Final few thoughts...

As I sit here on the plane I think back to the amazing journey I’ve been on – from the mountains and steep passes of British Columbia, the ‘tunnel days’ when giant logger trucks revved their powerful engines as they passed just precious centimeters away from us in the tunnels, gorgeous Lake Louise, the crazy storms of the Prairies, the friendly locals in Manitoba, the steep sweaty climbs and heat of Southwestern Ontario, and the rolling hills and fantastic wide shoulders and smooth roads of Quebec, the mosquitoes of New Brunswick, the rain and golf-course-esque landscape in PEI… and finally the absolutely stunning scenery and steep climbs of Nova Scotia. It has truly been a fantastic, 72-day, completely ‘vintage Canadian’ experience....

"Everywhere Man..." - an epilogue of sorts...

Composed and sung by the 74 Day Tour du Canada 2000*

The origin of that version on the web can be found on the Cycle Canada website: http://www.cyclecanada.com/Wevebeeneverywhereman.html

Stompin' Tom - Cross Canada (CA-NA-DA)

CA-NA-DA, Have you ever heard a maple creek?
CA-NA-DA, Betcha never seen a mountain peak?
CA-NA-DA, In the land of the big snowball!
In CANADA, we get to see 'em all.
CA-NA-DA, Have you ever seen a magnetic hill?
CA-NA-DA, Or a lady on a dollar bill?
CA-NA-DA, Betcha never seen the autumn fall
In CANADA, we get to see 'em all.
...I say in Canada, we get to see 'em all.

- Stompin Tom - "Cross Canada"

(Song dedicated to Ian, Brendan and Andrew)

Day 70: Argentia, NS - Halifax, NS - Toronto, ON

Great Big Sea - "Ordinary Day" - Day 69: Dingwal – Big Bras d’Or

It's a beautiful day, but there's always some sorrow
It's a double edged knife, but there's always tomorrow
It's up to you now if you sink or swim,
Keep the faith and your ship will come in.

Great Big Sea – “Ordinary Day”

Garth Brooks - "Two Pina Coladas" - Saint Louis de Kent - REST DAY

Now I’ve got a smile
That goes on for miles
With no inclination to roam

I’ve gotta say
That I think I’ve gotta stay
‘Cause this is feelin’ more and more like home

So bring me two pina coladas
One for each hand
Let’s set sail with Captin Morgan
And never leave dry land...
- Garth Brooks – Two Pina Coladas

Sam Cooke - "Chain Gang" - Petit Rocher – Saint Louis de Kent – Day 62

All day long they work so hard
Till the sun is goin' down
Working on the highways and byways
And wearing, wearing a frown
You hear them moanin' their lives away
Then you hear somebody sa-ay

That's the sound of the men working on the chain ga-a-ang
That's the sound of the men working on the chain gang

- Sam Cooke - "Chain Gang"

The Eagles - "Take it Easy" - Atholville to Petit Rocher – Day 61

Well I'm running down the road trying to loosen
my load, got a world of trouble on my mind
lookin' for a lover who won't blow my
cover, she's so hard to find
Take it easy, take it easy
Don't let the sound of your own
Wheels make you crazy...

- The Eagles - "Take it Easy"

Tina Turner - "Proud Mary (Rollin on the River)" - St. Damase to Atholville – Day 60

I left a good job in the city
Working for the man every night and day
And I never lost one minute of sleeping
Worrying 'bout the way things might have been

Big wheel keep on turning
Oh the proud mary keep on burning
And we’re rolling, rolling
Rolling on the river

- Tina Turner - "Proud Mary"

Opus - "Live is Life" -Trois Pistoles to St-Damase – Day 59

When we all give the power
We all give the best
Every minute of an hour
Don't think about the rest
And you all get the power
You all get the best
When everyone gets everything
And every song everybody sings

And it's life (nanananana)
Life is life (nanananana)
Life is life (nanananana)

- Opus - "Life is Life"

The Scorpions - "Winds of Change" - Riviere Ouelle to Trois Pistoles – Day 58

I follow the Moskva
Down to Gorky Park
Listening to the wind of change
An August summer night
Soldiers passing by
Listening to the wind of change...

- The Scorpions - "Winds of Change"

Sheryl Crow - "Soak up the Sun" - Quebec City – Riviere Ouelle

I'm gonna soak up the sun
Got my 45 on
So I can rock on...

- Sheryl Crow - "Soak up the sun"

The Arcade Fire - "Where no cars go" - Day 53 -- Hudson - Mont St-Hilaire (Montreal!)

We know a place where no planes go
We know a place where no ships go
Hey!
No cars go
Hey!
No cars go
Where we know...

The Arcade Fire – “Where No Cars Go”

Daniel Powter - "Bad Day" - Ottawa to Hudson - Day 52

Where is the moment we needed the most
You kick up the leaves and the magic is lost
They tell me your blue skies fade to grey
They tell me your passion's gone away
And I don't need no carryin' on

You stand in the line just to hit a new low
You're faking a smile with the coffee to go
You tell me your life's been way off line
You're falling to pieces everytime
And I don't need no carryin' on

Cause you had a bad day
You're taking one down
You sing a sad song just to turn it around
You say you don't know
You tell me don't lie
You work at a smile and you go for a ride
You had a bad day

- Daniel Powter - "Bad Day"

Kid Rock - 'All Summer Long' - Ottawa - Rest Day

Splashing through the sand bar
Talking by the campfire
It's the simple things in life, like when and where
We didn't have no internet
But man I never will forget
The way the moonlight shined upon her hair

[Chorus:]
And we were trying different things
We were smoking funny things
Making love out by the lake to our favorite song
Sipping whiskey out the bottle, not thinking 'bout tomorrow
Singing Sweet home Alabama all summer long
Singing Sweet home Alabama all summer long...........

- Kid Rock – All Summer Long

Katie Melua - "Nine Million Bicycles" - Ivy Lea - Ottawa - Day 50

"There are nine million bicycles in Beijing...."
- Katie Melua

The Beatles - "Here Comes the Sun" - Carrying Place - Ivy Lea - Day 49

Here comes the sun, here comes the sun,
and I say it's all right

Little darling, it's been a long cold lonely winter
Little darling, it feels like years since it's been here
Here comes the sun, here comes the sun
and I say it's all right

Little darling, the smiles returning to the faces
Little darling, it seems like years since it's been here
Here comes the sun, here comes the sun
and I say it's all right

Sun, sun, sun, here it comes...
Sun, sun, sun, here it comes...
-The Beatles - "Here Comes the Sun"

Otis Redding - "Sitting on the Dock of the Bay" - Darlington - Carrying Place - Day 48

Sittin' in the mornin' sun
I'll be sittin' when the evenin' come
Watching the ships roll in
And then I watch 'em roll away again, yeah

I'm sittin' on the dock of the bay
Watching the tide roll away
Ooo, I'm just sittin' on the dock of the bay
Wastin' time

- Otis Redding - "Sitting on the Dock of the Bay"

Bruce Springsteen - "Darlington County" - Alliston to Darlington

Driving in to Darlington City
Got a union connection with an uncle of Wayne's
We drove eight hundred miles without seeing a cop
We got rock and roll music blasting off the T-top singing.
- Bruce Springsteen - "Darlington County"

Spike Jones - "Hello Mother, Hello Father"

Hello mother, hello father,
Here I am at Camp Grenada.
Camp is very entertaining,
And they say we'll have some fun if it stops raining!

