I woke up this morning not looking forward to the ride ahead. I still had no map. And I still had at least a little bit more of the terrifying highway to ride. Luckily it was 6:30 in the morning and the roads were fairly quiet. Even better the first gas station I stopped at had maps. Thinking ahead I got a map for both of the states I was going to be in today.
The day was looking up I know had the knowledge to confidently go off the main road and find my way into philli. Even with my map I was still tempted to take route 1 because it is so much more direct. Those thoughts were quickly nixed once traffic started to pick up.
From that point I decided to take a few back roads, and boy was it a good idea. I had a nice wide shoulder and smooth roads. I even got to get my groceries at a large supermarket. Which is a rare thing in the area around a large city.
After getting off of route 27 (a small highway) I got onto my next route which happened to have a bike path that took me pretty much right into philli, only after having to cross over the wrong way on route 1 because no bikes were allowed in that part. I was not risking another ticket.
Speaking of police that was one thing I was close to today. I spoke to over 5 officers because I was curious about the best routes, and wondering what was ok for me to ride one. Surprisingly the police here were a little more welcoming then those in Boston. That ticket is becoming a pain in my butt because it is not letting me pay online, and they will not pick up their phone line to pay. I am not mailing it in because then I have to buy a money order, and postage.
By the time I got into philli it was nearing 100 degrees outside with humidity in the air. Needless to say I was hot. Thankfully the route I picked took me right under the sky train that they have for about 15km. This part of philli was not beautiful. It was like a run down version of the Bronx. To be a resident in this area you had to have a sideways baseball cap or jean shorts.
For fear of getting shanked I only stopped once I saw a group of about 15 people in high visibility jackets. They told me I was going the right way (which is a rare thing) and asked about the trip.
When I was rolling down the road to Walnut Street I saw a man and a petit woman trying to lift a dresser. I rolled up and put my bike against the wall and took over from where the petit woman was. She was very surprised by this act at first… until I said I was Canadian.
Walnut Street took me into University City, which is a very cool place to be. It is filled with young people just hanging out and having a good time. The houses and building are all beautiful for a change. It left me with a good feeling about philli when I was leaving the town limit.
By this time I was feeling tired. So I was going to try my luck in the residential district for a campsite. The reason I was stopping was because I felt heat stroke setting on. I could not breath deeply without coughing to the point of almost throwing up. And my black shorts where pure white with salt. It just was not a good situation to be in.
Well luck was not with me. After 3 negatives I had to find a motel because gorilla style was not happening when I was in such need of hydration, and rest. 3 litres of water for me, dinner, and breakfast was not good enough.
Again I had to turn my bike around because the road had a no bikes sign. Why not put the sign before the road that would make sense, instead it is put usually about 50 metres down the road, which makes me more frustrated. Adding to the frustration and exhaustion I had to continue 4 miles down some route that was not on my map to get to the only motel in Springfield.
After downing close to 2 litres of water when I came in I immediately felt better. Now the only thing I can think about is my route for tomorrow because I don’t know exactly where I am and I only have a good map for about half a days riding.
Trip Distance: 165km
Ride Time: 8:16hr
Avg. Speed: 19.98km/h
Total Distance: 9582km
Total Ride Time: 447hr
Destination: Springfield, Pennsylvania
Sorry Tami that I spelt Nolas name worng. Knolly is a bike company based in vancouver so I reverted to that.
Monday, August 30, 2010
Tour Day 65 Having Someone Look Up To Me Aug 29 2010
Before I talk about today I want to talk about something very special that happened last night. After saying goodbye to all the adults I went to say goodbye to the kids. I was not looking forward to saying goodbye to knolly. He had taken such a liking to me, and the feeling was mutual. I am not usually very fond of children but knolly is special. He is a deep thinker for his age. He is not like other kids. He gives me hope for the Future.
When I walked into Devons room they were all hanging out so I said a group goodbye to everyone. I felt bad about this because I did not get my ideal goodbye for knolly. I got to thinking about this while I was in my tent and I was starting to contemplate going back in when I hear a young voice outside of my tent. It was knolly asking me to come outside.
It was as if he had read my mind. I jumped outside with my headlamp blaring and gave him a big hug. I was at a loss for words because this took me by such surprise. All I could grab from my mind is “you are going to do something special. You are special”. I would have loved to say something more profound but that’s all I could think of. As he started to walk away he said goodbye again. To which I said “see you soon”.
I never anticipated wanting to come back to Connecticut because it is not one of those states that tourists flock to. But after having such a great experience I cannot wait to revisit it. As well it would give me a chance to see the surrounding area in a much easier way.
With that last sentence in mind I will start by saying today was easily the most mentally exhausting day of the tour thus far. It all started fine I navigated the first 70km no problem. Even better I ran into an awesome cycling group native to New York. They were so excited and amazed by the tour. They regarded me as a “bad dude”. Which I took as the highest complement they could give. It really made me feel… special.
All 10 of us stopped in at a gas station to drain our bladders and talk. They were kind enough to offer me a guide to get across the George Washington Bridge. That was an offer I could not say no to. It easily saved me half a day’s navigation through New York.
Now let me talk about New York. It is a place of great divide. 10km north I was standing amongst 15 Aston martins. Right next to me was the Ferrari and masseratti dealership. And at the dunkin donouts rested two Ferraris 599’s.
10km south I was in the Bronx. You saw bars on every window, and people simply disregarding traffic laws in their cars. That was if they were in a car. I saw one guy ripping down the wrong side of the road on an ATV. It was like something out of a bad rap music video.
Another 30minutes down the road I was at the bridge overlooking all of New York. I was blown away by the extremes of this urban jungle.
I could not dwell on that for to long though because I did not want to finish my day in New York. So I had to find someone who knew how to get to philli. Thinking I was smart I stopped into the nearest bike shop, which was a treat for my eyes. Every bike in this shop was over 5 grand. And they were good brands like giant, trek, cannondale, and a few treks. I was also very tempted by the great selection of team kits that were up for sale. Staying strong I stayed on track and got one lady to look up direction for where I wanted to go. She gave me a 127 direction map to philli on a scrap piece of paper from google maps. That simply was not happening so I pushed on with a few key routes in my head.
So lets get this straight. I am in one of the largest cities in the U.S. I had no map. I had no idea where I was. All I knew is I wanted to go south.
The first turn I made was down a steep hill. I asked a lady at a stoplight if I was going the right way. She said no. I was not turning back and climbing back up that hill, so I kept going down said hill. I then ran into route 105 souths. That was one of my key markers so I took it. I kept going and going for about an hour then stopped to ask an older man if I was going the right way. He said no. He said I was going north. At that point I pushed on the same direction because the sign said I was going south.
Luckily by some luck I got onto route 1 and 9. I know that this road will take me where I wanted to go but I still needed a map. Wouldn’t you know it all 10 gas stations I asked had nothing.
So it was 3pm I had not had lunch and was still navigating with my useless road atlas. I saw the road for the skyway. That would take me over the river, which I needed to do. It did not have a no biking sign so I was set. Well I was not set because it was the scariest thing I have ever done. This bridge was longer then any bridge in b.c. and had no shoulder. I was white knuckling it the entire time until I got to get on the exit.
At that point I breathed a sigh of relief for a second. The next step was to talk to a local traffic cop stationed at the stadium the nj devils play at. She was very funny. Cracking jokes about the trip, and telling the other gentleman that was hanging around to “shut the hell up”.
By some luck I got back onto the 1 and 9. Again no shoulder and again it had three lanes. Again I was white knuckling the ride. Thankfully once I passed the airport there was a selection of seedy motels. I did not want to push my luck with even further today so I took the first one.
When I pulled into the ritz I was literally shaking. Im not sure if it was the hungry. The stress, or the massive amount of water I lost thought sweat. I was ready to stop. I would love to plan my route for tomorrow a little better but the ritz does not have wifi access or maps of New Jersey.
I don’t know what tomorrow holds but by the looks of the road I have to tackle first thing tomorrow it is not good.
Trip Distance: 161km
Ride Time: 8:14hr
Avg. Speed: 19.62km/h
Total Distance: 9422km
Total Ride Time: 439hr
Destination: Elizabeth, New Jersey
I am not fist Pumpin right now at all. If you watch Jersey Shore youknow what that means.
When I walked into Devons room they were all hanging out so I said a group goodbye to everyone. I felt bad about this because I did not get my ideal goodbye for knolly. I got to thinking about this while I was in my tent and I was starting to contemplate going back in when I hear a young voice outside of my tent. It was knolly asking me to come outside.
It was as if he had read my mind. I jumped outside with my headlamp blaring and gave him a big hug. I was at a loss for words because this took me by such surprise. All I could grab from my mind is “you are going to do something special. You are special”. I would have loved to say something more profound but that’s all I could think of. As he started to walk away he said goodbye again. To which I said “see you soon”.
I never anticipated wanting to come back to Connecticut because it is not one of those states that tourists flock to. But after having such a great experience I cannot wait to revisit it. As well it would give me a chance to see the surrounding area in a much easier way.
With that last sentence in mind I will start by saying today was easily the most mentally exhausting day of the tour thus far. It all started fine I navigated the first 70km no problem. Even better I ran into an awesome cycling group native to New York. They were so excited and amazed by the tour. They regarded me as a “bad dude”. Which I took as the highest complement they could give. It really made me feel… special.
All 10 of us stopped in at a gas station to drain our bladders and talk. They were kind enough to offer me a guide to get across the George Washington Bridge. That was an offer I could not say no to. It easily saved me half a day’s navigation through New York.
Now let me talk about New York. It is a place of great divide. 10km north I was standing amongst 15 Aston martins. Right next to me was the Ferrari and masseratti dealership. And at the dunkin donouts rested two Ferraris 599’s.
10km south I was in the Bronx. You saw bars on every window, and people simply disregarding traffic laws in their cars. That was if they were in a car. I saw one guy ripping down the wrong side of the road on an ATV. It was like something out of a bad rap music video.
Another 30minutes down the road I was at the bridge overlooking all of New York. I was blown away by the extremes of this urban jungle.
I could not dwell on that for to long though because I did not want to finish my day in New York. So I had to find someone who knew how to get to philli. Thinking I was smart I stopped into the nearest bike shop, which was a treat for my eyes. Every bike in this shop was over 5 grand. And they were good brands like giant, trek, cannondale, and a few treks. I was also very tempted by the great selection of team kits that were up for sale. Staying strong I stayed on track and got one lady to look up direction for where I wanted to go. She gave me a 127 direction map to philli on a scrap piece of paper from google maps. That simply was not happening so I pushed on with a few key routes in my head.
So lets get this straight. I am in one of the largest cities in the U.S. I had no map. I had no idea where I was. All I knew is I wanted to go south.
The first turn I made was down a steep hill. I asked a lady at a stoplight if I was going the right way. She said no. I was not turning back and climbing back up that hill, so I kept going down said hill. I then ran into route 105 souths. That was one of my key markers so I took it. I kept going and going for about an hour then stopped to ask an older man if I was going the right way. He said no. He said I was going north. At that point I pushed on the same direction because the sign said I was going south.
Luckily by some luck I got onto route 1 and 9. I know that this road will take me where I wanted to go but I still needed a map. Wouldn’t you know it all 10 gas stations I asked had nothing.
So it was 3pm I had not had lunch and was still navigating with my useless road atlas. I saw the road for the skyway. That would take me over the river, which I needed to do. It did not have a no biking sign so I was set. Well I was not set because it was the scariest thing I have ever done. This bridge was longer then any bridge in b.c. and had no shoulder. I was white knuckling it the entire time until I got to get on the exit.
At that point I breathed a sigh of relief for a second. The next step was to talk to a local traffic cop stationed at the stadium the nj devils play at. She was very funny. Cracking jokes about the trip, and telling the other gentleman that was hanging around to “shut the hell up”.
By some luck I got back onto the 1 and 9. Again no shoulder and again it had three lanes. Again I was white knuckling the ride. Thankfully once I passed the airport there was a selection of seedy motels. I did not want to push my luck with even further today so I took the first one.
When I pulled into the ritz I was literally shaking. Im not sure if it was the hungry. The stress, or the massive amount of water I lost thought sweat. I was ready to stop. I would love to plan my route for tomorrow a little better but the ritz does not have wifi access or maps of New Jersey.
I don’t know what tomorrow holds but by the looks of the road I have to tackle first thing tomorrow it is not good.
Trip Distance: 161km
Ride Time: 8:14hr
Avg. Speed: 19.62km/h
Total Distance: 9422km
Total Ride Time: 439hr
Destination: Elizabeth, New Jersey
I am not fist Pumpin right now at all. If you watch Jersey Shore youknow what that means.
Saturday, August 28, 2010
Tour Day 64 A New Family Aug 28 2010
Last night was something else. I was a little overwhelmed because tami was so welcoming. After getting a nice home cooked meal they invited me over to there friend kims house. At first I was a little hesitant because in my head I was think I have to ride tomorrow and its already 8pm. But then I shook myself straight. Why would I not meat new people? Why would I pass up a once in a lifetime experience just to put on a few extra kilometres.
At that point I decided to take today off. I have to say that was one of the best choice I have made of this tour so far because I met some of the most welcoming and funniest people I have ever met.
When we show up at Kim’s house I was floored. It had a beautiful ocean view and a patio to die for. Everyone was so curious about what I was doing and just wanted to know more. The feelings were mutual because I wanted to know more about these people.
At first it was just Tami, Kim, A guy named Ray, and I. We hit it off golden. So much so that Kim said if I am ever back in Connecticut I have a cabana boy job at her house. From the way things have been going I may have to come back to Milford because it has been such a great experience.
After that Tommy the blind traffic report for the local radio station, and Tadd showed up. And boy they were the life of the party. They just fed off of each other and the jokes never seemed to finish. I don’t think that I have laughed that had since I left home.
Once we got back home at midnight I was ready to hit the sack. Now I think my sleeping bag and mattress have a perminant smell of farts in them so that was my first task today was air and scrub those two things.
The day today was relaxing. I got a chance to do some chores that I had been letting slack, and most of all got to spend time with my new friends. I think the biggest surprise was one of tami and todd’s sons knollen (sorry if I spelt that wrong). This 9 year old kid knew more then some of the people I knew in highschool.
Breakfest this morning was amazing. Tami cooked chocolate chip pancakes and all the other breakfest ammentities that make a well rounded family morning. Needless to say I polished pretty much everything off.
Tonight we are having a family bbq where I am meeting more new people. My mind is a little overloaded with all the names but I am managing. I cant put into words how I feel right now. It is a feeling that I did not realize I missed until I had it again. I don’t want to ride tomorrow just because I am going to be leaving behind such amazing people.
Tonight I have to decide what to do tomorrow train into new York so that I can walk around no problem, or run the risk with my bike. Anyways I am being anti social by typing this right now and want to get back to talking with my new friends.
I have to say thank you to Tami Todd and there whole family you have made a simple Canadian bike tourist who showed up on you door step feel more welcomed then I could have ever expected.
Trip Distance: 0km
At that point I decided to take today off. I have to say that was one of the best choice I have made of this tour so far because I met some of the most welcoming and funniest people I have ever met.
When we show up at Kim’s house I was floored. It had a beautiful ocean view and a patio to die for. Everyone was so curious about what I was doing and just wanted to know more. The feelings were mutual because I wanted to know more about these people.
At first it was just Tami, Kim, A guy named Ray, and I. We hit it off golden. So much so that Kim said if I am ever back in Connecticut I have a cabana boy job at her house. From the way things have been going I may have to come back to Milford because it has been such a great experience.
After that Tommy the blind traffic report for the local radio station, and Tadd showed up. And boy they were the life of the party. They just fed off of each other and the jokes never seemed to finish. I don’t think that I have laughed that had since I left home.
Once we got back home at midnight I was ready to hit the sack. Now I think my sleeping bag and mattress have a perminant smell of farts in them so that was my first task today was air and scrub those two things.
The day today was relaxing. I got a chance to do some chores that I had been letting slack, and most of all got to spend time with my new friends. I think the biggest surprise was one of tami and todd’s sons knollen (sorry if I spelt that wrong). This 9 year old kid knew more then some of the people I knew in highschool.
Breakfest this morning was amazing. Tami cooked chocolate chip pancakes and all the other breakfest ammentities that make a well rounded family morning. Needless to say I polished pretty much everything off.
Tonight we are having a family bbq where I am meeting more new people. My mind is a little overloaded with all the names but I am managing. I cant put into words how I feel right now. It is a feeling that I did not realize I missed until I had it again. I don’t want to ride tomorrow just because I am going to be leaving behind such amazing people.
Tonight I have to decide what to do tomorrow train into new York so that I can walk around no problem, or run the risk with my bike. Anyways I am being anti social by typing this right now and want to get back to talking with my new friends.
I have to say thank you to Tami Todd and there whole family you have made a simple Canadian bike tourist who showed up on you door step feel more welcomed then I could have ever expected.
Trip Distance: 0km
Friday, August 27, 2010
Tour Day 63 New Friends 2 Nights In A Row
Last night was something else. I never would have thought that I would be spending my night sitting on a beach with someone I just met a few hours earlier talking politics, or watching the pats game while enjoying some funny family stories. It was a great way to end a night.
The morning started at the regular. The bonus was the Fct I was on the road early so that meant I could spend a few extra minutes here and there relaxing. The roads were also a little easier to navigate. The only hiccup was getting over one of the bridges where I had to lift my heavy bike over a barrier so that I was not on the road and would not get another tocket.
Speaking of ticket when I checked my emails today I found out that my submission failed not once but twice so now I have to figure out another way to pay the bill. The last thing I need is a warrant when I get into florida. I would not do well in prision. I am simply to pretty.
The days ride took me through some really beautiful parts of conneticut. The amount of land rovers, escalades, and other high end cars was just ridiculous. I felt a little word though because I was the only person on a bike all day.
After spending time with people last night I found myself a little lonely on the bike today. So when people pulled up next to me and asked about the trip it was a chance for me to spill out roughly 50 milions words in 5 seconds.
On another note when I stoped in at radioshack they told me that they did not have the buds for my earpieces. So for now my nice headphones are rendered useless.
I was going to stop in New Haven but everything had the freshly stolen look to it so I decided to take a pass. Instead I pushed on to Millford. Where I ran into A lovely family that welcomed me and and is showing me the town tonight. I have a feeling that the morning tomorrow is going to be a little rough.
