X Canada Adventure

Happy Birthday Jess!

2006-05-07T20:37:00.000-07:00

Paintballing in Gananoque.
Good times had by all.

Help Me!

2006-04-02T11:02:00.001-07:00

Hello,
Can you guys help me decide what pictures to blow up and hang on my wall? Right now I have two frames ready. I chose these out of 518.
Any help would be appreciated:)
Thanks,
Ry

2006-04-02T10:49:00.000-07:00

The Ranch !!!!

2006-02-24T13:20:00.000-08:00

Y'all missed a good time. Check it out.

"Well I walk into the room passin' out hundred dollar bills and kills and it thrills like the horns on my Silverado grill"
-Big and Rich

Ranch 2

2006-02-24T13:11:00.000-08:00

Ontario Badlands

2005-08-24T09:00:00.000-07:00

Hello,
I know this isn't part of my biking trip, but it is pretty interesting.

I was looking at a photoblog when I saw a picture of interest. http://wvs.topleftpixel.com/archives/photos_landscape/050725_1243.shtml

Amanda and I decided to go on a road trip to visit this place. It isn't very far from Guelph as you can see if you follow the links to show it's location.
We stopped for dinner in Acton on the way. Our pictures aren't as crisp or colourful, but it was definitely an adventure and I would recommend going there if you are in the area.

aug 7, 8, 9 and 12 updated

2005-08-18T05:33:00.000-07:00

aug 6 and 10 updated

2005-08-17T10:18:00.000-07:00

St. John's

2005-08-12T11:29:00.000-07:00

Laurene, Christa and I picked up a bike box at Christa's favourite bike store. (I got it for free. I guess it pays to know the right people.) We went and got a magnet for Laurene's collection. Near City Hall is 'Mile 0'. We took some pictures.

We went for a hike along Marine Dr. which is up the east coast from the city. It was really beautiful on the drive and the hike. Along the hike there were tons of blueberries, which definitely caused me to miss some of the excellent scenary. We saw a whale off in the distance. The midpoint in the hike was out to a point. The very end was a small cliff which would have required some clever footwork. As I approached the edge I looked up to see a naked guy having a cigarette. I quickly turned around and decided that the trip to the very end of the point wasn't really necessary. I'm sorry I don't have a picture for you :)

Laurene and I had dinner at the Spout, the local vegetarian restaurant. It was excellent. Christa and her boyfriend, Rick, enjoyed a dinner on their own.
My evening was spent with Laurene and Christa between two Irish-type pubs, O'Reillys and Bridie Molloys. Both were a pretty good time.

ST. JOHN'S!!!!!!

2005-08-11T06:12:00.000-07:00

I made it!!!
The journey into town was uneventful except for the hills coming south on the hwy and the fog for the first half of the day. The fog was definitely some of the most mentally challenging riding that I've had to do on the whole trip. I was biking in hills and a headwind at the time, and you can't see where you are headed or where you have been or if you are going up or down a hill.

I felt so lost. The time passed so slowly.
I finally made it out of the fog and started east for St. John's. The hills where more tame along this route and the wind was on my back/side.
I called Laurene and we agreed to meet a Cape Spear, the most easterly point in Canada. The trip into St. John's was very nice and there were some excellent views of the city. I will take pictures of them another day.
There were some difficult hills leading to Cape Spear. Especially after such a long day. Halfway up there was a sign for me that Laurene and Christa had made encouraging me on.
When I got to the top, they had a painted banner for me.............and some juice and treats.
Such a nice reception!!!!

I will be staying with Christa and her boyfriend Rick. It will be nice staying in a real house. I have spent the 10 days on the road since my last day off.

I will write more about this day..but I don't have the time right now. I want to make a few notes about some of the things I have not included...yet....in my blog.

- Visting Alison in Winnipeg (who I hadn't seen in 4 or 5 years) was awesome. We relaxed and hung out and did some touristy stuff in the town and went to the beach...and to the horse races....and I got to meet her family.
- When I visit Guelph I got to have ice cream with Doug and Erin...went to dinner with Amanda and Sara and had a BBQ with my housemates. I also got sick one day and was on the couch in front of the TV the whole time.
- I got an amazing welcome into Kingston. I told Meg which route I would be taking into town and she wrote me a nice welcoming message on the shoulder of the road. (I will post pictures shortly.) It was much nicer than the cream soda incident.
- The ferry to Newfoundland was good. I slept most of the way and am glad that I was able to fall asleep after I woke up to the heaving of the ship.
- Newfoundland was awesome. The people are so nice and the scenary is spectacular. There are so many things that I missed along with way that I will return to see.

I have no deep thoughts to end my trip. Well, I guess this isn't really the end of my trip. I may be done biking, but there are still lots of new things happening in the next little while that the adventures will continue.
I'm excited for school come September and I may have to move in the near future.

Thank you everyone for your support along the way. Knowing that people read my blog made all the difference and all the comments made me feels so close to all of you.
I will continue to post entries and pictures until it's complete and I've returned to Guelph (probably even after I'm in Guelph), so please check back for the full version.
Tak'er easy,
Ry

Notre Dame - Clarenville

2005-08-10T10:10:00.000-07:00

Ave 19.5km/hr. Distance 192.04km. Ride Time 9hr50min.
The wind was they same direction as yesterday, so I had a tailwind for the first bit, buy then crazy headwind the rest of the day. The scenary wasn't special today. I love Newfoundland, but dinfinitely nothing picture worthy that would turn out nicely. After Gander it was very hilly.

Long ups and downs that never stopped. Like norther Ontario, but not as steep. Terre Nova Park was nothing spectacular, but I'm sure it would be beautiful if you venture off the hwy. In the park I was climbing a hilll and at the top I saw a car waiting for me. It was Mitch and Reid whom I had met at the ferry dock in North Sydney. They are now stationed in Quebec and on a vacation. They gave me a chocolate bar and told me to hive them a call in St. John's. Some people are so friendly.
I'm camped in a beautiful spto just off the Hwy before Clarenville, atop a hill overlooking a dark green valley. I should have done more random camping like this.

So...St. John's tomorrow. I'm so excited. I called Laurene to see if she will be able to meet me. It looks like it's a go. I can't believe that the trip will be over...
I will compile my pictures and relive it when I get back to Guelph.I will have to think of something meaningful to say when I reach Cape Spear, like they do when the shuttle lands.

Forty Birchy - Notre Dame Provincial Park

2005-08-09T05:49:00.000-07:00

Ave 24.6km/hr. Distance 188.94km. Ride Time 7hr41min.
Started at 10am. Ran into Chris and Cheryl again. They were driving back to the ferry after finishing their trip. Ahh...it's nice to see that there is an end. I don't mean that in a bad way. Newfoundland is so beautiful, but I've been picturing myself standing on the coast, and I'm so excited!!!

I had a nice chat with them and we exchanged blogs. Check it out. http://jubienbike.blogspot.com
I had a tailwind for 2/3 of the day. The headwind from Southbrook to Badger was killer. Ok scenary. I Camped at Notre Dame Provincial Park. They were full, but they decided to made a spot for me in the group camping area. I met some people from Fenelon Falls and some from St. John's (Colin and Heather).
I like the hills here. Long and not too steep. You can maintain a prett good speed.

Corner Brook - Fort Birchy Campground

2005-08-08T05:18:00.000-07:00

Ave 26.5km/hr. Distance 131.40km/hr. Ride Time 4hr58min.

I had a fantastic breakfast at the Tucked Inn of Greek omlettes with all the fixings. I was then told not to worry about a check out time. This was great because I needed to get my bike fixed. I biked up to the store near the edge of town. And I do mean that I biked 'up' to the store. Corner Brook is build on a hill. It makes it very scenic, but also a pain to get around by bike. When I walked into the store they knew I was coming. They knew where I had come from and what I needed done. After inquiring they told me that my Mom and Dad had left a message for them advising that I was on my way there. It was pretty funny. I got my brakes fixed, my front tire changed (it was cracking cause it was so old) and picked up another small water bottle and holder.
When riding back to the Tucked Inn I could tell that my were perfect. The stopping power was incredible, just like it should be. It was raining when I had finally packed up all my stuff so I decided to hide out for a while and check my internet. Darryl wanted to take some pictures so we did that and posted them to my site.
I left at 1:30pm with a tailwind and enjoyed some nice views of lakes and hills. On my way out Darryl presented me with a bag lunch. This place was amazing. I recommend it to anyone and everyone.

I stayed at Fort Birchy RV park for $15. They were very nice there and made me a small dinner even though their tea house was closed. I got a campsite right on the lake. Very nice.

North Sydney - Ferry - Corner Brook

2005-08-07T04:49:00.000-07:00

Ave 23.9km/hr. Max 76.4km/hr. Distance 220km. Ride Time 9hr34min.
I had checked my bags so I picked them up and started out a about 6:30am. Wow, my easliest day yet! I had met some more bikers from Quebec City that had run to the ferry last minute. They were doing a couple day ride on the Island.
The scenary has been amazing. It was hilly in some sectoins, but I had a tailwind to help me along. Starting out so early in the morning is refreshing. Dawn is much more beautiful than sunset.

On the road I also met two other German bikers doing the Island in about 2 weeks.

I think I got to Corner Brook around 7pm but I don't really remember. I inquired about camping at the info booth but there was nothing that was in biking distance. I had to stay close to town because I wanted to get my brakes fixed and biking 10km down the road didn't make sense. I decided to crash in a park on the outside of town. I wanted to hear some music downtown in the evening so I decided to get cleaned up by swimming at a local beach. After changing out of my biking shorts I noticed a huge worn spot on them. You could totally see my ass! I wonder how long it's been like that. While I was getting in the water I got lots of funny looks so I imagine that it was like that at least for today. Good times. (It's a good thing that I bought a second pair in Antigonish. They will come in handy tomorrow.)

After inquiring about live music I headed downtown. I visited a couple of places that people had recommended, but no luck on the music. While I was looking I passed by a small bed and breakfast called The Tucked Inn and decided to inquire about prices.
Upon knocking I was greeted by Darryl, the new owner. After thinking for a moment he said that he would find a way to get be a bed even though they were full. The rest of the guest were just finishing up their dinner and I was invited to join. Darryl had made Seafood chowder and bbq'd corn. It was amazing and I had a great time talking with all the other guest who were mostly travelling on their motorcycles.
I can't even say enough about the hospitality at this place. It was incredible. They also helped me to locate the bike store in town. I'm sure I will have a good sleep tonight.