Spike Jones – “Hello Mother, Hello Father”

Day 46: Alliston – REST DAY
4775kms biked out of total of 7650 kms

It was so nice to wake up in a hotel room rather than a tent this morning..! Having said that, I didn’t sleep particularly well but I think that it was because I had such a full agenda for the day which definitely had to include eating, cleaning my bike, getting caught up on posting my blog, checking out Alliston and showing my Dad a bit of our routine back at the campground. Mom had to go into Toronto so Dad and I made the most of the hotel’s ‘All You Can Eat’ breakfast buffet. Once again, I’m astounded how much I can eat and still be hungry. I think that my Dad was also pretty surprised when I went back for my 3rd helping of pancakes and crunchy bacon and my 3rd glass of orange juice topped off with a giant bowl of fresh fruit… and 3 cups of coffee.

It was a gorgeous clear-blue sky day so we walked from the hotel back to the campground which was about a 5 minute walk – so convenient..! Andrew and Peter and ‘set up’ just outside of the pavilion and were ‘knee deep’ in bike cleaning. Surrounded by oily rags, chain lube, pumps, patches, hoses and brushes they scrubbed furiously and adjusted wheels and chains and rings. I looked on as my bike stood under a tree, still caked with dirt and grease and decided that this would be a perfect time to impress Dad by showing him how much I’d learned so far about bicycle maintenance. Unfortunately Andrew enlightened my Dad with the fact that he pumps up my tires in the morning, reads the map every day, tells me to clean my bike etc. etc. My cover was blown..! I decided to try to salvage what I could of my reputation and wheeled my bike over and started to clean the chain… and then the derailer… and then I took off the squeaky pedal which had been squeeking for the past 3,500 kms… It was actually quite an enjoyable way to spend the morning and my Dad even pulled up his shirt sleeves and helped out..! My bike got a fantastic wash, tune up and was in tip top condition by the time we hung up the rags at around 1pm.

The rest of the afternoon was spent running errands which included stocking up on snacks for Happy Hour and picking up my clean, dry tent (courtesty of Melanie and John!!). At around 4pm during our shopping spree for food a the grocery store the heavens opened and it began to POUR down. I was so happy to have a warm, dry hotel bed to look forward to that evening rather than the wet campsite..! We did pop by the camp so I could introduce Melanie to everyone and by that point it had stopped raining (well, it had stopped TORRENTIALLY raining). There were huge puddles in the campground and some tents had been flooded as they'd unfortunately been set up next to the storm drains. I am certain that there is a Chinese proverb about tents and storm drains somewhere but unfortunately no one told Erik..!

"He who sets up tent next to storm drain will get wet".

That night Mom, Dad, Melanie and I went out for a lovely meal at a 'German / Italian' restaurant to end the rest day in Alliston. I devoured a huge chunk of lasagne and a black forest cake. It certainly felt wierd to be eating with my family and sat around a restaurant table knowing that I'd see them again in a few weeks time. Part of me wanted to return to 'normal life' and the other part of me longed to continue with the journey. It's been a long time since I've really thought about 'home' and post-biking and can certainly imagine that 'real life' will take some getting used to again.

Tom Petty - "Climb that Hill"

You got to get up and climb that hill.
Get up and climb that hill.
You got to get up and climb that hill again.

- Tom Petty – “Climb that Hill”

Day 45: Owen Sound – Alliston
168 kms / 102 miles (circ. 122 hills)

The first thing I did this morning is stretch my arms and my legs in my sleeping bag to ensure that they were still working after yesterday’s shock to the system. I’m pretty sure that my body spent the entire evening recovering and asking itself, ‘what the hell just happened’. After 45 days of developing cycling muscles the swimming muscles have become significantly weaker. Fortunately everything still worked but the ride to Alliston was not an easy one. I was SUPER excited this morning though as today was the day I would meet my parents in Alliston!! AND, we would be staying in a nice hotel adjacent to the campground!

The cue sheets read some worrying words, ‘A challenging but scenic day as you ride through the Dufferin Highlands…’ ‘Challenging’ and ‘Highlands’ are two words that when used together are not exactly what you want to hear the day after a triathalon. It was also due to be a hot and sunny day which would also make the climbing even more difficult. In spite of efforts for an early start we didn’t hit the road until about 7:30am and almost immediately entered the highlands. The views from the top of the hills over the rolling green terrain was spectacular – absolutely gorgeous. We were in ‘Cottage Country’ and everything was so green.

We passed through a lot of small towns such as Walters Falls, Gorning, Bowles Hill (great winding downhill!), and climbed out of Beaver Valley but many of the restaurants were closed because it was a Holiday Monday. It was incredibly hot and water was in short supply. As we climbed a very sweaty and steep climb out of Beaver Valley I prayed to the ‘Gods of Liquid Refreshments’ that a well stocked gas station would be the view at the top of the hill. Fortunately my prayers were answered and I indulged in two giant bottles of iced tea and a peanut butter sandwich and a healthy packet of Sunchips.

The rolling terrain continued throughout the afternoon which made for a very challenging but scenic day. It felt good to be on more ‘familiar’ turf surrounded by corn, wheat and soybeans rather than steep granite cliffs. It was also great to see Collingwoods rolling hills off in the distance even though this did mean that there were more ups and downs ahead. The weather stayed beautiful and some clouds which passed over at around 2pm provided some much needed shade. As we neared Alliston the towns began to look more ‘Victorian’ in style with lots more red brick homes and it was clear that many of the towns had undergone some sort of ‘heritage preservation’ programme as all of the frontages were done in similar ‘Victorian’ themed styles. The homes also got much bigger the closer we got to Alliston.
Breandan was on turbo mode so he headed off to Alliston to meet his parents so Andrew and I stopped for a drink and a ‘snack’ in beautiful Creemore – famous for the Creemore brewery. The bakery / coffee shop where we stopped was lovely – it had a HUGE selection of coffees, teas, and plenty of homemade treats. I indulged in a mint chocolate chip ice-cream sandwich which was wonderful..! It was difficult to decide between that and a homemade blueberry pie – the pie would have been difficult to carry back to the campground on my bike though..! The shop was beautifully decorated with a giant window overlooking the main street and was pretty busy when we first arrived. I think that there are a lot of families which travel up to Creemore or use the area as ‘cottage country’. Unfortunately we didn’t have time for a tour of the Creemore brewery (which is just off the main street) but it’s such a lovely town I’m keen to return and explore it at my leisure..!

We then continued on for another 40kms of rolling hills to Alliston. It was a great ride under a sky which had clouded over a bit which cooled things down nicely. I was keen to get to camp around 3:30 in time to meet my parents. It felt strange to think that I last saw them 46 days ago when I left home with the realisation that I’d have to bike a few thousand kilometres across the country before seeing them again. It’s amazing how quickly the time flies as it seemed like just yesterday I said goodbye to them but when I think back to everything I’ve seen and done over the past 46 days it’s overwhelming. I was worried that when seeing them I’d be keen for my ‘creature comforts’ again – particularly after a night out in a nice hotel and being taken out for dinner..! I must admit, I was super excited to see them.

