First thing I write.....Wake up feeling heavy, my legs and particularly my quads hurt to touch but i look outside and its not raining....
Later I write....
What a day....200kms to the outskirts of Winnipeg. I crossed out of the province of Ontario and into Manitoba and after the last few gentle ups and downs on the road it settles into flat, flat, flat terrain. JZ I think of you and you are right....the sky does get bigger.....today essentially rode on a dead straight road for 160kms!
An early town was Clearwater Bay which had little coves onto a lake with steep hills coming out of the water, people homes delicately and precariously perched on their slopes.
About 90km's from Winnipeg, on the long long straight road, I stop at a diner just outside a place called McMunn and had a major Cinammon Bun and a pleasant South African guy called Greg chatted with me. Meanwhile his daughter entertained the room with here antics on the baby chair. He is in HR diagnostics and he gave me his e mail address. Very friendly and like others the bike and my gear is always an entree into conversation.
On the flat roads my strategy is to stop looking more than 5metres in front of me and just aim for each next bump in the orad......a lot of Canadian roads have a consitent crack in the orad every 20metres or so. It keeps me from getting demoralised looking ahead and seeing that anything on the horizon hasn't changed or got any closer.
The pain of my saddle is bad and my right hip hurts and just the monotony of pedalling makes me groan audibly on a couple of ocassions. Not sure if it was physical or psychological but it feels like a painful process of cleansing myself is taking place....I notice I get tense and try to relax and release the tension i build up and hold (just from doing the same thing over and over again)
Also have the idea of each moment lying beside one another happened again. There is no beginning or end just different moments. These moments are not held together in a linear way with one leading to another it is as if they are separate.
The pain gets worse, I strongly desire to get there and I think about my pattern of wanting to e at the destination and I have a realisation (which as I look at it now is blindingly obvious) which is a bolt from the blue then that I needed to find the resources to enjoy this now more than the imagined now of my destination (in the bath at a motel for example).
Not sure if this is a catalyst but near the end of the this day I fell into a relaxed trance-like rhythm feeling near the end and tried to bolster this enjoyment as much as possible as I finish 200kms and arrive at the western side of winnipeg as the sun begins to set on the prairie horizon.
Overall I felt a euphoria of having done 700kms since Thunder Bay. Am also intrigued that each day I have reached my targeted destination despite self negotiating myself out of it at various tougher moments on the bike.
Still that conundrum of achievement vs process (or being) to play with though...
Friday 29 June 2007
English River to Dryden
Woke up....not sure what time it is....my mobile seemed to register a time 3 hours behind when it found reception at Thunder bay the other day and I have crossed into a new time zone as I move westward so have no idea what time I'm at. Thought the clock was 2 hours behind but need to check and ask someone..
Stopped at Ignace....glad that I didn't have to ride the extra 60 k's to here instead of stopping at English River. Am struck by the fortune of finding Ron and Fran's place.....there were only 2 houses in English River...
Gentle tailwind gets me to Ignace at 1020 so I probably left camp at 8am this morning. Find a diner in town and order some breakfast. A curious thing is that with toast Peanut Butter and Strawberry jam are the only two options offered everytime!
As I wait for my order to arrive I fiddle with the back of my neck and feel the damage from last nights sleep.....midges have bitten just below my neck line...it feels like a basket of eggs as my finger runs across it...
In the diner various men congregate at different tables...some talk across these tables...it suggests people know people despite sitting in a variety of spots....baseball hats, shirts, jeans and trainers, some stay longer some go after they have eaten but it is unhurried easy paced conversation. Coffee refills are offered by the waitresses and some accept. It seems not that people dont have work to do but they are working to their own deadlines....It feels relaxed, laidback, natural and hints at being a regular occurence...a well oiled subtle eating tradition where local socializing has its place.
A radio is background music and Sheryl crow's beautiful mistake is not out of place in this moment....more the tune than the lyrics...her easy drawl voice fitting with atmosphere of the room
Later further along the road, 30km away I meet another cross canada-er, we exchange photos and notes on places to stay, road conditions and each persons story....he is doing it for the Scout movement in Canada and is scheduled to meet with different groups to talk with them about what he is doing. I feel a little more blase about our meeting and I have the dinner party affliction of forgetting his name almost immediately!
The wind seems to swirl and at times I ride like a professional with the wind at my back, others I struggle and have to gear down and patiently plod the kilometres to Dryden. I get really hungry near the end and eat two fruit bars and drink a dr pepper and feel sick for about half an hour but arrive in Dryden just after 4pm back in civilisation after the wilderness of the last 2 days along the edge of the Arctic watershed.
Stopped at Ignace....glad that I didn't have to ride the extra 60 k's to here instead of stopping at English River. Am struck by the fortune of finding Ron and Fran's place.....there were only 2 houses in English River...
