La belle Province

Day 16: TMC: 990 miles. La Pocatiere to Trois Pistoles: 78 miles. Conditions: Hot.

Today was another easy day, we are starting to see more hills though, however it is good preparation for our hilly day we're expecting tomorrow. The day today was a super scenic route which led us through cottages along the river and through small european-like towns. It solidified the name "La Belle Province" for this beautiful province.

We got to our Motel in Trois Pistoles and sat on the lawn chairs overlooking the river with a glass of wine and chips and enjoyed the cooler rays of sun. We rode into town and went to a dinner restaurant which is actually the owners house transformed to fit dining customers. The meal was fantastic, a four course "Menu D'hote". However, it resulted in having to bike home in the dark. I was completely fine with it, but mama bear complained the whole way. It's safe to say I was releived when we got back to our motel.

Tip of the Day: Prepare for the dark.

Hey there stranger

Day 15: TMC: 912 miles. Quebec City to La Pocatiere or rather: 75 miles. Conditions: Nice!

Leaving Quebec, we rode down the hill to the river and got on a small ferry with four cars and about three other walk on passengers to a town on the other side called Levi. At this point, neither of us had eaten and we were super hungry so we stopped at a gas station on the side of the main road, thinking we were being smart and "healthy" we picked up two sandwiches from the freezer. Oops, I by mistake grabbed a Spam and mustard sandwich. ew.

After this, we stopped at a gas station and I watched a young(ish) biker pass by and I waved, later on we passed him sitting at a Fromagerie, than again he passed us when we stopped to eat a cookie. After this, mama bear sent me to go catch up and we ended up talking then having lunch at Tim Hortons together. His story is the most interesting we've heard by far. Get this; 19 years old, biking across Canada alone.

I got to ride along with him for about 40 miles and he told me all about his trip and the crazy people he's been meeting along the way. It sounds like such a blast. He tuned up my bike and then we bought him dinner. And apparently, he hit 6000 km's today. Good Job Matthieu Fraser! :)

Tip of the Day: Once you find your bike mechanic, dont let him go unless you absolutely have to.

"Live free or die."

Quebec City, Rest day.

Today we got to stretch our legs and enjoy a day of relaxation (a.k.a. no cycling) in Quebec City! We arrived here last night, into an old building turned mod. Once again, me and mama bear are sharing a bed. Today we woke up and went for a small ride of the city and added another 10 miles onto our missed mileage. We got in from that, freshened up, and went for breakfast at a creperie and we both enjoyed a ham, cheese and mushroom crepe. Deee-lish.

We continued to walk around the city, looking at the parliament buildings and admiring the randomly assorted sculptures throughout Old Quebec. We window shopped at small boutiques and bought Maple Fudge from a store called "Fudge". We were supposed to save it for desert, but we couldnt help ourselves, so we ate it all there.

We had a nice dinner, followed by a carriage ride on one of the many work horses. It was such a nice experience, just sitting back and savouring the feeling of the rocking motion and the sound of hooves on pavement. After we did that, we went to another creperie and ate a dessert crepe with coffee, then went to the square and enjoyed a street performer "One Man Band" play all his many instraments to old classics. All in all, a very nice evening.

Tip of the Day: Splurge on a carriage ride.

Its not always sunny in paradise

Day 14: 837 miles. Saint-Anne-de-la-Pèrade to Quebec City: 58 miles. Conditions: Muggy and rainy.

We left this morning thinking it was going to be a super hot day, and boy, were we ever right. The day was boiling, however not sunny, just the usual mugginess for the East coast, (apparently?). The day was going by super fast and we had already finished 20 miles before we wanted to stop...and you wonder why? No hills! Well, no hills to be mentioned, of course there were small lumps that startled us when we saw them. We stopped for lunch at a riverside bistro and shared a pizza and salad. (how cute) and when the waiter asked me if I wanted dessert, he completely lost me with his french, and that led to us talking to a couple beside us, the man was a biker and he was super interested in biking across Canada on his bike.

We went for a few miles after lunch (this is when it started pouring) and came to a more industrial-ized area and we decided to clarify on where we were on our map, so we went into DQ for help. It turned out to be a whole store effort, we had the three DQ workers trying to help us, and about 5 customers.

