It's December 24th, and im sitting here on my bed organizing a photo album of our trip for my moms christmas present. I have the playlist on my moms iPod playing in the background. As im looking through these photos I can remember the process of taking them. Positioning, posing, and finally smiling to make it perfect. There's days of our trip that I would wish I were somewhere else, away from my bicycle, my mother, and the ongoing pain in the ass (literally).
The music from the trip, on my iPod and my moms iPod still plays on a regular basis. Certain songs take me back to climbing the rockies or peddling alongside feilds of beautiful wild flowers in P.E.I. When I get the brief reminders of my summer, I only have one wish: to be back there, doing it again.
The cross Canada trip was the best thing I've done in my life and I am going to be retelling stories of our adventures for as long as I remember them.
Our last days in Newfoundland were relaxing. We rented a car and put miles under our belt by driving to Cape Pele; the eastern most part of Canada. We went to Cape Breton, a wild life santuary known for its crazy amount of bird species. So overall, it was a good way to end our trip.
Me and my mom are already discussing another bike trip for next summer, possibly to Banff or down to California. At the end of this trip we're going to get tattoos, (the ones we were supposed to get after our Canada trip). No way around this one, mom.
Friday, December 24, 2010
Friday, August 13, 2010
Obstacles
Day 25: TMC: 1693 miles. Port Hastings to Nfld Ferry: 89 miles. Conditions: On and off pouring rain.
Today was the most exciting morning we've had, and this was mainly due to the fact that we set a time to leave, and left right at that time. We got out of the hotel and on the road by 6 45 (QUITE a feat for us). The ride was good except for the looming clouds threatening rain....but then....it started to POUR. About every five minutes I was asking her what we were going to do and she'd always respond the same way, "dont worry, right up ahead we'll be out of the rain." yea..no. The rain didn't let off, we stopped roadside and covered up our bags, already soaked and freezing we managed to get back on our bikes and find a place 30 miles down the road for breakfast. My mom made a big deal about the fact that the waitress poured her a cup of coffee without her actually wanting it...apparently, if she didn't drink it, however did not ask for it, it isn't considered wasting...keep dreaming mom.
After another few rainfalls the skies cleared up and offered us blue skies all the way into North Sydney where we caught the boat from. Mama-bear wouldn't relax, asking everyone around her how the boat ride would be and how wavey it is. She said she wouldn't get on the boat without a glass of wine...unfortunately, subway doesn't serve wine, so she reluctantly rode on without some liquor in her system.
Day 26: TMC: 1700 miles. Argentia ferry to Placentia: 7 miles. Conditions: Cold!
Today was the day of The Butt! as nemo would say. It was a smooth sailing journey and we met a couple of bikers in the parking lot actually. The two bikers were two men from Victoria, unsure about the age.. 55-65? the younger of the two, David, he had ridden his bike all the way from Victoria! And the older, Doug, coming from Ottowa, however, he was also from Vic. We met up with them on the ferry and as soon as we did they offered my mom a glass of wine. You could tell, from this point in, my mom had made some new friends. The two guys were pretty cool and had a great sense of humour. They invited me and my mom to an afternoon pub crawl, tomorrow actually. Starting at 1 and going till god knows when. We said no. :P
We stayed in such a cute little B&B on the water in Placentia, the people there were AMAZING and the food was delicious! It was actually quite sad having to leave..
Day 27: TMC: 1787 miles. Placentia to St.Johns: 87 miles. Conditions: Cold, hot, cold w/ clear skies.
I honestly can't tell you what we were expecting today, mama-bear thought it was going to be an easy ride, however I knew from the first step we took onto Newfoundland it was a hilly jut of rock in the ocean. Today was constant up and downs, no fun. We thought we were lost for a while, so we stopped at a garage outside of a little town called Hollyrood...yes, Hollyrood. It was the "Tidy Town winner in 2002!" (as clearly stated at least 3 times). My mom tried to make conversation with these men and ask directions, however the second they talked you could just see her face fall. The accents here are hilarious! So, as to not be rude, she nodded and laughed at these two talkative men when seemed appropriate. I may even venture out to say...her french may have been equally impressive in this case.