Skir Dhu - North Sydney

2005-08-06T10:46:00.000-07:00

Ave 22.5km/hr. Distance 64.88km. Ride Time 2hr53min.
Started at 8:30am. Not too bad for once. I had a horrible sleep. Since I have scraps all over there wasn't a single position to rest in. I got some sweet pics to post of my wounds. Mmmmmm.
My brakes still aren't working properly. I took it in for fixing in PEI, but they are still very soft. (Perhaps one reason I went off the road so quickly.) They seemed to be better when I started out of PEI though. Even without weight they are soft. The scenary wasn't anything special. The west coast is definitely more scenic on the Cabot trail. There is a huge descent on 105 coming to the bridge crossing St. Patrick's channel. For sure a record breaking hill should I ever try it again.
There was a super short ferry on St. Anns Bay. This region was the most scenic of the day for sure. It was cool to climb out of the bay and then be able to look back to where you were. When in North Sydney I decided to take the late ferry and sleep through the crossing. I got pictures put on CD, went grocery shopping and looked in Canadian Tire for bike tires as there is no bike store in North Sydney, only Syndey 20km away.
Hey Buddy....I forgot to mention that I busted one of the clips that holds the bag to the bike. No worries though, if MEC doesn't replace it, I will. I bought some zip ties to fasten the bag so it won't, or shouldn't be a problem.
I met another biker at the ferry dock taking the 4:00pm boat. Meh, I guess we will chat when we meet on the road tomorrow. I also met some guys that went to RMC and chatted for a while about Kingston.
I hope I get a good sleep on the ferry, otherwise biking tomorrow will be a chore. I got a bunk to sleep on for a little extra money.
I at at Rollie's and stayed there for the live music. It was a chick rock band. They were kickin' it. You could tell how much they loved being on stage.

Pleasant Bay - Skir Dhu

2005-08-05T12:46:00.000-07:00

Ave 18.0km/hr. Distance 106km. Ride Time 5hr53min.
Started out late. I was going to do a hike with one of the girls at the hostel, but she didn't get back from whale watching in time. The climb out of Pleasant Bay was pretty big. So was the descent into Neil's Harbour. The views didn't get nice until well into the day, but at least today was sunny. As it turns out I had a nice headwind today too. Meh, it's bearable at least. (Not like yesterday)
I stopped frequently for breaks and pictures. It's like the mountains here becaus it's hard to make myself bike and leave the nice scenary.
I had dinner in Ingonish Beach. I had to ask which town I was in becuase they all blend together and are spare at best.

So..here's the big news of the day.
I bailed huge coming down the last big hill of the day, Smokey Mountain. Something went wrong when I was rounding one of the first corners going down the hill. I didn't make it and hit the gravel shoulder pretty fast. (I'm really amazed at how fast your feet unclip from your pedals when going over you handlebars.) Anyways, after it all I landed on my feet...well...after smacking my head, shoulder, both elbows and my left knee. Everything bled quite a bit. (Except for my head as I was wearing my ever popular brain bucket.) I got cleaned up at the next store, about 8 km down the road.
I should have some good pictures for you, but perhaps not if they are too gruesome. I will have them transferred to CD in North Sydney before I catch the ferry. I can't decide whether to take the 4pm and get a campsite in Newfoundland or to take the 11:30pm and sleep on the ferry. Meh..either way.

Inverness - Pleasant Bay

2005-08-04T16:00:00.000-07:00

Ave 17.4km/hr. Ride Time 6hr00min. Distance 104km.
Killer, killer headwind. I took a video of it. The big hills started as you enter the park. They were pretty big and pretty long, but most of the climbs come with great views. Remember that every great view comes with a lookout. The weather was crappy all day. It only rained for an hour total though. I took lots of pics but who knows how they will turn out. I'm staying in the Pleasant Bay hostel. There are quite a few people here so it should be pretty fun. The hills coming into Pleasant Bay were amazing.
My kms today were horrible. I blame it all on the headwind. My average speed was the lowerst ever!!!! Damn headwind.

Antigonish - Inverness

2005-08-03T06:44:00.000-07:00

Ave 22km/hr. Distance 141.10km. Ride Time 6hr25min.
When I got back to my bike after dinner last night it had a flat. This morning I changed it and picked up a new tube at the bike store just west of twon on Hwy 104. That meant a late start. Grrr. The ride to the Canso Causway had a few hills. There was only a couple of nice views along the main hwy. I have decided to do the Cabot Trail so I headed up Hwy 19 into a killer headwind. Just after Judique it started to rain lightly. (And no I didn't stop riding just yet.) I rode to Mabou and pulled off the road for some dinner. Just as I sat down to eat it started to pour. (Good timing).
In Judique I inquireed and was told that The Barn in Margaree Forks had good live music. I was hoping to get there tonight, but with now it seems unlikely that I will make it.
I need to book my ferry still. It's difficult when I don't know the terrain ahead or the weather.

So...I made it to Inverness and paid $28 for a campsite. Ridiculous. I think I got some pretty good pics coming into the town though. There were some cool rain clouds coming in off the ocean over the hills.
I decided to go to a local CD opening at a bar in town. I met two sisters on a road trip that happened to be staying at the same campsite. They are from the Toronto area and had decided to head for Inverness. We chatted at the opening and decided to go to a Ceilidh back in Mabou which I had passed through earlier in the day. (They had a car so it was easy getting back:) ). Lindsay, Kristen and I learned how to dance with the locals. It was a really good time. I guess they have these dances pretty much every night if you're willing to go between the small towns in the area. It is the same dance all the time so everyone can do it. There are a couple of parts that I still get wrong, but I'm sure with more practice I'll get it. Kristen goes to U of T and Lindsay will be going to Guelph in the fall. I told them I would introduce them to the famous Aggie Pub!!! Good times.

Charlottetown - Antigonish

2005-08-02T18:52:00.000-07:00

Ave 23.3km/hr. Ride Time 5hr55min. Distance 139.88km.
I think I started around 9:30am. Not too bad. I took Hwy 1 to start, but cut off on Hwy 23 as it was much shorter. It was retty hilly and not very scenic so I'd be interested to know what Hwy 1 was like along the shoreline.
I made it to the ferry at Wood Islands early and checked out the lighthouse nearby before departing at 1:00pm.

On the ferry I met Chris and Cheryl again. (I had met them in the Wawa campsite as well.) Chris is doing a supported cross Canada ride with Cheryl's help. There was also a musician entertaining the passengers with some seafaring songs. Very nice.
Off the ferry I took Hwy 106 to exit 2 and made my way to New Glasgow where I joined up with Hwy 104 a very busy road. No scenic routes right now because I want to do the Cabot Trail and the long way around Newfoundland. Those will be my scenic parts. And, if I want to meet Laurene in St. John's I'll have to hurry. I'm camped right in Antigonish at Whidden's. They have a cyclist rate of $16. They have tons of services, but I won't be using them.
I had an amazing dinner in town at the Sunshine Cafe. I think I'd come back here just for the restaurant. :)

Rest Day in Charlottetown

2005-08-01T16:06:00.000-07:00

I got up this morning and took my bike in for a cleaning and tune-up. I was going to get the brake pads replaced but they said they only needed to be cleaned.
The tune-up went very well. I made sure everything was working properly before I left:)
Then I got a haircut at Ray's barbershop. Good times. I chatted with the woman cutting my hair for much too long.
Mary, Tom, Julie and I toured around the city checking out the sights. (James had classes to go to).

Tom and Julie left for Nova Scotia to continue on their trip and Mary and I had a late lunch at a nice little restaurant called Bean in downtown Charlottetown.
The city is very nice to stroll around, but it is very very small. It seems proportional to the size of the province.
Mary then left on a business trip and I met James back at the house where we had dinner and watched my favourite episode of Law and Order: SVU. (He has the DVDs).
Now, it is the evening and I'm trying to catch up on all my emails and blog updates. Perhaps I will add more pictures now. Hmmm....decisions, decisions.

Shediac - Charlottetown

2005-07-31T15:57:00.000-07:00

Ave 25.1km/hr Distance 124.71km. Ride Time 4hr58min.
I had breakfast just outside Shediac. I took the scenic way to the ferry along Hwy 133 and also along 950 and 955.

Murray Beach looked very nice and there was a couple good views of the bridge, but other than that it was pretty uneventful.
You aren't allowed to bike on the Confederation Bridge so I caught the free shuttle and took lots of pictures., but most of the cool views were blocked by the truck ahead of us.

I arrived in PEI in a tourist packed strip mall setting with a really bad singer 'entertaining' people with religious music. I went to the info booth and they recommended that I take the Confederation Bike Trail to Charlottetown. I went for about 2km on the light gravel and gave up. Hwy 1 had some hills, but nothing to really worry about.

Everything on the PEI map is so misleading because the scale is so large. Before you have a chance to relax in the saddle you're in the next town. Mary's directions were very good and I made it their place with no trouble.

Tom, Mary's cousin and Julie, his girlfriend were staying at their place as well. After chatting for a bit we all went out for a spectacular dinner. They had lobster and I had shrimp. Both meals came with an all you can eat 60 foot salad bar. Mmmm.
-My minidisc player stopped working on the road today.

Miramichi - Shediac

2005-07-30T18:43:00.000-07:00

Ave 24.3km/hr. Ride Time 7hr02min. Distance 170.83km.
I took Hwy 11 because the scenic hwy was significantly longer. Then I took Hwy 134 from Kouchibouguac and it wasn't really worth it. From here to Shediac I took the scenic route along the coast.

Some sections were really nice. I do recommend doing it if time and wind allow.
Exception: Cocagne to Shediac. (take the 134 instead).
The ride was not hilly at all.
When I rode through town I was advised that all the campgrounds were booked up. I stopped in at the first one and convinced them to let me stay on an unoccupied square of grass.
I got my first real flat tire today. The change went really well. No pinch flats.
Just south of Ste Kent there was a dune preservation building, exhibit, beach, boardwalk sponsored by Irving.
It was super nice.
I went for a swim.
I also met another biker there who was doing a short trip. She was from Quebec. Imagine that!
I had nice salt stains on my biking shorts from the swim. Very attractive.
I called Mary from the campground and I advised that I would be arriving there shortly. She told me that the fine for riding across the bridge is $155. Is it worth it? Nope:)
There was some live music in the park in Shediac. I had a very nice dinner in the touristy part of town.

