Day 18: Dryden - Chad Lamont

Our first full day in Ontario! Started off with snow/rain and a 25 km/h NE wind but it turned out to be a good day. Winter continues

A lot like BC up here with the rocks, rivers and trees. We only had around 135 km of biking from Kenora and got into the Dryden camp around 3pm. Shifting our focus now to the game 7's tonight. Rangers win!

Will

Day 17: Kenora - Jim & Linda Middegaal

This morning started off at the Super 8 hotel on the east side of Winnipeg. After a rest day, we were ready to rock.

Getting out of Winnipeg at 7:30 am proved to be a bit dicey. Lots of construction, impatient drivers, and the road shoulders had more glass than a jewelry store. After we got out of the city though we had lots to cheer about.

Such as reaching this sign that marks the centre of Canada

Ontario!

And this rock.

Nice to see a change in scenery from the prairies. Lots of trees, rocks, and little lakes everywhere now. We had a pesky headwind throughout the day (surprise!) but were still able to make good time to Kenora. Tucked in for the night now at Redden's campground.

Claire

Day 16: Rest Day

Bad weather meant another day off for us (just the 45k made up from yesterday). Highlight of the day was go cart racing at Speedworld in Winnipeg. We all got crushed by this 40 year old man that wasn't taking prisoners on the course. I hit the tire wall 3 times. Sticking to the bike.

Will

Day 15: Winnipeg - Brian Dupuis

Our day started off according to plan from the Meadowlark Campground in Brandon. Unfortunately, things didn't go as smoothly as we would've liked throughout the rest of the day.

Before we started this trip we were told that winds prevail from the west. Haha.
 Winds have been blowing from the east for five of the past six days. Today was no exception. The weather forecast for Winnipeg looked like this:

 Going into a headwind all day again felt like putting my soul into a blender. We spent most of our day just trying to move forward by spinning in our lowest gear. Average speed of 14.4km/hr. It made for a long day on the bike. By the end of the day my bike seat felt like a pinecone.

 Brief walking increased our average speed.    

WALK7650

 Although this was as fast as we could go, it was not fast enough to make it to the edge of Winnipeg before dark. We biked a total of 138km today, and had to bail on the last 45km. Not ideal, but there was nothing we could do about it. Instead of taking a rest day in Kenora, we will be staying an extra day Winnipeg. This is because the weather forecast is calling for strong east winds and more rain tomorrow.  It'll also give us a chance to make up the 45km we missed today.

Claire

Day 14: Brandon - Huron Fish and Game Conservation Association

Another rough day that felt like biking behind a jet engine. Judging by the weather the next few days will be the same.. + rain.

We had intended to head down south to Glenboro today but stayed on the Transcanada highway and settled for Brandon. We only got in about 110 km today (averaging 15-16 km/h) but thankfully had a head start built up from days before to keep us roughly on schedule. This small change will take us through Winnipeg and let us stay on the same highway.

Ontario is only a few days away!

Will

Day 13: Moosomin - Corrie's Freshmart

Since we had a 90 km head start we weren't in too much of a hurry to get on the road. We were heading out of Sleepy Hollow campground in Woseley just a bit after eight when Will noticed he had a flat tire. Again. He's getting good at that. The rest of the day went fairly smoothly. 

     The west winds that we had the day before were long gone. The entire day was spent grinding into a headwind coming from the east. We weren't happy campers to say the least. The ride was pretty remote, lots of small towns and open fields. Moosomin didn't even have a grocery store. We got there in good time though so we decided to keep going. A bit past Moosomin we found a small town of interest.

Past Fleming it wasn't long until Manitoba! Another province down. Another time zone down too. 

After the border we stopped in the first town we could find. Elkhorn, population 461. Campsites in Manitoba are scarce in April, so we crashed at the Elkhorn Motor Hotel. 

Claire

Day 12: Regina - Flynn Farms

We started off at the Swift Current Holliday Inn and their free breakfast at 6:30. Anyone who showed up at 7 was just getting coffee. Then we went to Herbert to start our bike and found out we won the daily weather coin toss and the wind was at our backs. The next main town was Moose Jaw where we found a huge clay moose beside the road. It was out of our way to get to it but we had to get a picture.

The road after the Moose was like biking on railroad tracks and I got a flat tire just outside Regina that needed fixed. We got a ride in the RV through downtown Regina because a) us biking is a safety hazard and b) I don't like walking around cities in tights. After that we kept biking since we were averaging about 34 km/h with the wind. Got in an extra 90km and a head start on the next day.

