. I went outside on one spot (all caged in), and the wind was pretty powerful. There's a glass floor on the first look-out, but it's poorly lit, and tons of kids hogging the spot. Not the best for pictures too. The floor in Calgary is actually better.

I then wanted to hit the Hockey Hall of Fame to see if I could get a picture with the Stanley Cup before closing time (whenever it was), but then I forgot that I wanted to hit the Steamwhistle Brewery before their tours ended at 5. Great thing about that brewery is that everyone gets two samples of beer just for walking into that place. Plus, you can go as many times as you want. Those 3 Fired Guys make a pretty decent beer. It was a good tour. I had a little spin-on when I left.

I checked out the HHOF, but it was closed. I did take a few pictures from the outside. I'm sure Riley and my dad will enjoy some stuff in those pics (but not the same things).

I was feeling a bit peckish, so I decided to go to Shopsy's – one of Toronto's oldest delis. I wanted to keep the snack simple, yet traditional. All beef sausage, fries with gravy, and a Steamwistle beer. Greg joined me as I was finishing my meal. We had to head out very soon, but we thought he had enough time to order a quick beer. His buddy Neil joined us soon, which he had to have a beer. At that point, 3 scantly-dressed, fairly decent ladies (nothing major special, but alright, a bit too skinny) approached us. What was good about them is they brought us free beer. They were the reps for Brahma beer. So, we had to accept the beer, knowing we'd probably be late to meet Anna and Andrew for supper. Ok beer. But, the beer drinkin' had to continue.

Next stop – the Mill Street pub (and brewery). Out of the 12-14 award-winning beers or so, they had a tester of 4 small glasses. So, out it came, and down it went. Keep in mind I had the Wit beer earlier today. All Fairly tasty. Organic Lager was first (very light, slight but pleasant bitterness to it), then the Stock Ale (very light tasting, refreshing), followed by the bold, copper Tankhouse Ale, and finished the sampler with the Coffee Porter. With desert, I had their Raspberry Ale – another very enjoyable beverage.

The meal was good. I was looking at something different – the lamb Greek burger. But, the waitress with the nice legs told me I wanted the Sirloin burger instead. I obliged. Good recommendation. Desert – a maple crème brule. Mmmmmm.

We then headed back to Anna and Andrew's place to get ready for bed. Tiredness started hitting me shortly after we left. I knew I had a long day ahead of me the next day, so some sleep would be nice.

I did feel a slight tickle in the back of my throat, and the occasional sneeze. I do hope the ride tomorrow kills whatever I have, and I get to keep this under control.

Too bad I didn't get to see Shawn once more, nor get a hold of Emily. Maybe next time.

I do have to hit the HHOF one day, and the IMAX downtown. Next time.

Well, almost time to retire for the evening.

A la prochaine chicane,

pp

Day 36 - Penetang to Toronto

2008-06-12T21:10:00.001-04:00

Penetang to Toronto
138 km, Sunny
Windy – 15-20 km/h, cool wind, mainly headwind, some crosswind

I was expecting to ride 200 k today. Since I am staying at my “little” cousin Shawn's place, just on the outskirts of Toronto, it's a very short day. I guess when I transfer to Anna's and Andrew's place tomorrow, I'll have to do a good 50 k. If I bike that much, it is considered a rest day or a light day?

The kids wake up at six in the morning, so they can be out of the house by 7 am. Crazy. Poorane. I got up to spend some time with them, and then returned to bed for another 90 minutes before getting ready to head out. As always, whenever I stay at family or friend's place, I tend to leave a bit later than planned.

I checked the weather network this morning to see what kind of winds to expect. Not the best news – expected headwind all the way. Luckily, they were advertising 10-20 km/h winds, nothing major, but just consistant.

On the ride to Barrie, I saw more wildlife: giraffe, anteloppes, those one-hump camels, and some deer. Canadian animals at it's best.

I remember biking to Barrie, 50 km away, was a big accomplishment. This time around, it seemed quite short and very feasable. I think I am finally getting close to being into shape. I should start training a bit more since I have a race in just over a week.

I zig-zagged a bit in Barrie to find some back roads out of the city to stay off the main roads heading towards Toronto. I was able to find a nice road and ride it to the end, before being dumped onto Hwy 11 near Bradford. That's where the traffic started. Tons of traffic. Luckily, there was a decent shoulder to ride on, and the drivers are fine.

Near Aurora, I was on top of a hill, where I saw a nice little view of “Taranna”. I could see the CN Tower, and some big buildings. I'm probably a good 30-40 k away from the downtown core (that's a guess, I could be wrong, it could only be 20 k or so). Still, it's far, and I can see the CN Tower – that puppy is big. Apparently, it can be seen from Hamilton on a clear day.

I am currently in the lobby of Shawn's appartment building. He's playing baseball until 10. This place seems pretty posh for a little hunter boy from Manitouwadge.

So, nothing major to report today, except that I am still alive, had a relatively easy (short) ride, and that I will have a “rest” day tomorrow checking out a few things. On the menu – drop off the bike at Andrew/Anna's place, head downtown to go up the CN Tower, maybe go for a tour at a micro-brewery (Amsterdam breweries is the most probable choice, maybe Steamwhistle, maybe both!?!).

One last note about Dizzie – she was a good versatile bike. She was used for racing, for training, converted to a fast touring bike. She did it all. From now on, the bikes I will have can not do it all. I'll have a nice little puppy strictly for road riding (training), but can't be used for touring. The current bike I have will probably only be for touring (with a bit of road riding for the rest of the year). That's all I wanted to say about her for tonight.

So, another few days until I am in Ottawa for a little rest. It'll be really nice to try to see a bunch of you guys, do some mountain biking, start my house hunting, rest up a bit, and get ready for the race week-end.

So, here's to another few days. Get the beer ready, I need to pack on a few pounds. If I base myself on the scales at my mom's place compared to the one when I did the bungee jump, I lost a max of 13 lbs (8-10 lbs I'd say is pretty accurate).

A tres bientot,

p2

Special post

2008-06-12T13:40:00.003-04:00

Dzintra Cramerotti
June 1, 1998 – June 9, 2008
RIP

The end of an era.

The show must go on.

Seems the sick bb was too much for my little baby to handle. She succombed, with a fight, at the hospital in Sudbury.

She was a great companion. Sure there were some tough times, but overall, it was a great match.

As depeche Mode wrote once, “Let me see you stripped, down to the core”. Dizzie was an organ donor, so we stripped her of most of her parts and we'll find some good use for them.

Some of the parts ended up on the new bike – pedals, wheels, handlebar, rack, front pannier mount, and the seat.

It was weird riding the new bike in and out of town. It defiately took me a while to get used to it. With the new riser bar (stem) on the bike, my shoulders definitely felt something was different. Out of saddle is very different – is it the riser bar or is it the straight fork? Whatever it is, it took me almost 100 km to finally get used to being out of saddle and feeling fairly stable. Downhill is another thing – she feels a bit unstable (wants to shake more) – riser bar or straight fork?

The frame geometry is different too. The other was probably around 76 degrees, this is a typical 73.

The new bike. Sorry to say, but I am riding a Trek now. Trek 1.2, 2008, white, with few blue and black stripes. Alumininimum, with carbon fibre fork. Triple chainring. Damn, what the hell am I going to do with a triple chainring? I feel a bit embarassed actually.

The oddest thing about riding it is the shifting. I am used to knowing which gear I'm in, what's the next move if I shift gears, and where the “triggers” are for shifting. With this bike, I seem to be reaching with my middle or ring finger for the trigger behind the brake lever, but nothing's there. For 16 years, I have been using the same type of shifters. Now, I have to use my thumbs to shift – such an odd concept.

Our first night together was on the Island. I dont waste too much time – the bed wasn't even cold yet!

So, my new puppy doesn't have a name. I have two in mind, but I will open the floor to you guys and see if there's a name for the new addition to the family. She is not my new road bike, this only has the potential as my new touring bike. I still have to buy a new road bike (next year, I hope).

So, any suggestions for the new bike? You can post a comment and not add your name, and I'll see if I get to chose your suggestion.

I can't wait to read your suggestions.

Pierrot

Day 35 - Craigleith to Penetang

2008-06-11T21:35:00.000-04:00

Craigleith to Penetanguishene
75 km, sunny
Cool wind, 25km/h for 60%, crosswind for the rest

Short day. No, I didn't forget a “1” in the amount of km done today.

Nice little break though. Took my time, enjoyed the time on the bike.

What was interesting on how familiar the territory was (as it was my training ground for the first 3-4 years of my cycling life), and how the distances this time don't feel as big as they did back then. It was fun though, as I knew what was around each corner, where the little hills were, etc.

In Penetang, I killed some time at Tim Hortons for a quick second lunch. Did a bunch of grocery shopping as I planned to cook supper tonight – chicken fajitas, and some fudge for supper. I also stopped to see Dave, the owner of Georgian Cycle, who lives/works just next door to my sister's place. I used to work with him a bit, and he would help me out (sponsor) throughout the years. Great guy, great little bike shop too.

Before supper, we headed to the arena to see Xavier play ball hockey. Maxim was suppose to play, but fids excuses not to play. After supper, Xavier had to take me out for a little bike ride. He was faster than me, he beat me in the sprints.

Well, short day, short entry.

Carole MacG, what does LMAO mean? I am not hip to your jive. Leave My Ass Olone? I have no idea. I tried to figure that out, but can't come up with what it means.

Fiishing my beer, laundry, and I still have another entry to write tonight – an extra entry.

A bientot. Je suis a Ottawa tres bientot. It'll be really nice to be in the area, and actually have a few conversations in person and not via the blog. J'ai hate, tres hate.

Ciao,

p2

Day 34 - Manitoulin Island to Craighurst

2008-06-10T10:34:00.000-04:00

(that town I can't spell on Manitoulin Island) to Craighurst
215 km, pouring rain, for first 50 k, overcast, then sunny for the last 2 hrs
inds – 0 km/hr for first 50 k, then 10-15 (max) km/hr crosswind for 100 k, then tailwind for the rest of the day.

This is Major Tom to ground control.

Today felt like a good ride. It was the ride I wanted and needed to make me feel back on track (motivation, feeling good).

I pressed the snooze button a few times this morning. When I finally got out of “bed”, ate, and packed, it was close to 2.5 hrs before the ferry's departure. I had to haul-ass to get there on time.

Shortly after the ride started, the rain started, and didn't let up until onto the ferry. There was no winds, which allowed me to have a decent speed to get to the ferry on time. I am a lucky bastard.

I planned on having some food on board, write yesterday's entry, and maybe take a nap. I did eat. I didn't to the other two. This older couple and I had a conversation about travelling, my trip, but mainly about mathematic olympics and the kids he is training for them. He was quite passionate about it, which made it (surprisingly) interesting. Super nice folks. The ferry was just under two hours. Scenery – non-existant, as it was too foggy to see anything past 50 yards.

From Tobemory to Wiarton, it's an 80 k stretch of nothing. The light winds started sometime then, but they were crosswinds. They were coming from the West, which meant that I would probably enjoy them once I pass Wiarton.

In Wiarton, I searched to see if there was a statue of Wiarton Willie. No luck. I did see a small wooden sculpture of one, so I took a picture of it.

Owen Sound was near. Just before it, the sun came out, and was quite warm (a bit humid too). A big downhill brought me into Owen Sound. Unfortunately, there was a red light at the bottom. Shucks. Getting out of town, a nice little (4-5 km) uphill awaited me. Nice slow gradual uphill, nothing killer, but constant. It was pleasant. I also had the wind with me, so that helped.

I noticed my rear wheel felt wobbly at times. Upon closer inspection, a few spokes felt they had lost some tension. Do I fix it now or wait until the campsite in 20 km? I fixed it on the spot, enough to get me to the campsite to properly fix it then.

After the climb, just beyond the crest, I could see clouds up ahead. Could I be at the peak of all these climbs, and it's all downhill from here until I reach the Georgian Bay? Yes it was. Looked quite nice. I enjoyed a good minute of 50 k/h, then a few good minutes (3-4?) of 40 k/h. Nice ride. From that point on, I will ride the coast of Georgian Bay. Once I pass Collingwood, it'll be familiar territory – roads I used to ride fairly often when I lived near here.

Tonight I get to have a shower, head to bed before midnight, and sleep in (if I want, or if I can), as the day is under 150 k (I believe). I get to have a lighter day tomorrow, as I ride into Penetanguishene to see my sister, the three little terrors (they rock), and a couple of friends. Can't wait.

Alright, off to see if I can send these entries with a (possible) internet connection near the office, followed by a shower, and bed time.

Only four more biking days until Ottawa – here to Penetang, Penetang to Toronto, rest in Toronto, Toronto to Kingston (300k), and Kingston to home. Just a few dodos, I'll be there soon.

Can't wait to see a bunch of you guys.

p2

Day 33 - Sudbury to Manitoulin Island

2008-06-09T10:33:00.001-04:00

Sudbury to Sheguiandah
145 km
Overcast, rain for 2 hrs
headwind (20 k/h) for first couple of hrs

Sort of a melloncollie day at first.

I spent the morning with my mom in the bike shop. As expected, I wouldn't leave Sudbury until noon or so. The shop, The Outdoor Store, is a great spot. The folks there, especially Shawn and Scott, are awesome. It's like a little MEC. Great spot. Sincere mechanics too. I am very greatful for all the work they did for me.