Campbellton - Miramichi

2005-07-29T19:10:00.000-07:00

Ave 23.7km/hr Ride Time 8hr24min. Distance 199.71km.
I got up late again. I really have to stop doing that. It makes for hectic days, always checking the clock.
There was free internet at the hostel, but I felt bad because I had to use the staff's desk to get at it.
the ride from Campbellton to Dalhousie was really nice. The shoulder was ok. The rest of Hwy 134 wasn't worth the work.
From Bathurst I took the main Hwy 8 to Miramichi. I'm at a restaurant right now on the far side of the river on Karaoke night :) Good times.
I will be camping behind an abandoned Canadian Tire just near town.

Ste Moise - Campbellton

2005-07-28T19:40:00.000-07:00

Ave 26.6km/hr. Ride Time 5hr33min. Distance 147.69km
I should've stayed 3km down the road at the campground with the restaurant because it was eight dollars cheaper.
I decided to stay at the hostel in Campbellton. It is a lighthouse.

Pretty cool.
Following the Restigouche River was very beautiful. There were some ups and downs near the end but nothing big. I highly recommend this area. It was a good biking day, not long, but mentally, I'm done.

Ste-Fidele - Ste-Moise

2005-07-27T12:56:00.000-07:00

Total Distance 190.58km Max 70.9 Ride Time 6hr53min. (Ave 23km/hr for 16km and 25.4km/hr for 174.58km
It rained over night. Very cloudy this morning so the view wasn't as nice from my campsite as it should have been, but it was neat with the clouds and the ship.
I am in a restaurant for breakfast right now. It would be super cool to do a profile of Canada by taking a picture of every person that you interacted with and perhaps a wrote a little note to go along. I will do that next time:)
The ferry is 65min and costs $17.85 with my bike.
(Back on the road)
I stopped at the hostel in Riviere-du-Loop. It's about 4km out of the way, but it is right in town. I checked email quickly and ate some food.
The ride to Rimouski is very beautiful and fairly flat.
As soon as I turned inland on the 132 it got hilly again. My average speed went way down.
I emailed Mary at the tourist info and everything will be fine for my arrival in PEI. I camped just outside the town.

Quebec City - Ste-Fidele

2005-07-26T13:07:00.000-07:00

Ave 21.1km/hr Total Distance 177km Max 73.9km/hr Ride Time 8hr23min.
I couldn't drag myself out of bed. I should stop staying in hostels. I go to bed too late. 10:30am on the road. I didn't have a good map, nor did I look at the one I had so I got lost in an hour. But, I met a nice guy who directed me to a bike path on the water that went all the way out of town.
At about Beaupre it got pretty hilly. Actually, really hilly. I had forgotten how much I like hills. I'm being serious. With the hills comes nice scenary. The St. Lawrence was beautiful even though it was cloudy. The hills were very long. (but so were the descents.) Of note, Malbaie and Baie-Ste-Paul were very scenic.
I wanted to cross the ferry tonight, but since I was late leaving and underestimating the hills I didn't make it. I will take the 8:30am ferry tomorrow.
I'm camped on the roadside overlooking the river. Sooo nice.
The town I am near had no camping and no restaurant. What down has no restaurants! No worries, I have lots of food.
I was supposed to meet John on the road but we must have missed each other.

Rest Day in Quebec City

2005-07-25T19:45:00.000-07:00

Woke up this morning to pouring rain. I turned off my alarm and went back to sleep.
We did tons of stuff today.
Point form:
Marche du Vieux-Port - very nice market in lower Quebec
walked by the Musee de la Civilation
Walked around Basse-Ville - (lower Quebec) - looked at nice shops and some artwork.
Maison Chevalier - free house exhibit about the role of the building throughout the live of Quebec City.
Bought a T-shirt (it says 'talent and energy to suceed' in French.
Ate a beaver tail.
Ate Chinese for lunch.
Musee de l'Amerique Francais (History of French Canadians, Metis, Evangeline and a science school that was run by monks that turned into Laval.)
Walked around Parliament

It was a very full day. I sent all of it with John. Good times.

Trois-Rivieres - Quebec City

2005-07-24T18:05:00.000-07:00

Ave. 24.6 km/hr Total 138.44km Ride Time 5hr37min
I actually left early! There was a Cora's near the hostel so I had to eat there. I was on the road at 8:30am.
Just before Quebec City I met a mountain biker, Mario, who lives in the city. He accompanied me past his house and his work and guided me to the hostel. On the wa6 we went by some of the historic sights anddown some touristy streets. We also stopped for some ice cream. Imagine that.
I showered and shaved and then was out on the town. I headed for a stroll arount Chateau Frontenac and to the Citadelle and then to the Plains of Abraham. I should have taken more pictures. The views of the St. Lawrence were very nice.
Mmmm porridge for dinner.
Met John, another biker starting in Montreal and heading east. He educated me on the Canadian accent. Pretty cool. He's studying languages at McGill on exchange.
Had dinner with Brett and Carley, Auzzies, busing across the country. After checking email I went walking around town and saw 2 busker acts with John, Carla and Tanya (2 girls from Mexico) and Zoey. (An Auzzie.)

Montreal - Trois Rivieres

2005-07-23T20:20:00.000-07:00

Ave 23.9km/hr. Total Distance 138.44km/hr Ride Time 5hr37min.
Maintenant, je pense en Français. This is not good because I can only think about very simple things. Baa.
The ride was very easy today and quite nice when I could see the St. Lawrence. I got up late again. Jimmy cooked a very nice breakfast of crêpes and fruit.
I am staying at the hostel and it`s super nice. And free internet! I did quite a bit of emailing, but only made a small dent in the all of the replying that I needed to do.
It was a good night to come to Trois-Rivieres. Actually, they say that any night is good to come. The nighlife appears to be very lively on the main strip. I am enjoying it in a coffee shop right now.
I walked through the crowds along the main drag and then to the water. I will make sure that I do the same thing tomorrow when it is light out.
Now it`s to bed for an early start...if I can find my way back to the hostel.

Rest Day in Montreal

2005-07-22T06:38:00.000-07:00

I woke up this morning to find a pigeon in the living room with me. It came in through an open window. I had been bothered by their cooing earlier but had just tried to ignore it and never opened my eyes. I guess it was in the room the whole time with me. I am a problem solver so I opened the balcony door and herded it out.
Good times. I don't think that it made a mess anywhere...which surprises me.

Today I will be hanging out with Mélissa as Jimmmy is at work.
I will write more later.
I`m back. I have done quite a bit today.
Mélissa and I met up and walked to Mont Royal. It has a beautiful view of the city and is a very nice walk. We didn`t get to see the Monastary, but we did stroll through the cemetery on the way back down.
Then we ate lunch at Just Noodles on la rue Ste Laurent. We kept up the walking and headed for Ste Catherine St. There are tons of sex shops on the way. It`s strange to see them one after another. After, we walked to St. Louis square where there was a nice fountain that we dipped our feet in. Unfortunately Andrew was not with us to carry on the tradition. We also indulged in some fresh cherries.

Jimmy was done work early and gave us a call and we headed to meet him and his friend Mélanie at a restaurant at the corner of de la Commune and Rue Ste. Jacques. (Also called Jacque Cartier Place..I think)

On the way, we walked through Chinatown...which I`m sure that it doesn`t surprise anyone..but smells the same as every other Chinatown.
After lunch....again...we took in the French version of Egypt at the IMAX. I was surprised how much I understood in the movie, though after trying for hard for the entire film I was tired. The film was about rafting the Nile. In my mind it only scratched the surface on each aspect of the trip. Culture. Dangers. The adventurers. Though, I guess if they had gone into more detail I would have understood less.
The film really worked up and appetite so we all went for Ben and Jerry`s.
And what trip to Montreal wouldn`t be complete without a trip to IKEA. Good times.
After such a long day it was nice to relax in the pool and sauna at Jimmy`s place and also take in the view from the roof of his building. I hope my pictures turn out.

Ottawa - Montreal

2005-07-21T06:25:00.000-07:00

Ave Speed 26.2km/hr. Total Distance 212km. Ride Time 8hr06min
I started late again! I have to stop doing that. It makes for what feels like really long days. If I had started at 9 it would have been fine. (I arrived in Montreal at 10:21pm)
I did some more sightseeing on the way out of Ottawa. Mostly the same things that I saw last night.

I rode through a nice park in Hull though I got a little lost and went in a circle. I stayed on Hwy 148 almost all day. It follows the north shore of the Ottawa River. There were only a couple nice views, but nothing spectacular.
I am staying in downtown Montreal with Jimmy, one of the guys that I met in Jasper. He has got a nice place about 3 blocks from the main road. Last night I called up Mélissa who I met in Regina and we all go together for some food at El Dorado on Mont Royal Ave./St.

It seems nice in Montreal, though I am sure that in the light it will be even nicer.

