If it was easy, anyone could do it!

The story of the 2013 Craig Gives Back-2-Back

Cross-Canada Bicycle Tour

DAY #37 Monday, September 9, 2013 Yes, thats the exit we should have taken!

Day#37: 92kms Just north of Parry Sound, ON to Alban, ON

So as soon as we found out that my sister Andreas Dave would be joining Bob and myself on the
CraigGivesBack tour as our support vehicle through Northern Ontario we were ecstatic, however
we were also practical. Knowing that Andrea and Ed were on their way to Ontario for the
Ironman where we would meet them I asked Andrea to bring as many as possible of the freeze
dried meals I had purchased for the trip, but we had left behind when we stopped carrying
cooking equipment to reduce weight and get rid of Bob the trailer. Dave was bringing cooking
and camping equipment so this would be a good opportunity to use some of them up as they
were quite expensive.
So when originally planning the entire trip from St. Johns, NL to Victoria, BC I realized that the
same day that the Half Ironman in Huntsville was occurring, Craig, but now Bob and myself
would be approximately 100kms west as we made our way up the east end of Georgian By. So I
looked at options to change our route to head north-east rather than north-west. The challenge
was the distance to get back to our intended route and a lack of campgrounds once we left
Huntsville and headed west. I am not a fan of doing any more kilometers than necessary on a
heavy tandem bike so I decided the best option would be to get a ride with Andrea and Ed in the
minivan and get dropped off as close to Georgian Bay as possible. Now with Dave joining up
with us it opened another option.
The biggest challenge is that Ed and Andrea were to fly out in the morning. Ed would fly out first
as he was on his way to Ottawa to speak at a convention for Lymphoma & Leukemia Society as

his young daughter had just recently had a long hard battle against Leukemia. We did not want
to be the reason he was late, so we decided we would choose a location more convenient for
both Ed and Dave. Ed would drive us all the way back to Barrie where he would leave us in the
parking lot of the Mountain Equipment Co-op and Dave would pick us up and would take us just
north of Parry Sound which was almost directly west of Huntsville, so we would not be missing
any distance or at least as little as possible.
When Ed and Andrea dropped us off in Barrie we were actually right on schedule and they had
more than sufficient time to return the rental van and catch their flights at Pearson International
Airport. We quickly unloaded all our gear out on the sidewalk in front of the store. There was no
staff at the store yet as it was still very early in the morning and we would have a good couple of
hours before Dave arrived. We said goodbye and thank you to Andrea and Ed and then they
were gone. According to plan I would not see Andrea again until Vancouver in another month
and a half.
Bob and I had nothing to do but wait so I texted Andrea occasionally to check their location as
Ed had done us a favour taking us back to Barrie so we could meet up with Dave, and I would
not be content until I knew he had made his flight on time. Many of the rental vehicles today
have a GPS to help with navigation and this is what Ed was using to find his way through
Ontario. When we had left Huntsville in the morning he simply entered Home on the device
assuming that Home was back at the rental depot at Pearson International Airport where he
had picked it up two days previously. Unfortunately this was not the case as the last user had
programmed Home as literally their home in the Toronto area. By the time Ed had realized the
problem he was well off course from the airport and now running very late to catch his flight to
Ottawa.
Ed is a good driver and sometimes fast, but today he was good and fast as he tried to make up
time and get to the airport on time. He was relaxed when we had last seen him as he had time
to spare to get to the airport, but not any longer. Ed and Andrea not only had their bags, but
also two triathlon bicycles and checking the bicycles is a slow process as you have to open up the
bike case so staff can inspect the contents before it goes to be loaded on the plane. Andrea told
Ed to run ahead and she would check both bikes and take them both with her direct to Halifax.
Ed raced to make it to his flight on time and it was only after he explained that he had to speak
at a national conference did the airline staff make the impossible happen and rushed him through
all the checkpoints. He did ultimately make it onto his flight with virtually not a second to spare.
I felt horrible that I may have caused him to miss his flight, but when Andrea confirmed he had
been able to board I breathed a sigh of relieve. Meanwhile Dave had arrived at the MEC with
Luke in the Honda Element, our new support vehicle!
Dave did not think Janus would fit into the back of the Honda Element and had brought a bike
rack. I knew Janus was not fitting on the bike rack, no way. It is ten feet long! I had to
convince Dave that Janus if separated into two parts would fit in the back of the Honda. He was
skeptical and I get that, but when it comes to solving puzzles I have a super power. Actually I
believe everyone has at least one super power. I have three, biking, puzzle solving and napping,
yes thats right, napping. I can nap anywhere and virtually any time of the day. I can nap for as
little as five minutes and awake fully refreshed and ready to go. I inherited the ability from my
grandfather and I only used it for good!
Well Janus did fit and then we loaded all the remaining gear into the back. Dave and Bob in the
front and me and Luke in the back and we had no extra space anywhere. Actually Luke usually
has the entire back seat, but now with me in it he was not happy until we eventually cleared
enough space on the floor behind the front seats where he seemed more content.

Dave as I mentioned is a film editor and works long hours on a film to meet production
deadlines, and then will take time off between contracts and often head west to visit his relatives
back home in Lethbridge, Alberta. He had driven the route a couple times in the Honda Element
so I assumed he knew where he was headed, and I did not want to be a backseat driver so I did
not tell him which road to take until he passed it. Then I would ask him if we should have taken
that exit we just passed. I started to realize that this is annoying and it was not going well and
we were not leaving Barrie anytime quickly. I found it funny, but Dave was starting to get a little
annoyed by the time I realized he actually needed me to help give him directions. Road
construction did not help, and passing the same exit from two different directions and missing it
both times was not helping either. I turned on Google Maps on my iPhone and gave Dave
directions from the back seat, and finally we had Barrie in our rear view mirror! Now we could
laugh, but for a short while I thought Dave was going to drop us back off at the MEC and head
back to Toronto!
We reached the city of Parry Sound and continued to head north looking for a good spot to stop
and get Janus out and get the CraigGivesBack tour back on track. Unfortunately in the Province
of Ontario they are upgrading highways which is good for motorists, but not so good for cyclists.
When the highways are upgraded they are then prohibiting cyclists access. We therefore we had
to travel further north than originally planned until we were past the construction of the divided
highway. We pulled off the road into a day park and reassembled Janus and loaded only the
absolutely necessary gear and also attached Mickey Moose to our handlebars, and then Bob and
I were back on the highway and traveling north. Dave stayed at the park to give Luke some
exercise and when he did eventually pass us he was amazed at how much distance we had
covered. We would soon realize how valuable and terrific Dave was.
Dave was great a reconnaissance. He would go on ahead using our expected distance for the
day and find the best options for accommodation be it a campground, motel or cabin. He would
return not only with summary of options and prices, but also provide us with a summary of the
terrain ahead and any and what obstacles may lay between our current location and our
destination for that day.
For our first night together Dave located a campground next to a lake a few kilometers off the
highway next to a lake. It was mostly used by fishermen and cottagers and we were the only
residents in tents, but this time of year we were almost the only residents period, as the warm
summer nights were well passed. We setup our tents and cooked supper and then we were in
our sleeping bags. We would have a long day tomorrow as we not only had to cover a lot of
distance, but we also had a reception at the Home Hardware in Sudbury.

DAY #38 Tuesday, September 10, 2013 Daves tent sucks!