I must cut the blog short because I am on my way out the door. This social thing is nice. This is touring.
Trip Distance: 179km
Ride Time: 8:54hr
Avg. Speed: 20.19km/h
Total Distance: 9260km
Total Ride Time: 431hr
Destination: Millford, Cenneticut
The morning started at the regular. The bonus was the Fct I was on the road early so that meant I could spend a few extra minutes here and there relaxing. The roads were also a little easier to navigate. The only hiccup was getting over one of the bridges where I had to lift my heavy bike over a barrier so that I was not on the road and would not get another tocket.
Speaking of ticket when I checked my emails today I found out that my submission failed not once but twice so now I have to figure out another way to pay the bill. The last thing I need is a warrant when I get into florida. I would not do well in prision. I am simply to pretty.
The days ride took me through some really beautiful parts of conneticut. The amount of land rovers, escalades, and other high end cars was just ridiculous. I felt a little word though because I was the only person on a bike all day.
After spending time with people last night I found myself a little lonely on the bike today. So when people pulled up next to me and asked about the trip it was a chance for me to spill out roughly 50 milions words in 5 seconds.
On another note when I stoped in at radioshack they told me that they did not have the buds for my earpieces. So for now my nice headphones are rendered useless.
I was going to stop in New Haven but everything had the freshly stolen look to it so I decided to take a pass. Instead I pushed on to Millford. Where I ran into A lovely family that welcomed me and and is showing me the town tonight. I have a feeling that the morning tomorrow is going to be a little rough.
I must cut the blog short because I am on my way out the door. This social thing is nice. This is touring.
Trip Distance: 179km
Ride Time: 8:54hr
Avg. Speed: 20.19km/h
Total Distance: 9260km
Total Ride Time: 431hr
Destination: Millford, Cenneticut
Thursday, August 26, 2010
Tour Day 62 Knocking On Doors Aug 26 2010
Today was a compelte disaster until the very end of the day.
Everything started out normal I woke up ealrly so that I could get on the road 30mins early knowing that boston was going to be a pain in the butt to navigate through. I was about 5 minutes down the road when the road became complete mayham. I was so glad that I had decided to pull into my love shack hotel when I did, not only for the traffic but also because it gave me a chance get a map.
I had my trip planned for the day get on the 99 and that will take me pretty much straight through Boston. Well I was wrong. When I got near Boston my plan went out the window. The roads I was searching for never came, and my map was rendered useless because it showed no side streets only major routes. So I stopped and asked a trooper before I got to far and he said go the other way. So I went the other way then got a bad feeling so I went back the way that I was coming. Now I do not know how this happened but after 30minutes of heading in the general direction I wanted to go I got back on to route 138 which was my goal. Now I fallowed the signs and went where the arrows were pointing then all of a sudden the arrows stopped. I was again left not knowing where I was going and just heading in the general direction of where I wanted to be.
This time I wised up and asked a firefighter with a cup of coffee in his hand instead of a busy troop. Thankfully this man was a little more helpful and got me going the right way to blue hill, which was where I wanted to get to because that where my route picked up again.
Even with the few minor backtracks I was still on schedule. I was taking my time and plunking away at the kilometres with no problem. Boston as a city was very nice to looks at. If it was not an old brick building it was a new glass building.
This is where things took a huge turn for the worse the route that I had planned along the 138 turned out to be a complete mess. Without warning it launched me onto the interstate. I panicked cars were whizzing past me at mach 10. They were driving in the emergency lane. It was just a mess. If I turned around I defiantly would have got hit so I made the choice to go the 3 miles to the first exit. And get off there.
Well as I am pulling off the interstate I see blue lights behind me. The state trooper comes out and does his job. I tell him that I wanted to be there as much as he wanted me there but if I would have defiantly got hit if I turned around. I also admitted what I did was wrong, but it was for my safety. He went back in his car did his paperwork and came out with a nice $50 ticket. That’s fine it’s not the best situation but I will deal with it. (Dad it has already been paid online $55 Canadian).
Two miles down the road I go to put my ear buds in and one had fallen on the road on the off ramp. Strike two for luck. Now I need to try and hunt down an extra earpiece for these, which is proving harder, then I thought. Lets hope that radio shack has them because best buy did not.
Strike three came when I went to buy graceries. I went to pay and I knew that I had a $100 bill that I had to break so I went to use it and it was not in my wallet. Now I am pissed because now I am $150 in the hole, and my daily cost was through the roof because as much as I hoped groceries and things would be less expensive here they are infact the same if not more expensive.
I was pretty rattled but I had to keep moving. I figured that the day could not get any worse. I was partcially right because once I got to prvidence in Rhode Island I promptly got lost again because wouldn’t you know it the sign marking disappeared again. I asked one old guy for directions and he ended up sending me north. I ask the guy in the north and he said I am screwed. Ignoring these facts I went with my gut. I pulled out my compass and went in the direction I knew I had to go. Low and behold it worked. It to some hard work and metal toughness because I started to second guess my every move, but made it.
After a quick lunch I was on my way and behind schedule at this point. I kept trucking down the road and 150km came and past. There is no camping within 25 miles of here so I had to do something I haven’t done yet… bang on some doors.
I see this side street with a lakeview and say to myself this looks promising. The first lady I ask said she was leaving tonight so that means no. She also said that it was a good community and I should have no problem. The next house was 2 minutes away and had a guy picking twigs on his lawn.
This is where I met rob. He was enitially sceptical but after seeing my id, my card, and after talking a little bit he welcomed me in like family. I got a nice hot shower, a flat piece of land for my tent, and even laundry. Best of all I have people to talk to tonight. So Ron and Claudia when you read this thank you.
Trip Distance: 153km
Ride Time: 7:28hr
Avg. Speed: 20.48hr
Total Distance: 9080km
Distnace: South Kingstown, Rhode Island
Everything started out normal I woke up ealrly so that I could get on the road 30mins early knowing that boston was going to be a pain in the butt to navigate through. I was about 5 minutes down the road when the road became complete mayham. I was so glad that I had decided to pull into my love shack hotel when I did, not only for the traffic but also because it gave me a chance get a map.
I had my trip planned for the day get on the 99 and that will take me pretty much straight through Boston. Well I was wrong. When I got near Boston my plan went out the window. The roads I was searching for never came, and my map was rendered useless because it showed no side streets only major routes. So I stopped and asked a trooper before I got to far and he said go the other way. So I went the other way then got a bad feeling so I went back the way that I was coming. Now I do not know how this happened but after 30minutes of heading in the general direction I wanted to go I got back on to route 138 which was my goal. Now I fallowed the signs and went where the arrows were pointing then all of a sudden the arrows stopped. I was again left not knowing where I was going and just heading in the general direction of where I wanted to be.
This time I wised up and asked a firefighter with a cup of coffee in his hand instead of a busy troop. Thankfully this man was a little more helpful and got me going the right way to blue hill, which was where I wanted to get to because that where my route picked up again.
Even with the few minor backtracks I was still on schedule. I was taking my time and plunking away at the kilometres with no problem. Boston as a city was very nice to looks at. If it was not an old brick building it was a new glass building.
This is where things took a huge turn for the worse the route that I had planned along the 138 turned out to be a complete mess. Without warning it launched me onto the interstate. I panicked cars were whizzing past me at mach 10. They were driving in the emergency lane. It was just a mess. If I turned around I defiantly would have got hit so I made the choice to go the 3 miles to the first exit. And get off there.
Well as I am pulling off the interstate I see blue lights behind me. The state trooper comes out and does his job. I tell him that I wanted to be there as much as he wanted me there but if I would have defiantly got hit if I turned around. I also admitted what I did was wrong, but it was for my safety. He went back in his car did his paperwork and came out with a nice $50 ticket. That’s fine it’s not the best situation but I will deal with it. (Dad it has already been paid online $55 Canadian).
Two miles down the road I go to put my ear buds in and one had fallen on the road on the off ramp. Strike two for luck. Now I need to try and hunt down an extra earpiece for these, which is proving harder, then I thought. Lets hope that radio shack has them because best buy did not.
Strike three came when I went to buy graceries. I went to pay and I knew that I had a $100 bill that I had to break so I went to use it and it was not in my wallet. Now I am pissed because now I am $150 in the hole, and my daily cost was through the roof because as much as I hoped groceries and things would be less expensive here they are infact the same if not more expensive.
I was pretty rattled but I had to keep moving. I figured that the day could not get any worse. I was partcially right because once I got to prvidence in Rhode Island I promptly got lost again because wouldn’t you know it the sign marking disappeared again. I asked one old guy for directions and he ended up sending me north. I ask the guy in the north and he said I am screwed. Ignoring these facts I went with my gut. I pulled out my compass and went in the direction I knew I had to go. Low and behold it worked. It to some hard work and metal toughness because I started to second guess my every move, but made it.
After a quick lunch I was on my way and behind schedule at this point. I kept trucking down the road and 150km came and past. There is no camping within 25 miles of here so I had to do something I haven’t done yet… bang on some doors.
I see this side street with a lakeview and say to myself this looks promising. The first lady I ask said she was leaving tonight so that means no. She also said that it was a good community and I should have no problem. The next house was 2 minutes away and had a guy picking twigs on his lawn.
This is where I met rob. He was enitially sceptical but after seeing my id, my card, and after talking a little bit he welcomed me in like family. I got a nice hot shower, a flat piece of land for my tent, and even laundry. Best of all I have people to talk to tonight. So Ron and Claudia when you read this thank you.
Trip Distance: 153km
Ride Time: 7:28hr
Avg. Speed: 20.48hr
Total Distance: 9080km
Distnace: South Kingstown, Rhode Island
Tour Day 61 Mirrors and Rain Aug 26 2010
Last night I was about to fall asleep when I got to thinking how cool this whole trip is. I mean not many people get to sleep next their bike for weeks upon weeks.
I awoke this morning hoping and praying the weather was wrong and it was not raining. Well I hate to say it the weather was right. I went outside and it was pouring. What went through my head is do I want to ride in this? Is it worth a day of misery?
Time was ticking by and the gears kept turning in my head over a nice pot of oatmeal. I had made my mind up I was heading out for at least 60km’s but really I had my hopes set a lot higher.
About 10 minutes after I got on the road it started to pour about as hard as it was in Quebec. I was second-guessing myself at first but the thought that I was on the road so I have to make it worthwhile.
New Hampshire was only 20km away and this is where I got my biggest scare on the bike so far. I was forced into the two-lane turnpike that had a bunch of cars ripping around it. The rain made the visibility very limited so I was hoping that drivers were able to see my bright orange jacket.
By this point my jacket had started to soak through and I was getting damp. Still my feet were dry and my legs were still moving, but I had to use the washroom. I knew the second I stopped I was going to feel all of the water hit my skin. I knew that I was not going to want to keep riding after that stop.
Thankfully having that time to mentally prepare I got back on the bike and was infact smiling. This lady in the ford escapes looked at me at a stop light and I gave her the thumbs up. Because really I had come to terms with being soaking wet. The only thing I was holding near to my heart was the fact that my feet were still dry.
This is when the clouds really opened up, and the hills started again. I was climbing these rolling hills with a river flowing against me. When I got to go down the other side it was just as bad because I had to ride my brakes so that I didn’t wipe out. My brakes themselves were almost as useless as my new shoe covers (plastic bags). Yes they worked to keep my feet dry but I kept ripping them so I had to stop to replace them.
At this stage the roads were just dangerous to ride on. I was deadest on making 100km today but it just was not worth risking my life. To put it in prospective it was the first time that I had ever seen a storm drain overflowing with water. I made my mind up that as soon as my feet got wet it was time to stop because shoes take forever to dry out. One day of misery is enough but having to relive that tomorrow would have just sucked.
At just over 80km’s I hit a series of the largest puddles I have ever ridden in. I had no choice though because it stretched the entire highway. At the deepest point the water was at my rear derailleur. This puddle also got my feet soaked so the hunt was on for a cheap motel because there was no camping between here (16 miles from Boston) and Boston. As well I will be honest I wanted a place to hang my gear to dry for the night.
This motel is special because it is the first place I have ever been in that has mirrors everywhere. It feels like I am in a funhouse at times. At least I know it’s clean because the lady was cleaning it out as I rolled in. It was either the mirror room or the heart shaped hot tub room.
I know that it was the smart move for me to stop but I just hate stopping when I still have energy. Here is hoping that tomorrow’s weather is better. And here is also hoping I can navigate Boston with no map. I doubt that last statement so I am going to get out of here a little earlier so that I can budget some time for to find myself a map or an information centre.
Trip Distance: 85km
Ride Time: 4:16hr
Avg. Speed: 19.90km/h
Total Distance: 8927km
Total Ride Time: 415hr
Destination: Peabody , Massachusetts
I awoke this morning hoping and praying the weather was wrong and it was not raining. Well I hate to say it the weather was right. I went outside and it was pouring. What went through my head is do I want to ride in this? Is it worth a day of misery?
Time was ticking by and the gears kept turning in my head over a nice pot of oatmeal. I had made my mind up I was heading out for at least 60km’s but really I had my hopes set a lot higher.
About 10 minutes after I got on the road it started to pour about as hard as it was in Quebec. I was second-guessing myself at first but the thought that I was on the road so I have to make it worthwhile.
New Hampshire was only 20km away and this is where I got my biggest scare on the bike so far. I was forced into the two-lane turnpike that had a bunch of cars ripping around it. The rain made the visibility very limited so I was hoping that drivers were able to see my bright orange jacket.
By this point my jacket had started to soak through and I was getting damp. Still my feet were dry and my legs were still moving, but I had to use the washroom. I knew the second I stopped I was going to feel all of the water hit my skin. I knew that I was not going to want to keep riding after that stop.
Thankfully having that time to mentally prepare I got back on the bike and was infact smiling. This lady in the ford escapes looked at me at a stop light and I gave her the thumbs up. Because really I had come to terms with being soaking wet. The only thing I was holding near to my heart was the fact that my feet were still dry.
This is when the clouds really opened up, and the hills started again. I was climbing these rolling hills with a river flowing against me. When I got to go down the other side it was just as bad because I had to ride my brakes so that I didn’t wipe out. My brakes themselves were almost as useless as my new shoe covers (plastic bags). Yes they worked to keep my feet dry but I kept ripping them so I had to stop to replace them.
At this stage the roads were just dangerous to ride on. I was deadest on making 100km today but it just was not worth risking my life. To put it in prospective it was the first time that I had ever seen a storm drain overflowing with water. I made my mind up that as soon as my feet got wet it was time to stop because shoes take forever to dry out. One day of misery is enough but having to relive that tomorrow would have just sucked.
At just over 80km’s I hit a series of the largest puddles I have ever ridden in. I had no choice though because it stretched the entire highway. At the deepest point the water was at my rear derailleur. This puddle also got my feet soaked so the hunt was on for a cheap motel because there was no camping between here (16 miles from Boston) and Boston. As well I will be honest I wanted a place to hang my gear to dry for the night.
This motel is special because it is the first place I have ever been in that has mirrors everywhere. It feels like I am in a funhouse at times. At least I know it’s clean because the lady was cleaning it out as I rolled in. It was either the mirror room or the heart shaped hot tub room.
I know that it was the smart move for me to stop but I just hate stopping when I still have energy. Here is hoping that tomorrow’s weather is better. And here is also hoping I can navigate Boston with no map. I doubt that last statement so I am going to get out of here a little earlier so that I can budget some time for to find myself a map or an information centre.
Trip Distance: 85km
Ride Time: 4:16hr
Avg. Speed: 19.90km/h
Total Distance: 8927km
Total Ride Time: 415hr
Destination: Peabody , Massachusetts
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
Tour Day 60 Last Day In Maine Aug 24 2010
I could not really complain with the morning. I was planning to awake to a wet tent, and rain. Instead I got a mostly dry tent and no rain. So right off the bat I gained 10 minutes because I woke up a little earlier for the wet take down. The only thing that was a little annoying were the amount of mosquitoes around my tent. It seems that you have to take your pick. A site in a big open field that is subject to pounding rain, or near a bush that provides shelter but is full of mosquitoes.
I took down camp quick because I knew that the campsite was going to be a 2-mile uphill trek out. Once past that I was excited because I was on my way down to Portland. Portland is the first grand city in America.
The road to Portland was up and down again. In the back of my head I was thinking, “Jesus is this what the whole east coast is like”. But again I could not complain out loud because 1 I would look crazy, and 2 I had a nice blue sky (for the first time) and a tailwind.
As I rolled down the road belting out various swing and rap songs I was happy. The km’s ticked by and the navigation was easy. All I had to do was take the number 1. Well after 70k of this I was looking to switch this up so I attempted to get on the interstate. That was until I saw a huge no bikes sign. There went that idea.
Welcome to Portland. I passed the sign and assumed I could stay on my same route. Well I thought wrong because again I encountered a no bikes sign, and my map of Portland was as useful as a one armed hanger. So I had to stop in at a nail salon where this lady called her husband to give me directions. I nodded along and was on my way. The directions he had given me were from the interstate, which I could not go on. Luckily my internal compass guided me down a different road. Just as soon as I was about to say “man I am doing good at the navigation thing” I made a wrong turn. I proceeded down said wrong turn for 5km still hoping I was going the right way because I saw the sign for the road I wanted to be on.
Well at the dominos I stopped to ask for directions. Well I was going the wrong way. The signs that I was seeing was because the road had merged just before I got on it. So I was forced to back track. Along this backtrack I had to cross 3 train tracks laid at a 45 degree angle so I had to cut across all lanes of traffic. On the last of the set it had a large, sharp bump that I did not see coming. I thought I was going to crash but luckily I only got a flat from it.
I changed that flat in 5minutes and was super pumped to be riding again. After getting out of Portland my prayers were answered. The road levelled out and I was able to open up the legs.
I was clawing back the km’s that I lost from my mistakes, and I was on time for my lunch stop. I stopped at a subway because it is quick and clean food. This subway was a real surprise. The two employees there were having a great time. They engaged ever customer in conversation and played great off of each other with ongoing jokes. It lightened the mood of the entire store and made me want to give them a large tip. It infact made me miss work. I miss playing off of people like cody, jj, and eric. I value their friendships and I am thankful that I get the privilege to work with them.