It is cool how French people do the kiss on either cheek. We were talking about it last night and I was saying how if they did it to my friends it would be weird. So I got the low down on it. You start on the right...one..then left...two. (In France they do three kisses.) The people's individual personalities decide who starts. It is the other person who then just turns their head waiting for the first, then second kiss. It's very friendly. Like 'y'all', but in a different way.
(It's different using a French keyboard too....èéÉÀàÇç^Ç¨öÖ)

Kingston - Ottawa

2005-07-20T06:23:00.001-07:00

Total Distance 184.21km
Ave Speed 24.7km/hr
Ride Time 7hr26min
I left Kingston at 12pm because I got my rack fixed by a guy named Bill that Uncle Mike used to
work with. After all the rack trouble I have had I have learned an important lesson. You don't
need to buy a new rack and worry about having it shipped to a certain place, or have to worry
about it arriving on time, or about how much the courier charges will cost. All you need is
someone who knows how to weld aluminum.
The rack looks beautiful now. I hope it will last me the rest of the trip.
The ride today was ok. It was easy, but not very scenic. I thought that I would recognize more
along the way but I didn't.
I'm am staying at Ashoka's place in downtown Ottawa. The main roads I took to get to Ottawa
were....Hwy 15 to Hwy 7 to number 36. Then to Baseline Rd. and into the city. Ottawa looks like a
very nice city. Perhaps I will look for placements for the 4 month work term for school here as
well as out west.
I got here around 8:45pm and showered. Then Shokes and I went out on the town. We had a good
dinner at Maxwell's and he took me on a night tour of downtown. Very nice. We saw:
Lord Elgin Hotel
War Memorial
Chateau Laurier
Spark St. Pedestrian Mall
Supreme Court of Canada
City Skyline
Parliament Hill (There was a cool light show/movie about Canada being screened on the tower. It
was pretty cool. We only caught the last 5 minutes)

Eternal Flame
American Embassy
Royal Canadian Mint
The giant spider outside the National Art Gallery on Sussex
The Market District
Rideau Centre
National Art Centre
Rideau Canal

Then we played pool at a fancy joint called Maclarens.
A good night.

Yet Another Rest Day in Kingston

2005-07-19T20:02:00.000-07:00

Called Diane and we hung out. We walked around downtown. Ate some traditional White Mountain ice cream. I also took my bike in to be fixed. I got a new chain on it. The correct chain and a new cassette because the old one still skipped when any pressure was put on it.
Hung out with Meg in the evening. Went downtown and walked around.
We ended up running into Danielle Kain and chatted for a minute or two.
Inbetween doing all this I hung out with my Kingston family some more...Auntie Suzy and Uncle Mike and the cousins.

Cobourg - Kingston

2005-07-16T19:15:00.000-07:00

Ave speed 23.6km/hr. Total Distance 159.63km Ride Time 6hr45min
I think my computer was messing up today so I'm not sure if the distances are correct..but it shouldn't be too far off.
I got an early start this morning at 8:30am. I tried to beat the heat, but it didn't work. The ride along Hwy 2 was pretty nice, though once I hit Hwy 33 it was much better. I recognized some of the scenary, but not as much as I thought I would. The ferry was very short, but at least I didn't have to pedal that distance.
All the little towns along the way were very nice.
I had my first thing thrown at me today while biking. When I was coming in Bath road some kids in a Golf threw an open can of cream soda at me. I didn't get a drop on me.
Damn Volkswagon drives!!!! :)
It's nice to be in familiar territory. I had a good dinner with the Cross family. Everyone is finally together when I am visiting.
I will be in Kingston for a few days visting with everyone. It should be a really good rest...I mean...another really good rest:)

I called Francois this evening as well and invited him to stay with us tomorrow night when he makes it to Kingston. It's too bad that Andrew has already moved on the the US for his family reunion. Hopefully I will meet him on the road soon since he will be a few days ahead of me.

Toronto - Cobourg

2005-07-15T17:24:00.000-07:00

Total Distance 137.5km (I think, the computer wasn't working properly. Ave speed 21.6km/hr Ride time 6hr21min.
The ride out of Toronto is pretty boring. I took Steeles almost all the way, and then dropped down to Hwy 2 on Alanola or something like that. I could have just taken Finch or Sheppard as well I think. meh.
I town I met another biker doing a weekend trip up to Lake Scugog and chatted for a bit. Definitely not the body type of a biker, but Douglas for sure had the heart of one.
I then followed Hwy 2 to Cobourg.
I called Jess in Newcastle to see if the Peterborough store had received my rack. They hadn't so I guess I will have to order my rack in to pick it up in Ottawa or something. Hopefully my repair job holds up.
Also in Newcastle a strange woman on a porch told me that there were two girls biking just ahead of me. It was definitely the strangest conversation I've had on the trip.
I met up with Trina and Heather about 40 minutes down the road near the town of Welcome. They were biking to Trina's cottage in Cobourg and had started in Pickering earlier in the day. Later on we ended up meeting on the beach in Cobourg that they had recommended to me. What a great beach. There were tons of volleyball nets set up for the OVA (Ontario Volleyball Association) tournament that is happening on Saturday. I was disappointed I didn't get to see, or play any though.
After the beach we grabbed some dinner and chatted.
They invited me to join them at the cottage for the night. I set up my tent in the backyard and had fun with the raccoons during the night.
We played Uno and chatted with Trina's family all night. It is so nice to meet such great people.
(Sorry Heather, I don't seem to be growing in my blogging abilities. I will try harder next time:) )

Heading to Kingston

2005-07-15T06:07:00.000-07:00

Hello,
I was going to head to Peterborough for a day, but it looks like those plans will not work. So I will be heading to Kingston today. Sorry for not updating my progress. I will do my best to get it up to date in Kingston.
I owe quite a few people emails. I will make sure that gets done in Kingston for sure.
Talk to y'all soon,
Ryan
P.S. I have put some pictures in my first few days. Feel free to check them out.

Rest Day in Toronto

2005-07-14T06:24:00.000-07:00

Got up and kept adding music to my minidisc.
Laurene took the afternoon off work and we hung out.
We went grocery shopping and to Canadian Tire to get supplies to temporarily repair my bike rack.
I ended up doing a pretty good job with the rack. I also tried to adjust the deraillers to work better with new chain that I had put on when I was in Guelph.
It still doesn't work very well. I think it might be the wrong chain. It looks so much wider than my last.
Laurene and I also went out for dinner with Emily. It was nice to see her. It's been soooo long. (We had Mexican.)
In the evening we went for gelato. Mmmmm. I had lemon, chocolate and cherry cheesecake. It was not a good combo, but they were all, individually, tasty.

Guelph - Toronto

2005-07-13T06:15:00.000-07:00

Ave speed 23.4km/hr. Total 98km. Ride Time 4hr 12min.
I started a little late.
I hadn't slept very well becuase it was so hot in my room.
Even though I live in Guelph I had trouble finding Hwy 7 East. I guess it does some turning in the city somewhere.
The ride wasn't hard, nor was it very scenic and getting into Toronto on Hwy 7 was pretty busy.
I think I dropped down to Steeles in Georgetown. I road some on the sidewalk on Steeles because it was so busy so the ride was slower than it should have been.

I got to Marcia's and Laurene's place just after 4pm. Both Paisley and Gordon were at the door to greet me. :)
I sent an email to both Laurene and Marcia and within 5 minutes they had both called me.
Laurene was playing golf in the evening so Marcia and I enjoyed a dinner at the Rainforest Cafe. Then we watched a tape of NCIS and tried to find the last episode of CSI, but were unsuccessful.
I was also able to add tons of music to my minidisc player. The new music will be very refreshing.

Rest Day in Guelph

2005-07-10T13:27:00.000-07:00

I have taken my bike to be tuned and have started laundry:)

Tobermory - Guelph - Big Day!!

2005-07-09T08:08:00.000-07:00

Ave speed 26.8km/hr. Total Distance 248km. Ride Time 9hr 15min.
What a long day, but I made it home. It was dark when I was riding from Fergus to Guelph. The only enjoyable part of the day was going through the last few towns before Guelph that I recognized.
Actually, that's not the only enjoyable part. Francois and I were drafting for the first 110km. (Just like we did yesterday.) It is unbelieve what a difference it makes. We traded positions every half hour. You still have to work going up big hills, but the rest of the time it's at least 40% easier to ride.
We parted ways in Owen Sound as Francois was going to meet up with his family in Barrie. They had flown in from BC to visit.
Coming out of Owen Sound there are some pretty big hills, but after it was fairly flat all the way to Guelph.
In terms of scenary, this was one of the most boring days.
It's nice to be home for a break.
(I know I've forgotten to mention something....so perhaps I'll add more later.)

Spragge - Tobermory

2005-07-08T07:49:00.000-07:00

Ave 22.8km/hr Total Distance 190km Ride Time 8hr 20min.
I stopped in a Ford dealership and got a piece of wire to put down the hollow section of my rack. Now, at least the rack with not hang on the one side. Had breakfast in Spanish and got to scratch my initials in a graffiti table.
I turned south on Hwy 6 to go to Manitoulin Island for a quicker descent to Guelph.

About 5km past Espanola my other stay on my rack broke. I ended up doing the same thing as before except I used the crank from my chain tool. :)

Just as I had finished fixing it I was passed by another cyclist, Francois from Port Moody, BC. We ended up riding together until Tobermory. and splitting a hotel room. My first one of the trip.
There are some hills on Hwy 17 but nothing really to worry about. Between Espanola and the Island it was pretty hilly. The Island itself was nice and flat, only a few climbs.
We arrived in South Baymouth at 9:04pm and had some snacks before the ferry arrived. $5.60 for bikes plus $13 for one adult.

Our motel is 3km from the ferry so we will be riding in the dark.

Sault Ste Marie - 1.5km from Spragge

2005-07-07T08:22:00.000-07:00

Ave 22.4km/hr Max ?? Ride Time 7hr02min Total Distance 157.95km
Today's ridew was very easy and the shoulder was typical for Ontario. Actually, so was the scenary. The views of the Lake were few, but there were some nice bays and beaches.
I left at 11:45am this morning. Ed's parents took me on a sightseeing drive through town. We went along the water, through downtown and to some nice naighbourhoods. They also bought me my groceries :) Thank you! And thanks for letting me stay with you. I had a really good time.
Sorry I didn't get to say bye to you Ed. I was so sleepy when you left for work. I had no idea what was going on.

I met the family that is biking across Canada in Bruce Mines. I said hi to them for Andrew. I think that the link to their site is on Andew's site. It was nice to chat with them.
http://bikefamily.crazyguyonabike.com
I stopped for dinner in Blind River and aksed for some tofu which was not on the menu. I guesss it always pays to ask.
I am now camped about 20km past Blind River near some sort of plant.

It appears that one of the stays on my rack has snapped. I don't know when it happened today. So I will see how it goes tomorrow. Crappy.

Wawa - Sault Ste. Marie

2005-07-06T20:46:00.000-07:00

Today was a long day. Lots of ground covered and lots of nice scenary.
Ave Speed 23.2km/hr. Max 59.4km/hr. Total Distance 237.17km. Ride Time 10hr 13min.
I got up and packed and was out before Andrew this morning which is a first. Of course, he was purposely sleeping in so it really wasn't much of an accomplishment for me. We are parting ways...again...but I'm sure we'll meet up again somewhere.

