Holy Toledo, I'm burning some serious calories these days. I'm eating like a pig and I just can't keep up. I'll be curious to weigh myself when I get a chance. I'm guessing I lost 5 to 10 pounds, and for those who don't know me, I didn't have 5 to 10 pounds to lose. I'll probably vanish into thin air pretty soon.
July 14: Terrace Bay to White Lake (139.13km)
I wanted to sleep in as much as possible today, but again I slept poorly. It's as if yesterday I hadn't biked enough and I was restless. Oh well. I got a huge breakfast and was off. I had been forewarned that the stretch to Marathon would be quite hilly and as such I suspected my day would be a relatively short 75km. It didn't disappoint. The roads were constantly up and down, but it made for some of the best scenery since Kenora.
Thankfully, the wind was in my back and I arrived in Marathon at around 1PM. Thinking there wasn't anything for another 100km, I started looking for a place to stay. Again motel owners seem to be suspicious of cyclists, because one of them gave me really good info about a motel about 50km away. She said the roads were flat until then and that it should only take me a couple of hours. Since it was still early in the day, I decided to go for it. Well never trust a non-biker to give an assessment on terrain. The road was “flatter”, but I wouldn't go as far as saying it was flat.
I'm staying in the middle of nowhere with a nice lake in front of the motel. I hope to make an early start tomorrow and see if I can make it to Wawa.
July 15: White Lake to just north of Wawa (112.72km)
The wind Gods may have been in my favour yesterday, but they apparently didn't appreciate my smug attitude, because they turned on me with a vengeance today. The first 40km weren't too bad because I was going in an eastern direction, but then the road veered south which was where the wind was coming from and it was just pounding me. At 80km into the ride I had the option to stay in a motel or continue on to Wawa. Even though I was tired, I thought I could make the remaining 50km into Wawa and arrive at a reasonable hour. As the afternoon progressed, however, the wind got stronger and got head winds even when climbing hills (usually the hill blocks the wind). When I saw the first motel 15km outside of Wawa, I thought it was time to pack it in.
The motel is a dump, but it was cheap. The owner is a bit off-putting in that he is too keen to please. He's, I'm guessing, in his late sixties and insisted on giving me a hamburger and wanted to give me popcorn and insisted that I could use his kitchen if I wanted too or to bother him if ever I needed something. It gave a Bates'ian (Psycho) feel to the whole transaction. But, I think he's simply a lonely nice guy who wants to have company.
I have a bit of trepidation about the next two days ride between Wawa and Sault Ste Marie, because every time I ask people about that stretch of road, a knowing smile comes to their face and their eyebrows raise and they say how much I'm going to hurt. Apparently it has very steep rolling hills. In order to allay my fears, everyone assures me that the scenery is quite beautiful. We'll see. Apparently, the terrain flattens out after that however.
July 16: Wawa to Agawa Bay campground (110.55km)
I got a late start today, sort of. Since I had very little food left, I had decided to bike into Wawa for breakfast. So when I woke up at 7:00, I prepared to leave. I then looked outside and saw that fog had settled in the area. I could however see the sun through the fog and assumed this was a good sign in that the sun would burn off the fog in no time. So I set off for Wawa.
Well, my assumption was wrong and the fog got thicker. I could barely see anything through my glasses because the mist left little drops on them. I could tell that the cars had difficulty seeing me even though I had a light flashing on my bag. Luckily there wasn't much traffic and I pulled over anytime I thought it might be too close (e.g. if I didn't have much of a shoulder and a truck was coming).
I finally did make it to Wawa and decided I wasn't budging until the fog lifted. So I had my breakfast and did some groceries and finally the sky cleared. By this point I was debating whether to take the day off or not. It was already a bit late (10:30) and I hadn't slept well the night before (the Bates Motel had many mosquitoes and some strange noises – no regrets leaving that place). Finally, I decided that it was too nice a day to sit on my butt in Wawa.
The ride was better than I had hoped. As I said yesterday, I had been warned about the hills and even though there were some significant ones, it wasn't too bad. I don't want to speak too soon as I'm told I'm not out of the woods until the Sault. I was a bit disappointed with the scenery most of the way. It was nice, but it had been oversold as being some of the best in Canada. Well, most of it is just ok. The last bit before the campground that I'm staying at is really nice though. There a few spots where you have a great view of Lake Superior and some land on the other side of the bay – nicely done God/random geological formations (depending on your inclination).
The accommodations are few and far between in these parts and I'm staying at a nice campground, but my site is right next to the Trans Canada. We'll see how well I'll sleep tonight.
July 17: Agawa Bay campground to Heyden (121.75km)
Today I was riding in the hills that I had been expecting for the past few days. They were numerous, some were quite steep, but they were relatively short (usually about a kilometer or two). The scenery was nice and the air was very muggy which made for a sweaty day.
I was hoping to reach Sault Ste Marie today, but as I was getting closer to the city at around 5:00 the traffic was getting heavier. I was going against the traffic, but there were still a lot of cars passing me way too fast (Mike and Erin, your compatriots drive like Brian:) and way too close for my comfort especially considering that the shoulders were pretty meager. When I got to Heyden which is about 20km north of the Sault, I stopped for the evening.
Since tomorrow morning I will be going with the traffic when I'm going into the Sault, the owner of the motel gave me a few tips on how to get around. So sorry Mike and Erin. I will be skirting around your home town and miss the beauties that it has to offer.
July 18: Heyden to Thessalon (102.84km)
This was a relatively short day, because I deliberately left late. Even though I was planning to avoid much of the busy roads, I couldn't avoid them all together. So I slept in and left at around 9:30 (after rush hour).
The roads have flattened out considerably compared to yesterday and the going was pretty good. However, there were a lot of cars on the road and the province is stingy with the shoulders in some parts. It's not as bad as Manitoba, but some areas did give me flashbacks. I'm going to try and do as much mileage as I can over the weekend to avoid traffic. Hopefully, I'll be past Sudbury by Monday.
I decided to stop relatively early, because I had some groceries to do and I wanted to update my blog. Thessalon is a pretty town whose reason for being seems to be summer tourism. It's right on the lake and has picturesque scenery.
Check out my pictures.
Friday, July 18, 2008
Sunday, July 13, 2008
The coldest winter I ever had was my summer in northern Ontario
Sorry, I'm stealing a line from Mark Twain, but I've never considered myself to be above plagiarism:)
July 11: Thunder Bay to Pass Lake (46.50km)
This was an unplanned short day, but I think I made the right decision.
The forecast today was not promising: rain, an easterly wind and cold (a high of 16 degrees). And they were right on all counts. I planned on leaving early to get as much distance done before it got too ugly. So I went to bed early last night, but alas, I only woke up at 7:00. Clearly, I needed the sleep.
I had a huge breakfast, packed my bike and I was off. Outside of the city, there is a monument to Terry Fox, because this is where he had to stop his Marathon of Hope. I stopped at the monument and the statue of the young man struggling to run and the text was quite poignant. I'm happy I stopped.
