Day 33 Thunder Bay - Rest Day

Things were bit muted this morning, it had been a really hot and sticky night and with shared rooms it didn’t make for a good nights kip. Most of the late nighters were asleep in the lounge as they had crashed there because it was cooler than their rooms and it meant they didn’t have to wake everyone up.

I managed to drag my tired limbs out of my pit at about 9am and after a couple of hours mooching about headed into town to fetch the bike.I engaged is a bit of retail therapy in the cycle shop and bought myself a Canada Cycle top.

Tom, Randy, Marc and I then started the hunt for one of our previous family houses in town. As luck would have it the address wasn’t too far from the bike shop and after only a couple of wrong turns we came across 519 Donald St West. 

The current occupant was in the garden and we had abrief chat with him and the neighbours, spookily there were people opposite who remembered the family name and some other English people who had moved into the area at about the same time. I was very much the talk of the street but sadly no one could recall where the commemorative Plaque had been erected.

I phoned my mum from the front porch and updated her on the state of the place and took some photos and then it was off to the next most important thing on the agenda, food.

Thunder Bay has the largest Finnish Population, outside of Finland in the world and we have been recommended a local Finnish restaurant. It took some navigation to get to but eventually we found it and I went for the traditional Mushroom Burger, Cherry Pie and ice Cream option.

After lunch I headed back to the Uni to get some rest and sort my kit for the next 4 days of riding. As I type I am sweating in a very hot and airless room with a snoring Greek next to me ( In another bed I add) but it still beats a tent in the woods I promise you.

The rest of the day will be taken up by Skyping family and maybe a visit to a baseball game. Canada are playing the Czech Republic in the Junior World Championships just around the corner and it seems only right that having invented the game I as the only Brit on the trip should go and see how the game has evolved over the last few centuries.

Back to work tomorrow, a short 67 miles but lots of hills on day 1 of 4 heading to Wawa.

Onwards and Upwards!

Day 32- Quetico Park to Thunder Bay

Today was always going to be a bit weird for me but it started with the usual dash out of camp to get away from the mosquitoes, I must have had hundreds of bites by the tie I managed to roll up the tent and grab some food and even when you are on the road as soon as you stop moving the little gits just appear from nowhere.

The scramble from camp meant I was on my own for the first 30km or so but I was quite happy with that as it gave me some time to think about my arrival in Thunder Bay. I have to admit I was actually feeling a bit emotional about the day ahead; over the last 40 odd years I have had the ambition to visit and have often wondered what Thunder Bay was like, only having the odd photo and Mum and Dad’s memories to work on. 

The visit had played a big part in the decision making to do the trip and at times had been the motivation to get me up and over the mountains. Add to that the fact that more than likely this will be the only time I will ever visit the Bay and I hope you’ll understand why I was feeling the way I was.  

The ride itself was long hot one, after about 30km I got to the Atlantic divide, the place where the drainage is such that land water either flows to the Atlantic or Pacific Oceans. At this point I was joined by Tom, Randy, Dan and Shirley and we headed off together. We were very lucky during the morning at the only shop for over 100km opened just as we got to it, so we stocked up on fluids and cracked on.

Our second stop of the day was about 40 miles West of Thunder Bay, we were told of an impending severe Thunder storm so we changed the route and took a short cut. Unbeknown to us at decision making time the short-cut involved a very steep climb but the bonus was there was a milkshake stand at the top of which we made full use.

The rest of the ride was fairly easy and mostly downhill. We entered town, headed for a bike shop, dumped the bikes and got a lift to the University where we were staying for the two nights. After catching up with the family (I’ve had no mobile signal for two days) we went for a beer but I was knackered and was back to bed by about 11pm. Coming back early was a waste of time though as it was still so hot and humid that even with the air fan on it was impossible to sleep.

Tomorrow is a rest day which I plan to spend sightseeing, eating and sleeping.

Onwards and Upwards! 

Day 31 Taylors Grove to Quantico Park- 99 miles

Another long, hot and humid day; this part of Ontario is very rural and there are limited services so you have to carry everything you may need and hope you come across a shop or somewhere to eat.

Today’s route continued through the shield and is still rolling hills with numerous small climbs and descents to tackle. We tried to get a pace line going on a number of occasions today but the difference in strength of the individuals wrecks them when it comes to climbing hills, as a consequence it all gets a bit messy and fragmented and then its everyone for them self.

We stopped as a really small shop after about 30km for coffee, there was little else, and then we had to keep going until we got to about 110km and the small town of Aitoken, an old mining town. I popped in to town for a soup and roll and then hit the road again and met up with a few others and cycled the next 30km or so before we pulled in to the only restaurant we had seen all day for chips and a milk shake. From there it was only about 10km to the camp site which unfortunately is once again Mosquito infested so that although it is beautiful it is also very uncomfortable.