Day#38: 146kms Alban, ON to Massey, ON

It had rained through the night, but who cares when you are warm and dry in your tent. Well
what if you are not dry, like Dave? Daves tent had been around for a while and it may have
been some time since he last used it as it leaked like a sieve. His sleeping bag was soaked and I
do not think Luke was very happy with the accommodations either. They had both been awake
much of the night as the rain dripped into their tent and soaked everything.
Bob and I got ready and had a couple granola bars and we started off. Our goal today was a
stop at A & J Home Hardware in Sudbury which was almost 60kms from our campground and we
had to be there by noon. After that we had another 90kms to travel to arrive at our next
campground in Massey. We left Dave and Luke behind to get their tent and gear dried out.
We had been on the road for approximately an hour when the Honda Element passed us and
Dave honked just so we knew he was going to beat us to Sudbury, however the joke was on him
as we had stashed most of our gear in the back of his vehicle. Ok, he knew about it and we
greatly appreciated it at we could now travel at a good speed. Dave was actually off to visit an
outfitter in the Sudbury area with the hopes of renting a canoe for the week that he was
spending with us. We suspected we would not be seeing much of Dave other than at the
campsites!
We were going to be early at the Home Hardware which was great as it gave us some time to
grab some breakfast. We had not passed any options along the way as we are always on the
lookout for a small mom and pop operation where the meal was a great value and the service
friendly. We always tried to load up on carbohydrates, but sometimes it was difficult not to order
a nice plate of runny eggs and greasy bacon. Eat it often enough and you would likely be dead

before you reached your fiftieth birthday, but when you are biking you can eat pretty much
anything you want. Its why we bike!
We passed a walker so we stopped to ask if she could recommend a restaurant for breakfast and
it was virtually straight ahead. We also gave her a business card and then she gave us five
dollars towards our meal! People were mighty friendly up here! We found the restaurant, had
breakfast, but it was a little more pretentious than our usual. Fancy tables and interior design
were wasted on these two simple cyclists.
There was a great turnout at the Home Hardware with representatives from the local YMCA
present and media on site for interviews. Bob even had relatives that live in the area show up to
meet us and they also wanted to meet us later in the evening in Massey to take us out for
supper. It does not get much better than that! The staff at the Home Hardware even gave is a
tip on an easier route out of the city which would take us right to the highway headed west. We
were away and before long we were on the highway and speeding along past the sign that said
Bicycles Prohibited. We ignored it and kept pedaling, hoping for the best. There was likely
another road somewhere that ran parallel to this one and bicycles were permitted, however we
were not going to go looking for it unless we had too and opted to roll the dice that we could
continue on our current route. Then we passed the exit that headed north to Timmins, and then
we knew we were getting pretty far north!
Dave beat us to Chutes Provincial Park in Massey and being the generous guy that he is, paid for
our campsite. His gear was still wet and he had it hanging up on a line between the trees trying
to get it to dry. It also looked like he met with success at the outfitters as he had a canoe
strapped to the roof with paddles and lifejackets inside the back of the Honda. Bob and I had
also caused a problem again. When Dave first picked us up in Barrie we had loaded everything
into the back of the Honda including our four litre water bags. Well one if not both ended up
leaking on some of his gear. Dave was not impressed and we could not blame him as now it had
happened again. We had now burned our bridges and the water bladders were not allowed in
the back of the Honda unless they were empty. So we would keep them on the Janus for the
balance of the trip just to keep everyone happy. We do not want to aggravate our support crew,
because we were definitely enjoying having him around.
We had hardly gotten our tents setup when as promised Bobs aunt and cousin showed up
looking to take us into Massey for supper. Dave opted to stay with Luke and Bobs relatives were
unable to convince him to come along so they said they would bring him something back.
Massey is not a big town no matter what way you measure it, but oddly enough they have one
terrific little restaurant. We really did not know what to expect inside the Dragonfly Restaurant,
but the dcor was eclectic with an assortment of recycled furniture and the bathrooms adorned
with caricatures of nearly a hundred various celebrities. The place was just cool and the food
turned out to be wonderful. The place was cool in that it was hip, not that it was cold in any
way. It had been cool when we had started out in the morning, but through the afternoon it had
warmed up and the evening was hot and sticky. Inside the restaurant there was no air
conditioning so all they had to offer the guests was one oscillating fan. One fan was hardly
enough and it served mostly one large group of ladies who were all wearing oddly enough red
hats. Not all the same style hat, but many styles, but all red and seated together at a large
table. They were the Red Hat Ladies and there are organized groups across Canada. From what
I have been told it is mostly a social group that simply likes to do things like going out to
restaurants together. There were some characters amongst their group and they took a shine to
Flat Stanley who we had brought with us. They passed him around and even gave him his own
red hat. It was magnetic and a perfect fit for our flat friend.

Anyway, back to the issue of heat. Firstly it was almost thirty degrees Celsius outside and it
seemed even warmer inside. I ordered an Italian entre and that had a bit of spice and between
the spice and the temperature inside the restaurant I sat eating my meal with sweat running
down my arms and dripping off my elbows onto the floor. I was sweating so profusely that twice
I would escape to the washroom to use paper towel to dry my face and arms. It was
unfortunate as the food was terrific and we had a great conversation with Bobs relatives. We
ordered a meal for Dave too and when we finished we took the take out and headed back to the
campground. Dave was happy to have the meal and we were happy to be out of the intense
heat!
Daves tent and sleeping bag was still wet so he decided to sleep inside the Honda with Luke.
Bob and I stuck with our dry tents and warm goose down sleeping bags, although it did not rain
that night and there was no problem staying warm.
DAY #39 Wednesday, September 11, 2013 Wheres Bob?

Day#39: 127kms Massey, ON to Thessalon, ON

Dave did not have a good night sleep inside the Honda. He is well over six feet tall so fitting that
long frame inside the vehicle and lying across the seats is uncomfortable just to think about and
then Luke was restless all night so not much sleep was had by either. Bob and I were up and
gone on the bike and we left Dave and Luke to get themselves sorted.
Oddly enough, out here almost halfway across the country, out of the blue a car pulls over and it
is Kelly a friend of Bobs who lives close by, but is originally from Pictou, Nova Scotia. She
stopped to talk and get her picture taken with us and also advises us that the same rain that had
soaked Dave and Luke inside their tent the night prior at our campground before Sudbury were
torrential rains in the area between Blind River and Sault Ste. Marie. So much in fact the road
had been washed out near the community of Iron Bridge, and there was a very long and for a

bicycle, a dangerous detour which would add more than thirty kilometers to our route today.
The washout was so bad that a motorcyclist had been swept away and they were still looking to
find his body. She lived not too far away and offered to arrange for a pickup truck to take us
around the detour. Bob had her cell number and we promised to text her if we needed any
assistance. After she left and we continued on I came up with a scheme that if our progress
west was halted by the washout we would not head north on a detour, but instead hire a boat in
Blind River to take us and Janus along the northern shore of Georgian Bay the 40km distance to
Thessalon. Always have a plan B!
The terrain continued to be fairly flat and Bob and I were making good time until we reached the
town of Blind River. I still remember Craig and I spinning at the YMCA back home and tracking
our mileage as over fifty-two weeks we would make our way across Canada as part of our virtual
tour. People would often ask us where we were headed today and on this one particular day in
January, Craig responded by saying Oddly enough, Blind River and then he laughed at the
irony. One great thing about Craig is his ability to see the humour in just about anything.
With the reality of the impending detour ahead we also knew that sometimes even if vehicles
could not get through, often a bicycle could. We stopped at the RCMP detachment in Blind River
to see if we could get more information. At first they told us we would have to take the detour,
but after explaining about CraigGivesBack we were told to wait a minute and an officer came out
to talk to us. There was a shorter detour, however a portion of it was on a dirt road and it was
restricted to local traffic only. We were given directions of how and where to turn off and it
would only add another five kilometers to our route.
The ride after Blind River was gorgeous. It travelled parallel to the Mississagi River and was flat
which for us meant fast and soon we arrived in the community of Iron Bridge where we would
cross the river on an iron bridge. Good name.
We now had to watch for the exit we would take on our right and it was not too long before we
had reached it. We turned off the highway onto a country road which would soon turn to a dirt
surface. It was not a busy road, however I suspect more busy now than typical with the detour
and a vehicle would pass by occasionally. We had been pedaling a few kilometers and were now
watching for our exit on the left which would take us back to the highway and ultimately to
Thessalon where we were camping tonight. Another vehicle overtook us from behind, but
instead of passing us it pulled up alongside of us and the passengers window was open. Inside
was the same officer we had spoken to in Blind River and helped us out by finding us this route.
She was on her way back home to Sault Ste.Marie and happened to pass us so thought she
would check in and ask how we were making out. We thanked her for checking on us and also
for helping us out. She told us the exit was just a kilometer ahead where we needed to turn left
and then she left us.
Bob and I were feeling pretty good with being so lucky today, meeting up with Bobs friend on
the highway and the Blind River Police Detachment helping us out. Then we heard dogs barking
and Bob asked if we were ok. I looked over to the right and I could see two large dogs in the
front yard, however one was inside a fenced pen and the other was tied. The one that was tied
was running back and forth and testing the leash that restrained it when suddenly it let go and
the dog was now running directly towards us, well more specifically Bob. I yelled to Bob to pedal
hard and we accelerated. With Dave carrying most of our gear we were lighter and faster, so we
did actually accelerate and then the road dropped down into a small valley and as we sped down
the hill thankfully the dog gave up the chase and returned home before we reached the climb on
the other side of the valley when our speed would drop to a crawl. It was our third encounter
now with a dog and made me even more thankful I was on the front!