I continued on and the roads were quite good for the most part in that they had wide shoulders. So even though the terrain was hilly, I could relax my mind and enjoy the ride. I had been told that there was going to be quite a bit of construction along the road and that there were sections without shoulders or that the terrain was going to be very rough. As the construction zone began, I stopped at a truck stop to eat at the restaurant – I wanted to have a full stomach when going through the construction. By the time I left the restaurant, a blanket of fog settled upon the road. I started riding, but quickly realized that the fog would make the ride through the rough terrain ahead quite dangerous – my glasses were fogging up, my mirror was becoming more opaque and the drivers would have more difficulty seeing me. I decided to turn around and check the motel that I had just passed.
It has happened to me a couple of times on this trip that motel owners try to discourage my staying at their establishment. Maybe it's because I look rough around the edges or because they have had bad experiences with past bikers. In any case, the owner of the motel in Pass Lake was trying quite hard to undersell his motel. He was telling me how the motel 30km ahead had more services and how his TV is garbage (he's right on that point:). I decided to try and push on to the next motel and who knows, maybe even beyond if the conditions improved. If I saw that the conditions were unsafe, I could always turn around and since the wind would be at my back, it would be an easy ride.
Well, I biked about 1km and the mist turned into rain and a little voice at the back of my head was telling me that it wasn't a good idea to ride further today. Since that little voice is most often right, I turned around and got to the motel. The owner looked quite disappointed to see me again. He wasn't rude. He just looked like he couldn't be bothered to check me in.
So here I am, in the middle of nowhere with bad TV. I will take this opportunity to rest up some more and try to leave early tomorrow as the forecast seems to be more promising.
July 12: Pass Lake to Gravel River (112.68km)
The day began with thick fog and I had to wait for it to clear before riding off. As I was waiting to depart, I started thinking about my trip and I realized its true purpose. I knew it before, but I never fully articulated it to myself. Even though, I want this blog to be a true reflection of my travels, I won't go into detail about this because I don't intend this blog to become a confessional or for it to become too Oprah'esque. Anyways, suffice it to say that this realization gave me a renewed vigor. Instead of peddling for no good reason, I now understood its importance and why I must go on.
The fog finally cleared (literally and metaphorically:) and I was off. The first bit had construction and the roads were quite rough. But even in these circumstances, the riding was relaxing in that I rode in a construction lane in which there was no traffic. So I could set my mind on cruise control.
My destination for the day was unclear as I didn't know which towns had accommodations. I stopped in Nipigon's information desk and they gave me tips. I was planning to get to Rossport, but the winds were against me. I decided to pack it in at Gravel River. I'd be shocked if this place appears on any map because it is literally a motel and a gas station. Without exaggeration, the population of this metropolis is 2 (husband and wife).
July 13: Gravel River to Terrace Bay (60.06km)
Today's progress was regrettable as I had a significant wind in my back that was helping me out.
The day began rainy even though the forecast was for sun and clouds. I decided to wait a bit to see if it would clear. By 9:00 I thought it about the best time to leave even though it was still rainy. I got to Schreiber at 12:00 which is only about 40km progress (I am now in the heart of the northern Ontario hills and they can be long and steep). I stopped for lunch and considered my destination options for the evening. I asked the waitress and she said there was basically nothing between Terrace Bay and Marathon (an additional 75km).
Since I was wet, I got a chill over lunch. This accompanied with my slow progress in the hills and the fact that I hadn't slept well the night before (many mosquitoes and black flies in my motel - I actually slept wearing my bug net and bug spray) made me realize that I didn't have the legs for Marathon today and would have to make an early stop in Terrace Bay. It did at least give me a chance to catch up on my internet stuff. Great to hear from you all. Now I'm off to find fruit. I haven't had any in a couple of days and I was told it would be quite the challenge in this small town on a Sunday. Wish me luck!
Check out some of the scenery in northern Ontario.
July 11: Thunder Bay to Pass Lake (46.50km)
This was an unplanned short day, but I think I made the right decision.
The forecast today was not promising: rain, an easterly wind and cold (a high of 16 degrees). And they were right on all counts. I planned on leaving early to get as much distance done before it got too ugly. So I went to bed early last night, but alas, I only woke up at 7:00. Clearly, I needed the sleep.
I had a huge breakfast, packed my bike and I was off. Outside of the city, there is a monument to Terry Fox, because this is where he had to stop his Marathon of Hope. I stopped at the monument and the statue of the young man struggling to run and the text was quite poignant. I'm happy I stopped.
I continued on and the roads were quite good for the most part in that they had wide shoulders. So even though the terrain was hilly, I could relax my mind and enjoy the ride. I had been told that there was going to be quite a bit of construction along the road and that there were sections without shoulders or that the terrain was going to be very rough. As the construction zone began, I stopped at a truck stop to eat at the restaurant – I wanted to have a full stomach when going through the construction. By the time I left the restaurant, a blanket of fog settled upon the road. I started riding, but quickly realized that the fog would make the ride through the rough terrain ahead quite dangerous – my glasses were fogging up, my mirror was becoming more opaque and the drivers would have more difficulty seeing me. I decided to turn around and check the motel that I had just passed.
It has happened to me a couple of times on this trip that motel owners try to discourage my staying at their establishment. Maybe it's because I look rough around the edges or because they have had bad experiences with past bikers. In any case, the owner of the motel in Pass Lake was trying quite hard to undersell his motel. He was telling me how the motel 30km ahead had more services and how his TV is garbage (he's right on that point:). I decided to try and push on to the next motel and who knows, maybe even beyond if the conditions improved. If I saw that the conditions were unsafe, I could always turn around and since the wind would be at my back, it would be an easy ride.
Well, I biked about 1km and the mist turned into rain and a little voice at the back of my head was telling me that it wasn't a good idea to ride further today. Since that little voice is most often right, I turned around and got to the motel. The owner looked quite disappointed to see me again. He wasn't rude. He just looked like he couldn't be bothered to check me in.
So here I am, in the middle of nowhere with bad TV. I will take this opportunity to rest up some more and try to leave early tomorrow as the forecast seems to be more promising.
July 12: Pass Lake to Gravel River (112.68km)
The day began with thick fog and I had to wait for it to clear before riding off. As I was waiting to depart, I started thinking about my trip and I realized its true purpose. I knew it before, but I never fully articulated it to myself. Even though, I want this blog to be a true reflection of my travels, I won't go into detail about this because I don't intend this blog to become a confessional or for it to become too Oprah'esque. Anyways, suffice it to say that this realization gave me a renewed vigor. Instead of peddling for no good reason, I now understood its importance and why I must go on.
The fog finally cleared (literally and metaphorically:) and I was off. The first bit had construction and the roads were quite rough. But even in these circumstances, the riding was relaxing in that I rode in a construction lane in which there was no traffic. So I could set my mind on cruise control.