Will

We're alive

We've landed in the Elkhorn Motor Hotel in Manitoba. $55/ night... Sleeping with one eye open. Our journey here has taken us through some of the most rundown parts of rural Saskatchewan. Updates have been limited since Internet is scarce around here. This post is from a phone. We will post the full story about how we've ended up here when we get to a location with wifi.

Claire

Day 11: Rest Day

After ten days on the road, we're picketing today. Our day started off in a slightly shady campground in Herbert, SK. Attractions in Herbert were pretty limited, so after looking around at each other for a bit we decided to head to a hotel in Swift Current. History repeated itself when we launched our RV into a Holiday Inn parking lot. A room with nice beds, hot showers, and most importantly a buffet breakfast will do us some good. We've enjoyed our day off, but all of this lounging has us keen to get back on the bikes tomorrow. For the meantime, I'm sitting alone in the hotel room. Will has ventured to the casino across the street.      

Day 10: Herbert - Bryson, Jackson & John Wood

This was a rough day. We finally got a headwind after a couple great days that made us think of entering the tour de france, debating Hawaii vs Florida for our first Ironman, and planning what we were going to do with our spare time when we finished this early. That changed today. When we got in to Herbert the weather was reading 43 km/h wind coming from the EAST. We were watching for funnel clouds over the prairies all day, dodging airborne tumbleweeds and just trying not to blow off the road. Exhibit A:

Thankfully we made it in before dark, barely. Trying to get the hang of drafting.

The only restaurant in Herbert has a sign that reads "come in or we both starve" which we felt was accurate. We are likely going to use our rest day we banked in Calgary tomorrow and relax.

PS - Regardless of what you've been told, Saskatchewan isn't flat!

Will

Day 9: Maple Creek - John Campbell

The grind continues. We decided to put our rest day off again since we had another beautiful day. We left Tilley a bit after 7 and followed along the Trans Can for the rest of the day.

Early on today we saw lots of critters crawling around in the ditches. They looked like a cross between some squirrel and albino chipmunk. Prairie dogs maybe? Funny little gaphers. We don't have any pictures to post though since they were a bit camera shy.

The biggest town we went through today was Medicine Hat. Actually, I think Medicine Hat was the only town we passed through with a population of more than 1000. There were lots of exits, stoplights, and hills with no bike paths to be found. Fortunately the drivers were pretty considerate of us weebling along.   

After the Hat it wasn't long until the Saskatchewan border. Another province bites the dust! We found a campground just outside of Maple Creek right along the highway. Maple Creek SK is pretty remote.. we feel right at home!

Claire

Day 8: Tilley - CHSS Staff

We were going to take the day off. Until we woke up and the wind was at our back and we changed our mind. We cruised into Tilley averaging 31 km/h as the wind dragged us along the flattest roads we've seen yet. The Tilley campground was a patch cut out of a cattle field and we were the first camper of the year. No running water to be found. Plenty of coyotes barking during the night, feel right back at home. No pictures, there really wasn't anything to see.

Will

Day 7: Calgary - Dave Jewitt

What a difference a day makes. When we went to bed last night it was snowing so hard we couldn't see the peaks of the mountains surrounding us. This morning we woke up to sunny skies and some beautiful views. Here's a shot just as we were leaving the Tunnel Mountain campground in Banff.

The route to Calgary was great. The roads were mainly downhill, had wide shoulders, and we can feel the money seeping out of the Alberta pavement. Sometimes on the flats we'd be easily cruising along at 30+km/hr. Dreamy. 

We were pretty happy to look back and see the Rockies behind us. Before long we were cruising into Calgary!

We made good time into Calgary and were able fit in a 100km loop to make up for part of what we missed yesterday. Tomorrow is supposed to be a rest day, but we'll be able to fit in the remaining 20 at some point. We launched into a campground just at the west edge of Calgary. It's a bit sketchy, but redeemed by fast internet. 

Claire

Day 6: Banff - Huron Fish and Game Conservation Association

Distance: 20 km, yes 20

Snowmageddon!! We climbed out of Golden this morning in the rain and got soaked. Then it started to snow and the shoulders started to get packed with snow and ice. Our bikes and their razor tires just wouldn't move forward. We stopped shortly before seeing this. 

We were froze to a rock for a bit and then piled into the RV to do some sightseeing in Lake Louise. Ya, there's still snow here.

So we aren't going to be able to bike the last 119km leading into Banff, there is just too much snow. Fortuantely we scheduled a light day of biking tomorrow into Calgary (127km) and will make up the 119 tomorrow. We wish we could have gone through the last stretch of mountains but its just too early in the year. We are going to bike down to Okotoks and back tomorrow to make up the distance. It looks like a long day so we will do whatever we don't finish on our rest day Sunday. Here's the change:  

Date	Original distance	New distance
April 18	139 km	20 km
April 19	127 km	246 km

Finishing up the day here in Banff, our first in Alberta. Posting this from a Starbucks and feel uncomfortable in this environment so gotta go.