This is completely random but I am going to let it out. I miss math. For the past 2 nights I have been craving math. I have been trying to find a math text with solutions so that I can plunk away at it.
I wanted to make it into New Hampshire tonight but it was not going to happen because the motels were super pricey, and no camping within 30km. So I was forced to spend another night in Maine. The campsites both were priced above $35, which is just redic. I mean $28 the past two nights was pushing it but today was the straw that broke the camels back. I made the choice to stay at a cheap motel. It is $15 more but I get a bed, don’t have to set up my tent, have my own shower, and can relax in the morning. Now I am only hoping that the weather is wrong and it does not pour rain tomorrow. I asked today if the weather is always this bad because wouldn’t you know it, it rained again today at the end of the ride. In response the owners of the motel said “actually we have been in a doubt this year”. I just happened to come in during the first rain in 30days.
Trip Distance: 182km
Ride Time: 8:00hr
Avg. Speed: 22.74km/h
Total Distance: 8842km
Total Ride Time: 410hr
Destination: Kinnerly, Maine
I took down camp quick because I knew that the campsite was going to be a 2-mile uphill trek out. Once past that I was excited because I was on my way down to Portland. Portland is the first grand city in America.
The road to Portland was up and down again. In the back of my head I was thinking, “Jesus is this what the whole east coast is like”. But again I could not complain out loud because 1 I would look crazy, and 2 I had a nice blue sky (for the first time) and a tailwind.
As I rolled down the road belting out various swing and rap songs I was happy. The km’s ticked by and the navigation was easy. All I had to do was take the number 1. Well after 70k of this I was looking to switch this up so I attempted to get on the interstate. That was until I saw a huge no bikes sign. There went that idea.
Welcome to Portland. I passed the sign and assumed I could stay on my same route. Well I thought wrong because again I encountered a no bikes sign, and my map of Portland was as useful as a one armed hanger. So I had to stop in at a nail salon where this lady called her husband to give me directions. I nodded along and was on my way. The directions he had given me were from the interstate, which I could not go on. Luckily my internal compass guided me down a different road. Just as soon as I was about to say “man I am doing good at the navigation thing” I made a wrong turn. I proceeded down said wrong turn for 5km still hoping I was going the right way because I saw the sign for the road I wanted to be on.
Well at the dominos I stopped to ask for directions. Well I was going the wrong way. The signs that I was seeing was because the road had merged just before I got on it. So I was forced to back track. Along this backtrack I had to cross 3 train tracks laid at a 45 degree angle so I had to cut across all lanes of traffic. On the last of the set it had a large, sharp bump that I did not see coming. I thought I was going to crash but luckily I only got a flat from it.
I changed that flat in 5minutes and was super pumped to be riding again. After getting out of Portland my prayers were answered. The road levelled out and I was able to open up the legs.
I was clawing back the km’s that I lost from my mistakes, and I was on time for my lunch stop. I stopped at a subway because it is quick and clean food. This subway was a real surprise. The two employees there were having a great time. They engaged ever customer in conversation and played great off of each other with ongoing jokes. It lightened the mood of the entire store and made me want to give them a large tip. It infact made me miss work. I miss playing off of people like cody, jj, and eric. I value their friendships and I am thankful that I get the privilege to work with them.
This is completely random but I am going to let it out. I miss math. For the past 2 nights I have been craving math. I have been trying to find a math text with solutions so that I can plunk away at it.
I wanted to make it into New Hampshire tonight but it was not going to happen because the motels were super pricey, and no camping within 30km. So I was forced to spend another night in Maine. The campsites both were priced above $35, which is just redic. I mean $28 the past two nights was pushing it but today was the straw that broke the camels back. I made the choice to stay at a cheap motel. It is $15 more but I get a bed, don’t have to set up my tent, have my own shower, and can relax in the morning. Now I am only hoping that the weather is wrong and it does not pour rain tomorrow. I asked today if the weather is always this bad because wouldn’t you know it, it rained again today at the end of the ride. In response the owners of the motel said “actually we have been in a doubt this year”. I just happened to come in during the first rain in 30days.
Trip Distance: 182km
Ride Time: 8:00hr
Avg. Speed: 22.74km/h
Total Distance: 8842km
Total Ride Time: 410hr
Destination: Kinnerly, Maine
Monday, August 23, 2010
Tour Day 59 New Friends Aug 23 2010
Well no gunshots last night so it was a little more peaceful. This was a good thing because I was a ways away from the main road so I had to wake up a little earlier to get on the road and making miles by my regular time.
The morning ride was surprisingly smooth. The winds were down, and the weather was overcast. Other then the rolling hills all was good. Now rolling hills are fine if your legs feel good, but boy mine did not feel so hot today. It was 7:00am and I was feeling myself slow down. I could feel my knees were starting to hurt. I wanted to push on till lunch without music but it just was not in the cards today.
Thankfully with some music in my ears I perked right up. At first I was listening to the radio. Which is a something I want to talk about. The first thing is the shows here are a lot more blunt and right to the point. There is no messing around with the information that they give you. It is hard to explain you have to experience it for yourself. The other thing is they are a lot more graphic then I am used to. It was odd hearing people say Indian instead of native, and even stranger that they were able to get away with a few sketchy sexist jokes. That being said it was a pleasant change of pace. That was until I lost reception about 5km after I turned the show on.
Throughout the day my legs started to feel better and better. To the point that I passed my lunch stop because I still had energy. This is where the day started to turn around in the other direction. The spitting rain started again. Thinking nothing of it I just pressed on. By this point I was starting to get hungry so I wanted to stop. I wanted something quick and simple. Which was easy but I am stubborn and passed about 5 restaurants simply because they did not look up to snuff. By the time I got to Athens pizza I was ready for a 4-course meal.
At lunch I asked about camping. I was at km 120 at this point so I was game to put on another 40- 70km. But again it was not in the cards today. After lunch the spitting rain stopped and the real rain started. I had to put on all the rain gear and get nice and wet with my own sweat because it was still warm outside. I kept thinking sweat is better then rain. That is still a tough pill to swallow when you are dripping climbing up a hill.
The only campsite for 40 miles was at km 150 and I decided to make the stop instead of pushing on. It all worked for the better though because I met two really stellar guys named Allan and monk. They are traveling from Chicago to Boston, and are just really cool easygoing guys. It defiantly made tonight a little easier. As well made it last a little longer then normal.
Anyways it is getting late and the mosquitoes are starting to come out so I am going to hit the sack.
Trip Distance: 149km
Ride Time: 7:07hr
Avg. Speed: 21.02kmÉh (damn French again)
Total Distance: 8659km
Total Ride Time: 402hr
Destination: Mom Please comment because I do not know, Maine
The morning ride was surprisingly smooth. The winds were down, and the weather was overcast. Other then the rolling hills all was good. Now rolling hills are fine if your legs feel good, but boy mine did not feel so hot today. It was 7:00am and I was feeling myself slow down. I could feel my knees were starting to hurt. I wanted to push on till lunch without music but it just was not in the cards today.
Thankfully with some music in my ears I perked right up. At first I was listening to the radio. Which is a something I want to talk about. The first thing is the shows here are a lot more blunt and right to the point. There is no messing around with the information that they give you. It is hard to explain you have to experience it for yourself. The other thing is they are a lot more graphic then I am used to. It was odd hearing people say Indian instead of native, and even stranger that they were able to get away with a few sketchy sexist jokes. That being said it was a pleasant change of pace. That was until I lost reception about 5km after I turned the show on.
Throughout the day my legs started to feel better and better. To the point that I passed my lunch stop because I still had energy. This is where the day started to turn around in the other direction. The spitting rain started again. Thinking nothing of it I just pressed on. By this point I was starting to get hungry so I wanted to stop. I wanted something quick and simple. Which was easy but I am stubborn and passed about 5 restaurants simply because they did not look up to snuff. By the time I got to Athens pizza I was ready for a 4-course meal.
At lunch I asked about camping. I was at km 120 at this point so I was game to put on another 40- 70km. But again it was not in the cards today. After lunch the spitting rain stopped and the real rain started. I had to put on all the rain gear and get nice and wet with my own sweat because it was still warm outside. I kept thinking sweat is better then rain. That is still a tough pill to swallow when you are dripping climbing up a hill.
The only campsite for 40 miles was at km 150 and I decided to make the stop instead of pushing on. It all worked for the better though because I met two really stellar guys named Allan and monk. They are traveling from Chicago to Boston, and are just really cool easygoing guys. It defiantly made tonight a little easier. As well made it last a little longer then normal.
Anyways it is getting late and the mosquitoes are starting to come out so I am going to hit the sack.
Trip Distance: 149km
Ride Time: 7:07hr
Avg. Speed: 21.02kmÉh (damn French again)
Total Distance: 8659km
Total Ride Time: 402hr
Destination: Mom Please comment because I do not know, Maine
Sunday, August 22, 2010
Tour Day 58 A Day Of Stereotypes Aug 22 2010
BANG, BANG, BANG. That is what startled me awake last night at roughly midnight. After those sounds were quickly followed up by manic laughter. Right away I knew what had happened. In a drunken fit someone had discharged his or her gun in the air out of joy. I found it funny that this would happen on my first night in America but just the same I fell back to sleep right away.
That was for about 30minutes until I woke up with a pain in my butt. Now this is going to get gross for a second so if you don’t want to read it skip the paragraph. I though it was just a normal ass pain I mean it was my first distance ride in a few days but curious I wanted to feel if it was a saddle sore or not. Well I am glad to report it was not, but what it was was a mondo zit on my butt cheek. With one squeeze it popped and automatically I felt lighter and less pain. I knew that the next days ride was going to be much more enjoyable.
The tourist centre told me to watch out for a few patches of road today, and they were right. I hit two 10km patches hat were just messes. It was so broken up that I would have rather ridden on a pothole filled gavel path. It just beats you up so much that a small hill feels massive. And the downhill’s you cant get any speed because you are having to duck in and out of the shoulder (if you had one).
I cannot complain to loud though because much like Manitoba they are trying to fix it. Once back on smooth pavement I thought it would be a perfect time to plug in my ipod. To bad it was not in my handlebar bag. Trying not to panic I checked my laptop bag. It was not there. At the rest stop I unpacked my tent as a last resort and it was not there either. It sucked I was jones'ing for some music. The highlights of most of my days include belting out the lyrics to “get down Saturday night”. Then the penny dropped they were in my shorts.
So at lunch I had to unpack all my clothing just to get it. The lunch stop was a gas station that was filled with tourists heading to Nova Scotia. I had at least 10 people ask me which roads to take and distances on those roads. It felt very rewarding to hand over said information.
Even better then lunch this gas station had a map showing campsites. Perfect one was 50km away making a nice 160km day. With music in my ear I was like a man possessed. Towns were flying by and my stop was quickly approaching… or so I thought. The stop I had planned turned out to be just cottages and no camping so I had to press on. Thankfully Ellsworth was just 10 miles away. It is my first large American town I have visited and it lived up to every stereotype. The first thing you see is the Wal-Mart. Next to the walmart a mcdonalds. Then when you are at the campsite every site has a NASCAR flag, or a piece of NFL memorabilia. Personally I don’t think this is a bad thing because it shows that they have passion for something. Which is more then I can say about a lot of people on this planet.
The riding here in Maine is nothing to special yet. The only thing I have to comment on is the amount of houses for sale, and the amount of dilapidated houses that still have people living in them. I thought I would have to go deep into America to see the impacts of the economy but this really hits close to home.
Trip Distance: 182km
Ride Time: 8:44hr
Avg. Speed: 20.93km/h
Total Distance: 8509km
Total Ride Time: 395hr
Destination: Ellsworth, Maine
I want to comment on the bus thing because it has been bugging me I did not take it because I was tired of riding I took it because the riding back to moncton was going to be super boring and tedious. I would much rather spend those extra 3 days in Florida or New Orleans. Places I have wanted to see my entire life. Not antiginoush… a place that no one wants to see ever.
That was for about 30minutes until I woke up with a pain in my butt. Now this is going to get gross for a second so if you don’t want to read it skip the paragraph. I though it was just a normal ass pain I mean it was my first distance ride in a few days but curious I wanted to feel if it was a saddle sore or not. Well I am glad to report it was not, but what it was was a mondo zit on my butt cheek. With one squeeze it popped and automatically I felt lighter and less pain. I knew that the next days ride was going to be much more enjoyable.
The tourist centre told me to watch out for a few patches of road today, and they were right. I hit two 10km patches hat were just messes. It was so broken up that I would have rather ridden on a pothole filled gavel path. It just beats you up so much that a small hill feels massive. And the downhill’s you cant get any speed because you are having to duck in and out of the shoulder (if you had one).
I cannot complain to loud though because much like Manitoba they are trying to fix it. Once back on smooth pavement I thought it would be a perfect time to plug in my ipod. To bad it was not in my handlebar bag. Trying not to panic I checked my laptop bag. It was not there. At the rest stop I unpacked my tent as a last resort and it was not there either. It sucked I was jones'ing for some music. The highlights of most of my days include belting out the lyrics to “get down Saturday night”. Then the penny dropped they were in my shorts.
So at lunch I had to unpack all my clothing just to get it. The lunch stop was a gas station that was filled with tourists heading to Nova Scotia. I had at least 10 people ask me which roads to take and distances on those roads. It felt very rewarding to hand over said information.
Even better then lunch this gas station had a map showing campsites. Perfect one was 50km away making a nice 160km day. With music in my ear I was like a man possessed. Towns were flying by and my stop was quickly approaching… or so I thought. The stop I had planned turned out to be just cottages and no camping so I had to press on. Thankfully Ellsworth was just 10 miles away. It is my first large American town I have visited and it lived up to every stereotype. The first thing you see is the Wal-Mart. Next to the walmart a mcdonalds. Then when you are at the campsite every site has a NASCAR flag, or a piece of NFL memorabilia. Personally I don’t think this is a bad thing because it shows that they have passion for something. Which is more then I can say about a lot of people on this planet.
The riding here in Maine is nothing to special yet. The only thing I have to comment on is the amount of houses for sale, and the amount of dilapidated houses that still have people living in them. I thought I would have to go deep into America to see the impacts of the economy but this really hits close to home.
Trip Distance: 182km
Ride Time: 8:44hr
Avg. Speed: 20.93km/h
Total Distance: 8509km
Total Ride Time: 395hr
Destination: Ellsworth, Maine
I want to comment on the bus thing because it has been bugging me I did not take it because I was tired of riding I took it because the riding back to moncton was going to be super boring and tedious. I would much rather spend those extra 3 days in Florida or New Orleans. Places I have wanted to see my entire life. Not antiginoush… a place that no one wants to see ever.
Tour Day 57 Jump The Boarder Aug 22 2010
I was a little nervous going to sleep last night because I knew that it was my last night in Canada for a while. I know America is our neighbour and I know that it is the most powerful country in the world, but still in the back of my mind I was thinking of it as if it was Afghanistan.
The morning’s ride was not the smoothest. It started off really cold so I was layered up, then it got warm so I stripped it down, then after that it got cold again. After stripping my gear on and off so many times I felt like a male stripper I decided to just suck it up and deal with the cold.
After making that choice about 5km down the road I saw my first moose. I do not know how I did not see one in Newfoundland but ce la vie. This moose may have been smoked by a car and dead on the side of the road but I am still going to count it. It is kind of like fish stories you never really know how big the fish is. In this case other then those who read the blog they wont know if it was alive or dead. The only problem with said moose was that it was fresh. Glass was everywhere and I had no option but to ride through it. After riding through the glass I was thinking “crap this is going to cause a flat” and cause me to stop again. At the top of the hill I stopped and checked the tires and surprisingly everything looked ok. Still I topped up my tires so that I can give er the old pinch check tomorrow morning.
Just like Manitoba wanted me to stay, Canada did as well. The last 40km’s of Canada were just brutal. I had a 20-30km/h headwind the entire time. Still I pushed into it as hard as I could. My lunch stop was st. Stephen and I was not stopping till I got there. Each kilometre ticked by and I saw the exit to owl beach, which on my map said was 14km from st. Stephen. At that point it was 12:30 and I was hungry. I don’t know what came over me but I did not stop I was up for the punishment. 2km later I see the exit for st. Stephen. Yet again my maps distances were completely whacked. This time it worked in my favour.
When I got into Canada’s chocolate town I was on the hunt for food. The first place was going to be the stop no ifs and or buts. In this case it just so happened to be a small local diner run by a very kind woman. Right away she started asking me questions about the trip and why I was doing it. Within 5 minutes she was going around to the other tables and telling them to come talk to me. Within 10 minutes she was on the phone trying to get a hold of the local paper. It was a great lunch for two reasons. The food and the people I cant ask for much more. So fingers crossed that you will see my mug in the st. Stephen local paper.
Next was the boarder. The road going into the board did a complete 180 degree turn so now I had a tailwind. Elated by this I was ripping into the final 3km’s and approached the boarder. I don’t know what it is but whenever I get to the boarder my heart goes in my throat. Whenever I get a question I feel like I should give them my life’s story, which then usually leads to more questions. This boarder crossing was a little unique because as I found out it was not for pedestrians of bikes. Inside the guy was contemplating sending me back but luckily he did not. That would have blown huge chunks if that would have happened.
Once in the U.S. I was on the hunt for a visitor centre for a map. Because it is awfully hard to travel when you do not know what road leads where. I saw the sign and it said 2 under it so thinking two miles I went ahead. The roughly two km’s down the road there was nothing but a police station. So I stopped and asked where the centre was and the guy said it closed down and I would have to go to the library 2 blocks ahead. Over the hill there it was in bold writing “tourist centre for Maine”. I thought to myself that does not say a lot about local knowledge. Here I got my map and again the lady said that she was going to send off my story to the local paper so I was super pumped on that.
The campsite was 9 miles away. Which in my head does not sound like a lot because I am so used to km’s. I am going to have to readjust my thinking about distance, or just get better at math to convert distances. Please America use metres. It is easier and makes more sense. Feet and miles seem to be calculated by taking the square root of 3 and multiplying that by the temperature. The calculation for the temperature is even more complex then that. Lets just say it involves at least 3 variables.
