Wednesday, July 18, 2007

just a quick heads up

I have been in Halifax for almost a week, I am off to see more of the country and when I have better access to a computer I will fill you in on my journey. I am off to Peggy's Cove, Lunenburg, Isles De La Madeleine, Newfoundland and St. Pierre Miquelon a French republican Island

Friday, June 29, 2007

Le tour Section Five Day Nine Section Completed in Ottawa

June 27, I woke up early in Pembroke beside my new neighbour with the massive mullet. I decided to be as noisy as possible after the mullet man almost ran me over with his truck. We were quickly on the rode to our Nation's capital Ottawa.

The temperature again was upwards of forty degrees Celsius with the humid ex, I was drinking a liter of water almost every half hour. It was very hot and there was no shoulder on the road. We were finding the rode pretty sketchy to be cycling on but only had a hundred kilometers left to ride when a police officer pulled over. Our new mo do was to kill the officer with kindness and it seemed to be working well. The fact that we were in spandex and she was a female officer was working in our favour. She informed us that there had been several fatalities along the upcoming stretch of road and to be careful. We took her advice and rode with a little extra caution throughout the rest of the day. As We approached Ottawa I hit the five thousand kilometer marker on my odometer. At this point I was excited to see Ottawa, the road then became a very busy freeway out side of the city. A large purple van with police officers informed me that I was not allowed on that stretch of road and to get off of it asap! I then took the next exit and a fellow cyclist pointed me in the vague direction of my friend Aimee's home.

I arrived at six and Aimee and I chatted for a bit before we went out to a great Italian restaurant downtown called, Fratelli's on Bank street. The food was so great, I had an order of plain pasta with parmigiana and olive oil. I also had my favorite pizza that they made for me by request, it had mozzarella, anchovies, tomatoes and arrugula with a generous serving of olive oil poured on top. Aimee and her boyfriend John then drove me around the city and showed me Ottawa by night which was simply breathtaking.

Le Tour Section Five Day Eight North Bay to Pembroke Ontario

June 26, After a great rest day in North Bay we headed out towards Pembroke Ontario. Leaving the city around seven thirty a.m., it already felt as if I was in a humidor and I was a cigar wearing freshly cleaned spandex on a flight to Pembroke from Cuba.

Throughout the day I was stared at more often than go threw the Rockies because of the extreme heat. The weather was not only hot but it was humid, apparently reaching forty degrees Celsius with the humid ex. We arrived to Pembroke late around eight thirty p.m. and had trouble finding the campsite. Once we found the campsite I was attacked viciously by a swarm of mosquitoes, I then continued to tip over my precious pasta noodles off the camp stove. I really had to pull myself together or I was doomed. I quickly sprinted one hundred meters to the shower and tried to clean myself in a military type of shower that as soon as the water was off the mosquitoes were on me again. I thought I was cool but I was still on the edge, I decided to eat and then quickly get to sleep as soon as possible. I sprinted back to the pasta and ran back to the bathroom and tried to make the best of my five star meal. I quickly pounded some noodles and ran back to my tent. I then stripped down while the piranhas nibbled away at the last pieces of skin exposed. I now was in my bivy tent with my head lamp on sweating trying to kill any last mosquitoes around. I was now bleeding, tired and ready for sleep, I quickly passed out.
Around an hour after going to sleep I hear a diesel truck a few feet from my head, I quickly awake to the sound of a fifth wheel about to back over my tent and poor deano soon too be dean the pancake. The truck then stopped and a short man with a massive mullet wearing construction boots clunks by my tent. I hear myself yelling relax dean, relax dean, he is not worth freaking out at even though he almost ran you over with his fifth wheel. He then continued to set up his fifth wheel and turn on his generator. I decided it was best for him that I just moved my tent. It was a very long day and I was happy to end it in my tent as far away from this inconsiderate fellow as possible. We rode Two hundred and twenty three kilometers in temperatures as high as forty degrees Celsius and no mullets were hurt.

Le Tour Section Five Day Seven Sudbury to North Bay

June 24, I woke up nice and early in Sudbury to a nice greeting from my new friend Meridith. I had a great sleep in my bivy sack and enjoyed the comforts of sleeping on a freshly mowed lawn. Our host's Margot and Tony served us a great breakfast of French toast, fresh berries, local maple syrup, ( two different types!) yogurt and back bacon. Tony is a Optometrist in town and explained to me that there isn't a huge deal of difference between buying expensive sunglasses and cheapys. The couple has two really cute daughters who were great company. Margot treated us very well and she represented a long lost mother for the two of us dirty cyclists. We really enjoyed the way they took care of us and were a great support, Thanks again!

After leaving the Nickel city we battled road construction on our way to North Bay Ontairo. Acclimatizing to the humidity in Ontario took some adjustment, I often felt as if I was in a sweat lodge and that the trees were talking to me.

We stayed with Matt's extended family in North Bay, Bob and Maureen. Bob is a financial planner and Maureen is a physiotherapist. We stopped in town for a quick bite to eat before heading up the lake to their home which was nestled in the woods on the lake.

That evening we spent some time getting to know the couple and learning about Bob's passion for shooting anything that moved, mostly moose. Bob was a true Northern Ontarioite, he had a great assortment of fishing boats, all terrain vehicles, a tractor and a few other internal combustion vehicles. It was a great learning experience, meeting Bob and getting a great insight on his way of life and his pass times. Bob taught me how to see wildlife, this is a really great skill to having when touring a huge country like Canada. Basically look for movement in the woods, this really helps in seeing wildlife as opposed to looking for something sedentary. After a few hours of chatting I was ready to hit the hay hard and prepare to take a rest day in North Bay.