I have given the bike a quick once over and the plan now is to eat and then hit the sack and get away from the Mosquitoes.

Tomorrow is a very long day 105 miles into Thunder Bay, but the good news is we will have a bed for a couple of nights.

Onwards and Upwards!

Day 30 – Calliper Lakes to Taylors Cove Via Minnesota USA - 82 miles

Dawn broke to the sound of Mosquitoes and swearing cyclists trying to avoid them. Breakfast and pre ride preparation was cut to the absolute minimum. I was up dressed semi fed and ready to go in 20 minutes, that’s all I could cope with, and in that time I must have been bitten a hundred times, so much for nuclear powered Deet!

We were on the road at 6.45 and because Randy was on meal duty I started the day with Simo (from Australia) and Tom. We had a steady start and then after a couple of photos Simo and I had to get motoring as Tom had put the hammer down and off into the distance. We had to work quite hard doing 400m swaps for about 5km and then just as we got close to him we had to stop for another photo and he got away again.

After the photos we get back to work, well Simo got back to work and I just tried to hang on; We took about 10km to catch him but catch him we did, despite his obvious efforts to evade us. I was just grateful of a chance to rest; these boys are just a little too strong for my legs.

A short distance later we pulled into the only shop we had seen at about 50km and had a drink and then it was on a  further 7km to Emo for breakfast.

After Emo we had gathered up a few other early starters and so we headed off towards Fort Francis with the intention of crossing into the Use for a beer.

We soon started off a pace line, which turned out to be the fastest pace line I have been in, we covered 40km in a little over 20 mins and at times were flying along at 46km/h(30mph). It was fantastic fun and we smoked passed a number of other riders as if they were stood still. It was a bit of a pity when we hit town and had to stop but the good thing was that as we entered town I finally got a mobile signal for the first time in 2 days so I pulled into McDonalds and grabbed a drink (free refills!) and caught up briefly with Zoe and my text messages.

Then we headed to the USA border, cycled across the bridge and into the now familiar bombastic US Immigration process. It took me 45 mins to get a visa, mainly because I had been to Egypt and Turkey and they didn’t seem to appreciate that we only intended to stay an hour in their wonderful country.

So after all the questions and a charge of $9US we cycled into International Falls, Minnesota had a glass of Bud Light and a Men’s Meat Pizza and then cycled back into Canada. God bless America.

Once back on Canadian soil we get into another pace line, slightly slower due to the Pizza and Beer and completed the final 40km or so arriving in camp at about 3pm.

Today’s camp is a world away from yesterday, a beautiful lakeside location, minimal bugs and a deck to jump off into the lake. It was still sunny and warm and there were no washing facilities so it was into the lake with the cycling gear on and then dry out on the deck watching the world drift by, very relaxing. A quick shower and then we all sat about talking waiting for dinner.

Dinner tonight was Chilli and Salad with rice crispier squares, a nice end to a pleasant day of cycling.

Tomorrow is a 95mile day with a very remote camp site at the end I hope the Mosquitoes aren’t going to feature again.

Onwards and Upwards!

Day 29 – Kenora to Calliper Lakes – 82 miles

Welcome to The Shield.

Dawn broke early and warmly in our hotel room and we looked out of the window to see that our camper friends had also had a warm and dry night.

Having checked out we returned to camp to be warmly abused by all present and nicknamed the princesses, my how people can change!

As we had ridden in we saw a Doe Deer and two Fawns grazing at the entry to the camp, I tried to get a photo but my zoom wasn’t brilliant, the Fawns were so dainty and alert, after a few minutes they just bounced off into the undergrowth

Tom was on cooking duty so Randy and I headed out with Tim and Don  for what was billed as a relatively easy day.

Soon after leaving Kenora we were into countryside, and a completely different type to that of the prairies. We were into what is known as the Canadian Shield which is essentially a huge block of granite, several hundreds of miles across, which dominates the countryside and provides a rolling tree laden horizon with literally hundreds of lakes of all shapes and sizes.

The riding is great but hard work as you are never level for any great period of time and constantly changing gears to cope with the seemingly endless climbs and descents.

Early in the day we came across “Andy Lake”, a small but very beautiful lake that I donated to the country some years ago and named in my honour, naturally we all had our photos taken to commemorate my visit.

We stopped for a brief coffee early on and then ploughed on for about 80km until we hit a small outpost called Sioux Narrows where we had a little light lunch and a look around the tourist tat shops and then got back on the road.

About 5km from home we pulled into a bar and had a couple of beers and then it was all ahead for the final push to the campsite in a National Park.

