All good things...

Over six months ago, I found myself sitting in a small pub in Oxford, chatting with friends over a pint and I had a crazy idea. I don't think I would have ever expected this idea to grow into what it has become, affect as many people as it has, or to be more successful than I could ever have imagined. Heck, had you asked that night, I probably wouldn't have even thought I had the stones to go through with it.

Yet here I sit overlooking the Toronto skyline, finally able to reminisce about one of the greatest journeys of my entire life. However, I realized this morning, that like all things, this story eventually needs to have a final chapter, and the past week could not have summed up a better conclusion.

After my Sept. 23 ride out to Oakville with Kevin Leshuk, Celgene Canada was gracious enough to feed me, surround me with amazing people, donate $10,000 to the ride, and even bring in a film crew to document the day and some points about what this ride meant to me.

Click here to view video

In addition to Celgene's generous contribution, I can not say enough about Ortho Biotech, who was there from the beginning with a $4000 contribution and motivation for the road. I had a chance to meet with them, as well as some members of the Princess Margaret Hospital and have videos of those meetings as well:

Click here for videos

Last week, I attended the launch of the Molly & David Bloom Chair in Multiple Myeloma Research at the Princess Margaret Hospital. It was a fantastic opportunity to catch up with some old faces and an incredibly positive night. The atmosphere in the air was truly one of strength and hope. With Dr. Donna Reece confirmed as the head of the chair, and over $4,000,000 at her team's disposal, everyone could feel that this was the start of something big. Myeloma research has come a long way in the past years, however with PMH's hard work, and the support of so many incredible and generous people, I feel like the coming years will see more than just treatments; we will see a true, and definite end to Myeloma.

For me personally, perhaps the best news of the past week was speaking to my father on Sunday night. Just recently, he had an overall checkup after finishing a half-year long treatment cycle and his health couldn't be better. He is still being monitored monthly, however I am confident that by the time this awful disease starts to act up again, his options will be numerous and once again, effective.

I already devoted an entire entry to thanking the countless people who made this journey possible, however let me wrap this up by once more acknowledging; my former company in the UK, Cyan UV, for their generous donation and support, Rocky Mountain cycles for their help with my little Gladys, Myeloma Canada for their amazing support and help, the amazing people who helped me on the road, and everyone who was able to make this trip such a success with your donations, words of support, and cheers. And yes, to answer your question, that was a horrible run-on sentence. With the support of so many, this campaign was able to crush my initial goals of $35k and raise a current total of $49, 523.79. I say current total, because donations are still trickling in, and I am confident we'll easily top $50,000.

**(Update Nov. 27, 09) I've just been informed that in fact the latest count puts us at $53.384.79!!! Apparently 'trickling' was a bad choice of words!

I could write for hours about what this trip meant to me, but I feel like I've said what needs to be said. The biggest piece of advice I can offer to anyone after this life-changing experience is that if you are EVER considering doing something foolish, crazy, out of this world, completely impossible or downright insane... there's no better time to start than right now.

Thanks for reading. Thanks for donating. Thanks for caring.

-And don't worry... I've already got a few more ideas in mind for next year.

A visit with Celgene

Last Wednesday, I had a fantastic opportunity to visit the Celgene Canada headquarters in Oakville. They even managed to convince me to hop back on my bike for a bit (though I promised myself I wouldn't even look at the thing until next spring) and ride with Kevin Leshuk, their GM, from downtown Toronto out to their offices in Oakville.

We started the morning at Princess Margaret Hospital. I rode there from my apartment on the waterfront, and I have to admit, it was a strange feeling to be back on a bike after even 2 weeks away. Add to that, I was riding in downtown Toronto during rush hour traffic, and it was a bit of a change from the desolate roads of the Canadian wilderness. I met with Kevin and the media crew and after a few "Hollywood moments" (read: doing multiple takes of us biking down University St.) Kevin and I were free to head out on the road.

We rode down Simcoe & Spadina to the lakeshore path. There was a small hickup on Queen St. when my skinny little road wheels became lodged in the streetcar track and I found myself stuck in a rut, in the middle of a major intersection with cars honking all around. However, we were very soon down on the lakeshore path and on our way toward Oakville.

Kevin and I had a great chat during the ~2hr ride. He's an avid mountain biker and was really interested in learning more about road biking, and about the kind of perseverance needed to complete this trip. I on the other hand am a fledgling, young entrepreneur and was very keen to speak to someone with a great business sense and a lot of good advice to offer.