At one o'clock, the trip started. I wanted to take a couple pictures of Science North (science museum and such, cool place), the big nickel, and the bridge of all the flags. The latter spot has all the flags of the native countries of the residents of Sudbury. It's pretty impressive actually.

So, Science North, flags, and then the big nickel. I had my lunch there – a few packed sandwiches from my mom's place. I must say that the traffic and roads in Sudbury are not ideal for road riding.

Finally reaching the 17, heading West (wait a minute, aren't I suppose to go East for this trip?), I was riding against the wind. Now those western winds are here. Oh well. I really dont like that highway. Even before reaching the 17 a few days ago, I was dreading this part of the 17 – high traffic, and no to little shoulder. It was a bit stressful – I just kept my head a bit down, looked a few feet forward, and just trekked on. After an hour, the rain started (drizzle, but picked up a bit later). I stopped at this pic nic area and just ate a bit. I wanted to stay there – the motivation wasn't there to go back on the bike. But, I did.

After reaching Hwy 6, towards Espanola, I was really happy to leave the 17 behind. The rain stopped at that point. A few km later, I stopped into Espanola for supper. I had a slight craving for a KFC chicken sandwich, but I saw a sign that was much more appealing. Golden Dragon (or something) all you can eat canadian chinese buffet. Sounds great – I wanted that food for a while, and this should be fairly quick as the food is all ready for me. So, there I went.

Food was tasty. No ginger broccoli beef, too bad. But, I did have my chicken balls, chow mein, fried rice, etc. Fortune cookie - “The philosophy of the past century is the common sense of the next (in bed)”. Nope, doesn't work.

I stopped into a convenience store to gather my breakfast stuff and light supper for when I stop for the evening. I hoped to reach somewhere near Manitoulin Island. Asking the locals about bears in the area, they stated that on the mainland, they are quite bold at the moment, but there isn't any on the island. So, I had an idea where I wanted to spend the night tonight. The convenient store lady, a super nice oriental elder, was soo kind. After we spoke a bit, and I was outside stuffing my supplies into my bags, she came out with two honkin'-ass chocolate bars as gifts. “You will need lots of engergy.” So kind.

Leaving Espanola felt like the start of a new ride. Things felt right again, and my motivation was coming back. For the ride, I knew that I would have to make good time to get to the island (Little Current). Off I went. There's a few hills on the way there, I was surprised.

Slowly but surely, I knocked down the two destinations I had my eyes on. The third, Little Current, came at dusk.

On the island, it's quite nice. There are many “lakes” in rocks (looks like huge puddles), marshlands, green fields, fairly flat with the occasional hill, some rocks, and quite a few deers. Civilization is fairlly spread out. There was this neat feeling there. I can't put my finger on it, but if felt like I was not alone, yet there was no one there. Does the island have many spirits or something? I dont know. But, it was a cool feeling.

I was looking for an earlier-advertised campsite just past the town. In town, the sun was setting, which made a nice pink sky. Looking back, the entire sky above town was pink. While going towards the previously advertised campsite, I saw another one, and I chose that one instead. It was close to dark at that point.

Most spots that I saw at first, all on grass, were soaked. I had difficulty cycling through that grass as it was basically a puddle. I found a spot near the lake, which had power access. There I slept.

I planned my day (ferry 50-60 km away, leaves at 11 am), and went to bed early to hit the road early.

So, that was the day.

On to write the next entry....

pierre

Rest Day - Val Therese

2008-06-08T21:29:00.001-04:00

Rest day – Sudbury

Where to start.

Oh, happy birthday Carole.

Physio folks – congrats, graduation was today I believe. Too bad I wasn't there, vous me manquez, et je n'ai pas eu la chance de finalement avoir ma photo de graduation. Tabarnouche (or something like that).

Slept in (expected).

Went to town.

Dropped off the bike, and the mechanic was going to work on it for the next few hours.

IMAX theatre, the first in the World (I believe). So, went to the theatre – Mysteries of the Great Lakes. The other option, at a different but inconvenient time, was Hurricane of the Bayou. Always fun to watch an IMAX film.

Back to the bike shop – fun news. After a few people reefing on it, with a 4 foot bar, they couldn't free-up the right side of the bottom bracket. The blow-torch came out too. No luck. The left was stubborn, but they got it out. It was fairly corroded in there. Ten years that puppy has been in there. It's been through lots of rain, some snow (not intentionally), and on the island, some salty rain. So, the plan of the night – let it soak up in some liquid. Tomorrow morning, another mechanic will be in, and all three of us will be able to give it a go. Worse case scenario, and very probable (I must admit, and expect), I buy a new little bike to get me through the trip.

So, back to home base tonight, a fun evening socializing, eating, and laundry before bedtime. Plus, I guess I should take time to finally update the blog, picture album, and a few emails I want to get to.

Funny thing, I have tan lines on the top of my head from the helmet. Funny. I've had tan lines from the straps before, but never through the helmet.

Thanks for your patience. I wish you guys all the best, and see you in 7-8 days (some sooner – sis and the kids, and the Toronto crew.

Later,

p

Day 32 - Latchford to Val Therese

2008-06-07T21:24:00.000-04:00

Latchford to Val Caron (Sudbury)
236 km. a bit over 10h30 mins.
Sunny, fairly hot (mid 20's) a bit humid
Windy, f'n windy, basically 30 k/h with gusts.

Today is a day I'd rather forget for now.

Against the wind. I was riding against the wind. Against the wind.

for the first 130 k, it was a wind in my face. Sure, there were small short breaks of wind during the ride, but the gusts that followed made me drop a few f-bombs during the day. At times, I think my voice changed a bit from yelling too much.

At the 130 k mark, hitting hwy 17, the roads changed direction. I was now heading westbound. What I didn't want was a crosswind on that highway – not the safest thing. But, i managed. The wind was occasionally against me, and occasionally with me, but always crosswind. (I am spending lots of time talking about the wind, sorry).

On a good note with the wind, I would (expect) to get a tailwind for the last 20 k while I was heading North after hitting Sudbury.

I was losing a bit of time, so I expected to hit my destination, my aunt and mom's place, close to dusk. But, I wasn't done biking/fighting. At the 150 k mark, my front shifter was acting weird. When I tried again, pop, there goes the cable. No more front shifter, no more big ring. Nothing major, I can still get to my destination. But, maybe I wouldn't be able to tap into those tailwind as much as I would like to.

210 k mark, sun was starting to set, and I was close. Winds were still present, but shifting into my favour. Things were fine, enjoying the sunset, and had some time of light before I get there. Flat. Damn. Fix the flat, and then bring 'er on home.

So, not all a bad day. I enjoyed being on the bike, enjoyed my lunch where I was able to leave my mark on the side of the road, and enjoyed arriving to see my mom and aunt.

While I was getting a hug from my mom, I feel someone getting a good handful of my arse. Since my mom's arms were around my neck, it had to be my aunt grabbing my ass. She was disappointed that her nephew didn't have a hard ass. Boy, things are different when people come from up north.

Time for a rest day tomorrow, fix the bottom bracket, front shifter, stock up on bike supplies (tire, tubes, cartridges, cables), and eat too.

Later,

p

Day 31 - Val Gagne to Latchford

2008-06-06T21:23:00.000-04:00

Val Gagne to Latchford
191 km, 8h15m
overcast, very humid
headwinds (15-25 k/h) for most of the day

Typical start of the day when I stay over at family and friends. But, no regrets at all. Left late, which tapped into the biking hours, but as the end of the day unfolded, that was good.

D-Day today, and I believe it's my uncle Jean-Marc's birthday (memere was saying that yesterday). In honour of D-Day, coincidence actually, I biked by Vimy Ridge Road.

For a while in NW Ontario, it didn't feel like I was in Ontario. It was more like B.C.ish. But, these neck of the woods, I know I am in Ontario. In fact, I am in the area where I was born and raised.

Englehart Hospital – in exactly 1 day, back 26 years, I was born there. My bro and sis were also born there. I also visited the hockey arena where I started playing hockey. It is not like I remembered it.

In Earlton, where I spent the first 10 years of my life, I visited my elementary school, the Bison at the zoo, my dad's old body shop, and of course, the house we stayed in. Those trees are hugh now, they hide the house. The gas tanks in front of the house are no longer there.

Other fun parts I visited were: a) the bridge where it has been in re-occuring dreams (same dream 3x, but it hasn't happened in probably 10 years now), and b) the railroad track where I took a wipe-out when I was learning to ride a bike with hand brakes. For the latter, I was used to back-pedaling to stop. I remember going “fast” and those tracks approahing, so I started back-pedalling to stop – didn't work, I hit those tracks, and I probably scraped my knee or something. Fun little memory.

Food – another installment, since it's been a while. The Kenogamy Kitchen is a good place to eat, and very cheap. Dont miss out on their home-made pies (coconut cream was tasty). But, the most important thing to write about (food wise for today) is: Thornloe Cheese Factory, and their cheese curds. Squeekiness factor = very high. Very tasty. Gotta have it if you're in the area. All local. Better than St. Albert's cheese.

I was hoping to reach Martin River, or at least Temogamy for a campsite. After reaching Latchford, I knew I had 30 k to go. But, light was getting scarce, so I doubled-back to find a spot to sleep for the night. Luckily I did, as 30 minutes later, +++ rain, thunder, lightning and winds were very present. I found a spot at the information centre, set up under a roof thingy covering pic-nic tables (what the hell is the word I am looking for?) So, I should be dry in the morning.

I took a few pics of the tent under that canopy thing, and was able to get a bit of lightning in the background. Neat.

I did have access to some power at the information centre to charge up the mp3 player (topped-up), but there is no Internet here. Obviously, there is no shower tonight. Too bad, as today was quite humid, and the clothes just stuck to the body all day. It is, I believe, the first day that I was sweating on the bike.

Throwing an idea out there as some made some noise about riding with me post-Solstice. I could leave on the Wednesday. Here would be a tentative schedule. It is easy at first for me to get my legs back after the race, and to make it more appealing to those intersted.

Here's an idea:
Wed – to Rigeau campground (120 k). Stop by at a beach on the way there.
Wed night – camping – anyone is invited to visit, and/or camp there too. Bring beer. Fire-pit for marshmellow's, food, etc. We could have a little party there if there is some interest. Last year with Tanya, Cat and crew was fun.
Thu – Rigeau to MTL (100k). Tour of the McAuslan Breweries. Mmmmmmm.
Friday – MTL to 3-rivieres (or right to Quebec City if we have strong riders AND the wind at our backs). 140 k or 285 k.
After Quebec City, it's the Charlevoix Region. Two days of 90 k, in the hills. Bring a spare lung and spleen. Stop-over in Baie St. Paul, where we get to sample milk stout (or is it milk lager?). Anyways, gotta try it.

Alright, time to retire for the night. Sort-of a semi-long day tomorrow, where I get to kick it in to a bit North of Sudsbury to visit my mom and aunt, and have another rest day. Sheesh I am lazy.

I hope you guys are all having a blast. Wish you guys were here, and not chained to your desks (or whatever).

p

Rest day - Val Gagne

2008-06-05T21:20:00.000-04:00

Rest day – Val Gagne

Another lazy day – slept in until 11 or so.

Mom, dont worry about beer. I am quitting drinking.

Went to the “Falls” (Iroquois Falls) for some shopping with my grandparents.

For supper, I went to my aunt Carole and uncle Wayne, also joined by my cousin Michelle and her boyfriend Nathan. Michelle, in case you didn't recognize her, is the little girl who is biking with me in that intro picture on the blog. It's still hard for me to think of them as grown-ups, instead of little kids.

Due to unfortunate circumstances, I could not see everyone I wanted to see, but I did get a good chunk of visiting in.

So, a day of food shopping, some bike pannier adjustments, rest, eating, and visiting.

What am I saying? I am not a quitter, I ain't quittin' drinkin'.

Later,

p

Day 30 - Chapleau to Val Gagne

2008-06-04T16:10:00.001-04:00

Chapleau to Val Gagne
271 km, 11.5 hrs
Sunny, windy – 0-25 km/h (7 hrs unfavourable winds)

The word of the day is “wasted”. Everytime you see that word, just like Pee Wee's Playhouse, you have to make some noise.

The day started early, as I was expecting 13 hours of biking up ahead of me. I was lucky that my phone had enough charge to activate the alarm clock for a total of 15 seconds before shutting off. Sleeping right through it would of ruined the day. So, I woke up at the crack of dawn to start riding (and no, I did not wake up at the crack of Dawn, unfortunately).

Biking before 6 am, seeing the sunrise, is pretty neat. Cool and damp, but neat. Luckily, I am not aware that I am biking, as I generally “wake up” at 10 (I get up earlier, sort-of like a zombie until 10).

Here's a joke. Three old men are talking, comparing notes on their physical problems. One says “every morning, it takes me 1-2 hours until I can finally pee”. The other says “That's nothing, it takes me 3 hours until I can finally go for a bowel movement”. The two ask the third what's his problem. He replies “At 7 o'clock sharp, I have a nice long pee. Eight o'clock, a nice bowel movement.” The two reply “you are one lucky s.o.b.”. The third replies “not really. I wish I could get out of bed by 9 am.”