My destination for the day was unclear as I didn't know which towns had accommodations. I stopped in Nipigon's information desk and they gave me tips. I was planning to get to Rossport, but the winds were against me. I decided to pack it in at Gravel River. I'd be shocked if this place appears on any map because it is literally a motel and a gas station. Without exaggeration, the population of this metropolis is 2 (husband and wife).
July 13: Gravel River to Terrace Bay (60.06km)
Today's progress was regrettable as I had a significant wind in my back that was helping me out.
The day began rainy even though the forecast was for sun and clouds. I decided to wait a bit to see if it would clear. By 9:00 I thought it about the best time to leave even though it was still rainy. I got to Schreiber at 12:00 which is only about 40km progress (I am now in the heart of the northern Ontario hills and they can be long and steep). I stopped for lunch and considered my destination options for the evening. I asked the waitress and she said there was basically nothing between Terrace Bay and Marathon (an additional 75km).
Since I was wet, I got a chill over lunch. This accompanied with my slow progress in the hills and the fact that I hadn't slept well the night before (many mosquitoes and black flies in my motel - I actually slept wearing my bug net and bug spray) made me realize that I didn't have the legs for Marathon today and would have to make an early stop in Terrace Bay. It did at least give me a chance to catch up on my internet stuff. Great to hear from you all. Now I'm off to find fruit. I haven't had any in a couple of days and I was told it would be quite the challenge in this small town on a Sunday. Wish me luck!
Check out some of the scenery in northern Ontario.
Sunday, July 6, 2008
Renousse, stress and cool people
July 6: Kenora to Dryden (138.29km)
Thankfully, today I had a tailwind for most of the day that helped me along, because the terrain was rolling hills which can really become tiring after a while because you can never get into a rhythm. Unfortunately, the wind seems to have brought inclement weather. The day became colder as it went along and it looked like it might rain at any time. Given this weather I got a motel in Dryden and checked the weather network and the next few days don't look good with a strong likelihood of rain on Tuesday. At that point I should be on my way to Thunder Bay and according to the map, it is the middle of nowhere with very little before the big city of the north.
Before starting on my trip, one of my big concerns was the loneliness aspect of doing such a journey. Traveling for so long with Tony averted this problem of course, but even since we have been separated, I'm amazed how loneliness is not really a problem. Being a biker, a lot of people are curious as too what I'm doing and approach me which helps a lot. And I think doing this blog is a great aid as well, because it allows me to keep some semblance of normality by keeping in contact with people. I guess what I'm trying to say is thanks for reading and for leaving some posts:)
July 7: Dryden to Ignace (105.94km)
As I was loading up my bike this morning at the motel, I talked to these three native guys who were also staying at the motel. They were asking about my trip and I found a bit about them. They live about 600km north of Dryden and even though I don't know too much about their story, it sounded pretty grim. They talked about the alcoholism on their reserve and one of them was a kind of youth outreach person. They were in Dryden to take a break from the issues in their reserve. Anyways, they impressed me so much because even though things sounded pretty bad for them, they were quite pleasant and they insisted on giving me money. Again, I don't know their story, but I'm pretty sure I'm materially better off than they are, but their generosity was remarkable. Of all the people I've met on this trip, I hope to remember those three the most.
The ride today was difficult. They were calling for cold and rain in the afternoon. Thankfully, the rain only started moments after I reached my destination. It was cold and I had a healthy headwind the whole day. I was pooped by the time I arrived in Ignace and just wanted to relax. Tomorrow promises to be challenging as well, because it is supposed to be cold and rainy once again. Moreover, I hope to make it too Upsala which from the sounds of it doesn't offer many services. So I will likely have to camp in the rain. The following day is supposed to be better however.
As you may have noticed from the tone of my postings, the last few weeks have been difficult for me. Getting sick, the road quality and the mid-trip blues are challenging my motivation. Don't get me wrong, I'm going to complete my trip, I simply want this journal to be a true reflection of my trip and this is what I'm experiencing at the moment. In fact, I fully anticipate that this segment of the trip will be the part which I will be the most proud of when all is said and done. I will have to make sure not to stay in Ottawa too long when I pass through so that the temptation to stay won't be too great:)
July 8: Ignace to Upsala (116.00km)
I noticed this morning that I was very tired - not physically, but rather psychologically. I then realized that the stress of the past couple of weeks were tiring me out. In Manitoba, I was constantly on my guard while I was on the Trans Canada and in Ontario, while there are shoulders, I'm stressed by the trucks that are passing me - especially when there is on-coming traffic as the trucks don't have a lot of room to maneuver. I'm constantly keeping an eye on my rear view mirror and when I see a situation that may be tight I move onto the gravel shoulder. I'll probably get a few flats from this and may even fall down a couple of times, but I figure it's better than the alternative.
In any case, this vigilance is tiring because I am constantly mindful about what is coming behind me and about the on-coming traffic. Realizing that I have been on edge, I decided to try to relax more while on the bike - all the while keeping vigilant when need be. Otherwise, I will essentially burn myself out.
The ride today was ok if wet, cold and windy (thankfully, the wind was generally in my favour). For those familiar with the New Brunswick roads, I've been essentially riding on the Renousse for the past two days and tomorrow promises to be the same.
Since it was cold and wet, I decided to stay at a motel in Upsala and I met a supremely cool guy. My neighbour is walking across Canada. Yeah, you read right. He started his journey in Vancouver in early April and he hopes to reach Newfoundland in November. Joseph heads a non-profit organization in southern Ontario that promotes non-violence and eliminating violence in our lives in all forms. Even though this walk isn't directly linked to the organization, it is a kind of demonstration of his philosophy. A super nice guy and quite inspirational. Makes my quixotic journey look pretty wimpy:)
July 9: Upsala to Thunder Bay (130.28km)
The ride was cold and rainy today again, but the wind was generally in my favour. As I was getting closer to Thunder Bay, the roads were getting hillier. This was a bit of foreshadowing I believe for the coming weeks as I'm told the roads are very hilly between Thunder Bay and Wawa (probably a good 10 days away). Contrary to the Rockies, these hills are short, steep and frequent, but I'm told that the landscape will be quite beautiful.
Once in Thunder Bay I checked into the Backpackers Hostel and met a number of cool people. Dan is from England and has walked a good chunk of the Appalachian trail and is now going west to do some more adventures. Jean-Raphael is from France and is hitchhiking across North America and Marie-Chantal is from Montreal moving to Kamloops. All very nice people that we went to a concert in a park together. When we saw that the concert was of polka music, we promptly turned around and went to a pub instead:)
July 10: Thunder Bay to Thunder Bay (0km)
I'm taking today off to do a bit of laundry and relax. I was told about a spa not far away that is apparently nice that I may check out to pamper myself.
Oops, I forgot to post my pictures. Here they are.