Gentle tailwind gets me to Ignace at 1020 so I probably left camp at 8am this morning. Find a diner in town and order some breakfast. A curious thing is that with toast Peanut Butter and Strawberry jam are the only two options offered everytime!
As I wait for my order to arrive I fiddle with the back of my neck and feel the damage from last nights sleep.....midges have bitten just below my neck line...it feels like a basket of eggs as my finger runs across it...
In the diner various men congregate at different tables...some talk across these tables...it suggests people know people despite sitting in a variety of spots....baseball hats, shirts, jeans and trainers, some stay longer some go after they have eaten but it is unhurried easy paced conversation. Coffee refills are offered by the waitresses and some accept. It seems not that people dont have work to do but they are working to their own deadlines....It feels relaxed, laidback, natural and hints at being a regular occurence...a well oiled subtle eating tradition where local socializing has its place.
A radio is background music and Sheryl crow's beautiful mistake is not out of place in this moment....more the tune than the lyrics...her easy drawl voice fitting with atmosphere of the room
Later further along the road, 30km away I meet another cross canada-er, we exchange photos and notes on places to stay, road conditions and each persons story....he is doing it for the Scout movement in Canada and is scheduled to meet with different groups to talk with them about what he is doing. I feel a little more blase about our meeting and I have the dinner party affliction of forgetting his name almost immediately!
The wind seems to swirl and at times I ride like a professional with the wind at my back, others I struggle and have to gear down and patiently plod the kilometres to Dryden. I get really hungry near the end and eat two fruit bars and drink a dr pepper and feel sick for about half an hour but arrive in Dryden just after 4pm back in civilisation after the wilderness of the last 2 days along the edge of the Arctic watershed.
An Englishmen at English River
Climbed away from the city of Thunder Bay after a day of rest. Believed that i was on route 102 which the map looked like it would cut route 17 off and reduce the distance as I headed towards Winnipeg. Funnily the road was quiet and it took longer than the map suggested to meet the 17 that I began to doubt my 'oh so clever route choice' of getting out of Thunder Bay. Was scared I'd gone the wrong way....even though i was heading westward as the early morning sun had created the shadow of a touring cyclist in front of me to perpetually chase but not catch....
Once again though needing to hold the faith I found said mentioned route 17 and my sense of certainty and intent grew now firmly riding on the route across western ontario, with lake superior dissappearing into the distance behind me. As the afternoon began the wind got stronger into my face and I was being slowly pummeled by a long stepped climb up towards a small indian reserve called raith. The climbing was explained to me at Raith with a sign announcing that we had entered the Arctic watershed meaning that everything from now on flows not to Superior but to the Arctic circle.
Luckily after Raith the road flattened and I can still make good time towards Upsala. Here I had thought that I would stop for the evening but with only a small convenience store to welcome me into 'town' I decide to carry on through towards English River (another 50 kilometres further) with only a few more swigs of water left in my bottle.
An hour and a half later and I began to see signs for motels in English River but when I get there I am crushed to find that both Motels are closed. It is past 6pm and I am exhausted with little food and no water so am faced with camping wild or seeking some help from the two houses that make up the rest of this place!
I ask for water and explain my situation to the lady who comes to the door, low and behold they have an impromptu campsite out back. I set up shop (doing my ministry of silly walks body movements during the process to ward off mosquitos and sand flies and within 20 minutes and in Ron and Fran's house sharing photos from our respective collections sharing observations of the things I've seen. All this whilst munching on cheese sandwiches made by Fran!
Apparently it has been 190km from Thunder Bay...I have pushed back my daily limits. I wonder how my legs will feel tomorrow?
Ron shows me photos of him catching bears (not good for the morale when you are about to sleep outside) but he sends me off into the dusk with a bear joke and a smile....
The joke goes "there are lots of bears around here so make sure you have your bear bell and pepper spray handy just in case. You can tell if bears have been around because of their droppings. They are rounded in shape.....the smaller ones are of the babies.....you can tell whether larger bears have been about because their droppings are bigger and if you look carefully you can normally see in them bear bells and cans of pepper spray!"
Thanks Ron
Once again though needing to hold the faith I found said mentioned route 17 and my sense of certainty and intent grew now firmly riding on the route across western ontario, with lake superior dissappearing into the distance behind me. As the afternoon began the wind got stronger into my face and I was being slowly pummeled by a long stepped climb up towards a small indian reserve called raith. The climbing was explained to me at Raith with a sign announcing that we had entered the Arctic watershed meaning that everything from now on flows not to Superior but to the Arctic circle.
Luckily after Raith the road flattened and I can still make good time towards Upsala. Here I had thought that I would stop for the evening but with only a small convenience store to welcome me into 'town' I decide to carry on through towards English River (another 50 kilometres further) with only a few more swigs of water left in my bottle.