We reached Alliston in record time and I felt pretty good considering we’d bike 166kms in 6 hours and 33 minutes…! Alliston itself was quite nice – lots of little shops and a bustling main street which was certainly worth exploring. Of course, Dairy Queen and Tim Hortons were enroute but we were in too much of a hurry to get to camp to stop. There were a few people who’d already arrived in camp and some tents were already up. The campground was nice – it had a pool and a huge pavilion that we could use for lounging and cooking under. I must admit however, it was a satisfying feeling that I would not have to put up my tent that night and the next. No sign of my parents though… I wondered if it was possible that they went to the wrong campground as I’d never really specified which campground in Alliston we were staying at AND the campground where we were staying was not actually in Alliston – it was in Nicolston Dam, just opposite the Nottawasaga Inn.

The French Connection pulled in around 5:30 where we learned that Yao had come off his bike in a patch of sand. His back wheel was completely bent and needed some serious tuning but fortunately he was ok apart from a few bruises. Graham had also come off and they were all a bit shaken up. It is always so scary to hear about a fall (even worse to be in one and/or witness one!) and I must admit, it is always such a relief when everyone does make it into camp each evening safe and sound. Thank goodness everyone made it to Alliston safely.

By 6pm my parents STILL hadn’t appeared so I decided to call and, sure enough, they’d been to the provincial park campground and had driven around there looking for us..! By this point they’d realised I was at the Nicolston campground and were enroute to pick me up by the time I’d called. When they finally DID arrive, it was so great to see my parents and show them around the truck and introduce everyone. The truck and routine which is now such an integral part of my life seems totally ‘normal’ to me but I can certainly understand how it’s quite a novelty to visitors. The smelly truck with all of our gear (shelves and shelves of wet shoes, tents, random plastic bags, plastic boxes…), the kitchen with its gigantic pots and pans, and tent city itself are all quite unique and appears slightly chaotic but we all seem to function in it with our own routines.

We went to my sister, Melanie’s house in Borden Base which is just outside of Alliston. It was also great to see Melanie and finally see where she lived! Another bonus was that she had a shower AND laundry so I dumped all of my belongings in her backyard and sorted through everything and completely reorganised my ‘stuff’. I have a huge bag of things which I’ve been carrying around for the past 45 days but haven’t used /worn so was more than happy to unload these with my parents to take back home for collection at the end of the trip..! Another bonus was that I had some of my Mom’s fantastic home cooking – homemade chilli which is absolutely delicious. It was great not to have dinner standing up and eating out of a giant plastic bowl and swatting random bugs for a change.

As I fell asleep that night at around 11pm in the comfort of the hotel room bed back in Alliston I was sooo glad not to be in a damp tent and sooo glad to be back with family. It felt weird though as I have gotten used to the ‘outside’ noises and the fresh air when falling asleep and in spite of the fact that I was in a comfy bed with a thick warm duvet, I had troubles falling asleep..! Too much excitement for one day ;-)

Queen - "We are the Champions"

We are the champions - my friends
And we'll keep on fighting - till the end -
We are the champions -
We are the champions
No time for losers
'Cause we are the champions...

- Queen - "We are the Champions"

Day 44: Owen Sound – REST DAY – TRIATHLON

Rather than the sound of zippers unzipping I awoke to the sound of the boys outside chopping wood to prepare the fire for breakfast..! It was an absolutely stunning morning with clear blue skies and a heavy dew. I slept wonderfully well and was mentally ready for the swim and the big handover to Graham for the bike who would then hand over to Eve for the run. The triathlon didn’t start until 3pm so we had some time in the morning to get ready, practise our massage techniques, have a hearty breakfast and head out early to register and get used to our new environment. It was a funny sort of morning as we’re usually chatty and full of jokes and laughs. This was still the case however you could certainly notice that there was a degree of ‘tension’ or ‘nerves’ in the air. James’ parents gave us a 5-star treatment again as around 9am the cars pulled up and a HUGE warm breakfast of bacon, eggs, potatoes and orange juice was served up. Breakfast of champions..! I am overwhelmed at their hospitality and it has definitely made the whole triathlon experience so special.

We biked out to Owen Sound and the race course at around noon just in time to see the junior athletes finishing their race and also register for our events. It was incredibly well organised as we picked up our ‘goodie bags’, signed our waiver forms (I feel as though I’m signing a lot of waiver forms these days…!), and were given our numbers. ‘Team Polly’ (Graham, Eve and I) was team 720 and ‘Team Cool’ (Andrew, Brendan and Yao) was 719. A highlight of the morning (which seemed to break some of the tension!) was a huge shopping spree as we bought new cycling wear and Eve bought her running gear (she was originally going to run in her cycling shorts). There were running shoes for sale as well but Brendan had managed to borrow Tony’s for the run so he was geared up in the shoe department. After picking up a special professional looking purple swim cap for my ‘Wave’ or ‘Heat’ I was also set and ready to go. Unfortunately it clashed with my red wet suit.

The triathlon made us all feel like professional athletes – there were sponsors everywhere and loads of supporters out to enjoy the day. Everyone had their numbers written on their arms and we picked up our electronic tags which would serve as the ‘baton’ during the hand over from the swim to the bike to the run. I did a bit of reconnaissance and went out to check out the starting area for the swim. Much to my dismay, the water looked INCREDIBLY choppy (we’re talking Hawaii-sized surfing waves) with whitecaps starting for form along the crest of each wave. Whilst the course didn’t seem too far on paper, in ‘real life’ it was an entirely different matter. The buoys seemed like miles away and, combined with the choppy water and the number of people who would be swimming in the two heats ahead of mine, I realised that I might be in over my head (literally… gulp!). Perhaps I should have taken the swimming part of the event a bit more seriously and tried to at least train… once… or at least do one or two hundred meters of front crawl as practise. I hadn’t swum that far doing front crawl for at least 10 – 15 years..!! Oh dear.

I bit my nails nervously and headed back to our ‘meeting point’ to put on my wetsuit and see how the others were getting on in their preparations and stretching. I confessed to Graham and Eve that they’d have to bike and run VERY fast to make up for what would be an extremely challenging swim..! To make matters worse, I was due to swim against Andrew who confessed to being one of the top swimmers in Kenya in his youth. Oh dear. Was I ever in trouble..! I realised that if he beat me I’d never ever hear the end of it.

By this stage some of the TdC riders had arrived at the race to cheer us on which was so incredibly awesome of them..! It was like we had our own giant cheering section. Peter arrived first to give us some coaching and was followed shortly thereafter by Sandy, Carmen, Gary, Michael, Bob, Ned, Tak and a number of others. They’d all sped down to Owen Sound from Tobermory that morning to meet us and support us in this endeavour. It felt fantastic to have so much support and feel the enthusiasm from everyone. Really, really cool and it made the experience extra-special.

It was nearing 3pm so Andrew and I made our way to the start of the swimming course. Everyone was pulling on their wet-suits and smiling nervously. As I edged my way to the water with about 400 others I realised what I was about to do but tried to stay positive about things. It was ONLY 750meters… It could be worse. It could be 760… or 770…

Now, looking back on hindsight, I realise that it was in fact a blessing that I hadn’t trained and that there is quite a lot of truth in the expression, ‘Ignorance is bliss’. I could go through the play-by-play of the way the afternoon swim unfolded however it would take pages and pages of text that would never quite sum up the experience or the thoughts running through my head… In one word, it was ‘HARD’. Actually, make that two words, ‘EXTREMELY CHALLENGING’. I didn’t quite think that death by drowning or being kicked in the head was imminent however whilst drinking pints and pints of Owen Sound Baywater the thought,

‘Why the hell did I get stuck doing the swimming leg...’ did cross my mind once or twice.