Thankfully, today I had a tailwind for most of the day that helped me along, because the terrain was rolling hills which can really become tiring after a while because you can never get into a rhythm. Unfortunately, the wind seems to have brought inclement weather. The day became colder as it went along and it looked like it might rain at any time. Given this weather I got a motel in Dryden and checked the weather network and the next few days don't look good with a strong likelihood of rain on Tuesday. At that point I should be on my way to Thunder Bay and according to the map, it is the middle of nowhere with very little before the big city of the north.
Before starting on my trip, one of my big concerns was the loneliness aspect of doing such a journey. Traveling for so long with Tony averted this problem of course, but even since we have been separated, I'm amazed how loneliness is not really a problem. Being a biker, a lot of people are curious as too what I'm doing and approach me which helps a lot. And I think doing this blog is a great aid as well, because it allows me to keep some semblance of normality by keeping in contact with people. I guess what I'm trying to say is thanks for reading and for leaving some posts:)
July 7: Dryden to Ignace (105.94km)
As I was loading up my bike this morning at the motel, I talked to these three native guys who were also staying at the motel. They were asking about my trip and I found a bit about them. They live about 600km north of Dryden and even though I don't know too much about their story, it sounded pretty grim. They talked about the alcoholism on their reserve and one of them was a kind of youth outreach person. They were in Dryden to take a break from the issues in their reserve. Anyways, they impressed me so much because even though things sounded pretty bad for them, they were quite pleasant and they insisted on giving me money. Again, I don't know their story, but I'm pretty sure I'm materially better off than they are, but their generosity was remarkable. Of all the people I've met on this trip, I hope to remember those three the most.
The ride today was difficult. They were calling for cold and rain in the afternoon. Thankfully, the rain only started moments after I reached my destination. It was cold and I had a healthy headwind the whole day. I was pooped by the time I arrived in Ignace and just wanted to relax. Tomorrow promises to be challenging as well, because it is supposed to be cold and rainy once again. Moreover, I hope to make it too Upsala which from the sounds of it doesn't offer many services. So I will likely have to camp in the rain. The following day is supposed to be better however.
As you may have noticed from the tone of my postings, the last few weeks have been difficult for me. Getting sick, the road quality and the mid-trip blues are challenging my motivation. Don't get me wrong, I'm going to complete my trip, I simply want this journal to be a true reflection of my trip and this is what I'm experiencing at the moment. In fact, I fully anticipate that this segment of the trip will be the part which I will be the most proud of when all is said and done. I will have to make sure not to stay in Ottawa too long when I pass through so that the temptation to stay won't be too great:)
July 8: Ignace to Upsala (116.00km)
I noticed this morning that I was very tired - not physically, but rather psychologically. I then realized that the stress of the past couple of weeks were tiring me out. In Manitoba, I was constantly on my guard while I was on the Trans Canada and in Ontario, while there are shoulders, I'm stressed by the trucks that are passing me - especially when there is on-coming traffic as the trucks don't have a lot of room to maneuver. I'm constantly keeping an eye on my rear view mirror and when I see a situation that may be tight I move onto the gravel shoulder. I'll probably get a few flats from this and may even fall down a couple of times, but I figure it's better than the alternative.
In any case, this vigilance is tiring because I am constantly mindful about what is coming behind me and about the on-coming traffic. Realizing that I have been on edge, I decided to try to relax more while on the bike - all the while keeping vigilant when need be. Otherwise, I will essentially burn myself out.
The ride today was ok if wet, cold and windy (thankfully, the wind was generally in my favour). For those familiar with the New Brunswick roads, I've been essentially riding on the Renousse for the past two days and tomorrow promises to be the same.
Since it was cold and wet, I decided to stay at a motel in Upsala and I met a supremely cool guy. My neighbour is walking across Canada. Yeah, you read right. He started his journey in Vancouver in early April and he hopes to reach Newfoundland in November. Joseph heads a non-profit organization in southern Ontario that promotes non-violence and eliminating violence in our lives in all forms. Even though this walk isn't directly linked to the organization, it is a kind of demonstration of his philosophy. A super nice guy and quite inspirational. Makes my quixotic journey look pretty wimpy:)
July 9: Upsala to Thunder Bay (130.28km)
The ride was cold and rainy today again, but the wind was generally in my favour. As I was getting closer to Thunder Bay, the roads were getting hillier. This was a bit of foreshadowing I believe for the coming weeks as I'm told the roads are very hilly between Thunder Bay and Wawa (probably a good 10 days away). Contrary to the Rockies, these hills are short, steep and frequent, but I'm told that the landscape will be quite beautiful.
Once in Thunder Bay I checked into the Backpackers Hostel and met a number of cool people. Dan is from England and has walked a good chunk of the Appalachian trail and is now going west to do some more adventures. Jean-Raphael is from France and is hitchhiking across North America and Marie-Chantal is from Montreal moving to Kamloops. All very nice people that we went to a concert in a park together. When we saw that the concert was of polka music, we promptly turned around and went to a pub instead:)
July 10: Thunder Bay to Thunder Bay (0km)
I'm taking today off to do a bit of laundry and relax. I was told about a spa not far away that is apparently nice that I may check out to pamper myself.
Oops, I forgot to post my pictures. Here they are.
Saturday, July 5, 2008
Ontario the Beautiful
A quick posting as I should take advantage of the wireless availability.
July 4: Winnipeg to West Hawk Lake (164.12km)
I left the hostel at 6AM in order to avoid as much of the morning rush hour as possible. It worked out pretty well. I did get some significant traffic, but by that time I was leaving the outskirts of town and going against the trend.
The ride was good today. I didn't ride on the trans Canada at all and the traffic was light. By lunch I reached Elma and stopped to eat. During the morning I was thinking at one point how I hadn't had a flat tire yet and how things were going well. Well, I jinxed it! Upon leaving after lunch, I noticed I had a flat. It was actually good that it happened at the restaurant as there was also a garage and they could inflate my replacement tube much faster than my hand pump would have.
I intended on making it to Rennie today, but by the time I got there it was only 3PM. During lunch I met up with Jim (Kansas) and Mike (Perth, Australia) who are cross country riders as well. They told me there was a campground 30km further. Since it was early in the day, I soldiered on and got to the campground at about 5PM.
I'm now in fly country. I knew this part of the trip would be marked with a lot of bugs, but I wasn't prepared for what I saw. While I was riding, there were swarms of I'm guessing about 50 flies (horseflies, wasps, dragonflies) circling around me. What it made me think of was the movie The Fifth Element with Bruce Willis. In the early parts of the movie, he's a taxi driver navigating through the streets. Well it sort of looked like that scene where flies were buzzing in all directions and sometimes even hitting into each other. Initially, I was concerned that I would be stung millions of times, but I noticed after a while that they didn't sting me. It seemed, they simply wanted to taunt me. Eventually, I began to ignore them. They remained a concern however because some would land on my glasses and block my view or fly in my ears.