I climbed the hill towards Wawa from the campsite and took a picture of my bike and the big goose. It was too early to pick up groceries in Wawa so I had breakfast at the closest diner. French toast.

There were quite a few hills just out of Wawa but other than that the hwys were pretty flat. The scenary was very nice for this part of the ride. It passes though Lake Superior Provincial Park. There are no services on this section of the hwy I had to have lots of water and food. (The food part was difficult because I couldn't get groceries in Wawa, but I made do.)

I stopped for lunch and got more water in Montreal River. There appeared to be only one store/gas station that made up the whole town. (Blink).
I made two stops along my route. Both were suggestions from Pat's family. One: Agawa Bay to see the pictographs. Two: Pancake Bay Provincial Park.
Both were very nice and I got some excellent pictures.
There is quite a big hill about 35 km outside the city. Good times. Quite a climb.
I rolled into Sault Ste Marie and called Ed to get directions to his parent's place. After I nice shower Ed and some of his friends from work grab some food and drinks at Ubetcha (or something like that).
I haven't decided if I will take a rest day here or not. I have done quite a bit of cycling in the past few days. We shall see.

-- At some point I would like to revisit the shores of Superior. I'm sure camping and exploring the area would be very rewarding.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DIANE:)

2005-07-04T09:32:00.000-07:00

(i will update my travels later.)
- I am in Terrace Bay right now.

Crap Day - Dorion - Rossport

2005-07-03T09:20:00.000-07:00

Max 61.1km/hr. Total Distance 110km. Ave 21.2km/hr. Ride Time ????
got up and began hitching again at 7am. No rides. About 1 hour later it began to pour. I took shelter in the wioods under the fly but still got soaked. The rain broke about 1.5 hours later and I began hitching again, but being wet no one will pick you up.
It began to pour again so I gave up my dream of getting to see the memorial. I started back to the store where I had left my bike. I walked for about three km when I gota ride from a Lakehead Master's student on his way to Sault Ste. Marie.
Northern Ontario sucks for hitching.

I am now waiting out the rain in a restaurant.
It's hard to decide if I should venture out on the road becuase my tent is soaking wht. It's still very grey outside, but not raining.

So, it stopped raining at 3:30pm so I hit the raod. It was still very cloudy, but I wanted to make some distance. I stopped for ice cream just outside Nipigon.
I am camped in a picnic area JUST past the turn off to Rossport. Right on the water. Very nice and very free. There were three major hills today. Two of them were just before Rossport. All the downhills were nice and long though.
I ate my can of lentil soup on the road today. I felt so bloated. Just thought that I would share:)
Today did turn into a nicer day though. The sky got better after an hour on the road and I got some very nice views of Lake Superior and the beautiful rugged terrain.

Kakabeka Falls - Dorion

2005-07-02T09:05:00.000-07:00

Total Distance 116 km Ave 27.0km Ride Time 4hr 18min.
I rode my bike to Thunder Bay to repair my spoke that broke yesterday. When I got there it turned out that another spoke was actually ripping through the wheel. There was a full on crack in the wheel. I had to have another wheel built for my bike. $350. Ouch!
The nwew wheel is a Mavic, 36 spokes with an XTR hub. Sweet. My old wheel had 28 spokes. Apparently this is a low number of spokes even for mountain biking and would most likely fail when loaded for touring. (Another beef with Cambridge Cycle.)

I also had my rear rack fixed so it no longer pivots down and affects my brakes or my derailleur. Genius! They cut one of the supports on the rack and spaced it from the frame mounts. Absolute genius. While I waited I got lunch at JJ's Chinese Restaurant. Curried shrimp:)
I started on the road at 3:30pm I took Lakeshore Dr. up to the Hwy 11/17. Farzam at Petrie's Cycle told me to go that way because you are not allowed to bike on the expressway. Unfortunately, this caused me to miss the Terry Fox Memorial. I finally realized this in Dorion.
I don't know why, but this is one of the sights that I was really looking forward to seeing. I decided to hitchhike my way back the 65km to the memorial.
After trying for 3 hours I put up my tent in the bush on the side of the road for the night. (It never takes that long to get a ride.)
I ate my pasta salad that Pat's Mom made for dinner. Mmm!

Minnitaki - Ignace

2005-06-29T18:42:00.000-07:00

GOD DAMN HEADWINDS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Total Distance 133km. Ave speed 19.4 Ride Time 6hr 53min.
Well, I was only going to write the sentence about but too much has happened to leave it out. I called the Zetteks to say I would be there tomorrow and set out on the road again from Ignace expecting to do another 40km today. 2km out of Ignace it began to pour. It is still raining now. I was going to go back to Ignace to camp but instead I pulled off the road and am camping in the woods. I have enough supplies to there was no need to be in a town.
I had just finished reading more of my book when I looked at the walls of the tent. It was covered in slugs! Mmmm....slugs. I will have to be very careful when packing up tomorrow.
Today has been horrible. The headwind was very strong and now the rain has made tomorrow a VERY long day. At least I am dry.
I will be spending a rest day in Thunder Bay on Canada Day taking in a baseball game:).

Clearwater Bay - Minnitaki

2005-06-28T18:20:00.000-07:00

Total Distance 142.56km Ave Speed 22km/hr??? Ride Time 6hr 34min.
Heard my first loon call this morning. Yes, it's obvious that I'm in Ontario. And the blackflies are out. They seemed to start at the border.
I stopped at the library in Kenora and did some blogging and emailing. I also got my brakes tuned at Olympia Sport and Cycle for free. They were very nice there.
I was also looking at my brakes and I don't think I got a good deal when I bought them. I am going to go talk to Cambridge Cycle about them when I get to Guelph.
I met a guy from Montreal, Sam and had dinner with him in Vermillion Bay. he is the editor for the school paper at the University of Montreal.
I continued to Minnitaki where I stopped at a gas station to ask for camping info. She gave it to me and then offered the grass behind her house. After some consideration I accepted. It wasn't as far along as I would have liked, but it was free:)
Anyways, after I finished setting up my tent, she brought me dinner. (Leftovers from her and her husband's meal). It was extremely tasty. Unfortunately there was steak included. I ate what I could and will I will bike away with the leftover meat tomorrow. I didn't want to say anything because she was being so nice.
Next time I stay somewhere I will make sure that I bring it up in conversation. I'm off to bed now I have a big day tomorrow.

2005-06-28T08:20:00.000-07:00

My mountain goats.

This is beautiful Calgary.

Here are some pictures from Winnipeg

2005-06-28T08:12:00.000-07:00

Horse racing:)

Alison and I at the race track

CURRENT POST - Winnipeg - Clearwater Bay - Into Ontario!

2005-06-27T07:48:00.000-07:00

I HAVE DECIDED TO POST MY MOST RECENT DAY AND FILL IN THE REST OF THE DAYS AS I CAN.
Ave 25.0km/hr. Total 204.35km Max 50.4km/hr Time 8hr 13min.
The ride was good today. Mostly flat except for around the border and into Ontario. It gets into typical Ontario hills and rocks. It was a strange wind today. It seemed like a headwind, but I was able to make very good time. There was a shoulder most of the day. I'm staying in Pye's Campground ($10)
It was sad to say bye to Aloe. I had a really good time in Winnipeg with her and her family. Everyone was so nice to me.
I stopped for dinner at a roadside restaurant and had a tripledecker grilled cheese sandwich. It really hit the spot. Going out for dinner is a hazard of long days.
It was really good leaving early in the morning. It seemed to make the day go quickly.
I have spoken to Mike Zettek and am very excited that I will be staying with them for a day in Thunder Bay.

Broadview - Oak Lake

2005-06-22T05:41:00.000-07:00

Ave 21.2km/hr Distance 156.82km Ride Time 7hr23min.
Woke up this morning to Andrew muttering something about a thunderstorm. We both got out of our tents and decided to snap some quick pictures and go back to bed.
We started out after a good nap. We met throughout the day for breaks and chatted. We decided to stay at Oak Lake after getting some advice from the travel information booth.
Andrew had a few flat tires but we managed to make it to Oak Lake where were had good showers and some ice cream. The bugs were terrible, but somehow we managed to stay sane.

Regina - Broadview

2005-06-21T18:54:00.000-07:00

Total Distance 165km Ave 22.4km/hr Ride Time 7hr 24min Max speed 36.6km/hr.
Make sure that you take to fastest way out of Regina. I didn't. It takes off quite a bit of time and km if you go by the University.
I travelled with Andrew again today though we didn't bike together. We had dinner at a gas station restaurant and are camped in the community campground. It's a piece of crap. Don't come here. There is a donation box but I refuse. The bugs are bad too.
I got some carbohydrate mix in Regina and it seems to be working really well. My muscles feel great. Not much more to report. It was another day on the road.

Day Off in Regina

2005-06-20T18:06:00.000-07:00

So, today I hung out with Andrew and Melissa (a girl we met at the hostel).
Andrew and I started by taking our bikes to get looked at at Dutch Cycle. (Ask the people at the hostel where it is. It's a great place. Really nice people that know tons about bikes).
Then we met up with Melissa downtown and tried to find an antique mall that was listed in my guide book. We searched everywhere for it but came up with nothing. Apparently we just didn't go far enough. Oh well, I'm sure it wasn't that good anyways:)
We then walked around the main park in Regina. It's supposed to be the biggest innercity park...um....ever...or something like that. Bigger than Central Park. It also has another record. It has the longest bridge spanning the shortest water. oooohhhh aaahhhhh!
We saw the legislature and dipped our feet in the fountain on the grounds. We also dipped our feet in a fountain at the University of Regina which was our next stop.
We basically just hung out and walked around all day. Altough there didn't seem to be much to do I got a really good feeling about the city. On our way back to the hostel we stopped into the grocery store and picked up some food which we BBQ'd. Mmmm soo good.
Later in the evening we met some other hostelers from Ottawa and some from the Seattle area.
Some of us tried to get ice cream but the place was closed so we settled for convenience store ice cream instead. It was a very restful day off.

Swift Current - Regina - Another big day!

