The End of the Line!

Well, after cycling 8723 km's over 95 days I've made it to St. John's Newfoundland! Right now I don't have any grand feelings of accomplishment, but maybe that will change as I stop riding or when we return home. In fact, I'm a little disappointed to have reached the endpoint ... I was really enjoying myself!

Newfoundland is a pretty intense place. There aren't many trees around and it's really windy. So far we've been enjoying the beautiful scenery here on "the rock".

Coming into Argentia on the ferry.

Last one!

For our two day ride from Argentia the wind was blowing somewhere around 40-50km/hr, mostly in the right direction. When Jenn got a flat tire I took my helmet off while helping her change it. A little while later we heard a crunching noise, and looked up to see my helmet getting run over by a camper ... it had been blown from the gravel, across the shoulder, and onto the road! While I was retrieving it and Jenn was laughing at me, her tire was blown across the road as well!

A beautiful lake near Dunville.

Jenn had a bit of a rough time of the wind. On the highway she was blown into the gravel and off her bike. Later that day in St. John's she pulled up to a stop sign at a busy intersection and was unbalanced with a gust of wind, got stuck in the still clipped side of her pedals, and fell over, taking me with her in a painful cyclist tangle. It was quite an entrance!

Jenn ... post bail. A passing truck driver honked at me to tell me she had fallen over. It was windy enough that I still thought she was right behind me!

Lunch behind a bush about an hour from St. John's.

When we arrived in St. John's we went straight to the harbour. I didn't dip my bike in the Pacific before starting, but I did go swimming the day before I left ... so I dove in for a swim in the Atlantic. St. John's has the most incredible harbour I've ever seen.

St. John's Harbour.


Dipping myself in the Atlantic.



Right now we're enjoying ourselves in and around St. John's. We rode out to Cape Spear, the Easternmost point in North America, and up to Signal Hill for a beautiful view of the St. John's harbour. We've been enjoying the friendliness of the city, and some more live music. Tomorrow we will head out by car to do some hiking, climbing, and exploring on the West Coast of Newfoundland. Then it's back to St. John's for our flight home on September 14th.

Our celebratory dinner ... mmm!

The bike got to go swimming as well at Cape Spear. It's not immediately apparent quite how hard it is to dip your bike in the ocean until you actually attempt it.

Fort Amherst and the coast from Signal Hill.

Traveling by bicycle I've really come to appreciate the beauty, diversity, and generosity of our country. Cycling enables you to stop in a lot of places and meet a lot of people that wouldn't have been possible traveling in a car. As well, you get all the sounds and smells that would have otherwise been missed. The cycling wasn't really that physically hard after the first week or so, but being comfortable living on the road was key to the trip.


Thanks for following so far, the support and words of encouragement has meant the world to me. With your generous donations, we're on track to raise around $2500 for the MS Society of Canada! I'll be in contact with those of you who pledged me soon with the total. Better look out for my collector ... she's fierce!

I'll continue with the rest of our trip in a future post.

Through Nova Scotia to Newfoundland

I write this from the MV Smallwood, crossing from Nova Scotia to Newfoundland. The ride from Halifax went quite smoothlly through some beautiful terrain. Jenn's is doing very well, and zips past me on each downhill!

Two days from Halifax we arrived in Antigonish on an enormous tailwind. We were receiving so much conflicting information about Hurricane Bill that we decided to book a motel room for two nights and just sit it out. We stocked up on food and lazed in front of the weather channel. Although Jenn did see something fly past the window at one point, the hurricane didn't hit us as hard as they were expecting. Also, I had another broken spoke outside of Antigonish, so I spent a few hours truing the wheel in the motel room ... and surprisingly did a pretty good job!

Hurricane Bill from our motel room blew this way.

And then that way ... with lots of rain.

After this we set out for Cape Breton. The island has quite a neat feel to it, with many small towns in cute little coves. It sure was hilly though, and the road frequently travelled into one cove, steeply up over a ridge, and down into the next cove. Since the hurricane caused us to miss our original boat, we were able to take a small detour to see the site where Marconi sent the first trans-Atlantic radio transmission and spend an afternoon visiting Sydney.