July 5: West Hawk Lake to Kenora (67.80km)
I rode into Ontario today and was extremely glad to leave the Manitoba highways. So far, Ontario's roads are treating me much better. The scenery is getting a lot prettier and hillier as well. I was riding by lakes all day and they were all very picturesque.
For the next few days, the distances that I travel will in large part be governed by the accommodations available. Today was a short ride because the next available option was 90km away through hilly territory. I'm glad I stopped here as it's quite pretty and I was able to do some groceries and go for a swim.
As it happens, Jim and Mike from yesterday are at the same campground. A few more words about them. The two met a few years back on a bike trip crossing the US and they have been partnering up ever since. Needless to say they have a ton of touring experience and make me look like a complete rookie:) If you're interested, check out Jim's website at www.WanderingTheWorld.com
Check out the pictures of the pretty scenery.
July 4: Winnipeg to West Hawk Lake (164.12km)
I left the hostel at 6AM in order to avoid as much of the morning rush hour as possible. It worked out pretty well. I did get some significant traffic, but by that time I was leaving the outskirts of town and going against the trend.
The ride was good today. I didn't ride on the trans Canada at all and the traffic was light. By lunch I reached Elma and stopped to eat. During the morning I was thinking at one point how I hadn't had a flat tire yet and how things were going well. Well, I jinxed it! Upon leaving after lunch, I noticed I had a flat. It was actually good that it happened at the restaurant as there was also a garage and they could inflate my replacement tube much faster than my hand pump would have.
I intended on making it to Rennie today, but by the time I got there it was only 3PM. During lunch I met up with Jim (Kansas) and Mike (Perth, Australia) who are cross country riders as well. They told me there was a campground 30km further. Since it was early in the day, I soldiered on and got to the campground at about 5PM.
I'm now in fly country. I knew this part of the trip would be marked with a lot of bugs, but I wasn't prepared for what I saw. While I was riding, there were swarms of I'm guessing about 50 flies (horseflies, wasps, dragonflies) circling around me. What it made me think of was the movie The Fifth Element with Bruce Willis. In the early parts of the movie, he's a taxi driver navigating through the streets. Well it sort of looked like that scene where flies were buzzing in all directions and sometimes even hitting into each other. Initially, I was concerned that I would be stung millions of times, but I noticed after a while that they didn't sting me. It seemed, they simply wanted to taunt me. Eventually, I began to ignore them. They remained a concern however because some would land on my glasses and block my view or fly in my ears.
July 5: West Hawk Lake to Kenora (67.80km)
I rode into Ontario today and was extremely glad to leave the Manitoba highways. So far, Ontario's roads are treating me much better. The scenery is getting a lot prettier and hillier as well. I was riding by lakes all day and they were all very picturesque.
For the next few days, the distances that I travel will in large part be governed by the accommodations available. Today was a short ride because the next available option was 90km away through hilly territory. I'm glad I stopped here as it's quite pretty and I was able to do some groceries and go for a swim.
As it happens, Jim and Mike from yesterday are at the same campground. A few more words about them. The two met a few years back on a bike trip crossing the US and they have been partnering up ever since. Needless to say they have a ton of touring experience and make me look like a complete rookie:) If you're interested, check out Jim's website at www.WanderingTheWorld.com
Check out the pictures of the pretty scenery.
Tuesday, July 1, 2008
July 1: Brandon to Portage la Prairie (126.35km)
The roads were in general better today except for 20km outside of Brandon and upon arriving in Portage (more on that later).
A big concern on today's journey however was finding services. Between Brandon and Portage, there are just a few restaurants and service stations. It being Canada Day, some of these businesses were closed. And since it was a very hot day, I was a bit concerned about having enough water. I carry about 3.5 liters of water/Gatorade with me, but in a hot day, this goes pretty fast. About 70km into my trip I only had 1 liter left and I was hoping that Austin - a small town up ahead - would have something. If they didn't, I would have to make that liter last until Portage. I could have done it, but it would have been pushing it. As luck would have it, Austin came through! It had a restaurant and a corner store. I ate and filled up my water bottles and was off.
That hour break saw a change in the weather however. The winds had now picked up considerably and it was hitting me at an angle - about the angle of 10 o'clock (actually more like 10:23). This slowed my progress considerably. All along the road up to and including these new conditions, I was planning on camping on the other side of Portage. Even the wind didn't waver my conviction to camp. It was a sunny day and even though they were calling for thunder storms, I thought that it would still be fine to camp. What broke my conviction was when I arrived at Portage. 10km outside of town, the shoulders disappeared. I can almost understand not having shoulders in the middle of nowhere where there is little traffic, but not having a shoulder so close to a mid size city is down right stupid. I rode on the road for about half a kilometer, but I saw that the traffic was way too heavy for this. So I rode on the gravel. This slowed my progress even more. What irked me the most was when I was riding on these shoulders and in a couple of places, the ground was bare of any gravel and there was pavement underneath. What!!! They covered up the pavement with loose stones. Are they sadistic? I could only come to one conclusion. They had done this to tick me off. And they were successful. I think most would back me up when I say that I rarely get mad. But when I saw that pavement, I was livid and I was cursing the Portage city council morons for the remainder of the ride.
At that point, I didn't want to deal with any more riding that day and decided to stop at the first accommodation and since camping was on the other side of town, I picked a motel.
July 2: Portage la Prairie to Winnipeg (114.47km)
What should have been a short easy ride into Winnipeg was circuitous and difficult.
I left Portage at 6AM because I wanted to avoid any traffic going out of the city because I didn't know what the state of the shoulders were going to be. At first they were pretty good and I was hopeful that the province deemed it wise to have good roads into Winnipeg. Well I obviously give to much credit to Manitoba legislators. Clearly the province is evil and wishes to torture cyclists. After about 30km the shoulders disappeared. I continued riding, but I quickly felt that I should get off the highway ASAP. This opportunity occurred in Elie where I stopped for breakfast. In talking to a local, he recommended that I go north to route 26 and he assured me there would be little to no traffic.
So I set off north for a 10km detour to get to the route 26. This was the first time that I felt the full force of the prairie wind which I was hitting almost directly. The 10km detour which should have taken me about 25 minutes probably took about an hour. It was painfully slow, but it was better than dealing with traffic. Once I reached route 26, it got much easier and, lo and behold, there were shoulders!!!
I met a German couple that were going the opposite direction and who are traveling from Quebec City to Vancouver. We exchanged advice about roads to take and they told me that the roads don't get much better for the remainder of Manitoba, but they reassured me that Ontario offers much better shoulders.
After having to take another detour to reach downtown Winnipeg, I checked into the hostel where I will stay for at least two nights so that I can get some stuff done (laundry, repairs to the bike, shopping, etc) and, if time and energy permits, I'll visit the city.