I hope that was alright for you. Han, is it a better one that last?

Alright, back to the story of the day.

Riding early in the morning, very quiet for traffic, and quite peaceful. If only the bike didn't make it's normal noise. Breeze was non-existant. The little lakes had no ripples, which made a neat mirror-effect of the trees and rocks hugging those shores. There was also a short strip of a rainbow up ahead – odd since there was no rain or anything close to resembling that.

The morning also brought out the wildlife. After seeing something dark brown up ahead, I pulled off the road, took out my camera and observed (thanks to 20x optical zoom). Was it moving? I wasn't sure. Yes it was, very slowly. I took a few pictures, then started biking up the road towards it. Nice bear. I was doing some drive-by shooting (like many of the photos, hence the sub-par quality some might expect from such a professional photographer like me). Luckily, I got some nice shots of it. Eventually, it got scared and ran away. Up the road, a second bear I was able to get some pics of. The third bear, I was going up a hill, so I didn't bother taking out the camera. The fourth and fifth, I was too slow to get the camera out. The sixth, it was too far up ahead, crossing the road, that it would have been pointless to try to shoot it (with the camera, of course). For the latter, a car stopped and warned me about it, and so did a pick-up truck who flashed his lights as a warning. Everything turned out well. All this was within the 50 km mark. On a side note, I was stopping at a little pic-nic table at the 55 km mark to just have a little break and eat a bit – right in bear country. There were some tell-tale traces of bear in the area, so i didn't want to stay there for long or else I might end up as their breakfast. Actually, probably not, as I probably didn't smell the greatest, being my third day of biking without a full (proper) shower.

Lunch time was in Foleyet, 100 km into the ride. After lunch, I WASTED probably 45 minutes to find accessible internet in a town with dial-up (but the two elementary schools had wireless via satellite). One I could not tap into, but the other was unsecured but not connectable (is that an English word?). So, the time I made up with the ride, I wasted it. I was still on track to get to my destination by dusk.

Riding the second century was another long stip of nothing but rocks, trees, streams and lakes. No houses, nor businesses (except for the occasional logging road here and there). Traffic wasn't bad either.

At the 150 km mark, my front pannier started sagging (basically touching the front wheel). I tried to jimmy something with what I had to make it hold up, but as it turned out, it was 30 minutes time well WASTED. Damn. I just threw the front pannier on the back, and started riding.

I had to re-learn how to ride again. I am so used to weight in the front, that without the weight, it was feeling so unstable. It took me a few minutes to get the hang of it. Anyone who is used to riding with bags, then takes them off, know what I am talking about. I was concerned with the extra weight on the back (more succeptable to snake-bite flats, aka pinch flat). But, things turned out fine. After a bit of riding, I got out of saddle a bit. Woah Nelly! I forgot how to ride a bike again! After getting the horse onto the road, I went back to “school”.

Got into Timmins to hit the 200 km mark. Search for a bike shop to get a new spare rear tire, hopefully get a new bottom bracket (it's sick at the moment, but will hold up probably until Ottawa), and to get a chance to tap into power + Internet to send a message saying I am still alive. Guess what – time wasted again.

Ate a “lovely” quick lunch at Burger King (wth free Wi-Fi), and then off for the last leg of the day. I was doing good time, so I thought I should stop into a Tim Horton's for an Iced-Cap. At one point, I hear “tic, tic, tic”. Pulling off the road, I thought the loose arm sleeve on the coat was hitting the spokes (thus making this noise). Fixed it, didn't fix the noise thing. Upon closer look, it was a u-nail stuck in the rear tire. Damn. I pulled it out, then the air started leaking (obviously). Fix the flat. For some reason, those flats don't botther me, only the pinch flats do. Within 15 minutes, back on the bike. I still pulled into Timmy's for the drink (and a doughnut too0.

Riding towards Val Gagne, I was happy to see signs for “Guay's Garage”, a sign that says to me “I am close to my memeres”. So, I followed those signs “home”.

ETA was between 8-9 pm. I got there at 8:01. Good thing I had a flat and stopped into Timmy's. My grandparents, at the request of my mom, were waiting outside to take a picture of me biking into the driveway. They were just checking a message on the telephone when I pulled in, so they missed the arrival. Oops, sorry.

So, I was not wasted riding, just lost lots of time today. I felt still good at the end of the day. There was still some pep in me (well, maybe some pe, not full pep). Since the 150 km mark, the average speed kept climbing up right into the last 500 m into memere's driveway. The last two hours was an average near 30k/h. Things felt good.

Alright, off to a full rest day, with some shopping, and some pannier-fixing stuff, before visiting other parts of my family.

Oh, I also saw my odometre hit 5000 km just outside of the village. That means I am close to 170 km short of actual 5000 km of the trip.

Ok, enough of wasting your time, get back to work.

Ciao

p

Day 29 - White River to Chapeleau

2008-06-03T16:08:00.000-04:00

White River to Chapeleau
235 km, 8.5 hrs
Sunny

Instead of heading North to Hornepayne (a ride I've done before when I did Toronto to Thunder Bay 10 years ago), I decided to head South to Wawa, eventually to hit Timmins via Chapeleau. New territory for me, so why not. Plus, I get to see what this big goose is in Wawa.

During the first part of the ride, I encountered two riders going the opposite way from me. I stopped, and we had a little chat. Julien, from Germany, and Tony, from London (ON) started from Toronto, on their way to Vancouver. Tony already had some issues with his achillies tendon, but keep on riding on it. Good luck. They have been gone for a week.

Later, I spotted a moose. I got a chance to take a few pictures of it. It didn't look like the healthiest moose – it's fur didn't look so sharp. But, it's the first moose I see in my life, so it's the best looking moose I've seen.

Wawa – got a chance to see the goose, and ate, before heading on the road again. Today, I was hoping on doing a bit more km than planned so I would have less to do the next day. That was the plan.

Between Wawa and Chapeleau, I saw another Watershed thingy. I also saw a honkin' big moose on the side of the road. Beautiful. Nice brown shiny coat. It got scared and ran up ahead in the ditch to the right of me, galivanted onto the road, crossed it, and ran into the woods to the left. I was a bit slow getting the cameray, but when I finally reached the trigger, I was able to get a few shots of his arse. My eyes were glued to the trees for the rest of the ride, in case I might see another one.

In Chapeleau, where there is no camp sites, I decided to go see the OPP (Europeans: OPP means Ontario Provincial Police) and ask them if I can sleep in their backyard. The guy almost let me do it, but eventually suggested I go into town and sleep in the park there. He assured me no one would bother me. I was hoping to tap into power somewhere to charge up all my electrical appliances (and send a message saying I am ok before I leave from Chapelau). But, no luck anywhere. Dang. I guess I'll have to try to do that the next day, when I reach the next spot of civilization (Foleyet), 100 km away.

So, slept well, and planned my long day ahead of me.

A bientot.

p
(nice little short entry, enjoy it while it lasts)

Day 28 - Terrace Bay to White River

2008-06-02T09:19:00.001-04:00

Terrace Bay to the birth place of Winnie the Pooh (White River)
185 km, 7hrs and some change
Sunny, windy (some in my favour, some not)
Wind was cold

The morning didn't start too well. I was quite tired, and I didn't want to get out of “bed”. Once I got out, I packed, and went to buy milk at the campground office. No luck, they dont sell it anymore. I would have to go to town and get my milk there then eat breakfast.

I spent lots of time in town (just lazy, slow), but got some food in me. I left late, so the day was going to be a long one (I thought). I had a lot of kms to cover today.

The hills were also fairly big on this side of Terrace Bay. It was great. The wind, wasn't that great. It was blowing from all directions (15-20 k/h). Manageable though.

What was cool: I saw a black bear. It was bigger than the cubs I've seen before, this might have been a “teen-ager” or something. I was debating on stopping and taking a picture, or getting the phoque out of there. I did both. But, I was too slow with the camera, he ran off eventually. I can't prove that I saw a bear yet.

I also saw a big chunk of snow on the side of the road. Where did it come from? More inukshuks, and two 2 feet high statues of Joseph and Mary just placed into the rocks on the side of the road. Interesting.

In the morning, I thought “I have to go into Marathon to get a tire, I have to make it there before I flat”. Well, just 1 km outside of Marathon, pss pss pss pss pss. Flat. First flat of the trip – some 4200 km into the ride. I wore the tire down, which was the cause of my first flat. Fun. Sitting on the side of the ditch, I put on my spare tire (new ones are always so stiff at first, what a hassle), and rode into town for food and (hopefully) a new spare.

Canadian Tire – 10 tires, all mtb. No luck. Sheesh. Food – Mr. Sub. Poor girl, she is so lost, didn't know how to make a sub, was looking at the picture to see what meats to put on. When I asked her about if there was access to internet here, she said they have Interac, so the internet would go through Interac, as it was all the same line. What????? (no, there was no access to Internet there).

I did some groceries, and finally got my haircut. Leaving Marathon, the wind was cold (and powerful). I was shivering for 10 minutes (well, maybe 5).

The wind would be at my back from that point. Great! I would be able to go past White River as planned.

Later, 80 k to be exact, psss psss psss psss – I hit a rock, and got my second flat. Gees! Start the flat counter. I fixed it a lot quicker this time. At that point, I knew I was going to run out of daylight before reaching my original destination, so I settled on staying in White River.

So, here I am. Sleeping on the grounds of the tourist information centre (as recommended by the locals, who say people camp there all the time). Some access to internet, but no power – I can't recharge my mp3, so I'll probably run out of tunes tomorrow. Dang.

Pictures to come later.

I might be a day late for Timmins. Sorry, I'll try my best to make things work.

Alright, bedtime.

Enough about me, how are you all doing? Swell, I hope.

p

Day 27 - Thunder Bay to Terrace Bay

2008-06-01T09:09:00.000-04:00

Thunder Bay to Terrace Bay
225 km, 9 hrs
Sunny, windy (15 km/h) diagonal tailwind for 50%, then diagonal headwind for 50%

June 1st – new month, continuing adventures. Dad, congrats, it's June.

Also, Rolland Hubert has probably started his cycling trip from Vancouver (across the country). I wish him happy travels.

It was nice to see Mike, Bonnie again, and to meet Caleb (9 months). It also would have been nice to visit a bit longer, but I had to hit the road.

I didn't bother going into town to visit the place (I did it 10 years ago when I bike here from Toronto, and I dont recall anything major that I must re-visit). I headed straight out of town to the Terry Fox monument.

What a spot. Everyone there is moved. Quiet, respectful, in awe. It's a really neat spot. They did a great job with the statue – you can see the sweat pouring off his face. Very moving, very touching moment.

There is a spot just 12 clicks away where he stopped. It's just a little white post, with a small plaque. I made sure to go see it. In my mind, I was wondering how he stopped – he decided it was too much and he couldn't go on, or the way I like to think of it, he kept going until he collapsed, giving it all he could until the last moment before being taken into the van for the hospital.

I remember a story of when he was in Quebec. The waitress asked what he wanted to eat, and he said “everything on the menu”. Tons of food was there. At the end of what they could eat, they started a little food fight in the restaurant. Good ol' fun. Probably wasn't good for the press, but Quebec didn't have much press around his story (at the time).

I continued towards my destination – Terrace Bay. Past Ignace, that's where the hills started. I remembered those hills, and I was lookinng forward to climbing those again. The downhill ain't bad either. Well, a bit steeper than out West (except for the tail end of the Coquahalla Hwy). My speed dropped to 9 k, and it stayed there for a while. Short hills (maybe up to 3k), but worthwhile. Sometimes the road just goes through these very high blasted rock walls, it's pretty neat. One minute you are waiting for the sky to fall, the next you're dazzled by the beauty of it all.

Downhill was great too. You can hit 70 k/h and hold it for a while. During the descent, on the mp3 was 2 songs by the title “high”, where one (Jimmy's Chicken Shack) sings “What does it take to get you high?” - maybe a few more of these downhills.

I wanted to check out the Canadian Tire in Nipigon to see if they had a 700c road tire as mine is getting a bit bald (flat, actually, you can see the thread underneath). It'll go anytime. I didn't want to use my spare yet, as if it gets cut (glass, rock), I am basically out. So, I tried my luck there. No luck. The guy swore I'd be able to find what I am looking for in Marathon tomorrow.

Right before the campsite at Terrace Bay, I shopped for my usual groceries (milk and juice for the morning, and a bit of junk food for after my meal). The campsite was great – hot showers, internet, and some waterfalls nearby. I was hoping to get up eary to go see the waterfalls, but it depends on how I feel in the morning.

Supper, pasta with some creamy sauce (needing milk). I was wondering why the sauce was not being consistant. When I drank some after the meal, that's when I noticed it was curdling. Damn. Bad milk. Now I have no milk for tomorrow.

I answered a bunch of emails at night. The time on my computer was still on Winnipeg time, so I thought I was alright before bedtime. But, when I realized it was an hour later, I made the decision to go to bed as I had to get up early for a long riding day.

Checking out the map, I was able to figure out how I will get to Timmins. Will I go the originally planned route (Hornepayne, Hearst, etc.) that I've done in the past, or try something new (Wawa, Chapeleau, etc). We'll see.

Well, that's all for this one.