Jenn coming through one of many really steep hills along Hwy 4.

St. Peter's from Battery Provincial Park.

Rita's Tea House in Big Pond, NS ... home of Rita MacNeil!

Near the causeway to Cape Breton Island we stopped for a bowl of lobster chowder at a roadside restaurant. The chowder was really tasty, but the owner of the restaurant was a real character. He was running around yelling and lighting off fireworks, and made a big scene when he found out I had come from Vancouver by bicycle.

Our campsite in Ryan River.

Glace Bay, NS. It was really windy, I couldn't imagine being here in the winter.

Of all the enormous things I've seen, Sydney's giant fiddle is by far the best!

Lobster Rolls in Sydney ... mmm.

Now we are on the ferry to Argentia, Newfoundland. It's slightly larger and more comfortable than the BC Ferries vessels ... a necessity for the 13 hour ride on the Atlantic! At $110 each for a foot passenger it's quite an expensive trip. It would have been nice to take the shorter ferry to Port aux Basques and do the 1000km ride through Newfoundland, but unfortunately we don't have enough time. Instead we will ride to St. John's and then take the bus to visit Gros Morne National Park and some of the West Coast.

You can pay extra for a cabin on the boat ... but this works OK too.

There's no mistaking the Atlantic for Georgia Strait. Very awe-inspiring!

In Sydney I met a blind fellow who is also doing a cross Canada ride. He rides a tandem recumbent with a sighted rider in the front. You can look at his setup and goal here. He's very dedicated to providing opportunities for those with disabilities to attend the special olympics, and is an inspiring person to meet.

The next time you hear from me will be in St. John's!

PEI and Halifax

Hi Everyone,

Through the past week I've been exploring PEI and Halifax. But more importantly Jenn has arrived in Halifax to join me on the final leg to St. John's!

Before heading to PEI I stopped in Moncton. The downtown was filled with patios and good food. I stopped for dinner in one of many breweries to have blueberry beer and seafood!

From Moncton I headed along Northumberland Strait to the Confederation Bridge. You can't bike across it, but there was a free shuttle which deposited me in a tourist town right beside a beautiful red sandy beach! It's quite surprising that the sand on the New Brunswick and the PEI sides of the strait is so different.

Confederation Bridge spans the 14km across Northumberland Strait.

Yay, province number 8!

Along with Irish Cobbler potatoes and Anne of Green Gables, PEI is the home of Cows Ice Cream ... mmm!

I took a couple days to explore Charlottetown and the North coast of the island. True to what I've heard, everyone was super friendly. If I wasn't riding I was talking to someone, and there was great music all over the city. To top it off, the hostel served fresh banana bread in the morning! I should note that I didn't get a chance to visit Cavendish or do any other "Anne" related tourism.

Province House, where John A. Macdonald and George Cartier successfully pitched the idea of a united Canada to the maritime provinces in 1864.

There were great beaches all around PEI. This is PEI National Park, with the famous dunes visible in the background.

View from the ferry as it leaves Wood Islands.

From PEI I took the ferry to Nova Scotia and rode to Halifax to meet Jenn. We assembled her bike and explored Halifax and some of the surrounding area for a couple days. Halifax has a great feel to it: history, food, and friendliness. Amoung other things we visited Pier 21, where 1 million immigrants arrived in Canada between 1920 and 1970. Also, we were able to catch up with Rachel, who finished her cross Canada trip about a week earlier.

Only one more of these signs left!

This nifty little pipe saved me after I had run out of water about 40km from town on a very hot day.

Halifax harbour.

Tidepools and the Atlantic Ocean in Dover.

We went for our first swim in the Atlantic here at Peggy's Cove. The famous lighthouse (and hundreds of tourists) in the background.

Now we are riding towards Sydney to take the ferry to Newfoundland. Hurricane Bill is supposed to hit this region tomorrow night, so we've chosen a route along the North side of Nova Scotia and will have to hunker down and wait it out.

Reunited!

Cheers,
Dave

New Brunswick

For the last week I've been exploring the Southern part of New Brunswick. It's been filled with climbing, hiking, wonderful people, and a bit of cycling too!