This thought was followed closely by:

‘Oh dear… I don’t think I am going to make it’.

I started out doing front crawl but ended up swimming on top of quite a few swimmers and then being kicked in the face and kicking a few others… Thinking that this ‘kicking people thing’ was very ‘unCanadian-like’ (it was hard to say ‘Oos – I’m soooo sorry’ between mouthfuls of water and desperate gasps of air) I decided to change my tactics and swim breast-stroke the entire way so that I could swallow significantly less water, navigate my way around the other swimmers and mentally wrap my head around the distance left to go. The waves were huge and it was clear that A LOT of the swimmers were struggling – there were quite a few people swimming backstroke, holding onto the buoys for rests, putting up their arms for help from the rescue kayaks and I passed a lot of people who had stopped to catch their breath by treading water.

About 300 meters into the race I spotted a man with a purple cap carefully and quickly navigating his way through the water swimming a nice, neat, professional looking crawl. He wasn’t wearing a wet suit and looked like Andrew. I smiled smugly to myself and decided to employ a strategy - to pace myself by swimming behind ‘Andrew’ for the next 400 meters of the race and then overtaking him in the final 20 meters – catch him by surprise. Boy was Andrew ever going to be surprised when he was passed by me. He’d never hear the end of it..!! A cunning plan. It got to the point where I was giggling nervously in the water and mentally preparing the attack and take over and then the moves to my celebration dance on-shore when I beat him.

On hindsight I should have perhaps spent a bit more energy swimming…

As we neared the shore I was just about to do the sprint take over using my last few drops of energy and smile smugly at Andrew when ‘Andrew’ stood up to start to dash out of the water. My heart stopped - I realised that it wasn’t Andrew..!! Men in speedos, goggles and purple bathing caps all look alike in the water… the giant maple leaf tattoo on this guys back wasn’t visible in the water but it was certainly noticeable out of the water! Last time I checked Andrew didn’t have a giant maple leaf tattoo on his back… Oops. A case of mistaken identity. I couldn’t help but laugh out loud at my stupid mistake and also stood up to give everyone on shore a broad, white pearly smile. Where was the paparazzi..? CBC news? CBS? Radio-Canada…?

This is when I realised that I had no idea what to do next now that I was done my swim.

Standing in the water looking a bit like an idiot with a giant smile on my face I wondered what to do. I didn’t see anyone on the shore with a bike, I didn’t know where I was supposed to go and I had no idea how the electronic bracelet on my ankle was supposed to get on Graham’s ankle. In fact, where was Graham..?? Clearly these were things I should have considered before I got into the water and started swimming.

SO, I did what all professional, experienced triatheletes do and followed the others as they ran out of the water, up a gravel running course and suddenly found myself in a giant parking lot full of shiney bikes wondering what to do next. Fortunately I suddenly heard Graham and Eve screaming,

‘Heeeeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaaaaaaattttttttttttthhhhhhhhhherrrrrrrrrr’.

Oh thank god. Saved.

I ran as quickly as I could over to Graham and Eve, ripped off the electronic bracelet from my ankle and handed it over to Graham who strapped it on his ankle, threw on his helmet, hopped on his bike and was off like a rabbit, eager to catch up with Yao who had already sped off during the handover with Andrew… about 3 minutes before mine…! Andrew was present for the handover with Graham and when I told him about the mix- up with the other swimmer he couldn’t stop laughing.

When we saw Yao coming back on the bike from his leg of the race we all started screaming and cheering. Full of adrenaline, he raced into the parking area, racked his bike, and stripped off the tag for the handover to Brendan who raced off for the run. About 3 minutes after Yao’s arrival Graham frantically raced in and followed the same scenario, handing the ankle tag over to Eve who raced off after Brendan. We stood screaming our hearts out on the sidelines. We then headed over to the finish area where the first runners were already coming in from earlier heats. Incredible athletes. We cheered everyone on as they came in and the crowd went wild when Brendan, Eve, Erik, James, Laura, and Wing crossed the finish line in the run. Everyone finished and everyone made fantastic time. In fact, Laura placed first in her age group for the duathalon (run, bike, run) and ‘Team Cool’ placed 4th in the mixed tri and we placed 7th out of 14 teams. Not bad considering that the only leg we ‘trained’ for was the bike..!

I’ve never done anything like a ‘triathlon’ before but I must say that I thoroughly, thoroughly enjoyed it and it’s been one of the highlights of the journey so far. It has been a highlight for many reasons – some ‘individual’ but also a huge part of it was ‘group’ or ‘team’ related. It felt amazing to do something as a team and realise that to be successful we all had to work together. The whole is only as good as the sum of its parts. It was also incredible to have the support of the rest of the TdC group who came to watch us and cheer us on even after their long cycle into Owen Sound. Everyone was so positive and supportive that it was overwhelming. From the cheering, to the words of advice and encouragement, to the photo taking to the laughs to the hugs… Awesome.

That night we celebrated at Montana’s – the all you can eat ribs restaurant. It was so much fun and everyone ate their fill between lots of laughs, stories and pitchers of beer. Post dinner we cycled into camp for more hugs and congratulatory words and dove into our tents. I was exhausted but so happy. A wicked day and one that I will remember forever.

Tom Cochrane - "Life is a Highway"

Life's like a road that you travel on
When there's one day here and the next day gone
Sometimes you bend sometimes you stand
Sometimes you turn your back to the wind
There's a world outside every darkened Door
Where blues won't haunt you anymore
Where the brave are free and lovers soar
Come ride with me to the distant shore

We won't hesitate break down the garden gate
There's not much left today

Life is a highway
I want to ride it all night long
If you're going my way
I want to drive it all night long

- Tom Cochrane - "Life is a Highway"

Day 43 / 44: Manitowaning - Owen Sound
166 kms

I woke up at 4:30am to the sound of sleeping bag zippers unzipping, clinking of poles and the ‘sssssssssssssss’ sound of air being released out of about 35 thermarests all at once. Today we had a super early start as we were heading to Tobermory and, for the triatheletes, on to Owen Sound. We had to catch the Ferry to Tobermory by 9:10am and the truck had to be loaded by 7am. I had organised my clothes the previous evening so jumping into them and taking down my tent didn’t take too much brainpower – a plus at that ungodly hour of the morning..! Our crew was on Galley Duty so we served breakfast and then loaded the truck for 6:55am – right on time and on schedule. This then gave us about 2 hours to cycle the 40kms to the Ferry in South Baymouth.

Everyone was in a great mood in spite of the early start as it was a short day for most people – 40kms and then a relaxing afternoon post-ferry. For those participating in the triathalon the following day the mood was somewhat different. There were A LOT of jokes and even more laughs but a sense of nervousness did overshadow the day. We had originally entered the triathalon as a bit of fun but we suddenly were caught up in stories about strategy, swimmers being kicked in the head, bikers being disqualified for drafting, and runners with terrible leg strains which would eventually affect the rest of the bike trip… What on earth had we gotten ourselves into?! I must admit, I was incredibly nervous particularly because I knew that Graham would do a fantastic job on the bike, Eve would run a speedy 5km and I would have to start out with a very strong 750m swim to give our team the advantage… unfortunately however I have not swum 750m of front crawl for about 10 (??!) years..!!