Thursday, June 28, 2007

Le Tour Section Five Day Six Blind River to Sudbury

I quickly packed up my camp gear and rode down to Tim Horton's to socialize with the locals in Blind River Ontario. I had a toasted cinnamon raisin bagel with cream cheese while I chatted with two Quebecois brothers who were riding from Quebec to British Columbia and were planning on riding threw Michigan and avoiding Northern Ontario.

The day flew by rather quickly after meandering up and down small hills enjoying the warm weather. Matt rode ahead in efforts to find a bike shop to fix his wheel that had shed a few more spokes. I then met him at a grocery store in town where he was charming the local moms in his spandex. When I met up with Matt he was ecstatic about this nice woman he met at the grocery store. Our soon to be new friend Margot offered us a place to camp and told Matt that she and her husband Tony had done some bicycle touring in the past. Margot really loved it when people invited them into their homes. Matt and I then continued over to there home where we were greeted by Jenny who was a friend of theirs taking care of Ontario's cutest sisters, Meridith and Jill. We spent sometime getting to know the girls and learning about Sudbury the nickel capital. We were now on the 4545.7 Km mark and ready for bed.

Le Tour Section Five Day Five

We started the day later than normal in Sault St. Marie, Matt's wheel lost a few more spokes so our morning revolved around the wheel. Sault St. Marie was possibly one of the only places in Canada where people go to have their bikes repaired at Canadian tire. I really cringed at the idea of Canadian tire fixing bicycles. I really don't mean to be a snob, but this is almost unheard of in Western Canada. Matt eventually found a bicycle mechanic in town and we were off on another day of pounding the pavement.

We rode to Blind River Ontario, along the way we came across a Mennonite family selling produce at the side of the rode. The father had classic clothing on that was very traditional, plain and square. The daughter's clothing was very similar to the father's, she had a cute little bonnet and a long cotton dress. The father was selling home made maple syrup, green onions, beets, strawberries, free range eggs, sweet peas, and zucchini. The father made the syrup traditionally, drilling holes in the trees by hand and collecting sap in buckets. The sap was then boiled down into dark Canadian pride syrup. I asked him how much labour went into one of the five hundred milliliter bottles he was selling for eight dollars and fifty cents. He could not tell me, I am sure that the small amount of syrup he was selling involved numerous hours of labour. I told him I was not the biggest fan of technology myself and afterwards I bit my tongue thinking about all the technology I had on my bicycle. There were too many techie type things to list on my bicycle, odometer,heart rate monitor, altimeter, ipod, and numerous additional gizmo's that made cycling through the prairies more entertaining. I also tried to tell him we didn't like cars very much and he related to us more after that point, he corned me on that comment though. He asked if we were going to turn around and ride back to Vancouver once we hit Halifax. I told him I was planning on flying, at that moment he ended the conversation and strutted away. I suppose he was the bigger man for living on the farm and doing everything possible in life the hard way.

When I arrived in Blind River, I cruised threw town and checked out the sites. The city was a cute little town with old buildings and well kept small homes. We camped in a motel owner's back yard right near the lake. I had my regular meal of carbohydrates, yes pasta. I have become obsessive with the pasta, I am afraid of letting Matt near it when it cooks, this is the most precious meal of the day. Yes, I do have an obsessive personality but my pasta is sacred!
Here are some tips for cooking pasta, use a a very large pot or the only one you have, add tons of salt to the water,stir the noodles around lots, do not overcook the noodles! I cannot stress this point enough, cook the noodles till they are just undercooked and they do not crunch in your mouth, the noodles continue to cook once they have been taken out of the water, don't rinse the noodles ( that is the hack way), pour a generous amount of extra virgin olive oil over the noodles and a pinch of salt as well.

Thursday, June 21, 2007

Friends along the way

I am putting links hear to websites and blogs of people I meet along the way;
http://www.jamiescanadianjourney.blogspot.com/
www.cbc.ca/sevenwonders
http://www.active.com/donate/reasontoride

Le Tour Section Five Day Four

Matt woke up early and was ready to get the day started at our usual six a.m. start and be on our way to Sault St. Marie Ontario. The weather was very cold and riding was tough until around ten a.m.. The weather warmed up quickly until every ten minutes we would descend down to Lake Superior and get a cold blast of a strong cold wind blowing, chilling any exposed skin. We then stopped in at a local artisan/craft store where I found some local delicacies, smoked pickerel and homemade butter tarts. The smoked pickerel fillet was only .89, I guess the tourists were more set on sampling ice cream then local varieties of Poisson!

We then finished our 215.8 Km ride to Sault St. Marie where a really nice employee of the Motel Eight in town gave us a great rate on a room. Thanks again Josh! I would also like to recommend these motels to anyone travelling, they are clean and reasonably priced.

For dinner Matt and I bankrupted a local all you can eat Chinese buffet dinner! I don't know if the dinner did more damage to me though? We also hit the 4000km marker and we are at 4222.5km's from Vancouver!

Le Tour Section Five Day Three

I woke up early and was on the rode by seven thirty a.m. with no destination, my favorite type of day. We rode through Lake Superior Provincial Park which was full of lakes, streams, rivers,hills and stunning views of Lake Superior. We then rode against a strong headwind most of the day combined with lots of small climbs making it a difficult 106.6 km day. After riding threw a few rainstorms we found a great beach to set up camp and fell asleep quickly.