Trip Distance: 152km
Ride Time: 7:32hr
Avg. Speed: 20.23km/h
Total Distance: 8326km
Total Ride Time: 385hr
Destination: Keene Lake, Maine
The morning’s ride was not the smoothest. It started off really cold so I was layered up, then it got warm so I stripped it down, then after that it got cold again. After stripping my gear on and off so many times I felt like a male stripper I decided to just suck it up and deal with the cold.
After making that choice about 5km down the road I saw my first moose. I do not know how I did not see one in Newfoundland but ce la vie. This moose may have been smoked by a car and dead on the side of the road but I am still going to count it. It is kind of like fish stories you never really know how big the fish is. In this case other then those who read the blog they wont know if it was alive or dead. The only problem with said moose was that it was fresh. Glass was everywhere and I had no option but to ride through it. After riding through the glass I was thinking “crap this is going to cause a flat” and cause me to stop again. At the top of the hill I stopped and checked the tires and surprisingly everything looked ok. Still I topped up my tires so that I can give er the old pinch check tomorrow morning.
Just like Manitoba wanted me to stay, Canada did as well. The last 40km’s of Canada were just brutal. I had a 20-30km/h headwind the entire time. Still I pushed into it as hard as I could. My lunch stop was st. Stephen and I was not stopping till I got there. Each kilometre ticked by and I saw the exit to owl beach, which on my map said was 14km from st. Stephen. At that point it was 12:30 and I was hungry. I don’t know what came over me but I did not stop I was up for the punishment. 2km later I see the exit for st. Stephen. Yet again my maps distances were completely whacked. This time it worked in my favour.
When I got into Canada’s chocolate town I was on the hunt for food. The first place was going to be the stop no ifs and or buts. In this case it just so happened to be a small local diner run by a very kind woman. Right away she started asking me questions about the trip and why I was doing it. Within 5 minutes she was going around to the other tables and telling them to come talk to me. Within 10 minutes she was on the phone trying to get a hold of the local paper. It was a great lunch for two reasons. The food and the people I cant ask for much more. So fingers crossed that you will see my mug in the st. Stephen local paper.
Next was the boarder. The road going into the board did a complete 180 degree turn so now I had a tailwind. Elated by this I was ripping into the final 3km’s and approached the boarder. I don’t know what it is but whenever I get to the boarder my heart goes in my throat. Whenever I get a question I feel like I should give them my life’s story, which then usually leads to more questions. This boarder crossing was a little unique because as I found out it was not for pedestrians of bikes. Inside the guy was contemplating sending me back but luckily he did not. That would have blown huge chunks if that would have happened.
Once in the U.S. I was on the hunt for a visitor centre for a map. Because it is awfully hard to travel when you do not know what road leads where. I saw the sign and it said 2 under it so thinking two miles I went ahead. The roughly two km’s down the road there was nothing but a police station. So I stopped and asked where the centre was and the guy said it closed down and I would have to go to the library 2 blocks ahead. Over the hill there it was in bold writing “tourist centre for Maine”. I thought to myself that does not say a lot about local knowledge. Here I got my map and again the lady said that she was going to send off my story to the local paper so I was super pumped on that.
The campsite was 9 miles away. Which in my head does not sound like a lot because I am so used to km’s. I am going to have to readjust my thinking about distance, or just get better at math to convert distances. Please America use metres. It is easier and makes more sense. Feet and miles seem to be calculated by taking the square root of 3 and multiplying that by the temperature. The calculation for the temperature is even more complex then that. Lets just say it involves at least 3 variables.
Trip Distance: 152km
Ride Time: 7:32hr
Avg. Speed: 20.23km/h
Total Distance: 8326km
Total Ride Time: 385hr
Destination: Keene Lake, Maine
Friday, August 20, 2010
Tour Day 56 Restoring My Faith In Fate Aug 20 2010
I have to learn how to have more faith. That is what I learned from yesterday.
I was down in the dumps a little bit after the bad news about the bus so I did what every other Atlantic Canadian does and went to time Horton’s. This time without my shoe covers so that I would not loose them. Tim Horton’s here are like malls. The parking lots are always full even in the small towns, and in the larger towns you have one at the entrance of every exit off the highway.
When I got back to the depot I had 3 hours to kill and I was thinking it was going to be super painful. To ease the pain a little I decided to plug in and charge my ipod. Across from me was this woman who looked about 3 years older then me in an old school bowler hat and American apparel everything. She says, “Where are you going”? From that point I just opened up and pretty much told her my life story. We very quickly hit it off. It was almost as if we knew each other before. I mean we liked the same music, biked, and had the same introverted approach to most things.
At this point I was still sitting across the walkway when a crazy man comes in with a smoke in his mouth and starts rambling to me about something or other. I could not understand him so I simply nodded and moved to where he was pointing his finger.
Very quickly three hours passed. I then had to push my broken box onto the bus with some help. Here I snagged a quick nap before we stopped in moncton. When I awoke I finally clued in. I did not get this stranger that I had been talking with for going on 5 hours. So I ask the question and find out her name is jess. Jess and I continued to talk for the rest of the trip and then she helped me reassemble my bike outside of the bus depot.
At this point I had made my mind up no more vehicles. I had taken the bus back to Moncton, which is where I went to Pei from so my goal of emiliminating back tracking was complete. Anything extra I would just be getting greedy. Plus I am more determined and driven then that. I can pedal my butt that extra 180km. Here is where Fred the bus driver went to bat for me at the depot office. He demanded that they give me a refund for at least part of the trip. Which they did so I was elated.
Once I got back on the road it was dark, and within 3 feet I saw a woman in a short dress and heels. Assuming the worst I thought, “damn I am going to have to pedal my butt off tonight. I then wondered around for about 10 minutes and found myself on the main drag in Moncton. It was a Thursday night and the place was packed. Every patio was full, every bar was full, and the road was being cruised by every hot rod and bike in the town. It was a really cool feeling.
I stopped to talk with some people to find a campsite but no one had any ideas. One guy said there was one 1.5k away so I went on the hunt, but never found it. At this point it was 9:30 and I had made my mind up im rough camping it. Before that I stopped in at a locally owner hotel to ask one more person. After telling them what I am doing they said that I was to stay there. And worked me out a price. That was exactly $25 over that of my return money so I was super happy about that.
I was so excited to ride the next day that I did not get to sleep until midnight. The only thing that put me to sleep was background music courtesy of BBQ pit masters on tlc. Possible the most useless show on tv these days.
The day’s ride really was normal which is what made it so nice. It was nice weather to start the day, and then a bit of rain, then clear the end of the day. It just felt good to get out and stretch them legs for a change. Tomorrow the U.S.A.
Other then that I am in st. John right now a really ugly industrial town that has a beautiful view of some local factories from the knoll that I am on.
Trip Distance: 180km
Ride Time: 8:14hr
Avg. Speed: 21.92km/h
Total Distance: 8174km
Total Ride Time: 379hr
Destination: St. John, New Brunswick
P.S. I will be on CKNW tomorow between 12 and 4pm
I was down in the dumps a little bit after the bad news about the bus so I did what every other Atlantic Canadian does and went to time Horton’s. This time without my shoe covers so that I would not loose them. Tim Horton’s here are like malls. The parking lots are always full even in the small towns, and in the larger towns you have one at the entrance of every exit off the highway.
When I got back to the depot I had 3 hours to kill and I was thinking it was going to be super painful. To ease the pain a little I decided to plug in and charge my ipod. Across from me was this woman who looked about 3 years older then me in an old school bowler hat and American apparel everything. She says, “Where are you going”? From that point I just opened up and pretty much told her my life story. We very quickly hit it off. It was almost as if we knew each other before. I mean we liked the same music, biked, and had the same introverted approach to most things.
At this point I was still sitting across the walkway when a crazy man comes in with a smoke in his mouth and starts rambling to me about something or other. I could not understand him so I simply nodded and moved to where he was pointing his finger.
Very quickly three hours passed. I then had to push my broken box onto the bus with some help. Here I snagged a quick nap before we stopped in moncton. When I awoke I finally clued in. I did not get this stranger that I had been talking with for going on 5 hours. So I ask the question and find out her name is jess. Jess and I continued to talk for the rest of the trip and then she helped me reassemble my bike outside of the bus depot.
At this point I had made my mind up no more vehicles. I had taken the bus back to Moncton, which is where I went to Pei from so my goal of emiliminating back tracking was complete. Anything extra I would just be getting greedy. Plus I am more determined and driven then that. I can pedal my butt that extra 180km. Here is where Fred the bus driver went to bat for me at the depot office. He demanded that they give me a refund for at least part of the trip. Which they did so I was elated.
Once I got back on the road it was dark, and within 3 feet I saw a woman in a short dress and heels. Assuming the worst I thought, “damn I am going to have to pedal my butt off tonight. I then wondered around for about 10 minutes and found myself on the main drag in Moncton. It was a Thursday night and the place was packed. Every patio was full, every bar was full, and the road was being cruised by every hot rod and bike in the town. It was a really cool feeling.
I stopped to talk with some people to find a campsite but no one had any ideas. One guy said there was one 1.5k away so I went on the hunt, but never found it. At this point it was 9:30 and I had made my mind up im rough camping it. Before that I stopped in at a locally owner hotel to ask one more person. After telling them what I am doing they said that I was to stay there. And worked me out a price. That was exactly $25 over that of my return money so I was super happy about that.
I was so excited to ride the next day that I did not get to sleep until midnight. The only thing that put me to sleep was background music courtesy of BBQ pit masters on tlc. Possible the most useless show on tv these days.
The day’s ride really was normal which is what made it so nice. It was nice weather to start the day, and then a bit of rain, then clear the end of the day. It just felt good to get out and stretch them legs for a change. Tomorrow the U.S.A.
Other then that I am in st. John right now a really ugly industrial town that has a beautiful view of some local factories from the knoll that I am on.
Trip Distance: 180km
Ride Time: 8:14hr
Avg. Speed: 21.92km/h
Total Distance: 8174km
Total Ride Time: 379hr
Destination: St. John, New Brunswick
P.S. I will be on CKNW tomorow between 12 and 4pm
Thursday, August 19, 2010
Tour Day 55 Smooth. What Is That? Aug 19 2010
Well again on a day when things needed to go right they did not.
It all started off fine and dandy. Woke up at my regular time. Got my bike boxed with time to spare, and even got my bags in the box as well so I did not have to pay extra for having to many bags. The bus itself was fairly new and did not smell like every greyhound in BC.
We were off. Within the first 3 hours we were off of cape Breton and on out way to the terminal in Turo. There were only about 16 of us on the bus so we all had space to spread out and get comfortable. This may explain why I took 2 catnaps while on the road. As well I got some good reading time in.
The girl in front of me was playing dance dance revolution on her computer so I decided to listen to ddr music on my ipod. This is where I found out that every ddr song works with every arrow that comes on the screen, no matter the combination. This is probably because all the songs are pumped up to roughly 220 beat per minute. Then just to switch it up I turned on classical music and watched those same arrows fly by. I could not help but to giggle a little bit because the classical music even worked. For some reason I don’t think dance dance revolution would be the same if it was all classical music.
Over the intercom I hear “next stop Turo transfer point to Monkton and those continuing to St. John”. Great that’s me, and it is only a ten-minute wait till the next bus. We arrive at the terminal and it was pretty busy. About 15 people waiting for the same bus. Not fazed I walked in and asked the guy “what time does the bus to st. John get in tonight”? He replies with the simple answer of “8:15”. Right away I go think to myself crap that’s usually the time I go to sleep and I still have to find a campsite after that. Still confidant that I will work it out I wait.
Well the bus pulls in and the driver hopes out and first thing he sees is me with the bike box. He says, “That ain’t gunna fit”. This is where I try to keep my cool. I can’t leave m bike. And I have to look at this as a privilege not a right. I go back inside and ask what time the next bus is and he says “5:45 arriving in Monkton at 8 and no connection to St. John tonight”. Well that blows goats. I wanted this to be a one-day thing now it has ruined two days.
As well what am I going to do tonight? Do I unpack the bike and rebuild it to find a campsite around Monkton? I don’t think so because it would take 30mins to put together and then however long to find a site. I am really hoping that I have the option like I had at the tourist centre in Newfoundland. If I build the bike and ride t tomorrow what is the point of me buying the ticket to St. John? I have then wasted an extra $37 and I will still have to ride from Monkton to St. John, which will take all day.
Really this situation just sucks rocks. What was supposed to be easy has now become a pain in the butt. I understand that this is all apart of the adventure but it always seems like I am on the wrong end of the stick when it comes to situations like this.
I always say one of the most exciting things every night is figuring out where you are going to stay is. Well it looks like tonight is going to be one of the nights. I think the hardest part of this whole ordeal is the fact I am watching some of my goals slip away. I wanted to keep that 150 average because it is such a mental boost for me. Now after two days of doing very few km’s instead of one I somehow have to manage to pull 300km’s out of my butt instead of 150km’s. That fact is what is in the back of my head. That fact is what is making me thin of biking from Monkton.
Then this is how my brain works I go “why would you do that Evan you have a free ride to St. John you will arrive at 2pm and still have some time get maps, money, and all the rest. It just sucks because I want to get riding so bad. But what can I do I am simply a man with a bike at this moment.
Trip Distance: 6:18km
Ride Time: 0:17hr
Avg. Speed: 21.04km/h
Total Distance: 7999km
Total Ride Time: 371hr
Destination: Will be somewhere in Monkton, New Brunswick
I will probably have one more night after this in Canada but if I do not I have to say a few things. One my phone will not work in the states so to any family I am sorry. Two my internet stick will not work in the states as well so I will have to use wifi. That means that the blog most likely will not be updated every day but when I do have internet access I will upload multiple days worth of journals. My mom has been pretty good with uploading where I am via the gps “spot” system so when she is back from vacation lets hope that continues.
It all started off fine and dandy. Woke up at my regular time. Got my bike boxed with time to spare, and even got my bags in the box as well so I did not have to pay extra for having to many bags. The bus itself was fairly new and did not smell like every greyhound in BC.
We were off. Within the first 3 hours we were off of cape Breton and on out way to the terminal in Turo. There were only about 16 of us on the bus so we all had space to spread out and get comfortable. This may explain why I took 2 catnaps while on the road. As well I got some good reading time in.
The girl in front of me was playing dance dance revolution on her computer so I decided to listen to ddr music on my ipod. This is where I found out that every ddr song works with every arrow that comes on the screen, no matter the combination. This is probably because all the songs are pumped up to roughly 220 beat per minute. Then just to switch it up I turned on classical music and watched those same arrows fly by. I could not help but to giggle a little bit because the classical music even worked. For some reason I don’t think dance dance revolution would be the same if it was all classical music.
Over the intercom I hear “next stop Turo transfer point to Monkton and those continuing to St. John”. Great that’s me, and it is only a ten-minute wait till the next bus. We arrive at the terminal and it was pretty busy. About 15 people waiting for the same bus. Not fazed I walked in and asked the guy “what time does the bus to st. John get in tonight”? He replies with the simple answer of “8:15”. Right away I go think to myself crap that’s usually the time I go to sleep and I still have to find a campsite after that. Still confidant that I will work it out I wait.
Well the bus pulls in and the driver hopes out and first thing he sees is me with the bike box. He says, “That ain’t gunna fit”. This is where I try to keep my cool. I can’t leave m bike. And I have to look at this as a privilege not a right. I go back inside and ask what time the next bus is and he says “5:45 arriving in Monkton at 8 and no connection to St. John tonight”. Well that blows goats. I wanted this to be a one-day thing now it has ruined two days.
As well what am I going to do tonight? Do I unpack the bike and rebuild it to find a campsite around Monkton? I don’t think so because it would take 30mins to put together and then however long to find a site. I am really hoping that I have the option like I had at the tourist centre in Newfoundland. If I build the bike and ride t tomorrow what is the point of me buying the ticket to St. John? I have then wasted an extra $37 and I will still have to ride from Monkton to St. John, which will take all day.
Really this situation just sucks rocks. What was supposed to be easy has now become a pain in the butt. I understand that this is all apart of the adventure but it always seems like I am on the wrong end of the stick when it comes to situations like this.
I always say one of the most exciting things every night is figuring out where you are going to stay is. Well it looks like tonight is going to be one of the nights. I think the hardest part of this whole ordeal is the fact I am watching some of my goals slip away. I wanted to keep that 150 average because it is such a mental boost for me. Now after two days of doing very few km’s instead of one I somehow have to manage to pull 300km’s out of my butt instead of 150km’s. That fact is what is in the back of my head. That fact is what is making me thin of biking from Monkton.
Then this is how my brain works I go “why would you do that Evan you have a free ride to St. John you will arrive at 2pm and still have some time get maps, money, and all the rest. It just sucks because I want to get riding so bad. But what can I do I am simply a man with a bike at this moment.
Trip Distance: 6:18km
Ride Time: 0:17hr
Avg. Speed: 21.04km/h
Total Distance: 7999km
Total Ride Time: 371hr
Destination: Will be somewhere in Monkton, New Brunswick
I will probably have one more night after this in Canada but if I do not I have to say a few things. One my phone will not work in the states so to any family I am sorry. Two my internet stick will not work in the states as well so I will have to use wifi. That means that the blog most likely will not be updated every day but when I do have internet access I will upload multiple days worth of journals. My mom has been pretty good with uploading where I am via the gps “spot” system so when she is back from vacation lets hope that continues.
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
Tour Day 54 Long Ferry Ride Aug 18 2010
I have to say after spending 17hours on a ferry that I will never go on a cruise in my life. Granted this boat was not the largest in the ocean but when you are stuck on an island that is only 1km long and as wide as two shower stalls you get sick of it really quick. Thanks to a tip from a Newfoundlander I found a great little spot on the boat. 98% of people stayed on the 5th level because the 7th levels were private recliner chairs. But at the front of said room was a public lounge that hardly anyone was in. That meant that I could spread out a little more and get a chance to get the sleeping mat out and not ruin my neck.
The night’s sleep was not the best because I was fully clothed and rocking like I was on a chair on a patio. In the end rest was rest. It felt strange waking up and not having to put on my cycling kit right away. It was also nice to not have to do anything. I got a chance to sit down and read for hours, then after that watch I movie in its entirety. It almost felt normal.