Ciao,

p

Day 26 - Ignace to Thunder Bay

2008-05-31T16:10:00.000-04:00

(click on titles for pictures)
(updates sent from Nipigon, on the first of June. Day not done, yet)

Ignace to Thunder Bay
228 km, 8.5 hrs
Overcast at first, sunny after, and hot the last 2 hours
occasional light drizzle
winds (15 k/h) behind me (tail and cross-tail)

I thought it'd be a light day (225 km expected), with favourable winds. I decided to ride easy – sit back in the saddle, get a slower cadence, and just sit up for most of the ride. Nothing too strenuous; I knew I'd get to T-Bay by night fall. Plus, I knew I'd lose an hour with the time-zone change. Leaving early made me relax a bit.

What I did enjoy was the start of the hills. It really breaks up the ride, the monotony. I like the uphills, and I definitely enjoy the rewards after them too. No more of “maximum speed of 30” as I had in the prairies, now I can hit 60. Just wait until the bigger hills come on the other side of T-Bay.

Nothing exceptional to report for the first 100 k or so (except that it was just that, 105 km of no towns, just typical little lakes and streams, rocks and trees, and the traffic). After lunch, a sign caught my eye: “Fudge” (at a coming-up store). Twist my arm. Yes, I stopped by and bought a block of it, and started munching on it immediately (accepting the fact that I might have a sugar rush/crash later). No, no crashes.

The time zone actually had a sign, so I stopped to take a few pictures (and eat more chocolate fudge). Good ol' Canadian boy who established the time zones around the world. What I can't understand is why didn't Flemming just put those damn time zones along political borders (say between provinces instead of in the middle of some), and why did he just give Newfoundland 30 minute difference? Lots of things in the world I don't know.

I also saw continental watershed for Atlantic (I believe) and Artic. I was hoping to see that in the Rockies (as I did see them in the Rockies in Colorado, but not in Canada).

Arriving at the junction of the 11 and 17, things just flew from there. It was mainly downhill (with some little tough uphill, notebly Strawberry Hill, the biggest hill I've encountered this side of the Rockies). It was a blast riding those fast rolling hills. I thought the wind was pushing me, but when I stopped, no winds were felt.

On Hwy 102 (sort-of a bypass of T-Bay), I was looking for Dawson Road to turn as my cousin stays there. Biking along, biking, biking, waiting. A pick-up pulls over – it's Mike. he informs me that I passed his house. As it turns out, Dawson Road IS Hwy 102. Luckily for me, he was just doing some errands and spotted this geek dressed in spandex biking by. Sure enough, it was me. Pleasant surprise.

Tonight, I get to stay at Michael (cousin) and Bonnie's place, and meet their cute little boy. Another steak supper, with bacon-wrapped baked potatoes on the bbq – what a good idea. Tasted delicious too. Watch a bit of hockey, talk about things, lovely evening.

I've really been lucky with the great hospitality I've received so far: Paul in Kamloops, Roch and Ali in Crossfield, Yvette and Dale in Winnipeg, and of course, Mike and Bonnie over here. I get to enjoy a rest day plus visiting many uncle, aunts, cousins, and grandmas in 3 days or so. Actually, two days later is a rest day at my mom's and aunt, then 2-3 days later is my sister and the little terrors (love them brats), then a rest day in Toronto visiting the city, and more importantly, friends in the city. Two more days after that, I am in Ottawa, for a bigger rest (and lots of errands and visits, with some biking too). So, I think things are going to fly in the next two weeks.

What a ride.

Tomorrow, beautiful Lake Superior, and Terry Fox tourist spots.

I bought an Ontario map today (I was using the tail end of the Manitoba map for a bit of NW Ontario). I can now see that Kenora isn't on Lake Superior. But, thanks to the “Anonymous” person for writing that. I also noticed that I will not be heading down a very (+++) beautiful section of Lake Superior – towards Wawa. I will miss the big Wawa goose, and the opportunity to dip my big toe in one of the coldest waters Canada has to offer. But, I will get to hike up North a bit and visit family. Sweet.

Well, I will be counting sheep in a few minutes.

As always, i hope you guys are doing quite well. I get to think of you guys during the long days.

Cheers,

Pierre

Day 25 - Kenora to Ignace

2008-05-30T16:09:00.000-04:00

Kenora to Ignace
249.5 km (oh so close), 10.5 hrs
raining, up to 11 degrees
partly windy (some head wind with cross winds)

On a long and lonesome highway, east of Kenora
You can listen to the rain moaning out its one lone song
You can think about woman, or the girl you knew the night before,
But your thoughts will soon be wandering, the way they always do.
When your riding ten hours and theres nothing much to do
And you dont feel much like riding, you just wish the day was through.
Say, here I am, on the road again. there I am, up on the stage.
Here I go, playing star again.
There I go, turn the page.
Well you walk into a restaurant, strung out from the road,
You can feel the eyes upon you as your shaking off the cold
You pretend it doesnt bother you, but you just want to explode.
Most times you cant hear em talk, other times you can.
Oh the same old cliche, is that woman or a man
You always see my number, you dont dare make a stand.
Here I am, on the road again. there I am, up on the stage.
Here I go, playing star again.
There I go, turn the page.
Out there in the spotlight you're 2000 km away,
Every ounce of energy, you try and give away,
As the sweat pours out your body like the km that you put away.
Later in the evening as you lie awake in bed,
With the echo from the big-rigs ringing in your head,
You drank the days last beer, remembering what she said.
Now here I am, on the road again. there I am, up on the stage.
Here I go, playing star again.
There I go, turn the page.
Here I am, on the road again. there I am, up on the stage.
Ah here I go, playing star again.
There I go, there I go.

Lots of rain today, but no downpour. My bike did pick up lots of crap from the road – the drivetrain was pretty gritty at the end of the day.

Lots of people are doing little Inukshuks along the way. I took a few pics of them.

On a coincidence note, while listening to a tune by Pulp, one of the lyrics was “It's 4 o'clock, and the real world seems so far away”. I thought “It must be close to 4 o'clock” and checked my watch. 16h00 and a few seconds. Interesting. I didn't believ it, so I checked a few seconds later, and confirmed that it was, in fact, 4 pm. I thought that was weird, yet cool.

Food – I stopped into a restaurant as the sign attracted me: a big B with moose antlers on each side, and the restaurant's name is something like “Burgers Barbeque”. Decent food, but what is noteworthy is their award winning bbq sauces – their blueberry bbq sauce. They have two versions: normal, and spicy. I tried them both. Tasty. The spicy one was a bit too risky to put on the burger as I didn't want to suffer any consequences later, so I settled for the regular. Their chicken and sausage gumbo was delicious.

Dryden – when I turned the corner to head to downtown, I get to see some factories spewing out dark grey and black smoke out of their smokestacks. This superimposes the little town. Not the prettiest site. Pulp mill, so it probably smells a bit on hot days.

I lost some time in Dryden looking for the internet, and then for a cup of coffee. After lots of time wasted trying to tap into the library system, I decided to nix the internet thing and go for a coffee. The only thing decent was Tim Horton's. Well, I've never had to wait in line 15 minutes before, and the counter people were a bit on the slow side. What didn't help were abnoxious american hunters (or something) being all confused and such. So, I lost maybe up to 45 minutes in Dryden.

That loss turned out to tap into the daylight hours I had to ride. The tail end of the ride was, well, not ideal. There wasn't much light when I finished the ride.

The campsite was alright. Since I was looking for electricity and Internet access, the guy offered me to camp out on his lawn (his house is on the premises) and tap into the two. That was nice of him. Plus he gave me a discount. What was great about the place was the extremely hot showers. Boy I enjoyed that, I didn't want to leave.

I noticed lately my appetite is getting bigger. I think I must of ate for an hour in the tent. The garbage I took out in the morning was a bag full of empty boxes and such from all the food I ate that night. I basically ate everything I had – toasts, bagels, half a container of pasta and sauce, and chocolate milk/hot chocolate. I think I'll turn into a pig.

On the road, I also saw some tell-tale signs of a cyclist before me. There was an empty compressed-air cartridge on the side of the road, and later, an actual bike tire. Good that someone is biking across the country, but they ignored the “carry-in, carry-out” rule. Oh well.

Alright, time for sleep.

Bonne nuit,

p

Day 24 - Winnipeg to ...

2008-05-29T02:15:00.002-04:00

You'll have to excuse me
I'm not at my best
I've been gone for a month
I've been drunk since I left
This so-called vacation
Will soon be my death
I'm so sick from the drink
I need home for a rest
Take me home!

Gone a month, and I am basically home – Ontario! I haven't been drunk since I left, nor do I need a rest yet.

Had a few sentimental moments after crossing the border. Weird and neat feeling.

Winnipeg to Kenora, 230 k, 9.5 hrs
Overcast
Slightly windy (mainly headwind with a diagonal cross-head wind for most of the day until Ontario)

Pictures updated - click title for them.

If Winnipeg is the gateway to the West, then heading the other way must be the gateway to the East. Prairies are behind me now.

I woke up with my calves being a bit sore today. Odd. It must have been all the walking I did the day before. Gees I'm out of shape.

I decided to not do the Trans-Canada highway again and went North. Good call. I eventually went through a provincial park. The road wasn't that good (alright), but the route was definitely worth it. At one point, I thought “gees, the terrain is changing a bit, it looks different”, and realized that I have entered the Canadian Shield. Nice. Lots of winding up and down roads, lined with streams, lakes and rocks. Some wildlife too. Almost no traffic, just quietness. Definetely better than the TransCanada, in my opinion.

After crossing the Ontario border, while listening to Paul Anka sing Black Hole Sun, the sun came out for about 30 minutes (just faintly, but I could see my shaddow a bit). That was nice.

Kenora seems quite nice. Nestled on inlets of lake superior, there's lots of nice views from here.

There. Short entry as I am quite tired (now 1 am). I got in at 9 (after spending some time downtown), set-up camp, ate, showered, laundry in the sink, spend some time on the phone with a friend, but what took long was just organising those photos and adding comments before uploading them. Priorities – the blog and such, instead of sleep. Oh well. I will be getting up in 6.5 hours or so. Another typical day tomorrow,, so ride all day.

Thunder Bay in 2 nights, so heads-up Michael and Bonnie. Looks like Val Gagne on the evening of the 4th and 5th. I'll crash one evening at memere's, and the other eveving somewhere where I can see as much as the Perron's and Couture's. I have no idea who is where, so if someone could drop me a line and I can be a bit organized with my visiting. It'll be nice to see you folks, and get a day of resting (visiting, not having to do the touristy thing).

Later, et bonne nuit.
p2

Winipeg - rest day

2008-05-28T09:43:00.000-04:00

Winnipeg – Rest day

I've done over 3000 km so far (not exactly sure how much), and just a bit under 3000 k left until I hit Ottawa (with all those little detours). Fun.

Nice sunny day to be a tourist in town.

The morning was a bit tough. The lovely hosts set me up in a big comfy bed, dark room, with temperatures warmer than outside, and a few brown pops the night before. Just tough to get out of bed (well, lack of sleep hours a bit, but I dont mind).

I got a chance to ride into town in a Pontiac Solstice, a nice little puppy. Taking a simple bus downtown, I headed towards a place to have breakfast. After seeing Portage and Main intersection (apparently the windiest intersection in Canada), I strayed a bit off course and found myself in a bit of a dodgy place. The downtown stip is a mix of nice shops, but a bunch of different types of folks (all walks of life). Pretty interesting.

Breakfast nothing worthwhile talking about. The next stop was The Forks, where the Assiniboine River meets the Red River. It was a major spot for the travellers during the Hudson Bay Company early years. There is a path that runs along the river which is a nice stroll.

I headed towards the legislative buildings afterwards. It seemed like a nice region – tons of polar bear statues all painted differently (like the Vancouver Orcas and those lovely Toronto Moose). There is a gold-plated statue on top of the building, called “Golden Boy”. It's neat. The water fountain in the front of the building is a nice touch. There is also a few different Louis Riel statues all around. I forget my history a bit, but I believe he was a Metis icon, but got hung for being a traitor or something. I dont remember well.

Galivanting downtown, I ventured in and out of shops (mainly at Portage Place, pronounced Portij by the locals). There was also the mandatory MEC store visit, where I bought more gas for the stove and bug repellant (preparing for baren North-West Ontario), more dry-lube for the bike, another dry-bag (for my bread), and some tea-lights (candle thingies, whatever you call them, to see if it can create a bit of heat in the tent on those colder nights).

I also visited a bike shop where I bought a new pair of shorts. My third pair isn't that good of quality, and seemed to be a bit too stretchy. Picture my skinny little legs and arse in baggy spandex shorts.

I tried to visit the spot where the Winnipeg Jets played hockey, but the building got torn down. The new MTS Centre, seats over 16k, is quite nice. The Moose play there, and tons of concerts.

Food – Earl's Restaurant. Major eye candy there. Plus, if the waitresses dont work, they still go there all dressed quite nice and eat at the bar. Easy to get distracted when I ate my meal. Their own beer line, Albino Rhino, isn't bad. I had the honey lager. It tastes a bit like the Palomino Honey Red from Milestones. The dynamite shrimp rolls, which is basically sushi (shrimp tempura, a sweet/garlic sauce), and slightly spicy soy sauce, was very delicious. Although not the best, but quite pleasant, the main course consisted of: Cedar planked salmon with tropical fruit salad (mango, pineapple, red onions, mint and cilantro, and a hint of spicy samfel and sweet honey), with garlic mashed potatos and asparagus. Oddly enough, I was craving asparagus for a little while.