By the end of the ride, we were laughing like old school mates and already had dirt on each other (ok, Kevin probably had more on me). Our arrival at Celgene was a fantastic welcoming, with the entire office out front to welcome us. I had a few complaints from the employees about not doing a better job of humiliating their boss, but truth be told, Kevin was probably in better shape than I was after I had sat on my butt for 2 weeks (and he had already rode 40km into Toronto that morning!).We went inside where I gave a small presentation on my journey, the people I met, my experiences with myeloma patients and how (I hope) this campaign helped the myeloma community. I think it was important for a company such as Celgene, who make a fantastic treatment for myeloma, to hear a more personal side to the myeloma community and the people who they are helping. We did a small Q&A session as well, which was nice for me, since it made me recount some memories of my trip after I had been long enough away from the ride to reminisce about them.

I was then presented with an incredibly generous donation in the form of a giant novelty cheque (one of my dreams!) and enjoyed a well-earned lunch. I was glad to be back in cycling mode where I was able to once again make a pig of myself and eat 3 or 4 times a normal human. We then wound up an amazing day and I headed home to continue on with my life.

Today, just over a week later, I find myself deep into city living, working contracts all over the city (and country in some cases) and slowly becoming a normal human being again (well, as normal as I ever am). There is one more element to my grand plan which I still have yet to do. As I mentioned time and time again, this ride was inspired by, and done for my father. Yet, in the entire time since I've returned from the UK, I think I have seen him a grand total of around 5 days.

As such, in 5 hours, I hop on a plane back to Manitoba to catch up on some much needed family time. Dad and I are planning on doing some true stereotypical bonding and heading out fishing... my timing was just a little off (I hope this doesn't turn into ice fishing). The rest of the family will be joining together the following weekend for thanksgiving where we'll get to sit and enjoy ourselves in the house we grew up in for the first time in a very long time.

Upon my return, the only thing left to do will be count up the donations, present PMH with their share of the contributions, and try my hardest to hang onto memories of one of the most influential experiences of my life.
PS: Kevin, if you thought I was just being nice when I insisted on taking the giant cheque, I assure you, it still sits proudly in my office and will continue to do so for a very long time. Trust me... I already tried to cash it to see if we could get $20,000 out of you, so I know now that it really is just novelty. ;-)

Cross Training

Well, after a nice long bike trip, I guess Myeloma Canada thought it would be a good idea for me to get some running in to keep my training regime diverse. I teamed up with Lisa Ray who was recently diagnosed with myeloma at the young age of 37 and we set our marks on the Toronto 5k Your Way run for the Princess Margaret Hospital.

On October 18th, Lisa, myself and a handful of other supporters from Myeloma Canada will be taking to Queens Park to participate in a 5k run to help support the tremendous research at Princess Margaret Hospital. If you'd like to learn more about the run and Team Myeloma Canada, feel free to see our page below:

http://pmhf3.akaraisin.com/t/myelomacanada.aspx

Now all I have to do is find a good swim meet and I'll be a fund raising triathlete.

Aftermath: Reflections

Finally, I am starting to feel settled. It's been well over a week since I arrived in Toronto yet not even a day since I've finished unpacking, setting up my apartment, and generally, settling in to a new city I'm trying to call home. I'm still definitely in a transitional period, but things are calming down.

Nearly immediately upon my arrival, I locked my bike up in secure storage that my building provides and haven't looked at it since. I've had some friends ask if I wanted to go for a bike ride and likely gave them a look that should have made their heads explode. I've walked over an hour across the city to get somewhere instead of hopping on my bike for 10 minutes. Generally, I still have no desire to get back on that infernal/wonderful machine.

That said, this Wednesday, I will be cycling out to Oakville from Toronto (around 40km) with the Canadian GM of Celgene. Celgene has made a generous donation to the pedal and is coordinating the ride from Toronto to Oakville and a small ceremony/presentation at their offices in Oakville. In short... ready or not, we're back on the road soon!!

While we won't have final numbers until some time in October, I can let you know that fund raising has exceeded my expectations. With a huge push in donations upon my finish (were you guys waiting to give me a reward at the end?) and a couple of large contributions from companies and individuals, we are officially over the $35,000 goal and now knocking on the door of $50,000.

