In Motion For The Missing

We Are Home

2006-07-05T20:23:00.000-04:00

We're Back!!

We got off the ferry yesterday at 2 PM. We drove to Fredericton & stayed at U.N.B. residences last night (a donation) and had an all-you-can-eat breakfast there this morning.

We got to the West Island around 5:30 PM earlier than expected, & so glad to be home after nearly 10 weeks away!

More later, time to celebrate!!

From Brian

2006-07-04T00:22:00.001-04:00

It is the day that we will eventually catch the ferry. We leave at midnight tonight and should be home late on July 5th.

It is interesting now that it is all over. I am so used to getting up at 6 AM that I do it automatically and then have to force myself back to sleep. I am also so used to checking to see if there are winds and in which direction they are blowing; would we have a headwind, a crosswind or a tailwind?

We took the last June 29th & 30th and rode at a relaxed and reflective pace; in fact, those 2 days took what we normally did in 1 day. We had tailwinds both days, mainly sunshine and few hills. That allowed us the pleasure of enjoying our accomplishment, the people of the area, and the scenery.

We also marvelled at our luck. Two old guys who set up a tight timetable that we were able to keep. We did not have 1 flat tire on the trip but we did change our tires in Montreal. At that point I had 8000 kms on my old tires and did not want to take a chance. Paul's Cycle fixed up our bikes with new chains and cassettes which is usually a major area of concern on a long trip. We realized how fortunate we had been with bikes, traffic, weather and health.

We also reflected on the presentations that we had done. Tom figures that we spoke to over 3000 students and each presentation was different; either because of us or the students involved. In my closing remarks at Confederation Hill, I mentioned that being able to speak to students as we crossed the country validated what we had hoped to accomplish. Many other bikers we met expressed the thought that they wished that they were crossing Canada with a purpose.

We have connected with Bren(Ben) as you know and he had us over to his house. He, Joan, her daughters and friends took us to parts of Newfoundland to see the capins running. That was a great experience and I took many pictures.

There are so many people and memorable experiences that has helped make this adventure the success that what it was.

Brian

From Tom

2006-07-04T00:22:00.000-04:00

I would first like to thank all the friends and family members who took the time to send words of encouragement throughout the two months we were in our saddles.

I would like to send a special thanks to Kit from Child Find, and Pina and Susan from Missing Children for all the support and the wonderful receptions we received in Regina, Winnipeg, Montreal, and St. John's.

As we crossed the country, giving presentations to over 3000 children, it became a tremendous source of personal satisfaction to be associated with organizations that are doing so much for child safety. Working with truly dedicated individuals such as you has been a priviledge and an honor for me.

I owe my deepest gratitude to my family for all your concerns and for keeping track of my progress. And, to my dear wife Claire, wonderful daughters Andrea and Kristi, precious grandchildren Elizabeth and Toria, big brother Rick, ever-encourging sister-in-law Eva and neice Jessie, you were the true inspiration and motivation during the ride.

Having finished, and knowing all the things that could have gone wrong, I truly feel that the positive feelings and prayers that were sent our way are the real reason we are here today. I can't imagine that the good luck while on the highways, the great weather, and the fact that our aging bodies didn't break down in the whole process could have all happened by chance.
I feel that if we helped just one child make the right decision, choose the right path in life, or avoid the serious dangers in the technological world of today, then our mission was a success.

Tom

Some extras

2006-07-04T00:20:00.000-04:00

We did 6849 kilometers on bikes, without a single flat tire.
**
Wayne did over 10,000 kilometers in the Hyundai Entourage van in which we'll all be riding home. Wayne is still very much enamoured with this great van and the wonderful reception that Hyundai dealers across the country have given him. There have been a lot of enquries and expressions of interest shown whereever we've gone and we have been extremely proud to show it off!
**
The rock group Spin Doctors was playing on George Street, on Canada Day, appealing to a younger crowd, which is why we went to see the Navigators.
**
Tom lost 14 pounds.
**
Wayne, er, um, didn't and looks forward to getting back to his regular fitness routine.
**
Our site traffic has gone beyond 5000 hits. Thank you!

July 3

2006-07-04T00:17:00.000-04:00

Today, July 3rd we visited Signal Hill, from where Marconi sent the 1st radio signal to England. We could also see the military significance of the port of St.John's as it was well protected from attacks from the sea.

Brian bumped into Katherine Baker on the grounds. Katherine was showing her visiting sister from Pointe Claire around. Brian coached Katherine in soccer at Lindsay Place High School from which she graduated in 1995. She's here working on her Masters Degree and playing soccer for Memorial University. She saw Montreal on my shirt and when she saw Brian she thought she'd recognized him. I was just about to zip up my jacket & the Montreal on my shirt wouldn't have been visible. So many coincidences! This trip was meant to happen!

So nice not to have to rush around now. Well, we're soon off to get to Argentia for the ferry.
Wish us luck getting a bunk!

We don't know yet, whether we will have a dorm bunk on the ferry from Argentia, to the mainland tonight. We need to be there an hour before its 11:59 PM departure. There were no cabins available on the way over and we learned that these have been booked since January as this is a long weekend. At least on the return journey, we will begin to recuperate time in the time zone changes, gaining 1/2 hour as we get off the boat, which is a 14 hour trip in itself. We didn't find anyone who managed to get the internet on the boat on the way over.

More comments and pics to come!

more from July 2

2006-07-04T00:14:00.000-04:00

July 2nd.

It was great to get to sleep in and follow our own individual schedules. Brian walked all over the downtown area, Tom had a workout & Wayne caught up on the blog.

We arranged to go over to Ben's place and he and Joan had arranged to have some friends over to meet us, leave it to Ben, they were mostly women!

We had a lot of fun acquiring local terminology. We were only partly joking in a previous blog when we said that we needed Ben as an interpreter, We learned that Newfoundlanders are either 'Townies' meaning they're from St. John's, or 'Baymen' meaning they're from elsewhere on the Island. We're CFA's (come from away). There was considerable discussion by the women whether 'Baymen' accurately represented women too, i.e. politically correct.

After a scoff (food) we went to Middle Cove where we observe plenty of families milling about and catching caplins, small fish that Ben and others were catching in buckets.

These spawning fish also attract whales and we will try to catch a glimpse of these off Signal Hill or 'The Gut' where, we were told, there have been whale sightings.

We're not done yet

2006-07-04T00:12:00.000-04:00

There is still so much to share, from the remainder of our time in Newfoundland, odds'n'ends and Nancy asked us to share some of our thoughts/reflections. We also have a plethora of more photos to continue adding to the album, so please keep checking in for a while yet.

More Newfoundland fun (July 1st con't...)

2006-07-02T23:10:00.000-04:00

July 1st - evening...

Kit told us that a local group who have donated CD royalty funds to Child Find were performing at an evening concert at Quidi Vidi Lake prior to Canada Day Fireworks. The girls (sisters), known as The Palmer Girls (a different link here) were very versatile singing in harmony and playing different instruments. Tom purchased their CD and we had our pictures taken with these five sweet, wholesome, well brought-up young ladies.

We then moved on to the famous George Street which had a $10 cover charge which provided access to all the bars without a further cover charge. We watched the main show initially, however, it was intended for a younger audience, so Ian and Kit, joined us in O'Reilley's Pub where The Navigators were playing traditional music with guitars, flute and fiddle. Most of the patrons there seemed to know all the words to their songs when asked by the group to join in.

Wayne remembers visiting O'Reilley's Pub when he was there last year for a counselors' conference and being sent pictures the following week of Russell Crowe singing with his friends from the Newfoundland group, the Great Big Sea in this same club. George Street was replete with young revellers into the wee hours and long after we left.

Here are some more pictures from our truly memorable day:

Check the album for them all. (click here)

JULY 1st - WE DID IT !

2006-07-02T13:49:00.000-04:00

July 1st - Happy Canada Day!

Yes, we Made it!

137 kms on Canada Day, July 1st. (the beginning of our 3rd month away from home).

Speaking of sleep deprivation...Wayne had endured another 'night from hell' sleepless night due to a 'Jurassic Park' type snorer opposite him in the ferry dorm then another on the other side intermitently, occasionally providing a 'stereo chorus'. The sounds were more disturbing than the cumulative amounts endured over the 2 months of hearing Tom & Brian's snoring in the rooms we've shared.

Here at the Delta St. John's we were given 2 rooms. Wayne has a room to himself, apparently because he won the contest as the loudest snorer among the three of us. We all have empathy for what our wives endure!

Sorry for the delay, in getting the blog out, we've had a whirlwind of activity since arriving in St. John's, and wish to do justice to each of the many things that happened but no longer want to keep folks in suspense. We got up around 5 AM today, (July 1st) had breakfast on the ferry then landed on 'The Rock' to prepare for the final leg of our 6849 kms to the Atlantic Ocean, shrouded in fog (as most of our ferry ride had been).

We had the benefit of having Ben with us to interpret the language (OK, just kidding) he has done this route from the ferry terminal in Argentia to St. John.s before, so he could guide us.
It was very cold and windy until we moved inland a bit and eventually the fog and light rain lifted. We noticed the flags at the visitor's welcome centre at half-mast which were to be that way 'til noon as it was to commemorate the 90th anniversary of tragic losses in a First World War battle where only 68 of 801 members of the Newfoundland Regiment survived the opening of the Battle of the Somme.

There were a lot more hills than we had anticipated and we knew that the Newfoundland Child Find Director, Lisa Brown had hoped we'd make it to Confederation Park in St. John's for early in the afternoon. We e-mailed her that we didn't think we could make it that early. Wayne received calls in the van from Child Find Canada's National Co-ordinator, Kit Anderson (who had taken vacation time from her main job at the Justice Dept. in Mantoba, to greet us here) verifying our progress at various stages as a police escort had been lined up to direct us to Confederation Park in St. John's (a.ka. Pippy Park). (We knew that Ben would be getting off at an earlier exit.)

Around the time that the police escort expected they might have to abandon the wait for us, Wayne received a call in the van from Constable Pat Marrie of the Royal Newfoundland Constabulery, the escorting officer enquiring about our whereabouts.

[It was only after viewing the pic with Brian & Ben at the border (Wayne was half asleep at the border) that Wayne realised there was a law against cell phone use in cars].

Wayne arranged to meet Constable Marrie & they both sped back to locate us, (Wayne clocked 150-160 km/hr amid the safety of following the cop car). Constable Marrie showed us the way to go, then, (when he and Wayne got their vehicles onto our side of this 4 lane highway), Constable Marrie led us with flashers going and through red lights to the awaiting crowd.

We attended the Canada Day function at Confederation Park first, where entertainment and festivities were taking place. Child Find Canada's National Coordinator, Kit Anderson, whom we had met in Winnipeg, greeted us along with the Newfoundland Child Find Director, Lisa Brown and were introduced to the crowd who had applauded our arrival on bicycles, much to the surprise, and probable chagrin, of the performers on stage at the moment. We were presented with beautiful Inukshuk mementoes by Child Find President Ian Coulridge.

We then continued the journey down to Quidi Vidi a picturesque little village a stone's throw from downtown where we realized we could dip our wheels in the Atlantic in "the gut", a small opening into the Atlantic which leads to Quidi Vidi Lake. (The port of St. John's is not conducive to plunging in, which is what Tom wanted to do following the dipping of the wheels). Both Tom & Brian went in after the ceremonial dipping of the wheels.

Wayne rode one of the bikes to complete his more modest desire to cycle in every province and our activities attracted the attention of many of the neighbours in this predominantly residential village.

When we informed one of the neighbours what was going on, [She reminded Wayne of CBC star, Mary Walsh (she really sounded like her, although Ben says 'they all do')] she suggested we visit the Quidi Vidi microbrewery next door who (after this lady called them) were kind enough to give our heroes a 6 pack each. Generous guys that we are, we shared these at a picnic table overlooking "the gut" with Kit, Ian, Lisa, neighbour Annette Power, and her sister.

Tom didn't get Screeched yet, Brian & Wayne have already been Screeched in, in previous visits to Newfoundland!

More 2 come later!

Photos

2006-06-30T13:56:00.000-04:00

We just added 14 new photos to the album, such as:

Beautiful sunset at Creignish

Tom itching to windsurf

With our Creignish B & B hostess Susan

Enjoy!

June 30 - North Sydney, NS

2006-06-30T13:32:00.000-04:00

June 30 - 58 kms - On our way to Newfoundland on the ferry!

We're at the ferry terminal in North Sydney, got here before noon with time to spare. Already met Ben from St. John's whom we biked to Wawa with back in Ontario. We're getting caught up with him, he had his wallet stolen off his bike near Quebec City. He's looking forward to getting back & trying on his new leather thong ordered by his wife Joan and made by his brother who's into leather work!

We wish all our former colleagues and other educators and students a wonderful summer vacation. We remember how we looked forward to summer vacation ourselves, now it's all a vacation (really, some vacation?) in retirement. We're working harder this trip than ever, our days have been choc- full. Wayne can't believe he's completing his 1st of what he hopes will be many decades of retirement.

June 29 - Baddeck, NS

2006-06-29T23:32:00.000-04:00

Baddeck, N.S. 87 kms

Enroute to catching up with us, Wayne again noticed Matt Lottes and Cindy Cheslock from Ottawa, the young couple who are getting married soon and are aiming for the Cabot Trail. He told them they were included in our blog, which we notice, has almost 4700 hits.

We had a more relaxed day today with some wind at our back and reduced mileage. It was beautiful and sunny and we again got to our destination around 3 PM with enough time to relax poolside before our scrumptuous buffet dinner. Not only did Dan Coffin, the General Manager of the Silver Dart Lodge in Baddeck donate our room for tonight, he gave us a complimentary voucher for the $25 (each) dinner buffet. Needless to say, Tom does well at buffets, he's been talking about them almost all trip long, but Wayne is also no slouch in that department either. Brian did all right too! This is a really classy place with a spectacular Dining Room view of the Bras D'Or Lake.

Tomorrow, we are travelling to North Sydney to catch the ferry to Argentia, Newfoundland. It's an overnight trip, so we will arrive on Canada Day with another 122 kms yet to cycle before reaching St. John's, NF.

June 29th - Cape Breton, NS

2006-06-29T14:16:00.000-04:00

We had a wonderful visit and stay in the home of Sandra Buker and enjoyed meeting her other guests. Sandra's Creignish B&B apparently is listed with B&B Canada. Sandra gave away her computer, saying she was getting bogged down with e-mail and questions about her place without having time of her own. She says she feels sorry for a lot of today's young business people who are almost being held captive to their cell phones and Blackberrys.

Sandra was active in supporting the Trans-Canada Trail despite the fact that it traverses the access to the water from her property but is very disappointed that it appears to be in disrepair and not that amenable to cycling. ATV'S sometimes speed along it, however owners of motorized vehicles, (snowmobilers included) have often been the volunteers who have been instrumental in hauling out the tree stumps and rebuilding the trail from its original railway bed. In a later phase, Natural Resources will be in charge of maintaining it. Sandra is concerned that uprooted trees and drainage ditches have been done at considerable taxpayer expense without allowing a more natural approach to get rid of water. Cyclists reportedly complain about it regularly.

Wayne talked with Blaine MacEachern, the vice-chairman of the Trans-Canada Trail Nova Scotia committee, who indicated that this 92 km section of the trail is still officially 'under construction'. The Trans-Canada Trail is such a wonderful project when those in leadership make it a priority, we sincerely hope that the critical mass of those who believe in it do get involved in helping the attainment of the goal of completing the trail by 2010. The Olympic torch is expected to follow the trail all the way to Vancouver, that's the vision. Blaine told us about http://www.velocapebreton.com reps and others who would be interested in our mission. Blaine lives across the street from the Gateway Hyundai Dealership in Port Hawkesbury where Wayne was having the Entourage van washed. There was a great deal of interest from all the employees of this dealership and Sales Manager, Ken Tate, allowed Wayne to use his office to make this contribution to the blog. Business manager, Trina Samson told Wayne about a friend and former school mate of hers and Ken's wife, Nathalie. Kimberly McAndrews went missing in 1989, shortly after moving from Port Hawkesbury to Halifax. She was never found, Trina showed Wayne her picture that she had printed from the Child Find website.