That was until I put on my kit and everyone looked at me weird again. As if to say “why is this guy stretching and in spandex”? “Did I miss the call for the Richard Simmons workout routine”?
Because the ferry had an engine down it was 2.5 hours late getting in. Which then really forced my had with the back tracking thing. I got off the ferry at noon and if I pressed on I would have had to stay at the mosquito campsite again. That simply was not happening. So I went to the local Ultramar and bought a ticket for St. John New Brunswick. I know it is cheating but really those 3 days of backtracking and staying at the same places would have sucked. Now I can get into the states on the day that my insurance policy starts instead of wasting more time in Canada. Really the only downside is my odometer is going to show 400 less km’s but I will make those up later on down the road.
When I was pulling into the gas station something happened that I knew was going to happen. I replaced my chain yesterday and shimano chains do not have a quick link so you have to push the pin in. Well I did what every noob does and bent a link. At the time I rode it and it worked fine so I just left it. Well I heard a snap and that was that. Luckily it was a quick fix.
Now tomorrow is really all I am focused on. I have to dismantle my bike to fit it into a box then somehow pack two of my bags in said box so that I don’t get charges extra. That is stressing me out a little. All I have to pray is that I mark my seat post right otherwise my body will let me know.
On the note of my body I have to say my batteries are almost back to fully charged. I did not realize that they were that depleted until I got some good rest. I thought my legs would feel bogged down getting on the bike again but it was the complete opposite. A few days off in Florida should do the trick. Maybe I will invest in a Speedo just to show off the impressive tan lines.
I should not be thinking that way because when you think that far ahead it really messes with you mind. I should be focused on what lunch is tomorrow? How smelly the bus will be? Things like that.
I must say thank you to Maurice and Andrea the Swiss couple I met a few days ago. They handed off all there extra food to me and I have to say it is simply amazing. This one soup in particular is mind blowing. It is hearty and delicious. Somehow it manages to go from a small package to a huge pot of sup as well. As well they offered a good chance to geek out on some gear facts.
Trip Distance: 10.22km
Ride Time: 0:39hr
Avg. Speed: 15.69km/h
Total Distance: 7993km
Total Ride Time: 371hr
Destination: Sydney Mines, Nova Scotia
I have a few side notes:
1. After reading the comments I will be scaling back the km's but not to an extreme degree. Over the first 52 days I averaged 152km's per day. Over the next I hope to stay at a 150 average. That will mean a few longer days in the future because with the bus trip that will push me to 148.5 or something like that. In the end I am still Very Competitve with myself, and still want to push my bodies limits. Newfoundland was a new high for that.
2. As you all know I am a huge Hilliberge tent fan. That love has now doubled because i quickly found out the company cares about the people using its product. In my vestibule two 2mm pannels have started to seperate by about 1mm. Because of the fabric this will not get any larger, and it is also so smallt hat it does not leak any water. That being said it still freaked me out. So i sent an email to hilliberg and got an email from the company owner in under a day. She said send me a picture so I did. Now they are sending me sealer free of charge and shiping included. As well a nice thing that I found out is that they put the name of the person who made your tent on the inside of it. Thanks Hilliberg
The night’s sleep was not the best because I was fully clothed and rocking like I was on a chair on a patio. In the end rest was rest. It felt strange waking up and not having to put on my cycling kit right away. It was also nice to not have to do anything. I got a chance to sit down and read for hours, then after that watch I movie in its entirety. It almost felt normal.
That was until I put on my kit and everyone looked at me weird again. As if to say “why is this guy stretching and in spandex”? “Did I miss the call for the Richard Simmons workout routine”?
Because the ferry had an engine down it was 2.5 hours late getting in. Which then really forced my had with the back tracking thing. I got off the ferry at noon and if I pressed on I would have had to stay at the mosquito campsite again. That simply was not happening. So I went to the local Ultramar and bought a ticket for St. John New Brunswick. I know it is cheating but really those 3 days of backtracking and staying at the same places would have sucked. Now I can get into the states on the day that my insurance policy starts instead of wasting more time in Canada. Really the only downside is my odometer is going to show 400 less km’s but I will make those up later on down the road.
When I was pulling into the gas station something happened that I knew was going to happen. I replaced my chain yesterday and shimano chains do not have a quick link so you have to push the pin in. Well I did what every noob does and bent a link. At the time I rode it and it worked fine so I just left it. Well I heard a snap and that was that. Luckily it was a quick fix.
Now tomorrow is really all I am focused on. I have to dismantle my bike to fit it into a box then somehow pack two of my bags in said box so that I don’t get charges extra. That is stressing me out a little. All I have to pray is that I mark my seat post right otherwise my body will let me know.
On the note of my body I have to say my batteries are almost back to fully charged. I did not realize that they were that depleted until I got some good rest. I thought my legs would feel bogged down getting on the bike again but it was the complete opposite. A few days off in Florida should do the trick. Maybe I will invest in a Speedo just to show off the impressive tan lines.
I should not be thinking that way because when you think that far ahead it really messes with you mind. I should be focused on what lunch is tomorrow? How smelly the bus will be? Things like that.
I must say thank you to Maurice and Andrea the Swiss couple I met a few days ago. They handed off all there extra food to me and I have to say it is simply amazing. This one soup in particular is mind blowing. It is hearty and delicious. Somehow it manages to go from a small package to a huge pot of sup as well. As well they offered a good chance to geek out on some gear facts.
Trip Distance: 10.22km
Ride Time: 0:39hr
Avg. Speed: 15.69km/h
Total Distance: 7993km
Total Ride Time: 371hr
Destination: Sydney Mines, Nova Scotia
I have a few side notes:
1. After reading the comments I will be scaling back the km's but not to an extreme degree. Over the first 52 days I averaged 152km's per day. Over the next I hope to stay at a 150 average. That will mean a few longer days in the future because with the bus trip that will push me to 148.5 or something like that. In the end I am still Very Competitve with myself, and still want to push my bodies limits. Newfoundland was a new high for that.
2. As you all know I am a huge Hilliberge tent fan. That love has now doubled because i quickly found out the company cares about the people using its product. In my vestibule two 2mm pannels have started to seperate by about 1mm. Because of the fabric this will not get any larger, and it is also so smallt hat it does not leak any water. That being said it still freaked me out. So i sent an email to hilliberg and got an email from the company owner in under a day. She said send me a picture so I did. Now they are sending me sealer free of charge and shiping included. As well a nice thing that I found out is that they put the name of the person who made your tent on the inside of it. Thanks Hilliberg
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
Tour Day 53 I'm On A Boat... A Much Older Boat July 17 10
I want to start today a little differently. I want to start by say thank you to my family. Mom and dad I know you guys have not always seen eye to eye but you guys have done one heck of a job. Not many families would be ok with saying goodbye to their son for an unknown amount of time, to an unknown location, along a route that even I do not know. So for that I thank you because it is paying off in spades.
The day started with a few thoughts in my mind. I was thinking back on Canada and thinking of what my favourite memory was. I decided that it was the night we were raided by racoons. Olivier, Charles, and I trying to scare off the racoons. Then after they left we all peed all around our site to keep them away. It was very majestic and very hard to describe. It felt as if it was a real boys own adventure at that point.
The campsite that I left was odd. I did not see one woman or girl the entire time I was there. It felt as if it was the campsite for newly single men. I say that because all the guys left early in the morning to go to work, and they only had there trailers and a few miscellaneous goods spread out in front of them.
The ride was short today only 120km so I took in the scenery and spent a bit more time going on my way to the ferry. Backtracking along highway 1 was actually harder then I thought it was going to be. I remember climbing a lot more getting to st. Johns and it seems that I did not get a lot of downhill on the way back.
Once off the highway I got onto route 100, which was beautiful. It was a great way to end my trip in Newfoundland. Nice rolling hills with an almost constant view of water. Because my ferry was at 8pm and I was going down the road at 12:30pm I had the road to myself. I rode down the centre of the road for minutes at a time without a car going either way.
Once at the ferry terminal the employees ask “are you sure you want to check in now”? Well I had no option because really there is not much to see on the road so all is good. On the plus side I had a chance to catch up on some much needed social media, replace my chain, and get some reading in.
The book I am reading is the long way around which is about a motorcycle trip around the world. Granted they have a lot more money, a lot more staff, and a lot better grammar then I but still I found it odd reading the story because we are going through the same things. Every word I could relate to in some way. I read to escape reality and here this book is making me relive my own reality (ill be it in a brighter light).
Getting there so early also gave me a chance to talk to a lot of people about what I am doing and why I am doing it. As well just a chance to talk in general about nothing. It was awesome because everyone here has a story. They say you don’t come to Newfoundland for the weather, but you do come for the people and the stories.
The staff at the terminal were also worthy of a comment because they played a game of baseball while getting paid during the slow hours.
Other then that really the only other thing to talk about is the fact that this ferry is far less luxurious, and defiantly rocks more. And I think I am going to try to take the bus from north Sydney to Monkton or st. John because backtracking really blows. We will see if they will allow me with all my luggage and a bike, or whether I will have no other option but to backtrack.
I would update my distance info but I forgot my computer on my bike and cannot retrieve it while I am underway.
Trip Distance: 119km
Ride Time: 5:41hr
Avg. Speed: 21.04km/h
Total Distance: 2983km
Total Ride Time: 320hr
Destination: Atlantic Ocean
The day started with a few thoughts in my mind. I was thinking back on Canada and thinking of what my favourite memory was. I decided that it was the night we were raided by racoons. Olivier, Charles, and I trying to scare off the racoons. Then after they left we all peed all around our site to keep them away. It was very majestic and very hard to describe. It felt as if it was a real boys own adventure at that point.
The campsite that I left was odd. I did not see one woman or girl the entire time I was there. It felt as if it was the campsite for newly single men. I say that because all the guys left early in the morning to go to work, and they only had there trailers and a few miscellaneous goods spread out in front of them.
The ride was short today only 120km so I took in the scenery and spent a bit more time going on my way to the ferry. Backtracking along highway 1 was actually harder then I thought it was going to be. I remember climbing a lot more getting to st. Johns and it seems that I did not get a lot of downhill on the way back.
Once off the highway I got onto route 100, which was beautiful. It was a great way to end my trip in Newfoundland. Nice rolling hills with an almost constant view of water. Because my ferry was at 8pm and I was going down the road at 12:30pm I had the road to myself. I rode down the centre of the road for minutes at a time without a car going either way.
Once at the ferry terminal the employees ask “are you sure you want to check in now”? Well I had no option because really there is not much to see on the road so all is good. On the plus side I had a chance to catch up on some much needed social media, replace my chain, and get some reading in.
The book I am reading is the long way around which is about a motorcycle trip around the world. Granted they have a lot more money, a lot more staff, and a lot better grammar then I but still I found it odd reading the story because we are going through the same things. Every word I could relate to in some way. I read to escape reality and here this book is making me relive my own reality (ill be it in a brighter light).
Getting there so early also gave me a chance to talk to a lot of people about what I am doing and why I am doing it. As well just a chance to talk in general about nothing. It was awesome because everyone here has a story. They say you don’t come to Newfoundland for the weather, but you do come for the people and the stories.
The staff at the terminal were also worthy of a comment because they played a game of baseball while getting paid during the slow hours.
Other then that really the only other thing to talk about is the fact that this ferry is far less luxurious, and defiantly rocks more. And I think I am going to try to take the bus from north Sydney to Monkton or st. John because backtracking really blows. We will see if they will allow me with all my luggage and a bike, or whether I will have no other option but to backtrack.
I would update my distance info but I forgot my computer on my bike and cannot retrieve it while I am underway.
Trip Distance: 119km
Ride Time: 5:41hr
Avg. Speed: 21.04km/h
Total Distance: 2983km
Total Ride Time: 320hr
Destination: Atlantic Ocean
Monday, August 16, 2010
Tour Day 52 Realizing I Am Human Aug 16 2010
Welcome to St. Johns. The town of many hills, and poorly laid out streets. When I woke up (late) in pippy park it was a weird feeling. I felt as if the day had already passed me by and it was only 6:30am. Luckily I woke up during one of the only dry spells today so I got a chance to dry off my tent and pack up just before the next rain started.
Rain. Everyone was complaining about Newfoundland and how bad the weather was. Well today I got my first taste of that, sans shoe covers. My shoe covers are in a Tim Horton’s back in New Brunswick so I had to resort to plastic bags. They work yes but everyone looks at you a little funny. So that was the first thing I wanted to find today were some new shoe covers. So I go into the local bike shop and say I want waterproof shoe covers. They say they don’t have anything and that they use plastic bags. I find that odd, as a businessman in a town with a lot of rain that would be something that I would carry many of.
The next stop was the bank to figure out what the heck happened with my savings account when I attempted online banking for the first time. Evidently I did something wrong because what I wanted to do did not happen. At that point I was a little miffed so I figured some starbucks hot chocolate was in order (thanks Dr. D). I felt really hip sitting emailing and such while drinking my hot beverage. Almost felt normal for a change. One gentleman even invited me to stay with him and his girlfriend for the night. What I am doubting is my choice to press on down the road 40km instead of taking that nice warm bed for a night.
I was going to change my chain today but I am simply too tired. After a nap, a buffet lunch, and some dinner I am just ready to hit the sack. I am quickly finding out that I am only human. When you keep hammering and hammering day after day it is fine. But the second you stop and break from that routine your body lets you know “hey you have been being dumb”. With that in mind I think I will try to stick around the 150km per day mark in the states and try to avoid these 200km plus days.
With that in mind I had to try to find maps today for the eastern states. Now that is a task that you would think would be easy. Just find a bookstore and or caa and you would be set. Well the book store only had a place mat of the eastern states which does me no good, and I am not a caa member so that is not an option. It is not time for me to start looking while I am in Nova Scotia. The last thing that I want is to go across the boarder and answer the “where are you going” question with a “ummmm I need to find a map first”. For some reason I do not think that they would let me in if that was my answer.
The final things to do were get insurance and get a stuff stack. Insurance was easy because the ladies were really nice and helpful. They even took the extra time to call to make sure I am not voiding my policy by riding my bicycle because it puts me in harms way. Luckily that was not a problem so we are set to go. Now all that is left is backtracking through Nova Scotia, which I am less then thrilled about. It is not a very appealing thing when your only two options are either to go along the same road and save 40km or take the other road that loops around a little more but then still ends up on the same road that you have to take to get to Halifax or wherever in the province.
After talking with some other bike tourists I find it hard to believe that I am not content with riding across Canada. That I would feel regret and failure if I did not finish in the states. These peoples life long dreams were just Canada and here I am at 18 biting off even more. This feeling is something that hits you right in the gut… and it is not hunger I think.
The campsite for the night is right next to the highway so it is very peaceful, and the shower was nice and cold. Those two things really made me feel awesome about my choice to go down the road as well. But the way I am looking at it is that I have to do a few less hills tomorrow, and I can get into the ferry to wait a long time a little earlier. You know when I typed that out it makes less sense then it did in my head.
Trip Distance: 33km
Ride Time: 2:06hr
Avg. Speed: 15.91km/h
Total Distance: 7863km
Total Ride Time: 364hr
Destination: Exit 40 outside of St. Johns, Newfoundland
Rain. Everyone was complaining about Newfoundland and how bad the weather was. Well today I got my first taste of that, sans shoe covers. My shoe covers are in a Tim Horton’s back in New Brunswick so I had to resort to plastic bags. They work yes but everyone looks at you a little funny. So that was the first thing I wanted to find today were some new shoe covers. So I go into the local bike shop and say I want waterproof shoe covers. They say they don’t have anything and that they use plastic bags. I find that odd, as a businessman in a town with a lot of rain that would be something that I would carry many of.
The next stop was the bank to figure out what the heck happened with my savings account when I attempted online banking for the first time. Evidently I did something wrong because what I wanted to do did not happen. At that point I was a little miffed so I figured some starbucks hot chocolate was in order (thanks Dr. D). I felt really hip sitting emailing and such while drinking my hot beverage. Almost felt normal for a change. One gentleman even invited me to stay with him and his girlfriend for the night. What I am doubting is my choice to press on down the road 40km instead of taking that nice warm bed for a night.
I was going to change my chain today but I am simply too tired. After a nap, a buffet lunch, and some dinner I am just ready to hit the sack. I am quickly finding out that I am only human. When you keep hammering and hammering day after day it is fine. But the second you stop and break from that routine your body lets you know “hey you have been being dumb”. With that in mind I think I will try to stick around the 150km per day mark in the states and try to avoid these 200km plus days.
With that in mind I had to try to find maps today for the eastern states. Now that is a task that you would think would be easy. Just find a bookstore and or caa and you would be set. Well the book store only had a place mat of the eastern states which does me no good, and I am not a caa member so that is not an option. It is not time for me to start looking while I am in Nova Scotia. The last thing that I want is to go across the boarder and answer the “where are you going” question with a “ummmm I need to find a map first”. For some reason I do not think that they would let me in if that was my answer.
The final things to do were get insurance and get a stuff stack. Insurance was easy because the ladies were really nice and helpful. They even took the extra time to call to make sure I am not voiding my policy by riding my bicycle because it puts me in harms way. Luckily that was not a problem so we are set to go. Now all that is left is backtracking through Nova Scotia, which I am less then thrilled about. It is not a very appealing thing when your only two options are either to go along the same road and save 40km or take the other road that loops around a little more but then still ends up on the same road that you have to take to get to Halifax or wherever in the province.
After talking with some other bike tourists I find it hard to believe that I am not content with riding across Canada. That I would feel regret and failure if I did not finish in the states. These peoples life long dreams were just Canada and here I am at 18 biting off even more. This feeling is something that hits you right in the gut… and it is not hunger I think.
The campsite for the night is right next to the highway so it is very peaceful, and the shower was nice and cold. Those two things really made me feel awesome about my choice to go down the road as well. But the way I am looking at it is that I have to do a few less hills tomorrow, and I can get into the ferry to wait a long time a little earlier. You know when I typed that out it makes less sense then it did in my head.
Trip Distance: 33km
Ride Time: 2:06hr
Avg. Speed: 15.91km/h
Total Distance: 7863km
Total Ride Time: 364hr
Destination: Exit 40 outside of St. Johns, Newfoundland
Sunday, August 15, 2010
Tour Day 51 End Of Canada Aug 15 10
This morning the blood was in the water. I could taste the final 200km to St. Johns. I was mentally and I thought physically prepared for the last km’s. I was going to make it come hell or high water.