If I tried to count the amount of times we had to ask directions today, I would have to use my toes too. It was so pathetic, Quebec City is confusing!

Tip of the Day: Keep a map handy.

Is...is that a hill? First one today.

Day 13. TMC: 769 miles. Bertheirville to Saint-Anne-de-la-Pèrade: 69 miles. Conditions: Hot.


This morning it was hard to wake up, our one double bed was amazingly soft, making rolling out quite a challenge. However, as breakfast was served (2 crepes filled with eggs and bacon) we began to stir a little bit more.

After saying goodbye to John and Janie (a picture will be added probably tomorrow) we continued our way along a fairly busy road through the farming fields. We tried to follow the "Route Vertè" except we kept on managing to get lost...Go mama go!

Once we managed to find our way to our B&B "Auberge du Manoir Dauth" we dropped off our stuff and went out into the yard under the cute gazebo and devoured a few apples and a stack of cheese (and this is after the ice cream cones). We went out for dinner, where mama bear managed to say "good-bye" to another waitress who was simply trying to greet her. Now, here we sit, at the B&B supplied computers, me yelling at the faulty internet and her getting mad at the different keys on the keyboard. Oh what a nice family.

Tip of the Day: If you dont speak french, don`t even bother trying...you`ll make a fool of yourself. (I think we all know who I`m referring to)

un autre début

Day 12: TMC: 700 miles. Montreal to Bertheirville: 51 miles. Conditons: Slight head wind, warm.

If you can recall a while back, in Golden, B.C. I commented on how funny it was watching my mom attempt to speak french. That was one circumstance, now there are plenty. Out of Montreal, people tend to speak less and less english, meaning my mom has to attempt at speaking french more.. While we were still in Montreal, a waitress at a classy restaurant came up to us and said "Bon soir!" And my mom immedietly responded with "Au Revoir"....Good. Job. Mom. (Slow, mocking applause in the background.)

So, total coincidence. Today, while riding we were going to pass a couple when my mom slowed her rythym to talk to the man. He asked us where we were going and where we were from and they came to the realization that we're both from B.C. Not only that! They have a place on redroofs! (for those who dont know, about 10 minute drive from our cabin on the Sunshine Coast) Another major coincidence, their names are John and Janie. WOW. (again, for those of you who dont know, my parents are John and Jane) We ate lunch with them at a roadside deli and ended up having dinner together in the town of Bertheirville at a little restaurant on the river, the food was decent, however the service was a short cry from horrible. But, of course, we traded contact information and are gunna keep in touch back in Vancouver :)

We're staying at a B&B where our room is hilarious, its got a double bed with a bath and toilet in the room. The bathtub is a old-styled tub with 4 legs and an amazingly comfortable shape to it. The toilet and sink are in the other corner of the room, hidden away by a removable japanese-esque screen. Privacy here is apparently not a top priority.

Tip of the Day: Beleive it or not, it's a small world. (I recommend you do)

Lost in the Madness

Tonight is the last night in the big city, the last night we'll see Sam and John for three + more weeks. Tomorrow, we re-ignite our adventure on the hard plastic gel seats of our dark-framed bikes.

After our weekend in Montreal it's safe to say we're some what more energized now. Every night here we've been dining extravagantly and just enjoying not having to be on the move all the time. Today, we managed to make up 20 miles of our missed riding, we convinced Sam and dad to bike alongside the canal that branches off of the St.Lawrence with us, getting a feel of another touristy part of Montreal. The ride which was on a small two laned bike and rollerblade path was quite enjoyable. We stopped for ice cream at a market then continued on to have lunch back at our destination.

Tomorrow, we're all waking up early, Sam and John heading to the airport and me and mama bear heading out to begin the 3 day trip to our next destination, Quebec City, back to our old routines.

Tip of the Day: Don't drop your bicycle.

A long way gone.