Trina got a reporter from the local paper,The Guardian to come over and took a picture of the newly-washed van and the Gateway Hyundai staff. The Guardian will likely conduct a telephone interview with our cyclists after our arrival at the Silver Dart Motel in Baddeck who have kindly donated a room for tonight.

Off to find 'Les Boys".

also from June 28...

2006-06-29T12:59:00.000-04:00

While playing catch-up, yesterday Wayne spotted 2 cyclists & slowed down, only to notice that it wasn't us but a male and female couple, Matt Lottes and Cindy Cheslock who had cycled from their homes in Ottawa and are aiming for the Cabot Trail. They're camping along the way and are getting married July 22nd! Wayne told them it reminded him of a theory espoused by his former Sociology Professor Dr. Harold Potter (no relation to Brian he was a brother, but not Brian's) Dr. Potter hypothesized that if couples who planned to marry were to take a 2 week canoe trip together prior to marriage, there would likely be fewer divorces because they would be exposed to each others strengths and weaknesses and learn to pull together!

June 28 - Port Hastings, N.S.

2006-06-28T23:44:00.000-04:00

Port Hastings is where we stopped today after being helped along by a tailwind. It was sunny and hot, but we finished early (about 3:15 PM) after 127 kms for a current total of 6563 kms.

Wayne found us another donation 11 kms up the coast of Cape Breton at Craignish B&B. Sandra, the owner, loves cyclists! Her cozy place is a rustic, converted old schoolhouse which has a record-winning stuffed tuna hanging in the entrance way. It has a magnificent view of the water and Sandra let us do a wash which is hanging outside to dry while we have come in to Port Hawkesbury to use the internet in the public library, then get supper.

See where we are on the map. Port Hastings not on this one, but you can find Port Hawkesbury.

We will need to 'van it' back to Port Hastings tomorrow morning before heading to Baddeck. We have two relatively easy days before catching the ferry to Argentia, Newfoundland on Friday. We're awaiting information on activities in Newfoundland for Canada Day and the next day.

Monday is the night we're on the ferry back to Nova Scotia (actually wee hours of July 4th). We can't wait til we get home - single life on the road sucks! Don't get us wrong, we're in great company, this whole trip requires goodwill, teamwork, compromise and a positive attitude, which is usually in plentiful supply.

We've seen spectacular scenery in this magnificent country of ours and met some wonderful people along the way.

Tomorrow night and Wednesday the 4th of July are our only unknown accomodations now. We should be home a week TOMORROW, albeit late, after a likely marathon drive from New Brunswick!

Correspondance

2006-06-28T23:40:00.000-04:00

We've been getting correspondence on this trip, e-mail is great.

One from Corky, where she indicated that on the day we left, Paul proposed to her at St. Andrews, where they went to for a drive to in Paul's sporty new Poniac Solstice (which bears the licence plates CORKY). Paul has been a widower, Corky was divorced and they met over the internet. Paul will move into Corky's home in Hampton N.B.

We also heard from Newfoundlander Ben, who cycled with us from Wawa, that he's booked for the same ferry to the rock (Newfoundland) on Friday. We still can't figure how he got ahead of us!

Thanks Claire and Eva for the kind comments re the blog. It's fun knowing that others are vicariously enjoying our travels minus the hardships!

We should be home a week today, albeit late!

It's now 2 months since we flew to Vancouver!

June 27 - Nova Scotia!

2006-06-27T22:37:00.000-04:00

Pictou, Nova Scotia - 139 kms - Total 6444 kms

We're now in Nova Scotia, our 9th province, but came close to missing the ferry, despite our early 7:20 AM start. (we had awakened at 5:45 AM) to accomplish the trajectory across the Island.

Wayne visited the impressive P.E.I. Visitor's Centre when it opened at 8 AM and asked if they had a cyclists log, mentioning that Manitoba's Welcome Centre had one. The attendant, Lisa MacLeod, said they didn't, but thought it was a great idea, mentioning the fact that they do get a lot of people cycling the island. So she got a book and we became the first entry in the new cyclist's log.

Brian has cycled the island three times before, once with his wife, Michelle, and twice with kids from school. Wayne's daughter Wendy did it a while back as well. It would have been nice to trace something like this back if there had been a log then!

We ended up getting to Charlottetown early (10 AM) however we couldn't advance the pre-arrangeed schedule to visit West Royal Elementary School. We met Child Find P.E.I. Executive Director, Lori St. Onge who was in the police escort vehicle around 11:15 AM and we were led to the school. As we climbed the hill, amid sounds of the police car's siren, we noticed that the whole school population had been assembled outside to greet us with applause, which was captured by the CBC 6 o'clock news cameraman. The warm reception was greatly appreciated, especially as it was the last day of school for the students.

Tom, Lori, Brian

We didn't have a computer set up for our usual audio-visually assisted presentation, however Wayne felt it was one of our best, even if we were 'winging it'. Lori did a great job of lining things up, a reporter from The Guardian was there as well as a radio station Magic 93 radio, along with CBC TV.

Following the presentation, we hurried off because we knew we had a lot to finish getting to the ferry. It became tougher when we faced headwinds again. Brian indicated that we might not make it because it was farther than anticipated.

Wayne went ahead to check the degree of flexibility for catching the ferry and was told that they could wait if we were close. He then came back to us to indicate we had 8.2 kms left so we booted it even more quickly, getting onto the ferry before the large trucks loaded. Tom fell asleep and Wayne sunbathed on the front deck during the 75 minute ride to Caribou, Nova Scotia.

We saw this in the Pictou Harbour:

We're staying in a family suite at the Braeside Inn in Pictou, N.S. tonight.

June 26 - We're in P.E.I.!

2006-06-26T22:48:00.000-04:00

We're in P.E.I. !!

With a forecast of rain for the afternoon we got an early start today but didn't entirely evade the rain this time, it was reasonably gentle showers, however, which let up after a while. We took a coastal path along a less busy route to the Confederation Bridge which provided some early glimpses of the ocean and the bridge.

At 93 kms, this was a comparatively light cycling day before we loaded the bikes onto the van to cross the bridge. We then drove to Summerside where our lovely Quality Inn suite is located.

Tomorrow we backtrack again to the P.E.I. end of the bridge to resume our journey. We will be met at the narrows prior to being led by police escort to the West Royalty Elementary School in Charlottetown for speeches by the principal, and Charlottetown's Mayor as well as giving a small presentation to the kids on their last day of school. Then it's off toward the ferry to Nova Scotia which we hope to catch before 4:30 PM.

The Bridge!

2006-06-26T13:37:00.000-04:00

We're at the New Brunswick end of the Confederation Bridge. We have already done 93 kms today (6304 kms total). Cyclists and pedestrians are not allowed to cycle/walk across the bridge, there is a shuttle which takes these folks across for $8. We'll get back to you from Prince Edward Island.

June 25 - Moncton, NB

2006-06-25T22:31:00.000-04:00

Moncton, New Brunswick - 115 kms - Total - 6211 kms

After being entertained by the adult toy robot of Paul's (Corky's boyfriend) we were given more of the decadently delicious chocolate marshmallow dessert to take with us. Corky loves to cook, much to Paul's delight! During the week she runs a daycare in her cozy little house. We said our goodbyes and drove in the van back to Highway 2, where we left off yesterday. While the road quality is good, there are not many services on this stretch of highway to Moncton. This relatively new stretch of the TransCanada Highway, apparently was very controversial in that it eliminated travel though many parts of Kings County and Queens County in South Central, N.B. So that many businesses in the areas served by the former TransCanada Highway have suffered or closed.

Wayne went to the Visitor's Centre developed and supported by The Kings County Tourism Association which serves as a means of drawing more people into these scenic areas. The area boasts the greatest aggregate of covered bridges in the world. As a matter of fact, the building itself is in the shape of a covered bridge. Winnie Crouch and her 2 young assistants, Sarah Carr, and Sarah Price, were most helpful and gave us a number of goodies to bring along after being almost embarrassed in disclosing the fact that we wouldn't be able to get food along Highway 2 until almost Moncton.

The temperature early in the morning was 18 C, but got quite hot later in the day. We stopped around 2 PM for lunch at a Salisbury N.B. restaurant, outside of which and accordionist from Conception Bay, Newfoundland was set up and entertaining those entering the restaurant. Needless to say Tom was delighted to the extent that he bought his C.D. Guess what we'll be listening to when we drive back to Montreal in a little over a week. Yes that's right, we're into our final week of cycling and head off to Shediac, then over the Confederation Bridge to P.E.I. tomorrow, as we start our 9th week of cycling.

June 24...

2006-06-25T21:36:00.000-04:00

Here are some pics from our Saturday morning at the Child Find NB I.D. clinic.

Brian, Tom, & John Clinch, Executive Director of Child Find New Brunswick

Tom, John, Brian & fans

Tom, John, Brian & Wayne

We hit the 6000 km mark today!

2006-06-24T23:32:00.000-04:00

Hampton, N.B.

We did about 30 kms early in the morning before making an appearance at the Child Find I.D. clinic at Mactaquac Provincial Park . We enjoyed meeting New Brunswick Reps. Bob Clinch and Shelley Donahue and their families, and catching up on developments here. Both Bob & Shelley work at Canada Customs in the border town (with Maine) of St. Stephens and are volunteers for Child Find in New Brunswick.

While there is more traffic on the Trans-Canada Highway #2, the shoulder is wide and the surface is good so we progressed well on this road, especially since the wind was not much of a factor. We are impressed with cycling here so far, it has been easier than most provinces.

We hit the 6000 km mark today! Now with today's 122 kms, we're up to 6097 kms in total!

We had a wonderful home-cooked dinner here from "Corky" Louise Van Guelpen, a former colleague of Wayne's at Seigniory School (before Brian became a staff member there).

Despite widespread predictions of rain, we were again spared, although we could see the remnants and signs of rainfall all around us. We felt much better today, having caught up on our targeted destination after two days of missing our goal.

Tomorrow, it's off to Moncton.

June 24

2006-06-24T11:22:00.000-04:00

It was a real shame that we couldn't spend more time at our Holiday Inn Resort in it's scenic setting on the river, have a look at the link. We did see an exhilarating sunset last night.

We got up at 6 AM to backtrack to Nackawic via route 102 to 2 West and were delighted that it's shorter. We got started at about 8 AM. We'll stop at exit 258 and resume there after travelling by van to Mactaquac Provincial Park to make an appearance at the Child Find I.D. clinic. We will then proceed along the Trans-Canada Highway #2 bypassing Fredericton enroute to the Mill Cove exit where we will again load the bikes on the van to drive to Hampton, N.B. where supper awaits us at the home of "corky" Louise Van Guelpin, a former colleague of Wayne's. This area we've been travelling along the St. John River has been beautiful. Canada is awash in areas of spectacular beauty.

June 23 - Mactaquac, NB

2006-06-23T22:49:00.000-04:00

Mactaquac (Nackawic) - 141 kms - Total - 5974 kms

We're in the the Holiday Inn Fredericton in Mactaquac but had to come by van from Nackawic after doing the 141 kms today (including the 23 kms from yesterday).

We finished at 6 PM and came the last 50 kms to Mactaquac by van on Route 105 but we suspect that Route 2 (the TransCanada) will be shorter so we will retreat to our starting point that way by van tomorrow morning to compare distances.

The headwinds diminished somewhat to be replaced by rain for a while but then it let up. Route 105 didn't have a paved shoulder but the traffic was sufficiently sparse to allow us to utilize the road itself.

We saw this today:

We met up with an Australian couple, Blue & Tricia Gibson, who have been travelling through Toronto, Niagara, Montreal and St. John, N.B. enroute to Washington D.C. via Bar Harbor, Maine. They have biked in Canada and the U.S. extensively as well as in Europe but travel at a more leisurely pace than we're going. Apparently the trail they're taking to Washington D.C. is paved and goes all the way to Florida.

Alas, more backtracking to do before setting out for tomorrow's target destination.

There are some recent pictures in the album. This was our view from our hotel in Cabano on the 21st.

and

These are in Grand Falls

June 22/23

2006-06-23T13:20:00.000-04:00

Perth-Andover - 140 kms - Total - 5833 kms

We didn't quite make Perth-Andover yesterday, so there is more to do today. We had to stop after 140 kms because we were tired of battling a brutal headwind and we hadn't accounted for losing an hour due to another time zone change, our 4th so far heading east. We were 23 kms short of our target and so had to backtrack this morning and add those 23 kms to today's target of 133 kms to Mactaquac making it 156 kms. There is still a headwind today too!

Last night's accomodations, a donation, at the Perth-Andover Motor Inn, luckily had an adjacent restaurant where we had a late supper and early (6:30 AM) breakfast. Wayne managed to secure a donation of our accomodations at the Fredericton Holiday Inn at Mactaquac which he was pleased to hear has a fitness centre.

More later!

Photo update

2006-06-22T22:05:00.000-04:00

Thank you for your patience. We have just caught up on over a week's worth of photos, downloaded, sorted, labelled (almost all), emailed, and now posted in the album.

Once again, here are a few teasers that will lead you to the usual batch of terrific photos.

Manitoulin, Ontario

Merrickville Locks

He is alive...

Leaving Montreal

Another on the way out of Montreal

Quebec City

Emails from the Chateau Frontenac

Tom considering a trade-in?

Apparently June 20 was a dream day for Tom. He visited both an accordian museum, as well as this motorcycle museum. Diverse interests!

Come check the album (click here) to see the rest.

New Brunswick!

2006-06-22T13:20:00.000-04:00

We're in New Brunswick! Wayne caught up to us at this impressive New Brunswick Welcome Centre. We had forgotten that we lose another hour with the time change to Atlantic Daylight Time. The free internet here at the border Welcome Centre allowed us to check arrangements in New Brunswick to find activities lined up for us at Mactaquac near Fredericton. We will be staying at the Perth-Andover Motor Inn tonight.

Find us on the map.

June 22

2006-06-22T13:17:00.000-04:00

Started off really nice when we got up, a little cool (13 C) eventually clouded over. Wayne remained behind and did more rollerblading as he had done last night. There was a nice park through which the bike path passed with paved sections ideal for rollerblading near the Royal Motel. The park was being prepared for Fête Nationale festivities tomorrow, but we'll be in New Brunswick. Our host here in Cabano at the Royal Motel, Tony Rioux, couldn't have been more accomodating. We all thought we might like to return to this lovely spot with our families.

June 21 - Cabano, QC

2006-06-22T08:28:00.000-04:00

Cabano, QC. 130 kms - Total 5562 kms

To start the first day of summer we had beautiful weather in the low twenties, not much wind, but what little wind there was, was mostly behind us. We took an alternate secondary road, route 230 from La Pocatiere to St. Alexandre. To get to it, we started off with a huge hill with aboout a 15% grade right from our motel. There was not much of a shoulder, however there was not much traffic either and hardly any trucks. From St. Alexandre we took route 289 south to route 20 (what we had originally planned) however, we decided to take route 20 then 85 but were unable to reach Wayne following later behind us by cell phone to advise him of this. When we got on 85 we were stopped by a Provincial Police Officer who kindly advised us that bicycles were not allowed on this autoroute suggesting we get off at the next exit or risk the possibility that the next officer might not be as lenient. We complied and took the recommended bike path for about 10 kms before moving over to route 185. Our bikes' thin tires don't handle pack gravel paths well so we were glad to get back on pavement.

Meanwhile, Wayne went on to route 132 as we had discussed prior to leaving, so he missed us entirely not finding us in all the usual types of places he's been accustomed to finding us. He looked in and around restaurants and other spots. One cyclist he asked indicated he had seen 2 long-distance cyclists at the tourist information kiosk, which is where Wayne was headed anyway, remembering that Brian had suggested it as a potential meeting spot in Rivière du Loup. Because we have surprised Wayne on several occasions with the speed of our travel and the amount of distance we have covered, Wayne asked more people but began to think we must be beyond Rivière du Loup by then.

While no one at the information kiosk remembered seeing us, Wayne did talk to a couple who were long-distance cyclists outside the tourist information kiosk, subsequently realizing that they were likely the ones the previous cyclist had referred to in directing Wayne there.
This couple, heading east, had not spotted us either, but Wayne recognized that the couple had been taking Le Petit Témis bike path all the way from Fredericton. Knowing that we avoid gravel paths, he thought we wouldn't be on it. Tom would have enjoyed talking with this couple, Eric and Jane Hadley of Fredericton, who were cycling to a World Cup mountain bike race at Mt. Ste. Anne to see their son, Matthew, race in the World Cup. Of equal interest, was the fact that in the year 2000 this couple, accompanied by their then 17 and 19 year-old sons, also crossed Canada in 60 days (54 days of biking) from Victoria to Cape Spear, Newfoundland.