Tonight’s campsite was quite pleasant, amongst trees and with a lake only about 100 yards away. I had a quick dip in the lake, my first of the trip and it was very pleasant, jumped into a nice hot shower before heading back to my tent to sort out bedding etc.

It was about this time the local Mosquito air force decided it was time to attack. It was the worst I have seen, many people were bitten within an inch of their lives. My plan was to eat and then head for the tent and sanctity.

Dinner was a bit of a disaster as the vegetables bought some 4 or so days ago had gone rotten so we had a change of menu. We ended up with what were essentially either an egg or a tuna sandwich and some potatoes; I have to question whether that’s a real meal.

Tomorrow is a similar length ride; I understand the terrain will be similar for a couple of weeks so it will be another challenging day.

Today we passed 1800 miles at an average speed of 15.1 miles per hour and 120 hrs riding. My longest day was last Thursday when I was in the saddle for 7hrs14mins covering 108 miles about half of which was in torrential rain. All in all we have climbed 93000ft since Vancouver and we are yet to get half way!

Onwards and Upwards!

Day 28 Rest Day Kenora

Another rest day another housework day

We were up early and out to the laundrette to get started on the washing, then breakfast, back to the laundry and then to a local bike shop for a very much needed clean and tyre change.

My rear tyre was running low so I had to change it and as the cycle shop didn’t have any 25mm tyres I am now on 23mm which may prove a little harsher ride.

Having sorted our admin we headed to the camp and found it drying and warm, but there was some seriously damp bags caused by the bags not being protected from the inclement weather properly when unloaded last night. 

Thankfully my bag had been under the truck overnight so my kit was dry but others were not so lucky and some emergency drying was required. The camp was a hive of activity as people mended and cleaned bikes tents and clothes and also tried to get a little R&R in before we set off tomorrow.

We have decided to stay a second night in the hotel, rain is forecast and there is no strong desire to set up our tents!

During the afternoon Randy and Tom went off on a boat trip around the beautiful lake, I am just chilling in the room and been catching up with family. I finally had a decent internet connection so it was great to see and chat to Zoe and Lois and catch up with the news.

Tomorrow we are off again but its only 79miles to Caliper Lake so a relatively easy day. We have 356 miles to cover in 4 days before we get to our next rest day in Thunder Bay on Thursday evening.

I have been made aware that quite a few people are now monitoring the blog and Tom has asked I send a get well soon message to his Mum who is currently in Hospital somewhere in Ontario.

Mrs Rogers, I am trying to keep your son in line, not an easy task as you will know, but Randy is helping and between us we hope to keep him out of prison!

We all send our best wishes for a quick recovery, hopefully I’ll get to meet you later in the trip.

Onwards and Upwards!

Day 27 – Beausejour to Kenora 105 miles

A day of two halves.

Breakfast duty meant a slightly later leave than normal, by that I mean 8.15 instead of 7.30am.

As we left "one sock Bob" mentioned to me that there was a 100% chance of a  thunder storm; two things flashed through my mind, firstly why didn’t you tell me that before we left camp and secondly what made me remove all my waterproofs from my bag?

The first part of today was great; at one point we had a 10 person pace line running doing 1KM each and then having 9km rest, brilliant.

An early coffee at a local bakery was welcome and then we headed off into a slightly changing landscape. As we headed toward Ontario it became more rolling and there were more trees to cycle between so it was more interesting than the prairies.

However at about mid day the black clouds we had been monitoring decided to drop a large amount of water upon us. The next 4-5 hours was spent cycling through some of the worst weather I have seen in years, thunder and lightning and torrential rain meant we were soaked. Thankfully it was warm or we would have been in trouble.

Our last 50km was really hard psychologically as we tried to get into camp asap. We moved into out 5th Province,Ontario with about 40km to go.

Un-surprisingly the weather promoted discussion regarding the use of a local hotel upon arrival in Kenora. I was all for it, I was soaked, and so when we hit the city limits we headed for the nearest Best Western and Mr Rogers, know worldwide for his negotiating skills, negotiated a decent deal so we booked in for two nights.

A quick trip to the campsite reaffirmed the decision as the others were struggling to get kit dry and some of our kit bags were soaked. We grabbed all our clothes so we could visit the Laundromat in the morning and headed back to the hotel had a shower and then went for a really good meal.

As I type I suit on a queen double watching the news on TV, what life and no rice in sight.

Onwards and Upwards!

Day 26 Portage la Prairie to Beausejour - 101 miles.

Today was a hot long day, in fact despite the data on the sheet it turned out to be the longest day yet all in 36 degree heat.

This is our last day in the prairies and to be honest I am quite happy to be moving on, whilst it’s relatively easy physically it’s tough mentally as it’s like sitting on an exercise bike for 6 hours.