The cycle out to South Baymouth was very scenic – Manitoulin Island has stunning scenery and I like the hills as they are sufficiently ‘rolling’ to give you enough speed on the downhill to get up the uphill and get into a nice rhythm. We breezed through the 40kms to South Baymouth and cruised into the ‘Chi-Cheemaun’ (sp!!) docking area. We officially kick started the morning at 8:45am with a coffee and butter pecan tart whilst sitting in the sun and watching the cars line up eager to pull into the waiting ferry. We were able to pull out right in front of everyone. I could see the drivers of the cars jealously eyeing the 40 bikes cruising happily into the belly of the waiting ship and we were the first in line for the Chi-Cheemaun Ferry breakfast which was dominated by mass caffeine intake to counter the early morning start.

The gentle rocking of the boat combined with our full stomachs soon had everyone lethargic and yawning. Graham, Eve and I received some coaching from Peter who is a professional marathon trainer and has participated in a number of triathalons and similar sorts of athletic competitions. We also used the time to instil fear into Brendan, Andrew and Yao… the psychological warfare had officially begun. By the time the ferry pulled into the dock in Tobermory we were all exhausted and I found it difficult to get motivated to bike the next 130kms to Owen Sound given that by the time we got out of the ship it was already about 11:30am.

James, a TdC vet who has joined the 2008 group was the original sign-up to the Owen Sound triathalon. He then spoke with Erik from the French Connection who felt suitably inspired and decided to sign up which prompted a chain of entrants. When our group separated from the ‘Rest Day’ group at the Tobermory dock I looked around to see the remaining group of athletes – Laura and Wing (duathalon), James and Erik (triathalon) and Andrew, Brendan, Yao, Eve, Graham and myself (team triathalon) and John (team supporter and cheerleader). A fantastic group of people and I looked forward to sharing in this experience with them. Everyone was a bit nervous because for most of us this was our first triathalon and had no idea what to expect.

We pulled off onto Highway 6 which deserves a mention in this blog as the ‘Number 1 most dangerous highway’ that we’ve been on so far in the trip. Perhaps this is a bit of a sweeping generalization as it was a Saturday of a Long Weekend but there was A LOT of reckless traffic, absolutely no shoulder and huge potholes along the side of the road. It was extremely tedious riding as you had to be 120% aware of what was going on all around you – in front, behind and beside. Having said that, we cycled a brilliant 100kms averaging about 29kms / hour into Wiarton (the home of Wiarton Willy, the groundhog http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wiarton_Willie) with only 1 stop for sunscreen application. We had one particularly close encounter with a giant black SUV which was trying to overtake in the oncoming lane and we are still uncertain whether he did, in fact, see us in the oncoming lane with a car overtaking us… we all swerved into the gravel and breathed a HUGE sigh of relief as the truck flew past us and we escaped unscathed and only half of my life flashed in front of my eyes. Similar incidents were reported with campers and trucks… nothing makes your knuckles go white on your hoods like the sound of screeching tires coming from behind.

In Wiarton we stopped at a fantastic restaurant called, ‘The Three Friends’ which served home made ‘Monte Cristo’ sandwiches, fantastic soups and salads as well as lasagne in a cute little converted mansion house on the Main Street. It was such a HUGE relief to be able to sit down and relax and laugh about what we’d been through now that we felt a bit safer. As usual, a lot of laughs were had by all and a series of practical jokes ensued – the highlight of which involved some electrical tape and Andrew’s helmet…. Following our meal we all popped out to enjoy an ice-cream at a restaurant which James had highly recommended – a new little shop which had recently opened called, ‘Northern Confections’. I often wonder what the small town shop owners think when they are suddenly invaded by between 15 – 39 hungry, lycra and spandex clad cyclists. I can imagine that it is slightly overwhelming.

James then took over the drivers seat position for the group and led the way as we cycled a 30km stretch on a lovely series of back roads into Owen Sound. It’s his neck of the woods so he was familiar with the roads and the route which was nice. The road was relatively quiet and well paved which was SUCH a refreshing change from the previous highway experience. The day had been quite a hot and sunny one so by this time it was about 4pm and things had started to cool down a bit and the trees lining the road did provide us with some shade. It was a great ride into Owen Sound which I did my best to enjoy in spite of triathalon nerves. Our final destination after a few pit stops was James’ parents place just outside of Owen Sound. He had kindly arranged our entire evenings itinerary including a ‘clean up’ at his parents and then dinner at Boston Pizza and then sleeping at a friends cabin. Enroute to James parents place was the triathalon bike course so we checked that out as well. A nice rolling ride with one challenging hill (which was a breeze for us pros and provided a great opportunity to pass the less experienced cyclists and gain precious seconds). It was good to see it and great for Graham, Yao, Erik, Laura, Wing and James to see what they were up against.

James parents house was gorgeous – right on the Owen Sound Bay with a fantastic swimming area. It was strange to be in an actual ‘home’ for the first time in 43 days..! James’ parents were so incredibly sweet – towels and soap were laid out ready for everyone and they’d also organised three cars to take us all into town post shower for dinner. James’ Mom even offered to do our laundry..! It was total 5-star treatment. We washed and cleaned up in the Bay and I tried on my wet suit for the first time. I am pleased to report that it fit..!! We piled into the cars and headed off to the Owen Sound Boston Pizza for dinner with the gang which totally hit the spot. I sat across from James sister, Lee, who is an incredibly inspiring and strong woman. It was lovely to be surrounded by such wonderful people. I had a huge delicious chunk of lasagne for dinner as part of my slow-release carb-boosting diet. I hoped that it would provide a good base for the triathalon the following day and did my best to stay away from the beer as couldn’t imagine that it would help with my fitness level – for a change..! I keep telling myself that the triathalon is just for fun but at the same time I can’t help but feel nervous. I guess that this is all part of the competition and part of the experience.

We spent the night in James’ friends cabin which was incredibly rustic and absolutely gorgeous. It was in the countryside and away from everything – no trains, no cars, no lights – just total peace and quiet with a sea of stars outside. Stunning. It was a real, ‘This is why I love Canada’ moment. The cabin was a ‘log cabin’ style with electricity and an outhouse. It was such a charming place and it felt like we’d just stepped back about 50 years in time. There were beds and floor space for all of us and it was not long before everyone was passed out and fast asleep after quite a few laughs as we chatted between bedrooms. By this stage I was even too tired to be nervous for the day ahead..!

Van Morrison - "Into the Mystic"

We were born before the wind
Also younger than the sun
Ere the bonnie boat was won as we sailed into the mystic
Hark, now hear the sailors cry
Smell the sea and feel the sky
Let your soul and spirit fly into the mystic

- Van Morrison - "Into the Mystic"

Massey to Manitowaning – Day 42
111 kms / 69 miles

A heavy dew had settled over the campground overnight but the sky was relatively clear with some tufts of clouds dotted over the blue sky. Today was the day we cycled to Manitoulan Island, the largest island in the world surrounded by fresh water. I was very much looking forward to the ride in spite of those ominous words on the cue sheets, ‘…but terrain is hilly past Espanola and it will not be an easy ride.’ In spite of this I did manage to enjoy a fantastic breakfast of pancakes served by Galley Crew 5 and got my tent and bike ready in record time. I was ready by 7:15 and cycled out with Andrew and Ian with the mission of heading straight to the Tim Hortons rumoured to be in Espanola. The sun was burning the fog which was lifting from the lake outside of Massey and it was incredibly picturesque. Fortunately Peter had his GPS handy and saved us from veering into the wrong direction..!