2005-06-19T21:31:00.000-07:00

Total 247.37km Ave Hwy 30.9km/hr (total ave 30.6)
In the morning I was tightening my bike rear rack and the head came off one of the screws. It supported the entire rack. I managed to borrow some pliers from an RVer and get out the remaining screw. I replaced it with a duplicate.
I met up with Andrew after about 3 hours on the road. We passed each otehr multiple times. After my Subway sub for lunch we ended up meeting another cyclist Pierre Bard. He is cycling across Canada in 4 parts. He will finish is 3rd part in Regina tomorrow.
Called my Dad for Father's Day. HAPPY FATHER'S DAY AGAIN:)
I convinced Andrew to stay at the hostel in Regina. It's a nice old house. Very nice porches.
We met some people at the hostel and went out to a bar called La Bodega. It's so nice to chat with other travellers. Melissa, Fab, Sue, Rene and Andrew.

Redcliff - Swift Current - Into Sask!!!

2005-06-18T21:30:00.000-07:00

248km total!!! Average speed 27.5km/hr. 9hr00min of actual biking.
Apparently Medicine Hat got hit hard by the storm and a building's roof collapsed. Golf ball sized hail. I don't think the tent would have stood up to that!
Great roads. Felt like all downhill. I had a tailwind all day long. The went into Medicine Hat to get groceries and spent 20 minutes trying to get out, only to end up back on the hwy 5km before I got off. (You should be able to get all your supplies without leaving the main hwy so don't go into town).
So..on the road at 10:40am and into camp at 8:30pm I think.
I camped just inside Swift Current at Trail Campground just north of the hwy. $14 per night. Pay showers.
Another guy pulled into camp just after me. Finally, a fellow tripper. His name is Andrew Ross. You can check out his log at http://canada2005.crazyguyonabike.com
The Prairies aren't all that flat so far, but it sure is nice not to have summits and passes to deal with.
The mountains do have some spectacular views, but so do the Prairies. There is something very powerful about biking through such a vastness.
It would have been nice to see this area before the roads, farms and houses.

Bassano - Redcliff

2005-06-17T21:28:00.000-07:00

What a crazy day. Left at 10am. Had a head wind again. It was about 20 degrees off direct so it wasn't too bad. I made ok time. It rained a bit during the first part of the day.
I stopped at a rest stop and tried to put money on my cell. Grrr. I hate Rogers. It took forever. Anyways, while on hold I got some good pictures of Prairie Dogs. Laurene, I think you would like them. They are as cute as Meerkats, but I don't think that they have the same social structure. Around 4:40pm the sky got dark and there was lightning. so I decided to pull off the road and wait it out. I set up the tent just in time for it to storm pertty good. The wind was pretty crazy. I wasn't sure if the tent was going to hold, but it did:) I had set up on the side of the hwy. About 30 feet to the side.
I read a little in the tent and had a nap. Quite productive:)
When the rain stopped (about 2.5 hours later) I decided to pack up and get out of Dodge. I could see the edge of the weather system and I made a break for it. With some luck I made it out without anymore rain or lightning.
While I was riding I passed an overturned transport truck and truck and camper van.
I biked another 52km to Redcliff. It was pretty much dark when I got there. I followed the signs to the campground in town. I stayed with soem guys that had a baseball tournament the next day. We chatted a sat around their fire. Good times. (They all got shamammered.)
Mentally, the first part of the day was tough but after the strom I was all about business. During the storm I was pretty relaxed. I had everything organized and I was mostly dry. I went 150km going by the map. My computer wasn't working properly for some reason.

Calgary - Bassano

2005-06-16T21:20:00.000-07:00

132km total today.
There was a difficult headwind today. It's not quite what I was hoping for after the speedy day that I had yesterday.
It was worst because the trucks really stirred up the wind when they passed me. The gusts from the trucks come in three parts. First, you get the initial burst that makes you swerve back and forth. Second you get a calm moment to regain your bearings. Third, you get the draft that pulls you along with the truck for a moment. It is in this moment that you pedal like mad to gain speed. Although it's a bit scary sometimes, it does give you a momentary boost and breaks the headwind.
It was easy to get out of Calgary. The 1 is nicer on the way out than on the way in. I stayed in the campsite in the middle of Bassano and met a woman from Quebec, Jocelyn. She is cycling to Montreal. I practiced my french with her over dinner at a restaurant by the hwy. Just after that we got a big rain storm. It was nice and dry in my tent.

Banff - Calgary

2005-06-15T09:49:00.000-07:00

The trip to Calgary was extremely fast. 68km total and my average speed was 28.0km/hr. It seemed like it was all downhill. I took hwy 1 and not 1A. People said that 1A would be less busy but the 1 wasn't bad at all and the shoulders were really good.
As I was biking down what looked like that last bit of mountainous territory I was thinking that I was disappointed that I didn't get to see any mountain goats. Just then, on a bank on the side of the road some rocks fell down. I looked up and to my surprise 3 goats where making for the woods. I yelled at them to wait while I got my camera out. Of course they didn't. I stood there a little longer grumbling to myself. I did snap one picture of an ass making for the trees. Just as I was about to get on my way again all three goats came back on the hilltop and stared straight at me. I got a sweet pic. I guess they felt bad for me or something.

I stayed in the hostel in Calgary. It was in a sketchy area of town. Apparently there is a Backpacker hostel that is a few $ more but is much nicer. I met a guy from German. I think his name was James. (Sorry for not remembering. Email me if you're reading this:) )
We visited the Calgary tower together. It is an ugly building, but the view that day was very nice. The mountains seemed so far away. They shrunk very quickly as I was biking.
We also walked along the river and saw a nice skyline of the city. We walked along 8th Ave which is a nice pedestrian mall in town with patios and cool shops. We were told to check out Eau Claire Market, but it ended up being just a boring mall. Apparently a few years ago it was a real indoor market with cool shops, but not anymore.
At night we checked out the nightlife board at the hostel and tried to go to a bar called Venne. The board was at least 4 months out of date so instead of a hiphop bar it was a bar called ClubHiFi. It was Pink Lightning night. (80's dance music). Not really my scene. We ended up staying much longer than we should have.
All in all Calgary was ok.

A Day Off in Banff

2005-06-14T09:28:00.000-07:00

The morning was a lazy morning. I got up slowly and made my way into town. Mailed some more useless stuff home so that I don't have to carry it. Then I had lunch at a Chinese restaurant in town. The waiter messed up my order so instead of getting tofu with blackbean sauce, I got a mixed meat pot. When I question him on the food he said that's what I had ordered. There was still lots of tofu and I ate my fill anyways. I wasn't in the mood to fight with him.

I checked out the information place to try to find something to do. I decided to hike Cory Pass Loop, "one of the most difficult hikes in Banff National Park." The guy at the information building was a little hestitant about suggesting it to me because I had only biking shoes to hike in. It's a 13km loop with an elevation gain of 915m. The recommended time is 6 hours.
The hike was incredible. Definitely a rival for my favourite hike of all-time. The start of the hike climbed and climbed and climbed and climbed....you get the picture. Eventually I was able to see the intended pass and began a meandering trail leading to it across the slopes. There was quite a bit of snow in the pass and my ankles were a little cold. The biking shoes just didn't have the insulation I needed. (Nothing to worry about though) When I finally made it over the pass the valley that opened up was beautiful. It had rock towers on both sides. The trail was extremely steep and for some sections I had to make my own platforms in the snow. (which was on top of scree). Most of the next trail section was scree. Very fun to walk on. When descending the pass it began to snow lightly. Very magical. The rest of the trail was uneventful and meandered through the woods. It took me 4 hours (I pretty much ran it:)) and I only saw about 6 people.
Here is the description. "This is one of the most difficult hikes in Banff National Park for strong hikers with good route finding skills. Return from Cory Pass by making a loop around Mount Edith and descending the Edith Pass Trail."
At night in the hostel I met some of the people staying in my room and we got a couple drinks at the bar in the hostel. It was a pretty early night.

Lake Louise - Banff

2005-06-13T19:54:00.000-07:00

Today was a really busy day. The weather was uncooperative. Bah!
I got up early and packed all my stuff and put it in a locker at the hostel. Then I biked up 4.5 km to Lake Louise. The hotel was awful looking but the lake was nice. It was super cloudy so there wasn't anything special about the lake...it was just nice. There were quite a few people there. I hiked up to a teahouse ...about an hour hike. I passed Annette Lake I think...and then to Mirror Lake where the teahouse was. I bought some chocolate cake:) and a sandwich. They were both very good and very expensive. I was going to hike further but it was cold, cloudy and rainy. (It snowed for a few minutes too.) I took some pictures but none really turned out.
Then I biked to Moraine Lake. It too was 'nice.' The cloudy weather does nothing for the scenary. It was really raining by this time so I dried off in the gift shop and restaurant. It began to snow really hard and I tried to wait it out but it was no use. I had a timeline to meet.
I biked back to the hostel and got my stuff and headed for Banff. I left at 4:20pm. I biked along the Bow Valley Parkway. A very nice, scenic ride. Apparently all the bad weather was around the lakes so the ride was nice. I stopped along the way for and hour and hiked Johnston Canyon and saw two very nice waterfalls.
The ride to Banff was very nice and mostly downhill. I arrived at the hostel at 8:45pm. The hostel is up Tunnel Mtn Road. At the top. Be prepared for a hill.
I haven't met anyone here yet so I guess I will be on my own tomorrow when I spend the day here. I'm going to review my guide book to see what I can do.
Night.

Columbia Icefields - Lake Louise

2005-06-12T19:48:00.000-07:00

It was a pretty cold in the campsite. I wore all my warm clothes to bed. Max 74.9 km/hr. Ave. 19.5 km/hr. total distancee 129km.
The hostel is down village rd. which is pretty much the first road that you come to in Lake Louise Village. Turn right. The mall is on your left as you pass by it. It is a really expensive hostel $37 per night. I should have camped, but it rained all day.
I took off my rain coat 3 times only to put it back on 2 minutes later. I stopped at Sask. Crossing for some food (way overpriced) and I also bought 3 chocolate bars. They were gone by the time I got to Lake Louise:)
Even though it was raining all day my spirits were still good. It's a shame I missed tons of great scenary today. I got to see the bottom half of (I'm sure) some very spectacular mountains.