Soon we were back on the highway and looking for Pine Crest Tent & Trailer Park and we had
been told to watch for the very large Adirondack chair out by the road. It was definitely a large
chair and Bob was very accommodating when I asked him to climb up on it so I could get a
picture. Having finished biking before 5:00pm was a nice treat for a change and he was in a
good mood, but it was not going to last.
So now we needed tents and camping gear so we could cook supper. We needed Dave and he
was not too far behind us and we had helped him out by sharing the details of our shorter detour
with him and saved him the additional thirty kilometre drive. He and Luke had done some
exploring in the park where we had camped last night and then did mostly sightseeing after they
had mostly dried his tent and sleeping bag. It had been a good day for drying his gear as it had
been warm with a good breeze. This would actually be the last day the temperatures would be
much over 20 degrees Celsius for the rest of the trip.
We had selected a campsite down right on the beach beside Georgian Bay. It was a beautiful
location and again the campground was virtually a ghost town with vacant RVs locked up until
the weekend or in some cases until next summer. I cooked supper, but Bob and Dave hated it.
I had not stirred it well enough and there was the odd clump of seasoning, so ended up eating
most of it myself. Bob and Dave found other food in the back of the Honda to fill their stomachs.
Anyone with the eye disease Retinitis Pigmentosa suffers with the condition called Night
Blindness. Craig suffered with it as a child and thought it was completely normal as it was all he
had ever known. It was not until when he was eight years old and his parents realized he had
this condition that it was discovered that he had an eye disease. In the evening or at night when
light levels are low it is very difficult for Bob and Craig to see and everything becomes dark
shadows. Well when we chose our campsite down by the beach, Bob was not excited as the
washrooms and shower was up near the administration building by the road. It was not a long
walk, but nor was it direct route as the roadway wound its way back and forth through the
campground.
It was dusk when Bob headed up to have a shower and that was some time ago and it was now
dark. It was Dave who started to worry first and asked if we should go look for him, so we
headed up toward the washrooms calling his name. We were not long in finding him, but he had
gotten off track and ended up walking through a few other campsites trying to find the road. He
was a bit embarrassed and cranky. In the future I always made sure when registering at the
administration office for a campground to mention that my cycling partner was seeing impaired
and we needed to be as close to the washrooms as possible. Lesson learned!

DAY #40 Thursday, September 12, 2013 Halfway Day!

Day#40: 87kms Thessalon, ON to Sault Ste. Marie, ON

Back in Massey Dave had tried sleeping in the Honda with Luke. It was dry, but uncomfortable
and Luke was restless and therefore neither got much sleep. So last night Dave and Luke tried
the tent scenario again, hoping to get a better sleep, but also hoping to stay dry. Neither worked
out as it rained again through the night and once again everything inside the tent was now wet.
After two nights with the leaky tent, most of the clothing Dave had brought with him was now
wet or if it was not wet it was because he was currently wearing it. Bob and I got ready and
headed off towards Sault Ste. Marie while Dave organized his gear separating damp from
absolutely soaked.
Today was a big day for the CraigGivesBack team as we were about to reach the halfway point of
our tour. Sault Ste. Marie is very close the exactly half of the total 8,200kms we would travel.
When we had reached Sault Ste. Marie back in January during our virtual tour, we were
contacted by the Sault Sun Newspaper and they ran an article on our ride. Now that we were
arriving in person we hoped to do a follow up story for the same newspaper. Our first task
today, however was to find a place to eat breakfast so that we would have the energy to get to
Sault Ste. Marie.
After cycling for about an hour we reached the community of Bruce Mines and there we found a
promising breakfast option. Dobbers Restaurant and Motel had a number of cars in the parking
lot and that is always a good sign of good food and prices. We went inside and found a vacant
booth and ordered two breakfasts each as I am always hungry and Bob had only a light supper
the night prior due to my cooking skills. I took a picture of our breakfast and sent it to my niece
Kristin who very shortly posted it to our Facebook site. We had been sending pictures of our
breakfasts to Kristin to post for some time now. They always looked so good and it was
surprising just how much we could eat. We would always wake in the morning absolutely
starving, and eat a couple granola bars which we hoped would last long enough that we would

10

have the energy to reach a restaurant just like Bobbers. This place was perfect, with endless
coffee, good sized portions and best of all it was right beside the highway!
Of course our bike always attracts interest and also Bob was wearing his CraigGivesBack t-shirt,
so a couple from the next booth who looked like they were still wearing their pajamas started
asking us questions about our trip. They were from Brooks, Alberta and were near the end of
their vacation and were soon leaving to return home. They promised to watch our progress by
following our Facebook page and hoped to see us as our route would take us right through
Brooks.
Leaving Bobbers we had not gone far when off in the distance ahead of us I could see a horse
and wagon that we were quickly gaining on. As we got closer we could start to hear the sound
of wheels on the pavement and I thought it may be a traditional Mennonite wagon with wooden
wheels, however as we got closer the noise grew greater until we could see it was indeed a
young Mennonite gentleman sitting cross legged on the floor of the wagon, but the wheels were
not wooden, they were metal and the noise was the metal wheels rolling on the pavement as the
horses trotted along. We waved as we passed and he smiled at us. We preferred our ride over
his as we were faster and quieter!
As we continued on towards Sault Ste. Marie we had a few challenges. There was a grinding
noise now coming from my pedals and I was concerned that my bottom bracket was failing as
Bobs did back in Nova Scotia. We were also travelling through fairly flat terrain, however we
were making slower progress than normal due to a strong headwind coming from the northwest. The third and most immediate issue was that it was starting to rain and our rain gear was
with Dave who was now back at Bobbers Restaurant having his breakfast. Bob texted him that
we were caught in a downpour and in desperate need of our rain gear. If we got soaked in this
wind it would be a very cold ride to Sault Ste. Marie and we would be risking hypothermia.
The good news was that a Honda is much faster than a bicycle and before long Dave showed up
with our rain gear and shivering on the side of the road, we quickly put it on. The other good
news is we had less than 90kms to cover today and had until 3:00pm to arrive for the reception
at the Home Hardware in Sault Ste. Marie. And the final bit of good news is we were going to be
camping at Velorution which is rumoured to be one of the better bicycle shops in Canada, so I
was hoping we could get them to look at my bottom bracket and replace it if needed.
We made slow and steady progress against the headwind following trusty Google Maps we
followed the main road into the city and traffic became heavier. The Home Hardware was easy
to find and on the way there we passed Velorution Bicycle Shop. Even though the bicycle shop
itself was set back from the road we could not miss it as they had artwork out front in the form
of a massive bicycle which was nearly fifteen feet high and over twenty feet long.
When we arrived at the Home Hardware we were greeted by the owner and staff. Also Dave had
arrived ahead of us and was waiting with Luke and soon the small crowd grew when staff from
the YMCA arrived to congratulate us on arriving at the halfway point of our trip. It was too cold
for a barbeque as the temperature had been dropping all day, and no cake, but we were excited
to meet the same reporter that had done the article back in January for the virtual tour arrival in
Sault Ste. Marie. After our interview and meeting all the staff at the Home Hardware, Bob and I
took Janus back up to Velorution to see if we could get it in for a checkup.
The owner was not around, but the staff were more than accommodating and although they had
some jobs already on the go, promised they would have a look at it before they finished for the
day. Dave showed up in the Honda with Luke and we headed off together to find a grocery store
as our inventory of granolas was almost exhausted and we also needed to get some supper. We