On my way from Blackville to Fredericton I stopped in the shade of a Royal Canadian Legion building to eat my lunch. While I was eating the president came by and we chatted. A few minutes later he came back with the treasurer and they gave me (along with a cold pop and pin) a $50 donation to the MS Society! Thanks so much!

Wild blueberries on the way to Fredericton. At the patch I also met one of the founders of the Vancouver Area Cycling Coalition!

Self portrait coming through the hills.

Fredericton was quite a friendly city. I had a relaxing day off during which I swam, lazed on the grass, cycled around town, watched a couple live bands, and had some great Mexican food. This went along with lots of planning for the rest of the trip once I finally got a good map of Atlantic Canada (in Quebec you can only get maps of Quebec).

The St. John River and downtown Fredericton.

From Fredericton it was South to Welsford for two days of climbing. I didn't have a partner arranged, but managed to meet up with (an also partnerless) Rebecca from St. Catherines, Ontario for two days of good company and awesome crack / face climbing. It was the friendliest crag I've ever been to, and I had the pleasure of meeting a wonderful group of climbers from St. John and Halifax.

Of the two days I spent in Welsford I took one crappy picture ... leading the second pitch of Weeping Whisker with Rebecca at the belay.

From Welsford I headed South to St. John to stay with Graham, who had contacted me out of the blue and offered me a place to stay. He made a killer cabbage salad and we talked about climbing, hiking, and the great outdoors of New Brunswick with his friend Ross. On the way from Welsford I had my first broken spoke, but it was quickly fixed by the bike shop in St. John.

My next destination was the Fundy Footpath. This is a 48km trail along the Bay of Fundy between St. Martins and Alma. I was originally a little nervous showing up in the rain with running shoes, cycling shoe covers as gaitors, a non waterproof 30L backpack, and no ride back ... but it went off without a hitch! There was a lot of up and down along the Fundy Escarpment, but the scenery was well worth the elevation gain. The Bay of Fundy has the worlds largest tides at 9m!

Cooking on Seely Beach, my first night on the trail.

The famous Bay of Fundy fog.

Wild mushroom on the trail.

Centurion Point at Goose Creek.

My second campsite at Goose Creek. Martin Head in the background.

I had a moose encounter just after crossing Goose Creek. We both looked at each other cautiously as this guy walked within 5 meters of me! About an hour earlier at high tide, this basin was totally filled.

Goose River where the Fundy Footpath finishes ... wait a minute ... it's another 8km to the nearest road? ... dammit!

Afterwards I had to get back from Alma to my bike at the Big Salmon River in St. Martins. This is quite a roundabout route and required 9 separate rides, 8km of walking, and a wonderful park staff who brought my bike the last 10km to me! A big thanks to all those who went sometimes quite far out of their way to get me further down the road.

Throughout the trip I've met a lot of people who are just getting into cycle touring. It's quite a cool feeling to inspire some of them to take the plunge and head out on a trip of their own!

Now I'm off to Moncton, Charlottetown, and Halifax to meet Jenn.

Route Map

There have been a lot of requests for maps of my route so far. This is quite a daunting task, but here's a reasonable effort with Google Maps. Each destination on the map is where I spent one or more nights. The destinations are placed arbitrarily (by Google) in each city, but the roads between cities are accurate (for sections of bike path I've just chosen the nearest road). Also note that the actual cycling distances each day are usually around 5-15% further.

This map now includes the full journey from Vancouver to St. John's.

Burnaby, BC to Medicine Hat, AB

View Larger Map

Medicine Hat, AB to Kenora, ON

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Kenora, ON to Ottawa, ON

View Larger Map

Ottawa, ON to Halifax, NS

View Larger Map

Halifax, NS to St. John's, NF

View Larger Map

Enjoy!
Dave

Quebec and Into New Brunswick

Hi Everyone,

I write this from Miramichi, New Brunswick. Right now I'm waiting out some very strong headwinds in a local grocery store (while writing this post I've consumed 3 lbs of cherries and a tub of macaroni salad!). I've covered quite a lot of distance in the last little while, so I'll do my best.