An hour and a half later and I began to see signs for motels in English River but when I get there I am crushed to find that both Motels are closed. It is past 6pm and I am exhausted with little food and no water so am faced with camping wild or seeking some help from the two houses that make up the rest of this place!
I ask for water and explain my situation to the lady who comes to the door, low and behold they have an impromptu campsite out back. I set up shop (doing my ministry of silly walks body movements during the process to ward off mosquitos and sand flies and within 20 minutes and in Ron and Fran's house sharing photos from our respective collections sharing observations of the things I've seen. All this whilst munching on cheese sandwiches made by Fran!
Apparently it has been 190km from Thunder Bay...I have pushed back my daily limits. I wonder how my legs will feel tomorrow?
Ron shows me photos of him catching bears (not good for the morale when you are about to sleep outside) but he sends me off into the dusk with a bear joke and a smile....
The joke goes "there are lots of bears around here so make sure you have your bear bell and pepper spray handy just in case. You can tell if bears have been around because of their droppings. They are rounded in shape.....the smaller ones are of the babies.....you can tell whether larger bears have been about because their droppings are bigger and if you look carefully you can normally see in them bear bells and cans of pepper spray!"
Thanks Ron
Wednesday 20 June 2007
The road to mattawa
Rode from pembroke (NW of Ottawa) to Mattawa intending to go for it and get to a place called North Bay but the plans didn't go to plan....heres what I wrote.....
Arriving in Mattawa.....My God did I underestimate the road between Deep River and Mattawa. The village of Deux Rivieres didn't really exist along the way (at least on route 17) and so along the way I ran out of food and water, got sun burnt, got bitten and then when I needed to step on it as the weather was changing from deep blue skies to storm clouds ahead I couldn't.....had no energy or horsepower. Also there were no signs along the way to tell me how far or close I was....just a series of ups and speed killing ups at that. Also no bends so that you feel like you are climbing a whizz wheel hill....nothing but the top to focus on.....like that climb from Chiddingfold to Wormley on that road race circuit.....every climb i do........
When the storm came I was a kilometre of uphill out of town but had to take cover in someone's porch (an old guys...he'd just abandonned cutting his grass) and he beckoned me under the porch for cover.....apparently he came to work in the area from Quebec in 1961 and one thing led to another and he stayed.....4 children, 10 grandchildren to his name....
Learning....if you go for broke early you could jeapodize the whole trip. I need to nuse my skin. Going to play conservative and limit myself to 100k's per day for the next few days.....The motorbike lady was right back at brunch who said that mattawa was more likely than North bay today....riding 205km....I laugh now at my arrogance....
Arriving in Mattawa.....My God did I underestimate the road between Deep River and Mattawa. The village of Deux Rivieres didn't really exist along the way (at least on route 17) and so along the way I ran out of food and water, got sun burnt, got bitten and then when I needed to step on it as the weather was changing from deep blue skies to storm clouds ahead I couldn't.....had no energy or horsepower. Also there were no signs along the way to tell me how far or close I was....just a series of ups and speed killing ups at that. Also no bends so that you feel like you are climbing a whizz wheel hill....nothing but the top to focus on.....like that climb from Chiddingfold to Wormley on that road race circuit.....every climb i do........
When the storm came I was a kilometre of uphill out of town but had to take cover in someone's porch (an old guys...he'd just abandonned cutting his grass) and he beckoned me under the porch for cover.....apparently he came to work in the area from Quebec in 1961 and one thing led to another and he stayed.....4 children, 10 grandchildren to his name....
Learning....if you go for broke early you could jeapodize the whole trip. I need to nuse my skin. Going to play conservative and limit myself to 100k's per day for the next few days.....The motorbike lady was right back at brunch who said that mattawa was more likely than North bay today....riding 205km....I laugh now at my arrogance....
Fellow Cross Canaders
Something that I've learnt over the last couple of weeks is that there is a community of other cross canada cyclists that you will meet or pass on the journey. These are people who are doing some form of the same trip that I am.
The first that I met was a guy called Martine who stopped and hailed me down when I was about 40km's away from espanola. He had a somehwat grizzled but happy way about him and was full of details about general info to do with camping, bears, road conditions, his own start and finish destinations. he had been a departmental manager in a big store in Quebec and gave up his job to set off from Vancouver about a month before. He told me about making sure to put anything i owned that was sweet (including things like toothpaste and suncream) at least a 100feet away from my tent when camping. He had done so but had woken one morning to go and retrieve his gear to find his bag wripped to shreds by something during the night. Even his suncream had been consumed...a sober story told with an amusing laugh...one that made me re think the prospect of camping for the next few days....