Will

Day 5: Golden - Gold Coast Landscaping

Today's numbers

Distance: 147km

Highest Elevation: 1330m

Snow Tunnels: 8

Clif bar count: 6

Day 5 started off pretty leisurely. We slept in a bit later than normal, had a big breakfast, and were on the road by 8:15ish. We posed for a picture with the sign out front of the Hillcrest Hotel. Will threw on the rangers jersey for the first game of the series - flyers are done. 

  Today's biggest feat was climbing up Rogers Pass. It was a steady grind, but singing in between gasps for air made it go by quickly. Here's a link to our favourite jam for going uphill:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NG2zyeVRcbs  

After Roger's Pass it was mainly downhill to Golden. Along the way we encountered many dark snow tunnels which we had to walk through to avoid becoming a hood ornament. We also passed through our first time zone change today. Lost an hour of our day. Not ideal. 

We arrived at a campsite at the far side of Golden. Mom had to fend off a few sheep to find a spot for our RV but they didn't seem too offended. 

Now we're nestled into the Rocky Mountains. It'll make for some big climbs tomorrow, but we'll be through our first province by tomorrow afternoon.

Claire

Day 4 Update: The accommodations

This picture sums up our current status.

      Making the most of our night at the Hillcrest Hotel. Complimentary white robes are definitely a shift from roughing it in RV.

Day 4: Revelstoke - Dave & Marie Middleton

Distance: 147km
Another amazing day. Shorter distance with massive road shoulders - although they were pretty bumpy and started to feel like like a mogul course toward the end of the day. Mostly downhill/flat with small headwind. BUT the story of the day was this Hillcrest Hotel. We timidly asked to park the RV in their lot, but they turned around gave us a room in this palace! Hot tub, beer and the playoff hockey on a bigscreen. We couldn't be happier and recommend this place to anyone. Heading for some big mountains tomorrow.  

Will

Day 3: Vernon - Excalibur Insurance Group

So far, so good. 

After yesterday's long and hilly day, today's shorter distance and (relatively) flat ground seemed like a dream. Most of our route followed along Okanagan Lake, home of Ogopogo.

                                               

No sightings to report today.

We've encountered a lot more cities as we head further North. Some of the locals in these cities have kindly informed us of the ridiculous climbs that await us over the next couple of days. Oh dear...

    For now we're resting up in Vernon at the Silver Star RV Park. Shooting for Revelstoke tomorrow.   

We found a couch on the side of the road. Just what we needed.

Claire

Day 2: Keremeos - Case & Ruth Buffinga

Distance - 200km

This was a long day. Started at 7, finished at 6:30, and climbed a few mountains in between. Unbelievable scenery here in BC, great place to bike through. Going down the hills was a blast - clocked in at 68km/h at one point. For anyone concerned about saftey, trucks have been communicating with us via honking to get off the road. We're comfortable with that. Found our way to eagle campground and calling it a day. 

Day 1: Hope BC - Clinton Raceway

Day 1, Check.

  Great first day. Sunny skies, balmy temperatures, and good roads for the most part. The paved shoulders that were about as wide as some Huron County roads were appreciated. Right now we're tucked into a campground near Hope BC, a quiet little town just at the edge of the mountains.
The scenery along the way was also a welcome change from Southern Ontario. Spent the day winding along cliffs, mountains, and rivers. Here's the view on the way into Hope.

Vancouver - Brian Dupuis

"Wow, that was a long flight", after landing in Vancouver from Toronto. Had to laugh a bit when I remembered I have to cover that distance and then some on a bike.
Yikes.

Well... after months of planning, training, and visits to the bike shop, here we go. This morning we had a ceremonial wheel dip into the Pacific Ocean.

  Our day started off at Prospect Point in Stanley Park. Here we are just before heading out!

RV heads West

Molly is keen.

It's still a week until Will and I leave, but our mom is already on the road. She left this morning in the RV and will be meeting us in Vancouver next week. Mom is bringing along our bikes, clothes, and a special copilot.

Looks like they're off to a good start.

   

Unusual Mail

Today we received a package in mail from a Grade One class at Clinton Public School. They all wrote letters to wish us well on our journey! The students also drew some priceless pictures of us on the back. Here's a sampling of them. 

Thank you to the students at Clinton Public School for sending these to us!