Le Tour Section Five Day Two Thunderbay to North Bay

After our dry night in a room that smelled similar to an ash tray we were pretty happy not to have had to camped the night before. We then kept trucking towards Terrance Bay Ontario were we found a great motel owned by an Italian family. I am not sure of the name of it but it has awesome pasta and is the only motel with an Esso and biker bar. We were had now ridden 3726.8 Kilometers from Vancouver which was actually seeming to feel as if we had gotten some where. I had a chat with some bikers from Michigan who were very proud of riding 900 miles on there Harley's and they were curious about how far we had gone. I told them 3700 Kilometers and they looked at us in total disbelief. One continued to ask me how many sets of tires? It told him one set, not bad considering that a set of tires for a bicycle is only $100.00. We rode 173.3 Kilometers and avoided a torrential downpour just in the nick of time.

Le Tour Section 5 Thunderbay to Northbay

Matt and I woke up later than usual today and had to pack up all the gear we were drying out the night before. We then continued to a bike shop to get some more parts for our bikes for we did not know the next time we would see a friendly bike shop. I luckily found a great shop called Petrie's were the kind owner of the store helped me with finding some great Schwalbe tires that were ready to replace the thin looking Kenda tires that were ready to retire. The owner of the store made my day, He was awesome I could really tell that he loved bicycles and people. He made cycling seem desirable again as if it had turned into a desk job for me.

We finally dropped by the grocery store on the way out of town and picked up some pasta for the road. We rode about fifty kilometers out of town and hit a nasty construction site. It looked as if it was a war zone, pot holes, mud, a poor shoulder and semi-trailers screaming by. Then the rain poured and the wind picked up. We rode it out for another thirty kilometers, our attitudes were shifting down after the three O'clock late start. We stopped in for a quick eat at a local motel which took extremely long. I am not trying to blame the server who was in grade four but we were in the middle of now where and I know good food takes time but waiting an hour for perogies is a little long. We were wet and were contemplating finishing the ride to Marathon which was only another hour ride then the torrential downpour started and we decided to get had at a small motel in an area where you can buy a piece of property for five thousand dollars.

Le Tour Secton Four Day Four

We awoke at six a.m. after going to bed the night before at around midnight. We quickly devoured some muesli we soaked the night before and packed up camp pretending we were the Swiss army packing our bikes with speed and agility. Luckily we were all packed before the local truckers kicked us off their stomping grounds. After having a surprisingly friendly chat with the gas station owner about the area and our trip he gave us some pointers on a quick route to Thunderbay and we took his advice and were on our merry way.

Twenty Six Kilometers out of town Matt's bike received a nasty flat tire which over a few kilometers turned into three! We decided on Matt guarding the local Mac's convenience store with his bike and a liter slurpee while I go and hunt down a bike shop for new tires, tubes and hopefully a mechanic who could remove the freewheel to replace the broken spokes on his wheel that gave out one hundred kilometers before this happened.

The hunt was a success, I found Matt's bike some new tires, tubes and spokes. We then found a cheap motel and ordered a pizza. We told the nice pizza girl our sad story and she seemed to take a liking for Matt and gave us extra large pizza's for the price of larges. ( Thanks again pizza girl!) We rode 153.9 Kilometers to the picturesque city of Thunderbay Ontario.

Le Tour Section Four Day Three

We woke up at six and saw that it was raining cats and dogs and thought we would try an extra hour or two of sleep. That plan seemed to work and we headed out of Dryden. We had no destination, the perfect day what could be better than to ride like a maniac all day and sleep in the woods?

We rode all day until about ten a' clock at night when we arrived in the middle of now where we realized that everything in the middle of now where was closed. We set up camp in a gas station's back yard and battled the black flys in efforts to make a simple meal of whole wheat pasta and pesto. The Black flys were relentless they attacked my face, legs, hands,ears, enough to make even the most collected soul go a little crazy. Luckily for myself I had a secret weapon know commonly as deet, it was a deadly 245ml with spray tip! Wammo! Deet worked out for the best, the carbohydrates from the pasta helped the next day as well. After quickly setting up camp I tried to wash the toxic deet off of me and then sprinted to the tent in my boxer shorts trying to out run those little nibblers. I was now ready to go to sleep I was all bundled up in my bivy sack and I tried to destroy the last of them from my bag before they nibbled on me all night. We rode 217.9 Km's that long buggy day.

Le Tour Section Four Day 2 Kenora to Dryden

I awoke fairly early and had a great breakfast and said good bye to th Kalinowsky's piece of paridise in Kenora. We then loaded the boat full of our gear and prepared for the black flys I was warned about in Northern Ontario. We said our goodbyes to the good life and prepared to life as the rough tough B.C. bandits that we were known as.

We then headed towards Dryden Ontario and rode the rolly polly hills of Nothern Ontario. I stayed with some family friends the Dicksons in Dryden. Thanks again! It is alway's nice to have a room and and shower at the end of the day. I was then given a tour of the town and shown some of the favorite spots in town Flat stone, (the local fishing spot) The government wharf( the local swimming hole.) We rode 141.6km's in the warm humid air of Northern Ontario quickly to outrun the blackflys.

Section Four Le Tour Winnepeg to Thunderbay

I took a day off of riding to explore the city of Winnepeg and to get a little work done. I explored the city and dropped by the police headquarters to figure out if there was anyway of disputing the ticket I received the night before. Unfortunately there was not, I decided not to let one ticket jade me against a city and decided to apologize to the officers for my eccentric behavior the night before. Its amazing how being hypoglycemic and riding 220km's can make a person act.