Arriving at St.Johns was rather anticlimatic. No marching bands or confetti tossed on the street as we arrived at our inn...oh well...I guess we shouldn't have been expecting much. But, we are both so releived to be done and are also ready to come home. However we're also ready to enjoy this beautiful island!
Tip of the Days: The end is near, just not clear from around the bend.
Today was the most exciting morning we've had, and this was mainly due to the fact that we set a time to leave, and left right at that time. We got out of the hotel and on the road by 6 45 (QUITE a feat for us). The ride was good except for the looming clouds threatening rain....but then....it started to POUR. About every five minutes I was asking her what we were going to do and she'd always respond the same way, "dont worry, right up ahead we'll be out of the rain." yea..no. The rain didn't let off, we stopped roadside and covered up our bags, already soaked and freezing we managed to get back on our bikes and find a place 30 miles down the road for breakfast. My mom made a big deal about the fact that the waitress poured her a cup of coffee without her actually wanting it...apparently, if she didn't drink it, however did not ask for it, it isn't considered wasting...keep dreaming mom.
After another few rainfalls the skies cleared up and offered us blue skies all the way into North Sydney where we caught the boat from. Mama-bear wouldn't relax, asking everyone around her how the boat ride would be and how wavey it is. She said she wouldn't get on the boat without a glass of wine...unfortunately, subway doesn't serve wine, so she reluctantly rode on without some liquor in her system.
Day 26: TMC: 1700 miles. Argentia ferry to Placentia: 7 miles. Conditions: Cold!
Today was the day of The Butt! as nemo would say. It was a smooth sailing journey and we met a couple of bikers in the parking lot actually. The two bikers were two men from Victoria, unsure about the age.. 55-65? the younger of the two, David, he had ridden his bike all the way from Victoria! And the older, Doug, coming from Ottowa, however, he was also from Vic. We met up with them on the ferry and as soon as we did they offered my mom a glass of wine. You could tell, from this point in, my mom had made some new friends. The two guys were pretty cool and had a great sense of humour. They invited me and my mom to an afternoon pub crawl, tomorrow actually. Starting at 1 and going till god knows when. We said no. :P
We stayed in such a cute little B&B on the water in Placentia, the people there were AMAZING and the food was delicious! It was actually quite sad having to leave..
Day 27: TMC: 1787 miles. Placentia to St.Johns: 87 miles. Conditions: Cold, hot, cold w/ clear skies.
I honestly can't tell you what we were expecting today, mama-bear thought it was going to be an easy ride, however I knew from the first step we took onto Newfoundland it was a hilly jut of rock in the ocean. Today was constant up and downs, no fun. We thought we were lost for a while, so we stopped at a garage outside of a little town called Hollyrood...yes, Hollyrood. It was the "Tidy Town winner in 2002!" (as clearly stated at least 3 times). My mom tried to make conversation with these men and ask directions, however the second they talked you could just see her face fall. The accents here are hilarious! So, as to not be rude, she nodded and laughed at these two talkative men when seemed appropriate. I may even venture out to say...her french may have been equally impressive in this case.
Arriving at St.Johns was rather anticlimatic. No marching bands or confetti tossed on the street as we arrived at our inn...oh well...I guess we shouldn't have been expecting much. But, we are both so releived to be done and are also ready to come home. However we're also ready to enjoy this beautiful island!
Tip of the Days: The end is near, just not clear from around the bend.
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
Canada's Ocean Playground.
Day 24: TMC: 1604 miles. Pectoe to Port Hastings (Cape Breton): 97 miles. Conditions: Good!
The ride today was pretty smooth sailing, however, as you can see it was decently long. We left our inn this morning at around 7 15 after waking up at 6. We talked to the inn keeper, it turns out "Customs House Inn" actually used to be a customs house for sailers and others travelling by boat and arriving in Nova Scotia.
There really isn't much to say about today...we were crossing a small bridge on the main highway with no shoulder and my chain fell off, so I kept one foot in the peddle and then pushed off the ground with the other foot. That was rather awkward...Oh and a rediculous amount of roadkill today. Right as soon as we left pectoe there was a stretch of maybe at tops about 1 kilometre, and I counted 13 dead birds. 12 being crows or blackbirds and 1 being a type of turkey or something. It was rather displeasing.