11

had no trouble finding a grocery store and as we were getting tired of the same brand of granola
bars, so we found an alternative brand and flavour. We would do this on a regular basis during
the trip as the more you ate, the less appetizing they became!
We also picked up Daves laundry as he had found a Laundromat when he had arrived ahead of
us. He had all his damp clothes washed, but even more he got them all dried! Then we headed
off to get some spaghetti and then Dave took us back to Velorution where not only did we need
to check on Janus, but also this is where we would be camping tonight.
It was not unexpected, but the staff had not yet had an opportunity to have a look at Janus, but
would do so right now. It was great as we talked with him the entire time and shared stories.
He said our back-to-back tandem recumbent was the second oddest bike he had seen as they
get to see a lot of cyclists that are travelling across Canada. We of course were interested in
what bike could be odder than ours and it turned out to be a cross between a bobsled and a
bicycle for four! It was made out of wood and steel which made it terribly heavy and slow going
uphill, but watch out on the downhill as it would quickly reach terrifying and dangerous high
speeds. The greatest problem was a serious safety issue as the brakes were simply not powerful
enough and of course they could not stand up to the abuse. He did not know how far they made
it, but after hearing that story Bob and I had little to complain about our Janus. Our bike was
well made and our brakes strong enough to stop us on a dime even if we were fully loaded.
The bicycle technician never stopped talking the entire time he was working on our bike. It
certainly passed the time and it did not seem to slow him down at all. He did not have a bottom
bracket of the correct make and model for our bike, so that was not an option. He had seen
similar situations in the past where it was simply dirt that had worked its way in and a simple
cleaning and new grease might fix the problem. We had no other option, but hoped he was
either right or it would hold together until we arrived at another city with a capable bicycle shop.
He also cleaned both our front and back chains and did an amazing job with nothing more than
an old rag. Back in Ottawa at Phat Moose Cycles the owner gave me a bottle of ceramic chain
lube that was suited for wet weather as it would stick to the chain and not wash off. The
problem was that all the dirt from the road stuck to the grease which was stuck to the chain. It
had created a sticky black mess that you had to be careful to avoid otherwise you would have a
black grease stain on anything that touched it. It is not a small job cleaning the chains as both
the front and back chains on our bike are twice as long as a standard bicycle, but he did it all
with a couple rags, did a good job and never stopped talking.
With that done we had to confirm the location of our campsite and the same bicycle technician
took us on a tour of the backyard where there were a few tenting options. It was a little
different camping within city limits and there was virtually no security or anything preventing
human visitors from passing through. As we were the only campers that night, we were also
given another option which was to camp inside the covered entrance to the shop. This would
place us out of view, there was a motion sensor flood light and we were right beside the access
door to the washroom and shower. It was kind of cool as the door to the washroom opened with
an electronic combination door lock and anyone camping there was given the access code. One
of the reasons they did this was they had so many cross Canada cyclists stop at their shop as
they were the only bicycle shop of any size between Sudbury and Thunder Bay. Wonderfully
they provided this all for free and only asked that you call ahead which I had done a couple days
prior.
Tonight was going to be cold and the forecast indicated the temperature would drop below zero
Celsius and so Dave stayed for a little while, but after confirming we were going to stick to our
plan to camp outside he left in search of a motel that was dog friendly. He had no intention of

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ever sleeping in his leaky tent again. As soon as the bicycle shop closed for the day, Bob and I
quickly setup our tents and got into our sleeping bags as the evening was cooling off quickly as
the sun dropped out of sight.
DAY #41 Friday, September 13, 2013 Ok, so its a big hill!

Day#41: 116kms Sault Ste. Marie, ON to Montreal River, ON

When we awoke in the morning

down sleeping bags, but now we
taking a change of clothes along
was a great spot to put on a few
break down camp.

it was cold, very cold. We had been warm inside our goose
had to get moving so it was a quick dash from tent to shower
as it was nice and warm in the washroom. After a shower it
layers of merino wool before heading back out into the cold to

Dave and Luke arrived just as we had finished packing everything, so we threw it into the back of
the Honda and Bob and I were off hoping we did not have to cycle too far before we could stop
for breakfast. Dave stayed behind in the city to wait for stores to open as he wanted to pick up
some additional supplies.
Getting out of Sault Ste. Marie was no problem except we did have a bit of a climb up a steep
incline and then a fast ride back down on the other side. Luckily it was enough of a climb to get

13

us warmed up, but not so long or steep that we got too sweaty as the wind chill would be very
chilly on the decline. There was not much for buildings along this highway let alone a restaurant,
so we stopped at the first option that came along. It turned out to be perfect. Not fancy, not
expensive, good food and friendly service. Bob and I look very different than the average
customer in our cycling rain gear and balaclavas, so when we walked into the small restaurant it
went very quiet as everyone turned and looked us over. It was not long however that people
were taking turns to come over and talk to us while we ate and even gave us money to help pay
for our breakfast. We had a good fill of oatmeal, pancakes, French toast, eggs, hash browns and
toast and then of course took a picture and sent it to Kristin for Facebook. We also texted Dave
that we found a great spot for breakfast and he texted back that he and Luke would stop there
too. Then we were gone and this time headed north as we had completed the route around
Lake Huron-Georgian Bay and were now skirting the eastern end of Lake Superior. We were still
inland, but soon would be in site of Canadas largest lake, large enough that it can create its own
weather system of rain and snow and today we could feel a cool breeze coming off it blowing
from the west.
Bob and I came to a look off from which you could see out across the lake and it was beautiful.
You cannot see across to the shore on other side of course, but in this particular location you
looked out over the gorgeous scene and remember that not too far off shore is the wreck of the
Edmund Fitzgerald, hidden below the waves and lying there since sinking in a storm on
November 10, 1975. At almost a quarter of a kilometer in length it is the largest ship wreck in
the Great Lakes.
As does often when you travel along the shores of a lake, the terrain began to become more
challenging with steeper and longer climbs, but we did not mind as it had turned out to be a
beautiful sunny day. It was warm, but the wind was cool so Bob and I kept our rain jackets on.
I also wore the merino helmet cap that Dave had lent me. It was designed in the same style that
a knight would have worn under his helmet back in Medieval times, so I did not look particularly
stylish, however it was warm and that was what mattered. It was made in Sweden as was most
of the merino wool we wore on our upper bodies. Merino wool has a longer strand length than
traditional wool and therefore you get all the benefits of wool without the itchiness. We loved it.
Our cross Canada trip did not come without its stress. We were crossing the country for the first
time on a bicycle. We had never seen or traveled most of the route so only had a vague
understanding of the challenges ahead. We also had to stay on schedule and arrive on time at
any receptions. So other than that ignorance is bliss as you do not worry about what you do not
know, however so many people had been warning of the hills in Northern Ontario, so we knew
they were coming and we knew we would be into some serious climbs sometime today.
When Terry Fox ran from St. Johns, NL to Thunder Bay, ON back in 1980, once he reached
Ontario he was warned again and again about the hills of Northern Ontario and particularly about
the Montreal River Hill which was a steep 3km climb. He was warned about it so many times
that he wore a special t-shirt on the day he ran up and down the other side and on the front it
read Montreal River Here I Come and on the back Ive Got You Beat. Today we had Terry on
our mind all day as we travelled the same roads he had run over thirty years ago, but it felt like
yesterday and we could feel his spirit like he was there with us.
Dave caught up with us about fifteen kilometers before Lake Superior Provincial Park and by now
it was late afternoon. We had just stopped to eat some granola bars and jujubes to get our
energy back and were just enjoying the view of Lake Superior. Dave took our picture with Lake
Superior in the background and then he said he would go on ahead to do recon and report back
in regards to terrain and accommodation options. This was Dave at his best and we really
appreciated him doing this as he would provide a very detailed report along with his

14

recommendation so we could make a group decision on where to stay that night and end the ride
for the day. We knew we were getting close to Montreal River Hill and were interested to know
how much further it was.
We biked almost half an hour and then we saw the Honda headed back towards us and Dave
swung around and gave us his report. First, what he thought was Montreal River Hill was just
ahead, a 2km climb that started out at a moderate incline, however near the summit would
increase to a very steep climb, but it was downhill from there to Montreal River. In Montreal
River Dave had found cottages right on the shores of Lake Superior and this being the off season
they were a good price. That was the only option for accommodations available other than the
campground in Lake Superior Provincial Park. The cottages however were just how we liked
them, not fancy and not expensive. We had originally planned on camping in Lake Superior
Provincial Park, however Dave was not planning on using his tent ever again in this lifetime or
even the next! As is typical with Dave, he had paid for the cabin and refused to allow us to
repay him the expense.
So Bob and I gobbled down some jujubes and with the sugars surging in our system we headed
off to tackle the hill we had been warned of just as Terry Fox had been. It was just as Dave had
warned and we set a moderate pace for the first two thirds and then when the incline steepened
we drew on our energy reserves and made it to the top no problem. We were fortunate that
most of our gear was in the back of the Honda. It was then an easy ride down the other side,
crossing Montreal River itself and then down to the shores of Lake Superior to enjoy the sunset.
When we arrived at the cottages we were greeted the owner and his wife, but he was about to
give us bad news. We were elated to have conquered Montreal River Hill and still reveling in our
glory when he told us we actually had just biked up Algoma Hill and that was simply a warm up.
When we would leave the cottages in the morning we had only a few kilometers to go before the
real challenge would begin.