Our wonderful host Margot gave me a great tour of the city and gave me a great locals perspective on the city, culture, life and the great benefits of being a Winnepegger is all about. I must comment that Winnepeggers have a great thing going and us West coasters are behind on the times. For one the property values are way lower here making buying something nice affordable, also the city does have culture and it is not all about hanging out watching hockey and timy ho's. The city is vibrant and has nice Victorian architecture. I would recommend seeing the city of Winnepeg. Also they have a cottage culture, a lot of people there can afford cabins in the area and it is a very social event to hang out at the cottages in the summer and holidays in Winnepeg.

That evening in Winnepeg our hosts treated us and there niece Victoria to an awesome sushi dinner and brownies to die for. Victoria was celebrating her 24th Birthday and we were really lucky to be a part of it. So Victoria if you ever read this, happy birthday again.

The next day we were heading out of Winnepeg towards Kenora Ontario to stay at our friends the Kalinowsky's cottage and check out what this cottage culture is all about. We rode out of the city and received our first death threat from a motorist in a red stalker van. He was extremely angry that we were on the road and threatened to run us over. It was a great way to start the day.

The ride to Kenora was interesting I learned what it is like to ride in extreme heat and humidity in Eastern Canada. That is a challenge on its own. I also felt light headed and started feeling as if I were a mad hatter. There was all kinds of road kill along the way and I felt as if I was one of the coroners on C.S.I. trying to figure out what was on the side of the road? Is that a deer? or a moose? or a bungee cord? I also saw some living wildlife which was a much more pleasant experience, I saw a few deer and took a quick break to take some photos of a beaver.

When we arrived in Kenora, our wonderful host Margot was there in a powerboat ready to pick us up to take us to the cottage. I felt as if I was a rock star with that type of luxury, call me Bono!
After the 211.9 Km bike ride the swim in the lake was so nice not to mention the hot tub! This experience was awesome and I would like to thank Margot again! Margot you are a star! After the hot tub Derrick the son was hanging out with his fourteen year old friends playing with firecrackers and burning there school work celebrating their end of school for the year. Margot spoiled us again with a great dinner with the local fish pickerel that was really delicious. After dinner I went and tried to pretend that I was fourteen and watched Robin Williams live with Derrick and his homeys.

Wednesday, June 13, 2007

Le Tour Section 3 Complete Winnepeg In One Piece

I woke up to the smell of pancakes and a friendly good morning from our new friend Ken, I knew I was ready for a great day on the road of life. After a quick look over the bike I was on the road ready for the big city of Winnepeg.

The day was a success, only one flat tire after 2700 km's of lugging four panniers full of my most precious belongings. I quickly adapted to riding the white line on the side of the road as if it were a tight rope over Niagara Falls. The sun started to set after a long day of battling a head wind and the busy roads of Manitoba. It was now dark and Matt and myself were
hungry, tired and ready to snap after a long eleven hours on our bikes. We were now in the city limits on the very last leg of our 219.2 km ride against the wind when a police car pulls up behind us! I was irate to say the least, I asked the officer what the problem was and he said we ran a red light. The next thing I know my friend Matt is telling me to calm down and three police cars are on location. The police offer us a nice "Welcome to Winnepeg, here have a $167.00 ticket for running a red light!" Well several things went through my head after that, one I should have tried to be the first person to outrun the police on a bicycle, two give Winnepeg a chance I heard it is an awesome city, Three Why why? And four I am hungry let's get this ride over with. After our incident was over the two bad boys of B.C. were released from the side of the road ready to be on Cops prime time on Fox Sunday at Seven P.M. Eastern time.

We then continued to Matt's distant family's house near Oxford St. Margot was on the street waiting for us with open arms. We then approached the lovely Kalinowsky family home not knowing what they thought of the B.C. Bandits at this point. We then met the family dog which looked like a polar bear cub and Margot's husband Ian who welcomed us with a nice smile and pointed us to the showers. Matt and I got cleaned up and Margot had made an awesome pasta dinner with a great salad for us not forgetting to mention delicious homemade rhubarb crisp with rich vanilla ice cream. We then spent a bit of time meeting them and there son Derrick, who was a really well behaved young man. After the long frustrating day I knew I was in good hands with the fun loving Kalinowsky family.

Le Tour Section 3 Day 7

After waking up in my motel room in Moosman I headed to Brandon Manitoba. The day was going really smooth till I ran into some tar on the road and tried to clean my bicycle in a mud puddle. That was not a good idea, in the prairies they have mud called "gumbo" which basically bonds onto your bicycle like epoxy and has a viscosity similar to molasses. I ended up spraying my bike down with a faucet from a near by park and using my hands to remove the mud. It took a fair amount of messing around, I ended up using a pressure washer in a near by town.

We arrived in Brandon and stayed with a friend of a friend's parents in the downtown area. Ken took great care of us and he is a really kind and generous soul. He was amazing, Thanks again Ken. You rock. We stayed in Ken's home which is a classic Victorian home full of aboriginal art and and eclectic music memorabilia. Ken was really into music and I had a great time with him listening to Neil Young and hearing about his travels and music. I rode 144.7 km's to Brandon Manitoba where the road does not have a shoulder. You basically balance on the white line and pray that no one runs you over.

Le Tour Section 3 Day 6

I woke up early in Regina and put my race face on for another ride and prepared for another day on the road. I crossed my fingers for winds that would preserve my sanity and my fingers came threw for me. I rode 241.9 Km's to Moosman Manitoba, one of the last towns the #1 passes directly threw. I went and checked out the camp area and thought I would try haggling a for a cheap motel room. I found a motel room for thirty dollars, a way better deal than the twenty dollar campsite with Le Mosquite.