When Wayne finally proceeded beyond Rivière du Loup to look for us, he went far enough that he knew we couldn't possibly have gone that far, but started asking anyway, if any folks had seen us. These people in St.Louis de Ha Ha told him that Cabano was only 5 minutes further south. Remembering last night's confusion, Wayne went on to check out our designated motel, the Royal Motel, to be reassured by Tony, the owner, that he'd been expecting 2 of us (This reservation was made so far back before we had 'Van Man' Wayne and the Hyundai Entourage van confirmed). He gave us his largest room (as a donation to accomodate all 3 of us) before Wayne backtracked to eventually find us 30 kms north of Cabano.

Cabano is a quaint little town that's reminiscent of nearby Maine in many ways. The Royal Motel is nestled in an exceedingly scenic setting overlooking Lake Temiscouta which is a year-round recreational haven.

Our ferry reservations to Newfoundland were made today, we will be returning from Argentia on the July 3rd at11:59 PM. It is a fourteen hour ferry ride, hopefully sufficiently refreshed to drive home with perhaps only a one night stopover in between. Stay tuned!

Tomorrow we enter our 7th province in this our 8th week on the road.

June 20 - La Pocatiere

2006-06-20T21:59:00.000-04:00

La Pocatiere - 130 kms - Total - 5562 kms

We arose at 6 AM and tried to get out of a city full of one way streets which took us away from returning exactly the way we came. We 'vanned it' to the opposite side of the Quebec Bridge from which we ended yesterday. Our breakfast cook told us of a wonderful bike path along the South Shore of the St. Lawrence River opposite Quebec City. From there we could get an excellent view of the Quebec Citadel and the Fairmont Le Château Frontenac (where we stayed) high on the bluff overlooking the St. Lawrence River. This path led to route 132, about 10 kms east of the bridge giving us great panoramic vistas on the way. Wayne actually did some rollerblading on the same path, feeling he's getting fatter while we're getting fitter! He really enjoyed getting the exercise. The vistas along today's trajectory were spectacular.

Most traffic heading to the Atlantic Provinces take route 20 so we had fewer trucks and less traffic to contend with than in previous sections of our journey. While there were predictions of rain, we managed to again evade most of it, well, until the last 8 kms. We had tailwinds up until the last 28 kms when the wind turned around and caused us to work much harder and the temperatures were somewhat cooler.

Our motel Le Pocatois had no record of our reservation but we got the last room just before the rains came down heavily. Tomorrow, we begin another season and stay one more night in Quebec prior to entering New Brunswick.

June 19 - Quebec City

2006-06-19T22:26:00.000-04:00

Quebec City - 142 kms - Total - 5432 kms

What a difference a tailwind makes. After driving back across the St. Lawrence River & back to Nicolet we proceeded along route 132 coming close to the St. Lawrence River so that there were many scenic vistas to see. While we were aware of the threat of severe thunderstorms, we were spared being rained on despite darkening clouds. It was hot again but not as sweltering as yesterday, which really wiped us out.

We are now luxuriating in another Fairmont Hotel, the Chateau Frontenac. This with much thanks to the contacts of Jonathan Wener putting Tom in touch with Neil Labatte, President & CEO, Legacy Hotels. We would like to mention other people including: Gilda Giron, Administrative Assistant to Mr. Labatte, and Jacqueline Burns, Public Relations Assistant for Delta Hotels.

It is very much appreciated that people recognize how arduous our journey is and are doing their best to make us comfortable, which tends to offset those times when we have had to camp along the way. Among others finding accommodations for us have been Child Find's National Co-ordinator, Kit Anderson, Ontario Director, Terry Smith, and Susan Senyk, Special Events Co-ordinator at the Missing Children's Network of Canada. There have also been numerous friends (and strangers) who have welcomed us in their homes as well.

The success of this whole ride has been reliant on teamwork and we wish to acknowledge all who have helped us, especially the financial contributors and those who have helped us cut our expenses so that children can be the ultimate beneficiaries.

June 19 - On the road again...

2006-06-18T23:28:00.000-04:00

Nicolet 169.5 kms - total 5289 kms

Happy Father's Day ! We were on the road before 8 AM and endured a scorching heat after getting onto the South shore of the St. Lawrence River having taken bike paths through some of the West Island and crossing over the Jacques Cartier Bridge. We travelled along route 132 which runs parallel to the river much of the early part of the trip. Wayne met us before lunch and we ate together. Brian expressed some concern that we only had Canadian flags so Wayne picked up some Quebec Fleurs de Lys.

There were some good stretches of shoulder and also places where it was rough or non-existent. The wind generally favoured us but a detour took us about 8 kms out of our way and over a dirt road for part of it, to say nothing about strong crosswinds.

Accordingly we only made it to Nicolet rather than St. Gregoire but we knew we had to use the van to cross the St.Lawrence River into Trois Rivières (Three Rivers) for our accomodations at the Comfort Inn. Tom finally managed to get us to a Chinese buffet that both Brian and Wayne found things to their liking.

Tomorrow, it's off to Quebec City, with a similar cycling on the south shore & vanning it across the St. Lawrence River for our accomodations.

Home Sweet Home!!! June 16

2006-06-16T22:09:00.000-04:00

From Nancy: I am sorry, I don't yet have the details from today's actual ride, so how about a photo essay about their arrival to John Rennie High School. I hope the pictures can say enough. It was such a fabulous, emotional and exciting moment for everyone.

There are PLENTY more uploaded in the album. Enjoy!

QUEBEC!! June 16

2006-06-16T12:06:00.000-04:00

We slept at the Delta Hotel in Ottawa last night after unloading the bikes for safekeeping, getting to bed just before midnight.

We arose at 5:30 AM to reload the bikes and drive in the van back to Alexandria where we have resumed the last Ontario section following a hearty breakfast at Christine's Restaurant before heading along route 34 to Lancaster.

We will enter Quebec along route 2 until we get to the bike path at St. Zotique, following it until Pointe au Cascades. We will hug the shoreline as much as we can, crossing the Dorion bridge then along the bike path across Ile Perrot 5th Ave. (?) then across the Galipeau Bridge to the beginning of the bike path at John Abbott College, aiming for 3:30 PM.

Our pace will be gentle from there as we know there will be some accompanying riders who may not travel at our hectic rate. We will go through Baie D'Urfe, past Dorset School then parallel to Highway 20 on the south side crossing over to the north side at Woodland Ave. Then we will follow the bike path alongside the railway tracks to John Rennie High School in Pointe Claire, where celebrations and a BBQ await our arrival.

Our trip does not end here, we will be participating in a Missing Children's Network I.D. Clinic Saturday at Beaconsfield Recreation Centre between 9 a.m. and 1 p.m.

We depart again, on Sunday at 7:30 AM (albeit Father's Day) for the Atlantic Provinces, aiming to get to St. John's, Newfoundland by Canada Day, July 1st.

SEE YOU SOON!!!

June 15...5000 KMS !!!

2006-06-15T21:13:00.000-04:00

We hit the 5000 mark today! 62 kms today, total now: 5014 kms

A busy day today, we got up at 6 AM, had breakfast at Eva's then drove to the Sharbot Lake spot where we stopped 2 days ago.

As we had to get to Carleton Place by noon, we had to come back to Perth where we had done about 40 kms with another 20 kms to do after our 2 separate presentations at Caldwell Street Public School to grades 1-4 and 5-8. We even visited the Kindergarten class briefly. Principal Jill Bennett (nee Brophy) had been a student of Tom's at Beacon Hill Elementary School and had learned various watersports from him in other settings.

Olympic Gold Medalist, Carolyn Waldo, who, years ago, was also a student of Tom's at Beacon Hill Elementary School was present. She was with a cameraman from CTV news where Carolyn is a sports reporter at Ottawa's CTV affiliate, CJOH. Both ladies attested to the fact that Tom was most influencial in their very successful careers, a glowing compliment that teachers love to hear from their former students.

There was an impressive media showing for our presentations. Broadcaster Wayne Cavanaugh from Smiths Falls-based 'Jack FM' 92.3 on the FM radio dial had been reporting on air about our trip for the last couple of days since we've been in the area. This community-minded radio station has a format that we have enjoyed listening to as we juggled our schedule to accomodate the Carleton Place presentations, necessitating various van rides to and from our starting and stopping points. 'Jack FM' have even provided a link to our website on their website. (Thank you!) Other media included the Upper Canada School District's Communications Officer, Mark Calder, who will feature this event on the District's website and Katie a reporter for the Carleton Place Canadian, a local weekly newspaper, also sought out information from us.

We were especially impressed with our greeters, Grade 6 students, Jessica Duffy and Jamie Young who were so helpful, indulging our every need.

After returning to Perth to complete the last leg to Smith Falls, we jumped in the van and returned to Carleton Place for a delicious supper and visit with Jill and her family.
Jill's husband, Randy, told us about his most intriguing business, Plasco Energy Group, which recycles garbage and waste products at extremely high temperatures and turns them into an energy rich gas which can generate electricity without producing toxic by-products. Their 17 year-old son, Jason, is in a co-op trades program at Notre Dame Catholic High School, which has resulted in the building of garages for his school and will involve constructing cottages next year.

Tomorrow, we will conduct a radio interview at around 6:15 a.m. with Montreal News radio station 940 News before a long ride in the van back to Alexandria where we will resume the last Ontario section and enter Quebec. We expect to accumulate riding companions at Coteau Du Lac and John Abbott College in Ste. Anne de Bellevue (3:30 p.m.) before proceeding to the welcoming BBQ at John Rennie High School in Pointe Claire between 4-7 PM. Then on to our families and our own beds after a 7 week absence.

June 14

2006-06-14T22:23:00.000-04:00

June 14TH - 130 kms - total 4956 kms

We got to Alexandria from Smiths Falls today, had some headwinds again but also encountered some good shoulders and no shoulders. We got rained on for about half an hour, which Wayne again, following later, did not see at all! At least there were not as many trucks on this route so it was more calming on the nerves.

We had a wonderful pasta meal at Eva Boda's lovely farm home & actually got to see hockey on their large screen TV. Eva is the sister of Tom's wife Claire, a.k.a. Tom's sister-in-law. Eva teaches at North Stormont Public School in Berwick, Ontario.

Tomorrow will be a rush as we drive the Entourage to complete the 60 kms from Sharbot Lake to Smiths Falls section before 'vanning it' to Carleton Place before noon for another school presentation.

June 13

2006-06-14T14:49:00.000-04:00

June 13 - 153 kms - Total 4822 kms

Today Route 7 had a mix of decent and lousy shoulder, more often the latter and we again had winds to contend with. We finished off at the entrance to the Sharbot Lake Provincial Park and placed the bikes atop the van enroute to the new home of Mary & Bob Schofield at Black Lake, outside of Perth. Brian has known them ever since his children were young and were looked after then, in Mary's daycare/home in Pointe Claire. Mary welcomed us in this idyllic setting overlooking Black Lake and plied us with drinks and a delicious steak dinner. She had invited Lynn Stockless, who now lives nearby to join us. Lynn had been Brian and Tom's principal before she became Director of Secondary Schools for the Lester B. Pearson School Board and subsequently retired. Bob, and Lynn's partner Dr. Rick Stojak, joined us about 9 PM after their golf game. Bob works and plays at the local golf club. Wayne also knew Bob from the Pointe Claire Oldtimers Hockey League. All of us knew Rick too as he was a part-time psychologist for the Lester B. Pearson School Board apart from his professorship at John Abbott College prior to retiring from there.

Brian came up with an innovative way to complete the remaining distance to the Island of Montreal over the next few days. We knew we would be presenting at a school in Carleton Place and staying overnight on Thursday the 15th in Ottawa, but were concerned about getting to Pointe Claire in time for the planned reception at John Rennie High School and meeting some cyclists who plan to join us at the Quebec border and/or John Abbott College along the way. The plan is to go by van to Smith's Fall's, cycle from there to Alexandria today along route 43, stay at Tom's sister-in-laws in Moose Creek tonight, then head back by van to complete the unfinished stretch between Sharbot Lake Provincial Park and Smith's Fall's tomorrow morning. This will leave us closer to Carleton Place and Ottawa.

On Friday morning, we will then return to Alexandria to complete the last leg with adequate time to meet people along the way. On the way to start off today, we heard the Smith's Fall's radio announcer talking about us and our route on the Hyundai Entourage van radio. We expect him to contact us for a conversation sometime over the next 2 days. We've been told that the Montreal 940 news station will want to talk to us early tomorrow as well. A number of the Montreal media will be covering our return home on Friday as well. We look forward to this and seeing friends and family and sleeping in our own beds after a seven week absence!

When we arose at 6 AM this morning, Bob had already cooked our scrumptious breakfast of bacon, sausage, hash brown potatoes and eggs with juice and toast, prior to heading off to work around 7 AM. We really appreciate him getting up so early to look after us!

June 12 - Kitchener - Waterloo

2006-06-13T21:47:00.000-04:00

June 12th - 89.5 kms - total - 4669 kms

Starting our 7th week, we arose at our customary 6:15 AM & met Brian's friend, Canadian Association of Secondary School Advisors (CASSA) President, John Thompson and Tom Connolly. Tom is a Trauma Specialist rehired out of retirement to help the Waterloo District School Board, its employees and students deal with traumatic events like loss of family members etc. They guided us to Cedarbrae School for our lively 9:30 AM presentation to 100 grades 4-6 students. We were presented with a $1000 cheque by the Principal. One of the teachers at the school, Mrs. Jamison, knew Tom from Lake Louisa where Tom had instructed her husband over the years in various watersports. Small world!

We then jumped in the van to drive back to where we left off yesterday. We weren't sure if we'd be able to cycle all the way to Peterborough, where our hosts, Wayne's former colleague, Barb Morrison & her husband Ernie had arranged a BBQ to include Wayne's former roommate and colleague, Gord Henderson, and his wife Liz. We arrived at 6:40 PM along with Tom's friend, Ron Keyes and his wife who had prearranged to take Tom out for supper. Ron and Tom had raced motorcycles together across the country in their wild single days. Ron was the Canadian Motocross Champion for several years. We learned during the course of this wonderful evening that both Ernie and Gord had recently received Community Betterment Awards from the City of Peterborough for their volunteer work in the community. As former school superintendant, Ernie had once been Gord's 'Big Boss'. Ernie presented us with baseball caps, pins and pens from the City of Peterborough's Mayor, Sylvia Sutherland.

We luxuriated in the very comfortable basement suite after having Tom rejoin us for dessert.

June 13
A 7:50 AM departure with a heavy itinerary ahead was in sunny skies and warmer temperatures than the chilly 12-18 degrees celsius we experienced yesterday. We'll keep you posted!

June 11 addendum

2006-06-13T21:37:00.000-04:00

While ridng south of Orillia on Sunday, June 11, we conducted a roadside interview via cell phone which had been pre-arranged by Wayne with Mike McIntyre for his "Crime & Punishment Show". Later that evening, Wayne received the following message from Edmonton from his cousin, Bob Quinney (whom we met in Calgary) "I just heard Tom & Brian on the 'Mike McIntyre Crime & Punishment Show' on the Corus radio network! They made a good presentation & I found it very well done."

The Lost Pix

2006-06-12T22:58:00.000-04:00

Hello, Blogmaster (using that term loosely) Nancy here...I just noticed a few pics that I inadvertently forgot to upload to the album. I do believe they more than warrant a viewing, so here they are. Make sure you click on the pic itself to make them bigger.

Follow me!

This one's for EB:

This one's for, er, um, GQ?

Not quite the Ritz, but it was home for one night.

Beautiful in Wawa, Ontario

June 12 - Kitchener, Ontario

2006-06-11T23:49:00.000-04:00

Kitchener, ON. - 142 kms for 4580 kms total.