The road into Espanola was not busy as we avoided Route 17 – I think 3 cars passed us over the course of the 29kms into Espanola. It was easy riding, smooth terrain which led us past several farms and giant rolls of hay. Very relaxing and a nice start to the day.!

The rumour of a Tim Hortons proved to be true and we pulled up to meet up with Dave and Brendan who had also just arrived (they’d taken several wrong turns along the way as well in spite of an attempt at an early start). Ned and Dennis were already there and over the course of the following 15 minutes about 30 lycra-clad cyclists had pretty much taken over the restaurant and were eating up a storm even though it was only about an hour after our breakfast. I am now officially addicted to the Timmy’s bacon breakfast sandwich with a honey cruller donut and a medium vanilla coffee.

It did not take long for the terrain to change outside of Espanola – about .5kms to be exact..! I am learning that many towns and cities strategically locate themselves either at the top of a hill or at the bottom of one and in this case, Espanola is at the bottom of a very steep hill. The following 40 kms between Espanola and the bridge to Manitoulan Island were hilly but the hills were actually enjoyable. I do approach a ‘hills’ day with some caution but am learning to ‘enjoy’ them and see the more difficult terrain as an opportunity to work on building up my strength and keep a consistent pace. Cycling with Brendan, Andrew and Ian definitely helps as they are stronger than I am but I can feel myself slowly keeping pace by spinning and, more importantly, working on my gear shifting. It seems so much easier now than it did back in British Columbia..! The scenery also changed and the steep granite cliffs were replaced by limestone and the dense forests became more ‘scrubby’ the closer we got to Manitoulan Island. It was a great ride, very enjoyable made even better by the great weather.

The bridge to Manitoulan Island was open when we arrived which was interesting to see. It looked like quite an old bridge which had been surfaced with wood. When it’s open the cars all have to stop but the bicycles can go ahead to the very front and see the mechanics of the bridge as well as the boats coming through the channel which appears to be about 50 feet below. It takes about 15 minutes for the bridge cycle from open (to boats) to close. Given we’d made some excellent time between Espanola and the Bridge the rest was a blessing in disguise..!

On the other side of the bridge was a fantastic icecream shop which sold about 50 different flavours of icecream. Manitoulan Island was certainly looking good so far..! Needless to say we all filled our stomachs trying desperately to forget that we had another 30kms left to cycle and one humungous hill to climb. We were like kids in a candy store with our waffle cones, triple scoops, mixed flavours of Tiger Tail, Moosetracks, Caramel, Black Cherry, Mint chocolate chip, Cookies ‘n Cream, Heavenly Hash, Brownie…. Just to name a few..!

Break over, Brendan, Dave and I continued on into camp as it was our Galley Duty and I was keen to get a swim and shower in prior to my dinner duties. Andrew and the French Connection headed into town to have lunch and chill for an extra hour or so. The ride to camp was a smooth one but a very hilly one – particularly one hill which was called the ‘5 mile hill’ and it felt about 5 miles in the sun..! These are the days when I am thankful to have 2 bottles of spare Gatoraid handy on my bike. The highlight of the climb however was a spectacular view from a cliff on the north edge of the island and overlooking Lake Huron. It was a clear day and you could see for what seemed like miles and miles. It reminded me a bit of the Caribbean..!

The final section of the route past Little Current was relatively flat but the pavement had a giant ‘ripple crack’ in it about every 3 feet which made for a ‘vibrating’ ride. It was made even more challenging thanks to a headwind that certainly kept me feeling my legs. I was definitely happy to see the sign which marked the entrance into our lovely campsite.

The truck was unloaded and I went through the usual setting up ritual which ended with a swim in the lake. The water was warm and refreshing as the afternoon was getting hot – ah, how I have missed Canadian (particularly Ontario!) summers..! The heat is draining when you are on your bicycle but it is incredibly comforting post ride when you are sat relaxed with a cold drink in hand. I am always relieved when I have this moment and I must admit I do need this moment to fully appreciate the day. Unfortunately I am not yet sure how far 750meters is yet so while I did splash around in the water for about 15 minutes wearing goggles I still have no idea how I should pace myself for the Triathalon which is now only 2 days away. Yikes..!

We had some subs to help out with the Galley Crew and made a wonderful chicken stir fry – Dave is a fantastic and inventive chef and a master in the camp kitchen. We made tonnes of food and it was actually finished – everyone was full and happy which is always a huge achievement as the ability to fill 40 hungry cyclists’ stomachs is never an easy task. I enjoy Galley Duty but am always happy when it is over and everything is cleaned up and organized for the next group. I claimed the honour of being the eager volunteer to lick the chocolate bowl clean.

Tomorrow morning we are boarding the ferry to Tobermory which leaves at 9:10am and we have about 40 kms to cycle beforehand which means that our crew won’t be serving a hot breakfast in the morning and everyone has to be up and organized with the truck completely packed by 7am. I am curious to see how it will go and hope that everyone is able to make it in time. 2 hours to cover 40kms is doable as long as the traffic isn’t too bad and as long as there are no major breakdowns etc. I am keeping my fingers crossed that my tires do not use tomorrow as the day to decide to spring a leak..! The ferry is only 1 hour and 45 minutes.

Under ‘normal’ conditions tomorrow would be a ‘half rest day’ (40kms) but as our Triathalon is in Owen Sound, another 100 kms, we are continuing on and will use Sunday (the day of the Triathalon) as our rest day. It’s a bit crazy and I am 100% positive that tomorrow will be a long and knackering day but hopefully it will all run smoothly and we’ll arrive safe and sound and ready for the big event on Sunday.

Velvet Underground - "Ride Into The Sun"

Looking for another place
Somewhere else to be
Looking for another chance
To ride into the sun

-Velvet Underground - "Ride Into The Sun"

Thessalon to Massey – Day 41
130 kms / 80 miles

It is always a treat to start the day mosquito free and the campground in Massey provided that pleasure. I’m not sure if it was because we were so close to Lake Huron or whether it was because of the wind or because it was the end of July – whatever the reason, our mosquito free French Toast breakfast was wonderful. Sheer bliss. I love mosquito free southern Ontario. It was a ‘pink sky’ morning which made me a bit nervous but I didn’t really care – the sheer joy associated with the lack of mosquitoes certainly overshadowed any apprehension I had about starting the day and the possibility of rain.

Today was, in a nutshell, an easy riding day and a nice break from some of the more challenging long days we’ve had over the past week. It was fun because there were ‘services’ (eg. Villages with restaurants / gas stations etc.) along the way where we could stop and rest. The villages also provide excellent markers for distances as often they are signposted along the road. Hotels, motels and restaurants are also often advertised which provide us cyclists with plenty to read which is always a treat – particularly if the cyclist is good at multi tasking.

We started out the day by cycling through Thessalon which has as its home one of the “Top 10 Places in Canada to Eat” – we didn’t stop there as we’d already had our French Toast fill earlier that morning.