15

DAY #42 Saturday, September 14, 2013 It was not a lucky day for someone!

Day#42: 107kms Montreal River, ON to Wawa, ON

Bob and I did consider for a moment to turn around and go home on Janus. We did after all
reach our halfway point, so if we did bike back we would end up covering the 8,200kms just as
we said we would, but we figured that would technically not be biking across Canada so we had
no choice but to head out and conquer Montreal River Hill this morning. Not only did we have
some challenging terrain to cover today, but we also had nearly 120kms bike today too.
We took only the items we knew we would need and left everything else back in the Honda, and
we headed off to the inevitable. We had not gone more than a kilometer when the road turned
to the right and all we could see was a long, long climb. Just as we did yesterday on Algoma Hill,
we just got into a rhythm and kept a steady pace, up, up and up we rose 200metres during the
three kilometer climb. Once we had reached the peak we both had a good sweat on and now
the key was to stay warm as the pedaling was more relaxed. There was a mist in the valley
below and we were now above it and it made the view look like a tropical rainforest.
The route through Lake Superior Provincial Park was very scenic, somewhat challenging with
some more climbs to come, however none compared to Montreal River Hill or Algoma Hill.
Another challenge was the almost 100kms through the park where there were no conveniences.
There were no restaurants or no service stations, so no places to grab breakfast or buy a pop.

16

Dave being the great guy that he is had gone on ahead to the town of Wawa which was the first
community after the park and was going to pick up some good old hamburgers and fries and
head back towards us, but he had a delay heading back to us and we had a delay heading north
to him.
Almost to the end of the Provincial Park we could see a plume of smoke rising from the road
ahead of us. We soon came to the end of a long line of traffic stopped on the highway and being
a bicycle we simply passed them all on the paved shoulder, not stopping until we arrived at the
police vehicle and policeman who was preventing traffic from heading north towards Wawa. Bob
and I stopped and we waited and we talked to motorists who ventured out of their vehicles and
came over for a closer look at the two cyclists on the odd looking bike, and then we waited some
more.
The problem was that the brakes on the trailer of a transport truck had overheated coming down
the long inclines inside the Provincial Park and had caught fire burning the tires and ultimately
the load had caught fire too. The other problem is the load was asphalt roofing shingles and
roofing tar which not only burned really well, but it did not want to go out either. The firemen
would hose down the flames at one end of the trailer and when they focused the hose on the
other end then the fire would reignite and start all over again. They were making progress, but
it was slow. The good news is the driver of the transport truck was able to disconnect the tractor
from the trailer and that he did not suffer any injury.
The policeman came over to talk to us and said he would go talk with the firemen to determine if
it was safe enough now for us to walk our bike past the smoldering trailer and we were soon
given the ok. As we walked by we stayed as far away as possible, but could feel the heat from
the fire. It actually felt good as it never did warm up much today and the cool breeze had us
shivering when we had to stop and wait. As soon as we were clear of the emergency vehicles
we jumped back on our bike and started off, but did not get too far when Dave called to us from
his vehicle which was sitting in the line-up coming from the other direction. He had food for us
in the vehicle for us which was now cold, not that cold food would stop us from eating it as we
were famished, but our primary concern was to keep moving and reach Wawa before they
started letting other traffic past the fire and it would be a steady stream of traffic. Dave turned
around on the highway and headed back to Wawa with us in pursuit.
We met back up with Dave at the Tourist Information Centre in Wawa and the young lady
working was very friendly and helpful and we determined the best option was to stay in Wawa
for the night at the Beaver Motel. It was cheap and it was dog friendly and it was right on the
outskirts of Wawa, so easy to get to and easy to leave in the morning. Funny, but Wawa was
not a large town so the motel was not only on the outskirts, it was almost downtown too!
Before we left the tourist centre we had to take the opportunity to have our picture taken with
the massive metal Canada Goose. There is actually a fundraiser to restore the old goose back to
its original glory, however other than looking like it could use a paint job it looked fine to us. As
Dave was taking our picture, Luke photo bombed us, but also another cyclist dropped by. Mike
had left British Columbia late due to a friends wedding and was headed east and hoping to make
it all the way to St. Johns, NL. We were actually happier at the prospect of biking in British
Columbia in October than we would have been biking in Newfoundland, but he looked like an
experienced cyclist so must of known what he was getting himself into. He was still considering
his options of where to stay for the night, but it looked like it was going to end up being Wawa
as there was nothing between here and Montreal River.
We headed back to the parking lot and lo and behold we meet another cyclist, Jim. He was from
the United States and was a retired lawyer doing a fundraiser for his local food bank. He called

17

his ride Rolling Over Hunger and his goal was to bicycle around Lake Superior. So we looked at
this senior who was wearing only a t-shirt and shorts and then at each other in tights, wool and
jackets and thought to ourselves, Were wimps! Jim was going to stay in Wawa at the same
motel so we all headed off together.
We decided to head out to get some supper and also stop and get more granola bars and
jujubes, but before we did Bob and I got our cold food from Dave and ate that in our room
before we even left. It was cold, but it tasted so good. We still had room for supper and we
invited Jim to go along with us. Dave treated all of us including Jim of course. Tomorrow was
going to be Daves last full day with us as he had to return back to Toronto and back to work and
we were going to miss him.
DAY #43 Sunday, September 15, 2013 Where is Winnie the Pooh?

Day#43: 118kms Wawa, ON to White Lake, ON

We headed back to the same restaurant for breakfast with new friend Jim in tow. It may have
been the only restaurant in town for all we know. We were not sure what to expect today in
regards to how challenging the terrain would be so we made sure we ate lots.
Bob and I departed the motel at the same time as Jim and we started out of town together.
When we turned the corner and started on a downhill we quickly left him behind and would not
see him again, however Bob would occasionally check Jims Facebook page to get an update on

18

his progress. It is not easy for an upright bike and a recumbent bike to travel together so we do
not even try. The challenges are we are so slow on the uphill, but so fast on the downhill that
the only time we can travel together is when the road is flat. Jim had made out fine travelling on
his own this far, so we assumed he was more than capable of finishing his trip without us tagging
along.
This was the last full day with Dave and Luke, so ideally we would go as far as we could as
tomorrow we would be carrying all our gear again and travel would be slower going. Our goal
today was to get at least as far as White River which was the original home of Winnie the Pooh.
In 1914 a black bear cub which had been caught was purchased by Captain Harry Colebourn and
he named the bear after his hometown of Winnipeg. It was this bear that was the basis for the
popular cartoon character, Winnie the Pooh. The other claim to fame in White River was a claim
to be the coldest spot in Canada, which has since been surrendered to a town in the Yukon
Territory.
So the terrain was no great challenge, but it still took us until early afternoon to reach White
River and we stopped at the A&W which was inside the Esso Service Station right beside the
highway. We were starving by now, so it was good to get some fast food and also some
authentic A&W Root Beer and we ordered just in the nick of time as a Greyhound bus pulled into
the parking lot. It appeared that all the occupants emptied out of the bus and those that did not
stay in the parking lot to smoke a cigarette, came inside and suddenly the restaurant was full.
Bob and I were hoping to push on further today as we wanted to cover as much distance as
possible. Dave was going to go ahead to do reconnaissance and report back with options for
accommodations. On the schedule we were supposed to reach White Lake Provincial Park today
which was another 35kms, but as Dave was not going to be camping in his leaky tent, he would
see if he could find another cabin similar to what we had back in Montreal River.
Dave left ahead of us and Bob and I followed, foolishly not thinking to bike 300metres into the
town to the Tourist Information Centre and get a picture of the Winnie the Pooh statue. Oh well,
by the time we thought of it there was no way we were backtracking!
As Dave had hoped, he found a cabin for the night and it was conveniently located just off the
highway and on the edge of a river. Dave had not had the opportunity to get more than a
couple short canoe rides in over the course of our trip, so here on his last night was the perfect
opportunity. The entire area was a network of lakes and slow moving rivers and the cabins were
typically used by sportsmen or fishermen, but it was also a great spot to explore in a canoe.
Dave asked Bob and I which one would like to go and Bob told me to go ahead and his reward
was the task of doing the laundry. Bob, Luke and myself took the canoe down to the wharf and
launched it into the river. There was a cool breeze that had harassed us all day from Wawa and
so I wore gloves and even my rain gear with the life jacket over top to keep me warm. I actually
turned my rain jacket inside out as it was still damp inside from sweating on the bike all day.
Luke lay in the middle of the canoe while I paddled in the bow while Dave paddled and steered in
the stern. The river meandered through the forest and it was very beautiful with the sun shining
on one riverbank and the other side of the river shaded as the sun was getting low in the
horizon. We were gone for over an hour and it was dusk when we returned back to the cabin.
When we opened the door and walked into the cabin, we were hit with a wall of heat and there
was Bob sitting in the kitchen, going through texts on his iPhone next to the patio door which
was wide open. When we had first arrived we turned up the electric heat to get the cabin
warmed up and once the cabin had reached a comfortable temperature, Bob turned the

19

temperature back down, or at least that is what he thought he had done. He had actually turned
it up and now it was like a sauna. We all had a laugh about it, but it does help illustrate how
things that we take for granted are not so easy when you are affected with a disease such as
Retinitis Pigmentosa.
Bob had the clothes washed and dried, so with that done it was time to eat supper. We looked
through the food bag to see what was left and we took the final two freeze dried suppers and
cooked them up. Dave even surprised us with a couple beer he had hidden away and we toasted
to him and thanked him for all his help the past week.
DAY #44 Monday, September 16, 2013 Two icicles on a bicycle.

