Sept 18/09

Finally finished. I finished the ride two weeks ago and have now completed all my entries including pictures into thisblog. Unless I find some big mistakes I won't be making any changes to it.

I thought I'd also answer some frequently asked questions:

- No, I did not ride back home. I flew back.

- My bike weighed about 30lbs and my gear about 50 lbs. One full rear pannier was food. Even though I could and did buy groceries everyday I always had a full bag.

- Stats;
Total distance: 8150.6 km.
Total number of days: 71 days therefore 115 km/day
Number of riding days: 64 days therefore 127 km/day
Longest day: Northern Ontario, 195.75 km, 9:46 hrs


- Where did I stay? Camped 35 nights, Hostels 17 nights, Motels 13 nights, Other 6 nights. (I thought I'd guerilla camp more often but like motels it is quite lonely. I also wanted to take a long shower at the end of each ride, something that can be difficult when you're guerilla camping.)

- Did I lose any weight? I wasn't trying to and it never crossed my mind until I got home and people asked me this question. I did lose about 5-10 lbs but I will likely gain it all back within the next few weeks.

Wednesday September 2, HOME, Burnaby, BC

Last night Sebastian, Chris and I went down to George St to celebrate. One bar was lined up so we figured it must be the best one. Actually it was $2 Tuesday so we drank $2 bottles of beer until it closed. Somehow the three of us lost each other at closing time and we walked back to the hostel separately and arrived from 3 different directions within minutes of each other. I set the alarm for 3 hours later to catch the airplane home. Slightly rushed and may have left a few things behind but made it away. The plane went directly to Calgary with dozens of babies and toddlers on board then 20 minutes later on to Vancouver. Mark picked me up. My bike and luggage arrived with me and undamaged. Spent most of the afternoon catching up with everyone by phone and in person. It's good to see everyone but I could do it all over again starting tomorrow. Unfortunately I have to go back to work tomorrow.

Tuesday September 1, St. John's NL

Rode out to the mall - dollar store for tape and duffel bag. Somebody could make a lot of money putting those stores closer to town. Got what i needed including a new watch without too much trouble. It's funny, store clerks are quick to recommend other stores to satisfy you instead of pushing you to buy what they have. Put the bike in the box but not until taking just about everything off it. I began thinking wheels and handlebars but it also included chainrings, 3 racks, 2 fenders, seat, derailleur, quick release mechanisms and pedals. Did the work on the sidewalk with a neighbour and then with a guy (Sebastian) from Sherbrook who rode from Anchorage!! to here. We are both finished and ready to celebrate.

OD 7905.4 (plus Victoria is well over 8000 km)

Monday August 31 St John's NL

Got up to begin the long task of packing up. Normally pretty quick when leaving a motel but with everything drying including maps and my wallet it takes a long time. Rode downtown, finally saw some pavement older than two years, in less than 20 minutes to City Hall where they have the Mile 0 marker. The sign was nearly impossible to find however it is next door to their Mile One arena which makes sense I guess. Nest went to the hostel I booked for the next two nights. It is unsigned and in the middle of a residential cu-de-sac. It is typical of any of the row houses you see. Slanted floors, hundred years of on-going renovations and very colourful. Met the manager and later the owner. Unpacked and rode out to Cape Spears with no gear on my bike. The bike feels funny without 50 lbs trying to slow it down or laugh at me when a traffic light turns green. Nice ride to the Cape - yes fresh pavement for most of it. As I got there for the 100th time my camera batteries died when a women and I exchanged cameras to take pictures of each other. I swear the batteries die every time I hand the camera to some one. She gave me a spare pair of batteries (since I had no gear with me) and a few minutes later I found a gift shop (where isn't there a gift shop?) and bought some batteries but I couldn't find her to return the ones she gave me. Rode back to the hostel b/c I wanted to get a bike box before it became a panic. One store said none, the other got me the only 700 cm box they had but I have a feeling it will be too small. We;ll see. Came back to have dinner and spent some time with the owner and an electrician estimating the costs of some renovations. He was bilingual - English and Newfie who said "Gawd's 'onest truth, I'd rather shoot myself than 'wire this house." The owner is having a hard time getting insurance b/c the wiring is so old. He left and later Carola left and I had the house to myself. I was wondering if I were the only guest here. Rode to Signal Hill and the Battery neighbourhood. Lots of people run/ walk the route. It must be like their Grouse Grind. 400 to 100 years ago it was probably the perfect defense and harbour but today it just seems too small to be a working harbour. Went for a walk and back to the house. I was still the only one there. Just as I was about to got to bed a young guy visiting from Alberta came in. I guess the two of us have this house to ourselves.