I crossed a neat bridge to St. Boniface, a very french suburb of Winnipeg. It's there where I continued people watching in an internet cafe. To cool down, I had an iced-cap, and a lovely light desert that is similar to angel food cake with strawberries (including sauce) and whipped cream. I got a chance to reply to a bunch of emails. There was some funny ones, thanks.

I didn't get a chance to visit this restaurant that revolves, located on top of a hotel. I planned on having a beer there and write a blog entry or two. Besides that, I believe I did most of the things planned (except to get another haircut – I have a lovely afro happening).

I then met with Yvette at her work to go home. The Solstice had the top down, which made my hair flow all over the place. Fun. Supper – steak, potatos, and peas. Great meal. Oh, with a beer and a glass of wine. Great hosts, top notch. They also explained (took a few minutes) on how I went through the time zone between Alberta and Saskatchewan but didn't change time, but when I cross the Sask/Manitoba border, which isn't a time zone change, the time changes. Simple. (Saskatchewan never changes time). It was just a bit confusing at first, but now it makes sense.

I also got a chance to true my rear wheel. I think the few days of fairly strong cross winds where I was pushed all over the place (off the shoulder, into ruts of broken pavement, etc) took it's tole on the wheel. I am lucky with that wheel. I built it right before heading on my trip with Tanya last year, without testing it before being all loaded up. It stayed true until now. I also had the chance to give Dzie her gift – new handlebar tape (cork gel mixture, by Bontrager). Nice tape, goes on nicely too. I can't wait to ride tomorrow to see how it feels. It looks nice, long overdue.

Now, it's time to retire. Another late night (packing, laundry), but hopefully I will be able to go to bed early tomorrow night. It'll be an interesting trip. I just thought of something today; I will be going through Ontario in close to a month (with that rest before/after Solstice). Hell, big province. But, I will be back in the same time zone as most of you lovely folks.

Ok, petit dodo asteur.

Very special thank you to Dale, Yvette for being excellent hosts, and to Christine to set it all up. Merci.

p2

Day 23 - Souris to Winnipeg

2008-05-27T09:42:00.000-04:00

Souris to Winnipeg
248.5 km, 9 hrs
Sunny, slight breeze to light winds, favourable

The friendly Manitoba wave continues today – sort-of that high-five while still holding on to the steering wheel. Nice folks down here. It might be because there are a lot of frenchies around here.

Terrain is fairly consistant – gentle rolling hills with rivers and trees surrounding big open fields. Nice day to ride in the country side. The sun was out, the clouds were inexistant, and the breeze for the first half of the day was keeping me guessing which side it was coming from.

After 110 km, I stopped in Holland for lunch. Nice little place. I ventured into the grocery store and purchased a bunch of cold cuts, some Swiss cheese, yogurt, chocolate bar, and a litre of chocolate milk (they didn't have the 500 mL). To make the sandwich a little less dry, I added some ketchup from the packets I have in my stock. Different taste, but doable.

As soon as I got back on the bike, everything felt sweet. I was surprised that my speed was faster – was it the tailwind? The chocolate milk? I thought of having a camel-back topped up with chocolate milk, but realized that could make me develop diabetes and lactose intollerance. Plus, I wouldn't be the person riding behind me with those conditions.

I attribute the pick-up in pace to the breeze turning into a light wind at my back. Thanks. The clothes were slowly coming off after lunch, with the last items (arm warmers, toque) coming off at the 175 km mark. It was warm when I would stop, but the wind just made it a tad cooler.

At the 175 km mark, I started riding on a concrete highway. The speed just picked up briefly – that stuff is fun to ride on. The music on the mp3 player cued up a Violent Femmes song, which gave me the idea of listening to the entire album. It was also an album I could sing while biking. But, since I am out of shape, I would run out of breath here and there. I hope my singing is getting better. I might have to test out my skills at a karaoke bar and see if I end up in the hospital like all the other times I “attempted” karaoke. But, that's another story.

After the Violent Femmes (self-titled album, 1981, or is it 1980?), I was in the mood for some Radiohead (In Rainbows). Another great album. I basically rode those albums into the city.

I had a quick little supper in town – good old McRaunchies to try the Angus burger again to see if it would do similar respiratory effects. Try anything twice, right? Joel, you'll be glad to know that I didn't hack up a lung afterwards, but I could still feel that grease in the throat that I usually feel after eating fast food of that type. Afterwards, I was off to Yvette and Dale's house for a couple of evenings. Thank you very much Christine for setting things up – I am in debt with you and the lovely hosts. It was great to talk to you too.

I didn't get a chance to reach 250 k. Too bad. I like round numbers.

The evening was also swell – little more supper (spaghetti with a home-made meaty sauce), some wine, and a few beers (Kokanee and Fort Garry dark beer, tasty). A few more beers were consumed while we were in the hot tub.

What I didn't realize was that I changed time zones the day before when I crossed the border. Oops. So, when I went to bed, I thought it was 1 am, and not 2 am.

The next day, Wednesday, is a rest day in Winnipeg where I get to visit the city. Should be fun.

I was surprised to get many emails and some posts on the blog. Thank you, tanan. Some folks commented on how the tune changed while I was in Saskatchewan. I'll try to keep it interesting during the Northern Ontario part. Long riding days up ahead, with towns few and far between.

Oh, even though I wanted to try local things throughout the country, I did not want to sample Prairie Oysters. For those who dont know, they are bull testicles. Yummy! No balls for me, sorry Lisa.

Han, last time I had pizza while biking was in Victoria. I'll take a picture of that next time. Peeing – yes, it has resumed with the calmer winds. Mooning – I am saving that for Solstice. Be near me for those.

Mom – yes, I'll try not to get too drunk too often. Je m'excuse (un peu).

I am peeling at a few spots, even though I have gone through lots of sunblock lately. I guess I am appeeling. Oh, bad pun.

Well, until next entry. Stay tuned.

Thanks for the reading, the interest, the comments, and emails. You guys are in my thoughts.

Ciao,

p2

Day x - quick post

2008-05-26T11:00:00.000-04:00

Stoughton (SK) to Souris (MB)
213 km, sunny
Winds – calmer (15 km/h) from North and North-East

Friendly Manitoba. True to it's word. I probably had 20 on-coming cars wave at me as they went by. I had one transport truck do a little “toot-toot” and wave to cheer me on. I didn't get those in other provinces. I guess they figured I came this far, I might be doing alright.

After a few hard days, I was able to put in 10 hours on the saddle to get back to only 1 day behind. I knew the winds would be a bit against me for part of the day, but being less than the recent winds, I didn't mind.

It was cold today. I actually woke up cold, and the occasional shivering of the left leg (only, that's odd). Later during the day, I overheard some folks at a restaurant saying that they had to scrape frost off the windshield this morning.

After the laundromat, I headed to George's pizza for some food. Pizza sounded good actually, so it was fitting. Eight inch “all dressed” - tons of stuff on there. I also had to have a chicken frajolaki, as I didn't know what that was. It is a sandwich that also has lettuce, tomato, oninons, and feta cheese. It was good. Lots of food though.

Camping turned out alright. I didn't have to pay (I left fairly early), and the tent was dry by the morning. Bonus.

During the start of the ride, I was playing leap-frog with an RV who was following their cyclist. I never saw them as they were behind me. After two “leaps”, I never saw the RV again. As I said earlier, it was a cool day. I had the whole gear on today (toque, two pairs of socks, tights, knee and arm warmers, coat, and fleece gloves). After the 100 k mark, I took off the tights and coat, but the rest remained for the rest of the trip. The wind was cool, and blowing from a mix of head and cross wind, or simply a cross wind for the entire ride. I knew that was going to happen, hence the early departure to put in my time for today.

Tomorrow will be a similar day for km (a bit more), but I have no idea of the wind. But, being in Manitoba now, there are more trees to dampen the wind. If everything goes well, I am in Winnipeg on Tuesday night. It is a rest day, so 2 evenings and a day there.

Right before entering Manitoba, I had to have my last Saskatoon berry pie, followed by a meal at the local restaurant. Boy I ate lots today. The greek salad was huge (overflowing plate), club sandwich, and beef barley soup (all after the pie, which was at a different and only location in town to serve it).

Being off the beaten path, entering Manitoba has only a small sign. Too bad. Ontario, I will get to see the big signs.

A dear friend of mine wrote to me a few weeks ago and requested that I dont write, in regards to the prairies, “flat, went through them fast, nothing much to see”. She was concerned (for lack of a better word) that it would be boring for me and the blog entries would show. Well, I guess a few things happened in Saskatchewan for me to write about.

But, I am happy to be here in Manitoba. I enjoyed Saskatchewan, but not the wind. I will always remember (not in this order): Saskatoon berries, Moose Jaw Tunnels, the hills, running into Alex again, and definitely Corner Gas (Dog River).

I am now at a campground in town (Souris, pronounced Soo-riss, like the town Forget is pronounced For-Get, and not forjet). I actually wanted to ride a bit further today as there was still daylight for a good hour, but I had no idea if I was going to hit a campground. I just wanted to bite into tomorrow's km a bit, so the day wont be as long.

Well, pictures and more news to come in a day or two.

I hope you are all doing well.

Later,

p2

Day 20 and 21

2008-05-25T22:16:00.001-04:00

Saturday, May 24th
Regina to Weyburn
126 km, 7h45mins
Sunny at first, overcast with rain later.
Windy, yes (what did you expect?)

The day started nice. I had breakfast at Melrose's Place (maybe lunch at Twin Peaks?). Belgian waffles with strawberry sauce (with real strawberries) and some whipped cream. Tasty.

The ride out of town was simple. Heading on the 33 (South East), I wanted to hit Stoughton then East onto the 13 right across the border to end up somewhere just South of Bandon (or touch the Trans-Canada again). For this trip, I wanted to explore a bit of the side roads, and not just stick to the Trans-Canada all the time.

The first hour was nice. It was a hell of a grind, but pleasant. The shoulder was good, so I just put my head down for 1-3 minutes at a time and just rode into the wind. I was able to hold a steady 14k/h. The tri-geek (on his aero-bars, riding a crack-n'-fail) who passed me just getting out of town was only able to stay ahead of me for 400 metres. I felt good, all loaded up and keeping up to someone. After the first hour, the wind seemed to start picking up, with more frequent and powerful gusts of wind. I could see the darker clouds up ahead, which was the rain they forcasted. No worries.

An hour later, those gusts and the clouds were getting very dark. I decided to pull over in a town and hide by the post office to get some shelter and eat lunch. After eating, the clouds and wind still didn't look too favourable, so I just sat down and had a little nap. It's always funny to be woken up by those big leg jerks (3x). After that 30 minute nap or so, I headed out on the road.

Rain came down lightly at first, and would pick up a bit here and there. The winds still stayed strong. With the speed I was going at, I knew beyond Stoughton would not be feasable. I eyed that town for the night. As the day progressed, I thought Stoughton would not be feasable anymore, so I decided to duck down South onto the 35 to head to Weyburn (only 50 k away, with some crosswinds). Slight detour, but what can I do.

Going South, there was definitely a crosswind, with a bit of headwind at first, but moved into a slight tailwind for the majority of that part of the highway. I was being pushed all over the place, it was pretty interesting. I started riding on the other side of the road, as if (when) the wind would push me, I would only be in the middle of the lane, vs off the road. Of course, when there was no cars coming. I felt like a jerk doing that, I just hope the cars understood why I was doing that. It was much safer.

Twice someone stopped by to offer me a ride. I guess they also thought the weather wasn't too ideal. Nice folks. I thanked them for the offer, and told them they probably understood that I have to do this on my own. They understood, and wished me good luck.

Campsite in Weyburn was decent. Cheap ($14.00). I honestly can't recall if I took a shower. I must of. The guy at the office offered me an extention cord to bring to the tent so I could have some power to recharge the batteries (mp3 and computer), instead of me being in the bathroom to charge them up. He also offered me a heater for the tent. I declined. Is that safe to put a heater in a tent? Plus, I didn't need one.

The plan for tomorrow, pending on the weather, was to maybe hit the Manitoba border. That would be some 170 km away. There would be 3 campsites along the way, so I could pick my sleeping spot.

Sunday, May 25th
Weyburn to Soughton
Overcast, raining, and you can guess about the wind conditions.
66.66 km, 4h15mins

Unphukenbelievable. Look at those people, in their metal and fiberglass vehicles. Probably drinking coffee, sitting on their heated seats, flying at 100 km/hr. Gees. Must be nice.

These past 2 days have probably been the hardest biking days I can remember. Two times it was quite cold during some of my trips that my hands were seized (couldn't bend my fingers, make/open a fist), which made braking and shifting difficult. Those occasions, stopping for lunch at a restaurant to warm up, I would still shake an hour later. I've also cycled in -40 degrees weather with no problems. These days, with these winds, fairly difficult for me. I think I'm an alright rider, but I was struggling out there a bit yesterday, and definitely today.

Woke up to rain falling on the tent. It'll be a wet one to pack up. Motivation wasn't there that much. I couldn't hear the wind much, so I thought that it might stay mellower (relatively speaking) while it rained. Something I wouldn't mind at all.