July 3: Winnipeg to Winnipeg (2km)
Today is errand and rest day. I brought my bike to a shop to get a tune up before I leave and I tried to visit the city. I say I tried because I went to a place called the Forks (where the Red River and the Assiniboine branch out), sat on a bench and promptly fell asleep. Clearly rest was in order. So I'm taking it easy today and doing as little as possible.
I'm meeting a number of cool people. I'm staying at the hostel and one of my roommates yesterday was from Guatemala and he has been traveling from his native land to Winnipeg in the hopes of finding work and immigrating here. For the past week he walked from the US border to Winnipeg. I think he slept 16 hours last night. Sort of puts my life and my journey into perspective. I'm putting myself through challenges for the fun of it and he's doing it for his very survival.
Saw a couple of bands as well. Winnipeg seems to have a thriving music scene.
Well I'm off tomorrow in the hopes of reaching northern Ontario the following day. Throughout northern Ontario, my postings may be sporadic as there may be long stretches without internet service.
Only a couple of pictures this time around. One that is a typical view on the road of the Manitoba landscape and the other that tries to convey the wind that I was going up against in my ride into Winnipeg. I thought of taking a picture of my rear view mirror as this is what I've been looking mostly at during these past few days:)
The roads were in general better today except for 20km outside of Brandon and upon arriving in Portage (more on that later).
A big concern on today's journey however was finding services. Between Brandon and Portage, there are just a few restaurants and service stations. It being Canada Day, some of these businesses were closed. And since it was a very hot day, I was a bit concerned about having enough water. I carry about 3.5 liters of water/Gatorade with me, but in a hot day, this goes pretty fast. About 70km into my trip I only had 1 liter left and I was hoping that Austin - a small town up ahead - would have something. If they didn't, I would have to make that liter last until Portage. I could have done it, but it would have been pushing it. As luck would have it, Austin came through! It had a restaurant and a corner store. I ate and filled up my water bottles and was off.
That hour break saw a change in the weather however. The winds had now picked up considerably and it was hitting me at an angle - about the angle of 10 o'clock (actually more like 10:23). This slowed my progress considerably. All along the road up to and including these new conditions, I was planning on camping on the other side of Portage. Even the wind didn't waver my conviction to camp. It was a sunny day and even though they were calling for thunder storms, I thought that it would still be fine to camp. What broke my conviction was when I arrived at Portage. 10km outside of town, the shoulders disappeared. I can almost understand not having shoulders in the middle of nowhere where there is little traffic, but not having a shoulder so close to a mid size city is down right stupid. I rode on the road for about half a kilometer, but I saw that the traffic was way too heavy for this. So I rode on the gravel. This slowed my progress even more. What irked me the most was when I was riding on these shoulders and in a couple of places, the ground was bare of any gravel and there was pavement underneath. What!!! They covered up the pavement with loose stones. Are they sadistic? I could only come to one conclusion. They had done this to tick me off. And they were successful. I think most would back me up when I say that I rarely get mad. But when I saw that pavement, I was livid and I was cursing the Portage city council morons for the remainder of the ride.
At that point, I didn't want to deal with any more riding that day and decided to stop at the first accommodation and since camping was on the other side of town, I picked a motel.
July 2: Portage la Prairie to Winnipeg (114.47km)
What should have been a short easy ride into Winnipeg was circuitous and difficult.
I left Portage at 6AM because I wanted to avoid any traffic going out of the city because I didn't know what the state of the shoulders were going to be. At first they were pretty good and I was hopeful that the province deemed it wise to have good roads into Winnipeg. Well I obviously give to much credit to Manitoba legislators. Clearly the province is evil and wishes to torture cyclists. After about 30km the shoulders disappeared. I continued riding, but I quickly felt that I should get off the highway ASAP. This opportunity occurred in Elie where I stopped for breakfast. In talking to a local, he recommended that I go north to route 26 and he assured me there would be little to no traffic.
So I set off north for a 10km detour to get to the route 26. This was the first time that I felt the full force of the prairie wind which I was hitting almost directly. The 10km detour which should have taken me about 25 minutes probably took about an hour. It was painfully slow, but it was better than dealing with traffic. Once I reached route 26, it got much easier and, lo and behold, there were shoulders!!!
I met a German couple that were going the opposite direction and who are traveling from Quebec City to Vancouver. We exchanged advice about roads to take and they told me that the roads don't get much better for the remainder of Manitoba, but they reassured me that Ontario offers much better shoulders.
After having to take another detour to reach downtown Winnipeg, I checked into the hostel where I will stay for at least two nights so that I can get some stuff done (laundry, repairs to the bike, shopping, etc) and, if time and energy permits, I'll visit the city.
July 3: Winnipeg to Winnipeg (2km)
Today is errand and rest day. I brought my bike to a shop to get a tune up before I leave and I tried to visit the city. I say I tried because I went to a place called the Forks (where the Red River and the Assiniboine branch out), sat on a bench and promptly fell asleep. Clearly rest was in order. So I'm taking it easy today and doing as little as possible.
I'm meeting a number of cool people. I'm staying at the hostel and one of my roommates yesterday was from Guatemala and he has been traveling from his native land to Winnipeg in the hopes of finding work and immigrating here. For the past week he walked from the US border to Winnipeg. I think he slept 16 hours last night. Sort of puts my life and my journey into perspective. I'm putting myself through challenges for the fun of it and he's doing it for his very survival.
Saw a couple of bands as well. Winnipeg seems to have a thriving music scene.
Well I'm off tomorrow in the hopes of reaching northern Ontario the following day. Throughout northern Ontario, my postings may be sporadic as there may be long stretches without internet service.
Only a couple of pictures this time around. One that is a typical view on the road of the Manitoba landscape and the other that tries to convey the wind that I was going up against in my ride into Winnipeg. I thought of taking a picture of my rear view mirror as this is what I've been looking mostly at during these past few days:)
Friday, June 27, 2008
Happy Canada Day et bonne fete Emilie
June 27: Moose Jaw to Regina (81.24km)
When I woke up this morning, the sun was shining through the window. They had been forecasting rain, but I thought to myself "Baa, when have they been right so far?" I looked at the horizon and it's true that there were clouds, but they didn't look altogether threatening and there were some breaks in the clouds. So I got ready. I had to make a quick stop at the hospital to give them a couple of samples that they were going to test and the bike ride there was really cold. I went back to the motel to finish packing and put on more clothing.
As soon as I dropped off my key (literally), the first drops of rain fell. Hmmm, a bad omen perhaps, but enough with the lethargy, I was off. It didn't take long that it started raining steadily. Nothing too bad, but it was clear that the weather guru had gotten it right. Thankfully, there was a really strong wind and it was landing squarely on my back. If the wind would have been the other direction, I would have stayed in Moose Jaw another night. As it turns out, I got to Regina before noon and even though it was cold and I was wet, I wasn't yet cold because the act of biking had kept me warm. However, I knew that if I stopped, I would freeze. So stopping for lunch and continuing on was out of the question. So I took the first reasonably priced motel room that I could find.