Another guy was Ben who came up to me when I was sitting outside a Tim Hortons in Sudbury and just started talking to me and asking what my trip involved. Interestingly I was feeling pretty uninspired at this moment and he was full of friendship and comradeship when I told him i was going east to west....most go west to east to take advantage of the prevailing winds...he had done same trip east to west 2 or so years before on a mountain bike and had done it in 31 days!!! He worked as a mountain bike/outdoor guide and was just so positive that it left me feeling re-invigorated again....I was blown away by the fact he aimed to do 160kms per day as a minimum and would often camp in peoples gardens having knocked on their doors to check it was ok.....It made me think about inspiration and how it often has come unexpectedly when I most need it....
Others I have met include a guy called Paul (who was going my way and we rode together for the morning), Matt and Dean I met near terrace bay (both from vancoover) and 3 girls I past on the way round from sault Ste Marie.
All the time poeple are friendly, share information of what is coming up in both directions and a little about their story of why they are doing it! In fact before I got into the swing of these chance 15 minute meetings I would feel guilty for not having passed on anything that I might know but having my map handy now helps for me to exchange what I know and feel like good about sharing what is known out there....
....the other thing (and this relates to inspiration) is that everyone is happy for everyone else and encouraging of them achieving what they have set out to achieve and also that people inspire people who inspire other people in sharing backgrounds...its liked we are all amped for everyone and you are part of an immediate bonded club.....congratulations, good luck, best wishes and watch out for the bears!!!
The first that I met was a guy called Martine who stopped and hailed me down when I was about 40km's away from espanola. He had a somehwat grizzled but happy way about him and was full of details about general info to do with camping, bears, road conditions, his own start and finish destinations. he had been a departmental manager in a big store in Quebec and gave up his job to set off from Vancouver about a month before. He told me about making sure to put anything i owned that was sweet (including things like toothpaste and suncream) at least a 100feet away from my tent when camping. He had done so but had woken one morning to go and retrieve his gear to find his bag wripped to shreds by something during the night. Even his suncream had been consumed...a sober story told with an amusing laugh...one that made me re think the prospect of camping for the next few days....
Another guy was Ben who came up to me when I was sitting outside a Tim Hortons in Sudbury and just started talking to me and asking what my trip involved. Interestingly I was feeling pretty uninspired at this moment and he was full of friendship and comradeship when I told him i was going east to west....most go west to east to take advantage of the prevailing winds...he had done same trip east to west 2 or so years before on a mountain bike and had done it in 31 days!!! He worked as a mountain bike/outdoor guide and was just so positive that it left me feeling re-invigorated again....I was blown away by the fact he aimed to do 160kms per day as a minimum and would often camp in peoples gardens having knocked on their doors to check it was ok.....It made me think about inspiration and how it often has come unexpectedly when I most need it....
Others I have met include a guy called Paul (who was going my way and we rode together for the morning), Matt and Dean I met near terrace bay (both from vancoover) and 3 girls I past on the way round from sault Ste Marie.
All the time poeple are friendly, share information of what is coming up in both directions and a little about their story of why they are doing it! In fact before I got into the swing of these chance 15 minute meetings I would feel guilty for not having passed on anything that I might know but having my map handy now helps for me to exchange what I know and feel like good about sharing what is known out there....
....the other thing (and this relates to inspiration) is that everyone is happy for everyone else and encouraging of them achieving what they have set out to achieve and also that people inspire people who inspire other people in sharing backgrounds...its liked we are all amped for everyone and you are part of an immediate bonded club.....congratulations, good luck, best wishes and watch out for the bears!!!
The first Camping experience
At la Plaisance (just to the east of Ottawa) I stayed at my first Campground....it was a national park and when I turned up at about 5.30 there weren't too many people around....it seemed to stretch in length for about 5km's from the entrance and was surrounded by rivers and lakes. The weather had been wet and although it wasnt raining there was heavy clouds and things didn't look like they were going to get drier.
I had had a broken French/Quebeccois conversation with a lady who was leaving for the day at the recption door and she seemed unconcerned about me paying or not. therefore I pedalled off into the site and searched out a camp place under some trees with what I have know realised is thre standard wooden bench next to each place for people to sit. managed to get my tent up in about 10 minutes and whilst it dumped rain on me for about 3 hours during the night this had discouraged bugs so I remained reklatively unbitten.
Woke at 6am and then about a zillion times more until 8.30 when a park guide appeared and we had a quick chat. He spoke English which helped, and I confessed that I hadn't paid yet....he seemed unconcerned about that and he enquired to my trip and talked about the weather.
Talking about the weather isn't as banal in outdoor life as it contains vital information on what you might expect later in the day. He mentioned cold northerlies and the blessing that this might kill off mosquito eggs which were due to release soon for their high season. he then left with a warm shake of the hand and I was left to methodically pack my stuff and search out somewhere for breakfast and then head for Ottawa.