Jasper - Columbia Icefields

2005-06-11T09:44:00.000-07:00

Ave. 17.4 km/hr max 70.4km total distance 109km.
I was warned the ride today was all uphill. I gained 1000m in elevation. Mostly in the last few km. I only rested at the viewpoints. The campsite is just after (500m) the info center. It's only for tents and vans (no RVs). $13/night. No running water.

When leaving the hostel there is a huge hill. That is where I got up to 70km/hr. It was very windy too, so it was super fun.

I stopped at Athabaska Falls and took some pictures.

I also met Nordberg again. He is the biker going to Calgary. He caught up to me again because I stayed in Jasper another night. I got his picture this time.

After Athabaska Falls a woman that works at that hostel caught up to me on a road bike.She was going to Sunwapta Falls junction for fries. I asked if I could join her. We spent an hour chatting about everything. It was pretty cool. If you stay at that hostel, tell Kat I say hi.

This trip has been good for meeting cool people.
(Left at 11:15am got to camp at 7:20pm.)

I met a German couple last night that are vacationing in the area. They ended up giving me their cell number just in case I needed help:) It was very nice of them.
Most of the people I met in the hostel spoke french. So I got to practice with them. Hahahaha....Gr. 11 french just doesn't cut it. I felt so stupid sometimes but I do understand quite a bit. It was pretty fun.
(There was a group of 4 that I met in the campground 2 fathers, 2 sons. Pretty cool.)

Another Day in Jasper

2005-06-10T09:35:00.000-07:00

The fire was good last night, but my clean clothes smell like smoke. I went to the Miette hot springs with a trip that was run by the hostel. It wasn't as natural or as serene as I was hoping, but still it was nice and relaxing. (well deserved I think)

We stopped by Punchbowl Falls on the way up to the hot springs, but it was not even worth wasting a picture on it. The springs were pretty far from Jasper, not biking distance.

Scott the guy biking to Ontario has decided to stop his biking completely because of his knee injury. He will be travelling to his parent's place in Ontario to recover. Crappy.

I began reading my book "A Short History of Nearly Everything" by Bill Bryson. I'm on page 82 already. It's pretty interesting.

Rest Day in Jasper - My Birthday

2005-06-09T09:31:00.000-07:00

Did laundry. Went to town with Scott and mailed some clothes home that I didn't need. I took a day trip to Maligne Canyon on my own. It is a limestone gorge with some nice waterfalls. Very short. I got a little lost at one point because I missed a sign. Just remember to keep your head up when climbing hills. On my off path adventure I ran into some climbers. We chatted it up a bit. I'm going to sit by the fire now. All in all, a pretty relaxed birthday.

Mt Robson - Jasper

2005-06-08T09:21:00.000-07:00

105km
I left and took another picture of Mt Robson. It's really good. (no clouds). I thought that going through Yellowhead pass on the border of BC and Alberta would be more climatic. Instead, you climb all the way from the campsite to the border. Long and slow.

I averaged 13.4km/hr over that section. By the time Jasper came I brought it up to 19.4km/hr with a ton of work. I stopped at the next Mt Robson Park for water. Got to town at 3:30pm and organized my stuff on the sidewalk. I met a guy named Scott who is also biking. He has a knee injury that has stopped him for now. I will have to be very careful.
Took the shuttle to the main Jasper hostel. Catch it at the totem pole in front of the park, next to the train station. There is a good info booth in the middle of the park.
Along my bike I passed through the park border. It's $7 just to be in the park per day so calculate the number of nights before you get there so you know what type of pass to buy.

I almost fell over at the gate cause I couldn't unclip my pedals. There were tons of cars behind me. It would have been really funny. Whew!
I met lots of people at the hostel. 6 of us went out. Annika, Scott, Kerstin, Sofie, Jim and I. We played pool and foosball and had drinks at Earls. We took a cab both ways. $15 each way.
I also tried to get my bike fixed but some places where 4 days behind in repairs. I found one that said they could have it for me end of day tomorrow.

Blue River - Mount Robson Park

2005-06-07T22:10:00.000-07:00

133 km today. ave speed 19.0km/hr.
I got my pedal crank problem fixed in Valemount at a nice little outdoors store there. Canoe Mtn. Extreme Sports on 5th Ave. They also put some LockTite on my rotors so my brakes won't come loose again. I got some groceries in town too:)

So, this is the second time I have seen Mount Robson. Well, it's the second time I have seen the base of it. The rest is always covered in clouds. Grr.
I am at Mount Robson Meadows campground inside the park. If time permits, I suggest you push on from Valemount. It isn't long or hard.
The campground is 17 dollars/night but I biked around and found another biker to share a sight with. His name is Ito. He's from Japan and is cycling to Alaska. He seems very like me...except I'm better at English.

Just outside Valemount I broke a spoke. One on my rear wheel on the cassette side. Isn't it a shame that I decided not to take the cassetter remover! (Kicking myself.)
I will wait til Jasper to have it fixed.
...We just walked and took pictures of Mount Robson...no clouds.:)
Later

Birch Island to Blue River

2005-06-06T11:20:00.000-07:00

I wussed out today. The rain got to me and I stopped early. A meer 97km. Ther were tow reasons: It was raining (which continued until 7:30pm) and there were no actual campsites until Valemount and I wasn't going to make it there. So, bottom line is ...I wussed out! The road was more hilly then yesterday, but not too bad. Messiter Summit at 765m was the only climb of note.
The nice woman at the last campsite made me breakfast too! Can you believe that???? Toast, coffee and some sliced veggies. It was waiting for me when I got out of my tent on the picnic table. I'm going to send them a nice note. :)
So...I have two more problems.
1. My Achilles tendon (spelling??) really hurts. I have fixed my knee, but it some how has made my Achilles bad. i can feel the creaking of tendonitis. Fun times. More pedal/shoe adjusting to be done. I have a way to pedal so it doens't hurt. So it's not a big deal right now.
2. My pedal crank seems to be separating from my bike. I don't have the tools to tighten it with me. it isn't something that should come loose. I will have it dealt with in Jasper. It's not dangerous. It's just a big pain.
So, today was pretty much crap. (Well, except for my breakfast:) )
So. Here is some insight into Ryan.
I was eating dinner at my picnic table, swatting at all the mosquitos around me. (This is the first time that I have really seen them.) Anyhow, I was sitting there...wet, groaning about my tendon, the rain and the bugs....and it came to me. They should add a bug part to the daily forecast.
"And now Harold Hussain from the weather desk, Harold"
"Um...today will be partly buggy with some sunny breaks and a high of 31. And yes, the triple threat will be out in full force today...blackflies, mosquitos and noseeums."
or....
"Make sure you break out the sunscreen and bug spray today. The UV index will be a whopping 7.9 and the BF (bug factor) 9.2."
Good times.

Kamloops - Birch Island

2005-06-05T11:10:00.000-07:00

132km today.
Jun 5. Got up late today. Changed my flat tire again, cause the patch wasn't a permanent solution. Left the hostel at 11am. Biked north on Hwy 5. the road was very flat following the North Thompson River valley. I made really good time and arrived at camp at 6:30pm. The scenary wasn't anything to speak of. Much greener than the Kamloops desert though.

There was one thing about the ride that is worth mentioning though. One of the trees around is seeeding. They are like dandelion seeds and float on the wind. It was like it was snowing. Very majestic to bike through.
(I bought some Subway cookies in Little Fort:))

I'm camping at the Birch Island Campground on the highway. The husband and wife that run this place have been so nice to me. When she found out I was a biker she brought me a huge fruit place. Mango, guava, pineapple, an apple and an orange. Mmmmm so juicy. We chatted about biking as she is a biker too.
She also brought me a fresh greens salad and a plate of stuffed peppers and yam and onion pie for dinner.....Can you imagine??? Sooooo good!!!

It was 14$ for the night. They have a phone, showers dishwashing station and places to stay dry if you need it.
It hard to know what to say when people are so nice to you.
If you are in the area please please please stay there and support nice people.

P.S. My new seat is a dream:)

Day off in Kamloops

2005-06-04T13:34:00.000-07:00

I have done some laundry and done lots of emailing and called people. I like staying at the hostel. Everyone is very friendly. I'm going out for drinks with a couple guys tonight if everything works out.

I picked up a new seat in town today. Apparently there are important arteries that feed blood to important parts of my anatomy and sitting on the arteries all day can cause longterm problems in the functionality of that anatomy. Well, I think you get the picture. The new seat is very nice. I am still in the market for some new tubes though.

According to my guide book there isn't much to do in Kamloops. Perhaps I will find something interesting to do this afternoon. Catch y'all later.

****I'm back. I met an Auzzie(Clancy), English guy Darren and a Scottish guy Mike. We all went to a dance club called the River. It was pretty good. They weren't club type guys though. they're accents really bring in the ladies so I brought me lots of dance partners. I've never heard bird used so much in one night. They were pretty fun guys.

South of Spences Bridge - Kamloops

2005-06-03T13:21:00.000-07:00

What a long day.
Left at 9:15am and got to the hostel in Kamloops just before 9pm (I think) It was a little hazy at the end:)
I will update the km soon. I don't have my computer with me now. The scenary again was beautiful and dry. Apparently there were quite a few long climbs on today's route. The only one of note to me was just after you meet up with Kamloops Lake. Grr...endless.
My right knee started to hurt early in the day, and I actually had to stop biking for a bit because of the pain. I have changed the setup on my pedals and it seems to be working much better. We shall see next time I'm out.
I got numberous flat tires today too. As I was coming into Kamloops I knocked my tire on a barbed wire fences accessing a bike path. (call me dumbass) I put on two new tubes but both had holes. ( don't know if it was my fault or not) I ended up patching the first tire and it's holding still.

I met two bikers today and they were both more than happy to chat about two-wheeled travel. Neither were really going in my direction, but at least it was nice to see someone else pedalling away.

I got my best directions yet. They were from 3 fourteen year old girls in the outskirts of Kamloops. They directed me right to the hostel downtown. (7 Seymour St.)
I will be staying here two nights even though I have heard from Laura and we won't be getting together. She is too busy with school stuff.