It's crazy to think, three days ago today we could be spotted miles and miles away from where we are now. Back in the days of pre-civilization a trip across Canada would be unheard of, a great adventure taking weeks, even months. Me and mama-bear managed it in three very relaxed days and nights. The food they would have seen would have been barbaric; elk or bear meat caught and cooked over an open fire, grimy fingers grabbing at any remains, feeling the need to have enough energy to last them a couple days. Our trip, in contrast, consisted of three generous meals a day, ranging from rack of lamb and carrot cake to the omlette of the day with a side of hashbrowns and orange juice. We can safely say, food was not scarce in the least.

The people we met...well, we met some characters for sure. An irish man out for a good time and a few beers, a women who almost broke down when she came to the realization her puzzle (which she put 10 hours of labour into) was missing. There were americans, canadians, australians, french, english, spanish and german travellers aboard the VIA Canada. Some of the travellers took the train to get to a destination to continue their travels, some took it as a 3 day vacation. Whatever the reason, people were found to be having a good time.

I met a retired man named Bill, and his friend Jerry. Bill coached basketball, volleyball and track and field for 30 years during his time as a highschool teacher. We met him in Jasper, only to realize that he was getting on the same train as us. I spent a few hours in total with him, sharing track incidents and telling each other of the trip we were both taking, enjoying each others company.

There were another couple of guys, Don and Brad, who we spent some time with. Wether it was relaxing in the viewing car at the back of the train where we could be found reading a book, playing cards and making bracelets. Or in the activity car playing a game of Phase 10 after bonding over a nice dinner in the diner car. These are they people we met, became comfortable and eventually will begin to miss. Looking back on these people will be just the beginning to a trip of fun events and people from around the world.

Currently we are on a commuter train heading to montreal from toronto, my dad has joined us, soon to be followed by my brother who flew in. The next few days we will be spending in montreal, where the two will fly home and me and mama-bear will continue on our journey to St.Johns, Newfoundland.

Tip of the day: Expand your horizons.

Choo choo

Hey all! We haven't been able to get any internet as we're on the train, however we had a quick rest stop in Winnipeg where the internet is still horrible.

The trains exciting! We're meeting all kinds of people, including the ones we're sitting beside riiight now. :) Sorry bout the short blog, its all I have time for!

Tip of the Day: Diet before departing on your train journey.

Over the Horizon

Day 10 & 11: TMC: 649 miles. D10-Banff to Saskatchewan River Xing: 99 miles. D11-Saskatchewan River Xing- 15 miles outside. Conditions: Good.

Well...day 10 started of well, we woke up early, feeling proud of our ability of getting out of bed...however, 6 miles down the road I realized I didnd't remember packing my phone. Uh oh. So, we booked it back and grabbed my phone, it was in the exact place I thought it would be. The whole day consisted of biking through the rockies, the lakes there were beautiful, I must say, I have never seen such shades of blue. The day was supposed to be 85 miles however it turned out to be 99. By the end we were just BEAT.

Tip of the day: Phone check.

Day 11- Today we allowed ourselves to sleep in a bit because it was only supposed to be a 65 mile ride to a inn called Sumwupta Falls. However, about 10 miles into the ride my chain started acting wierd, I wasn't able to switch out of the small gear one, and could only go between the big gears 1 and 2. After having dealt with this for about 5 miles I was going up a small hill when all of a sudden it appears my brakes went on, almost throwing me off the bike. I get off to see my derailer (thing that the chain goes through to move through the small gears) was bent towards my spoke, also haven chewed through a cord. So...we flipped the bike upside down and stuck out our thumb.

The people that picked us up were former owners of High Gear Cyclery in New Jersey, Carol and Larry Dole. They commented on how the Canadian Rockies were a) much prettier than the american rockies (YUSS) and b)the most beautiful place they've ever been. Go Canada Go!

Tip of the day: Take your bike to the doctor.

Now this is how you do it.

Rest Day Number 1

Not much to say, it was amazing compared to yesterday. We started the day with our first sleep in in a week. However, my mom made me get out of bed at around 9 30. LAME! We took the shuttle into town and wandered around the streets of Banff and ate breakfast at a little coffee shop. We felt bad for the three girls working...it was apparent the store ran out of everything people asked for. We then decided to check out the Banff Springs Hotel, it is such an amazing building. Beautiful! We ate lunch there and enjoyed the beautiful view of the Rocky Mountains. Best part of the day, we both got hour long massages at our hotel :)

Tip of the Day: Take a deep breath.