I had had a broken French/Quebeccois conversation with a lady who was leaving for the day at the recption door and she seemed unconcerned about me paying or not. therefore I pedalled off into the site and searched out a camp place under some trees with what I have know realised is thre standard wooden bench next to each place for people to sit. managed to get my tent up in about 10 minutes and whilst it dumped rain on me for about 3 hours during the night this had discouraged bugs so I remained reklatively unbitten.
Woke at 6am and then about a zillion times more until 8.30 when a park guide appeared and we had a quick chat. He spoke English which helped, and I confessed that I hadn't paid yet....he seemed unconcerned about that and he enquired to my trip and talked about the weather.
Talking about the weather isn't as banal in outdoor life as it contains vital information on what you might expect later in the day. He mentioned cold northerlies and the blessing that this might kill off mosquito eggs which were due to release soon for their high season. he then left with a warm shake of the hand and I was left to methodically pack my stuff and search out somewhere for breakfast and then head for Ottawa.
The travelogue updated
Folks as you can see there are large spands of time where it has been difficult to get to the internet access so I reckon that I should give you a quick update and then fill in the blanks later....
Its June 20th now and I'm at Thunder Bay which is about 1600km's round....I've gone round the top of Lake Superior after having travelled from Ottawa (where I spent a day of rest).
The route has worked out as follows
Quebec, la trois rivieres, joliette, la plaisance, ottawa, pembroke, mattawa, mattawa, sturgeon falls, espanola, ironbridge, sault ste marie, montreal river, wawa, white river, marathon, terrace bay, nipigan and now Thunder Bay where I'm having a second rest day... Each place I've written is where I have stayed for a night and currently in the duke out between motels and campgrounds...the motels are winning it.....
Basically with the cycling each day I have found it physically and mentally tough and have opted for motels at more places than camping to help myself recover better and help me find my feet....once the first few days enthusaism faded away it has been a challenge to get mileage done and the clean bed motel existence has helped lower the challenge to a level i could cope with....
The small things become bigger things either in your favour or against you it seems so far. Getting up early to avoid the rising winds in the afternoon, cleaning cycling gear each day, eating a 'four square' meal each day and getting away from a host of midge life has made the 6 hour cycling days more do-able.
Its funny too that in many places the things you see are on route rather than in the towns of villages so there aren't many reasons not to get more kilometres under your wheels each day...
Its June 20th now and I'm at Thunder Bay which is about 1600km's round....I've gone round the top of Lake Superior after having travelled from Ottawa (where I spent a day of rest).
The route has worked out as follows
Quebec, la trois rivieres, joliette, la plaisance, ottawa, pembroke, mattawa, mattawa, sturgeon falls, espanola, ironbridge, sault ste marie, montreal river, wawa, white river, marathon, terrace bay, nipigan and now Thunder Bay where I'm having a second rest day... Each place I've written is where I have stayed for a night and currently in the duke out between motels and campgrounds...the motels are winning it.....
Basically with the cycling each day I have found it physically and mentally tough and have opted for motels at more places than camping to help myself recover better and help me find my feet....once the first few days enthusaism faded away it has been a challenge to get mileage done and the clean bed motel existence has helped lower the challenge to a level i could cope with....
The small things become bigger things either in your favour or against you it seems so far. Getting up early to avoid the rising winds in the afternoon, cleaning cycling gear each day, eating a 'four square' meal each day and getting away from a host of midge life has made the 6 hour cycling days more do-able.
Its funny too that in many places the things you see are on route rather than in the towns of villages so there aren't many reasons not to get more kilometres under your wheels each day...
lunchtime in lachute....
Felt pretty low today...i'm having lunch in lachute having travelled up from la trois rivieres to a place called Joliette last night and now am heading across country towards Ottawa....the weather has been really heavy this morning although i have again been blessed with something of a tailwind. Stayed in another motel last night (and feel somehwat guilty about this but lost about an hour yesterday evening riding around the town trying to find a campsite).
Found an amphitheatre though but it was all shut up. Yesterday was hot and was punctuated with arriving in tiny villages where I constantly wonder what the people who live here do for work...certainly Joliette had a nice array of houses (I know I rode around it for long enough!!!)
This morning I had hoped that the Canadian weather forecasters would be wrong about the rain but it was raining either heavily or lightly until now....
Aware that my setting of goals of destination each day is creating a large impatience in me and gets in the way of being satisfied and enjoying the present. My riding question is how to set goals and then almost forget about them and just truly 'be'....This was my moment of inspiration on route 158 whilst dodging the rain and big trucks that steam past on the road.
In this weather I worry about feeling exposed and getting sick...have fallen in love with a place called Tim Hortons (like the name their!!) which is a healthy fast food place you can find out many intersection road junctions along the way.....the windows are always big and clear so I can put my bike outside and keep an eye on it whilst eating inside....they also do great soups which provides good nourishment along the way.....