But now, we are going to bed to wake up early for another 100 mile day, maybe even longer than that. And we'll be boarding the ferry tomorrow to Newfoundland about this time and docking 14 hours later in Argentia.
Tip of the Day: Watch for road kill.
The ride today was pretty smooth sailing, however, as you can see it was decently long. We left our inn this morning at around 7 15 after waking up at 6. We talked to the inn keeper, it turns out "Customs House Inn" actually used to be a customs house for sailers and others travelling by boat and arriving in Nova Scotia.
There really isn't much to say about today...we were crossing a small bridge on the main highway with no shoulder and my chain fell off, so I kept one foot in the peddle and then pushed off the ground with the other foot. That was rather awkward...Oh and a rediculous amount of roadkill today. Right as soon as we left pectoe there was a stretch of maybe at tops about 1 kilometre, and I counted 13 dead birds. 12 being crows or blackbirds and 1 being a type of turkey or something. It was rather displeasing.
But now, we are going to bed to wake up early for another 100 mile day, maybe even longer than that. And we'll be boarding the ferry tomorrow to Newfoundland about this time and docking 14 hours later in Argentia.
Tip of the Day: Watch for road kill.
Monday, August 9, 2010
Its a microscopic world.
Day 23: TMC 1507 miles. Charlottetown to Pectoe: 44 miles. Conditions: Varied winds with overcast and light rain.
Today was way too exciting, I don't even want to talk about our ride, but, this is what this blog is for soo, here we go. Today we woke up and ate our breakfast at the inn and conversed with a younger couple from michigan (it took them three days to finally be friendly with us) and we were having a really nice time! As we knew today was only 44 miles we were stalling like none other. Finally, we went up to the room, but it took me about half an hour to get all my things together before we could leave. Once we finallyy left we came to an intersection, one where we could choose two routes; a shorter, hilly one. Or a longer flat one. And, my mom being the dare devil she is chose to go the hilly way in hopes of finding the confederation trail..however, we did not. Now, I must say, whoever calls P.E.I. flat is crazy. If there were hills, we were on em'.
We got to the ferry terminal for the ferry to Nova Scotia and realized that there was a ferry just about to leave so we raced on and parked our bikes beside a pole at the rear of the boat. I look up, and you wont beleive what I saw. Mr. Armstrong, (a teacher/coach at rockridge) it was so wierd. I called his name and he didn't really notice until his wife (also a sub at rockridge who I've had.) looked at me and said "oh! a rockridge face!". It was the craziest thing ever! We talked about our summers and he told us what they were doing. Driving across Canada and back. !! They left July 1st and are hoping to arrive back home on September 1st. Looong trip. The two kids, 11 year old boy and a 12 year old girl, were having a trip of their lifetime. Small world, eh?
Tip of the Day: Procrastination doesn't ALWAYS hurt.
Today was way too exciting, I don't even want to talk about our ride, but, this is what this blog is for soo, here we go. Today we woke up and ate our breakfast at the inn and conversed with a younger couple from michigan (it took them three days to finally be friendly with us) and we were having a really nice time! As we knew today was only 44 miles we were stalling like none other. Finally, we went up to the room, but it took me about half an hour to get all my things together before we could leave. Once we finallyy left we came to an intersection, one where we could choose two routes; a shorter, hilly one. Or a longer flat one. And, my mom being the dare devil she is chose to go the hilly way in hopes of finding the confederation trail..however, we did not. Now, I must say, whoever calls P.E.I. flat is crazy. If there were hills, we were on em'.
We got to the ferry terminal for the ferry to Nova Scotia and realized that there was a ferry just about to leave so we raced on and parked our bikes beside a pole at the rear of the boat. I look up, and you wont beleive what I saw. Mr. Armstrong, (a teacher/coach at rockridge) it was so wierd. I called his name and he didn't really notice until his wife (also a sub at rockridge who I've had.) looked at me and said "oh! a rockridge face!". It was the craziest thing ever! We talked about our summers and he told us what they were doing. Driving across Canada and back. !! They left July 1st and are hoping to arrive back home on September 1st. Looong trip. The two kids, 11 year old boy and a 12 year old girl, were having a trip of their lifetime. Small world, eh?