After a hot bath and lunch, the rain really started to come down. I was glad to not be riding or camping.
Last note: my energy was good today. I didn't feel sluggish like I had the last few days of riding and my digestons seems to have settled down quite nicely. Hopefully it will hold up.
June 28: Regina to Grenfell (123.12km)
I woke today to much optimism. I looked outside and there was a flag outside my window that was flowing vigorously toward the East. Yes, I thought, this is going to be a fun day. Well the flag was a bit deceptive because the wind hit me from the North which was sometimes to my advantage and sometimes not.
I got to Grenfell around 4PM. While asking for directions to the campground I found out that there was a street party going on that evening to celebrate Canada Day. So I decided to check it out. I am not a drinker at the best of times and especially not of beer. Everyone tells me it is an acquired taste and I've clearly never put in the necessary effort to acquire it. That being said, after riding 123km in the beating sun, that beer was some good.
For a small town that proudly advertised that it had seven churches in town, I found it ironic that they decided to name the celebration “Mardi Gras” considering that it was neither Tuesday nor lent, but I guess that it is now synonymous to party. The party as it turned out was pretty tame and I still got to bed at a reasonable hour.
Last point: The campground was nearly empty but one of my neighbour who was straight out of the movie Deliverance was quite the character. He told me with great gusto that he was there for the weekend and that he wasn't budging until he had finished a big bottle of whiskey and another of vodka. After seeing him the following morning, I think he was well on his way of attaining his goal.
June 29: Grenfell to Elkhorn (142.47km)
The conditions were really good today. A beautiful sunny sky and a slight tailwind. I made pretty good time and decided to settle in Elkhorn for the night, because the next campsite was a good 30km away which would have made for a late night as I had crossed another time zone.
Yup, I've left Saskatchewan and I'm not sad to see it go. I'm sure there are several great things about the province, but I will only remember it as a very challenging place (not altogether its fault of course). Two positive things that I should mention about the province however. 1) The sky is quite beautiful here. It is very dramatic and makes for some pretty sunsets. 2) The eastern part of the province seemed to be more life affirming than the western part. The few towns I crossed through west of Moose Jaw were downright depressing. Ever since then however, the towns are prettier, the people nicer and the general atmosphere more optimistic. Now this may have partially been due to my state of mind in both parts as well:)
As I was biking into Elkhorn today I was chased by a dog. This happens now and again when riding, but usually the dog simply makes sure that you're out of their territory and gives up. This one, however, had it in for me. He was a hefty dog and he chased me for a good 50 meters. Luckily I had enough juice in my legs to out run it. It worried me however that I would have to pass by that same place to leave town especially considering that from this side, the dog would see me coming from farther away. I had decided that if I had to go by there again, I would have my bear spray at the ready. For those who don't know, bear spray is like pepper spray times 100. I've thankfully never had to use it, but apparently it is nasty stuff and could possibly kill the dog. I didn't want to kill the dog, but I do have a well developed sense of self preservation. As it turns out, there was a second exit to the town. So I won't have to see that dog ever again.
June 30: Elkhorn to Brandon (111.08km)
Today was overshadowed by tragedy. I doubt this made news where you live, but yesterday four cross-country cyclists were hit by a car and two died. Three of the cyclists were from St-Bruno, Quebec and the fourth was from Kelowna, BC. Moreover, they were hit on a part of the highway that I rode on today.
The highways up until now have been very good in that there are generally wide shoulders on which I can ride without any concern for traffic. This allows me to look at the scenery or get lost in my own thoughts. That changed not long after Virden where the shoulders disappear and cyclists are forced to ride on the highway. It is in that part of the highway that the collision occurred. Most drivers are quite courteous and move to the other lane to give you enough room, but some do not. Given the events of yesterday, I was quite paranoid and was looking at my rear view mirror all day. This makes for a stressful ride and after 100km I was mentally tired which was regrettable because the winds were favourable.
Along the ride, a CBC van stopped ahead of me. Once I caught up to it, a journalist came out and asked to interview me about the tragedy. I've done interviews for work before and I had to watch what I said. It was good talking just for myself and saying what I really thought. I went on at length about the dismal conditions of the roads in Manitoba (no exaggeration, they are by far the worst I've seen so far).
Tomorrow is Canada Day and I'm unsure what to do. Continuing with the Trans Canada is the most direct route to Winnipeg, but apparently the shoulders don't improve. I could go down to highway 2 which apparently has less traffic, but is only two lanes and more of a country road. I'm hesitant to go on country roads because they aren't perfect either (a car hit me on one two years ago). I'm hoping that traffic will be very light tomorrow as it is Canada Day. As such, I will continue with the Trans Canada. If I see that the traffic is heavy and that I feel unsafe, I will take the next road that goes down to the number 2. Wish me luck.
Only one picture. Pretty bad on my part. I think I only took 3 pictures in all of Saskatchewan. In hindsight, I should have taken pictures of the shoulders (they were so nice).
When I woke up this morning, the sun was shining through the window. They had been forecasting rain, but I thought to myself "Baa, when have they been right so far?" I looked at the horizon and it's true that there were clouds, but they didn't look altogether threatening and there were some breaks in the clouds. So I got ready. I had to make a quick stop at the hospital to give them a couple of samples that they were going to test and the bike ride there was really cold. I went back to the motel to finish packing and put on more clothing.
As soon as I dropped off my key (literally), the first drops of rain fell. Hmmm, a bad omen perhaps, but enough with the lethargy, I was off. It didn't take long that it started raining steadily. Nothing too bad, but it was clear that the weather guru had gotten it right. Thankfully, there was a really strong wind and it was landing squarely on my back. If the wind would have been the other direction, I would have stayed in Moose Jaw another night. As it turns out, I got to Regina before noon and even though it was cold and I was wet, I wasn't yet cold because the act of biking had kept me warm. However, I knew that if I stopped, I would freeze. So stopping for lunch and continuing on was out of the question. So I took the first reasonably priced motel room that I could find.
After a hot bath and lunch, the rain really started to come down. I was glad to not be riding or camping.
Last note: my energy was good today. I didn't feel sluggish like I had the last few days of riding and my digestons seems to have settled down quite nicely. Hopefully it will hold up.
June 28: Regina to Grenfell (123.12km)
I woke today to much optimism. I looked outside and there was a flag outside my window that was flowing vigorously toward the East. Yes, I thought, this is going to be a fun day. Well the flag was a bit deceptive because the wind hit me from the North which was sometimes to my advantage and sometimes not.
I got to Grenfell around 4PM. While asking for directions to the campground I found out that there was a street party going on that evening to celebrate Canada Day. So I decided to check it out. I am not a drinker at the best of times and especially not of beer. Everyone tells me it is an acquired taste and I've clearly never put in the necessary effort to acquire it. That being said, after riding 123km in the beating sun, that beer was some good.