Le Tour Section 3 Day 5

I woke up early in my motel room in Moosie Saskatchewan to see clear sky's and light winds. Yesterday's sacrifice was worth it, I then headed to Moosejaw for lunch. I found a great bakery in town called "The Dutch Bakery" where I found some great cinnamon buns, Saskatoon berry tarts and poppy seed pastries. I was craving pastries after staring at wheat fields over the past few days, I thought I had just blown ten dollars and it was only $2.67! A cinnamon bun was fifty cents! I told the girl at the counter about my trip and she cringed, I think that it annoyed her that someone was that crazy. Oh well.

We then rode to the Econolodge in Regina where the manager gave me a fifty percent discount on the room, Thanks again! I was eager to go explore the city and have dinner so I hoped on a bus and went to see Regina's downtown core. I was impressed with Regina and recommend going there if you are ever in Saskatchewan. The city has a comfortable feel with a modern buildings and lots of sculptures around the city. I found an awesome Thai restaurant and I really enjoyed the spicy flavours of curry, quite the contrast to bologna in Medicine Hat. The day was great and I rode 189 Km's and was I was happy to get a nice sleep.

Le Tour Section 3 Day 4

I woke up a little later today after the hard day yesterday and prepared for another day of grinding away on threw the praries. Iquickly packed up camp and set out to the grocery store and grabbed some fuel for the h ard day ahead. I am really aware that I don't blend in small town Saskatchewan. After coming out of the grocery store an man apeerring to be in his eighties saw me stretching and asked if my muscles were sore. I had a really nice conversation with him, he asked if I was caught in the storm yesterday and I told him it wasn't so bad. I asked him if they looked forward to rain there and he stared me in the eye and said yes. I could tell that he had seen some hard seasons on a ranch and that he was extremely passionate about the way the weather affected people in the prairies. I was about to see the affects of it myself. This man taught me in a few minutes about how hard life could be living in this rugged area.

I then left town and prepared to slowely battle a headwind, my battle was frustrating. I rode extremely hard and was riding about 10-14 km's an hour. After five and a half hours of watching people in cars shake their heads at me I made a hard call of calling off the day of riding and checked into a cheap hotel. The woman who owned it just bought it and it was really run down but she gave me a great price. Her husband had just been diagnosed with lung cancer and it was going to be a rough road ahead for her as well. I wish her husband the best.

Calling off riding into the eye of the storm was a good decision, I washed my clothes and had a decent meal and prepared for clear skys the next day. I feel that walking away with a poor total of 63.3km for the day was hard but setting up for the next day was a very smart thing to do.

Le Tour Section 3 Day 3 Medicine Hat to Swift Current

I woke up at six and started rolling quickly to get on the road after a nice bowl of Muesli I made the evening before. Bicycle touring basically has a simple philosophy, set yourself up for success whenever you can or fail miserably. That's basically how life is in general.

After riding out of Medicine Hat I took a quick picture of the world's largest teepee. I must say was large! I headed out of town and filled my waterbottles again with prarie water that basically tastes as if it was just out of a mud puddle. Throughout the morning I was climbing rolling hills and battling light winds. As the day grew longer the winds became stronger and riding was much more effort. Cycling against a head wind is a really good life lesson, put your head down and work and you will be slowly rewarded. After a long day of winds and hot weather the clouds were getting dark and grey. I then prepared for torrential downpour, throwing on a rain jacket, rain pants and gloves. I then continued to ride out the storm. High winds and heavy rainfall not to mention hail slowed me down a little bit as locals in pick up trucks offered me rides I refused and continued threw the rain. I then pushed on through to Swift Current and looked high and low for a restaurant. It was now 9:30 and nothing was open the only thing I could find was Tim Horton's. I guess occasionally Donuts and Chili can double as petro for an athlete, the basic formula is calories in, calories out. After unwinding and chatting with locals I then continued to a local campsite at 11:00pm and set-up camp. I think I may have set a world record for the fastest time ever to set up camp, shower, make muesli and fall asleep. It was a great day full of adventure and excitement, I rode 238.9kms and survived one of those storms that you see on the discovery channel.

Le Tour Section 3 Day 2

I woke up early in Bassano and threw my saddle bags on my trusted steed and prepared to ride out of that small town in Alberta. My next destination point was Medicine Hat Alberta. It was another hot day in Alberta and we had some slight winds and a few hills along the way. I was still acclimatizing to the flat lands and the blistering heat. I quickly realized that the prairies were not flat and that there were hills to go up in the prairies. I went for a quick cycle around Medicine Hat and checked out the local hot spots and Architecture. The city is quite quaint and I would recommend seeing it if you ever pass through.

I stopped in to the local grocery store and checked out what they had to offer. They had a great assortment of pickled hogs feet, Bologna's, and pickled eggs. I stayed with a friend of Matt's in Medicine Hat and we cooked up another high carb meal, spaghetti and tomato sauce with lots of peppers, spinach, onions, and garlic.

I rode 161.4kms in the heat and dust that day. After dinner I quickly fell asleep enjoying the comforts of sleeping in an air conditioned home.

Le Tour Section Three Rest in Calgary

I have just finished the second section of the tour across Canada and am staying with Helen and Dianne in Calgary. They have been extremely hospitable, and that is an understatement. They welcomed us with open arms and had warm pizza from their favorite pizzeria waiting for us in their cute home ten minutes from downtown Calgary. The pizza was delicious and our new friend Helen and opened up to me about also being a Chocolate lover and offered me three different flavors of Hagen Daz ice cream. Good thing fat burns well being on a bicycle twenty four seven. The next morning I took a rest day and explored Calgary, I was really impressed with the city and the Calgarian stereotype Vancouverites have labelled them was very off and incorrect. I was impressed by the ethnic diversity in the city, the variety of healthy athletic looking young people, the cosmopolitan atmosphere and how friendly people were to us travellers.