Today I seem to have developed a niggle in my left knee, I am hoping that if I take it easy tomorrow and have a good rest day then it will be OK as we hit Ontario and some hills. I am not the only one complaining of sore knees though, it would appear that the need to constantly pedal along the flats has compromised a number of us.

Tomorrow’s route is 110miles long with a couple of steep climbs and some long descents so hopefully I can nurse my knee through it.

The scenery should change as we hit Ontario, in fact it will get tougher and I am told that there isn’t much flat at all. Mostly rolling countryside awaits us as we head towards Thunder Bay.

Dinner was a success though as we prepared Spaghetti Bolognese, went down a treat compare to last week’s Vegetable tangine.

Onwards and Upwards.

Day 24 Binscarth to Minnedosa – 88 Miles

After another cool night we awoke to a cool morning and misty conditions; I had a hearty breakfast of eggs and potatoes and together with the other two, now nicknamed, Monkies we headed off at about 7.30am.

Today’s ride was still relatively flat but as the day went by the mist cleared and the heat increased so we finished in the warm with broken cloud.

We made our first stop of the day in a very small town called Birtle, which quite clearly found it difficult to manage 40 cyclists all arriving and demanding coffee etc in its two small café’s. What was really interesting was that the locals sprang to the assistance of the café owner and gave up their seats to help him wash and serve.

Our next stop was Shoal Lake, a picturesque little town where I finally managed to find an ATM that spoke to the world and could draw some cash. We then headed for the local café for lunch and were treated to a pythonesque scene where Chinese woman fails to understand English guy and brings Orange juice instead of Coke and then fails to understand Canadian guy and takes four attempts to accept an order for a BLT. I even got asked if I want “lavy” on my fries, I declined and then found out she meant gravy!

Lunch done we had a largely  uneventful ride into camp stopping only briefly for a drink where I met a family that emigrated from Burton On Trent 10 years ago and to buy some crisps for nibbles before tea. The second half of today was like riding through rural Northants, lakes trees and rolling green fields it’s a complete change from yesterdays huge fields and lack of cover.

The campsite is beautifully located, alongside a lake but is absolutely horrid in terms of mosquitoes so its take cover whenever you can.

Dinner was a rice concoction with some spice in it, a few have gone into town to eat; but we had peach Cobbler for pudding so all was not lost and as I type our first fire of the trip is being set, so we should be in for a pleasant evening.

Tomorrows maps are out and it’s another 88 miler.

Onwards and Upwards!

Day 23 - Grayson to Binsgarth- 66 Miles.

Today was an easy day really; we had two options, 105miles and 66 miles and an early dip in a pool, no contest really!

The day dawned warm and sunny and after breakfast we headed off all skin on show for the first time and were soon scooting along at 38km/h with a decent tail wind. The land is changing subtly as we move across the prairies and it becoming much more like the UK with smaller farms and similar crops.

I took the opportunity to phone home as I hadn’t had a signal for 24hrs or so and relayed the Sunday lunch menu to Tom who was riding with me, he was suitably jealous, the thought of a roast dinner after the weeks of camp site food generated a great deal of discussion, particularly about Yorkshire Pudding, its amazing what you talk about on the road.

We stopped for a snack after 50km and then headed off again passing one of the world’s biggest pot ash mines along the way. It had a 400ft tall slag heap that looked more like a mountain than a slag heap.

After about 80km we passed into our fourth province, Manitoba; I get the feeling that we are making some progress across the map now. It was quite strange crossing the border as the landscape almost immediately changed into even smaller fields and farms and for some reason the speed limits are all different.

The rest of the ride was pleasant and we cycled through some lovely valleys with beautiful views and hit the campsite at about 12.30 much too early for the truck to have arrived and so we spent a couple of hours chatting and then when it arrived got stuck into getting tents etc up and then settled down for an afternoon beer which won the vote over swimming.

Tomorrow is about 88 miles so should take a little longer, the weather is supposed to be OK for a couple of days but we’ll see.

Onwards and Upwards!

Day 22 Regina to Grayson 100 Miles

Despite the promise of good weather the day dawned cloudy and windy, quite disappointing as I had packed for a sunny 24degrees and so had to quickly repack the bike and throw on some warmer cycling gear.

I had also been woken early by good news from home with the arrival of Mr Felstead’s first Grandson overnight, welcome to the world “JJ”.

Breakfast done we headed out into the gloom and into a cross wind which dogged us for about the first 50km or so. We had arranged to stop at the first town on the map to let Tom catch up, he was on breakfast duty, but when we got there it was so small that it didn’t have any services and so we have to cycle on.