Tip of the Day: Procrastination doesn't ALWAYS hurt.
Sunday, August 8, 2010
Land of Potatoes
Day 22: TMC: 1463 miles. Cap-Pele to Charlottetown!: 65 miles. Conditions: Tail wind and muggy.
Today was originally supposed to be a 70 mile day, however after looking at it again mum realized it was actually 90 miles into Charlottetown, which kind of blowed...but then somehow we managed to make it only 65 miles. Hmm? We got to the Nova Scotia side of the Confederation Bridge and had to wait for a shuttle to come as walkers and bikers are not allowed crossing the 13km bridge. While waiting we met a pair of two young men, 19 and 23, they were brothers and they were doing the cross Canada trip together (following the footsteps of their other, older, brother). They started our conversation by asking about our bikes and gear, they seemed either very bored, boring, or tired. So my mom asked if they were tired and the older one simply replied with ".....uhhhh......nope, not tired." Dont tell anyone, but I think he was lying.
Our ride into Charlottetown was beautiful! We went along the shoreline on a quieter road and got to enjoy all the seaside towns. Many of which had long wharfs with ice cream places or lobster shacks that were interesting to look into. Such character! And we happened to get really lucky and had a tail wind the entire ride. This we were somewhat scared about, Gilles, the french man we met in Golden mentioned how he hated P.E.I. because of the harsh headwinds he had to face.
In Prince Edward Island we were actually lucky enough to stay here for three nights to rest up for our last drag of biking. We're staying in a super nice inn. In our room there are so many patterns and none match, yet it all seems to work, it is very cute! Yesterday, we decided to be pretty big tourists and went on a tour bus/boat thing that was called The Hippobus. It took us through the old neighbourhoods and the tour guide mentioned interesting facts about one of the last hangings in Canada (that was held here) and the bell they tried to install. It's too long to explain, but if you're interested I'm sure its on the internet somewhere.
After the tour bus, we went to the musical of Anne and Green Gables. It was surprisingly so good! We weren't expecting much but we were shocked by the acting and the pieces put together to create the show. It was a real tear jerker... After the show we went to the same restaurant as last night called Fish Bones, I got the lobster, bacon and avacado club. MMM best thing ever!
Today we decided to rent a car, so we taxi'ed to the airport and somehow managed to get a Sebring (the car I've been trying to get away from)HA! It was quite nice though, we got a convertable and it was great being able to see the sky! Waaaay better than a closed car, so much better I think my mom now wants a convertable. ;) We stopped at a beach called Brackley Beach which is located in a National Park, where we swam in the atlantic ocean! oo! Then we went to cavandish and drove past Anne's house!
Our P.E.I. experience was great! But now its time to get back to the saddle!
Tip of the Day: EAT COWS. Mooey Gooey!!
Today was originally supposed to be a 70 mile day, however after looking at it again mum realized it was actually 90 miles into Charlottetown, which kind of blowed...but then somehow we managed to make it only 65 miles. Hmm? We got to the Nova Scotia side of the Confederation Bridge and had to wait for a shuttle to come as walkers and bikers are not allowed crossing the 13km bridge. While waiting we met a pair of two young men, 19 and 23, they were brothers and they were doing the cross Canada trip together (following the footsteps of their other, older, brother). They started our conversation by asking about our bikes and gear, they seemed either very bored, boring, or tired. So my mom asked if they were tired and the older one simply replied with ".....uhhhh......nope, not tired." Dont tell anyone, but I think he was lying.
Our ride into Charlottetown was beautiful! We went along the shoreline on a quieter road and got to enjoy all the seaside towns. Many of which had long wharfs with ice cream places or lobster shacks that were interesting to look into. Such character! And we happened to get really lucky and had a tail wind the entire ride. This we were somewhat scared about, Gilles, the french man we met in Golden mentioned how he hated P.E.I. because of the harsh headwinds he had to face.
In Prince Edward Island we were actually lucky enough to stay here for three nights to rest up for our last drag of biking. We're staying in a super nice inn. In our room there are so many patterns and none match, yet it all seems to work, it is very cute! Yesterday, we decided to be pretty big tourists and went on a tour bus/boat thing that was called The Hippobus. It took us through the old neighbourhoods and the tour guide mentioned interesting facts about one of the last hangings in Canada (that was held here) and the bell they tried to install. It's too long to explain, but if you're interested I'm sure its on the internet somewhere.