I knew right off the bat that I was going to encounter 40km of pass like terrain by looking at my map so I went out and rode nice and slow and took my time. I was actually enjoying the hills today because I had prepared for them. As well after truing my rear wheel (because I hit a huge pothole) my brakes were not dragging. It is amazing how much energy it saved when that was fixed.
Because I was in for the long haul today I pushed my 10am break back to 11:30 so that I would eat lunch later and have energy for the rest of the days ride. The funny thing about touring is you have so much time to obsess over these times that you end up being on the nose for timing. I swear that I am military time these days, and my body knows it. It also knows when I take a detour from said schedule.
My first snack was at a truck stop. A few sketchy hand wrapped muffins were what was in store for me. I was not sure if what I was eating was mold of blueberries but in the end it is just turned to poo anyways. I also had a nice conversation with the attendant who was very interested in what I was doing. He said that I was crazy for try to get to St. Johns today.
Well the hills did not stop it was constant up and down but added to that once I got onto the peninsula I was dealing with a constant 20km/h headwind. No problem though because I was like a man possessed. All I need was some good music in the ears and I was set to go riding.
For some reason maybe it was the mountain dew last night I had to us the washroom every hour it seemed. This is where I learned the lesson of do not pee into the wind, even if it means you have to face traffic. We will just leave it at that and let you fill in the rest.
Lunch was a at a truck stop and pre-packaged sandwiches in order. The nice thing about thee is that were actually made here in Newfoundland… not at zyx manufacturing in twiland. To get out of the stop however was a larger challenge. I rolled down the steepest handicap ramp on the planet. The problem was that I was not clipped in when I though I was. So I roll down with some speed then proceed to nut myself and ram my seat into my small intestine all while almost taking out a parked car.
The rest of the day was rough I kept seeing these signs with distances to st.johns. I was traveling at a super slow speed because of the never ending hills and the wind so these signs just kept pushing me. At the 30km to go sign I started to hoot and hauler. By the end it sounded as if I had tourettes syndrome.
I cannot believe that I have come this far. I cannot believe I crossed Canada. I wanted the picture perfect moment to commemorate it but that was not going to happen because I had to sprint up this embankment, which cost me the time of my self-timer. Anyways it was a long day and I must get to sleep, or socialize a little more with my new Swiss friends.
Trip Distance: 212km
Ride Time: 10:36hr
Avg. Speed: 19.99km/h
Total Distance: 7829km
Total Ride Time: 362gr
Destination: St. Johns, Newfoundland
I knew right off the bat that I was going to encounter 40km of pass like terrain by looking at my map so I went out and rode nice and slow and took my time. I was actually enjoying the hills today because I had prepared for them. As well after truing my rear wheel (because I hit a huge pothole) my brakes were not dragging. It is amazing how much energy it saved when that was fixed.
Because I was in for the long haul today I pushed my 10am break back to 11:30 so that I would eat lunch later and have energy for the rest of the days ride. The funny thing about touring is you have so much time to obsess over these times that you end up being on the nose for timing. I swear that I am military time these days, and my body knows it. It also knows when I take a detour from said schedule.
My first snack was at a truck stop. A few sketchy hand wrapped muffins were what was in store for me. I was not sure if what I was eating was mold of blueberries but in the end it is just turned to poo anyways. I also had a nice conversation with the attendant who was very interested in what I was doing. He said that I was crazy for try to get to St. Johns today.
Well the hills did not stop it was constant up and down but added to that once I got onto the peninsula I was dealing with a constant 20km/h headwind. No problem though because I was like a man possessed. All I need was some good music in the ears and I was set to go riding.
For some reason maybe it was the mountain dew last night I had to us the washroom every hour it seemed. This is where I learned the lesson of do not pee into the wind, even if it means you have to face traffic. We will just leave it at that and let you fill in the rest.
Lunch was a at a truck stop and pre-packaged sandwiches in order. The nice thing about thee is that were actually made here in Newfoundland… not at zyx manufacturing in twiland. To get out of the stop however was a larger challenge. I rolled down the steepest handicap ramp on the planet. The problem was that I was not clipped in when I though I was. So I roll down with some speed then proceed to nut myself and ram my seat into my small intestine all while almost taking out a parked car.
The rest of the day was rough I kept seeing these signs with distances to st.johns. I was traveling at a super slow speed because of the never ending hills and the wind so these signs just kept pushing me. At the 30km to go sign I started to hoot and hauler. By the end it sounded as if I had tourettes syndrome.
I cannot believe that I have come this far. I cannot believe I crossed Canada. I wanted the picture perfect moment to commemorate it but that was not going to happen because I had to sprint up this embankment, which cost me the time of my self-timer. Anyways it was a long day and I must get to sleep, or socialize a little more with my new Swiss friends.
Trip Distance: 212km
Ride Time: 10:36hr
Avg. Speed: 19.99km/h
Total Distance: 7829km
Total Ride Time: 362gr
Destination: St. Johns, Newfoundland
Saturday, August 14, 2010
Tour Day 50 True Tears Of Joy Aug 14 2010
I am going to start with how I am feeling right now because that is what I am focused on. It was a really hard day. It was like riding the least fun roller coaster on the planet. I cannot believe that I am so close to st. Johns. I can believe I am doing this alone either. It is hard on my 18-year-old mind. Spending all day every day alone is tough no way about it. I am not sure what I feel right now so I am going to quote from a hunters and collectors song. Your thoughts are scattered like paper everywhere tiny pieces of laughter and despair. But your cry true tears of joy. Passion id you weakness, but you feed it every day. As I sit here weeping over my computer this song has never rung truer. Im just thinking about everything from home amazing some days where to how tough most days are. I cannot word this properly and this is very quickly becoming a run on paragraph so I will end it at that.
There is always a lighter side to everything though. In this case it came when I was crying and had to blow my nose so I Sask hankied it all over myself. It was a really good look on me I have to say. The other bright spot came when I called Kristi and got to talk to her for 3 minutes. My conversations out here are always how far? Where to? And by yourself? It is nice to be able to skip all that and just talk to someone who gets me. It is strange how being further away from friends and family actually makes you closer (at least on my end).
As for the day my campsite last night was garbage. It had 20 stairs that u had to climb to get to it with no way around, and the campers in front of me had a dog that would not be quiet. I think that it should be a rule if you cannot train a dog to be quiet you should not be allowed to have kids. I would have won my earplugs but they are getting to the stage where I would almost rather stuff dirt in my ear.
I can tell my brain was starting to get scattered by how many things I miss placed. First it was my lighter. So I had to get one off of a nice couple just down the street. Next was my ipod that I left in the laundry room. Then again my ipod today when I went to grab it after lunch I found out I left it in my tent when I rolled it up.
The days ride sucked hard today. I was battling a slight headwind all day, and the terrain was just no good. Where I wanted to stop for lunch turned out to be 3km down a 6% grade hill. Then when in said town I asked for directions to see if there was a better way out after lunch. Here is where I learnt something. Canada actually has three languages English, French, and Newfoundland. The directions I had to get repeated three times before I understood what she was saying. Then a guy at the campsite had a few questions about the trip that I for the life of me could not understand so I just ran through my standard answer sheet.
The national park was next after lunch and it was the hardest riding I have encountered yet by a country mile. It was constant punishment to the legs. I could feel my body getting lower and lower in fuel. I could feel my legs turning over slower and slower. It was rough. Never have I wanted music to distract me more in my life. Instead I did the opposite and plunked in my crusty earplugs so that I could enjoy the sound of silence.
One of the loyal blog readers Don wanted me to do a run through on the pros and cons of my gear. Well here is the short of it. I am happy with all of my gear. My glasses have been run over by a truck and did not break (riders glasses). My bags are waterproof so that’s awesome. I also like the replacement bags a little bit better because they do not close up as much so I can store more food. The only ability I lost is the option to throw it in a river to dry it off. My compute has lived up to its name as the tough book. I have dropped it, dented it, and have no complaints. The best article of clothing I brought with me has to be my cannondale morphis shell because it is so versatile. And I am super glad I brought my winter riding gloves because cold hands suck.
Trip Distance: 145km
Ride Time: 7:13hr
Avg. Speed: 20.19km/h
Total Distance: 7617km
Total Ride Time: 351hr
Destination: Thor Lake, Newfoundland
P.S. I have told a few key people but now its time to let the cat out of the bag. I am continuing after St. Johns. I have more then one day left in these legs… I think.
There is always a lighter side to everything though. In this case it came when I was crying and had to blow my nose so I Sask hankied it all over myself. It was a really good look on me I have to say. The other bright spot came when I called Kristi and got to talk to her for 3 minutes. My conversations out here are always how far? Where to? And by yourself? It is nice to be able to skip all that and just talk to someone who gets me. It is strange how being further away from friends and family actually makes you closer (at least on my end).
As for the day my campsite last night was garbage. It had 20 stairs that u had to climb to get to it with no way around, and the campers in front of me had a dog that would not be quiet. I think that it should be a rule if you cannot train a dog to be quiet you should not be allowed to have kids. I would have won my earplugs but they are getting to the stage where I would almost rather stuff dirt in my ear.
I can tell my brain was starting to get scattered by how many things I miss placed. First it was my lighter. So I had to get one off of a nice couple just down the street. Next was my ipod that I left in the laundry room. Then again my ipod today when I went to grab it after lunch I found out I left it in my tent when I rolled it up.
The days ride sucked hard today. I was battling a slight headwind all day, and the terrain was just no good. Where I wanted to stop for lunch turned out to be 3km down a 6% grade hill. Then when in said town I asked for directions to see if there was a better way out after lunch. Here is where I learnt something. Canada actually has three languages English, French, and Newfoundland. The directions I had to get repeated three times before I understood what she was saying. Then a guy at the campsite had a few questions about the trip that I for the life of me could not understand so I just ran through my standard answer sheet.
The national park was next after lunch and it was the hardest riding I have encountered yet by a country mile. It was constant punishment to the legs. I could feel my body getting lower and lower in fuel. I could feel my legs turning over slower and slower. It was rough. Never have I wanted music to distract me more in my life. Instead I did the opposite and plunked in my crusty earplugs so that I could enjoy the sound of silence.
One of the loyal blog readers Don wanted me to do a run through on the pros and cons of my gear. Well here is the short of it. I am happy with all of my gear. My glasses have been run over by a truck and did not break (riders glasses). My bags are waterproof so that’s awesome. I also like the replacement bags a little bit better because they do not close up as much so I can store more food. The only ability I lost is the option to throw it in a river to dry it off. My compute has lived up to its name as the tough book. I have dropped it, dented it, and have no complaints. The best article of clothing I brought with me has to be my cannondale morphis shell because it is so versatile. And I am super glad I brought my winter riding gloves because cold hands suck.
Trip Distance: 145km
Ride Time: 7:13hr
Avg. Speed: 20.19km/h
Total Distance: 7617km
Total Ride Time: 351hr
Destination: Thor Lake, Newfoundland
P.S. I have told a few key people but now its time to let the cat out of the bag. I am continuing after St. Johns. I have more then one day left in these legs… I think.
Friday, August 13, 2010
Tour Day 49 A Sore Day Aug 13 2010
This morning was nice. I did not have to pack anything I did not have to do anything except cook and leave. I decided while cooking to turn on the TV with my fingers crossed that they had changed the channel from last night. Luckily they did and but on showcase. Which I found kind of funny because I know haw that played out. The kids went to sleep and they got a chance to watch some TV shows that did not involve child like screams, or 24-year-old show hosts that act as if they were 13.
It was hard walking out that door for a couple reasons. First off I was lonely something about the bed reminded me of home and made me miss every bit of it. Adding to that outside was the thickest fog I had ever ridden through. Fog I found out is a very lonely weather condition because you can look around to distract you. You are forced to think and scrutinize everything that passes through your mind even more.
Needless to say the morning was a little rough on my young soul. Adding to that were my sore legs that did not want to go forward. Luckily I had a slight breeze in my favour pushing me forward into a town called badger. By this time the fog had burnt off, and my legs were starting to feel semi good (only after 90km on the bike). Badger is an interesting place for one reason. For days I have been seeing signs advertising for 3 star motels which is bad enough but I have been wanting more then anything to see something advertising less because they it would be 50% or below. Well today that came true. I saw a motel that was proud of being a two and half star motel. I got to thinking about what it would be like in there. Would it have a porto-potty? Do I use someone else’s towels? What’s the deal? I think it is a safe bet to say that they would not have free soap.
From here the km’s flowed. Lunch and groceries were next. This provided me with my first experience in a Newfoundland town since I have been here. It was interesting because there were a lot of young people. I always pictured Newfoundland as this rustic place with old farts on rocking chairs every few miles. Well it’s rustic but there is nothing for 50km stretches except beautiful scenery, and the old people are not as plentiful as I had dreamed.
I also completed one of my goals of the trip as well today. When I left I said to myself that I want to get 3 awesome photos. One of me one a pier with my bike while the sun is setting, one of guys fly fishing in a river, and one of a train with a beautiful background. It is kind of like a pokemon game I played back in the day on my n64. Well today I got my fly fishing photo nailed. I was riding past with a hill in my sights trying to get my fully stoked bike up to attack speed when I saw these two guys just happily fishing in this wonderful little river. For me it was an easy choice to stop and loose all of my momentum, turn around the 4 lanes of traffic and get the shot.
The other thing that I have learned is that in Newfoundland the only campsites you can count on are the provincial ones. The private sites may be there but they are not advertised and are impossible to find. Another little fact I found out is that the ferry I want to catch only runs three times a week. Because I am only 350km away from st. Johns and my ferry I on Tuesday it means I am going to be forced to take a rest day. That Kind of blows because as it stands now I am feeling good and cooking the miles. I fear that the rest day or days will brake that stride, or cause the winds to change. As will Farrell said “I am not super sticious; I am just a little sticious”.
Trip Distance: 176km
Ride Time: 8:02hr
Avg. Speed: 22.00km/h
Total Distance: 7471km
Total Ride Time: 344hr
Destination: Notre Dame, Newfoundland
It was hard walking out that door for a couple reasons. First off I was lonely something about the bed reminded me of home and made me miss every bit of it. Adding to that outside was the thickest fog I had ever ridden through. Fog I found out is a very lonely weather condition because you can look around to distract you. You are forced to think and scrutinize everything that passes through your mind even more.
Needless to say the morning was a little rough on my young soul. Adding to that were my sore legs that did not want to go forward. Luckily I had a slight breeze in my favour pushing me forward into a town called badger. By this time the fog had burnt off, and my legs were starting to feel semi good (only after 90km on the bike). Badger is an interesting place for one reason. For days I have been seeing signs advertising for 3 star motels which is bad enough but I have been wanting more then anything to see something advertising less because they it would be 50% or below. Well today that came true. I saw a motel that was proud of being a two and half star motel. I got to thinking about what it would be like in there. Would it have a porto-potty? Do I use someone else’s towels? What’s the deal? I think it is a safe bet to say that they would not have free soap.
From here the km’s flowed. Lunch and groceries were next. This provided me with my first experience in a Newfoundland town since I have been here. It was interesting because there were a lot of young people. I always pictured Newfoundland as this rustic place with old farts on rocking chairs every few miles. Well it’s rustic but there is nothing for 50km stretches except beautiful scenery, and the old people are not as plentiful as I had dreamed.
I also completed one of my goals of the trip as well today. When I left I said to myself that I want to get 3 awesome photos. One of me one a pier with my bike while the sun is setting, one of guys fly fishing in a river, and one of a train with a beautiful background. It is kind of like a pokemon game I played back in the day on my n64. Well today I got my fly fishing photo nailed. I was riding past with a hill in my sights trying to get my fully stoked bike up to attack speed when I saw these two guys just happily fishing in this wonderful little river. For me it was an easy choice to stop and loose all of my momentum, turn around the 4 lanes of traffic and get the shot.
The other thing that I have learned is that in Newfoundland the only campsites you can count on are the provincial ones. The private sites may be there but they are not advertised and are impossible to find. Another little fact I found out is that the ferry I want to catch only runs three times a week. Because I am only 350km away from st. Johns and my ferry I on Tuesday it means I am going to be forced to take a rest day. That Kind of blows because as it stands now I am feeling good and cooking the miles. I fear that the rest day or days will brake that stride, or cause the winds to change. As will Farrell said “I am not super sticious; I am just a little sticious”.
Trip Distance: 176km
Ride Time: 8:02hr
Avg. Speed: 22.00km/h
Total Distance: 7471km
Total Ride Time: 344hr
Destination: Notre Dame, Newfoundland
Thursday, August 12, 2010
Tour Day 48 Longest Solo Ride Yet Aug 12 2010
I am goig to keep to cut the blog a little shorter today because I am hella tired.
Last night because I got in a little early I got some laundry done. This brings be to a rant. Coin laundry dryers suck. I mean they say insert x amount of cents and that will give you usually 5 minutes. So in your head you have to think how much time you need. If you guess to little then you loose all the heat and are screwed. You then have to spend usually double to get it dry. If you over guess then you are left with clothing that has shrunk half a size. The reason I bring this up is because last time I shrunk everything. And then last night I was left with dry cycling gear, and wet civi clothing.
This morning I woke up early so that I could get on the road early. This is because I knew that I had a 2km climb out of the park I was staying at. The climb was rough to say the least. Because I had cold muscles I was stuck climbing at 6km/h. It really took a mental blow because it really ruined all my averages for a long time. Which as a guy who has nothing better to do with most of the day I like to stay above 20km/h. I sent the next 3 hours watching it slowly climb higher and higher. This serves as a great mental boost.
The next rant I have is for the mapmaker of the tourist map for Newfoundland. Along the map it shows you distances along the trans Canada. Seeing this I assumed that the distance to Deer Lake was 79km. 123km later I was in Deer Lake and comforted with a choice to make. Do I press on the 83km to the nearest campsite, or take a rest day. Well this was an easy choice for me I decided to press on.
With a full stomach of chicken and onion rings I was on the road. I zoned out for the first time during the trip. I looked no more then 25feet ahead and simply focused on my breath and my cadence. It felt awesome. I was making up time and I was going to complete my first 200km ride with a good amount of time for set-up.