Still struggling with spending longer than 4 hours on the bike in the saddle undercarriage regard... also aware that I'm just trying to get through rather than enjoy the trip at the moment
Found an amphitheatre though but it was all shut up. Yesterday was hot and was punctuated with arriving in tiny villages where I constantly wonder what the people who live here do for work...certainly Joliette had a nice array of houses (I know I rode around it for long enough!!!)
This morning I had hoped that the Canadian weather forecasters would be wrong about the rain but it was raining either heavily or lightly until now....
Aware that my setting of goals of destination each day is creating a large impatience in me and gets in the way of being satisfied and enjoying the present. My riding question is how to set goals and then almost forget about them and just truly 'be'....This was my moment of inspiration on route 158 whilst dodging the rain and big trucks that steam past on the road.
In this weather I worry about feeling exposed and getting sick...have fallen in love with a place called Tim Hortons (like the name their!!) which is a healthy fast food place you can find out many intersection road junctions along the way.....the windows are always big and clear so I can put my bike outside and keep an eye on it whilst eating inside....they also do great soups which provides good nourishment along the way.....
Still struggling with spending longer than 4 hours on the bike in the saddle undercarriage regard... also aware that I'm just trying to get through rather than enjoy the trip at the moment
Wednesday 6 June 2007
This is more like it...
Strangely after feeling not secure at our friendly downtown Motel in La Trois Rivieres I was up and outta there early the next morning. I have made a decision that while I am still finding my feet I will avoid really built up areas which will have implications for my journey route today. Instead of making a beeline down from La trois Rivieres to Montreal (or as the quebeccois say 'Moreal') I am going to head across country and aim for north of the city hopefully avoiding the busier roads.
So far my experience has led me to believe that the road services in the city are pretty rutted, they often look like they have suffered from severe earthquakes the amount of ruts and cracks there are in the road....although my working theory is that the heavy road usage combined with heavy tyred vehicles has eaten, quite literally, into the quality of the surfaces.....this may sound like a strange observation but on day 2 I am becoming aware again of my need to acclimatize to sitting for 5 or 6 hours a day on a saddle....road quality becomes an important consideration in relation to the wear and tear of ones undercarriage!
I continue down the 138 through villages like Loiseville (where I stop for a hearty brunch) and Berthierville with the sun shining and once again a following wind I am clipping along at a steady rate.....the roads are wide, a double yellow centre line with a good 5ft cycle space at the side of each lane and a railroad track running about 50metres to my right. I hope to see one of the big Canadian trains go past and imagine it on the same journey as me but as yet I havent had this experience. I also get glimpses of Lac St Pierre which being further up the St Lawrence estuary is a fresh watered lake that flows out to sea.With the ideal cycling weather conditions, a feeling of form and strength on the bike and the general scenery around me (including more Harley davidson groups) this is part of what I had hoped for.....only part as it still feels quite close to civilisation in all its guises (eg people, buildings, time of the trip)
I turn inland to traverse the area north of Montreal heading towards Joliette and arrive here at about 3pm with the same crazy haphazzrad routine as the day before ensues...cycling round town trying to find an information place or hoping to stumble upon a campsite....neither occurs and on a sunday i begin to fear my chances of finding anywhere open....luckily having inadvertently found a local amphitheatre along the way i end up at a one star motel (I know another motel!!) where I happily stump up cash to a bemused looking receptionist and load up with provisions at a nearby pertol station.
Two days and about 220 kilometres under my wheels am I'm feeling tired and sunbleached....the sun was continuous today but with the breeze I dont notice its effect and I have got some colour in the usual cycling places...arms, tops of the knees and back of the calves...however a minor detail is that having rolled down arm warmers to my wrists early in the day I now have red arms but 3 inch white wrists as a souvenir for a second day of pedalling....nice!
So far my experience has led me to believe that the road services in the city are pretty rutted, they often look like they have suffered from severe earthquakes the amount of ruts and cracks there are in the road....although my working theory is that the heavy road usage combined with heavy tyred vehicles has eaten, quite literally, into the quality of the surfaces.....this may sound like a strange observation but on day 2 I am becoming aware again of my need to acclimatize to sitting for 5 or 6 hours a day on a saddle....road quality becomes an important consideration in relation to the wear and tear of ones undercarriage!