After the tour bus, we went to the musical of Anne and Green Gables. It was surprisingly so good! We weren't expecting much but we were shocked by the acting and the pieces put together to create the show. It was a real tear jerker... After the show we went to the same restaurant as last night called Fish Bones, I got the lobster, bacon and avacado club. MMM best thing ever!
Today we decided to rent a car, so we taxi'ed to the airport and somehow managed to get a Sebring (the car I've been trying to get away from)HA! It was quite nice though, we got a convertable and it was great being able to see the sky! Waaaay better than a closed car, so much better I think my mom now wants a convertable. ;) We stopped at a beach called Brackley Beach which is located in a National Park, where we swam in the atlantic ocean! oo! Then we went to cavandish and drove past Anne's house!
Our P.E.I. experience was great! But now its time to get back to the saddle!
Tip of the Day: EAT COWS. Mooey Gooey!!
Thursday, August 5, 2010
Friendly New Brunswickers
Day 21: TMC: 1398 miles. Miramichi (Chatham) to Cap-Pele: 101 miles. Conditions: Muggy and Windy.
Today we woke up at 6am! Such an accomplishment for us! Not only did we do this, but we managed to get out of the hotel room and to Tim Hortons and on the road only 5 minutes later than what we wanted. I must say, we were very proud of ourselves. The day was very easy, not many hills and most of the way had an adequate shoulder.
A couple hours into our ride we were going along and some car started honking so I got all excited and waved, but then another car started honking. But it actually sounded like a truck, I looked in the rearview mirror to see a giant moving house coming my way. Quickly, I drove off onto the shoulder and watched as the truck completely took out the space I was like, minutes before. Scary business!
After lunch (my mom had lobster, a must-have in the maritimes) we were lucky enough to get 40 miles of headwind..woohoo. AND lots and lots of traffic, but no more moving houses, so that's an upside.
Tip of the Day: When staying in motels, lower your standards immedietely.
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
A collection
Day 20: TMC: 1297 miles. Nigadoo to Chatham: 62 miles. Conditions: Warm.
Well...today was interesting to say the least. We left fairly early and got 8 miles under our belt before breakfast. We got lost trying to find the 134 S and had to cut back a few miles. Making our (again) already late day, later. The ride was hilly, up and down and up and down and very boring and unscenic. We connected onto the main highway and continued on the busy road with minimal shoulder and saw a moose!! We
got to Chatham and gave it in for the day...our original plan was to make it to Richibucto which is 30 miles past. But by the time we stopped for lunch it was already 5, so we just got a room in a hotel here.
Tip of the Day: Keep on high alert for moose! They're dangerous.
Day 19: TMC: 1235 miles. Matapedia to Nigadoo: 78 miles. Conditions: Gross.
We left Matapedio and went down the same hill as the last night and set out across a bridge into New Brunswick! We were so relieved to get out of french speaking territory, however, we were shorty faced with the fact that...it's still a lot of french. We get into the first Tim Hortons we see and tried to order a breakfast sandwich but the women wouldn't let us because it was too late. We were super confused. APPARENTLY we went through another time change by crossing a bridge. No one told us...
For the first 15 or so miles of our day it was absolutely pouring! We got drenched! Trucks even sprayed us as they passed by, it really wasnt a very happy start to a new province. But the weather cleared up and it got pretty out just in time for us to recognize the smell of the ocean again! The atlantic ocean!!
We called our hotel to confirm our reservation but they got all confused and said they would call us back but we didn't hear the phone ring. So as we're getting lost in Petite Roche we call the motel again and they tell us they made a mistake and booked us for August 30th and they actually reserved us at another motel down the street. Mama bear was pissed.
Tip of the Day: Ensure your waterproof clothes are...well...waterproof.
Day 18: TMC: 1157 miles. Saint fleuris to Matapedia: 100 miles (on the dot). Conditions: Hot w/ clouds.