I then was cut off by another cyclist scoot who came through the states and is just finishing his trip the other way. It was a good break, which I needed. It was also a good excuse to pee and stretch a little. Scott also gave me some hints on a route through the states via adventure cyclist.
Well 203km came and went. My body was dead. I wanted to find that campsite like nothing else. I decided to keep going thinking it could be a little further away. I kept going and my faith was demolished. The next step was to find a spot to set up the tent on the side of the road. I tried two spots and both turned out to be swamped with water (damn rain from last night). Then I saw it “motel 5km”. It was my holy grail. I wanted it like nothing else. I saw my speed jump as my body made the surge for the rest stop.
I saw it coming from 2km away. I watched it get closer and closer. I could read the sign and I saw home for the night. I went in sweat ad salty and on the brink of tears. I told the man my story and I also told him that I have never been happier to have a place to stay. It is my first bed since Regina because the other motels I was on my sleeping mat.
The funny thing about this motel is that the people in the next room control my TV. I guess they have it linked so I sit here bloging watching them scan the ppv selection while watching sponge bob.
Trip Distance: 220km (longest solo ride ever over hilly terrain)
Ride Time: 10:17hr
Avg. Speed: 21.40km/h
Total Distance: 7294km
Total Ride Time: 336hr
Destiantion: exit 410, Newfoundland
Last night because I got in a little early I got some laundry done. This brings be to a rant. Coin laundry dryers suck. I mean they say insert x amount of cents and that will give you usually 5 minutes. So in your head you have to think how much time you need. If you guess to little then you loose all the heat and are screwed. You then have to spend usually double to get it dry. If you over guess then you are left with clothing that has shrunk half a size. The reason I bring this up is because last time I shrunk everything. And then last night I was left with dry cycling gear, and wet civi clothing.
This morning I woke up early so that I could get on the road early. This is because I knew that I had a 2km climb out of the park I was staying at. The climb was rough to say the least. Because I had cold muscles I was stuck climbing at 6km/h. It really took a mental blow because it really ruined all my averages for a long time. Which as a guy who has nothing better to do with most of the day I like to stay above 20km/h. I sent the next 3 hours watching it slowly climb higher and higher. This serves as a great mental boost.
The next rant I have is for the mapmaker of the tourist map for Newfoundland. Along the map it shows you distances along the trans Canada. Seeing this I assumed that the distance to Deer Lake was 79km. 123km later I was in Deer Lake and comforted with a choice to make. Do I press on the 83km to the nearest campsite, or take a rest day. Well this was an easy choice for me I decided to press on.
With a full stomach of chicken and onion rings I was on the road. I zoned out for the first time during the trip. I looked no more then 25feet ahead and simply focused on my breath and my cadence. It felt awesome. I was making up time and I was going to complete my first 200km ride with a good amount of time for set-up.
I then was cut off by another cyclist scoot who came through the states and is just finishing his trip the other way. It was a good break, which I needed. It was also a good excuse to pee and stretch a little. Scott also gave me some hints on a route through the states via adventure cyclist.
Well 203km came and went. My body was dead. I wanted to find that campsite like nothing else. I decided to keep going thinking it could be a little further away. I kept going and my faith was demolished. The next step was to find a spot to set up the tent on the side of the road. I tried two spots and both turned out to be swamped with water (damn rain from last night). Then I saw it “motel 5km”. It was my holy grail. I wanted it like nothing else. I saw my speed jump as my body made the surge for the rest stop.
I saw it coming from 2km away. I watched it get closer and closer. I could read the sign and I saw home for the night. I went in sweat ad salty and on the brink of tears. I told the man my story and I also told him that I have never been happier to have a place to stay. It is my first bed since Regina because the other motels I was on my sleeping mat.
The funny thing about this motel is that the people in the next room control my TV. I guess they have it linked so I sit here bloging watching them scan the ppv selection while watching sponge bob.
Trip Distance: 220km (longest solo ride ever over hilly terrain)
Ride Time: 10:17hr
Avg. Speed: 21.40km/h
Total Distance: 7294km
Total Ride Time: 336hr
Destiantion: exit 410, Newfoundland
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
Tour Day 47 An Interesting Night Aug 11 2010
Last night was an adventure on top of an adventure. Matt and I got off the ferry at 11pm. It was pitch black and we had no idea where to go. After putting on my headlamp we pushed on into the dark. Luckily the shoulder was nice and wide, and the roads were fairly quiet (by Newfoundland standards). It was thrilling going to 2 kms to the nearest town. 2 kilometres may not sound luck much but when you are in the dark finding you way it seems like 100km. We stopped in at the Tim Horton’s where there was a line up. We asked where the nearest campsite was and not one person seemed to know. Still we pressed on another 2km’s to the visitor info site. This was out stop for the night. You could tell at least 10 other campers had the same idea as us because the parking lot was lined with RV’s. At this point it was 11:40 and I wanted to sleep so what I did was simply throw my ground sheet down under the buildings roof, inflate my sleeping mat, and unroll my sleeping bag. After that it was sweet dreams to the sound of a foghorn in the background.
Morning came and we got packed up. Again I do not know how matt survives here I am eating my big breakfast and he is eating only handfuls of cheerio’s. I offered some hot chocolate and portage but he was content with his diet. The other surprising thing was that the info centre opened at 6am. It gave me a chance to top up on water before we left so all was good.
We hit the road and were off. Within the first 12km I had already fallen in love. Newfoundland is everything I thought it would be and more (so far). The landscape is simply to die for, and the road is beautiful. I found it amazing how well kept the roads were considering how harsh of winters they get here. I am not going to complain thought because I had a shoulder the entire day. Most of the road had 3 lanes but some is getting expanded to 4. Now that may not sound impressive coming from the land of roads in bc, but here 1 car passes you every minute or two so traffic runs super smooth.
70km into the ride I decided to say goodbye to Matt. As much as we are very similar in personalities we are a lot different in our riding styles. I enjoy peeing at the side of the road while not moving, and taking 2-3 breaks a day. He does not take breaks for anything until he has completed as many k’s as he can do. I also have commitments to my blog, to my family, and to my gear to keep it all up to snuff.
The rest of the day went smooth. Lunch was at the regular time, and I felt pretty good on the bike whenever presented with a hill, which seemed to be every few kilometres. About the only thing that was not smooth were my thoughts. All day I was arguing with myself about the trip, and all day I was deciding where I want to stop for the night. It gets very upsetting when you go through the same thoughts over and over and over for 8 hours.
However I do think that slowly I am piecing the puzzle together. When I was riding a hill today I had a choice to make gear up or gear down. Do I take it easy or push myself. This is something that every cyclist does at every hill. I got to thinking about the choice I make 99% of the time. I gear up. I voluntarily make things more difficult for myself. What does this say about my personality, perhaps that I am tougher then I first though. That toughness thought though was quickly dashed by a 13 year old child when they asked where I was going. I said what I usually say “st. johns then probably Florida). This time I add to the end of that “if I am mentally tough enough”. I don’t know why I picked those words but I did and they stuck with me the rest of the day. I have so many people counting on this trip, and most of all I have myself counting on this trip. What would I do coming home and having to look at cards that say tour of North America when I only did Canada? That being said I feel that I have grown up more in these 40 some days then in the previous 18 years. I apologize for the lack f humour the past few days but I am being forced with tough questions that I have to answer.
Trip Distance: 162km
Ride Time: 7:33hr
Avg. Speed: 21.47
Total Distance: 7073km
Total Ride Time: 326hr
Destination: Barachois, Newfoundland
Morning came and we got packed up. Again I do not know how matt survives here I am eating my big breakfast and he is eating only handfuls of cheerio’s. I offered some hot chocolate and portage but he was content with his diet. The other surprising thing was that the info centre opened at 6am. It gave me a chance to top up on water before we left so all was good.
We hit the road and were off. Within the first 12km I had already fallen in love. Newfoundland is everything I thought it would be and more (so far). The landscape is simply to die for, and the road is beautiful. I found it amazing how well kept the roads were considering how harsh of winters they get here. I am not going to complain thought because I had a shoulder the entire day. Most of the road had 3 lanes but some is getting expanded to 4. Now that may not sound impressive coming from the land of roads in bc, but here 1 car passes you every minute or two so traffic runs super smooth.
70km into the ride I decided to say goodbye to Matt. As much as we are very similar in personalities we are a lot different in our riding styles. I enjoy peeing at the side of the road while not moving, and taking 2-3 breaks a day. He does not take breaks for anything until he has completed as many k’s as he can do. I also have commitments to my blog, to my family, and to my gear to keep it all up to snuff.
The rest of the day went smooth. Lunch was at the regular time, and I felt pretty good on the bike whenever presented with a hill, which seemed to be every few kilometres. About the only thing that was not smooth were my thoughts. All day I was arguing with myself about the trip, and all day I was deciding where I want to stop for the night. It gets very upsetting when you go through the same thoughts over and over and over for 8 hours.
However I do think that slowly I am piecing the puzzle together. When I was riding a hill today I had a choice to make gear up or gear down. Do I take it easy or push myself. This is something that every cyclist does at every hill. I got to thinking about the choice I make 99% of the time. I gear up. I voluntarily make things more difficult for myself. What does this say about my personality, perhaps that I am tougher then I first though. That toughness thought though was quickly dashed by a 13 year old child when they asked where I was going. I said what I usually say “st. johns then probably Florida). This time I add to the end of that “if I am mentally tough enough”. I don’t know why I picked those words but I did and they stuck with me the rest of the day. I have so many people counting on this trip, and most of all I have myself counting on this trip. What would I do coming home and having to look at cards that say tour of North America when I only did Canada? That being said I feel that I have grown up more in these 40 some days then in the previous 18 years. I apologize for the lack f humour the past few days but I am being forced with tough questions that I have to answer.
Trip Distance: 162km
Ride Time: 7:33hr
Avg. Speed: 21.47
Total Distance: 7073km
Total Ride Time: 326hr
Destination: Barachois, Newfoundland
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
Tour Day 46 A Day Of Thought Aug 10 10
This morning was rough for one reason. Bugs. I woke up at my regular time and thought I would sleep in because I knew I only had 110km to do today. Still I had to get up and use the washroom really bad. In a rush I accidentally left my tent open. When I came back I was going to try to fall asleep but 5 mosquitoes welcomed me. That was simply annoying but really I can deal with that. So I pack up my tent and I guess that they sent out the matting call because there was a swarm around my bags. It looked as if I had epilepsy I was getting beaten up so bad.
The road came as a pleasant relief. Thankfully the winds were down so I didn’t have to deal with that because my legs were toasted from yesterdays ride. It is still amazing to think that my body recovered to that stage with only 8 hours of sleep in a tent.
The ride today was hilly and short. Really nothing super exciting just a few nice views and a few nice people. My mind was really on the 3am ferry I had to catch to get to Newfoundland. It is a strange feeling being so close to finishing a life long dream. It is almost a sickening feeling down deep in your gut. Newfoundland is like my holy grail and the fact that in 7 hours I will be there is a simply strange.
That brings me to the other exciting thing. After getting all my chores done I stopped by the ferry terminal to see if I could play the bike tourist card on the toll lady. Well it worked. I am on the 4pm ferry and not the 3am. I also ran into another bike tourist. This is the first guy that has passed me but im not to concerned because he is doing it super hardcore. Bivois sack, 14-hour days, and loosing 20pounds over the course of the trip. I am content with my speed because I am traveling at a speed that pushes me past my boundaries but not my limits.
As I sit on this beautiful boat I am left to my own thoughts. Surrounded by people and all I can think about are my own plans for the future. I don’t know what I want to do for the trip, and I do not know what I want to do in the long run when I get home. Really the things that I set out to accomplish I have no idea on.
This leaves me doubting myself and what I have accomplished thus far. I know I have changed. I also know that I have grown up. My body and mind have changed drastically over the past 45 days. I say to everyone when you travel at the speed of smell you see the country in a different way. Well that is true but when you travel at the speed of smell you also see the world as a whole in a different way. I think that it is far simpler then we all think it is. I wish for the rest of my days that they could be as simple as having a head wind or tail wind. I wish that my for the rest of my life that things as simply as live music on a ferry could lift my mood.
As you can probably tell my mind is really everywhere today so I apologize for that. If you were wondering about the scenery in cape Breton it is beautiful. The ferry that I am on is a very pleasant space to be in for a long period of time. Really the only thing that did not go my way is the fact that the welcome to nova Scotia sign 2 days ago was covered, and there was not one here in the cape.
Anyways im going to catch some rest because I will be getting off the ferry at 10pm (hopefully) and still have to pedal to a campsite.
Trip Distance: 110km
Ride Time: 5:01hr
Avg. Speed: 21.99km/h
Total Distance: 6911km
Total Ride Time: 318hr
Destination: Ferry to Newfoundland, Atlantic Ocean
The road came as a pleasant relief. Thankfully the winds were down so I didn’t have to deal with that because my legs were toasted from yesterdays ride. It is still amazing to think that my body recovered to that stage with only 8 hours of sleep in a tent.
The ride today was hilly and short. Really nothing super exciting just a few nice views and a few nice people. My mind was really on the 3am ferry I had to catch to get to Newfoundland. It is a strange feeling being so close to finishing a life long dream. It is almost a sickening feeling down deep in your gut. Newfoundland is like my holy grail and the fact that in 7 hours I will be there is a simply strange.
That brings me to the other exciting thing. After getting all my chores done I stopped by the ferry terminal to see if I could play the bike tourist card on the toll lady. Well it worked. I am on the 4pm ferry and not the 3am. I also ran into another bike tourist. This is the first guy that has passed me but im not to concerned because he is doing it super hardcore. Bivois sack, 14-hour days, and loosing 20pounds over the course of the trip. I am content with my speed because I am traveling at a speed that pushes me past my boundaries but not my limits.
As I sit on this beautiful boat I am left to my own thoughts. Surrounded by people and all I can think about are my own plans for the future. I don’t know what I want to do for the trip, and I do not know what I want to do in the long run when I get home. Really the things that I set out to accomplish I have no idea on.
This leaves me doubting myself and what I have accomplished thus far. I know I have changed. I also know that I have grown up. My body and mind have changed drastically over the past 45 days. I say to everyone when you travel at the speed of smell you see the country in a different way. Well that is true but when you travel at the speed of smell you also see the world as a whole in a different way. I think that it is far simpler then we all think it is. I wish for the rest of my days that they could be as simple as having a head wind or tail wind. I wish that my for the rest of my life that things as simply as live music on a ferry could lift my mood.
As you can probably tell my mind is really everywhere today so I apologize for that. If you were wondering about the scenery in cape Breton it is beautiful. The ferry that I am on is a very pleasant space to be in for a long period of time. Really the only thing that did not go my way is the fact that the welcome to nova Scotia sign 2 days ago was covered, and there was not one here in the cape.
Anyways im going to catch some rest because I will be getting off the ferry at 10pm (hopefully) and still have to pedal to a campsite.
Trip Distance: 110km
Ride Time: 5:01hr
Avg. Speed: 21.99km/h
Total Distance: 6911km
Total Ride Time: 318hr
Destination: Ferry to Newfoundland, Atlantic Ocean
Monday, August 9, 2010
Tour Day 45 An Good Rebound Day Aug 9 2010
Last night as you could probably read was not the best for me. So when the phone rang I thought it was simply telus trying to waste more of my time like they do by sending me at least 5 texts a month asking me to upgrade. So when I picked it up and on the other end where Kristi, Kristy and Marshall I was very happy. The 4.02 minute conversation was a good way to go to sleep.
The morning was typical other then the fact most of the other campers were up at the same time as me (5am) which I found extremely weird. When I pulled out I saw a bike in front of me and I was tempted to catch him. The better got of me and I decided not to know that I had 150k ahead of me. Now don’t get me wrong I was still flying up the hills because I had a tail wind I just didn’t want to push it that hard yet.
I also knew that because I had a tail wind up the hills the first 15km I would have a headwind. With that in mind I approached it with an open mind. It was slow and painful but I resisted the urge to go all out.
This ended up paying dividends because the rest of the ride today I had a slight tail wind. This really helped because in all honesty there were no flat spots today at all. I contemplated taking pictures of a few of them but I did not want to ruin what momentum I had going for me.
To keep the legs turning I listened to the radio for most of the day. The question this one show had was “am I the only one”. I was thinking and thinking about my answer to this and whether I should call in or not. Well I decided to call from the side of the 104 only to find out that the information they give you does not include the first 3 digits so the call could not be completed. My answer was so good to. Am I the only one who has spent 45 day in a tent? Then that would have sparked questions. Then that would have sparked some buzz for fundraising but that was simply pie in the sky apparently.
Lunch was quick because it was gas station sandwiches, which are also an interesting experience. In general though here people are really curious what I am doing. As well I seem to get at least one honk a day. Which may not seem like a lot but in Quebec the whole time I was there I did not get one.
That brings us to the cape. It was getting late in the day so I stopped at the visitor centre to ask about camping. Well she said either 2km back or 48km ahead. In my head I was thinking about how much I would hate writing another blog about backtracking; so with that in min d I decided to press on. My body responded to the call and hurtled me forward. It took me less then two hours to get 48km down the road. And the terrain like I say was not easy.
When I arrived at the campground with the smashing pumpkins (who I have grown very fond of) in my ear the guy asked, “How was your day”? I don’t think he really cared but I went on for about 15mins about how awesome it was.
A few firsts happened today as well. I had to use my credit card for the first time because you have to book the ferry in advance I found out. $49.61 for a bike to get to Newfoundland the short was the 14hr ferry is even more. I will be having my first online banking experience tonight to pay that bill so lets hope that all works out well otherwise I will have to find a branch tomorrow. And I had my first laugh in a few days when I saw a sign that said “dailey special” with the extra e crudely covered up.
Trip Distance: 181km
Ride Time: 7:51hr
Avg. Speed: 23.07km/h
Total Distance: 6801km
Total Ride Time: 313hr
Destination: Wayhaman (cant spell it), Nova Scotia
The morning was typical other then the fact most of the other campers were up at the same time as me (5am) which I found extremely weird. When I pulled out I saw a bike in front of me and I was tempted to catch him. The better got of me and I decided not to know that I had 150k ahead of me. Now don’t get me wrong I was still flying up the hills because I had a tail wind I just didn’t want to push it that hard yet.