About this time we came across a very irate motorist who seemed somewhat upset by the presence of cyclist on his “F”ing Highway. After a short exchange of Anglo Saxon he cut me up, pulling in front of me and slamming his brakes on, I thought I was on for a rumble but he didn’t actually stop and then just shouted abuse at me whilst I laughed in his face. I’d have been alright thought as Randy is an Ice Hockey player and they are hard as nails!

Some miles down the road we pulled into Fort Qu’Appelle, officially named after a famous French Canadian who claimed the land for the immigrants or as I like to think Fort “What’s its name” a literal translation, which having seen the town seems more probable. We pulled in for Coffee and a snack and found out that the same motorist has introduced himself to many of our tour this morning, so at least it was a personal thing!

After 30 mins or so Tom arrived and after coffee and nibbles we moved off. It was just as well I had had my caffeine injection as it was a steep climb out of Fort What’s it Name before we were back onto the flatter prairies.

The team socks have gone down well we have been tooted by many Riders fans during the day, and we went down well in the lunch time pub where they had the live game on the big screen.

The ride today was my first of 100miles, once I had got into my rhythm and the wind had settled down I quite enjoyed the day, it was harder work than the last few days with those massive tail winds but it was still relatively easy riding and it didn’t rain.

Tonight we have real meat for tea in the form of sausages made in the village we are staying at. We are camped on the village green with access to the village hall for showers cooking etc, the sun is now out and people are mingling and chatting, it’s so much more enjoyable when it’s warm.

Tomorrow day 2 of 6 in a row.

Onwards and Upwards!

Day 21 Rest Day Regina

After a quite night in and a decent sleep I awoke to warmth and blue sky. Seizing the moment I snaffled bike rack and gave the Trek a good clean and degooed the chain ready for next week and then after a healthy cereal breakfast headed into town with some of the group to see what Regina had to offer.

First call was the home of Canadian Football League Club The Saskatchewan Rouge Riders, who in advance of a big home game tomorrow were conducting a “Captains run” to which the public have access. The Rough Riders are the number 1 fascination for those in and around Regina and Saskatchewan and the whole town grinds to a halt on match day. They have a 35/50000 stadium and the games go out live on Local and National TV.

We got straight into the ground and sat and watched as the players went through the drills fro tomorrow’s game and then as they went through the press calls managed to talk to a few and get a few signatures and photos from the key players including one who used to go to a School that Tom Rogers used to be deputy head at. We visited the shop and I bought Lois a shirt (now signed) and we all bought team socks to wear tomorrow as we leave Regina.

After a fleeting visit to a bike shop to restock on drinks etc I headed back to camp and spent half an hour or so on Skype with Lois and Zoe. The rest of the day will be spent sorting clothes ready for next week and taking advantage of the great showers and hot weather before we crash into next week’s riding.

Dinner was a quiet affair with some leftover Tuna Macaroni Bake and then an early night, which proved to be a late night as it was too hot to sleep.

Onwards and Upwards

Day 20 Craik to Regina – 80 miles

During the night we had a fantastic thunder storm, the lightening was sheet and lasted for several seconds at a time and the thunder was deafening, sadly it happened at about 2am so it woke me up but it was worth it even if I was little concerned that the tent might flood.

The day dawned misty but warm and you could see the sun trying to break through so by the time we have finished breakfast duty and packed the van it was already a sunny day and looked set to continue as such.

Today’s route was another simple one, turn left out of the camp onto the highway and then do 107km,  turn right in Regina, 30km across town and turn left into the campsite.

The wind was once again in our favour and after a couple of hours it was warm enough for me to bare the Canning skin once again, I can now officially announce that I have tan lines!

Regina is the Capital city of Saskatchewan, named after Queen Victoria, sadly although we could see the modern city on the horizon our route took us through the industrial estates so I have to take the locals word that it’s a beautiful city. Tomorrow is a rest day and once I have sorted my housework out I may get a chance to get into town for a look but it’s about 10 miles into the centre.

Today’s ride was another gentle affair with wind assistance almost all the way, notable only because Randy broke a spoke and had to ride 100km with a wobbly rear wheel which slowed him down a little on the one big descent of the day.

The camp site is great, the showers are hot, we have power, free internet and I managed to put my tent next to a power outlet so I can use my PC inside my tent. I am currently sitting in my deck chair updating my blog having had a quick catch up with Lois on Face book. Tomorrow I hope to catch up with Zoe via Skype.

Onwards and Upwards!

Day 19 Outlook to Craik – 76 miles

Today dawned a much happier place, I had had a nice warm night and the rain had passed over us and although it was cloudy it was lot warmer.