For a small town that proudly advertised that it had seven churches in town, I found it ironic that they decided to name the celebration “Mardi Gras” considering that it was neither Tuesday nor lent, but I guess that it is now synonymous to party. The party as it turned out was pretty tame and I still got to bed at a reasonable hour.
Last point: The campground was nearly empty but one of my neighbour who was straight out of the movie Deliverance was quite the character. He told me with great gusto that he was there for the weekend and that he wasn't budging until he had finished a big bottle of whiskey and another of vodka. After seeing him the following morning, I think he was well on his way of attaining his goal.
June 29: Grenfell to Elkhorn (142.47km)
The conditions were really good today. A beautiful sunny sky and a slight tailwind. I made pretty good time and decided to settle in Elkhorn for the night, because the next campsite was a good 30km away which would have made for a late night as I had crossed another time zone.
Yup, I've left Saskatchewan and I'm not sad to see it go. I'm sure there are several great things about the province, but I will only remember it as a very challenging place (not altogether its fault of course). Two positive things that I should mention about the province however. 1) The sky is quite beautiful here. It is very dramatic and makes for some pretty sunsets. 2) The eastern part of the province seemed to be more life affirming than the western part. The few towns I crossed through west of Moose Jaw were downright depressing. Ever since then however, the towns are prettier, the people nicer and the general atmosphere more optimistic. Now this may have partially been due to my state of mind in both parts as well:)
As I was biking into Elkhorn today I was chased by a dog. This happens now and again when riding, but usually the dog simply makes sure that you're out of their territory and gives up. This one, however, had it in for me. He was a hefty dog and he chased me for a good 50 meters. Luckily I had enough juice in my legs to out run it. It worried me however that I would have to pass by that same place to leave town especially considering that from this side, the dog would see me coming from farther away. I had decided that if I had to go by there again, I would have my bear spray at the ready. For those who don't know, bear spray is like pepper spray times 100. I've thankfully never had to use it, but apparently it is nasty stuff and could possibly kill the dog. I didn't want to kill the dog, but I do have a well developed sense of self preservation. As it turns out, there was a second exit to the town. So I won't have to see that dog ever again.
June 30: Elkhorn to Brandon (111.08km)
Today was overshadowed by tragedy. I doubt this made news where you live, but yesterday four cross-country cyclists were hit by a car and two died. Three of the cyclists were from St-Bruno, Quebec and the fourth was from Kelowna, BC. Moreover, they were hit on a part of the highway that I rode on today.
The highways up until now have been very good in that there are generally wide shoulders on which I can ride without any concern for traffic. This allows me to look at the scenery or get lost in my own thoughts. That changed not long after Virden where the shoulders disappear and cyclists are forced to ride on the highway. It is in that part of the highway that the collision occurred. Most drivers are quite courteous and move to the other lane to give you enough room, but some do not. Given the events of yesterday, I was quite paranoid and was looking at my rear view mirror all day. This makes for a stressful ride and after 100km I was mentally tired which was regrettable because the winds were favourable.
Along the ride, a CBC van stopped ahead of me. Once I caught up to it, a journalist came out and asked to interview me about the tragedy. I've done interviews for work before and I had to watch what I said. It was good talking just for myself and saying what I really thought. I went on at length about the dismal conditions of the roads in Manitoba (no exaggeration, they are by far the worst I've seen so far).
Tomorrow is Canada Day and I'm unsure what to do. Continuing with the Trans Canada is the most direct route to Winnipeg, but apparently the shoulders don't improve. I could go down to highway 2 which apparently has less traffic, but is only two lanes and more of a country road. I'm hesitant to go on country roads because they aren't perfect either (a car hit me on one two years ago). I'm hoping that traffic will be very light tomorrow as it is Canada Day. As such, I will continue with the Trans Canada. If I see that the traffic is heavy and that I feel unsafe, I will take the next road that goes down to the number 2. Wish me luck.
Only one picture. Pretty bad on my part. I think I only took 3 pictures in all of Saskatchewan. In hindsight, I should have taken pictures of the shoulders (they were so nice).
Thursday, June 26, 2008
On the mend
June 24 to 26: Moose Jaw to Moose Jaw (29.84km)
This post will likely be my shortest yet as I haven't done much in the past few days. I've been in Moose Jaw for the past 4 days trying to recover from this bug. So I've been lazing about my motel room watching bad TV.
In order to diagnose my problem, I went to a walk-in clinic on Tuesday. The doctor is running a number of tests on me and she recommended that I take an over the counter medication to treat my diarrhea. That part seems to be working and I'm starting to get some energy back. As a result, tomorrow I think I will test my body a bit. Unless something changes from now until then, I will bike to Regina tomorrow. It's a fairly short ride of about 70km and it will give me an idea of how my body reacts. I will only go past Regina if I feel that my body is up to it, because there is a whole lot of nothing between Regina and Winnipeg and I'd rather be held up in Regina then be stranded in the middle of nowhere.
So if all goes well, my next post should be from Winnipeg.
This layover in Moose Jaw has thought me an important lesson ... TV is evil. Wow, there is a lot of garbage on the tube. And I have been convinced once and for all that I will not become an "Ultimate Fighter":)
Update:
The doctor contacted me just as I was posting the above text, because they had received the results from my blood test. Seems my white blood cells were low. She said that likely meant that I had something viral (I forgot to ask, but I assume as opposed to a parasite which she had first suspected). Anyways, she said I should be good to go and if any other results come in, she will leave a message on my cell phone which I will be checking on a regular basis.
Anyways, wish me luck.
This post will likely be my shortest yet as I haven't done much in the past few days. I've been in Moose Jaw for the past 4 days trying to recover from this bug. So I've been lazing about my motel room watching bad TV.
In order to diagnose my problem, I went to a walk-in clinic on Tuesday. The doctor is running a number of tests on me and she recommended that I take an over the counter medication to treat my diarrhea. That part seems to be working and I'm starting to get some energy back. As a result, tomorrow I think I will test my body a bit. Unless something changes from now until then, I will bike to Regina tomorrow. It's a fairly short ride of about 70km and it will give me an idea of how my body reacts. I will only go past Regina if I feel that my body is up to it, because there is a whole lot of nothing between Regina and Winnipeg and I'd rather be held up in Regina then be stranded in the middle of nowhere.
So if all goes well, my next post should be from Winnipeg.
This layover in Moose Jaw has thought me an important lesson ... TV is evil. Wow, there is a lot of garbage on the tube. And I have been convinced once and for all that I will not become an "Ultimate Fighter":)
Update:
The doctor contacted me just as I was posting the above text, because they had received the results from my blood test. Seems my white blood cells were low. She said that likely meant that I had something viral (I forgot to ask, but I assume as opposed to a parasite which she had first suspected). Anyways, she said I should be good to go and if any other results come in, she will leave a message on my cell phone which I will be checking on a regular basis.
Anyways, wish me luck.
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