I picked up some great tarte au citron, passion fruit tarts and chocolate hazelnut cakes from a bakery called "Eiffel Tower Bakery,"for dinner with our hosts and friends Ron and Sheryll who also lived in Calgary. We were spoiled with a nice outdoor barbecue on a sunny evening in beautiful Calgary. We had some famous Alberta strip loin steaks and new potatoes with a great salad. The dinner was really pleasant and we were spoiled.

Here's a great recipe Dianne gave me for hot cereal; Combine all these ingredients
2 cups large flake oats, 3/4 of a cup oat bran, 3/4 of a cup sliced almonds, 1/2 of a cup shelled unsalted sunflower seeds, 2 tablespoons wheat germ. Store in a Tupperware container in the fridge take 1/2 of a cup and add 1 cup water microwave for 2 and 3/4 minutes. That's it, this is really easy to make and is a good source of carbohydrates. I added milk, honey, and raisins to mine.

The next morning we headed out of Calgary to Bassano Alberta, it was a very hot day and we were preparing to take on the flatlands. We arrived in Bassano around six and found a restaurant called Harry's Chinese, Pizza, and Canadian food. Just after scarfing down some Chinese cuisine in my Spandex, which again didn't blend in small town Alberta I went outside and had a chat with a member of a local road crew. He was quite curious about our trip and had similar experiences throughout the day as myself, such as slaving away on hot asphalt. He really showed us some respect for riding in the heat and offered a donation to our cause. After we were talking other members of the crew came running out of the restaurant and offered us donations. That was awesome, I was amazed at their generosity and would like to thank them again.

We found a great campsite in town and I picked up some milk from the gas station for breakfast the next morning. We rode 173.5 Kms and enjoyed the dusty, hot bad lands of Alberta.

Sunday, June 3, 2007

Where to Donate:

Here is the link for donations to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society of Canada;
WWW.active.com/donate/reasontoride

Saturday, June 2, 2007

The Tour Section Two Day Four

It is Friday June 1st 2007, Matt, Emma and I take a leisurely ride to Calgary from Banff. This was the shortest riding day so far on the tour and we travelled at fairly mild pace. The ride from Banff to Calgary was 130.6 kms. I had completed the second section of my tour across Canada.

Le Tour Part Two Day Three

Its Thursday May 31st 2007, I decide to sleep in a bit and leave a few hours later than Emma and Matt and catch up to them in Banff. I quickly through the panniers on the bicycle and proceed to attack the Rocky Mountains. Quickly passing threw Radium I approach the park entrance and notice six big horn sheep on the side of the mountain having a wee bit of breakfast. I then continued into the park and noticed two more families of sheep having their breakfast. After a quick ascente up the first pass I am blown away with beautiful views of the Rocky Mountains in Banff National Park. It is simply breathtaking and possibly one of the most scenic days of my tour so far. I felt at times that I was in the Chamonix valley looking up at ancient glaciers and frigid rivers. My neck was so kinked at the end of the day from continuesly staring up at the beautiful mountains.

I was a little disappointed with the physical aspect of the ride, everyone I spoke with mentioned how difficult this pass would be. When I talked to the person at the entrance to the park she claimed that good cyclists only make it half as far as I intended to ride. I guess she was wrong, Sorry I just have to send her a big "Told you so."

After the first bear chase, Oh sorry that did not happen but it really introduced this paragraph quite well. I did pass by two black bears, which I was hoping would chase me so I would have a great story to talk about today. I also saw some deer and a few birds along the way.

I reached a new top speed on my touring bike coming out of the mountains a wopping 74.38kms an hour. I know it isn't comparable to someone racing down the Alps in a race but you have to remember this is a touring bike with a massive load on its back. I rode 152.67 kms through the Rockies and was amazed with the great views.

I then met up with my friend Jamie Oliver and his family in Banff Alberta where he and his younger brother Thomas taught Matt and Myself how to play WWF wrestling on his video game system. Oh if you were wondering it is a different Jamie Oliver than the celebrity chef. The Oliver family put us up on their back porch and were really hospitable towards us.

Le Tour Part Two Day Two

Wednesday May 30th, 2007
I am a little tired from the previous long day but my day starts off right with a pleasant breakfast and Delicious orange juice. I head out of town and ride towards the village of radium. I am quite tired from the short sleep and decide to just suck it up. I quickly pass through Cranbrook and proceed to ride through the historical B.C town of Fort Steel. I continue to grind away at the concrete when the highlight of my day approaches. I see a large stone shaped object crawling across the road. What is that thing I think to myself? Then my LED light turns on and I realize that it is a turtle attempting to cross the highway from one pond to another. This symbolizes to me exactly what I was attempting. To ride my bicycle from the Pacific ocean to the Atlantic Ocean. Myself like the turtle were both small objects on a huge highway ready to pursue our dreams of seeing another pond and ready to avoid any obstacles that may approach our paths. I decide to take a quick break from my trip and help my turtle friend across his huge path as did my fellow Canadians with my trip. I quickly pick up the turtle and take a picture of the two of us, I say my goodbye and wish him luck on his journey.

I then arrived in Radium and happen to stay in a hostel with my friend's Matt Alexander and Emma Kendal who just happen to be staying there as well. I rode 152.67 kms and saw a few deer along the way.