Breakfast done we headed off along the highway and once again had a mainly tail wind which helped us whip along until we had a break at Kenaston, the blizzard capital of Canada; it’s easy to see why as it is in the middle of nowhere and everywhere around it is flat.

What is really mindboggling about the distances here is that before we had a snack we had cycled the equivalent of from home to Nuneaton without passing a house, shop or petrol Station. As you look into the distance you can see grain or water towers but they never seem to get any closer.

Kenaston has a huge snowman as its mascot and we were quite the thing in the local restaurant as the local Ladies Circle were coffeeing and needed to hear all about our trip, luckily Murray filled them in whilst I ate a nice Ham and Cheese toasty and had a chat with Zoe on the phone.The second half of today’s trip was even easier as the route changed direction so that we had a huge tail wind, approaching 45km/h which just whipped us along, at one point I was going 40km/h uphill freewheeling and overtook another cyclist, it was great fun.

Today I finally got the video out and started using it rather than the camera; I will attempt to load a video or two onto the blog but I make no promises.

Our campsite tonight is a much happier place; people are able to sit out in the evening sun and most have finally dried out their tents and bedding etc, the forecast is fair and we are hopeful of a few days of warmth.

Tonight I was cooking, a rather delicate meal of boiled veg and rice spruced up with various spices but still basically boiled veg and rice, most people ate it but they all appear to have headed out for ice cream or burgers and there is quite a lot left over!

Tomorrow we cycle the 75 miles to Regina and into another rest day, I will have to make good use of my time and try to catch up with the sleep as we have six days on the trot next week including a couple of 100mile days so rest is going to be in short supply.

Onwards and Upwards!

Day 18 Kindersley to Outlook – 97 miles

Today was horrendous.

The night was wet, windy and very cold, down to about 4 degrees, I had everything I could wear on and was still freezing.

When I eventually gave up trying to sleep I emerged to a mostly cold breakfast, as the cookers kept going out, they only just managed to get some porridge and there was some grumbling amongst the riders about the safety with such high winds. After a few words most decided to carry on, but I have to admit I would have probably opted for a warm vehicle if the option had been there.

Never the less we set off shortly after 7am and after about 2 miles turned right and had a tail wind for the next 84 km. We absolutely blasted along and covered the first 50 miles without stopping in less than 3 hours.

We pulled into an A&J, a Breakfast/Burger joint, and had a meal, we were absolutely soaked and frozen. After about an hour we were still wet and so Randy, Tom and I decided to head for a local Laundromat and dry off.

Just a block down the road the locals were treated to the sight of three adults stripping off in the Laundromat and stuffing their clothes into the driers, we went down to our cycle shorts and then rested ourselves against the warm machines whilst we waited chatting to the owner and anyone who cared to join in.

After a warm up we headed back out into the rain; the next 4km was direct into the wind and then we turned left and for the remaining 90km we had a strong tail wind.

We eventually made camp quite early at about 2.30 and after putting up a still soaking tent headed for the showers which were mostly cold! I then gathered my soaking kit and any other washing and headed into town to get my stuff washed and dried. There was quite a queue but it was warm and dry so we spent an hour or so just chatting waiting for each other’s washing.

When we got back we found out three people were missing and still out on the road. At 7pm, after dinner was served, Serge and Piere arrived having taken a wrong turn and doing an additional 60km shortly followed by J who had become so lost he had knocked on a farmer’s door and beg a lift to the camp site.

As I type this it is still windy cold and wet, the forecast is for more of the same for tomorrow although a little warmer and still with a tail wind and then hopefully it will warm up on Thursday. At least we don’t have as far to go tomorrow, only 72 miles.

Overall a tough day but I’m glad I completed it and one good point is that Erin, one of the staff bought me an eiderdown cover from Wallmart and so tonight should be warmer.

Today I passed the 1000 mile mark, only 4500 miles to go.

Onwards and Upwards!!

Day 17 Youngstown to Kindersley -95 Miles 6hrs 32 mins in the saddle

After a really good sleep we hit the road to find the wind was not as strong but the road took us more into it. 

The first 20km were painfully slow and my cycle buddies Tom and Randy and I had to work in 2km rotations to take the force of the wind.

However after about 20km the wind seemed to be more of assistance than it had been at the start and we started to make some progress.

Today’s ride was split into 30km lumps which happened to coincide with somewhere to stop and get juice or water.

After 90km we passed into our third province of Saskatchewan. No change in view just another Government.The scenery on the prairies  is fairly flat, there are some long rolling hills and the odd kick up for a few hundred meters or so but in general there are huge distances between buildings or towns or, come to think of it, bends!!. The farming changes about every 20km or so varying from cereals to beef but whatever they are farming I imagine its hard work and a very short season. We met a farmer last night in Youngstown and he told us that this year was the wettest for 10 years and as a consequence they are expecting bumper cereal crops so expect the grain prices to start falling this autumn.