We didn't get as far as we would have liked today due to a misleading route sign. We were looking for route 22 through the Horseshoe Valley to Orillia but the sign indicated 22 West. Not wanting to proceed on bikes in the wrong directions we stayed on Route 26 heading toward Barrie. This lead to an indirect trajectory to Orillia and Wayne, following later in the van, to miss us. Wayne had wondered the same thing when he saw he sign, but because the Hyundai Entourage van is equipped with a compass readout which indicated he was heading Northeast, he continued on 22 which turned out to be the right way but, thinking we were still far ahead, drove 35 kms before being called on the mobile phone by Tom from Orillia where we were having lunch. He backtracked & met us coming out of Orillia.

We traveled down Route 12 on the east side of Lake Simcoe to the point where Routes 12 & 48 intersect. Because it was after 5 PM and we had a 2 1/2 hour drive ahead of us to Kitchener-Waterloo, we put the bikes on top of the van and set out for Kitchener. Although we had early notification that we had confirmed accommodations here, we would discover they had no such record. Alas it was after 9 PM by this time, Brian registered with his credit card suggesting this could be solved subsequently.

We have a 9:30 AM presentation tomorrow to 100 grades 4-6 students, then must drive back to where we left off today. We were originally to stay here 2 days, but we decided to try to gain some time for later in the week. We will be hard pressed to get to Peterborough, where Wayne's former colleague, hosts Barb Morrison & her husband Ernie have laid on a BBQ at 5:30 PM.

We'll do our best, even if we need to use the van to do so, though backtracking is a bit of a nuisance.

June 10

2006-06-11T23:37:00.000-04:00

We're in the Town of the Blue Mountains, east of Meaford having completed 158 kms from Tobermoray for a total of 4438 kms. We're staying with Wayne's friend, lawyer Bill Whittaker who is President of the prestigious Empire Club of Canada in Toronto . We had an enjoyable meal in Meaford and Wayne's son, Don, also visiting with his girlfriend Sara, picked up the tab. Many thanks Don!

Bill & his wife Carolyn have a great cottage overlooking Georgian Bay. Tom was sorry he couldn't meet Carolyn to swap windsurfing stories as Carolyn and their son are avid windsurfers too. Carolyn is in England helping their daughter Catherine with their recently-born third grandchild, Darcy.

It has been cold and windy over the last few days including our night of camping when the temperature dipped into the single digits. There have been a lot of temperature variations on this trip.

We are headed toward Orillia and perhaps beyond before piling into the van and backtracking to Kitchener-Waterloo for a school presentation tomorrow. We will return Monday afternoon to resume our cycling journey, now expecting to get to Peterborough Monday evening, a day earlier, because we were concerned about having too much to do before returning to Montreal on Friday.

June 9 & 10

2006-06-10T20:57:00.000-04:00

June 9th 113 kms for total of 4280 kms.

With a stiff tailwind for a change we got to the South Bay of Manitoulin Island with plenty of time to get the ferry. The ride was pleasant as we discussed alternative routes down the Bruce Peninsula with Randy who has a cottage near the Tub, which is what locals call Tobermoray. We said goodbye to Andy who was getting a lift to Owen Sound with Jackie, a First Nations resident of Manitoulin Island who probably had the smallest vehicle on the ferry but took Andy & his bike which fit in the hatchback of her Sunfire. Andy had told us about a website for cyclists to exchange accommodations Warm Showers List for Touring Bicyclists which, apparently, was set up by a Quebecker.

Andy gave us a donation before he left which is pretty nice considering he is still a student, trying to save money. While he's passing through Ottawa, he'll try to find lodging for the fall when he returns to work on his Master of Arts degree in Economics. He has a scholarship and Teacher's Assistant position at Carleton University.

We camped at Land's End Campground, which, at $30 was a ripoff for a gravel site in off-season with no services. Admittedly, it is a nice spot with nice touches, however, having to pop in quarters for hot showers is not one of them. (Can you tell we didn't get a donation?) Speaking of donations, the proprietor of the lovely Clear Lake Inn at Espanola, decided to give our room as a donation to Child Find which made Brian all the more remorseful as he discovered his set of room keys in his pants long after leaving...he'll mail them back! It's not often that Brian screws up, so we need to report it when he does! By the way, we forgot to mention that a person in Massey asked Tom & Brian if they were brothers?! Are we the 3 stooges? At the pace we're going, it feels like it sometimes!

June 10
We're going beyond our original goal of Owen Sound today, heading for the cottage of Wayne's good friend, Bill Whittaker, Q.C. on Georgian Bay between Meaford and Thornbury on our route. Bill, and Wayne's son Don, will journey from Toronto to meet us. We'll be passing through Wiarton which we hear about annually in February, do you remember why?

June 8 en route to Espanola (& arrival)

2006-06-08T23:22:00.000-04:00

Morning:
Blind River gave us a glimpse of the expanse of our next Great Lake, Lake Huron, so let's have another quiz for the kids:

Which Great Lake is entirely in the U.S.A.?

Wayne is at the second public library this morning, he stopped at Blind River public library after seeing that the Iron Bridge public library was only open Tuesdays and Fridays and prepared the blog above on 2 different library computers, only to discover that e-mail couldn't be sent for some reason beyond the librarian's understanding. She did allow him to copy the text above onto a 3 1/2 inch floppy which what he used to transfer it to the Spanish public library computer, good thing because most computers these days only have CD drives.

On the way to Spanish we saw the turnoff to Elliot Lake the former Uranium mining town which has been turned into a retirement community. Real Estate used to be a huge bargain there and still is when compared with major cities, but housing values have been on the rise lately, according to an Elliot Lake resident that Wayne met in Montreal River. It's on to Espanola for the next part of our journey. They are predicting thundershowers for that part of the country and it is beginning to cloud over. Must go in search of the boys!

Update:
After leaving Iron Bridge at 7 AM, we arrived in Espanola at 3:30 PM travelling 130 kms. Total 4167 kms. Sleeping on June 8th at the Clear Lake Inn.

It was sunny when we started out, having breakfast 24 kms down the road in Blind River. It gradually got cloudy as we headed east, we got rained on for about 10 kms until we stopped for lunch at Crock's Country Kitchen in Massey. It totally missed Wayne in the van, who almost missed us but backtracked to find us. He told the owner about the mission for Child Find and she indicated if she had known, she would have given them a free meal, she didn't charge Wayne for his lunch. Those In Motion for the Missing business cards really help!

This was taken today on our way form Blind River to Espanola:

And here are a few new ones...MORE in the album!

Tomorrow we must be at the ferry dock for the ferry trip to Tobermoray (109 kms away) by 2:30 PM.

June 7 - Iron Bridge, Ontario

2006-06-08T23:17:00.000-04:00

June 7 - 113 kms - total 4036 kms

Yes, today we surpassed the 4000 kilometre mark and we can tangibly feel we're getting closer to home (the West Island part of Montreal Island) and then only 2 weeks after that, to our ultimate destination of St. John's, Newfoundland.

We actually beat Wayne and the Hyundai van to Iron Bridge today. The terrain was relatively flat compared to yesterday and winds were not as much of a factor so we made good time, getting to our destination by 3 p.m. We stayed at the Red Top Motor Inn and enjoyed our conversations with other motel guests including some (senior) motorcyclist from Florida.

We switched channels from the hockey game momentarily to catch some of NBC Dateline's feature on Catching Predators, a very revealing story which showed how some perpetrators operate. One of the aspects of child safety which we advocate in our school presentations on behalf of Child Find and the Missing Children's Network, is internet safety. The program revealed a wide range of potential sexual predators, among them, married men and fathers of kids the same age as the 13-15 year-old teenagers they were arranging through chatrooms to meet. Today, on the van radio,Wayne heard another program discussing myspace.com which is a site where kids meet on the internet and, apparently, a bonanza for these predators. There are, other good features of this website, however, but it represents a caution for parents to remain aware of their children's internet activity. It's a little different than reading a child's private diary, adults need to be wary of outsiders their kids are talking to on this new medium.

2006-06-07T19:55:00.000-04:00

From Wayne:
Here goes again, the blog I had prepared for 6/6/06 got erased when I tried to attach the photos, I was so frustrated, I just sent the pics. They are already posted in the album.

The Soo (Sault Ste. Marie)
The boys have gone ahead toward Iron Bridge and (with their approval) I have had a leisurely work out in this wonderfully appointed and well-run Holiday Inn Lakeshore, which has allowed a late check-out. This is my first workout since Alberta, apart from short bike rides. I also roller-bladed along the St. Mary's River to the historic locks on the Canadian side which function now for pleasure boats (the St.Lawrence Seaway Locks are on the Michigan side). The waterfront here is quite nice with a boardwalk all along St. Mary's River.

June 6th
Today was tough, headwinds again and more hills and distance than anticipated. It was also quite muggy. One downhill stretch was carved through rock and when we came out from the tunnel-like section the wind hit us like a wall, retarding our speed by over 10 km/hr.

We noticed another lovely Provincial Park Campground at Pancake Bay and visited the nearby Indian Crafts area. With gas at $1.03.9 cents a litre, Wayne got gas and received "the best service in Canada" to quote the gas attendant who did a great job on the windshield, however the tip negated the gas savings. Another fill-up at 93.9 in The Soo, where there's a gas war, was definitely the lowest price so far. No doubt the gas war is precipitated by the proximity of the U.S. border just across the bridge. It's hard to believe we're touting these prices as bargains!

We had a late supper at a restaurant in the local Mall and who did we meet there, Bren, who had taken a day off in Wawa, in the company of a lovely young lady, Angela! We couldn't believe he could make it that fast until we heard his story.

Bren had been cycling from Wawa past Montreal River (population in the teens) on to Pancake Bay when a Southbound car veered into the opposing lane and then settled into the ditch on the far side of the road. The driver, an obviously shaken elderly man seemed unable to explain what happened. Bren and a truck driver heading the same way rushed to his aid. Ultimately, the truck driver took the gentleman, and Bren, who, the elderly man requested also accompany him to the Soo where the elderly man's family took over.

Angela Schuegraf, 21, recently graduated from St. F.X., Nova Scotia in Chemistry and Engineering, and left there to cycle solo to Vancouver. She told us she hopes to get into aeronautical engineering and eventually become an astronaut, telling us this in the home city of Roberta Bondar! Angela indicated that she had not encountered any cross Canada cyclists until now, and all of a sudden, she met 6! Oh, yeah...more coincidences, she & Bren met at the Soo Hostel, where they also met Bryn and Leah, whom we last saw in Saskatchewan! Bren had told us he had encountered them since we did. It was useful exchanging information about what to expect on our respective remaining paths.

Off to catch up with the guys and see how they are progressing!

June 6 - Sault Ste. Marie

2006-06-07T00:26:00.000-04:00

We have arrived...120 kms for total of 3923 kms.

More later!

June 5 - Montreal River

2006-06-07T00:02:00.000-04:00

June 5 - arrived in Montreal River from Wawa, a very scenic 108.5 Kms for 3803 kms total.

We said our goodbyes to Bren, who, we learned, had also worked as a psychologist in private practice. Bren hopes to meet up with us again, but is taking a recuperation day after going further yesterday than ever (he started about 14 kms before meeting us). He will likely go via Sudbury and North Bay which apparently is shorter but we have some prior commitments in the Kitchener-Waterloo area, which we will go to from our more southerly route.

Today started off quite cool at 13 C when we left Wawa at 8:40 a.m. We went from very cool temperatures in the lower elevations, due to the breeze off the lake, to almost a 10 degree variation upward as we ascended hills, unusual for most cycling situations. However, we made sure to check the weather:

We stopped at beautiful Katherine Cove, which is inside the 83 kms long Lake Superior Provincial Park.

Wayne brought us Subway subs he had purchased earlier in Wawa, kept fresh in our cooler bag. There were picnic tables in strategic locations and we used one on the beach. If this were the thick of summer, one can imagine that this site would be overwhelmed with visitors, however only about 7 others were there. The attendant at the visitor centre indicated that the number of visitors is down 40% from previous years. He cited higher gasoline costs, and the buoyant Canadian dollar (40% of visitors are Americans) as causal reasons for the decline. Our direct benefit is not having to beat the crowds. When Wayne metioned he didn't see as many trucks on the Trans Canada, the attendant told him that many cross-Canada truckers go North on route 11 at Nipigon to avoid the hillier route 17. An avid boater, the attendant, when asked if many people swim in Lake Superior, told Wayne that the water temperature has been steadily rising with global warming. Just recently, he took readings of the water temperatures at various places (all in farenheit) ranging from 38-45 at the deepest spots to 51 in the cove. Last summer it reached 72!

We passed a beautiful Provincial campground nestled along a wide expanse of Agawa Bay, which requires reservations(1-888-668-7275) between June 25th and September 6th. Brian made note of it for potentially returning to it with his wife, Michelle.

We had been told that there would be a spectacular view of Lake Superior as we descended a 7% grade into the town of Montreal River (population 12) and we weren't disappointed.

Just before the last descent, Tom formed some rocks into a cairn in the shape of a funny, little Care Bear for the benefit of his 2 precious grandchildren.

(Alright ladies, gather together now for a collective awwwh, how sweet)!

Camping at Twilight Resort,where we were staying was young Andy Clapson, the Saskatoon student Wayne mentioned meeting enroute to Nipigon last week. He will also be going via Espinola and Tobermoray on his way to Chicoutimi. It was fun comparing notes with him on our mutally shared journeys. Our donated lodgings at the Twilight Resort consisted of a cabin with 3 beds and a couch and fridge and stove (full kitchen) with a deck overlooking Lake Superior, breathtaking! No T.V. (Oilers vs Hurricanes 1st game) to distract us from the tranquility, we didn't turn it on until about 10:30 PM.

For supper, our chef Tom, had served up a fine meal of hamburger patties, Kraft dinner and beans. With pancakes for the morning breakfast, we were all well fed and ready to head to Sault Ste. Marie.

Only 1074 kms till Montreal.

Pooh

2006-06-05T23:47:00.000-04:00

While we were in White River, ON, we learned that we were in the home of Winnie the Pooh. Bob & Stephanie Morin told us about it back at Davy Lake Campground in Ignace. Bob downloaded the story for us, but well, we're hoping to find it at some point. Until then, click here to read this version of how Winnie the Pooh came to be.

Here are a couple of pics in honour of Winnie the Pooh,

and a couple more new ones for your viewing pleasure.

Bren Dalton, cyclist from Newfoundland

another one of Tom's new friends:

New bike?

Nope - NEW BIKE!

There are actually quite a few new ones in the album. Remember, just click on the Flickr link in the sidebar - over there --> to your right.

Wawa

2006-06-04T22:08:00.000-04:00

June 4 - 127 kms for total of 3695 kms. We are in Wawa, Ontario. Don't forget to check the map to see where we are.

The other cyclist we met, Ben Dalton, tells us today that he is really Brendan, goes by Bren and also gets Ben. He told us that today has been his emotional high having come this far solo, but he was also starting to talk to himself. A bear had crossed the road in front of him. Yesterday, we also saw a bear crossing in front of us, as well as 2 moose (separately) by the side of the road.

Bren joined us for supper after buying us lunch and is also staying at the Beaver Motel in Wawa.

Tomorrow, it's off to Montreal.....River!

Day before, yesterday and today

2006-06-04T20:42:00.000-04:00

June 2 Terrace Bay, rest day.
We decided to get a head start on the next day which had a fair number of hills so we did 40 kms before Wayne came to pick us up to return for our 2nd donated night at the Nor-West Motel in Schreiber. Wayne did some local cycling around Terrace Bay.
(Note from Nancy : that's a rest day?)

June 3 - White Lake Provincial Park
We did the remaining 90 kms to White Lake Provincial Park. Our total now 3568 kms. We got there early and cooked hamburgers (Wayne shopped for us in Marathon, there he met the saxophonist from Colin James' Band).

Enroute we saw more cross-Canada cyclists, one lone cyclist, Ben Dalton, also left Victoria (in April) and is heading home to St. John's, NF as well. He's cycling with us today (June 4th) & profited by lightening his load to the van.

Like Wayne, Ben is a retired teacher/guidance counsellor and he and Wayne have a number of friends in common! His son plays drums in the rock band The Trews. They've been nominated for Juno Awards!

Another courageous cyclist, 20 year old Gwendolyn Graovic from Hamilton is heading west, solo. She's a staunch environmentalist and has ridden on several "Critical Mass" rides in Hamilton. More on "Critical Mass" in a future blog.