Jun 2: Biking Day 3: Hope -South of Spences Bridge

2005-06-02T13:08:00.000-07:00

My bike computer says 136km. That took me 6hr and 33min. I left late again at 10:10am and got to camp at 7:20pm. It isn't too bad though. I get enough time for dinner and then to review my route for the next day.
I'm camped at Thompson River RV Park a few km before Spences Bridge. ($8.50 per night. No phone or cell reception. Free showers.) The guy that runs it is pretty nice. Make sure you have time to chat if you run into him though, he's a gabber. FYI - there are two provincial parks between Lyton and Spences Bridge as well. Each is close to the towns.

Today's ride was the reason I wanted to do this trip. Beautiful weather (in the afternoon). Beautiful scenary. I took lots of pictures today. The Fraser canyon is very nice. Very dry other than the river.

Trucks have been very nice to me. There was only one problem. There was construction and all of a sudden my shoulder ended. I was going 55km on loose gravel and almost died. I fishtailed and swerved back and forth. If I had my mountain bike tires I would have been fine. Needless to say I slowed down very quickly.
I haven't seen any other bikers yet. People talk about others so they must be out there somewhere.

I was going to call Laura tonight to see if we could meet up in Kamloops but no phone and no reception.
When I was at Kevin's (I forgot to mention) my brake rotors came loose. As well, they were installed backwards. (I thank Kevin for letting me know.)

June 1: Biking Day 2:Vancouver - Hope

2005-06-01T12:59:00.000-07:00

Sorry, this post will be a little dry.
I went from Kevin's palce at E. 39th and Windsor (just east of downtown) to Hope. 152km. I left late at 10:30am and got to camp at 7:10pm.
I went up 99 to Hwy 1. Then I got kicked off the expressway because bikes aren't allowed. When I got on, there was nothing to tell me that. A highway inspection guy stopped and told me. As he was leaving he started speaking to me in Chinese. I just kept a blank look on my face and said that I don't understand. He then proceeded to say about another few sentences. Perhaps his English isn't as good as his Chinese...I said 'I DON'T UNDERSTAND' Good times.

I got off the expressway and took a 4 minute ferry to Albion where I met up with Hwy 7. It was a pretty easy ride. I am staying at the first campsite that I came across coming into Hope. ($16 per night and it cost extra for showers, but I didn't cave)
Internet access is at the Blue Moose Cafe downtown.

It rained for 3 hours today and I felt like stopping. It got pretty cold. The faster you went, the colder you got. Crappy. It cleared up at bit before I got to Hope. I'm really glad I didn't stop early.

Visiting in Vancouver

2005-05-31T09:30:00.000-07:00

Today I stayed in Vancouver to visit with Auntie Frances and Uncle George. We met at the residence that Uncle George is staying at. He will be on his way home tomorrow. Auntie Frances has made preparation for his arrival. We had a large lunch. Auntie Frances kept feeding me. (Mom, I'm sure you will be happy to hear that.) After lunch I got a tour of the residence. It was really nice. All in all we had a great visit and I got some excellent pictures that I will share with everyone soon.

I then started on my tour of the city. I decided to got to UBC and the beaches then up to Stanley Park. I took a path that was supposed to go down to the water/beach. It ended up being very overgrown, full of logs and thorny bushes. It has been raining all day which made everything extremely wet. An hour later when I finally made it out my jeans and fleece were wet and heavy. I still managed to bike around UBC. It is a beautiful campus. I asked for directions from a guy. He tried to explain where I should go, but I had no idea what he said. He spoke in the accent (I guess that is what you would call it) that deaf people have. I tried soooo hard to listen.
I then headed to the beaches. Very nice. I was getting pretty cold so decided to head back to Kevin's place. I ended up stopping at a bagel shop for a snack. It had a gas fireplace...mmm....I dried off and warmed up pretty quickly.
Kevin and Alex (his roommate) and Brad (their friend) went out for all you can eat Sushi for dinner. I am sooo stuffed still.
I plan on biking quite a long way tomorrow. Hopefully the weather is better.
Lates.

Comox to Vancouver

2005-05-30T22:49:00.000-07:00

I started in the morning at 8:30am after seeing Jayme off to work (sucker).
My shoulders hurt. They get pretty tight when I ride. My ass hurts. My feet go numb. And my legs are beginning to cramp. I will stretch my legs again later tonight.
Went from Comox to Nanaimo via the 19A highway. It is less busy and more scenic than the 19. When you get to Nanaimo it is another 10km to the ferry so don't get too excited. (Took me 6.5 hours) Just take your bike into the ticket office with you. I took the ferry from there ($12.65) into Horseshoe Bay in North Van. I decided that I wanted to take a road called Marine Dr. that goes along the water instead of taking the main expressway 1A. Other than having some really expensive houses to look at. It was a misery world of hill climbing and winding roads. There were lots of people on road bikes. It looked like they were training. Then there was me slowly hauling all my gear up and down the hills. I mentioned there were nice houses along they way. I got to take long looks at them cause I was going soooo slow. I suggest that anyone take 1A though it would probably be busier.
I finally made it to Kevin's house in Vancouver.

Make sure you give quite a bit of time to get around the city. It's quite large when travelling by bike.
My nifty bike computer says that I went 141km today. But I think it's more like 147 as I forgot to turn it on at one point during the day.

Vancouver is very nice. The Lion's Gate Bridge is very long but the ride through Stanley Park after was pretty good. I will get to look around the city a bit tomorrow. Once I got to Kevin's place at 7:3opm in Vancouver, East of downtown we took the bus to a Vietnamese restaurant.
Kevin and I have talked quite a bit about my trip and bikes and stuff. It's nice to talk with someone who is as into bikes as I am. We are just relaxing tonight which is probably for the best considering my condition.
I have spoken to Auntie Frances and will be visiting her and George around lunch time.
That's it for now. Thanks for reading. I'll try to have some interesting stories for you soon. :)

Last Day In Victoria

2005-05-29T22:31:00.000-07:00

Hello again,
So Jayme and I were very lazy today. We hung out in the morning did some laundry. Then drove to Parksville to visit Darcy and gossip about the wedding that she went to the day before. We went to a pretty nice restaurant with a patio and soaked up the sun. We went grocery shopping on the way back to Comox and picked up the last things that I needed to hit the road. We also rented Assult on Precinct 13. It was pretty good (a typical action flick).
Jayme's parents were so nice to me while I stayed there.
Sorry this post isn't too exciting, but I can't tell you the details of the wedding, or what I learned about Jayme. It's too scandalous. :)

Visting with Jayme

2005-05-28T10:48:00.000-07:00

Hello again,
Last night I went and got my picture taken at a sign that says "Mile 0," It's a plaque for a person that ran across the country. I thought it was fitting for my trip. After that Darcy and I drove up to Parksville where she has a wedding to go to. Jayme met Darcy and I at Darcy's Aunt's, Auntie Linda. (It reminded me of Giselle and Ben.)

Jayme and I are now in Comox and have decided not to go surfing. I'm a little disappointed, but I think it's a good idea. We will try to go kayaking around here either tonight, or tomorrow. Right now we are just getting ready to go shopping after a hearty breakfast. Jayme's family is just as nice as I remember them.
The weather has been amazing here. Very hot, very sunny. Hopefully it's a sign for the whole summer.
I will update this post later when I have more to report. Later.

So, Jayme and I have been very lazy here. We went shopping and picked up some stuff that I need for my trip. All I need now is food.
We had a great dinner with her parents and then went for drinks with her friend Brian. It was good times.

A Day in Victoria

2005-05-27T15:57:00.000-07:00

I have spent the day in Victoria biking around. I cycled up Mount Doug. (That's for you Erin and Doug now I can be in on the jokes)
And I biked around downtown. I ate lunch in a nice little vegetarian place called Green Cuisine in the Market Square. It was pretty good. It was cafeteria style so I took a small bit of everything.

If you're looking for a good hill-climbing ride to warm up for the Rockies I recommend Mount Doug. It's not too long, but the question "Will this ever end?" does creep into your mind. Just follow the road all the way up. Mount Doug Park is on the Northeast side of Victoria a few km out of town. It's on any map of the greater city. (Approach from Shelbourne St.) It might be nice to swing through UVic on the way back, but I didn't think of it until after.
Cover Pt. and Beacon Hill Park are very nice, and there is an ice cream store on the East side of the Park.

Flying to Victoria

2005-05-26T11:59:00.000-07:00

So, here is my first real entry. If you're looking for some indepth insight into the psyche of Dong, you can forget it. I'm as shallow as the pee in Paisley's crate on the drive to Marcia's last night.
Everything is falling into place nicely. The past few days/weeks have seemed very busy. (Moving May 1st, leaving work, packing, visiting and camping.) I talked to Jayme last night and arranged that I will be staying with Darcy in Victoria tonight. I met her last summer with I was hanging out here for a week.
She was very nice then, so I'm expecting more of the same:)
Apparently it will only be Jayme and I this weekend so we may not get up to Tofino, but we shall see.
Time passes....
Darcy and her roommates are super nice. They have been so welcoming. We went to have eats and drinks at a the Sticky Wicket. It was a big night. I had two Sprites and a pineapple juice:)

I arrived in Victoria on time. There is a stand in the parking lot to reassemble your bike. Very handy. I got a city map from the Information desk. There is a trail that goes from the airport all the way downtown. I think it's called the Lochside Rec Trail. Go straight out of the airport on the road and follow the signs (very easy). It weaves in and out of fields and neighbourhoods. Stay left at the only really big trail junction. The left arm goes over a large walking bridge over traffic(Trestle Bridge). Then take a left on the next bridge(Johnson Bridge). This is where you get off the bike trail. After the bridge you will be downtown. The trail is about 26km and took me about 1hr 15min

Last Day Packing

2005-05-25T15:29:00.000-07:00

Crap is hitting the fan.
My new minidisc player sucks crap, well, the software sucks crap! I've been on the phone way too long with tech support (with zero customer service, pssh I should know.)
Ok, it's not going all that bad. I still have quite a bit to do though. Most of my packing is done, I just have to deal with the cats and random things around the house.
I'll be flying out of TO at 9:05 tomorrow morning.
Perhaps I'll update later tonight.
Lates

I Leave Tomorrow

2005-05-24T21:12:00.000-07:00

Soo much to do.
Gots to go.
Bye.