Today our day started out on a bad note, we went for breakfast in our hotel but it ended up taking about an hour so we got a super late start to our day. The day was rather uneventful up until after lunchtime. There weren't many hills and we managed to stay away from the main stream of traffic because we were led onto a smaller, country road. After lunch on a lumpy road where you cant get any speed because its so uneven I was following my mom when I saw a bug flying at my face, I ducked and apparently it went into my helmet. I felt a sting, got my helmet off to see a struggling wasp. Fail number 1.
Later on, we saw our first cycling tourist of the day. We were riding through what seemed to be mountains, very reminicsent of B.C. Going down a long hill I noticed something very odd. So I stopped and a massive nose bleed started. And.. of course.. my mom didn't notice me stop, so she kept on going down the hill and I continued my walk until she looked back and found me. Fail number 2.
After about 97 miles we were outside a little motel debating wether or not to go in even though we had a reservation "somewhere else" but we condinued on into the town of Matapedia only to realize that was the hotel we had our reservation in. So we went back up the hill, feeling like fools, and checked in. Fail number 3.
I was scared going into our motel because we were 1 mile away from 100 on my odometer, but as we went into the gravel parking lot it changed. Whew.``
Tip of the Day: Listen to our tips (especially the last one) wet wipes = handy.
Well...today was interesting to say the least. We left fairly early and got 8 miles under our belt before breakfast. We got lost trying to find the 134 S and had to cut back a few miles. Making our (again) already late day, later. The ride was hilly, up and down and up and down and very boring and unscenic. We connected onto the main highway and continued on the busy road with minimal shoulder and saw a moose!! We
got to Chatham and gave it in for the day...our original plan was to make it to Richibucto which is 30 miles past. But by the time we stopped for lunch it was already 5, so we just got a room in a hotel here. Tip of the Day: Keep on high alert for moose! They're dangerous.
Day 19: TMC: 1235 miles. Matapedia to Nigadoo: 78 miles. Conditions: Gross.
We left Matapedio and went down the same hill as the last night and set out across a bridge into New Brunswick! We were so relieved to get out of french speaking territory, however, we were shorty faced with the fact that...it's still a lot of french. We get into the first Tim Hortons we see and tried to order a breakfast sandwich but the women wouldn't let us because it was too late. We were super confused. APPARENTLY we went through another time change by crossing a bridge. No one told us...
For the first 15 or so miles of our day it was absolutely pouring! We got drenched! Trucks even sprayed us as they passed by, it really wasnt a very happy start to a new province. But the weather cleared up and it got pretty out just in time for us to recognize the smell of the ocean again! The atlantic ocean!!
We called our hotel to confirm our reservation but they got all confused and said they would call us back but we didn't hear the phone ring. So as we're getting lost in Petite Roche we call the motel again and they tell us they made a mistake and booked us for August 30th and they actually reserved us at another motel down the street. Mama bear was pissed.
Tip of the Day: Ensure your waterproof clothes are...well...waterproof.
Day 18: TMC: 1157 miles. Saint fleuris to Matapedia: 100 miles (on the dot). Conditions: Hot w/ clouds.
Today our day started out on a bad note, we went for breakfast in our hotel but it ended up taking about an hour so we got a super late start to our day. The day was rather uneventful up until after lunchtime. There weren't many hills and we managed to stay away from the main stream of traffic because we were led onto a smaller, country road. After lunch on a lumpy road where you cant get any speed because its so uneven I was following my mom when I saw a bug flying at my face, I ducked and apparently it went into my helmet. I felt a sting, got my helmet off to see a struggling wasp. Fail number 1.
Later on, we saw our first cycling tourist of the day. We were riding through what seemed to be mountains, very reminicsent of B.C. Going down a long hill I noticed something very odd. So I stopped and a massive nose bleed started. And.. of course.. my mom didn't notice me stop, so she kept on going down the hill and I continued my walk until she looked back and found me. Fail number 2.
After about 97 miles we were outside a little motel debating wether or not to go in even though we had a reservation "somewhere else" but we condinued on into the town of Matapedia only to realize that was the hotel we had our reservation in. So we went back up the hill, feeling like fools, and checked in. Fail number 3.
I was scared going into our motel because we were 1 mile away from 100 on my odometer, but as we went into the gravel parking lot it changed. Whew.``
Tip of the Day: Listen to our tips (especially the last one) wet wipes = handy.
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