June 4
Today enroute to Wawa, with Ben, more cross Canada cyclists heading west, a Katie and Steve? We've heard that the prevailing winds may be more easterly in the spring and westerly in the summer! That would account for those headwinds we've met so far. It has been O.K. the last few days.

Last night was a night from hell, sleep-wise. A cacophony of noise kept us awake despite the fact that this was a storm-free camping night. There were loud conversations and ghetto-blasters, primal screams coming from drunken campers across the water and howling dogs to disrupt our sleep and the serenity of this idyllic spot on the water.

2006-06-03T21:55:00.000-04:00

We've added a few new pics to the album...come on, check it out...

Now...where should we go next?

See ya there!

You coming?

Terrace Bay, rest day.

2006-06-02T22:59:00.000-04:00

June 1st we did 109 kms to Terrace Bay, for a total 3429 kms.

June 2 - Here we are in the Terrace Bay Public Library on the rest day. We actually got to sleep in to around 10 AM this morning, unheard of so far on this trip, but a welcomed treat.

The trip from Nipigon to Terrace Bay is the most scenic since the Rockies. Wayne doesn't remember seeing such vistas of the Nipigon River and Lake Superior when he did this trip in a VW Campmobile with his young family, 32 years ago. Maybe the Trans Canada Highway followed a different route then.

There were a lot of hills and Wayne secured accomodations at the Nor-West Motel in Schreiber for us. It was a recommendation from our waitress at our scenic lunch stop at Serendipity Gardens in Rossport, who, incidentally, donated all her hard-earned tips from the day to IMFTM. As Schreiber is 14 kms short of our destination, Terrace Bay, we cycled ahead to complete the intended 109 kms. Occupants in a red VW recognized us, Bruce and Christine Munro, both teachers retired from the same school board in Montreal-Lakeshore that we all worked for. Bruce had been following Wayne through e-mail and this blog as he and Christine also criss-crossed the country, they will get home before us, however. Bruce and Christine kindly bought us supper and libations and we thoroughly enjoyed their company. They departed early this morning (4:20 a.m.). We are looking forward to getting home 2 weeks from today.

Our gracious hostess Emma at the Nor-West Motel in Schreiber, has let us stay for 2 days as Tom had allocated a day of rest for June 2nd. We will still try to get a few hours ahead on the hills enroute to Marathon and have Wayne bring us back to Schreiber by van for another night at the Nor-West Motel, courtesy of Emma.

When registering yesterday, Wayne engaged in a discussion with Emma and her 2 visitors who vividly recalled Terry Fox passing through this territory and by this time, drawing large numbers of supporters. Alitha Morris told him that it was her daughter who drew Terry's blood in the hospital after he felt compelled to stop near Thunder Bay, resulting in the unfortunate news that his cancer had spread.

Tom did some repairs on Wayne's bike (which was damaged in the old bike rack) so he can continue on his more modest goal of cycling in every province. Tomorrow, it will be on to White Lake Provincial Park.

May 31 - arrival in Nipigon, ON

2006-06-01T20:28:00.000-04:00

Last night I had prepared the blog and was just finishing it at the Nipigon Public Library, when the computer indicating it was shutting down (for closing time) before I could save it to draft, it was lost, & I don't type fast. So here goes again!

Well here we are into our second month, June already! One month from today, we expect to be dipping our wheels in the Atlantic Ocean in St. John's, Newfoundland. So far, we've been right on target. Tom established a pretty hectic pace, wanting to dovetail our trip completion with family holiday time. Two months is already a long enough time to be away from home and family.

May 31st - 107 kms - Total 3320

We got away early from Thunder Bay, which, as its name suggests, is host to some spectacular thunder storms (we've seen some already in this region) however it also boasts that it is the sunniest spot east of the prairies with 2200 hours of sunshine annually.

Remember : Quiz #2: What 2 cities amalgamated to form Thunder Bay?

Shortly after leaving Thunder Bay,we came upon the Terry Fox Memorial, we had to wait for the visitor centre to open, and got some good shots of his monument. It's hard not to be emotionally moved by the accomplishments of this young man who crossed half the country on one leg and a prosthesis at 26 kms a day.

Brian cites Terry as his hero during the school presentations we make along the way.

Canada has done a wonderful job in commemorating the courage and contribution Terry Fox has made. It overlooks Lake Superior and the stretch of the Trans Canada Highway where, sadly, Terry had to terminate his marathon of hope. His legacy remains, continuing to accumulate funding for research on the cancer which prematurely took his life.

Long stretches of wilderness enroute to Nipigon give a cyclist time to consider what must have been going through Terry's mind as he painfully pushed himself along this desolate highway. There were more barren stretches ahead of him as we have discovered coming in the opposite direction.

As he drove ahead to check out our accommodations in Nipigon, Wayne encountered a lone cyclist and stopped to talk with him. Andy recently graduated from University of Saskatchewan in Saskatoon, flew to Thunder Bay, and is cycling to Chicoutimi, where he will undertake French language courses, he's camping along the way.

In Nipigon, we noticed a lot of women out for evening walks, it looks like they may be preparing for the breast cancer walk in August, bravo! The town of Nipigon, like Upsala and a number of these northwestern Ontario towns, appears to have seen better days. A number of motels and businesses have closed not having sufficient numbers in their populations to sustain viable returns. It leads one to juxtapose this with the crowded metropoli where most of our immigrants gravitate to. There are a lot of nice places to live in this country where real estate prices are not escalating to the same extent as major cities.

Lake Superiour

Today, it's on to Terrace Bay, where we may take a day of rest. We have also added a number of new pictures to the Flickr album.

Quiz #2

2006-05-31T10:00:00.000-04:00

As we head out from Thunder Bay, what were the 2 cities which came together to become Thunder Bay?

What city that we pictured recently, won the Stanley Cup?
Hint: It doesn't begin with c or v.

Ready, set, think!

Please post your answer in the comments.

Quiz Time #1 - answer

2006-05-31T09:52:00.000-04:00

ANSWER: LIMESTONE

Put on your thinking caps....remember these pics? Of Tom riding his bike...in the SNOW?? In Saskatchewan on their way to Moose Jaw...not long after we had mentioned the nice warm weather?

Is it snow? If it isn't snow, then what can it be? Put your answer in the comments and stay tuned....

Let's hear from you!

Thunder Bay - May 30

2006-05-30T23:55:00.000-04:00

May 30 Thunder Bay : 128 km for total 3202

Note from Wayne:
Another landmark! We officially left the Central Daylight Time to enter the Eastern Daylight Time Zone. Now at last, we're able to call home and not worry that we're calling too late.
Still having internet woes, right now I'm in the Thunder Bay Crossroads Best Western Breakfast Room with permission, 'cuz the wireless isn't working from my room.

These rooms were given to us by one of Brian's former students, Jamie Wilkes, who's a senior med tech. here with the Canadian Armed Forces. Small world again, he's a good friend of Mark Whittall, who's an officer in my former 690 Air Cadet Squadron.

Click here to see the map of Ontario, such a HUGE province. Can you find us in Thunder Bay? (Here is a pic, but you will see a bigger map by clicking here).

Upsala, Ontario

2006-05-30T23:43:00.000-04:00

May 29 to Upsala : 127 kms for total 3074 kms.

Another landmark! On this, the beginning of our 5th week on the road, we surpassed the 3000 km mark. Brian described today as 3 H's, Hot, Headwinds and Hills, we might add a 4th H for Hard or Horseflies but they call them deerflies around here. Towns are so sparse here, we aim to stop at any dot on the map. One such dot, English River is apparently a resort town, however, we only saw 2 people and a bunch of closed buildings at this attractive little place. The kind lady in the only restaurant in town indicated that for most of the year, the town has a population of 4! (that's right FOUR, not a typo!)

We had to prearrange van stopping points so that we could take refuge from the deerflies, while sitting in the van with the air conditioning running. Wayne remarked that the temperature indicator in the van reached 34 C at one point but that's the outside temperature. On more than one occasion, Wayne has had to summon his counselor empathy as he watched us resume the battle against these extreme headwinds which we've been fighting since our first night of camping at Grenfell, Saskatchewan.

The trek since our break in Winnipeg, has been particularly tiring and trying. We like to end our cycling days with a cool libation but, unlike Quebec where we would ordinarily pick it up at the corner grocery store, each province has its own unique system of control. In Ontario, it's THE L.C.B.O. outlets, which appear to be few and far between in Northwestern Ontario. Luckily, Wayne found one in the only General Store in Upsala. After seeking his money from the van, Wayne returned to find that the owner had already packaged a '6 pack' as a gift to the weary cyclists! More impressive generosity! Our campsite was 12 miles East of Upsala (20 kms, but people around here are mavericks, they still use miles). We loaded the bikes on the van and drove to a beach/picnic area en route, which was on a pretty lake that Wayne had scouted out for us to have a refreshing swim after our long hot ride. The lakewater was fresh and soothing. While there, 4 girls arrived in a car and we noticed they were speaking French. It turns out they were college students from Quebec City, heading for Colombie-Britannique! They planned to camp at the beach/picnic area overnight (and next morning we saw them arrive at the same Upsala Restaurant we had breakfast at, to utilize the facilities.)

The predicted thunderstorms were coming, we could see them building in the sky so we rushed ahead to set up our campsite first before driving the 20 km. back to Upsala for supper. We nearly missed supper back in Upsala as they were about to close. Remember I said people around here are mavericks, well, this area is officially still in the Central Time Zone, however, we were told that folks from English River Eastward tend to use Eastern Time. The restaurant closed at 8 and our watches were reading 6:45 PM, Central Daylight Time. We decided to alter our watches in accordance with local norms, knowing that the official time zone change would occur en route to Thunder Bay next day anyway, losing another hour in our action packed day.

Yet another thunderstorm while camping! We heard it coming about 9:00 PM then it poured with more continuous torrents of rain. The thunder and lightning lasted until after we fell asleep. The winds were pretty furious. Wayne moved the van keys from his tent pocket, visualizing the prospect of his tent being picked up and flung into the adjoining river! (Our campsites were right next to the water) We understand from our breakfast server the next morning, there had been 80 mile an hour winds and hailstones just 60 miles south of where we were camping East of Upsala so we got most of those winds and rain. As we indicated in an earlier blog, better at night than while riding!

May 29

2006-05-29T20:18:00.000-04:00

We will hit the 3000 km mark today as we head to Upsala where predictions mention severe thunderstorms are a possibility, although it's sunny & hot already right now here in Ignace at the Davy Lake Campground.

We drove back to yesterday's starting point which will add another 20 kms to today's (more reasonable) goal of 104 km. Speaking of thunderstorms, we had one last night. We heard it coming about 11:30 PM then it poured with monstrous drops of rain. The thunder and lightning lasted until about 1 AM. Our third night camping, and second in a row with thunder and lightning. Better at night than while riding!

Here's proof we are really in Ontario:

Lake at Kenora

No, this isn't what happened to us when we jumped in the lake

CANADIAN SHIELD

Logging (click to really appreciate)

Spending so much time with the same people can really start to "bug" you

KIDDING! We are KIDDING!!

Hyundai Entourage van

2006-05-28T22:48:00.000-04:00

We are just so appreciative and fortunate to have Hyundai provide us with so much, the van has been so great. What a generous sponsor they have been, and continue to do so. We are also pleased to have brand new decals on it...check it out: (remember you can click on the picture itself to see it and the other photos, much larger)

May 28 - more news

2006-05-28T22:28:00.000-04:00

What we didn't mention on the trip from Winnipeg were the huge deerflies or blackflies that swarmed us, both on the bikes and around the van. When we took a break, we had to take refuge in the van to eat, they were ravenous, even our Deep Woods Off was not a deterrent.

Scenery around here has improved with lakes and river vistas visible more often. If one looks at the map, there are a lot of lakes here. Thanks to Kit Anderson from Child Find Canada, after many calls to the small towns on our itinerary, she secured accommodations for Saturday, May 27th in Vermillion Bay at The Travler Motel (at the junction of route105 and #17) as a donation and they had a great restaurant for supper and this morning's breakfast.

This area attracts fishermen from all over, some who fly from here to more remote lakes. Today is Sunday, May 28th, we have been away from home exactly a month. We'll be camping tonight in Ignace, at Davy Lake Campground which was also donated.

Right now, Wayne is in Dryden at a pay-as-you-go internet cafe to send part of this update!

What a small world, at a Tim Horton's we stopped at at noon, today, a lady came out to the van, recognizing it as the one her former Pointe Claire, Quebec neighbour, Pierre Milot asked her to look out for. Ruth and Jan Kroskowski are moving to Vancouver and it turns out she taught Wayne's daughter, Wendy at Concordia. (Wayne is on the Lakeshore Pool Committee with Pierre Milot and his wife Candy who have been following the blog!) After us explaining our mission, the Kroskowski's gave us a generous donation.

It's sunny and hot today, supposed to hit 31 C, we see clouds ahead so may get rained on.

LATER:
We're in Ignace. We stopped 20 kms short because we've got a shorter distance to do tomorrow so we'll go back to that point tomorrow morning to start. The rain, which was in the area, held off but it was hot (around 32 C at one point & humid). After leaving Dryden, we smelled something unpleasant. As we neared the source we discovered a huge moose, dead and rotting by the roadside.

We're impressed, our camping resort at Davy Lake here in Ignace, has internet service! The site, which they have donated, is on a lake. We understand that several people have been in the water and Tom perked up upon hearing this, no doubt he'll plunge in. Gotta go set up the tents.
Later!

ONTARIO!!

2006-05-28T13:47:00.000-04:00

We're in Ontario! On May 27th we officially entered Eastern Canada. Apparently the area around Falcon Lake, Manitoba is the official demarcation point. Yesterday's trip from Winnipeg was tough, another stiff wind to face no matter which direction we took. We did a presentation for Kit's son's grade 2 class, in Oak Bank Elementary then on to do 160 kms. Total now 2666 kms. We stayed at the Falcon Beach Campground.

We had a huge thunderstorm with lightning, between 4 & 5 AM. We managed to stay dry in our individual tents but had to put our stuff away wet. It's been a long time since we've heard such sustained, rumbling thunder.

The shoulder on the Trans Canada in Ontario seems to be better and wider than the lousy one in Manitoba even though the highway is just 2 lanes for 2 way traffic.

Today's goal (May 27) is Vermillion Bay, don't have reservations but hope to get a camp spot.
Rain is intermittent right now, hope it doesn't get worse. Kenora in Lake of the Woods, appears to be a pretty little town with a population of about 10,000. We are using its public library but only have a 1/2 hour for internet.

May 28th will take us from Vermillion Bay to Ignace.

On the road again...

2006-05-26T20:36:00.000-04:00

We are on our way towards Ontario! We will be doing a fair bit of camping the next little while, so sadly, our internet connections may be limited. But here are a few pics from our stay in Winnipeg, and the windy trees, and well...take a look. There are more in the album (click on Flickr) in the right sidebar.

New roof racks! Oh, and Tom is there too...

Presenting in Winnipeg

The strong winds were blowing the trees such much, and we were riding INTO that wind!

Brian, Tom & Wayne with Manitoba Child Find Director Carla Betke

Brian geared for rain...off we go!!

Hope to see you soon!

We're in Winnipeg! May 23-25 : Part Two

2006-05-25T22:14:00.000-04:00

Today is International Missing Children's Day. To help mark this important day, our guys were featured on the Winnipeg City TV breakfast show, along with Manitoba Child Find Director Carla Betke. Wayne watched them on TV, they did very well.

We got the 2 remaining roof rack replacements installed at Focus Hyundai who also changed the oil and washed the van. The owner also gave us a $100 donation! Incredible!

Later we moved on to Polo Park Shopping Centre, where Child Find held an 'all about me' child identification clinic and bike display set up for Missing Children's Day. CTV covered this event and arrangements may be made to get a clip for the blog.

Manitoba is a leader in the Child Find organization with a number of their educational programs adopted nationally. The National headquarters of Child Find led by National Coordinator, Kit Anderson is here in Winnipeg. We have been well received here, both Kit and Manitoba Child Find Director Carla Betke have been engaging and gracious hostesses who acquainted us with a talented array of Manitoba staff members and volunteers.

Kit's background is in Clinical Psychology and Justice, while Carla was a school psychologist prior to joining Manitoba Child Find. Both ladies place a great deal of emphasis on prevention. Carla told us she would rather help prevent troubles that kids can potentially get into as opposed to needing to help kids pick up the pieces after a tragic event has occurred. What a proactive rationale! Both ladies treated us to supper respectively the past 2 nights, for which we are exceedingly grateful!