Today was our longest day so far both in terms of distance and time in the saddle. We were out for 6hrs 32 mins and with breaks etc it makes it a long day. Today it was about 20 minutes too long as we got caught in a thunder storm as we approached town. We didn’t get too wet but others did and some even had to take cover under farm trailers to avoid injury from hail stones, one of the ladies showed me a welt from a hail stone on her leg, it was about the size of a 20p bit.

As I type there is a thunder storm going on and people are trying to cook diner between down pours, I think I’m going to have to tie the tent down a little better as the rain is causing the outer fly to collapse… I’ll wait until it stops!

Onwards and Upwards!

Day 16 Drumheller to Youngstown 92 miles – My Birthday

After a great night’s sleep on my new mattress I awoke early and opened my birthday cards. It was a bitter sweet moment as although it was great to have so many cards to open it also reminded me that there are some special people out there that I won’t get to see for many weeks yet.

Today has been a day to remember, I’ve lost count how many times people have sung happy birthday to me, and everyone has been really pleasant all day.

The ride was tough today, not only was it the longest I have ever ridden but we spent all day battling against a strong side wind. The road was fairly flat but the wind was a killer and there is no relief on the prairies.

The first two ours efforts rattled of 40km and then we turned with the wind and the next 20km took 30 mins, an indication of how debilitating the wind can be.

We stopped at a café in a one street town and I had hot blueberry pie and ice cream and was subjected to a formal interrogation by the Vietnamese owner regarding our poor world cup performance.

A further 50km into the wind and we arrived at Hana,  a small prairie town and the home place of the band Nickleback.

A further 50 km and we finally arrived in Youngstown. Tonight we are being hosted by the towns folk, we are sleeping in the sports hall, the town hotel has opened late for us to drink and the locals have fed us an absolutely fantastic pot luck meal, something they have been doing for the tour since 1993. It is a real event in the town and people drive many miles to deliver the food. 

I was just so happy that I didn’t need to put up my tent!!

After the meal and the obligatory happy birthday song I had to say a few words of thanks on behalf of the tour, I ended by saying that the evening event has been a very special end to a very special day!

Tomorrow is another long ride about 92 miles again, let’s hope the wind changes!

Onwards and Upwards.

Rest Day Drumheller

After a lazy start Alex, Polly, Georgina and the two boys rolled into town, we spent an enjoyable few hours touring Drumheller and visiting the dinosaurs and managed to fit in a very nice burger and fries at a local restaurant.

The Stokes’ look to be enjoying their time in Canada and the boys slip in and out of the accent almost at will.

After the meal I engaged in some retail therapy and bought myself a blow up mattress. I had been resisting but after a couple of uncomfortable nights I bit the bullet and bought one.

We parted after some serious gossip and with instructions to research the dirt on a couple of issues and I returned to camp happy that my mate and his family seemed content with their life.

The evening was spent getting ready for the next day’s ride and eating Pizza. 

Day 14 Airdrie to Drumheller – 72 miles

Dawn broke early in Airdrie as people made to get away early avoiding the forecasted heat. I was up early too and on the road by 7.20am and just as well as it was 17degrees by that time. The feared thunder storm did not arrive but the noise of the traffic and the planes going into Calgary airport made up for that.

Today’s ride was gentle really with decent roads for most of the day and just the odd rolling climb to get the lungs working. But by 11am it was 29 degrees and climbing so with the heat bouncing off the road as well it was really hot.

We stopped for a coffee at a traditional looking coffee shop and had a couple of pots of coffee and then headed back into the heat. Shortly afterwards Zoe rang and I spent a few Km chatting away to her as we made our way through the foothills of the Rockies and into the prairies proper.

There wasn’t much activity on the road to report today really, we got to Drumheller at about 1pm, it is very touristy and the centre of Canadian Dinosaur land so I was quite glad that our camp site was 10km out of town in a nice quiet area.

My cycling buddies, Tom and Randy both have family to visit tonight so I cracked on with getting my tent up, did my washing and had a swim and am now settling in for the afternoon. I will pay for 24hrs of internet tonight which will allow me to get my blog updated and allow me to Skype Zoe later tomorrow.

Alex, Polly and family are due tomorrow and I hope to get some mail from home when he gets here. We don’t have firm plans but one I do have is to eat steak as although the tour food has been quite good, I have yet to get stuck into some real tasty meat.

Rest Day Tomorrow and then we start a 5 day stretch across the prairies; long and flat and if the weatherman is to be believed HOT HOT HOT!

Onwards and upwards.