I also knew that because I had a tail wind up the hills the first 15km I would have a headwind. With that in mind I approached it with an open mind. It was slow and painful but I resisted the urge to go all out.
This ended up paying dividends because the rest of the ride today I had a slight tail wind. This really helped because in all honesty there were no flat spots today at all. I contemplated taking pictures of a few of them but I did not want to ruin what momentum I had going for me.
To keep the legs turning I listened to the radio for most of the day. The question this one show had was “am I the only one”. I was thinking and thinking about my answer to this and whether I should call in or not. Well I decided to call from the side of the 104 only to find out that the information they give you does not include the first 3 digits so the call could not be completed. My answer was so good to. Am I the only one who has spent 45 day in a tent? Then that would have sparked questions. Then that would have sparked some buzz for fundraising but that was simply pie in the sky apparently.
Lunch was quick because it was gas station sandwiches, which are also an interesting experience. In general though here people are really curious what I am doing. As well I seem to get at least one honk a day. Which may not seem like a lot but in Quebec the whole time I was there I did not get one.
That brings us to the cape. It was getting late in the day so I stopped at the visitor centre to ask about camping. Well she said either 2km back or 48km ahead. In my head I was thinking about how much I would hate writing another blog about backtracking; so with that in min d I decided to press on. My body responded to the call and hurtled me forward. It took me less then two hours to get 48km down the road. And the terrain like I say was not easy.
When I arrived at the campground with the smashing pumpkins (who I have grown very fond of) in my ear the guy asked, “How was your day”? I don’t think he really cared but I went on for about 15mins about how awesome it was.
A few firsts happened today as well. I had to use my credit card for the first time because you have to book the ferry in advance I found out. $49.61 for a bike to get to Newfoundland the short was the 14hr ferry is even more. I will be having my first online banking experience tonight to pay that bill so lets hope that all works out well otherwise I will have to find a branch tomorrow. And I had my first laugh in a few days when I saw a sign that said “dailey special” with the extra e crudely covered up.
Trip Distance: 181km
Ride Time: 7:51hr
Avg. Speed: 23.07km/h
Total Distance: 6801km
Total Ride Time: 313hr
Destination: Wayhaman (cant spell it), Nova Scotia
Sunday, August 8, 2010
Tour Day 44 A new Prvince With The Same Wind Aug 8 2010
This morning started off surprisingly well. I guess I had forgotten the weather forecast. And I guess I ignored the fact that the wind made taking down my camp a complete pain in the but. At that time the only thing that was on my mind was the fact that I was cooking my breakfast in a nice warm shed while listening to the radio. I was a happy camper. So mo much so that in my head I thought “man this is easy I will get to Newfoundland in no time, then Florida no problem”.
Well those thoughts were quickly demolished by wind. My first heading was east where I got a nice crosswind. That was not all that bad though because all I had to do was lean the bike over and continue on my marry way. Sure it meant I could not climb at the speeds I was the other day but really that’s no big deal.
The other thing that was on my mind was my blog from last night. I have to apologize for it because it was complete garbage, but you have to understand I was excited to talk to someone and did not want to be anti social for long.
Next came charlotte town. This is a beautiful place. It is hard to explain but I could definitely picture raising a family there. Something in the atmosphere just gave me a very home like feel. It felt as if you were to dial the wrong number the person would say “you dialled #2, you need #12”.
After getting lost on purpose to see more of the city I was back on my way. This time I was heading south. This made the day go from all right to just garbage. I was battling this wind that was holding my to 15km/h no matter how hard I pushed. I watched as time went by. I watched as all my goals for the day slipped away, and I watch as my moral sank.
The thoughts of heading to Newfoundland being easy were dashed in a very short amount of time. Those thoughts were replaced by thoughts of breaks. Usually I only take one 20- 30minute break at 10am but today I split that up because my legs were not turning those pedals. The first two stops were normal I ate my banana, and I enjoyed my bar of the day. The third I stopped at a gas station and gorged on some cookies because they were the only things available. I was thinking that wood island would have some restaurant of some sort so I would be set.
On my way to Wood Island I see the ferry on the horizon. At this point I am 15km away and start to panic because the ferry only operates every 90mins. I race down to the terminal and see the cars unloading. I then had to snag a quick picture with the welcome to pei sign because there was not one when I came in over the bridge. I rushed to the gate paid and got on. Other then two motorcyclists I was the last one on the ferry. All of my luck was on the boat because the other one was broken which meant I would have waited three hours. This however meant that I missed lunch. I figured that no lunch was better then ferry food.
The ferry took longer then I thought so really it put me in a hard place. My mind wanted to continue but when I got off the ferry and found I had the same head wind my body did not.
The better got of me and I pulled into the tourist centre where they told me the only campsite were either 7k back or 29k forward. The 7k back was the choice of course but it also meant I was going downhill to the site. Which means tomorrow I have to start the day with 7k of hills. Lets just hope the wind is better.
I am left at the end of the day tired, hungry, and at a loss as to what to do. Do I add the 35days and 5000k to Florida or do I vacation in Newfoundland for a while. I guess we will have to jump off that bridge (or ferry in this case) when I get to it.
Trip Distance: 125km
Ride Time: 6:28hr
Avg. Speed: 19.36km/h
Total Distance: 6616km
Total Ride Time: 305hr
Destination: Birchwood, Nova Scotia
Well those thoughts were quickly demolished by wind. My first heading was east where I got a nice crosswind. That was not all that bad though because all I had to do was lean the bike over and continue on my marry way. Sure it meant I could not climb at the speeds I was the other day but really that’s no big deal.
The other thing that was on my mind was my blog from last night. I have to apologize for it because it was complete garbage, but you have to understand I was excited to talk to someone and did not want to be anti social for long.
Next came charlotte town. This is a beautiful place. It is hard to explain but I could definitely picture raising a family there. Something in the atmosphere just gave me a very home like feel. It felt as if you were to dial the wrong number the person would say “you dialled #2, you need #12”.
After getting lost on purpose to see more of the city I was back on my way. This time I was heading south. This made the day go from all right to just garbage. I was battling this wind that was holding my to 15km/h no matter how hard I pushed. I watched as time went by. I watched as all my goals for the day slipped away, and I watch as my moral sank.
The thoughts of heading to Newfoundland being easy were dashed in a very short amount of time. Those thoughts were replaced by thoughts of breaks. Usually I only take one 20- 30minute break at 10am but today I split that up because my legs were not turning those pedals. The first two stops were normal I ate my banana, and I enjoyed my bar of the day. The third I stopped at a gas station and gorged on some cookies because they were the only things available. I was thinking that wood island would have some restaurant of some sort so I would be set.
On my way to Wood Island I see the ferry on the horizon. At this point I am 15km away and start to panic because the ferry only operates every 90mins. I race down to the terminal and see the cars unloading. I then had to snag a quick picture with the welcome to pei sign because there was not one when I came in over the bridge. I rushed to the gate paid and got on. Other then two motorcyclists I was the last one on the ferry. All of my luck was on the boat because the other one was broken which meant I would have waited three hours. This however meant that I missed lunch. I figured that no lunch was better then ferry food.
The ferry took longer then I thought so really it put me in a hard place. My mind wanted to continue but when I got off the ferry and found I had the same head wind my body did not.
The better got of me and I pulled into the tourist centre where they told me the only campsite were either 7k back or 29k forward. The 7k back was the choice of course but it also meant I was going downhill to the site. Which means tomorrow I have to start the day with 7k of hills. Lets just hope the wind is better.
I am left at the end of the day tired, hungry, and at a loss as to what to do. Do I add the 35days and 5000k to Florida or do I vacation in Newfoundland for a while. I guess we will have to jump off that bridge (or ferry in this case) when I get to it.
Trip Distance: 125km
Ride Time: 6:28hr
Avg. Speed: 19.36km/h
Total Distance: 6616km
Total Ride Time: 305hr
Destination: Birchwood, Nova Scotia
Saturday, August 7, 2010
Tour Day 43 Never An Average Night (redone) Aug 7 2010
I am going to re-do this blog because I did not do the day justice yesterday. The night was, well let’s just say eventful. I showed up and got the very last camping spot available which I was pretty happy about. Even if it was full I am pretty sure they would have found space. I got cleaned up and fed before I walked around to take a loo at the nice view I had when I see a lady with a quality bike. This quality bike had its forks on backwards so I say to her “do you want me to fix your bike for you”? She was curious what I meant because she had been riding it like that for 3 years. We hit off a conversasation while I am fixing the bike and find out that she is a nurse so that was pretty cool. It was also funny watching her ride off because she seemed a little shaky now that the bike was more stable… odd I know.
The night well you already now about that. I was enjoying some nice peace and quiet when the sound of a harmonica and steel string guitar ring over the campgrounds p.a. system. Needles to say I have slept better.
The morning was cold. Cold enough for me to put on my jacket and warm gloves when I was out on the road riding. It was also a really nice morning ride because I had a tail wind pushing me the whole way. As well my bike had never been lighter. I had also never been that low on food before so the sobeys in the next town was my first stop.
Everything is different out here from the way people act, to the way that the ally ways in the grocery store are laid out. I mean the slim fast was next to the feminine health products, and the milk was next to the bread. Really I was perplexed by the merchandising.
The rest of the day went pretty smooth. I took a detour along the infamous starfish road to get a good picture of Confederation Bridge and almost immediately doubted my choice. The road that it led me down had grad growing out of the centre and no marking on it. Still though I decided to press on with the sound of Rossi’s rendition of Othello in my head.
The road eventually opened up to an abandoned airfield that had been converted into a campsite that was right next to a rested water tower, which looked as if it was going to fall over at any minute.
Next was the 45min wait for the shuttle, which really killed the day. I had no choice but to sit on my butt and wait for this van to pull up. The bridge itself was very cool simply because it was so long. In the back seat of the shuttle there was a guy who was in shorts and a tee shirt and I ask, “Where are you going”? Thinking he would say the beach or something along those lines. He then said he was going to his brothers wedding, which I found very surprising because it was at tat time 3:30pm.
The campsite for the night had a beautiful view but was very windy. Thinking ahead I listened to the weather forecast. Well that was a bad idea because the forecast did not go in my favour. I found out that tomorrows ride I was going to have a headwind for the entire day that was going to be gusting up to 40km/h.
The best thing to ease my mind was some good company, which came in the form of rod. I did not think much of him when I walked up because just one look told me he was not doing this the same way I was. My snotty ness was met by a very kind personality and some very nice conversation. It was nice to not talk about bike or km’s for more then five minutes. We covered everything from African tribes, to Winston Churchill. I don’t know how we connected those two things but somehow we managed it.
Trip Time: 6:53hr
Avg. Speed: 23.59km/h
Total Distance: 6491km
Total Ride Time: 299hr
Destination Cameron Cove, P.E.I.
The night well you already now about that. I was enjoying some nice peace and quiet when the sound of a harmonica and steel string guitar ring over the campgrounds p.a. system. Needles to say I have slept better.
The morning was cold. Cold enough for me to put on my jacket and warm gloves when I was out on the road riding. It was also a really nice morning ride because I had a tail wind pushing me the whole way. As well my bike had never been lighter. I had also never been that low on food before so the sobeys in the next town was my first stop.
Everything is different out here from the way people act, to the way that the ally ways in the grocery store are laid out. I mean the slim fast was next to the feminine health products, and the milk was next to the bread. Really I was perplexed by the merchandising.
The rest of the day went pretty smooth. I took a detour along the infamous starfish road to get a good picture of Confederation Bridge and almost immediately doubted my choice. The road that it led me down had grad growing out of the centre and no marking on it. Still though I decided to press on with the sound of Rossi’s rendition of Othello in my head.
The road eventually opened up to an abandoned airfield that had been converted into a campsite that was right next to a rested water tower, which looked as if it was going to fall over at any minute.
Next was the 45min wait for the shuttle, which really killed the day. I had no choice but to sit on my butt and wait for this van to pull up. The bridge itself was very cool simply because it was so long. In the back seat of the shuttle there was a guy who was in shorts and a tee shirt and I ask, “Where are you going”? Thinking he would say the beach or something along those lines. He then said he was going to his brothers wedding, which I found very surprising because it was at tat time 3:30pm.
The campsite for the night had a beautiful view but was very windy. Thinking ahead I listened to the weather forecast. Well that was a bad idea because the forecast did not go in my favour. I found out that tomorrows ride I was going to have a headwind for the entire day that was going to be gusting up to 40km/h.
The best thing to ease my mind was some good company, which came in the form of rod. I did not think much of him when I walked up because just one look told me he was not doing this the same way I was. My snotty ness was met by a very kind personality and some very nice conversation. It was nice to not talk about bike or km’s for more then five minutes. We covered everything from African tribes, to Winston Churchill. I don’t know how we connected those two things but somehow we managed it.
Trip Time: 6:53hr
Avg. Speed: 23.59km/h
Total Distance: 6491km
Total Ride Time: 299hr
Destination Cameron Cove, P.E.I.
Friday, August 6, 2010
Tour Day 43 Never An Average Day Aug 6 2010
Last night was a little bit rough. I was laying I my tent sweating more then I was on the bike that day. I would say it was hotter then hell but that would be an exaggeration. The truth is that it was probably as hot as hell. 10pm came and I was still up. At that point I set my alarm because I knew I was not going to get up in time.
Well morning came and a nice loud cell phone was a crude but needed wake up call…. Ahaha with the bad cell phone joke. I got up and left like I always do and was ready to get some km’s in. It all started normally. I got to Bathurst in the right amount of time. I took the 134 like I was supposed to and I saw the starfish sign which I was fallowing all the day yesterday.
I was happy as a clam. I had a tail wind, I was right next to the water, and there was literally no one on the road. I was riding down the centre of my lane with no problem. About the only thing I saw was a man shingling his roof who politely waved at me.
A half hour went by and I started to get suspicious. I though “I am supposed to be heading inland and I am still next to the water”, “why is there so little traffic this is the direct route to Moncton”. So I stopped and asked where I was. Well this is when I found out that the 134 splits off and I took the wrong split. This choice had cost me 20k in the wrong direction, and the 30k back to the main road because I took the highway. As well I had a nice 20km/h head wind to deal with.
I got back to the main road and was on my way in the right direction. Now I was upset with myself and had let out a few curse words of my own. The last thing on my mind was my body/ bike. Well this turned out bad. I was 25k down the road and I blew up. My body was cooked and I was out of water. I could go back but that’s 20k in a head wind. I could go forward that’s 47k down the road.
This is where I made the choice to preserve my body. I waved down a truck and he took me to the next town. Luckily Brice (the guy who picked me up was kind enough to take me to the sobeys to get some much-needed nutrition. It was also nice to have someone to talk to for 30 minutes. It was even nicer to get air conditioning for a little while because at that point it was 34 degrees outside. I worked it out in on the map that all things factored in I did the same amount of km’s today (within 3km) if I was not to have screwed up my directions. It was really a bad situation because If I had of got my directions right I would have hit the main town in perfect timing. But because I took my detour it just destroyed everything.
The rest of the day actually went amazing. Minus the fact I had to walk my bike up a bridge because there was no shoulder, gusting winds, and the sidewalk was destroyed. I had a tail wind that was pushing me, and I was making up for the time that I had lost. I was going to stop at st. Louis but I had an extra half hour so I pressed on. My thinking is it is an extra 16km that I don’t have to do tomorrow.
I was rewarded by this effort with a nice shady campground that will give me a good nights rest. I will have to wear my earplugs though because by the sounds of the mic checks we are going to have another greenday cover band.
Trip Distance: 167km
Ride Time: 7:23hr
Avg. Speed: 22.61km/h
Total Distance: 6328km
Total Ride Time: 292hr
Destination Jardine, New Brunswick
P.S. Happy belated birthday dad
Well morning came and a nice loud cell phone was a crude but needed wake up call…. Ahaha with the bad cell phone joke. I got up and left like I always do and was ready to get some km’s in. It all started normally. I got to Bathurst in the right amount of time. I took the 134 like I was supposed to and I saw the starfish sign which I was fallowing all the day yesterday.
I was happy as a clam. I had a tail wind, I was right next to the water, and there was literally no one on the road. I was riding down the centre of my lane with no problem. About the only thing I saw was a man shingling his roof who politely waved at me.
A half hour went by and I started to get suspicious. I though “I am supposed to be heading inland and I am still next to the water”, “why is there so little traffic this is the direct route to Moncton”. So I stopped and asked where I was. Well this is when I found out that the 134 splits off and I took the wrong split. This choice had cost me 20k in the wrong direction, and the 30k back to the main road because I took the highway. As well I had a nice 20km/h head wind to deal with.
I got back to the main road and was on my way in the right direction. Now I was upset with myself and had let out a few curse words of my own. The last thing on my mind was my body/ bike. Well this turned out bad. I was 25k down the road and I blew up. My body was cooked and I was out of water. I could go back but that’s 20k in a head wind. I could go forward that’s 47k down the road.
This is where I made the choice to preserve my body. I waved down a truck and he took me to the next town. Luckily Brice (the guy who picked me up was kind enough to take me to the sobeys to get some much-needed nutrition. It was also nice to have someone to talk to for 30 minutes. It was even nicer to get air conditioning for a little while because at that point it was 34 degrees outside. I worked it out in on the map that all things factored in I did the same amount of km’s today (within 3km) if I was not to have screwed up my directions. It was really a bad situation because If I had of got my directions right I would have hit the main town in perfect timing. But because I took my detour it just destroyed everything.
The rest of the day actually went amazing. Minus the fact I had to walk my bike up a bridge because there was no shoulder, gusting winds, and the sidewalk was destroyed. I had a tail wind that was pushing me, and I was making up for the time that I had lost. I was going to stop at st. Louis but I had an extra half hour so I pressed on. My thinking is it is an extra 16km that I don’t have to do tomorrow.
I was rewarded by this effort with a nice shady campground that will give me a good nights rest. I will have to wear my earplugs though because by the sounds of the mic checks we are going to have another greenday cover band.
Trip Distance: 167km
Ride Time: 7:23hr
Avg. Speed: 22.61km/h
Total Distance: 6328km
Total Ride Time: 292hr
Destination Jardine, New Brunswick
P.S. Happy belated birthday dad
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