On the eve of our departure from Winnipeg, we finally have access to the wireless internet at the hotel, tomorrow we have inserted an impromptu visit to the Elementary School attended by Matt, Kit's 8 year old son, who yesterday, had diligently helped Tom inflate Brian's tires.

Just a small correction for tomorrow's destination, Falcon Lake Campground is still in Manitoba, so we won't hit the Ontario border until the 27th. For the next while, we are uncertain whether or not we'll have internet access as we expect to be at campgrounds most of the time, we'll do our best!

We're in Winnipeg! May 23-25

2006-05-24T19:04:00.000-04:00

Distance May 23rd was 98 km. total 2507, 122 hrs in saddle.

We had very strong sidewinds at 27 km/hr gusting to 38 km/hr from the southeast, bikes leaning into the wind the whole time. We couldn't draught for one another and at one point Brian's flag was horizontal instead of vertical due to the force of the wind, creating a gate-like appearance and preventing Tom from riding alongside. You'll note the bend in the trees in an accompanying picture (to come). There were a couple of stretches where there was no shoulder again forcing us to ride on the inside (truck) lane. Most (but not all) truckers are really good and move into the other lane as they pass us. We donned raingear at one point but the threat diminished. It was warm, however, 30 degrees Celsius when we finished.

While waiting for us at a lovely camping site at St. Francis Xavier on the Assiniboine, enroute to Winnipeg, Wayne gassed up for $1.04 / litre, the cheapest so far on the trip. His conversation with the owner revealed that these gas retailers only get from 1.5 to 2 cents per litre while the oil companies are reaping record profits. Wayne mentioned that the local Esso gas station near his home in Pointe Claire had shut down, the owner indicated that we can expect many more to follow. With services along the Trans-Canada at a minimum already, one can only hope there will be a meeting of the minds. He also commented on the fact that the Entourage van is rated the best in its class. Not doubting his words, Wayne, nevertheless asked where he had heard this and he signified that he reads up on all the consumer reports on these things.

We had to ride through the entire city of Winnipeg along Portage Ave. at rush hour as our Canad Inn in Transcona is in the Eastern outskirts of Winnipeg. Wayne went ahead to meet Carla Betker the Manitoba Child Find Director who was well prepared with detailed and highlighted maps of our multiple visits while we are here in Winnipeg over the next 2 days.

Wayne then proceeded to get a roof rack replacement installed at Focus Hyundai. As the service staff had gone home, Dave Fjeldsted, the Sales Manager, installed it himself. (We just discovered that there are 2 more there which we'll arrange to install tomorrow).

Dave mentioned he recently had supper with Kurt Haase, who was passing through a while ago with his wife. Kurt was the kind gentleman who originally picked us up at the Vancouver airport on April 28th and took us to the Hyundai Dealership where he handed over the keys to our brand new Hyundai Entourage van.

May 24
So far, we have been unable to gain access to the wireless internet at the hotel, so, once again we are improvising. Wayne is borrowing the office of Counsellor Judi Park, while Tom & Brian are doing their third school presentation today, this one at Vincent Massey Collegiate.
We've been told that both CBC and CTV had coverage of Child Find and our cyclists on their news last night and the boys are slated to be on City TV 's morning show between 7 and 8 AM tomorrow.

Later this afternoon we will be at a Safeway Shopping Centre for a bike display and fundraiser from 5 to 8 p.m. No time to get into trouble!

Here is an idea of our 'detailed' schedule while we are in Winnipeg:

MAY 24
- Arrive at Linwood School (266 Linwood – in St. James) at 9am. Present to grade 4 & 5 students from 9:15 – 10:15am.
- Arrive at Sturgeon Creek Collegiate (2665 Ness Ave. – in St. James) at 10:50am. Present to grade 9 & 10 students from 11am – 12 noon.
- Arrive at Vincent Massey Collegiate (975 Dowker – in Fort Garry) at 2:00pm. Present to a mixed-age group of high school students from 2:15 – 3:25 pm.
- Arrive at Safeway (285 Marion St.) at 4:50pm. Bike display and fundraising (hot dogs, raffle tickets, and wristbands on sale) from 5:00pm – 8:00pm. Will bring our van, bikes, and banner.
- 8:15pm Dinner with Carla.

MAY 25
- Arrive at City TV (8 Forks Market Rd – at The Forks) at 6:50am. Interview on the Breakfast Television Show from 7am – 8am. Carla will accompany you on this interview.
- Arrive at Polo Park Shopping Centre at 10:45am. Bike Display, and media interviews at All About Me ID clinic from 11:00am – 3:00pm. Numerous brief media interviews expected. Hopefully lots of interaction with the public. We will bring our bikes and banner for display. There will also be stationary bikes which family members will take turns riding to commemorate their loved ones, and hope for others’ safe return. (We may take a couple of brief turns on the bikes as well). Wrist bands and raffle tickets will be on sale; ID clinic will be ongoing from the time the mall opens until it closes.

Busy!!

Winnipeg Bound...

2006-05-23T18:37:00.000-04:00

(morning update sent from Wayne)
We had a more restful respite than usual with yesterday's afternoon arrival although catching up on our e-mail kept us up after 11 PM Tom has created more room in his inbox for people to write him again.

Brian & Tom were on the road from Portage la Prairie towards Winnipeg by 9 AM this morning.

There's was another stiff Prairie wind blowing and our destination at the Transcona Canad Inn (in Winnipeg) necessitates the crossing of the entire city of Winnipeg. Rain is expected for later, let's hope we get there before it starts. There have been stories of thunderstorms and large hailstones in Swift Current, SK. where we passed through a few days ago. Our busy 3 day Winnipeg schedule, at least gets us off our butts (literally) and if it rains, we hope it ends before we leave. We will be helping Winnipeg solemnize International Missing Children's Day May 25th.

Uh oh...I hear thunder...stay tuned...

New pics (with a couple more in the Flickr album):

Welcome to Manitoba Tom!

Picnic lunch, Manitoba highway style, (gotta love all that shade?)

Oh, there's the shade..

More about the (lack of) shade. Aaaahh....finally, Brian steals a moment.

We'll send updates and more photos from Winnipeg.

Portage la Prairie, Manitoba

2006-05-22T22:09:00.000-04:00

Hi from Portage la Prairie! We are staying at another Canad Inn. Don't forget to check the map by clicking here to see where we are.

Today's mileage, as we begin our 4th week, was 128 km. total: 2409km. Time: 116 hrs,17 min.

We arrived around 4 PM today. The wind was more off to the side today, so we made better progress than yesterday. Temperatures were in the mid 20's (Celsius) so it was more comfortable cycling weather. There are still places where the shoulder disappears or is almost unrideable, however, most of it was good today.

In Manitoba, it's still pretty flat but at least there are trees in the landscape, not many close enough to the road to give shade, however we did stop at the one that did! (pic to follow) One thing we notice most about our ride along the Trans-Canada Highway through the prairie provinces is the absence of services like rest stop and picnic areas. Not only are these absent, there are not many commercial restaurants and other services like emergency phones etc. So, when we leave a town, we need to be prepared to last for a while. Not many establishments were open today, being that is was Victoria Day.

Today, Wayne caught up to us at precisely the right time as we needed to eat. We made peanut butter and jam sandwiches which filled the bill for continuing on. We are still pretty exhausted from yesterday's lengthy battle against the wind. We are still on schedule and that's the main thing. We have a busy 3 days ahead at our next destination,Winnipeg.

An interesting little anecdote from Moosomin: our Waitress for supper, Dawn Molnar, appeared to be staring at Tom & Wayne then asked if they were brothers. They answered, "No" but she pressed on asking for their last names, so we asked for hers! She then said: "Well one could be a year older or so, but you guys look identical!" Poor Tom, he must have been showing the wear & tear of the day's ride. Brian says the look on Tom's face was priceless. Wayne's been calling him 'bro' ever since. It is reasonably rare to find 3 non-related blonde-haired, (with encroaching grey-white hair) blue eyed guys together in this multi-cultured society in Canada. Last night in Brandon, our waitress at Applebees for our late 11 PM supper was Jenn Welch, a Phys Ed. student at Brandon University. She gave us a donation from her hard-earned savings. We are really impressed when generous folks like these people when do that. Another couple at our lunch stop at Subway (one of our sponsors) gave us $5 each yesterday!

These Canad Inns that are throughout Manitoba really cater to families with kids. The pools feature an elaborate slide, which Wayne 'The Kid' has to sample! Brian & Wayne usually head for the hot tub. We'll be at another Canad Inn for our 3 nights in Winnipeg, then, unless Ontario comes up with more accommodations. we'll be doing a lot of camping.

Morning departure from Brandon - May 22

2006-05-22T12:30:00.000-04:00

Good Morning from Brandon, Manitoba! (Check this map of Manitoba by clicking here, can you find Brandon?) We got off today before 8 a.m. on our way to Portage la Prairie. Check the map again (click here) to find it, it is about halfway between Brandon and Winnipeg.

Wayne (our van driver) hung back to update the blog and take his time. He rarely follows us at our cycling speed as the other drivers in the Trans Canada Highway would be furious. He just catches up to us and we compare notes how things are going and sees if we need anything from the van, or if we need to shed or put on more clothing. As you can see, if you've been following our blog, there have been significant temperature variations on this trip from -10 to +31 C so far. That's a 41 degree difference!

It's another sunny day in the West. We feel sorry for our folks back home in Quebec who've been enduring relentless rain and cooler temperatures. Global warming really seems to have changed weather patterns. We need to get more people using bikes and getting healthier, maybe not to the extent that Tom & Brian are doing it but thinking twice before polluting the atmosphere. Do we really need to use a car to do our daily errands? In some cases, yes but we need to push ourselves to exercise these bodies of ours. Think about it....off to exercise!!

Another time change into Manitoba

2006-05-21T22:00:00.000-04:00

From Wayne:
Good Afternoon! I'm in our room at the Canad Inn in Brandon, Manitoba. Brian & Tom sent me ahead 'cuz someone from the press was supposed to interview them here between 4 & 5 P.M. So far no calls. I'll need to leave soon to backtrack and locate them.

We hit the Manitoba border today and encountered our next time change into Central Daylight Time. Now we're only 1 hour behind Montreal time. These milestones are encouraging, however the headwinds we are facing are not. Their average speed against the wind is about 15 km/hr instead of their usual 20-25 km/hr!

Today is the 1st overcast day in a long while, but it is not raining. I would be so fed up with the rain people are getting back home in Montreal by now, I hope we don't get this weather along the way.

Another cold day, only 4 C when we started this morning! When we stopped at the Manitoba Welcome Centre (which has just opened for the season) to warm up, we signed the cyclists' log. Tom & Brian were the first of the season to do so! Even though we knew that Leah & Bryn had passed by about 3 hours ahead of us, so Wayne kindly signed in for them on their behalf. We were surprised to see how many cyclists who have previously signed in over the last few years were from Quebec.

We conducted a press interview at the Manitoba Welcome Centre with Adriana Christianson (Wayne picked her up in Virdon & backtracked because we're behind schedule due to the headwinds and time change). Adriana is finishing High School and like may of the fine young people we've met on the trip so far, she's a very well-rounded student who skis (downhill, cross-country, and water skis), sings and plays several musical instruments. She'll be heading for Regina to study journalism next year. Good luck Adriana!

Last night, in Moosomin, our Prairie Pride Motel was full but Evelyn, co-owner with her husband put us up in a nearby home thatis for sale. It was nice to have a full fridge to freeze the ice packs etc. (although we probably might have achieved the same effect leaving them in the van at these temperatures!) The Country Squire Inn Restaurant in Moosomin was most hospitable. Charmed by vivacious Stacey at reception and our effervescent waitress Dawn Molnar, we devoured delicious pasta suppers and desserts. A number of the staff purchased Child Find "Spirit of Hope" green bracelets. We went back there for an equally delicious breakfast.

It is now 6:40 PM and the sun has emerged. Wayne is set to backtrack to find Brian & Tom and steer them toward highway 1A which will bring them closer to the Canad Inn. It could be another late nite.

UPDATE:
We just arrived at 9 PM (still before sunset as we are in the westernmost part of the time zone) after 141 kms and another 12.5 hour day against a relentless brutal East wind. The shoulders have been less than comfortable to ride on with stones and gravel a cement washboard surface.

Total at end of week 3 : 2281 km.

Moosomin, SK

2006-05-20T23:29:00.000-04:00

We are in Moosomin, Saskatchewan. We rode 100 kms today. Will cross Manitoba border tomorrow.

See where we are?? East of Regina, near provincial border...can you see us waving?? If not, click here for a better idea of where we are.

We would LOVE to hear from you, yes you, ALL of you. It truly motivates and inspires us to read your comments. Please click on the 'comment' and say hello, we dare you.

May 20th - quick update

2006-05-20T16:38:00.000-04:00

When we arose at 6:45 am it was only 7 C! Now wonder we were the only ones camping.

The winds which picked up overnight are coming straight at us and slightly from the North making it tough. Apart from having to dress warmly again, we need to battle this headwind. Wayne went ahead to the small town of Broadview (he didn't see any!
While waiting in the van in a restaurant parking lot, the friendly owner came out to see the van.

This new decalling on the Entourage is really attracting a lot more attention. It turns out that he, Sid Criddle, is the Mayor of Broadview. Sid asked to look inside the van and I told him how pleased we were to have it. He indicated how much Hyundai has come along in recent years, and Wayne, our van driver, agrees. He wouldn't be at all surprised if Sid's next van is a Hyundai Entourage, he has been catching their ads on hockey broadcasts. He wanted to sit in it and take a closer look.

When Wayne asked Sid if he had internet he told him that Perry, owner of the Sweet Dreams Motel next door, a transplanted Torontonian, would let me use his, which he has. Because we're never sure when or where we'll pick up the internet, we try to utilize every opportunity we have to keep the blog current.

Well, it's off down the road heading for Moosamin where we're supposed to have a Motel for the night, hopefully no more surprises!

May 19 - Grenfell, SK.

2006-05-20T16:32:00.000-04:00

May 19 - 127 kms for a total of 2038.

We arrived at Grenfell Regional Campground early enough to set up our tents prior to gathering soiled clothes for the Laundromat in town that Wayne had located earlier. While the togs were getting cleaned we had supper then drove back to Wolesley where some tourists (who gave us a small donation) told us there was a neat suspension bridge which we swayed across on and took pics (to follow), then back to the campsite. Enroute to Wolesley, we saw Leah & Bryn still pedalling beyond Grenfell because they need to get to Winnipeg a day before we do, they told Wayne that "they actually have a plan now" probably impressed by our well laid-out itinerary, which we've been adhering to fairly religiously.

We were the only campers, despite the fact that it's a long weekend. With no internet or T.V. we went to bed early (by 9!) No wonder we were cold and alone there!

A word about trains. All along this trip we have not been far from the train tracks which roughly parallel the Trans Canada Highway on which we're travelling. Tom remarked that CPR should be a sponsor as is CNR! We feel like the trains are almost company as we travel together across this vast country. Last night, however, we were almost too close! The tracks run adjacent to the campground and we were awakened at least 5 times by the train whistle which blew for a sustained 3 seconds followed by about 7 or more blasts each time! I guess the townsfolk nearby get used to it.

Regina - Part 2

2006-05-19T09:47:00.000-04:00

May 18th - 75 kms for a total of 1911.4 kms. Tomorrow we'll hit the 2000 km. mark!

Brian and Tom arrived well ahead of their 2 PM, presentation at St. Mary's School in Regina.
Wayne took the van to have new decals strategically placed on it. They were designed by a graphic artist and give our cause and sponsoring Hyundai much greater visibility. We really like what was done and the fact that our website address is now on the back window.
The roof rack will have to wait until Winnipeg, we'll improvise with plastic ties until then.

Today's presentation went well. We were met by the Child Find Saskatchewan representatives, Gloria Patrick and Carle Deegan who had organized a fund-raising dinner at Brewster's Pub in Regina attended by several aldermen from the city. Over $500 was raised by this event for Child Find Saskatchewan.