Day#44: 155kms White Lake, ON to Schreiber, ON

Today was going to be a long day with almost 160kms to cover, but first we had to put on every
piece of clothing we had. It was cold, the coldest morning of our entire trip so far. The Honda
was covered in a heavy frost and there was a frozen mist hovering over the lakes and rivers. We
put on as much clothing as we could as we did not have time to wait for the morning to warm up
with the distance we had to travel.
Dave could have left us and headed back east right away, but he wanted to have one last
breakfast with us, so he headed out to catch up with us after giving us a head start which we
needed. We had to travel almost two hours in the cold mist and the saving grace was that the
road was very flat so we were able to maintain a steady speed with moderate effort and not be
soaked in sweat under our rain gear which would soon turn cold and chill us to the bone.

20

After reaching White Lake Provincial Park and then passing through it, just west of the park
about 40kms from the cabin we stayed at last night, we came to Glorias Motel and lucky for us
out here in the middle of nowhere there was a restaurant and it was open. We headed inside
and lucky for us it was exactly what we were looking for. Not fancy, not expensive and good
food with great service. We were served fresh coffee before they took our order and we used
the hot mugs to warm up our freezing hands.
Dave joined us for a quick bite and a coffee and then it was time for him to be heading back to
Toronto. It is surprising how much distance we had covered during his time with us as he now
had well over 1,000kms from Glorias Motel back to his house. We would miss both Dave and
Luke and once again it was just Bob and I, but by now we had covered over 4,500kms of our
8,200km. We were gradually getting there, but Ontario was one big province as we still had
another week before we would finally reach Manitoba.
There were crews working on construction of a new building not far from the restaurant and a
group of workers were having breakfast too. Before Bob and I left one of the workers asked if
he could get his picture taken with us and he was ecstatic at the prospect of having his picture
posted to our Facebook site.
Now we were off and we still had over 100kms to cover today. The terrain was similar to
yesterday with no major hills to climb, except until we reached Marathon and we had one good
long climb up to the top of what is a ski hill which also served as a Tourist Information Centre.
We stopped for a break and to enjoy the view overlooking Lake Superior.
Once again we headed west and we had a few more pretty decent hills to climb and by the time
we reached Terrace Bay we were good and hungry so we stopped at one of the motels alongside
the highway to get something to eat. The restaurant was not fancy, but it was fancier than our
typical meal which would likely mean it is more expensive and the serving size smaller! The best
thing was the waitress who helped us find accommodation for the night. The motels in Terrace
Bay were all filled with construction workers so we had to keep moving, however 15kms to the
west was the community of Schreiber and at the Esso Station was a motel and our waitress even
called to confirm they had a vacancy. We thanked her and inquired as to how many hills we
would have to climb and she told us it was fairly flat the entire distance. Well she was right
about the room and there was a vacancy, but we had a few good hill climbs before we reached
the Esso station.
According to our schedule we should have continued another 15kms to Rainbow Falls Provincial
Park, however it was getting dark by the time we reached Schreiber and if it was as cold as last
night, we did not want to be outside shivering in our tents.
The Esso station was the first thing we came to and was right beside the highway and the staff
was friendly, so we did not mind that our room looked almost exactly as it would have looked
back in the 1960s when it was first built! It was warm and clean and there was space inside our
room for Janus. We were good and tired and soon we were sound asleep.

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DAY #45 Tuesday, September 17, 2013 Its just like Newfoundland!

Day#45: 172kms Schreiber, ON almost to Thunder Bay, ON

Conveniently the Esso Station & Motel also had a restaurant and that meant for a change we
could have breakfast first and then head out. It was a sunny day and more warm than cold, so
we would try to get as close to Thunder Bay as possible today which meant we would be biking
very close to 170kms and our longest ride thus far. It was also going to be a challenging day as
we knew we would be passing through some serious hills between Schreiber and Nipigon.
Starting out from Schreiber we had a decent climb, not too steep. It was a long and steady
incline so we were soon sweating under our rain gear which we wore most mornings as the air
was always so cool. The road would then flatten out until we reached Rainbow Falls Provincial
Park and then the road turned south towards Lake Superior and we descended quickly down the
slope and as we did a beautiful scene unfolded which was a network of islands set into the vast
blue water. The road would follow the coast until the community of Rockport when it turned
inland and we began a long, but gradual climb and then we saw our first sign of what was
coming. It was a warning to truck traffic of a 7% downhill ahead which for a transport truck may
be a warning that your brakes should be functioning properly, but for us we were able to quickly
get our speed up to 70kms/hr as we sped back down towards Lake Superior.
Each time we turned inland we would climb a long gradual hill and then when the road turned
back towards Lake Superior we were rewarded with a long downhill and beautiful vista. It was
up and down and up and down all day and reminded me of Newfoundland all over again. If we
were not slowing working our way up a hill and sweating like horses, we were headed down the
hill at breakneck speed and trying to keep warm as the wind cut through your clothing like a
knife. The most challenging section was at Pays Plat Creek where we climbed to over 400metres
and then descended to the creek, only to climb back up to over 400metres almost immediately.

22

On the descent down into Pays Plat Creek, Bob noticed the bike had a noticeable wobble and
asked if there was something wrong with the bike, but I explained it was simply me shivering on
the front. I had to brake to bring our speed down not so much for safety, but to reduce the wind
chill. It was fine for Bob on the back as I blocked most of the wind, but on the front soaked with
sweat on the hard climb up my clothing would soon feel like they were soaked in ice water on
the trip down.
Having conquered Pays Plat Creek, we knew the worst was now behind us. Our neighbors back
at the Esso Station in Shreiber were truckers and had warned us of the steep hills we would
encounter today, particularly Pays Plat which in the winter was treacherous for all vehicles. We
only had one serious climb left and that was when we would descend down to the Nipigon River
and climb back up, but it would be nothing in comparison to Pays Plat.
Just west of Nipigon we would stop at an Esso station go get something to eat to keep us going
until we would eat supper. It was still early afternoon, but we had burned an enormous amount
of calories climbing the hills around Lake Superior. We also took turns visiting the washroom
which had a hot air hand dryer which for us doubled as a clothes dryer, as we attempted to dry
out the clothes we were wearing and get warmed up.
We needed to push on further, so we left Nipigon behind and headed off towards Thunder Bay.
There were no more big hills and we made good time, however it was now getting late afternoon
and we had to start considering a place to stay for the night. The problem was there was
nothing along the highway and it seemed the closer we got to Thunder Bay the less there was
along the highway in regards to service stations, restaurants, motels or even campgrounds. We
had had a very long day with challenging climbs through the hills and I know Bob was getting
tired. He does not like camping when it is cold, however it was getting so late in the day we
could not be fussy and when we saw a sign for a private campground and we turned off the
highway. The driveway went not much less than a kilometer on a gravel road before we arrived
and I walked up to the camp office and posted on the door was Closed for the Season after
Sunday, September 15th. We had missed their last weekend open by two days! We ate some
jujubes to get some quick energy and continued on the highway.
The highway soon became a divided highway and then there was a sign indicating that bicycle
traffic was prohibited, so when we arrived at an exit we took it. We took the exit for a couple of
reasons, the first being there were no services at all on the new divided highway and it was
getting dark and we needed to find a place to spend the night before too much longer. The exit
actually took us down onto the original highway and there was much more development, so it
looked more promising. We found a convenience store and stopped in to use the washroom, get
a couple freshly scooped ice cream cones and ask advice on where to stay for the night. We
were told there was a small hotel not more than 5kms further on the old highway, so we hoped
we could make it there before dark and there was a vacancy.
We arrived at the hotel at dusk and they did have one vacancy. Almost the entire hotel was filled
with construction workers that were working on the development of the new divided highway.
The next good news was they had a restaurant at the hotel and although it was closing soon,
would be open long enough for us to get something to eat so long as we ordered it now. The
bad news was the only room still available was the honeymoon suite. Oh well, it was not like we
were going to get back on our bike and continue in the dark hoping to find something. They let
us bring Janus right into the hotel and store it overnight.
We took all our bags and headed up to our honeymoon suite, me and my buddy Bob. It had a
hot tub in the living room, there was only one king sized bed and had a sauna which we could
not figure out how to get working. We could have called someone from the front desk to come