The road conditions were less than ideal as there was a very, very narrow shoulder (sometimes even non existent) and the traffic was made up of a lot of families taking a Winnibego out for the first time. This is the traffic a cyclist has to be aware of – often the giant traveling campers are rentals and the drivers are inexperienced and have no conception of how ‘wide’ their load is. Campers (with the giant rental stickers on the sides) as well as the Budget moving trailers (attached behind cars) are also vehicles to be especially wary of. Ironically it’s the transports and giant trucks which are the most careful and attentive.

We made a stop at Blind River at the 58kms mark for a Timmy’s – I am pretty sure that the entire population of Blind River decided to have a coffee at that very moment as the line seemed to go out the door..! It was a nice morning stop and great to catch up with everyone over a morning coffee. Brendan, Andrew, Ian and I cycled together and made good time. I find the day seems to go by so much faster when we make little rest stops every 20kms or so and this particular Timmy’s fit well in our stopping routine. It also provides an excellent opportunity to fill water bottles etc.

The terrain was relatively flat with some hills but everything was manageable. We also had the advantage of a wonderful tail wind blowing from the North West which certainly aided our average speed of 28.5kms / hour for the day. We passed through Spanish at about 1 pm – an interesting town especially as tomorrow we will pass through a town called, ‘Espanola’… I wonder what the link is between the two towns..!

Our campground was clean and easy to find just outside of Massey. We got in very early (2pm) so I had plenty of time for laundry, setting up and organising my tent and getting caught up on my blog. I hate rushing but arriving at camp at a reasonable hour certainly does have its advantages..!

The campground was lovely and our campsite was set between a stand of tall pine trees. The needles from the trees provided a soft bed for our tents. Unfortunately however the Park was in the midst of a regeneration programme so we had to set up tents in the grassy field outside of the pine stands. Adjacent to the campground was a lovely river with some waterfalls… unfortunately it wasn’t suitable for my triathalon swim training so I worked on the mental aspect of the swim which is apparently also part of the process. I actually prefer thinking about the swim more than actually doing it.

It was Laura’s birthday so we all joined in and sang over giant slabs of chocolate cake lathered in white icing after a wonderful meal of chilli. I was exhausted and very happy to crawl into my tent that evening at around 8:30pm. It took a whole of .5 seconds to fall asleep.

Sheryl Crow - "All I Wanna Do" - Goulais River to Thessalon – Day 40

All I wanna do is have some fun
I got a feeling Im not the only one
All I wanna do is have some fun
Until the sun comes up over Santa Monica Boulevard...

- Sheryl Crow "All I wanna do"

Spirit of the West - "Home for a Rest"

The gas heater's empty, it's damp as a tomb
The spirits we drank now ghosts in the room
I'm knackered again, come on sleep take me soon
And don't lift up my head 'till the the twelve bells at noon

- Spirit of the West - "Home for a Rest"

Rest Day – Sault Ste. Marie – Day 39

Blueberry Hill was not exactly a bustling metropolis and thus provided plenty of peace and quiet for a great nights sleep. The forecast had originally been quite negative (rain!) but the sun magically appeared this morning and there was nothing but blue sky overhead. The campground was quite isolated so we decided to head up the famed ‘Mile Hill’ and cycle the 30kms into Sault Ste. Marie and stay there for the evening. The strategy was a good one as it would allow us to sleep in and also shave off 30kms from the following day. We did a quick survey of those interested in making the journey and there were 12 brave souls – we nicknamed ourselves ‘The Dirty Dozen’.

The terrain into Sault Ste. Marie was lovely – rolling hills and a great shoulder on the highway made for easy riding. The traffic was also very friendly and accommodating with loads of friendly ‘honks’ and the occasional wave. It was fun to be cycling ‘on our own time’ rather than trying to get to a specific destination with the ultimate goal of setting up camp as soon as possible. It was like we were on our own, set free, and off radar for a day. It’s strange how sheltered and in our own little world we’ve all become. I didn’t even know what day of the week it was this morning and had to ask Graham to check his fancy high tech watch….! It was a Tuesday but it felt like a Saturday because it was like ‘weekend’.

I was surprised to see that Sault Ste. Marie actually has a population of 75,000 and looked forward to all of the luxuries provided by a city of this size – namely, Tim Hortons, a mall for misc shopping, a movie theatre for evening entertainment, an array of restaurants. A diner for breakfast is also always a treat. Sault Ste. Marie certainly did deliver in those respects. We hadn’t booked a hotel so came in a bit on a whim but were lucky that Bob, who was the most organized of the Dirty Dozen, had done some reconnaissance and booked a Travelodge in the downtown core. Fortunately there was still vacancy at the hotel and we all decided that it would be perfect and piled into 4 rooms on the 1st floor – even the bikes made it up. Wow. This was the first time in about 39 days that I have had all my creature comforts at my fingertips – a tv, clean white (!!) towels, a shower you can stand in without wearing flip flops, clean sheets with a pillow that doesn’t smell of damp… Bliss..! I was liking ‘real world’ again and felt as though I was seeing ‘city life’ with new eyes and an entirely new perspective.

We showered and met at ‘old faithful’ – good ol’ Tim Hortons to ‘make a plan’ which involved library, bike shop and doing something educational. After devouring several donuts and a coffee we went our separate ways and headed into the Soo. I wandered the streets with Ian and we eventually ended up at the library where we were met by a friendly receptionist who gave us some ‘internet time’ and then I headed out to the Bushplane Museum with Bob.

I’d never heard of the Bushplane Museum (http://www.bushplane.com)before but was very pleased that I’d made the visit as it was a very interesting museum and the planes and movies were very well presented. The key highlight for me was about ‘The Beaver’ which is considered to be one of the top 10 Canadian Engineering Achievements of the 20th century..! The DeHaviland Beaver was revolutionary to global bushplane aviation and continues to operate in 50 different countries, 7 continents and pole to pole even though the last Beaver to roll off of the production line was in the mid 1960s. Other highlights of the museum were replicas of aviation control rooms and also information on the history of bushplane fire fighting.

The Dirty Dozen met back at the Travelodge for 5pm and according to plan headed straight out to the Docks for dinner. It was a gorgeous clear and warm evening and we sat outside around the table overlooking the Edison building (US) and a giant Moose (which Ian thought was a camel), sharing several pitchers of beer and having a laugh. The French Connection and Andrew all bought ‘toques’ at the bike and ski shop and were showing them off. The sky was dark and rainy over Sault Ste. Marie’s sister city in the US but the sun continued to shine over us for most of the evening. Our waiter was very patient with us considering that it is never an easy task to satisfy the appetites of 12 hungry bikers trying to make the most of their ‘Rest Day’..! I am fairly sure that the waiter had also never seen 12 plates of a main course and then dessert licked so cleanly. I had a fantastic burger topped off with a brownie with icecream for dessert – delicious..! By the time we finished dinner the rain which had been pouring down in the US had migrated over to Canadian soil (we had, in the meantime migrated to the inside of the restaurant for dinner!) so we walked back in the direction of the hotel in the aftermath of the shower. Unfortunately ‘Step Brother’ was Sold Out at the movies so we all headed to bed for an early night. A fantastic and productive rest day and I was very pleased to have joined the gang on the field trip to Sault Ste. Marie..!