Day 13 Banff to Airdrie – 91 Miles

As predicted the weather has warmed up and last night I was actually too hot until about 4am. I had an early start as I was on breakfast duty and by the time we rode out of Banff the sun was up and the day set fine, although there was a chilly wind.

Today’s route was the longest yet at 91 miles but I knew there would be some downhill involved as we were dropping out of the Rockies. In total today we have lost about 1100ft and for all but a few Km we have had a tail wind pushing us along.

We left Banff and as soon as we hit the freeway it was obvious the tail wind was going to make the day good fun. We were tanking along at 30km/h without really putting any effort in, after the last few days it was very welcome.

After about 25km we got off the Freeway and onto the old highway which was much more relaxed. We continued to drop out of the mountains and pretty soon the scenery started to change as we went through first cattle country and then into cereal country. The farms are massive and the fields seem to go on forever  (And they say the prairies are even bigger) but there was a lot of scrub land and wooded areas so there was quite a lot of wildlife; today I have seen two Fawns bouncing around a field and jumping an 8ft fence, numerous birds and a Coyote.

The second half of the day was spent on rolling roads, and these were really rolling. The roads are dead straight and you can see them ahead of you for miles and miles, we just went up and down for about 50Km. 

Tonight after showering and setting up the tent I have gone to download the Garmin and my bloody computer has lost all my previous Garmin data. Luckily I hadn’t cleared the routes off my watch but I am a little peeved to say the least, hopefully someone with a little compute skill may be able to rescue them after the trip. Thankfully I have already bought a map of Canada and I have been keeping the daily maps so I will have a record of the trip.

Tomorrow is another long day to Drumheller. Saturday is a Rest day and Alex is coming across from Calgary for the day. The plan is to get to Drumheller and get my washing etc sorted so I have a free day on Saturday.

As I’m typing this people are beginning to batten down the hatches across the campsite, apparently we are due a thunder storm in the next few hours so for the first time this trip I’d better make sure the tent is well pegged and the groundsheets in place, lets home for a quite night!!

Onwards and Upwards!!  

Day 12 Field to Banff – 55 Miles

This was our last “easy” day before we start to lengthen our rides.

We started early hoping to take in some sights en-route; our first stop half way up the 7km 1000ft climb up kicking Horse pass was to take a look at the spiral railway tunnels built in the 19^th Century. The tunnels spiral inside a mountain and the trains are so long that you can see them going in and coming out at a different altitude. Luckily a train came along just at the right time. The engineering involved is mindboggling; they had to tunnel from two different sites in a spiral and at an incline without the use of modern kit. They lost a man a week through accidents, particularly death through premature detonation of nitro glycerine.

As we pulled away from the railway tunnels I was looking at the road just ahead and then I looked up and about 6ft from me sitting eating dandy lions on the verge was a Black Bear Cub. My first thought was to stop and take a photo quickly followed by “where is Mother Bear?” I decided to go a few feet and then stopped and took a few photos, luckily no sign of Mother Bear, it just sat about chewing greens seeming not to give dam about the two lane motorway just 10 feet from its nose.

Shortly after the summit to Kicking Horse Pass we passed into our second Province, Alberta. The plan was to turn off the highway and onto the old road, which is now an unofficial path to Lake Louise cutting out a stiff 10km climb but unfortunately the wardens turned us back after a couple of miles, there were 3 or 4 Grizzly Bears and cubs between us and our destination. Frankly I was quite happy to turn around as Grizzlies are fast runners!

We cycled on into Lake Louise where I managed to get hold of Zoe on the phone and grab some sports drink tablets and then opting out of the climb to see Lake Louise headed off towards Banff.

The Old 1A road was a much quieter road than the highway and tree lined which gave for some impressive views. The road was a nice ride with some rolling hills and long descents as we came down about 1000ft into Banff.

As we cycled along we just happened across a Stag Elk grazing on the side of the road. We stood for a few minutes and it just did what it had to and wandered off. It had huge felt lined antlers which could have done some damage if angered so we kept our distance.

The rest of the ride was pleasant enough and we rolled into Banff at about 1.30pm, bought some lunch and had a beer. The bad news was that after the beer we discovered we had a stiff 3km climb up to the camp site; early beer is not to be recommended!

Tonight was my cooking duty, I am dinner chef and tonight we had Tuna and Sweet corn Fritters, or as they became known Splatters, despite all our predictions they actually went down well and we have some satisfied campers this evening.

Tomorrow is our longest ride so far, 89 miles, but thankfully most of it is downhill or relatively flat as we head out of the Rockies and towards Calgary. My group do breakfast in the morning and then I am sweep duty so I have to stay at the back and check everyone is OK so it might be long day in the saddle; let’s hope for a tail wind!

Onwards and Upwards!!