23

up and show us, but we were so tired we wanted to sleep more than we wanted to sit in a
sauna.
We had just biked over 170kms through the most challenging terrain since
Newfoundland. Bob was tired, I was tired and we just finished off some greasy pub food and
were ready to sleep. I gave Bob the bed and I took the leather couch in the living room. It did
not take long to get to sleep.
DAY #46 Wednesday, September 18, 2013 I dont feel great either.

Day#46: 33kms Almost to Thunder Bay, ON to Thunder Bay, ON

The great thing about biking the extra distance yesterday is it took the pressure off today. We
had less than 40kms to travel to a reception at the Home Hardware in Thunder Bay. On the way
there we would stop at the Terry Fox Memorial site to pay our respects to the man who has
inspired millions of Canadians including Craig, Bob and myself. Yesterday while pedaling on the
highway towards Thunder Bay we noticed the highway had been named Courage Highway in
honour of Terry Fox. We definitely had him in our thoughts yesterday as we neared Thunder
Bay, knowing that we were on the same highway he had run in 1980.
Today we would pass the location where Terry Fox was forced to end his run when the cancer
that took his right leg had spread to his lungs. The memorial is not far from this location, and we
would stop and take our time to fully appreciate his accomplishment and legacy. We would then
leave and continue on the divided highway we were actually not supposed to be on with a
bicycle. We passed a number of very large construction vehicles and one of the construction
workers we had talked with back at the hotel honked the horn of a massive dump truck as we
passed by.

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Actually it was odd as we had a number of vehicles honk at us yesterday and I mean honk in a
friendly way, not a get off my highway honk. I said to Bob we must be in a newspaper and it
turned out we had been in the local Thunder Bay daily newspaper, so they knew we were
coming. We have to thank Amelia with the CNIB for that as she was continuously sending out
communications to all media ahead of us as we gradually made our way west.
We arrived at the Home Hardware just ahead of schedule and we received a very warm welcome
from the entire staff and they came out in the parking lot carrying balloons and clapping and
cheering as we arrived. Inside the store we were welcomed by a representative from the CNIB,
and also the Mayor was present to welcome us to the city. Bob and I were truly made welcome
and I believe it is due to the fact that Terry Fox had to end his run in Thunder Bay. The citizens
have a close connection with Terry and understood how he had suffered to get as far as he did.
Thanks to Terry, they truly understood the commitment and sacrifice it takes to travel across
Canada by foot or by bicycle, and both Bob and I greatly appreciated their sincere and warm
welcome.
We had to continue on today as our plan was to continue on another 30kms to Kakabeka Falls
Provincial Park, however todays goal was about to change. Something Bob had eaten had not
agreed with him and he was desperate to have both a bed and a washroom. There was a Hotel
just down the street and I booked a room with outside access so we could store Janus safely
inside through the night. I left Bob to divide his time between the bed and the toilet and I took
Janus for a solo ride to visit a bicycle shop as I was in need of chain oil.
Before we had even started the trip, I had pedaled Janus back and forth to work to get a good
feel for it. It is actually very comfortable to pedal alone, very stable and a good height to see
and be aware of traffic. I stopped at Rollin Thunder Bicycle Shop and the two young
employees were very helpful and one was so excited about our bike that he asked to go for a
ride with me. He was an experienced cyclist so I had no problem taking him around the block for
a quick ride. He jumped on the back and we put in a few blocks while I answered his questions.
He was so excited about the bike and thought the sensation of moving backwards was so cool.
I went back to the hotel to check on Bob. He was starting to feel better now that he was able to
lie down for a while. It was not long before I was feeling very similar symptoms and we were
both glad we had stayed in Thunder Bay for the night.

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DAY #47 Thursday, September 19, 2013 Rain, rain go away!

Day#47: 124kms Thunder Bay, ON to Upsala, ON

Bob and I awoke refreshed from our half day off and felt much better after a good nights sleep.
We departed Thunder Bay in a raging thunder storm. It was absolutely pouring as we made our
way through the city and continued out on the highway as we headed west to Kakabeka Falls.
We arrived first in the community of Kakabeka Falls and it was now mid morning so we stopped
and grabbed some breakfast. We were completely soaked after cycling in our raingear so as
usual we took turns visiting the hot air hand dryer in the washroom to get our clothes at least
partially dry. We had stripped down to our base layer and had laid our heavy sweaters and
jackets of the chairs at our table vainly hoping they would at least partially dry by the time we
left.
We now left the community of Kakabeka Falls and visited the actual Kakabeka Falls which is
located in Kakabeka Falls Provincial Park. The falls themselves are beautiful and after all the rain
this morning there was a terrific amount of water descending down the 40 metre drop. The
gorge had been carved by the last ice age and due to the size of the falls and the easy access
from the road it is nicknamed the Niagara of the North. When we arrived in the parking lot
there was signage that all vehicles must have a permit, however a park employee told us not to
worry and was very interested in our odd looking bicycle. He had a number of questions for us
and then we had one question for him, How many big hills between here and Ignace? where
we were going to try and reach today. He said there was only one large hill and it was not far
from the falls and after that it was simply gently rolling terrain through the spruce trees. So now
we knew.

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We reached that first big hill and although it was long, it was not steep so we climbed it with no
issue and just kept a steady pace. We continued on and the rain continued to hold off, but the
skies were dark and threatening. Even after travelling from one end of Newfoundland to the
other and now travelling through Northern Ontario, we had yet to see a moose so when we
stopped for a pit stop at along the way at a gift shop which was closed for the season, there was
a stuffed moose on the front deck. I took Stanley and Charlie out from their hiding places behind
our seat rests and set them on top for a picture. I do not know how old the moose was, but the
flies seemed to like it as they buzzed around Mr. Moose!
The rain now started again and would continue for the rest of the day. We were quite soaked
and when we stopped for a break along the roadside, we sat under a rock overhang which was
why I had selected the location as it was the only shelter available. You cool off quickly when
you stop pedaling and stand around with all your clothing soaked from both sweat and rain. I
decided to change into my only remaining dry clothes, which was a bit of a risk as I would then
have nothing dry left to wear if we stopped again.
We were heading mostly straight north today and it suddenly dawned on us just how far north
we had travelled when we saw a roadside sign that stated from this point north all streams now
flowed north into the Arctic Ocean. Up until now, all the streams and rivers including the water
at Kakabeka Falls had been flowing south into the great lakes. Now any streams were headed
north to Hudson Bay as were we currently until we would reach Dryden and then be heading due
west.
Bob had been in touch with Laureen late in the afternoon and she was providing help in
determining accommodation options somewhere between our current location and Upsala. We
of course did not want to camp in this wet weather, but we also wanted to stick with not fancy
and not expensive as we tried to manage our budget. She found one option which was the Black
Spruce Motel and the great news was that it was located right beside the highway only 10kms
from Upsala. The other great news that we found out when we arrived was it also had a
restaurant. We hoped the food would be good at this spot in the middle of nowhere, but as we
learned before sometimes the best books have the worst covers.
The price for our room was right, as it was not much more than a campsite other than being
warm and inside. The front desk service was adequate if not overly friendly and the owner did
not seem to be appreciative of my awesome sense of humour. Our supper was very, very tasty.
It was a husband and wife operation and she was our waitress and he our cook and I had a
terrific supper of perogies. Now with bellies somewhat full we headed off to our very humble
abode for the night. We hung our wet clothes off doors, window curtain rods, chairs and of
course even clothes hangers as we tried to get everything dry for tomorrow. We turned up the
heat to help dry our clothes and I only needed a sheet to cover me up and stay warm. It was
nice to finally be inside and out of the rain.