Fats Domino - "I Found My Thrill on Blueberry Hill"

I found my thrill

On Blueberry Hill...

- Fats Domino - "I Found My Thrill on Blueberry Hill"

Lake Superior Provincial Park - Goulais River
170kms / 105 miles

The mosquito swatting dance was in full swing by the time I emerged from my tent this morning. An omelette was on the grill and I quickly packed my damp tent into the ‘dry’ bag keen for an early start to a long day on the road – 170kms which is a long one and required some organization – plenty of peanut butter sandwiches and also plenty of water for the journey. We had ended yesterdays ride into Lake Superior Provincial Park with some hills which was a taster of what lay ahead for the day – more rolling hills in the park but some beautiful scenery and views along the way. While I still find hills a challenge, I do constantly keep reminding myself that ‘what goes up must come down’ and I take time out to really ‘soak up’ the downhills so that I can appreciate the pain that I went through in getting up the hill..!

The morning flew by and Andrew and I covered about 40kms before I even realised it. The hills also help pass the time as while your average speed going up the uphills seems to go down, it balances out because the average speed on the downhills is between 35 – 40+kms / hour. Oftentimes the momentum from the downhill can be used to get well into the next uphill. It is a strategy and the gear shifting involved has certainly given my wrist it’s life and strength back as I hop between my big cog and my small cog. The weather also cooperated as we had a lovely tailwind to compliment the sun throughout the morning which sometimes seemed to carry us from one hill to the next. It was one of the first times on this trip that I can definitely say that I feel like I’ve improved and am certainly building up the strength required to make the kilometres pass more quickly and with considerable less effort than it had before.

Andrew and I stopped off at the lovely Elizabeth Cove where we met up with John, Dave, Lani, Thomas and Andrea. Elizabeth Cove is a lovely sheltered beach area still within Lake Superior Provincial Park. It felt as though we were standing on the beach of the ocean in the Caribbean with the rays of the sun bouncing off of the water which seemed to sparkle like diamonds glittering in the sun. It was nice to have a break and enjoy the scenery and plan our next stop. The Pictographs in Agawa Rock were recommended in our Notes but we decided to ‘play it by ear’ to see whether we’d make the 3km side trip plus 500 meter hike to see them.

We were then faced by a huge set of hills which drained me of quite a lot of energy and so I decided to have a ‘water break’ just outside of the Pictograph entrance. We then decided to reward ourselves for the fact that we rather gracefully had conquered the uphill section and took the side trip down to Agawa Rock. (http://www.northernontario.com/index.aspx?l=0,1,3,16,114,155

The Pictographs were cool and whilst they did require some rather precarious hiking in bicycle shoes (down a steep and slippery rocky cliff) it was well worth the effort. I was thankful that we’d decided to make the stop. Sometimes I find that I get so intent on finishing the day and getting my tent set up and my journal entry written that I forget that this trip is also meant to be relaxing as well as educational. Stops like these are what I will definitely remember most about my summer adventure.

Following the Pictographs we looked forward to what had been rumoured to be a 3km downhill. There was about 6kms of uphill (although it felt like about 20!) before we hit the downhill but we did eventually get there..! This also marked the end of Lake Superior Provincial Park. I have learned that Lake Superior terrain provides some fantastic views prior to being rewarded with a great downhill but unfortunately Lake Superior terrain also provides some huge and unexpected wind gusts which counter the tail wind so the wind seems to come at you from all directions and swirl around. It can take between 5 – 10kms / hour off (at least!) your downhill speed and make it feel much less… exhilarating. The 3km downhill was great but if the wind had been in our favour then it would have been comparable to some of our downhills in the Rockies. The road was also a bit tricky as at the end of one of the steep sections coming off of the downhill out of the park was an 80 degree turn which could be a hair raising experience if a transport had been coming down at the same time as the cyclist. Dark rubber wheel marks in the asphalt told me that a lot of trucks do really have to yank on their steering wheels to make the hills closing bend.

We made a well deserved pit stop at the top of a huge hill outside of Montreal River where I finally had my coffee and devoured a bag of ‘Bits and Bites’. Andrew also bought one of the best Oatmeal cookies I’ve had in ages and ages – good ballast for the remaining 80kms left in the day. Here we met up with Andrea and Thomas with whom we continued to cycle for the rest of the afternoon. Andrew made the mistake of confiding in Andrea and Thomas that he had started to nickname me ‘The Fox’ as I used to be a ‘Rabbit’ but now I am in a ‘hunting’ mode looking to overtake cars and cyclists and anything that dares to venture into my path. It was a bit of a bold statement to make to Andrea and Thomas as they are both extremely strong cyclists and they are always together (they’re actually on their honeymoon..!!). We confided in them our strategy in overtaking and their eyes suddenly lit with an air of competition… They quietly slipped out of the restaurant while Andrew and I got ready to go. Suddenly we realised that they were trying to get away and a mad 40km overtaking race soon kicked off. We raced Andrea and Thomas up and down the rolling hills, around sharp bends, past the tall granite cliffs… every time it looked like we would overtake them then you could see Andrea pull out in front of Thomas or Thomas pull out in front of Andrea and they’d draft off each other for speed and pull ahead of us. It was hilarious and I am certain that they could hear us giggling behind them just as loudly as we could hear them. It made the 40kms pass very quickly and provided us with a much needed distraction from the long day.

We rested at the ‘Canadian Carver’ (just past Pancake Bay) which Andrew (a Kenyan educated in the ‘Queens English’) thought was going to be a huge restaurant which served Sunday roast (which is what a ‘carvery’ is in England). He was devastated to learn that in Canada ‘carver’ does actually mean ‘wood carver’ and discovered this upon walking into the restaurant expecting to be met with the sweet scent of horseradish, roasted meat and dumplings but instead found saw dust, totem pole carvings and wind chimes… He confided in Thomas that while he was disappointed about the carvery mistake at least there was the promise of 'strippers in a mall near to the campground that evening..' At this point we also had to break the news to Andrew that in Canada you would have a better chance of buying plastic gnomes for your front yard than strippers in a strip mall. Apparently they don’t have ‘strip malls’ in England… and if they do, they’re certainly not called ‘strip malls’. Poor Andrew, all this was nearly too much for him to take in for the final 30 kms into camp. Needless to say, he would not be finding his thrill on Blueberry Hill..!!

I always struggle with the last 30kms particularly on long days and today was no exception. The cloud which had been trailing us all afternoon finally managed to catch up with us and threatened rain. The gusts coming off the lake also made it a lot cooler and gave us a bit of a headwind. I was definitely tired and looked forward to the campground and the opportunity to rest. We had a good laugh in the final stretch and when we saw the Goulais River sign we knew we were nearly there.

The Blueberry Hill campground was nice – it was more RV oriented but we had a huge field in which we could pitch our tent and the washroom / shower facilities were excellent. Unfortunately, for a rest day it was rather isolated and nothing was especially walkable except for the infamous ‘strip mall’ which was 2kms away. It also didn’t have a wireless internet connection which is what the Rest Days generally have allowed me to do – catch up on my blogging..! BUT, having said that we had a relaxing evening and I fell asleep in my tent at around 8:30 -- an early night after a great day of cycling. I looked forward to tomorrow's Rest Day and our 'off piste' trip to Sault Ste. Marie..!