OD 7897.4 km, 52.36 km, 65.0 max

Sunday August 30 Mount Pearl, NL

(Photo: the moon over my campsite)

Light rain on and off overnight but windy, especially here at the edge of the pond so gear is 99% dry. Got going about 8:30 with a forecast that I had that said rain beginning tonight. Not so, 15 minutes into the ride or should I say before leaving the comfort stn at the campground, it starting raining and raining hard. Got to the InforCentre at the TCH soaking wet and was told that we were getting the tail of Hurricane Dan. I didn't know that was in the forecast. Rode another hour in the rain and noticed a minivan with a utility trailer blocking the shoulder of the road. The woman passenger got out and offered me a ride ("the trailer is for your bike" she said). I thanked her, she understood my determination/ stubbornness and off they went. I went a little further and stopped in a tunnel/ underpass, ate and the rain just about stopped. Got back on the road and the wind was unlike anything I have had so far (latter found out 60 -80 km/hr). I thought it was going to pick my bike up off the ground and throw me out onto the road. I preferred it when the road turned southward and it hit me head on and slowed me to ~ 7 km/hr instead of at the side. When I had some cliffs or trees to block the wind somewhat it was bearable but when I was crossing a stretch between ponds (or on a causeway) I was forced to walk! Yes, walk!! My first time this whole trip. Rain started up again, luckily the spray from vehicles did not soak me as their spray all went to one side away form me. I decided to stop at the neXt overpass (more overpasses on this stretch of TCH than all of Sask, Manitoba and Ontario) to find two guys trying to jump start their p/u truck. We talked for a while and they offered me a ride. I took it and they dropped me off at the only place they knew in the suburb of Mount Pearl. Warming up, drying off and doing laundry now.

OD 7845.0 km, 5:40:00, 89.60 km, 15.5 ave, 38.1 max

Sat August 29 Dunville, NL

Took quite a while to fall asleep last night in the dorm not due to dorm mates, the sea or anything external just excited I guess. Without a watch or knowing the time change I don't know when i got up but I think it was pretty late. Beautiful sunny day outside with not much wind. Saw Patrick sleeping behind the model ship display and later we spent the rest of the voyage together. Car deck seems pretty full but passenger decks are pretty empty. Got off the boat in my street clothes so I went to the terminal to change. Two other cyclists were boarding- I didn't get a chance to talk to them - and two others arrived. She is from Kamloops and he is from Toronto they are doing a short fly-bike-rentacar-train trip with the bike portion from St. John's to Halifax. I don't think he knows the first thing about camping or cycling. Boat docked after 2:00 pm so it was a short cycling day for me. The geography and weather are remarkably different after travelling 14 hrs due north. Sometimes is looks like Nunavut, often like northern Ontario without the granite outcrops. The roads don't look like N Ont though. I guess when you are a have-not province you get a lot of federal money to put wide straight highways through the forests serving just a few. Love the way clerks etc call me dear, darling and hon in NS and NF. Don't think you could get away with that anywhere else. Funny sprawling campground here. The owner led me to a few walk in sites by the "pond" but most are RV's on what could be described as a gravel parking lots with acres and acres of bush all around and a mile of gravel roads running all over. I had to walk ~500 m (or drive 1 km) to the showers and tap water.

OD 7755.4 km, 1:23:02, 26.94 km, 19.4 ave, 49.0 max

Friday August 28 MV Joseph and Clara Smallwood, ferry from North Sydney to Argentia, NL

In no rush this morning as I don't need to go far and have until 9:00 pm to check in at the ferry. It rained some on and off last night but with the wind everything is dry. Wind is still really strong, it makes even preparing and eating food a problem as everything gets blown off the table like my helmet and even a peanut butter jar. Took a short cable ferry at Englishtown to save a few kms and met up with a group of cyclists on a guided loop of the Cabot Trail - the package included a van, bikes and a guide for the 5 of them from all over the US (but I assume friends) Stopped at a real restaurant for a late lunch as I was not going to make something in the wind especially if I need to get out my stove and everything. The last part of the ride was back on the TCH, so out came the MP3 player. Great scenery and it climbed over "mountains" and dropped down to cross fingers of Bras D'Or Lakes. Got to N Sidney about 5:00 pm. The bike guide told me N Sydney had no shops or services but he probably hasn't been here for a while. The liquor store, groc store etc are out at the mall at the edge of town. I even found stove fuel. As I was about to get to the boat, Patrick called out to me to join him for some pizza. Patrick is from Trois Riveries and hitchhiking around. I met him at Cheticamp and saw him on the road the next day. He spent today at Louisberg. He is thinking of going to St John's then west to Port a Basque or wherever his driver takes him (Labrador perhaps) The ferry is larger than I expected, slow to load. older but comfortable. I got a dorm-sleeper which is a room with ~50 bunk beds. Each plastic mattress has a pillow and a fleece blanket that doesn't have the same dimensions as the mattress. I loaded with the motorcycles and a group of ATV's. As we had to wait until they loaded the top deck we got to know each other pretty well. I was the only bike and by the actions of the crew you would think the only one this year.

OD 7728.4 km, 6:40:48, 120.19 km, 17.9 ave, 55.0 max