After packing all my wet gear, I started talking to a local who gave me the (false) hope that the wind was blowing from the North-West. Heck, I dont mind a cross wind with some tailwind. Wrong. North-East. Plus the rain. I haven't had a chance to check on the internet what the weather (temperature, wind) conditions are for yesterday and today, but I will try to remember and add it to the end of the post. It is for you guys a bit, but for me too (this is a record of my trip for when I revisit this in the future).

I was getting pushed all over the place today. It was a cold rain, a strong wind, the kinds you hear in songs. The shoulder was not in the best conditions, with broken pavement all over the place. I felt like I was mountain biking a technical section, having to chose very tight lines (changing directions within a foot) constantly, while battling the wind that had it's own adgenda of which line I should chose. I am so surprised I didn't flat today with the stuff I hit. Knock on wood.

After an hour, I knew I was only reaching Stoughton as my destination for the day. I didn't curse much, maybe once, as I've accepted that this is what I have to do. Just slowly chip away at km during these times, and then worry about whatever later. I do hope I can still attend Solstice (have a few days rest before the event to hopefully be alright at the event). But, the trip is the priority. Overall, I believe I am 1-2 days behind on where I wanted to be. But, when I planned this, Rouleau was not part of the plan, and staying on the Trans-Canada was.

After 2 hours, and everything soaked (socks, tights, toque, and the necessary fleece gloves), I stopped for lunch in a town hoping they would have a little tiny restaurant. No luck. I cooked a hearty soup, and tried to warm up with the stove. My feet were quite cold, but not numb. Keep on truckin'.

On the road, I decided I would (hopefully) find a motel in Stoughton. I figure I could dry some stuff (tent, clothes) and defrost my body with a shower (or a bath, if it looked tidy enough).

I rode the other side of the road again today, as much as I could. Those trucks (any direction) today were packing a mean punch (briefly cut the wind, or add a gust of wind with the powerful spray of water from the road). Along the way, I noticed more and more of those oil machines pulling up stuff. There was a few at first, but after spotting more than 3 dozens, it was routine. Up ahead, I could see something orange stuff on the side of the road. Was it a building on fire? Couldn't be. It must be flags or something. Nope, actual pipes from refinerires spewing out fire. Pretty neat, pretty powerful too. They would be places maybe 300 metres appart, but for a while (I think I saw a dozen).

Today was not a good day for pictures – the scenery was typical, and the rainy weather didn't make me take out my camera (unless something worthwhile would of popped up).

My arrival to Stoughton. I saw a hotel. Yes! Went there: “No vacancy, campground also full for the summer”. First f-bomb dropped. I enquired about other hotels in this small town at the next-door convenience store. Yes, just up the road into town a bit. I went, and found the place. Talking to the lady, she informs me that there is also no vacancy there. (outside, I dropped another f-bomb). I was cold, shivering, and my hopes of being in a dry and warm hotel room were being crushed. I spoke to some folks, and they mentioned that even though the campground said they are full, “just go there and pitch a tent, they dont mind”. We'll see how that goes. I wonder what goes on for paying, as there is no office there or anything.

After the tent set-up (so much wind, it was awkward setting it up), I had a shower (luke-warm water, but felt nice). It was hard to defrost my feet though. I also gathered all my dirty/wet clothes and headed into town for the laundromat (where I am writing this entry). The plan is to get a pizza or something, eat in (or at the tent), and just chill (hopefully not a pun) in the tent and get a long night sleep. I will most likely hit the road again tomorrow (unless I hear that the weather will be the same or worse than today). I didn't feel safe out there (playing with the traffic, avoiding flats, and it was quite straining – I do not want to get injured in any manner).

So, we'll see what the near future brings for me.

I want to wish good luck to Rolland H, who is leaving on his x-Canada trip on Monday (I believe), starting in Vancouver. I would assume the weather is nice over there. I do hope these winds die down as they head out West.

Alright, enjoy the warm indoors you folks, and have a beer (while chuckling over the times I am encoutering lately).

I have put things into perspective lately, which is probably why I haven't lost it on the road. I just think of what Terry Fox has endured, and the same with Rick Hanson. Amazing folks. I feel so minuscue compared to them. I am minuscule. Those are great folks.

Franck – right on. Felicitation.

Petit bonjour speciale a memere Boucher qui suit ce voyage d'une maniere. See you soon. See all the Val Gagne area gang soon too (after the Thunder Bay crew).

Currently 4 degrees (feels like -2 with the wind), winds at 43 km/hr.
This morning/afternoon: 6-9 degrees, winds at 43-46 km/hr
Yesteray: probably the same. can't get specific data past 9 pm.

Ciao,

P

Day 19 - That place to Regina

2008-05-23T02:07:00.000-04:00

Rouleau to Regina
75 km, sunny.
Suppose to be a rest day, but became a “light” day.

The day started off with that headwind again. But, I was fairly certain that I'd get a bit of a cross-wind with a bit of tailwind on the way to Regina.

Grinding for 20 km or so. At one point, where I did a little 180 to go get a service road towards a store, I was coasting (not pedalling, just sitting) at 12-13 km/h. I am doing the same speed as pedalling going the other way. I could technically coast for 100 km or so, at the same speed, without pedalling. Very interesting. Predominantly western winds........

At the turnaround point (after the 20 k mark), I was heading to Regina. Yes, I was right this time – the wind would help me out. It felt so nice. I almost had a few tears too; it was such a change. I even closed my eyes for 5-10 seconds or so and just pedalled. Felt so nice.

The ride into town was great. I had my rip n' hammer shirt (which unzipped to the bellybutton, naba), so I just peeled it off in order to get a bit of a tan on the back and shoulders to even out those tan lines. I love that shirt. It's the main reason I have that shirt (even though it is ripped). Nice jerseys like that are hard to find (well, I am also picky about styles).

Regina. Entering town was interesting. Tons of chiropractor clinics (3-4 within the first km), along with Thai restaurants (Viet-Thai, Chinese-Thai, Thai, etc.). Later, the Green Mile starts – very pretty. They are trees lined up on each side of the boulevard. I can picture that in 30 years, and it'll form a nice canopy. Shots of the Parliament building were nice. There's a little park in front too that looks like a nice spot to take a stroll. In the pics, take note of the waves created by that wind that has been bugging me a bit for the past few days.

After the “Mile”, which gets into downtown, well, pretty sketchy. Nothing special about the downtown. I ate a bit, then headed to find a good bike shop. I found one, and purchased a new pair of shoes (good for another 10 years again?), new cheap pedals (as the old ones I have dont exist anymore), thread-on cartridges (for blowing up my tubes), a spare mirror (the one I have will probably fall to pieces soon from the helmet falling to the ground when the wind takes a hold of it), and a few new waterbottles (the new ones I bought before the trip are cheap, and they always taste bad). I also looked at some jerseys (found one that was nice, but didn't buy it), dido for a pair of shorts and a helmet. I figured I will spend enough today. Maybe later.

I searched for the HI Hostel – it was completely booked. So, I went to another spot they recommended. The Plains Hotel. Very dodgy place. But, I had to take it. 70 bucks. The faucet in the shower dripped constantly, the toilet ran a bit. It will have to do. I slowly got organized, shaved, showered, then headed out to the laudrymat. Who do I see in the lobby reserving a room? Alex, the Swiss guy biking across Canada that I met in Golden. Hell, I told him to cancel his room and we can split ours. I enjoy that price a lot more now. Plus, he's a nice guy. Unfortunately for him, he has to stop biking due to a pain in his leg when he rides. The great thing about him is that he will continue to visit the country via bus, train, and possible hitch-hike here and there. I think it's great that he continues the trip. I was thinking the same if i was injured somehow earlier.

Laundry, then supper – greek at the Copper Kettle.

Food – starters was feta cheese in a phyllo pastry, with a Saskatoon berries sauce. Very good. The main course was the Grecian platter, consisting of moussaka, pork and chicken souvlaki, 3 other things I can't remember what they were, potatoes, and a greek salad with only one olive. I had desert, baclava. All very tasty.

I didn't spend much time downtown, or in Regina. The park seems nice, except for some drug dealers and such hanging out there. Few little statues and such, located in a very green area (lots of trees and grass). If I had more time, I'd like to visit the RCMP training academy, as well as watch the Louis Riel play (starts in August).

At the hotel, it was basically time to prepare for the ride on Saturday – one that would have similar winds than the past few days, plus the beauty of possible rain. Yeah.

So, so much for that full rest day. But, it was a good day overall.

One of the pictures I took, I entitle it "Ode to Vinokourov, 2007". Some of you will be able to figure out what I mean (and I dont mean taking performance enhancing drugs).

Alright, later,

p

Day 18 - Mortlach to a happy place

2008-05-22T01:30:00.001-04:00

(click on title for pictures)

Basant Campground to a fictional yet real place
98 km, 7 hours, average of 14 km/h
Sunny, and windy again.

What a day, very interesting.

Ride out of the campground was fast (tailwind) for a km. Nice. Felt bizarre.

Ride into Moose Jaw – headwind. I thought the winds were less than the day before as my average speed was 15.1 km for the 45 km or so. I thought...

Moose Jaw – Nice little downhill into town, that probably brought up my average speed. I went to the Tunnel's of Moose Jaw (I dont know the official name). The tour I took wasn't the Chinese Freedom one, but the Gangsters of Chicago. It is highly believed that Al Capone would spend lots of time here during hot times back home. Plus, this was a hotbed for booze bootlegging. At the time, Sask was a dry province. You could produce booze, but not consume it, and not really sell it. How's that for logical thinking. With the direct link from Chicago to Moose Jaw by train, it was a fairly major centre in the mob opperations. Very cool and interesting. I highly recommend anyone to do these underground tours. The tour guides were great, especially Gus. It was all acted out, not just the typical tour. Excellent.

I also checked out some murals around town. But, when you see the Mural Capital of Canada (or something like that, near Duncan), maybe these aren't as good. But, fun to look at.

Off to do a detour before (hoping) to end up in Regina for the night. It would be a b*tch of a ride, as I would have to endure a headwind for a good 45 km or so. But, I would enjoy the ending, and once I get back on another highway to head into Regina, I would (should) benefit from a side/tail wind. I knew time was tight, but I accepted the fact that I'd ride probably one hour in the dark tonight (with lights, of course). That was plan A, as I really didn't want to bike on my rest day. I figure Dzie needs a break from me. She's been good to me, I'll treat her to a few little things in Regina (and treat my feet too, hopefully).

Grind, grind, grind. I spent most of the time in my granny gear (85%), and the other gears were the 2nd, and 3rd easiest. I would use those to get out of saddle at times to mash on those pedals (stretch out the old legs and give my butt a 10 second break). Flat, uphill, downhill, they all blended together. Nonetheless, I was holding a constant 12 km/h (plus/minus 1). The average dropped down to 14. Nice. My new record. That last bit, to put things in perspective, someone can walk the same distance, but in double the time, and we'd be at the same place. But, if someone walks fast, it'd be less than double the distance. I was slow. I am slow.

I even took a cheesy picture at one point. Speaking of cheese, I am having cheese withdrawls. I miss some cheese on my spaghetti. Boo hoo. Life is tough.

Arriving at my destination, I couldn't hold back the smiles (and some tears too). I forgot about al the struggles (manageable struggles) of the day. Surreal. I am somewhere where it technically doesn't exist, but does exists. I took pictures, went around the “town” and took pictures of those “establishments” (curling rink, the police station, the Howler bar). I spoke with Alex, a guy who works there for most of the year, and got some fun stories from him about this place.

He also informed me that the route I was planing on taking to head to Regina was not good (rough gravel). I would have to go further down the highway I am on and then take the other highway – a detour of maybe 40 km or so. At that point, since it was getting late (sun was almost setting), I decided to camp here (right behind Emma and Oscar's house!) for free, and head out in the morning to Regina.

Any guesses where I am?

If you guessed Dog River, Saskatchewan, you are right. If you guessed Rouleau, Saskatchewan, you are right. The latter is the real town. This is very bizarre, unreal. Very fun. Unbelievable. When I got into “town”, I pulled out the cell phone to give a call to a few people. Unfortunately, there was no reception here. Dang.

Well, enjoy the pics.

Off to have a dodo, then a sort-of rest in Regina. I am writing a poem; what rhymes with Regina? I know, that teenage witch Sabryna. No, that's a made-up word.

With these winds, and shorter bike days, I am back on the schedule that I originally planned. No more ahead of a day. Crap. Maybe I'll make up some time somewhere, but it's tight. Northern Ontario is loaded with heavy days. Yes Mario, there might even be back-to-back double century (magic?) days. Sorry, I had to pick on you, and I know you can take it.

I hope everyone is still having a blast with things.

Tout mes neveux et nieces, je vous aimes, et vous me manquez. Diddo pour ma famille. Heck, tout le monde.

Pierrot

Day 17 - Swift Current to Mortlach

2008-05-21T21:08:00.003-04:00

Swift Current to Mortlach (Basant campground)
8h 45 mins
Overcast
Windy, again, 35-40 km/h with gusts of 50 m/h

Click on title for pics.

Similar to my mind today, this entry will most likely go all over the place, so here goes.

Midnight, chillin' in am/pm.