Le Tour Part 2 Tuesday May 29th 2007

Its Tuesday May 27th 2007, I have completed the first section of my cross Canada tour and I have just had two days off to let my body recover from the first four days of cycling. I am now ready to have a long day of Dean time.

I am leaving my family home in Nelson and heading towards the Crawford Bay ferry which is North America's longest free ferry. Seeing that the price is right and it avoids going over the long, boring Salmo Creston pass I see it as perfect. I sluggishly leave my family home after being force fed a healthy breakfast. I continue to ride towards Balfour and kiss the sweet smell of Patchouli and Lavender goodbye from the town which I grew in goodbye. I quickly ride over the Orange bridge in Nelson. I then continue to Balfour not to forgetting to take a photo of Baylock estates to prove that everyone in Nelson doesn't live in a Tee pee or Spherical house. I make it to Balfour in an hour and forty five minutes unfortunately that is not fast enough when you show up five minutes late being appropriately Kootenay time.

I then slide on to the next ferry which after an hour and a half proceeds to slide dinner further away. The ferry ride could not have been anymore perfect, the sky was bluebird and the temperature was in the 20's? I arrive on the other side of Kootenay Lake and prepare for a nice warm day of riding. I quickly pass through the town of Crawford Bay where my whole day starts to transform. I decide to stop into one of the Artisan's stores after hearing about this place for years. The place I stopped into was called North Woven Broom Co. They were producers of brooms for the Harry Potter films and a movie called Bewitched with Will Farrow.

After that point, my day had a completely different meaning I was no longer on a bicycle trip across Canada. I was Harry Potter flying on a Firebolt broom, no longer just outside of Nelson but leaving Edinburgh towards the Highlands. I was not riding a steel framed bicycle but riding a hand made, super charged, magical broom. I then continued threw along side of the lake busy avoiding De mentors and other creatures. I am sure the Lochness monster was watching from a distance. I no longer had Powerbars, but I had Fizzing wizzbees! No more Gatorade, but I did have Delicious butter beer. Continuous climbing and descending throughout the day whizzing over hills and through Grey Creek the only town in Canada that does not support the Metric system.

After my jaunt through the Highlands I was zooming through the farmlands of the countryside towards Creston, ready to attack the city of Cranbrook. After the long slow climb to Cranbrook I arrived at a gorgeous bed and breakfast fit to be called Hogwarth's. I then continued down to the schools cafeteria where only one vendor was open, a shamble called Boston pizza.

My day was long and exciting, I was able to see my father a few times and had a great time on my Firebolt. I rode 235.55km's and enjoyed almost every minute. I saw several deers and one bald eagle who was enjoying something in a ravine on the side of the road.

Monday, May 28, 2007

First Section Completed of Le Tour

After leaving Midway, I proceeded to Greenwood were I found a hotel owner nice enough to let me shower there for 5 dollars. Best money I have ever spent, I then proceeded to Grandforks and had a quick lunch at The Grandforks Hotel. It is possibly the best Russian food I have had in B.C, I must say I did get some strange looks going through the hotel in my Spandi's. I then hoped back on the bike and proceeded to Christina Lake and continued up the Paulson. The Paulson is a tough ride, there is no way around it, it is 75 kms and 30 of those you are climbing. The total elevation is 1534 meters. The climb itself is not the hard part, it is climbing at a slow increase of grade for 30 kilometers with touring gear. I reached the plateau and felt relief for having completed that section of the ride. I must say drivers can make a difference on a long day of riding like this one, things like positive honks, double thumbs up and a symbolic one arm up up showing strength can help one elevate. With the hard part of the trip over I proceeded through the long descent into Castlegar that was roughly 45 kilometers and then proceeded into Nelson where I stayed at my parents home for the night which felt so good to sleep in a real bed.

The day was spectalur, 190.38kms over a km of climbing and 11:20 minutes of cycling. Now for a few recovery days so I can benefit from this work.

First Section Completed of Le Tour

I was now ready to start hammering away on the pedals, well rested I proceeded to jump on my bike and spin out of town. I rode at a higher cadence in the morning to recover from the previous day of climbing. Riding through the Okangan felt as if I was in the south of France, hot dry and extreemly sunny I slowly baked away in the sun. I quickly reached Osoyoos and had a quick lunch break. I was ready to hammer up Osoyoos hill, the climb wasn't half as bad as I thought it was going to be. About two thirds the way up the hill my mindset changed and I just started having a blast I was truly loving climbing and the freedom to just ride. I hammered away over the peak of the summit and continued down the hill riding into the night turning on my headlight proceeding to Midway B.C.

The days ride was awesome, 189.92km's Eleven hours and 42 minutes of lugging that heavy touing bike around. When I arrived in Midway I was a little hungry so I proceeded to find the only place open in town. I decided to throw on some more normal looking clothes not knowing what could happen to a distressed cyclist wearing spandis in a small town bar. I decided to grab a chair near the locals and easedrop a little to get a real impression what the town was about. The bartender was a pretty awesome dude who when I tried to ask for the simplest thing on the menu being a burger he told me the grill was closed but he could help me with anything fried, Guess it had to come down to Chicken wings and French fries? Oh well I think the eleven hours of cycling probably burned off a few chicken wings.