Rachel and I parted routes in Ottawa, so I've been riding solo since then. I left Montreal with the goal of exploring what my body is capable of, and really pushing myself physically and mentally. I spent most of the day down in the aero bars pedaling hard (except when I got a flat tire), and managed to cover 290km to Quebec City! I would have rode another 10km, but it was dark and raining by the time I found a hostel. Along with a ton of sugary food, I consumed 9 litres of fluids during the ride!

La Route Verte followed the shore of the St. Lawrence. It was absolutely gorgeous! This is near Trois Rivieres.

When La Route Verte did follow a road, there were these wonderful signs to remind motorists.

Before continuing, I spent two days exploring Quebec, the oldest city in North America. My friend Gen met me for dinner and a beer and gave me an awesome tour of the optics lab at Laval! The rest of my time was spent taking in the sights of the old city, climbing, and visiting Les Chutes Montmorency. As in Montreal, there were all sorts of cool activities at night. I was able to attend a free Cirque de Soleil outdoor performance under a bridge and see a multimedia presentation of the history of Quebec in images. This was projected on the side of a building in the old port and was created for Quebec's 400th anniversary last year.

Chateau Frontenac in Quebec and the old city. A building has stood here for almost 400 years!

Les Chutes Montmorency just outside of Quebec.

The Quebec Parliament buildings. Note the absence of a Canadian flag.

View of Chateau Frontenac and the Citadel from the ferry crossing to Levis.

My next destination was Kamouraska. I spent a day there climbing steep wonderful sport routes and making new friends. The cliffs overlooked the Fleuve St. Laurent (maybe someone can fill me in on the difference between Fleuve and Riviere?) and the view from the tops of the climbs was second to none. The sunset across the Fleuve was also spectacular, dubbed the "golden bridge" by locals.

More wonderful St. Lawrence scenery near St. Denis.

A couple of climbers making their way to a section of the cliffs at Kamouraska.

View from the cliffs at Kamouraska.

From Kamouraska I made my way to Rimouski and then down to Campbellton, New Brunswick. I rode a short time with Larrisa and Sean who are making their way from Toronto to Halifax (you can read about their trip here). The 100km descent down the Saumon River to Campbellton was one of the best of the trip! As I got closer to Chaleur Bay I could smell the ocean for the first time in over two months. This was another 200km day.

Hiding from a thunderstorm under a tree near Rimouski.

I followed most of La Route Verte from Gatineau all the way to New Brunswick! And when I wasn't on it, I was following route #132. Signs are a big deal when you're cycling, and I thought both of these deserved a little recognition!

My French has been slowly improving during my time in Quebec. But it greatly depends on the person I'm talking to; some I can understand clearly and others I can't pick out a single word in a sentence! In Acadia people speak "Squash". At first you can't tell if it's French or English ... and then you realize it's a combination of both, spoken with a wonderfully heavy accent!

Throughout the trip I've constantly been writing about how friendly people are. Well, the people in Acadia are by far the most friendly I've met so far! In Bathurst I walked into a restaurant and came out with a free seafood lasagna dinner and $50 of donations for the MS Society!

The bridge across Chaleur Bay separating Quebec and New Brunswick.

Me and my tan lines relaxing after a swim in Bathurst.

The Bulk Barn rocked my world ... where else can you get 1 cup of rice, 1 cup of lentils, 2 cups of quinoa, lots of ice tea powder, 4 bouillon cubes, 100 grams of curry powder, etc?

It's nice to be climbing again, and talking with people who don't care about cycling. And the climbing community is a small one. In Kamouraska I met people that I had climbed with in Montreal, Quebec City, Squamish, and Nanaimo! Contrast to this, the Quebec cycling community is massive. There was a several thousand person bicycle tour (complete with entertainment at night) called the Grande Tour going on along parts of La Route Verte. Thankfully I was just ahead of the tour, and was able to talk with some people in the support vehicles.

Also, my trip is nearing completion and I'm not near completion of my fundraising goal for the MS Society of Canada. So far I've raised about $1000 of $2500. This is a cause which is very dear to me, and I urge you to please donate by following the instructions at the top of the blog!

Well that's all for now, I'm off to Fredericton next. Jenn is going to join me for the ride from Halifax to St. John's. She's been training up a storm back home and I'm very excited!

Dave