I was really slow to get out of bed this morning, as I knew what was ahead of me today – stong headwinds with some tailwind on top of that. Even during breakfast time at Husky's, I was hesitant to get out of there. But I did. Plus, I thought of two things: a) I have to bike as I am on a bike trip, b) what would of the great ones before me done (Tanya and Al) – they would of hit the road as well.

It was quite windy there that men were holding their hats while walking, and I saw one old little lady hold her wig so it wouldn't fly away. Funny (in a way). The big Canadian flag was flying straight – that's a big puppy that needs a lot of wind to get straight.

Husky's restaurant. Well, the food are basically like the waitresses – you are not looking for quality, but something that might do the trick. I actually didn't finish all my breakfast today, a weird concept.

The ride was a bit of a grind for a while. Those wind were strong, and the hills were ever-so present again. I wont go on about “flat Sask”. The picture that is probably at the start of the entry was a hill that I took a picture from near the top of a little hill right before it. When I reached the top, it was 6-7 songs later, so probably 25-30 minutes later.

I caught up to another couple of cyclists today. I caught up with Michelle, who was riding with her “friend” Phil. They are both from Toronto, and are riding there from Vancouver (except the Rockies, where they took the bus through them). I think she was about to crack, just riding 400 metres behind him. I can imagine there comes a time when you want to be appart from someone on these trips. She had enough of things, and she wanted a break from him. I left her on her own and caught up with the fellow. He stopped, and we had a longer chat until she caught up to us. He was hardcore – riding with these 12-hole boots, flat pedals, and the bike all loaded up. He was pretty easy going, which probably fueled her bitterness of the day. I asked how it was coming along, and if they were getting along. Her reply: “I hate him”. (I am laughing when I write this). She said it a few times, and he laughed.

I can imagine trips like those, or the competitions like The Amazing Race, can be a make-or-break for some friends or couples. Especially on a day like today. The more the wind gets to you, with those hills too, you're about to snap at anything and anyone. I think by the end of the day, hell, halfway, she probably lost it. The worse part of the ride was coming up (I was only 45 minutes or so into the ride). I hope things are well. Coming up very soon for them was a long hill (talk about it later), and a bit further up, a 20 km or so stretch of headwind, on a completely straight road.

I believe I have the personality and so-called wisdom (for lack of a better word) to be able to adapt to such situations with someone. I'd like to test that theory. I don't lose track of the goal, I have a lot of patience, and I realize the importance of certain things (like friendship) that I will try my best not to let minor things damage that. I guess the other thing is that both parties involved must want the same thing, and realize it too (like relationships). But, I guess we find out eventually if both parties are on the same wave-length. Can't wait to get a great gal, and get that connection where we both work on the same goal. Hell, maybe even go on a cross South America bike trip to test things out.... Well, maybe not.

Tangent, oh well. No alcohol involved tonight either.

Due to the constant howling of the wind in my ears, and the wide shoulders of the road, I decided to put both earphones. I would be able to “zone out” a bit more and focus less on the wind.

During the ride, the mp3 player started playing Pierre Lapointe songs back to back. All the songs in that album have “Pierre Lapointe” first, so when the mp3 player plays all the songs in alphabetical order, I get to hear the whole album. It gave me the idea of listening to a bunch of frenchie albums for a while. Saez (France) was next. Not the most happy music, but it is mainly mellow, so it fit the bill for today. I didn't want too aggressive or poppy, as I wanted to just ride easy today (I had no choice). After 3 albums by Saez, I was ready for another album. I didn't have any other French albums. Music story to be continued soon.

After 5 hours of biking, the average speed was 15 k/h. To put things in perspective, picture biking up any of the hills in the Gatineau Park (usually 15 k, minimum), and riding like that for 5 hours. Another example: our walking speed is an average of 6 km/h (not a fast walk). A fast walk might be 8 k/h. I wasn't going much faster than that. I also thought that if I stopped pedaling while going down a small hill, it would take me 10 seconds to come to a complete stop. I was wrong, it was 7 seconds when I tried it. Pedaling, I could maintain 15 km/h (that is using my 3rd easiest gear). Uphills, the wind also against me, I would go into the single digits (something that only the Coquahalla Highway, the last part, did to me). This was the hardest 5 hours of biking I've ever done. I would actually stop here and there to take breaks (mainly mental breaks). It was also neat to watch the tumbling weeds being blown down the road. I would dodge a few here and there.

I was hoping that I could get to Moose Jaw (175 km), but settled on the furthest I could get for today. I just had to put in my time (not km, but time today). I set my mind on over 100 km (a good 7 hours at expected 15 k/h). If I was lucky, I'd reach this campsite outside of Moose Jaw (145 km from Swift Current) before I either crack or night falls on me. As the trip went on, I started thinking of other places (closer) to stop for the night – Parkbeg (135 km), Secreton (spelled wrong on the map) at 125, Chaplin (115 km), or worse comes to worse, Morse (90 km). During those first 5 hours, I thought Morse was looking good (and the final destination). Lunch number 2 was in Morse. I decided to keep going, as there was still some daylight for a good 3 hours.

Near Morse, there was this dried-up lake that looked like it was snow-covered. Nope. It's actually an alkalyne dried-up lake. The wind was blowing this fine white powder into town too. I covered up my mouth with my glove to hopefully avoid that stuff in my lungs. I don't think that would be good.

Just up the road, some more white stuff. Snow? Snow banks? Nope. Sulfur. Chemical plant there. Plus, there's actually fishing in that lake. I would not want to eat a fish that was swimming in that sulphur lake. (is it sulfur or sulphur?).

Oh, Roch, yesterday, I think I saw that “junk yard” of old farm equipment and such outside of Swift Current. When I stopped to take a break, hence my head was not staring down at the ground, I saw something that I believe you were talking about. See pics from the day before to see if it's what you were thinking of.

Oh, I forgot to write yesterday that Medecine Hat apparently has the most summer sunshine in all Canada; 1440 hours.

Mario – the third feat I am hoping on achieving isn't back-to-back days of double century, but a triple century. We'll see if it happens before I hit Ottawa. Most of my bike trips are 200k/day (average). Examples: Toronto to Thunder Bay (2000 km in 10 days), Ottawa to Halifax (1400 km in 7 days), Grand Falls NB to Ottawa (900-950 km in 4 days), and Ottawa to Toronto/Newmarket (2x), which was around 475 km within a 25 hr period. Two centuries two days in a row – for the birds, for the birds. Really, it is a big thing, and I am lucky to have the health (and little legs) to be able to do that. I used to be alright for cycling, I just hope I find that old form again.

Pascale Picard was next for album to listen to. She's from Quebec City, but sings in Anglais. It turned out to be a great move. Not too poppy, agressive, mellow, or bitter. It actually took my mind almost completely away from the task at hand. I had a great memory trip to the supper/concert that Saturday night. That was basically my birthday week-end too. I thought of every single one of the lovely folks that were there. Funny things too, like the medium-rare chicken, that piteful tomato salad, the pitcher on my head, black ligthing, the dancing at both Zaphod's and Mercury Lounge. Fun time. The re-visiting during the biking today was awesome. I miss al the folks that were there. i also miss someone, en eesti.

The biking during that time was great. My average speed went from 15 to 15.4 km/h in one hour. I stopped for another coffee break in Chaplin (7th hr of biking), where I decided to keep on truckin'. Music cued up were: Beth Orton's Trailer Park, Hawksley Workman's Between The Beautifuls (Canadian), and then something a bit more trippy – Recoil's Subhuman. The latter has 7 tracks, but 5 of them are over 10 minutes long (the other two are only 7 minutes). It is great to get into that and just zone out. One of their other album, Liquid, is an amazing album with so much variety. Very poignant. Unfortuately, I dont know anyone who can rip it, and it is not found on the p2p sharing websites.

Weird – when Beth sang “I wish I never saw the sunshine, so I wouldn't mind the rain”, it started to rain (drizzle) a bit, and would do that here and there until I got to the campsite.

The ride started getting faster after 7 hours, as the wind dropped down to maybe 20k/h (manageable). I decided to go all the way to the campsite just outside of Moosejaw (the 145 km goal). It would be tough, as I would probably have to bike borderline in the dark. Speed was starting to pick up.

The last hour was great. Plus, when I saw the sign for the campground, 7 km away, I dropped the hammer and just TT (time trialed) there. What didn't help was the mainly uphill, but I gave it all I could. Pascale re-entered the playlist to bring me home. The quads definitely feel it during that stint. Felt great. It was also dark when I arrived on site. I am happy that I arrived where I wanted to get. The winds cooperated at the end, thanks. Reaching the site, I said a little “woo hoo”, and I was eager to eat and have my chocolate milk (for you Ka).

Final numbers – 145 km, 8h45 mins, average speed at 16.5 k/h. This is the first time during this trip that the average is below the twenties, dang.

So, now at the campground, tapped into some power to recharge the mp3, and getting ready for bed. I couldn't find the showers here tonight, but managed to get cleaned up with a sink (with only cold water, dang). Laundry (sink method) was also done.

Tomorrow, off to Moose Jaw, then a detour to get to Regina. I found out a special surprise that I will try to fit in tomorrow. Things should (hopefully) be fine with the wind situation, but we'll see what happens when I am on the road.

Side note – this is the longest entry yet (sorry, in a way), the longest bike trip yet (I haven't calculated the exact km as I think my odometre is off currently), and the longest time I have been away from a home base.

This entry has been more structured (believe it or not) than what was going through my head all day. Lucky you (well, you probably still read the whole thing). Sorry, I do hope some stuff was entertaining.

Bonne nuit, il est un peu tard. Ca va etre dur me lever demain matin.

Take care, and until next time.

p

(note - when this was uploaded, I am safe in Regina. I am waiting a bit (maybe a day) before sending you the next post. Regina is a "rest day", which means I had to bike 70 k today. Winds - still strong, still headwind, but tomorrow it's the same + rain in afternoon)

Day 16 - Medecine Hat (AB) to Swift Current (SK)

2008-05-20T02:04:00.001-04:00

Medecine Hat (AB) to Swift Current (SK)
229 km, over 10 hours
Sunny (mostly)
WINDY – 40 km/hr with gusts of 50 km/h

Picture link updated, click on the title of this entry to view.

What is the story of the day. The minor one is that Saskatchewan is not flat. I spent a lot of time in the granny gear at the beginning of Saskatchewan. The second story is the wind, the relentless and unforgiving wind.

But, other stories for now. Last night, after doing my homework (blog and pictures), I visited the couple who invited me to join them. They are from Windsor, heading out West for the guy to live there, and she returns. Nice folks. I had 3 beers with them, socialized by the fire, then head to bed.

The morning, the usual – would like to stay in bed (or in a bed) a little longer. But, no rest – I'll get plenty of rest on the bike today (just sitting on my bum). The plan: Swift Current, estimated 230 km, so 8-8.5 hours. I hoped to get an early start as I would change time zone as soon as I cross the provincial border.

Start time was decent (9 am), but I spent some time at the World's tallest teepee in Medecine Hat. After that, frapper la route.

The wind seemed strong today, but manageable. It was mainly a cross-wind, with a bit of headwind heading towards the border of Sask/AB, but with the road heading a bit North, I would expect a crosswind with the bit of tailwind. Hmmmm..

Crossing the border, this RV was backed all the way into the Welcome to Saskatchewan sign. It looked like a bicycle touring RV for a fundraiser of some sort. I was a bit annoyed and disappointed that I couldn't get a nice clean picture of the sign. I almost missed it too (damn RV).

Even though I am in a different time zone, the time hasn't changed (same as Alberta time). Only in the winter it changes. So, on the other side of Manitoba, I'll lose 2 hours, not one.

Hills – who said Saskatchewan is flat? I'd like to take them biking these parts.

Ran into a group of 4 cyclists who are touring Canada as well. They are based out of Ottawa, and it's a fundraiser for them. I believe it is www.typicallycanadian.com, and the folks are Alex, Kyle, Andrew and Steve. I saw them up ahead while biking at one point, and I was able to catch up sooner when one of them had a flat. They weren't heading much further for the day. It was their RV (support crew) that was blocking that provincial sign.

What was suppose to be a 8-8.5 hr day in the saddle turned out to be a lot more. The expected sidewind with a little bit of tailwind, well, didn't exactly happen. It went back and forth from a bit of tail wind to a bit of head wind. But, around 55 km left, the wind changed direction, and intensity. It became a bit aggressive, and relentless. I was being pushed around a lot. I felt like a beginner tri-geek (triathlon) who is learning how to ride with aerobars: all over the place. The wind was mainly a crosswind with becoming increasingly a dominant headwind. The last 10 km were completely headwind. I remember going down a hill, head down, pedalling, and able to hover around 15-16 km/h. For the first hour, I just put my head down and pedaled (having a speed of maybe 20 km/h). After that hour, the curse words were coming out (not softly either). I grunted for another hour, then gave up for the last hour – I just put in my time and ride into town.

Food – At lunch, I had a Saskatoon Berry pie. They are berries from that area, tasting sweet, similar to blueberries and cherries. They are red, with the size of a blueberry. Very good. I had it with Hokey Pokey ice cream – toffee and chocolate chunks with vanilla ice cream. It's like the Mirage candy bars we have. At supper, as I couldn't find a Subway or something similar (and I didn't want to bike further into that wind), I ate at Huskies. The deal – a double burger with cheese and the works, plus an egg in there. Turned out alright.