I can't even describe how grateful I am to everyone who helped me reach this mark and how much it means to the myeloma community. Considering that my initial plan was to ride from Calgary to Toronto to raise $3500, you can imagine how blown away I am to know that this ride really did make a difference. This unquestionably makes the fact that I still can't sit straight worth while.

I bicker and moan a lot, but I do miss the ol' girl. I'm curious to see what riding her for 40km without an extra 20-30kg of weight on my back tires will be like. Loaded or unloaded, it'll be good to get back on a more efficient mode of transportation. This whole walking business, while novel, is really becoming a slow, awkward means of travel.

Running however, I realized is not a better idea. I went out for a run on Thursday and learned the importance of cross training. I don't know entirely what muscles are used for cycling vs running, however I can tell you that they are not exactly the same. In fact, based on my experience, they appeared to be opposing each other. Thus, after building up massive muscles from cycling a "flight worthy distance", I felt like I was dragging a boulder behind me with each step forward. I only ran for about 7km, but was more exhausted than even my longest days on the bike and have legs that feel like stones still 2 days later.

Oh, and the beard is officially gone. It was a badge of honour which I wore with pride at the end of the cycle. However, after nearly a week in the hot city, it began to itch and I started to notice the wide birth people gave me while walking around the city. I'm now just another Joe, walking down the streets of a city of endless possibility.

Aftermath: Thanks

I had a video conference last night with the Myeloma Canada conference in Calgary. We set up a link to have me speak to the reception held last night. While I didn't really get a chance to speak to individuals, it was nice to know that so many amazing people who I had the chance to work with on this journey were together in one room, trying to make a difference for myeloma.

It was then that I realized that one of the updates which I needed to post was a thank you to all of the people whom I was lucky enough to have help me with this campaign. When I started planning this journey, I was ready to operate under my usual mode of doing everything myself, however it very quickly became clear that there was far too much for one person to handle, especially while on a bike.

Everyone at Myeloma Canada was instrumental in helping me organize this ride, plan local events, contact media, and make introductions to myeloma patients across the country. While only in existence since 2004, this organization has come a long way and I believe is instrumental in providing education, support, and aid with research to the Canadian myeloma community. While granted I did this ride to support them, I also could not have done the ride without their support.

A warm meal, soft bed, and hot shower may seem like fairly basic amenities, but when you're on the road for 6 weeks, they become one of the most glorious luxuries of your desire. The hospitality on the road was enough to recharge my batteries until my next stop and remind me the real reason behind what I was doing: the people. Nathan, Michelle and the boys in Swifty put me up and introduced me to Benton in Moose Jaw. Towlers in Virden felt like I was already home. Jake & Jess in Winnipeg drove with me in and out of the city and took some gorgeous photos along the road. In Kenora, I got to go out boating with Ron & Claire Noseworthy. Dryden introduced me to Nordlunds, some amazing cooking and the knowledge that I love wild rice, if it's cooked properly. The next day in Ignace, I had an incredible conversation with Don McIntosh about engineering, business and life in general. When I arrived in Thunder Bay, Mark and Ena Conliffe welcomed me into their home and helped me prepare for my difficult journey around Superior. When I finished one of the hardest weeks of my life, Jill Lang Ward and her husband Ted were waiting for me in Sault Ste. Marie with everything except a red carpet to welcome me to town, and an amazing party with cake, and live music! Even though I didn't stay with her, I still need to give a huge thanks to Carol Westberg in Calgary for coordinating the start of the ride with me. She also helped put me in touch with Jungle Jim Hunter, who I have been speaking to weekly on his radio show, and has been a great inspiration. Mona Dartige in Regina brought together a wonderful group in Regina to join me for lunch and an always appreciated chance to talk. Thank you to everyone for your kindness; you helped keep my body and mind going.

Some companies played a big part in this cause as well. Celgene and Ortho Biotech both pleged generous donations to the ride, but more importantly, have developed drugs which help fight back at myeloma. Cyan, my employers in the UK were kind enough to contribute, even after I had to make the difficult decision to leave my job and return to Canada to be closer to family. Rocky Mountain cycles provided me with a great bike at cost which, while I may have cursed at times, was obviously essential to the trip!! My good friend Shaun helped me pick out all my gear at Campers Village in Calgary and thank God we went for the warmer sleeping bag. Anthony at Primal Screen in Calgary made up my shirts for free and has been encouraging me with updates the whole way along the ride.