I continue down the 138 through villages like Loiseville (where I stop for a hearty brunch) and Berthierville with the sun shining and once again a following wind I am clipping along at a steady rate.....the roads are wide, a double yellow centre line with a good 5ft cycle space at the side of each lane and a railroad track running about 50metres to my right. I hope to see one of the big Canadian trains go past and imagine it on the same journey as me but as yet I havent had this experience. I also get glimpses of Lac St Pierre which being further up the St Lawrence estuary is a fresh watered lake that flows out to sea.With the ideal cycling weather conditions, a feeling of form and strength on the bike and the general scenery around me (including more Harley davidson groups) this is part of what I had hoped for.....only part as it still feels quite close to civilisation in all its guises (eg people, buildings, time of the trip)
I turn inland to traverse the area north of Montreal heading towards Joliette and arrive here at about 3pm with the same crazy haphazzrad routine as the day before ensues...cycling round town trying to find an information place or hoping to stumble upon a campsite....neither occurs and on a sunday i begin to fear my chances of finding anywhere open....luckily having inadvertently found a local amphitheatre along the way i end up at a one star motel (I know another motel!!) where I happily stump up cash to a bemused looking receptionist and load up with provisions at a nearby pertol station.
Two days and about 220 kilometres under my wheels am I'm feeling tired and sunbleached....the sun was continuous today but with the breeze I dont notice its effect and I have got some colour in the usual cycling places...arms, tops of the knees and back of the calves...however a minor detail is that having rolled down arm warmers to my wrists early in the day I now have red arms but 3 inch white wrists as a souvenir for a second day of pedalling....nice!
Day 1 Quebec to La trois rivieres 140km ish
well to continue.....just to let you know that I am half writing this from my 'rambling notes' from the book given to me before I left and also what is reminded to me as i re-read and review each day
Breakfast at the Quality Suite wasnt quite as impressive as the room...a meagre croissant, some orange juice and a cup of tea (yeah i know tea drinking after all my abstinence since january but needs must!!!) anyway having slept until about 6 and began the process of re-assembly of le velo in my 'lounge' I breakfast at 7 and and ready to go by 8.15. I remeber the Lane4 spirit of setting myself a goal to get everything done which does indeed help me focus!!! Suffice feel like its all a success particularly as there are no oil stains on the hotel carpet :)
Even having had a couple of dry runs the weight of everything tied to my bike is a little shocking....the weight on each side makes it feel like it is going to twist of brake in half but i gingerly get going from a non descript 'by a freeway' hotel (think Travellodge here) and I'm in search of route 138.....i thread through quiet city traffic and finally turn west on 138 with the comforting sign saying La Trois Rivieres 130km's signalling my way.
First humourus incident involves a waterbottle strapped to my tent and sleeping mat falls off as I go under a bridge and scatters across a road...luckily there arent many cars and I first scramble the bike to the side of the pavement (no mean feat as the bike has been renamed 'the tank') and I collect my water bottle from the middle of the road....
The routre after this is quite straight forward really....follow 138 which becomes eerily quiet out of the suburbs of Quebec....i am blessed with a tailwind which helps keep the speed higher than i imagined and feels like the RAC God is gently encouraging the new traveller....RAC means Ride Across Canada by the way...
things i wrote down that i noticed (the consultant in me is still strong-said in a yoda styly!) include that all the houses have porches and steps up to them....they all seem to be wooden or at least wooden like with much less brick in evidence as a building material for houses.....also I have as my companion the estuary to my left that runs out into the Athlantic eventually up in Newfoundland
Feel nervous to get miles under my wheels, perhaps because I have now begun to realise how far the trip will be and its all feels sooo far away on the first day, so I dont stop for lunch but then enter an areas with little or no food available and i get hungry and my average speed starts to drop.....then i remember the Dairy Milk bar gift from everyone at work and it becomes my life blood for abut 30kms...
The most common other form of transport on the road appears to be motorcycles and especially Harley davidsons....groups and groups of them ride past and I can begin to see the attraction of them....cruising along in a group stopping from time to time and hanging out with your friends.....makes me think of zen and the art of motorcycle maintenance!
Finally reach La Trois Rivieres and ride around like a mad man looking for camp sites and information places when at about 4pm the heavens which ahd been darkening for a while suddenly release their contents and have me drenched in minutes.....give in to the temptation of the first motel I see and negotiate with the guy at reception to let me have my bike in the room with me. He hadn't been too impressed with the gear and the state of it post rainstorm but he relents and gives me 3 old towels to lay under the bike as to not damage the carpet.
Into the room and it looks like one of those seedy rooms you see in cop shows where criminals lay low before or after 'coming to town' but at least it is dry. I watch tv and fall asleep nervous to the noises outside. Whatever this trip is I'm in it now....
Breakfast at the Quality Suite wasnt quite as impressive as the room...a meagre croissant, some orange juice and a cup of tea (yeah i know tea drinking after all my abstinence since january but needs must!!!) anyway having slept until about 6 and began the process of re-assembly of le velo in my 'lounge' I breakfast at 7 and and ready to go by 8.15. I remeber the Lane4 spirit of setting myself a goal to get everything done which does indeed help me focus!!! Suffice feel like its all a success particularly as there are no oil stains on the hotel carpet :)
Even having had a couple of dry runs the weight of everything tied to my bike is a little shocking....the weight on each side makes it feel like it is going to twist of brake in half but i gingerly get going from a non descript 'by a freeway' hotel (think Travellodge here) and I'm in search of route 138.....i thread through quiet city traffic and finally turn west on 138 with the comforting sign saying La Trois Rivieres 130km's signalling my way.