We also met Bryn and Leah there, Brian had invited them to join us and paid for their meal. Because Child Find Saskatchewan had been given a hotel room that was not going to be used, they offered it to Bryn and Leah to give them a taste of more luxurious accommodations for a night. They were very grateful and Leah indicated she might actually pamper herself with a bath!

Here we are cycling (well, we stopped to wave) with Bryn & Leah.

We may not have internet for a couple of days as we will be camping ourselves for the first time.

MAY 19
Good Morning from Sunny Regina! It's another beautiful sunny day here, the sun arose around 5 AM. We are usually up at 6 AM (a real stretch for Wayne) and on the road by 8 AM.

We had a great day yesterday and wish to thank St.Mary's School V.P. Bart Cote for all his help. He tells us that he is the only staff member who doesn't speak French. This school (and others like in Canmore) features strong French immersion programs. We didn't expect to hear as much French in the West as we have and presumably as we head into Manitoba, we'll hear a lot more, but that's still a couple of days away.

We also wish to thank the provincial Child Find reps who've helped us along the way with greetings, events and accommodations arrangements,an undertaking like this takes a lot of teamwork. We understand that Manitoba has a lot of activity planned for our visit there. Stay tuned.

Well, it's back into rural Saskatchewan for a couple of days, now. Here are a few of the many new pictures we just added to the album. Take a look, we hope you enjoy.

Grain elevator in Gull Lake, SK:

Newer grain elevator:

In search of any kind of shade:

Tom in the SNOW????

Brian looks pretty good three weeks into the ride, dontcha think?

Beautiful Canadian prairies:

Regina - May 18

2006-05-18T16:17:00.000-04:00

Hi from Regina!

This is Wayne from St. Mary's School in Regina. Tom & Brian are enroute, benefitting from a tailwind. I left them about 50 kms back to make some of the advance arrangements. Today is another nice, but hazy day, around 28 celsius. Better than all the rain that our folks back home in Montreal are enduring these days, I guess. It's really nice to be in shorts again.

Their presentation here at St. Mary's is scheduled for 2 PM so it will have to be without showering first! Our Hotel is a fair distance from the school and the Hyundai van will be tied up getting new decalling put on it and, hopefully, another roof rack.

We thoroughly enjoyed our visit with John and Lois Knowles' B&B overlooking the river and the City of Moose Jaw in Wakimow Valley. Meeting Lois' inspirational parents was an added bonus. They further remind us that retirement does not mean ceasing all activity, in fact it appears to be that those retirees vitally involved in life seem to live longer and more fulfilling lives. John served us hearty servings of delicious pancakes and sausages this morning, to send us off with full stomachs. (Lois commutes to her job in Regina at Regina University and had left around 7 AM) We got away around 8:40 AM after ferrying the bikes back to yesterday's finishing spot on the highway.

We'll try to get back to you later after a very busy day, hope to download more pics too.

Wayne

Moose Jaw, SK

2006-05-18T10:05:00.000-04:00

Unfortunately our accomodations didn't materialize at Super 8 in Moose Jaw, they had no record of our confirmation. Front desk staff were helpful in allowing us to use the phone and offering suggestions for alternatives. A complication was that there is a band festival in town, gobbling up most of the rooms in Moose Jaw this weekend. Wayne explored some of these alternatives prior to our arrival in Moose Jaw.

We were, however, fortunate enough to be staying at a newly owned B&B overlooking the river in Wakimow Valley, at 690 Aldersgate Street in Moose Jaw, SK. S6H 6A4, 306-693-9963, email: stay@wakamowheights.com. Our hosts, John and Lois Knowles had heard of our plight and very kindly took us in. Moose Jaw has been Lois' home, but they had been living in Regina up until they bought this place, a little over a month ago. They even fed us a delicious supper, above and beyond what B& B's usually do.

We got to meet Lois' parents, Gladys (82) and Lennie (97). Gladys, a retired teacher, displays her love for kids by writing children's books and she still dresses up for kids as Bimbo the clown, with an invisible dog. She gave us copies of her book for our grandchildren as well as for Nancy's twins. Lennie was a star all-around athlete who once played hockey here with Elmer Lach. He knew Max & Doug Bentley who starred with the Chicago Blackhawks and remembers Nancy's Dad, Dick Irvin when he was a small boy in Regina and he knew Dick's Dad (Dick Irvin Sr.) who coached Elmer Lach with our Montreal Canadiens.

On the ride yesterday, we again crossed paths with Bryn and Leah. If you've been following our blog, these are the two 23 year-old cyclist from Vancouver also biking across the country for a charitable cause that we initially met atop Rogers Pass in B.C. This is at least the fifth time we've crossed paths, but this time we rode together with them, allowing us to compare notes and catch up on their experiences. They have been camping and preparing meals so they're heavily laden with a lot of gear, but they're young and not adhering to as tight a schedule as we are!

The trek to Moose Jaw was again hot and without services or shady respite from the baking sun along the highway. There was some repaving going on which presented a particular challenge when the shoulder lane was inaccessible and traffic was down to one lane. We were allowed to pass through this stretch while the trucks were held back until we had passed through. As we neared Moose Jaw, we saw some clouds which eventually sprinkled some welcomed moisture on us, but nothing substantial. Temperatures have been in the high twenties. Rather surprising to spot snow in these temperatures. (photos, to follow).

Early today, we ride on to Regina where we'll be giving another school presentation at St. Mary's Middle School at 2 PM and arranging to have new Hyundai logos and an improved roof rack installed on the van. Hopefully, our digs at Holiday Inn Express will work out. Throw in shopping at Costco and getting the business card made at Staples (the Staples in Medicine Hat couldn't do it) it looks like our work is cut out for us! We'll try fit a CBC interview into our schedule and we're invited to a meal at Brewster's before moving on the next day to our first nite of camping at Summerberry.

May 17 - Good Morning!

2006-05-17T13:24:00.000-04:00

Good Morning from Prairie Lane Bed & Breakfast in Herbert, SK (phone:306-784-3439, E-mail: prairielanebandb@sasktel.net) Our gracious hostess, Sandy Fournier is preparing breakfast in this delightful, cozy converted farmhouse. Last night she arranged for us to have a delicious complimentary supper at Marnie's Restaurant here in Herbert .

Sandy came here from Maple Ridge B.C. a couple of years ago to get more of the glorious sunshine that this area receives. We remarked upon the fact that there was still considerable light in the sky after 9:30 p.m. Even in winter, Sandy says, there are longer durations of sunshine here, due to the curvature of the earth. Sandy works part-time for the town, she indicated they are still looking for summer job students to cut grass, plant trees etc. having had few responses to their ads.

There are serviced lots available here for homebuilders for a dollar (with a $2000 deposit refunded when a home is built. Taxes are low. Homes in Beaver Flats on huge Diefenbaker Lake 30 minutes from here go for $55k to $100k!

A word about time zone differentials. Around Gull Lake we should have had another time zone change. Saskatchewan, however, never changes to Daylight Saving Time whereas the rest of Canada does. So this area in the Central time zone is currently the same as Alberta's Mountain Daylight Time. This means that when we hit the Manitoba border, we'll set our watches ahead an hour, even though Manitoba is also in the Central time zone. Now, have we got you totally confused?

We'll be seeing Reed Lake soon, which is the longest stretch of lake visible from the Trans-Canada Highway in Canada.

The T.V. program, Corner Gas is filmed in Leroy, a small town just west of Regina (they're actually talking about renaming it Dog River presumably to capitalize on the tourism potential).

Sandy has been an indefatiguable source of information regarding her newly adopted province and we thoroughly enjoyed her wonderful hospitality,including phone calls and internet usage. We highly recommend her B&B!

We're heading for Moose Jaw today, then on to Regina where we'll be giving another school presentation.

More May 16...from Herbert

2006-05-17T12:27:00.000-04:00

We're impressed by the environmental consciousness of Saskatchewan's people and administrators. We encountered wind turbines (photos to follow) which reminded us of the work of Juergen, the husband of Tom's cousin Julie, whom we met on Vancouver Island prior to our departure. Juergen's company Aeolis is currently installing wind turbines in the Peace Region of Northern B.C./Alberta.

The wingspan of these Saskatchewan wind turbines is 47 metres. Each wind turbine provides enough electricity to power and heat 5000 homes.

Speaking of wind, we finally benefitted from the wind, with a tailwind which occasionally switched to the side. We averaged 26 km/hr cruising at times at 36 km/hr hitting speeds of over 40 km/hr on the flats. We covered 24 kms before breakfast, had lunch in Swift Current around 1 p.m. then arrived in Herbert by 4 PM. That's the way we like to see our day end, with lots of time to enjoy our surroundings before dark.

Distance covered today, 127 km. total 1707 km., time in saddle: 81.5 hours.

May 15 - We're in Saskatchewan!

2006-05-17T07:32:00.000-04:00

(from May 15)

We're in Saskatchewan, out third province! Our distance from Medicine Hat to Tompkins was 144.3 kms. Our total time 'in the saddle' has been 76 hours 31 minutes.

Very hot, 31 Celsius, baking in the sun, for a 2nd day in a row, it was 29 yesterday, no clouds in the sky,very little shade or services along the road, even the tourist information centre was closed. Lots of wheat fields, cattle, oil pumps, windpower turbines, etc.

Quite a contrast in this, our 3rd week, from the -10C we experienced at Lake Louise's departure!

We came upon 2 cadavers yesterday, 1 a young deer, the other a coyote.

There have been multiple crosses and commemorative indicators of accidents along the Trans Canada Highway however, the stretch we're on now has a relatively wide shoulder, albeit bumpy (they seem to use stones in the pavement) it's a lot safer than some of the highway we've traversed so far! Most truckers are thoughtful and give us a wide berth.

Wayne got to cycle in Saskatchewan yesterday, he drove ahead then cycled back to join us for the last stretch. He is trying to ride in every province.

We relish any opportunity to get in the shade, seeking out the only tree for miles!

There may not be much internet for 2 days CJAD 800 (in Monteral) will interview the boys tomorrow (Wednesday) May 17th at 8:10 AM Please spread the word to all who may be interested.

May 16
(sent from Wayne) I'm in the Swift Current Public Library now at 1 PM Tuesday afternoon. Aiming for Prairie Lane B&B in Herbert tonite. Should be able to resume internet contact in Moose Jaw or Regina. Must go back on the road to find the boys, photos to follow.

New photos!

2006-05-15T19:21:00.000-04:00

We have just added some great new photos to the album, just like these:

(Remember to simply click on the mini-album in the sidebar -> over there on your right to see more and/or click on one of these pics to see them enlarged.)

Check out that forever highway!!

Being greeted by former students (Mike Reece from John Rennie, he also taught there)

Arrival in Calgary!

Medicine Hat, AB

2006-05-14T20:19:00.000-04:00

Happy Mother's Day to all you Moms out there! We all made calls to our wives today to wish them Happy Mother's Day.

We are now in Medicine Hat near the Alberta border with Saskatchewan.

This morning we left a little before 9 AM and Wayne toured Griffin Park Elementary School where our Brooks host, Mark Crozier is principal. It sure looks like Alberta schools receive better funding than their counterparts in Quebec! The 2-8 school has a theatre, and computer room with state-of-the-art equipment. All staff have keys & there were at least 2 staff members in there working on a Sunday! They also have a guidance counselor who is shared with other schools.

We had been forewarned to expect a pungent odour in Brooks as Lakeside is a meat rendering plant there, but we weren't bothered by it. We did notice, however, a multicultural demographic mix. Mark says that next to Edmonton, Brooks is supposed to have the largest ethnic mix in Alberta, which translates into extra school funding. Wayne also spoke to several transplanted Newfoundlanders who had come there for work.

Before leaving Brooks, Wayne spotted an identical Hyundai Entourage van gassing up. These ladies from Northern Ontario had rented it in Saskatchewan when their Dodge Caravan broke down while they were enroute to Brooks. They loved it as much as we do. We're still discovering unique features and accessories on it such as sliding doors on both sides which open and close at the push of a button, a backing up sensor which warns the driver when he's getting too close to an object, individual temperature controls for each driver and front passenger and we are reassured of our safety with airbags and curtains all around. The van is very comfortable and performs really well. The cargo carrying capacity is impressive, we've been carting around a lot of gear, especially our camping equipment and handouts for schools etc.

We were fighting a headwind all day today for a total of 105 kms for a total of 1445 kms. It's a good thing we got in all that extra mileage yesterday as today has been tough. While we don't have many hills, so the headwinds have no barriers to block them so it really slows us down. Wayne even felt the wind's power in the van. The last 43 kms the shoulder consisted of a rough stone surface which is not conducive to comfort on a bicycle!

We saw 3 antelope today and Tom tried twice to get photos of cows, who ran away from him before he could photograph them, not good 'mews'! Brian says there will be 'udder' opportunities! (Sorry, maybe the flatness and headwinds are getting to us with 2 more Prairie provinces yet to go!)

This area is a prime source of natural gas, which we read had been discovered by accident, by the railroaders digging for water and getting gas instead, it became a major fuel and heating source and now also gets exported the the East by pipeline. There are oilwells here too.

We'll try to send photo's later.

Brooks, Alberta

2006-05-13T22:43:00.000-04:00

Wow, today was the greatest distance covered yet!

Back on the road for a quick 188 kms from Calgary to Brooks. With headwinds, therefore a lot of draughting. The trip out of Calgary was treacherous with fast traffic & no real shoulder.

We really are into the Prairies. How did Wayne miss us, first time around? It's mostly flat and you can see for miles. He went ahead and looked for us then backtracked, finding us about 20 kms away from Brooks.

We had originally planned to go only as far as Bassano, however, our accommodations at the home of Mark Crozier, Principal of Griffin Park Elementary School, were in Brooks, so we went the additional 48 kms leaving a smaller distance for tomorrow. Mark's mother taught with Wayne in the 60's in Pointe Claire, QC.

No photos today, sorry. Tomorrow we're off to Medicine Hat, with a smaller distance to travel.

2006-05-12T23:20:00.000-04:00

We are having a 'day off' (if you can call it that) in Calgary. We did a presentation to grades 9-12 at Bow River High School in Cochrane, who then in turn, donated $1300! We then did an interview with Global TV, a meeting with the local Child Find offices, and another short presentation to a conference for those involved in business ventures. They are doing a fund raiser golf tournament for us in June.

Tomorrow's trek could take us as many as 135 kms to Bassano, AB. (near Brooks)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BRIAN!!

2006-05-12T09:00:00.000-04:00

Have a great day while you are realizing one of your dreams. Congratulations!

May 10 - Canmore, AB (updated version with photos)

2006-05-11T22:40:00.000-04:00

(Edited later to add photos and to remind you to please ckick on them to enlarge them, they are spectacular and the small version embedded in the text just doesn't let you enjoy them like you should.)

What a great day! Fantastic scenery and glimpses of wildlife in Banff National Park, making a presentation at Lawrence Grassi Middle School in Canmore, and meeting wonderful people at Rebound Cycle and enjoying a wonderful dinner and conversation with a lovely family at their home in Canmore.

The day started off in freezing temperatures at -10C when we left at 6:50 AM. Even the layers we were wearing were not enough to keep us warm due to the windchill factors with more downhills than uphills. Glorious blue skies managed to create a temperature differential of more than 20 C in the bright sunshine over the course of the morning. The spectacular vistas and noticing 2 elk, 3 mule deer, and 2 mountain goats made taking Bow Valley Parkway (Route 1A) an excellent choice over Route 1.

Friendly folks at Black Creek Lodge warmed us up with coffee and gave us foot warmers which were greatly appreciated by that time.

After getting back onto Route 1, we backtracked into Banff & had a bite to eat, then zoomed off to Canmore averaging 45 km/hr as we draughted (one cylcist leads, then turns over the lead to the other)for each other every kilometre.

We dropped off our bikes at Rebound Cycle in Canmore as they had offered to service them because they believe in our mission. We then headed to Lawrence Grassi Middle School to talk to the students about getting involved, following their dreams, avoiding the perils of the internet and informing them about our trip.

Upon our return to Rebound Cycle they had done a great job of totally cleaning, tuning and adjusting our bikes and gave us a few goodies as well. After seeing the nice Rebound Cycle Canmore Canada jersey that Wayne was buying, we all had to have them. Super salesman Ryan, had Wayne, our safety driver, equipping himself with a lot of new cycling togs as well. It's a great cycling shop and there appears to be a substantial interest in the great outdoors by most of the people we met in Canmore. It's a charming place surrounded by snow-capped mountains. (You've heard this term used often, if you've been following this blog reinforcing my contention that it is a reasonably good time of year to do this, before the heavy tourist season begins to clog the roads).