Unquestionably, my biggest thanks has to go to family. My sisters were a huge help with media releases, places to stay and support when I was having a bad day. My brother in law Scott whupped his friends at a golf tournament and was kind enough to donate the winnings to my ride. My other brother in law Morgan organized an escort for 4 days out of Calgary to keep me company at the start of my ride. Be sure to pass my thanks along to the other fine officers who were with me along the way: I wish I had you guys through the insanity of Ontario!! My cousins, aunt & uncle coordinated a great get together in my hometown and helped to raise over $6000 in a town of only over 1000 people (and thanks to Kirkup Agencies for collecting local donations).

My parents worried about me the whole ride. My mother actually called me one night since I was slow in updating my website and she feared the worst. She has always encouraged my adventurous side and while concerned for my safety, was ecstatic that I was continuing to lead a life of ridiculous ideas and endless adventure. My father has been my inspiration for nearly everything that i've done with my life, and this ride was obviously no different. As I said to the confernce last night, if someone ever asked me to do something like this again, I'd laugh in their face and walk away. If however it could help my dad even a bit, I would bike to the moon. Thanks mom and dad for making me, me. I may be a little bias, but I think you did alright.

To the person I ineviably forgot, I also have to thank you profusely for whatever it was that I also forgot that you did. I swear that this is not an indicator of how I valued your contribution, but more a sign that I probably took in too much sun, have gone a little mad in the bush and am slowly losing my already fragile mind. If I didn't forget anyone, neglect that last statement, especially the part about losing my mind.

Lastly, to all of my friends, old and new, thank you for your support. Whether it was a donation to the fundraiser, a little note to get me through the day, or a promise of a cold beer and a warm meal at the end of all this, every little bit kept me going.

Aftermath: Stats

I swear I'm not dead... in fact contrary to what many of you may believe, I'm not even really relaxing. I've spent the past 3 days trying to re-integrate myself into society and set up my new life in Toronto, which is much harder than I thought it would be.

Even though I lived in Montreal for 8 years, the day I arrived here, I actually found the city to be too much stimulus. After a month and a half out in the woods, with nothing to focus on but left, right, left, there's a bear, right, left... I found that my mind was simply not ready for so much going on. Still, I'm slowly adapting again, and shedding off my animalistic instincts to get back to urban living.

I've got a series of 'wrap-up' posts that I'm hoping to get through over the next week or two. My initial intention was to start doing them immediately after the ride, however life has been so busy since arrival that I haven't had the chance. I actually started waking up at 6am again just so that I could get things done. However, considering that I wasn't even supposed to be arriving until today (Friday) I'm really not behind at all; in fact I'm still ahead.

Today, I thought it could be fun to share some of the statistics and break down some of the numbers for you on this trip. These were things which stuck out in my mind and interesting little points that I thought needed to be aired:
-Days on the road: 30
-Total Distance Covered: 3646.42km
-Total Time Cycling: 162 hours, 8 minutes
-Daily Average: 121.54km
-Longest Day: 210.27km (Moose Jaw -> Grenfell)
-Shortest Day: 64.17km (Virden -> Souris)
-Total Average Speed: 22.81km/h
-Best Daily Average: 29.54km/h (coming into Winnipeg)
-Worst Daily Average: 16.56km/h (headwinds & hills near Marathon)
-Trip Max Speed: 69.05km/h (Airport Rd, just north of Toronto)
-Rainy Days: 5
-Rained Out: 1
-Tailwind Days: 5
-Calm Wind Days: 6
-Headwind Days: 19 (now do you understand what all the complaining was about?)
-Coldest Temperature: 3 C (night near Marathon)
-Hottest Temperature: 35 C (day out of Calgary)
-Chain Repairs: 0
-Wheel Replacements: 1 (rear)
-Spoke Replacements: 7
-Flat Tires: 9
-Nights in a house: 11 (thanks again everyone!!)
-Nights in a hotel: 1
-Nights in a campground: 2
-Nights in the bush: 16
-Bear Sightings: 2
-Bear Attacks: 0
-Hawk Attacks: 1
-Touring Cyclist Sightings: 11
-Times forced to hit the gravel: 4 (1 near Wawa, 1 near Prawda, 2 on Bruce Peninsula)
-Longest stretch of days without showering: 5
-Song most often screamed aloud: Hey Jude: The Beatles
-Layers of sunburn: 4
-Last time since I shaved: August 19
-Songs written on trip: 5
-Amazing people met: countless

I've still got endless stories to tell and so much information to update you on, but only so much time to devote to this campaign now that I'm back to city living. Keep watching the website for the odd periodic wrap-up on the trip and on how the fund raising is going!