Oh Deary deer.....and goats....Oh and MOOSE!

Day 9: Total Mile Count: 550 miles. Golden B.C., to Banff, Alberta: 85 miles. Conditions: Good.

Canadian Rocky Mountains–noun
The chief mountain system in North America, extending from central New mexico to N alaska. Highest peak, Mount McKinley, 20,300 ft. (6187 m).

Looking at the title, it may be a given about what we saw/did today. Earlier in my blog I commented on how we were disapointed with the amount of wildlife we had been seeing, however, today we had many sightings. On Kicking Horse River Pass we saw two mountain goats attempting to cross the road, very skeptical of the two passing bikers. Later on, while climbing a small hill I looked to the right and saw three deer just hanging out. But the most exciting was the moose! There were three of them and they were so timid and didn't even feel threatened by the many cars stopped and people taking pictures (might I add, I was the first one to notice them)

Somehow today managed to spread out to be a 94 mile trip in total, so me and mama bear are totally pooped. (Shes already asleep) We climbed the kicking horse pass, made it all the way into banff, then realized we were to tired to make it up the 3km hill to our hotel, so we admitted defeat and walked.

Tip of the Day: Wake up earlier than normal and go outside. Its nice.

Easy, Breezy, Beautiful.

Day 8: Total Mile Count: 465 miles. Heather Mountain Lodge to Golden. 36 miles. Conditions: Ideal.

Today was a very short ride, mainly downhill. However we were being catious due to the recent flat tires. (I may be a tire changing wizz now, but its better to be safe than sorry). Golden is a very cute, small, town. With one main road through the city and various shops along the way. We can tell its a very mountain-sport town. All the clothing shops are mntn. biking, snowboarding and skiing stores.

On our lunch break at Tim Hortons on the outskirts of Golden we met a man names Gilles. He's a "senior" as he called himself from Quebec. He was very nice and assisted us in planning our trip through Quebec and the Maritimes. Gilles is also on a extended bike trip. He started in Montreal and went to St. Johns, where he flew to Victoria and then continued his ride back towards Quebec. We had a lovely little lunch with him and talked for about an hour and a half, however the language barrier making it slightly difficult. (watching my mom try to speak french was haaaa-larious). GOOD LUCK TO YOU GILLES!!!!!!

Tip of the Day: Be friendly to strangers. (Yesterday and today)

Sequel: The misadventures of Jane and Julia

Day 7: Total Mile Count: 429 miles. Revelstoke to Heather Mountain Lodge: 53 miles. Conditions: 7 degrees and wet.

Having recovered from their treachous journey the day prior, Jane and Julia were set to face another hard day of biking through the heavy rain and cold temperatures of eastern B.C. The rockies held a new kind of surprise for them, large hills and beautiful scenery as they passed through Rogers Pass through the Rockies. Jane and Julia were prepared, they stopped road side and covered their paniers in garbage bags and slipped on their rain booties. They were set for anything mother nature threw their way.

The bikes rattled as they sped their way on the winding highway. The rain pounded on their bags, the girls, shivering in the cab of the semi-truck that picked them up reminisced on the two flat tires they had just recieved. Jane and Julia were ready to handle a flat, however a misfortune of wrong equipment led to sticking out a thumb on the side of the road. Upon arriving at their destination, Heather Mountain Lodge, Julia quickly saved the day by repairing the two flats with ease. Jane and Julia look upon this day as a learning experience, and await their next flat tire to prove to themselves and others. The end.

**In this story, we actually did hitchhike. My father left us yesterday for Vancouver.

Heather Mountain Lodge was a really nice place. In the winter its known for being an all inclusive Heli-ski lodge. With an amazing chef and extremely welcoming staff we had a wonderful time.

Now all of you are probably thinking that we're cheating, and not fully completing our Journey, we are always looking for ways to make up for the missed past two days, which will be very easy to accomplish, touring around on our rest days.

Tip of the Day: While peeing in the woods, avoid animal shit.