Full from high carb, high fat french fries I proceeded to the local park. I rode past some local teenybops who were extremely confused when they saw me on my bicycle. A strange silence fell over them as they watched this weirdo cruise by late at night with enough gear and lights on to be the leader of Midways anarchist militia. I then proceeded in a stealth way to the local park and threw my bivy sack and camping gear out and proceeding to go to sleep. Then at 4:30 someone in the town rebelled against the leader of the militia, they had a defence mechanism called " Automatic sprinklers!" So high tech they were trying to scare me out of town with soaking me with water in the wee hours of the night. Luckily I had a defence mechanism Goretex! Thats right I had a Goretex bivy sack for advanced protection. I escaped unscathed and proceeded out of town on my way to Nelson B.C

Sunday, May 27, 2007

First Section Completed of Le Tour

It was day two of my Cross Canada journey as I slowely woke up and procceded to have a homemade energy bar for breakfast. I was setup for the day, my hard work the night before paid off, doing things the night ahead makes you strong and confident in yourself. Now it was time get pedaling up the Crowsnest pass from Hope to Princeton B.C.

I started out fairly early and attacked the mountain before the mountain could attack me. My tactics paid off and I had quickly reached the summit of the Crowsnest pass, at 1342 meters. I felt solid to climb up there with all that weight on my trusty steed. I was set to start this trip off with some climbing and that is what I did, the pass was relentless, lots of steep climbs that carried on for many kilometers at a very steep grade. The climbing would end and then a small descent followed by more and more climbing that was really entertaining with my overweight steed bicycle it really pushed my froglegs to hop. I had one technical issue that could have put me up a river without a paddle, that was chain suck. Yes Chain suck 75kms from the nearest town my chain had gotten so stuck between my middle gear that the cranks should have been removed and the chain replaced. That is a little difficult when all you have is a multi tool. So being the technical wizard I am I wailled on the crank and freed my companion as if it was a poor grizzly stuck in a leg hold trap.

I then arrived just after five in Princeton after riding for 8 hours and ten minutes, I rode 128.21 kms which isn't alot but considering the amount of climbing it was succesful. I reached a new top speed of 66.94 Km/hour which is starting to sound alright considering it is a touring bike with a ton of gear on it. I proceeded to convice myself that I deserved a hotel room for the night, I spoke with a really nice guy that managed the Econolodge in Princeton and told him what I was doing, he offered me a great room rate and a spotless room that felt sooooo good to have a shower and enjoy little soaps. Elisa my girlfriend met up with me that night after battling fellow drivers on the rode outside of Vancouver. It was great to see her and we had a final goodbye.

First Section of Le Tour

On May 23, I left Vancouver B.C and headed for my first destination spot on Le Tour, Hope B.C. I left West 16th Ave after finishing a few life errands and getting to pedal out some of my stress. I started to hammer on the pedals around 8:30am Wednesday morning as rush hour traffic picked up. I asked myself probably a dozen times, " Who is crazier myself, or these lemmings waiting in traffic to go to work? Maybe on a Wednesday morning I should be in traffic staring at the car in front of me wondering why they don't know how to turn left? Instead I ask myself who will have a longer work day? Myself or Larry? The guy across from myself in the right hand lane driving a white Ford pickup with a sticker on the back that says " Touch my truck I break your face!" So I proceed to be on my very way and eat Larry's exhaust.

I ventured out of the city to say quick goodbyes to my younger brothers Ross and David and head out on the open road. I was then bombing down Barnet Highway and reality started to click in! No more girlfriend, no more family, no more friends and no more cheap sushi in Vancouver.

I stopped in quickly to Experience cycle in Maple ridge and said my final goodbye to my friend Chris and hopped back on my battle ship ready to hop into warp speed! Oh, I seem to have remembered attaching about 5 panniers full of gear to this bicycle making it almost as effective as an anchor to a boat more than a mode of transportation.

Full of hyperactivity, I cruised out of the Lower mainland on are rare sunny day. I was pleasantly welcomed to the city of Mission by one of my favorite farm animals the dairy cow. As I proceeded through the Fraser Valley I felt a great deal of excitement coming over me as if I only had one thing to do and that was cycle. The bike was purring as if it was a new Ducati motorcycle and I was nice and fresh like warm laundry.

Time seemed to fly by the first day of my journey after seeing gorgeous lakes, wonderful farms and pleasant mountainsides I was already in Hope. I cruised through town and decided against the Truck stop hotels that I was sure quickly down my path they would seem as if they were the Ritz. I proceeded to climb out of town and start looking for a place to call my own. I came up to a great Provincial park just about ten Kilometers East of Hope. I proceeded to set up Fort Deanocamporino. I attacked my camping spot as if I was a Navy seal, I through out my bivy sack, sleeping bag, foamy, tarp and even threw in a pyrotechnics display for the neighbours across the trenches from myself. I proceeded the start of many camp chores, washing my cycling clothes, dinner, boiling water and using the modern day outhouse curtousy of B.C parks.

The day was a complete success, a 168.47 kilometers ridden, 1000 feet climbed, and a low maximum speed of 55 kilometers an hour on the touring bike.

Thursday, May 17, 2007

Ready to roll


Its Thursday May 17th 2007, I have come to terms with having to get all my Mise en place ready for my cycling adventure this Spring and Summer. The bike is all ready to roll and I have been busy breaking it in.
I spent last Sunday messing around with fenders and racks getting everything dialed. I do admit that spending countless hours tweaking a bike for a journey has a really nice feeling.

My Friend Chris Lane, from Experience Cycling in Maple Ridge ordered in a Rocky Mountain Sherpa for my trip. It is a 55 cm frame with Shimano Tiagra components, as much as I love Campy it does get you very far in when something goes wrong in Hope and Canadian tire is all out of freewheel cassettes.

The bike is almost set up I have some balancing to do with the load and some grocery shopping to do this weekend and I should be all set by early next week.