I am at a campsite, where it was quite fun and interesting setting up the tent in this wind. At the moment, it is nuts outside. I have weights at all corners, as the pegs would just rip out. During the set-up, I could just picture the tent flying away, like in the movie The Motorcycle Diaries. Have I talked about how great of a flick that is? If so, sorry.

I checked out the temperature (well, honestly, doesn't matter for temperature) but mainly the wind for tomorrow. It looks like it is settling down – only 30 damn km/hr, from the East. Guess what? I am heading East. Argh. I might have to break up my day. I have a feeling it'll be a grunt day. I dont know where I'll end up. I was hoping (best case scenario) to end up in Regina (250 km), but I hope that I can reach Moose Jaw (170 km) then do a shorter day into Regina. With the later option, I am still ahead a day, but I was hoping to be ahead 2 days to save things for a rainy day (have lighter days here and there). Oh well.

Alright, I will head to bed in a little bit, and I hope the tent is still around when I wake up tomorrow.

Cheers,

p2

Day 15 - Dorothy to Medecine Hat

2008-05-19T01:15:00.001-04:00

Outside of Dorothy – Medecine Hat
215 km, sunny (up to 21 degrees)
Light wind, mainly crosswind to some cross-head wind

Well, first day in the prairies. It is fairly flat, but a deceiving flat. Multiple little hills of a few percentage (just to say you are going uphill) which goes on for a while 2-15 km. The “downhills”, once you reach the crest of the hill, greet you with stronger winds as you are “higher”. So, the speed stays fairly consistant. Actually, the highest speed for today is only 13 km faster than my average speed of the day. I think I reached that going down an overpass (or maybe when I put my head down and just hammered for a bit).

Oh, it seems like the reputation of some Aylmer folks is known over here – they even named a town after them. See picture in the section (today's pics will be added in a few days).

Seriously, pretty bare country. It was similar scenery everywhere. The first half was in the country, heading towards the Trans-Canada. I had lunch in the town of Brooks, which is a very sketchy town. I dont recommend you stop there for more than a few minutes. Actually, when I arrived in Medecine Hat, a few locals asked me if I came from Brooks. I said that I stopped there for lunch. They replied “and you still have your bike? It did't get stolen?”. Originally, Brooks was a destination to sleep the first night after Calgary. I am glad I did that detour and visited the Badlands. I am still on track with the schedule (i.e. still a day ahead).

The Trans-Canada is still fairly bare. There are no stops from Brooks to Medecine Hat. Medecine Hat is the first spot in Alberta to accidentally find natural gas. It is also the town where Rudyard Kipling refered to in one of his poems by writing “all hell for a basement” (a line made famous by the great song by the same name, of Big Sugar). Since my mp3 battery ran out of juice in Brooks, I had that song in my head for a while. Luckily it is a good song.

On that note, I remember biking to Thunder Bay in '98. I passed by this guy who was painting his shed while listening to the radio. The song playing was by the Spice Girls - “Stop right now, thank you very much, I need somebody with a human touch” (and a few other lines). Unfortunately, for the rest of the trip, I had that song (those 6 or so lyrics) stuck in my head the whole time. On another side note, have you seen the movie “Touching The Void”? The guy has a Boney M song stuck in his head. Pretty funny. Great movie, watch it if you haven't. True story too.

Medecine Hat – everything is closed because it is Victoria Day. The gas stations have barely anything in there too.

I went to a campsite to get a shower, to charge up batteries, and to write this entry (of course). No-one is here (except for a young couple that invited me for a beer after I am doe). I was able to get an “overflow” spot, with no electricity/water or fire pit, for a grand total of 11 bucks (taxes included). I like that price.

The other day in Calgary, I was talking about my cycling shoes are borderline on the fritz. Well, tonight, the strap broke where it connects to the shoe. I will try to jimmy something with duct tape tonight. Worse case scenario, I will duct tape the shoe onto my foot tomorrow.

My tent is also showig it's age. Ten years going strong, but showing a bit of wear and tear at the base. The poles – 2 of them have busted a bit, but I was able to jimmy things to make it work.

Alright, time for a bit of laundry, visit a bit, and then head to bed. Tomorrow, I get to leave Alberta behind, and step into another time zone. Alberta had come and went fairly quickly (so has the mountain time zone).

Later dude and dudettes,

p2

Day 14 - Crossfield to past Dorothy

2008-05-18T01:13:00.003-04:00

Crossfield to outside of Dorothy
176 km. mainly sunny (behind clouds).
Windy, more crosswind than tailwind.
Few passing rainstorms in the evening.

Allo,

It was a tough start of the day. Leaving family and friends was a little barrier that I had to overcome. Shortly after the departure, a Feist song came on, so I decided to listen to the whole album (it is playing songs in alphabetical order, so it is fairly random). It was a great album for that moment.

At one point, I had to go through approximately 7 km of torn-up road (gravel and rocks). I am still surprised that my rear tire is holding up. I hope I didn't jinx it. Other than that, most of the roads were quite nice (including some that were repaved maybe 1 year ago, with wide shoulders).

The scenery changed from the Rockies. It is mainly open (rolling hills), but no trees. You can see for quite a while. Before Drumheller, I could see the water tower 10 km out of town. But, entering Drumheller, that's where the scenery changed, big time. Welcome to the Alberta Bad Lands. It was an area rich in dinosaur findings, and interesting geological stuff. See pictures for what I am talking about (I can be on occasion not the best with words).

In town, I saw the World's biggest Dinosaur (man-made), the Royal Tyrrell Museum (slightly out of town in another direction) where tons of dinosaur bones were discovered and they could replicate entire (or close to) creatures. Very good museum. I also headed towards the Hoodoos, also out of town (but luckily in the right direction). Fun. There, I got hit by the 2nd (of three) passing rainstorms. The first was on the way to the Museum (the rain came down quite hard, I couldn't tell if it was hail or not – it stung the skin). I wanted to climb the path to the top at Hoodoo area, but the rain stopped those plans. Once the storm passed (along with the lightining), I attempted the climb. But, the entire area was slick, where the mud was thick under the sandals.

So, off I went to see how far I could ride before darkness set in (and find a spot where I could be slightly hidden). For miles, there were no “closed” spots – just open farm land with no trees and such. I found a spot behind a fire station in the middle of nowhere. There's a brick wall in the back that is offering me shelter from 3 directions, but I hope the 4th direction doesn't have much traffic that would make me visible.

Well, I will call it a night.

I hope you lovely folks are doing quite well. I will look forward to hearing from you guys soon in some form.

Cheers,

p2

Calgary - rest day

2008-05-17T01:11:00.000-04:00

Calgary – Rest day.

(oh, for more pics, find another post where there's a link to the pictures, and click on them. The Internet here is really slow and I can't get the link to add to the title).

My dad and my aunt (Lady) Diane came down from Edmonton so we could hit the big city of Calgary. It was nice to spend time with family and friends.

Calgary – after a late start, we tried to make up for it. The Glenbow Museum, where tons of Native American, Asian, and Albertan artifacts can be found. Very interesting stuff, quite amazing. Some of the Native American paintings are incredible – eerie, disturbing, beautiful, poignant. Closing time prevented us from seeing the fourth floor – mideval time artifacts, and apparently a world-renown collection of gems and stones originating from the soils of Alberta.

The Devonian Gardens was next. It is located on the top floor (indoor) of the Eaton mall downtown. It is a little oasis of multiple plants, with some waterfalls and ponds (with koi fish, turtles and such). It would be a perfect place to eat your lunch if you worked downtown everyday. Pretty neat. Although I can only imagine how much extra energy it must require to run that place. I wonder what will happen when we do hit an energy crisis in the future.

Next – I made the decision to take a taxi to the Calgary Olympic Park, where the '88 Winter Olympics were held (part of it in Canmore at the Nordic Centre, see the previous day). Cool stuff there. It looks like an amazing centre for mountain biking, skiing, bobsledding and for luge. We had fun with the luge track.

Upon our return downtown, it was the Saddledome – home of the Calgary Flames (and also a venue for the Olympics, figure skating I believe). There was not as much advertisement (player billboards, tons of flags, etc) as in Vancouver. We also got to see a great view of the dome from the Calgary Tower – where we were heading next.

With closing time in 15 minutes, we were able to go to the top of the tower. Unfortunately, the 762 steps up. The tower is 190 metres tall (530 feet or so). It was 9:30, so we could see the sunset a bit. We had a lovely view of the city all around us, and at one point, the view of the city directly below us. There is a section of the floor that is glass. Lady Di had some difficulties at first, but was able to ease her way onto the platform (for a limited time).

Food – Saltlik (could be a spelling error there) was one of the recommendations we had for great steak. Since it was downtown, and affordable (compared to $55.00 steaks at ather ritzy place), we headed there. Lovely meal. We were all in the moooooood for a great steak, and they delivered. Most of us surfed it (nothing special about the shimp, they were alright), and the baked potato was loaded with butter, sour cream, bacon, little pieces of cheddar cheese and I can't remember if there were onions too. The beer of choice for me was the only one on tap that was local – Big Rock selections (I chose the honey beer of some sort). Yes, also tasty. I still think the Grizzly Paw breweries is tops. Dessert – they had this huge New York Style cheesecake (no surprise to those who know me) with berries. Very good. Pops had a lemon tart with merringue on top, and some vanilla bean ice cream. All delicious. So, another good meal. With the trip moving into the prairies, where more camping will be done, I think a fancy meal will be some Kraft Dinner with peanut butter sandwiches. Yummy!

A late evening, but great one indeed. Tomorrow, I'm off on the road again, for a fairly long part of the trip.

Ciao,

p2

Day 13 - Banff to Crossfield

2008-05-16T13:18:00.001-04:00

Banff to Crossfield
175 km, sunny, hot, and good winds

I am hung over today. Oh well, part of the job, right?

I am 40 km or so North of Calgary, visiting Roch and his family. Pops will join me on Saturday so we can do the touristy thing in Calgary.

Last night, as I am having my 4th beer in the bathroom typing the previous day's entry (and charging up the batteries on the computer and mp3 player), Jason starts a conversation with me. He invited me to join them at their campfire when I was done. I thought “what a good opportunity to give away my last 2 beers”. So I went. I had another Grasshopper, gave the other one away. Well, another beer followed, and another, and another, and I lost track of the number after that. The walk to the campsite near 4 am was challenging. Good folks. Talking federal politics and the environment was slightly sketchy, but good nonetheless. Different views.

The morning, well, it was tough to get up. More of a lack of sleep situation. I left the campsite late (noon), then headed to Canmore to visit the town a bit. I focused on the Canmore Nordic Centre, where some of the '88 Olympics were there. Very quiet place, not much happening there in the lull season (maybe another week and things will be busier with biking season). There was a neat row of flags there – I got to see some country flags such as Czech, Sweden, Jamaica (remember their bobsled team?), but there were a few that weren't there.

Beer and food - When I passed through town at first (to get to the Centre), something caught my eye: “Grizzley Paw Brewing Company”. Ohhhhh. Just an hour after eating breakfast, should I stop in and have a pint? On the way back into town, I made an executive decision – lunchtime, with a beer. I am very glad I did. Atta boy. It was tough to chose which beer to have, so I had the sampler – 7 beers. Excellent. Big Rock, move over a bit, Grizzly Paw just took the number one spot on the list. The joint also does it's own colas using the same glacier waters it uses for it's beers. I didn't get a chance to try them. Neat thing too, all the waiters/waitresses are hardcore: tatooed arms, lip/nose rings, shaved head (and that's only the girls). The men looked like bouncers – shaved head plus a beard. The meal, California club on pesto focaccia bread (with guacamole, cheese and onions), was quite nice. It came with fries, and a caesar salad with vegetarian dressing (tasted good, and light).

Also, Canmore seems to be the best spot now – followed by Banff, then Golden. I think I like this region. A super sweet girl wrote to me the other day and stated that I probably enjoy the mountains as I'm a capricorne. Good theory.

The ride to Crossfield was fairly good. The route was nice (1a, parallel to xCanada), with nice tail winds, and lots of Rocky Mountain sheeps. The scenery changed also – no hills per say, but just open fields, with the occasional water here and there.

In retrospect, I was surprised at how things were “easy” (for lack of a better word) in the Rockies. I think I envisioned somethings similar to in the Tour de France, where there's cliff-edges at times on the side of the road, switch-backs everywhere. But, two things – a) I enjoyed them tremendously (challenge, views, the idea itself), b) I shall visit the South of BC for a different and (apparently) more challenging route, and c) I think I hear the Alps and/or Pyrenees calling me.

Wildlife was fairly abundant in the past week – various types of sheep, lamas, cows, horses, wapitie, prairie-dogs, ducks, various game, but no bears, cougars, wolves or moose. Although I didn't see any, there were plenty of stepped-on ducks, and African barking spiders all over the place.

In Cochrane, AB, that's when this hangover stuff started to affect me more. What didn't help were the crosswinds, and the nice long continuous climbs out of town heading North. At one point, one of the roads was just gravel for 2 km. Fun. No mechanical problems yet of any kind – knock on wood. I wonder if I should of wrote that line as I dont want to jinx anything.

Well, rest day awaits me tomorrow.

Pictures for the past few days to follow.

A la prochaine chicane,

p2