First humourus incident involves a waterbottle strapped to my tent and sleeping mat falls off as I go under a bridge and scatters across a road...luckily there arent many cars and I first scramble the bike to the side of the pavement (no mean feat as the bike has been renamed 'the tank') and I collect my water bottle from the middle of the road....
The routre after this is quite straight forward really....follow 138 which becomes eerily quiet out of the suburbs of Quebec....i am blessed with a tailwind which helps keep the speed higher than i imagined and feels like the RAC God is gently encouraging the new traveller....RAC means Ride Across Canada by the way...
things i wrote down that i noticed (the consultant in me is still strong-said in a yoda styly!) include that all the houses have porches and steps up to them....they all seem to be wooden or at least wooden like with much less brick in evidence as a building material for houses.....also I have as my companion the estuary to my left that runs out into the Athlantic eventually up in Newfoundland
Feel nervous to get miles under my wheels, perhaps because I have now begun to realise how far the trip will be and its all feels sooo far away on the first day, so I dont stop for lunch but then enter an areas with little or no food available and i get hungry and my average speed starts to drop.....then i remember the Dairy Milk bar gift from everyone at work and it becomes my life blood for abut 30kms...
The most common other form of transport on the road appears to be motorcycles and especially Harley davidsons....groups and groups of them ride past and I can begin to see the attraction of them....cruising along in a group stopping from time to time and hanging out with your friends.....makes me think of zen and the art of motorcycle maintenance!
Finally reach La Trois Rivieres and ride around like a mad man looking for camp sites and information places when at about 4pm the heavens which ahd been darkening for a while suddenly release their contents and have me drenched in minutes.....give in to the temptation of the first motel I see and negotiate with the guy at reception to let me have my bike in the room with me. He hadn't been too impressed with the gear and the state of it post rainstorm but he relents and gives me 3 old towels to lay under the bike as to not damage the carpet.
Into the room and it looks like one of those seedy rooms you see in cop shows where criminals lay low before or after 'coming to town' but at least it is dry. I watch tv and fall asleep nervous to the noises outside. Whatever this trip is I'm in it now....
Tuesday 5 June 2007
up, up and away!!!!
hello..well having just found myself an internet site (i've made it to ottawa so far) i thought i should update you on what has happened on my first couple of days in canada....
All my worries and concerns begin to dissipate as I start to make the steps to catch the flight at Heathrow....lots of emotional goodbyes to friends, take a bow team teapot and also friends from work (thanks everyone at lane4...choked is not the word!!) and then finally to Mum and dad and jacq especially....the emotions rise in me easily from my core up and hit like a wave on the inside of my face spilling out as tears on my face....i miss you all and already people pop into my head during the long days of pedalling....
On the flight and i start a conversation with the two guys next to me, Miguel and Kev, they are friendly and offer two different siders to Canada...one is a Quebeccois and the other from Newfoundland...the flight is smooth and I get through customs with bike and panniers without a problem...the connection flight is on a smaller plane but we are in Quebec within 40 minutes...it is finally getting dark and the airport is a small one...
I get a taxci and am at the Quality suite...it exceeds its purpose as I have a lounge and bedroom with a massive bike box....little do they know that I will use the lounge space as a make shift bike shop to assemble the bike.....i'm tired and decide to sleep and put everything together tomorrow.....relief and tiredness send me to sleep quickly...the first day awaits me
All my worries and concerns begin to dissipate as I start to make the steps to catch the flight at Heathrow....lots of emotional goodbyes to friends, take a bow team teapot and also friends from work (thanks everyone at lane4...choked is not the word!!) and then finally to Mum and dad and jacq especially....the emotions rise in me easily from my core up and hit like a wave on the inside of my face spilling out as tears on my face....i miss you all and already people pop into my head during the long days of pedalling....
On the flight and i start a conversation with the two guys next to me, Miguel and Kev, they are friendly and offer two different siders to Canada...one is a Quebeccois and the other from Newfoundland...the flight is smooth and I get through customs with bike and panniers without a problem...the connection flight is on a smaller plane but we are in Quebec within 40 minutes...it is finally getting dark and the airport is a small one...
I get a taxci and am at the Quality suite...it exceeds its purpose as I have a lounge and bedroom with a massive bike box....little do they know that I will use the lounge space as a make shift bike shop to assemble the bike.....i'm tired and decide to sleep and put everything together tomorrow.....relief and tiredness send me to sleep quickly...the first day awaits me
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