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DAY #48 Friday, September 20, 2013 The longest day.

Day#48: 201kms Upsala, ON to Dryden, ON

Thankfully the rain storm had passed through the night as the thunder faded into the distance
and we awoke to clear skies. Today would be aggressive target as we were anxious to cross the
border into Manitoba. It was not possible today, but we were hopeful it would be no more than
three days to cross the border into the seventh province of our tour.
I was actually concerned with how quickly the daily temperatures had dropped starting when we
had reached Sault Ste. Marie and I discussed with Bob that we needed to reach the Rockies
before snow. We did arrange to have studded snow tires for the bike shipped out to Calgary just
in case we would need them, but we would rather avoid using them if at all possible. Bicycling
through mountain passes is dangerous enough without adding snow and ice to the experience.
We spoke with Amelia back in Halifax and since we only had a couple of receptions across the
prairies we decided that we should cancel those and reschedule Calgary for an earlier date. This
would allow us to go as far as we can each day and our plan was to be two day early to Calgary
and we would use those as rest days. Amelia would make all the arrangements and that means
starting today it became The race to the Rockies!
Today was more of the same scenery as yesterday, up and down and nothing but spruce trees.
The only difference today was we could enjoy the sunshine even though the breeze was quite
cool. We passed through Ingace which was a small community and we stopped only long
enough to grab lunch at the truck stop. It was a very busy truck stop as it was the only stopping
place on the 200kms between Upsala and Dryden.

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The interesting thing about Ignace was that it was the furthest west that Bob had been to
previously. Many years ago his employer who owned a trucking company and collected cars, had
a car stolen and it was eventually found by police in Ignace. Bob was sent to retrieve the
vehicle, catching a ride in a transport truck out from the east and then drove the vehicle back to
Pictou. Other than that all I know about Ignace is the food and coffee was good at the truck
stop and we left with bellies full.
Our goal was to get to Dryden today and that would put us well over 200kms and would be the
longest distance we had covered in one day since the start of the tour. In order the cover the
distance we had not let up all day and pedaled late into the evening. The sun was sinking below
the horizon and the evening was starting to cool off quickly yet we still had a fair distance to go
before we would reach Dryden.
My energy was starting to drop off as it had been hours since we had eaten lunch in Ignace, so
much so I had to stop and eat some jujubes so that I could make it to Dryden. It is amazing
how quickly the sugars get into your system and the muscles start to feel like they have some
energy again. We pushed on until darkness was starting to overtake us and then less than
20kms from Dryden we came to Pine Grove Motel. It was fairly small and looked like our type of
accommodations. It also did not look very busy and our fingers were crossed it was not closed
for the season. Lucky for us it was open and the owner was very sympathetic to our cause and
we received a very good rate. We were not going to be able to have supper tonight so we also
purchased a half dozen cans of pop to drink along with the few granola bars we had left.
The room had recently been renovated so it was clean and relatively modern although the
television was not working. Once I fixed the television reception everyone was happy and we
had a great spot for the night and almost as cheap as camping. We had ridden over 210kms
today and were tired. We would sleep well and then be up early to bike into Dryden for a good
breakfast to make up for missing out on supper tonight.

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DAY #49 Saturday, September 21, 2013 An injury and a new tradition begins.

Day#49: 157kms Dryden, ON to Kenora, ON

We got away early in the morning and although it was not White Lake cold, it was cold. We
bundled up for the hour ride into Dryden where we would stop and get from breakfast. My
fingers were numb by the time we reached the Husky truck stop, but with the sun climbing
higher in the east we knew it would be warmer if not warm by the time we finished breakfast.
We would continue to the city of Kenora today which was almost 160kms west and the last city
in Ontario before we reach the Province of Manitoba.
Today was a carbon copy of yesterday, although it was a bit warmer as the cool wind coming out
of the west had subsided. The terrain was rolling just like yesterday and the scenery was a
forest of spruce trees.
My research had told me that the terrain would start to flatten out near Kenora so I was anxious
to have flat, faster and easier pedaling that a recumbent bike was designed for. We were
looking forward to the Prairie Provinces and I knew if we made it to Kenora we could make it to
Victoria. We had extra time in our schedule to cross through the Rockies and we would be past
all the challenges of Eastern and Central Canada.
I was so anxious to get to the end of Ontario I was pushing harder than normal on the bike and I
wanted to go faster and faster. When we would reach another climb we would work our way
down through the gears until we were travelling slowly, but surely up the hill in our easiest gear.
I could not stand it so would start to pedal harder, spinning faster and faster to bring our speed
back up. I am used to commuting back and forth to work and keeping a good pace whether I
was going downhill, on the flat or uphill and I had gotten more and more frustrated at our slow

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pace uphill, even though it is understandable on a recumbent that was loaded down with two
cyclist and all our clothing and camping gear. However, I have a stubborn personality and
continued to push hard on the uphill climbs all day, refusing to surrender to any hill.
By the time we reached Kenora the terrain had not changed much, but I had another problem
now. My left Achilles tendon was starting to feel tight. I had injured my right Achilles tendon on
the hills in Newfoundland now the hills of Northern Ontario and my own stubbornness may have
caused me to injure the other. I hoped that after a nights rest it would be ok in the morning
and we kept on to Kenora.
With the help of a local motorist that lead us into Kenora and to the downtown restaurants, we
arrived at a Boston Pizza. It was not the first time we had stopped at a Boston Pizza, but it was
the first time I ordered the Smoky Mountain Spaghetti and Meatballs which is a 1,760 calorie
monster, but it was exactly what I needed. Bob if you remember has a no veggie diet, so could
not risk the presence of onions or green peppers in his tomato sauce, so ordered a similar,
however more basic serving of spaghetti. The other thing Bob made me aware of is the endless
refills of pop if you ordered a large soft drink size and they likely never had two so tired, hungry
and thirsty cyclists on their minds when they created this rule. By the time we left the restaurant
we were stuffed with food and liquid. We would of course be starving when we awoke in the
morning as our little digesting machines would have all this food broken down and shipped off to
our muscles through the night. This may have been the first, but was definitely far from the last
Smoky Mountain Spaghetti and Meatballs I would consume on this trip.
Kenora is a beautiful city and reminded me of Huntsville as it is located on a network of lakes and
streams. It seemed more of a resort town with a relaxed pace, but it was busy with traffic. As it
is the largest populated centre between Thunder Bay and Winnipeg, it had all amenities of a
much larger city. Now that we had supper it was time to find a place to stay for the night.
Bob and Laureens neighbor Joan had wanted to contribute to our trip by paying for a nights stay
at a hotel, not on the ground at a campsite, but a hotel or motel where we could be warm and
comfortable. In our current situation, trying our best to get across the country on a one of a
kind odd looking bicycle, raising funds for three charities, we were more than willing to accept a
generous offer such as this.
There were a lot of accommodation options and we selected the Super 8 which was also super
busy, the staff was great and they allowed us to take Janus right through the front foyer, down
the hall and into our room. It was a tight fit getting a ten foot long bicycle around the corners in
the hallway. That evening it was my turn to do our laundry as Bob and I had started taking turns
as we tried to do it at least once a week and with the merino wool it seemed to work out perfect
to control any odors. I must say the merino wool was amazing and even though we had worn it
for a week I think we still smelled much better than the sheep who surrendered the wool.
We had full bellies, a warm room and now clean clothes and we were done for the day, however
I would massage my left Achilles tendon for a while before I fell asleep and dreamed of the
complimentary breakfast buffet awaiting us in the morning.

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Top left: Day #27 In Ottawa at the Parliament buildings, Top Right: Day #27 Reception in the park in
Ottawa, Middle left: Day #28 Visiting Canadian Guide Dogs for the Blind, Middle right: Day #31
Texas Cattle Gate, Bottom left: Day #33 We do our Abbey Road impersonation in Toronto, Bottom
right: Day #39 Bob has lost weight

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Top left: Day #39 Beautiful Georgian Bay, Top Right: Day #39 Luke and Bob anxiously await supper,
Middle left: Day #40 Bob continues to lose weight, Middle right: Day #41 Sunset on Lake Superior,
Bottom left: Day #46 The Terry Fox National Memorial in Thunder Bay, Bottom right: Day #47
Kakabeka Falls

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