Lets Hightail it out of here

Day 6: Total Mile Distance: 376 miles. Salmon Arm to Revelstoke: 63 miles. Conditions: 9 degrees, pouring rain and very windy.

Once upon a time on a stormy summer day, there were two avid bikers, Jane and Julia. These two girls set out on their daily adventure bright eyed and bushy tailed, however with sore muscles gallore. Leaving Salmon Arm they were propelled forward by a strong tailwind, causing dirt and dust to whip at their chilled, exposed flesh. The two girls found nothing wrong with this scenario, a tail wind couldn't hurt anyone, could it?

Part way through their journey a storm began to form. Julia and Jane ran for cover under the nearest tree. As the rain pounded down and the lightning cracked over head the two girls shivered in their rain drenched shorts and thin waterproof jackets. "Well..." Julia said, "what are we going to do?"
"I think we need to play the safety card." said Jane reluctantly. So the two girls stuck out their thumb and waited for the perfect opprotunity to catch a ride along into Revelstoke. The end.

**Jane and Julia did not hitchhike, they caught a ride from Julia's father. Added for effect of story :)

Tip of the Day: Sun dance daily.

The ups and downs.

Day 5: Total Mile Distance: 313 miles. Kamloops to Salmon Arm: 70 miles. Conditions: Hot with slight headwinds.

Today was an easy ride, mainly small hills with the occasional climb. However we had a headwind for almost the whole day. Absolutely nothing interesting happened... I left my bag in wallmart last night and it actually ended up getting returned. So that was the highlight of my morning. We stopped at a little road side town called Pritchard, with a small convenience store with a connected gas station and a interesting bridge. We've realized that these towns are getting more and more less...impressive, to say the least.

In the past few blogs i've been talking about stupid things my mom does...but today she managed to get off without doing anything mildly embarrasing. Which makes this post more boring than usual. (jokes..) We saw a train, which I waved at, and it blew its horn and scared us half to death. But other than that, today was scratch-free!

So far we've been very unimpressed with the wildlife out here, we saw a deer yesterday on a hill, and a deer the day before on the Coquihalla, but other than that nothing. Until today, there was two strange animals in longer grass that looked like a combination of a squirrel and a rat. Very odd... still am not sure what it was.

Tip of the Day: Don't break your iPod on day one, it makes for a very boring day two and three.

Hi winds!

Day 4: Total Mile Count: 242 miles. Merritt to Kamloops: 59 miles. Conditions: Dry heat.

Well...where do I start? Today was quite a disapointment. Mama bear had be anticipating an easy ride, 59 miles of rollings hills and plenty of easy coasting downhill. However, that is not what we recieved. Today was absolute torture. On a "quaint" little road through the Nicola Valley with a headwind my mom nor I have ever experienced before. All in all, the miles we did today felt like double that they should have. Again, quite a disapointment.

We stopped for our lunch on a little indian reservation. I must say, it was very eerie. The little log gas station, (the kind you see in old movies) with gas pumps barely reaching your hips. There were two little kids, one sitting in a chair and one on the arm, staring straight ahead not saying anything...other than the chatty worker it was silent. We went swimming there and it was super refreshing. Then my mom locked herself in the bathroom and then got locked into the store :) har har.

Tip of the Day: Stop and smell the flowers.

The Climb

Day 3
Total Mile Distance: 175 miles. Hope to Merritt; 75 miles. Conditions: Hot.

Today was our first real day on the road, originating in Hope, our ride started with a 30 miles climb up the Coquihalla. Reaching record highs, with the temperature ranging from 28 degrees to 34. The hill wasn't as bad as we were expecting, however lots of traffic, fast moving trucks and cars and in some cases a lack of shoulder caused for a uncertain ride.

A pair of kayakers stopped at the viewpoint and commented that the "man" which was Jane was really far behind. A trucker stopped and approached my father and asked him if he was with the two cyclists and commented on how well we were doing for the conditions. We were getting so much support for biking up the Coquihalla, trucks honking and the small side comments, all because no sane person would ever want to do it.

So far I have made the conclusion that Canadians need to clean up their acts. :/ trash everywhere. The shoulders of roads filtered with fast food garbage and broken bottles.

Hint of the day: Never pass a bathroom without using it.