Tomorrow, it's off to Calgary where we have scheduled Friday to be our first day of rest in 12 days since we started. We won't be riding, but the day will be very busy. We are meeting Alberta Child Find representatives, Global T.V. personnel and making more presentations as well as doing some necessary shopping.

Pics on their way!

Western Hospitality
(To perhaps help this next part make sense to you (the readers) : Nancy Koehler is the 'blogmaster' who is on the receiving end of our emails and pictures. She puts them in order and together and turns them into the blog. Nancy is based in Montreal.)

Nancy's cousin Laurie lives in Canmore with her family. We were invited to their lovely home and enjoyed meeting her husband Gary, their daughter Jenna and their friends, all of whom were avid cyclists too. This whole trip is possible due to the efforts of hundreds of people supporting this worthy cause.

We were so very touched by Laurie and Gary's 12 year-old daughter Jenna, who had attended our presentation earlier in the day at her school. She presented us with a cheque for $50 from her very own money. Thank you Jenna, and an extra special congratulations on your provincial gymnastics championship.

May 9 - Lake Louise

2006-05-10T13:30:00.000-04:00

Today we went back to the 16 km point where we left off beyond Golden, with the bikes on top of the van. Enroute we spotted a beautiful mountain goat perched at the edge of the highway as we passed, unfortunately we didn't have the camera ready in time. We learned that Golden is really the beginning of the Rockies, the other mountains we traversed in the preceding days are part of other ranges. Today's trip was a veritable feast for the eyes, our photographic record represents only a microcosm of the scenic journey we were fortunate enough to absorb.

Distance : We covered 70 km today for a total of 973.5 km in 49 hours of cycling.

Brian in action

Today was sunny but cold. It was 0 Celsius at departure and only rose to 7C at its warmest so we were wearing gloves, skull caps and layers of clothing. Snow was not only atop the mountains, but beside us in some spots we cycled through. Lakes were still frozen and we sampled the icy waters of the roadside running stream. Lowest gears of our 27 gear bikes were required for the ascent to Lake Louise as we would go even higher than we did at Rogers Pass. Kicking Horse Pass at 5680 feet high was a long continuous climb! The big hill, as the Parks Canada literature describes the hill, that trains used to climb prior to the current figure eight spiral path through the mountains now in use. Highway 1 (Trans Canada highway) currently uses this steep 4.5 % grade formerly utilized by trains.

We attained another milestone today as we left Beautiful British Columbia (it really is beautiful!)and entered our second province, Alberta. We are fortunate to have received complimentary accommodations here at the prestigious Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise, a luxury that we are not used to! The view from our room is spectacular, however the Lake, which is deep turquoise in the summer, is still frozen and apparently the ice will only disappear at the end of May. There has been an influx of new staff trainees, mostly college students currently undergoing orientation sessions. We're getting up tomorrow at 5:30 AM for a 6 AM departure in order to make a school presentation in Canmore, which is tomorrow's destination.

Tom with the spectacular scenery

UPDATE May 10
Brian & Tom got away from the Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise a little after 6 AM. Wayne is remaining there until 10 AM, hoping to get a phone call from Canmore with details and directions to the school presentation there this afternoon.

Today, we're moving off the T-Can onto route 1A. Another bright, but cool day. The morning sun shining on the mountain at the end of the lake was truly a special sight.

We would like to thank David Bayne, the General Manager and his staff for the wonderful accommodations here at the Chateau Lake Louise.

May 9 - en route to Lake Louise

2006-05-10T08:12:00.000-04:00

We will have more details later, but for now please enjoy some pictures taken during our ride from Golden, BC to Lake Louise, Alberta. We are in our second province!

(Remember you can click on the picture to enlarge it and enjoy the rest of our photo album.)

Wayne and Tom displaying our banner as we cross into Alberta.

Brian and the gorgeous Rockies.

Wayne and Tom, in the creek.

Making friends

2006-05-09T22:08:00.000-04:00

We have met another two cyclists also riding across the country. Bryn and Leah are riding for a number of causes. We first met them on May 7th en route to the top of Rogers Pass. They are camping and carrying all of their gear on their bikes. They also have a website called Bryn and Leah's Bike Voyage (http://www.bikeacrosscanada.net/).

On May 8th, we met them again on our descent from Rogers Pass, chatted and compared notes.

Today (May 9th) we ran into them three times, but not literally! We are sure to continue to cross paths throughout our similar journeys.

Here is Brian with Leah & Bryn.

Golden, BC

2006-05-08T22:39:00.000-04:00

May 8 - our 2nd week!

Our total mileage at the end of this 1st week was 777 km !
CYCLING TIME 38 HOURS 48 MINUTES.

We awakened to see a snow-covered van! Temperature at 8:55 a.m.departure was 0 Celsius, calling for multi layers of clothing. The sun was valiantly struggling to emerge from behind a bank of clouds which were emitting light flurries.

The plan was to cycle the mainly downhill Route 1 from the summit, perhaps beyond Golden to get ahead on some of the uphill from tomorrow's ascent to Lake Louise. We would then backtrack to our complimentary accommodations at the Ramada Inn in Golden.

The Glacier Park Best Western staff here at Rogers Pass have been terrific, particularly General Manager Colin McCarthy, and server-all-around right-hand multi-functional employee Jennifer Eckl, who together with her colleague Courtney were thoughtful enough to give Child Find a donation from their hard-earned savings. Wayne was really touched by this generosity. Once again, the wonderful people we meet, and the spectacular scenery, help us recognize what a wonderful country this Canada really is!

Today's journey from Rogers Pass to Golden had mostly downhill and a tailwind.
As we descended from the summit, the sun emerged to bring the temperature up to a balmy 7 Celsius (there's a temperature and direction indicator compass in this fantastic Hyundai Entourage). We met the two 23 year-old cyclists from Vancouver and compared notes before they moved on.

Another milestone has occurred as we crossed into Mountain Time Zone, so we had to advance our watches an hour.

A little wind cloud we'd been watching swept down making the going a little tougher as we approached Golden.

The Golden Ramada Inn is great, they gave us 2 rooms with queensized beds and there's a coin-op laundry in the Inn which Brian desperately needed!

There are about 10 new pictures added to the album. Please click on the photos on the sidebar.

Here are a couple of examples: (to enlarge, click on the picture)
Tom at Allison Pass

Okanagen Valley

Roger's Pass (elevation 1382 metres / 4534 feet)

2006-05-07T20:43:00.000-04:00

We are in Rogers Pass. We were about 16 km from the summit at 2:30 PM with lots of climbing to do. 1330 metres in altitude within that 16 km distance. There had been a light sprinkling of rain which hadn't yet seemed to hamper us too much at all. The temperature is around 6-7 celsius. While the precipitation wasn't snow, there was a lot of snow on the sides of the mountain beside the road. North slopes are mostly snow-covered.

Tom had intentionally set today's distance smaller, knowing the amount of climbing that would be involved.

The rain picked up considerably in that last hour so we arrived soaked! It was all relative since as we climbed, we were ascending into the clouds, so there was moisture all around us. We arrived around 3:30 PM. A total distance today of 65 km.

May 6 - Revelstoke, BC

2006-05-07T09:11:00.000-04:00

After our wonderful breakfast of 9 grain oatmeal and bacon and eggs we said goodbye to our hosts, the Leyenhorsts and we started to pull away. They called to us, indicating they wanted to give a donation, which turned out to be a very generous one. All along, we have been meeting folks who have gone beyond the call of duty, just like Tammy here at the front desk of the lovely Hillcrest Hotel here in Revelstoke. We're using the front desk computer because we weren't successful in connecting with our wireless.

We were treated to a free meal at the Revelstoke A & W by owner-manager Cathy Shannon who indicated she'd try to get other A & W owners involved within her network.

Today's trip went well, we covered 115 kms with some fairly steep grades. We came to Lake Mara which appears to be a great holiday spot. Then we were on to Sicamous "the houseboat capital of Canada", which reminds us that Hope was "the chainsaw capital of Canada" with carved out wooden sculptures that'll appear later on this site (when we get the next chance to upload more photos). Some of the pics to be seen will include another unexpected historic site of the Last Spike of the Canadian Pacific Railway in Craigellachie where the 2 ends of the railway met in November 1885.

Sadly, we came upon a deer on the road who had been killed, probably trapped between a cliff and the ledge of the road.

There were suspension bridges and waterfalls as well as more snow-capped mountains and roadside rivers and streams. The train tunnels through solid rock mountains looked awesome.

We encountered rain for the first time today, but nothing substantial. We expect more tomorrow, however, on our trip through Roger's Pass. We don't have accomodations there yet, but, after that, things look good until Ontario as things begin to fall into place thanks to many folks working to help us out.

The temperatures are beginning to get colder with a high of 13c tomorrow and possible flurries especially in the higher elevations. Brian and Tom took it relatively easy today in preparation for another big climb into the Rockies. Brian and Wayne enjoyed the outdoor hot tub while taking in the snow-capped Mt. Begbie & Mt. MacPherson directly facing the hotel. Quite a sight!

May 6 (morning)

2006-05-06T11:25:00.000-04:00

Our wonderful hosts in Armstrong gave us a hearty breakfast. Now we will take the bikes back to Enderby where we finished off yesterday and then on to Revelstoke. We may hit rain for the first time, but so far it is nice today at 11 celsius.

May 5 - Enderby, BC

2006-05-06T02:52:00.000-04:00

We made it to Enderby from Summerland. A DISTANCE OF141 km. Our largest distance so far.

Most of the trip the road overlooked water on one side with beautiful vistas and fruit orchards and verdant fields on either side of the valleys we were traveling through. The weather was hazier than the previous day, perhaps a forebearer of the rain that is expected to hit our path over the weekend. The temperature today was 25 celsius.

Accidentally, Wayne, in his search for a B+B down a country road discovered it was next door, but the wonderful Dutch couple, Anne and Bart Leyenhorst invited us to stay here if we provided our own meals and he said we'd use sleeping bags so that no beds needed to made. We scoped out a place for breakfast, but Anne just offered to make breakfast for us tomorrow.

It's off to Revelstoke which is where we will try to send more pictures from.

May 4 recap

2006-05-05T22:56:00.000-04:00

Thursday's trip was easier with less climbing, however we faced some tough headwinds in places especially as we headed East. Not fully rested from our long day yesterday, we were both hurtin' and our progres was slower. We encountered some interesting towns, Hedley a former mining town and Keremenos look like the old west, before heading North toward Penticton. Again weather & scenery, were almost ideal with rivers & streams by our side, towering sandcliffs and sagebrush reminiscent of the western U.S.A.

Wayne located the restaurant Theo's, where we were to have lunch. He then doubled back to find us without success. Thinking we'd found another way through Penticton he returned to the restaurant but we hadn't arrived.

On the next trip back he found us just about to enter town. We lunched at 4 PM and learned that Theo's is probably the best restaurant in town, the food was excellent. Thank you Nikos.

We then journeyed another 14 km to Summerland where our hostess Doreen Gaunce guided us to her adorable home high on a mountain overlooking Lake Okanogan.

We did 127 km today.

Doreen was an excellent hostess, plying us with beverages and another meal.

She then provided us with a healthy breakfast and we said our goodbyes to Wayne's wife Sue (who will stay with Doreen for a visit befor eher return home to Pointe Claire, QC).

We are headed north toward Kelowna, a pretty ride along Lake Okanogan with a scheduled departure for 8:30 AM on Friday, May 5.

We love the Okanogan!

May 3 - trek to Princeton

2006-05-04T21:26:00.000-04:00

Yesterday's journey was brutal 135 km. rising from 500m. to 1350m. twice [2 summits] one around Manning Park Lodge and another after.

We were traveling amid snow capped mountains and also snow by the side of the road which had fallen a few days previous to our passing through.

Tom was having difficulty with his chain & eventually stopped to put a new one on. This cut into our traveling time so we arrived at the Manning Park Lodge at 4p.m. to finally have lunch! We left after 5 o'clock for Princeton a distance of another 67 kms and with yet another summit to climb. It was a long haul, we sent Wayne ahead to scout out accommodations because we learned that camping season hasn't opened yet. Wayne found a great motel [The Sandman] in Princeton then backtracked to find us taking a break. (It was about 7:30 p.m.). We decided to push on and to make a decision around 8 PM because we still had 35 kms. left to do. We decided to go for it!

Wayne went ahead to check in at the motel for us, then returned to find us. He found us in the dark! Brian's jacket's white luminescent stripes stood out. We then experimented with the van following us, and preceding us to illuminate our way. Luckily, there was little traffic to allow this on mostly 2 lane stretches. We had to watch out for deer and elk by the side of the road as we hurtled downhill reaching a new maximum speed of 68.1 km/hr!

It got cold at night was around 11C in the elevations.

We finally arrived in Princeton after 9 PM and our 11 1/2 hour ride. Tom was numb, Brian was wired [probably on adrenalin]! The only restaurant open was Princeton Pizza Party but the lady at the counter was terrific and offered to have it delivered to our motel room when ready. Very nice!

Today, we got away at about 8:40a.m. heading along Route 3 to Keremos then 3A to Penticton where we expect our late lunch about 110 km. away.

The running total for distance after 3 days is 335 kms. We hope to do 135 kms today (May 4th).

Hope, BC

2006-05-03T14:27:00.000-04:00

We arrived in Hope around 4 PM. The weather has been beautiful. The Fraser Valley was spectacular as we came though it with no problems at all. We had to get off Highway #1 because the shoulder lane disappeared over bridges and culverts. The alternate routes and parallel roads were better for cyclists.

We have some big climbing ahead of us today. We are now headed to Princeton which we hear is a two day trip. We have already covered 200 km.

Off we go!

We're off!

2006-05-03T02:34:00.000-04:00

Where it all started. Here we are at Mile Zero.

Brian and Tom

Abbotsford, BC

2006-05-02T08:35:00.000-04:00

We started the day with a successful presentation at Esquimalt High School which donated $300!! Both the mayors from Victoria and Esquimalt attended our departure from "Mile Zero" which was covered by Global media Television.

We made it to the 1 PM ferry (barely!). The crosswinds off the ocean were furious so we had to ride for a while before we could hook up with Wayne and the van to reunite and get set for the day's ride. A little tricky (scary!) on the side of the highway, the winds and the trucks blasting past us.

115 kms later, we arrived in Abbotsford around 7:15 PM. The Ramada Inn & Conference Centre Abbotsford are wonderful and generous hosts, not only donating our rooms, but also providing a lovely complimentary supper. A great thanks to the Ramada.

Off to Hope, BC for our next stop.

Victoria, BC

2006-04-30T00:27:00.000-04:00

They have landed! Then drove, then took the ferry, and then landed again.

Brian, Tom & Wayne (volunteer driver for the van) were met at the Vancouver airport by a very nice gentleman, Curt Hasse. He took them to the Hyundai dealership in North Vancouver. The Entourage is a beautiful vehicle, nicely equipped and now loaded with bags and a bicycle rack with three bikes. They were in Victoria by 8 PM.

They are staying at a lovely Bed & Breakfast named Cottage Pirouette, hosted by a wonderful woman, Lorraine, also an avid cycling enthusiast herself.

All the bikes have now been assembled and the rack adjusted to accomodate their 3 bikes.

It was pouring rain in Victoria as the men were off to enjoy dinner with Tom's cousin Julie at her place for supper tonight. (Saturday night).

The countdown is very close now!

On their way!

2006-04-28T00:37:00.000-04:00

Brian and Tom are on their way to Victoria to get acclimatized, set up and prepare for their big departure day. Most exciting!

2006-01-03T23:00:00.000-05:00

Follow Brian Potter and Tom Ropeleski on a ride that matters. A Cross-country bicycle trip to support and raise money for the Missing Children's Network and Child Find. May 1 - July 1, 2006.

It's time to make a difference

Together, we are determined to reach across Canada and raise $100,000 for the Missing Children’s Network Canada and Child Find to help provide them with the resources necessary to perform their crucial work. Your finacial support will give you the opportunity to play a proud role in this partnership and help ensure the success of “In Motion for the Missing”.

Please join us on this journey! Stay tuned....