Lastly, a big hello to everyone who was able to make it out to Calgary today for the annual Myeloma Canada conference!! I wish I could have joined you, but I'm too exhausted to justify traveling again. At minimum, I'll "see" you tonight at the dinner!

www.prairiepedal.com

Day 30: Fin.

Ring the alarum bell, murder and treason!!!

No, no, wait... wrong story. Anyhoo, guess where I am??Throughout my life, I've almost become used to having people tell me to slow down and do things at a better pace so that I get it right. I guess my biggest issue has always been, why can't I do things as fast as I want and still get them right? This entire trip spanned 3646km and while I look back on this adventure with fond memories, I woke up the morning after the ferry and said to myself, I'm ready to get home.

"...330km away in Tobermory, but I told him that if the roads were good, and I got a bit of a tailwind, I might try to do it in 2 days. It was windy. The roads mostly had no shoulder and sometimes had what I refer to as "the chiropractor". And to top it all off, it was the end of a long weekend."

For those of you who know me, and those who have gotten to know me over this trip... give your head a shake. The above was an obvious ploy to draw you in and mislead you to think that life was downtrodden awfulness.

Don't get me wrong, it was one of the worst mornings I'd experienced. The roads were that bad, the wind was horrid and the traffic was awful. However, none of this stopped me from pushing through the pain and fighting my way towards Toronto. I put in 180km, and made it that much closer to home.

My morning was horrid, however before I get to today, let me talk about yesterday. Things were still horrible through Owen Sound. Around 10km past Meaford, a car pulled over and asked me, "why aren't you on the Georgian trail?".

My obvious answer was, "the what trail?". I spent the next few minutes learning about the area and the fact that not 100m south of the highway, there existed a packed limestone trail perfect for cycling which had evaded me thus far.

This trail ended up being the high point of my entire trip, and quite possibly the only thing which got me through the long day. It was isolated, it was close to nature, and it was peaceful. It was everything about cycling that I love, and a reminder of why I was willing to do this ride in the first place. This simple 34km path was enough to make me ignore the dark sides of my trip and even consider doing it ever again.
I reached Collingwood and set my tent up near an abandoned factory. It felt like the start of a bad horror film, but I made it through my last night in the bush and prepared myself for my last day on the road.

I was prepared to go through Barrie, however when I talked to a local in Collingwood, he suggested that going through Barrie could mean certain doom by traffic. He recommended another route which would have decent shoulders, and little traffic. I was immediately in love with this route due to my obsession with numerology and the fact that I would be traveling on highway 42 (the meaning of life).

Highway 42 was everything I had hoped it would be, HOWEVER once I hit Dufferin county, and the highway changed to the 18, the meaning of life turned into an awful, awful joke, with me as the punch line. The hills were enough to rival lake Superior. If you don't believe me, look at the stats to see that I hit my new top speed today. Traveling at nearly 70km/h is all well and good until you realize that you have to climb up the hill that you just rocketed down.

A lot of people ask me what it feels like to be on a fully loaded bike at 69km/h. That's a dead lie, no one's ever asked me that, however I will say this regardless; traveling at that speed, one feels as though if you wink one eye without blinking both, you will offset your balance enough to quickly become a grease stain on the pavement.

After the hills, life became even worse, since I began to pull into the city around 3pm. I thought my timing was perfect to avoid 5pm rush hour, however as my roomates informed me, "rush hour" in Toronto lasts from about 3pm-8pm. I weaved my way in and out of traffic and must have been quite a sight to see with my huge panniers sticking off the back and my slightly crazed temperment from being in the bush for so long.

And then, as though it wasn't real, I was home. Through the traffic, the hills, the lakes, the heat, the wind and the pain, I emerged anew. I'd tell you how I feel right now, but I can't quite make sense of it all. For the time being, I've really just been trying to get myself used to having people around and add to the monumental list of things I have to do now that I'm re-integrating myself into society.

In the coming days, I hope to update the site with all sorts of fun statistics, interesting stories, and new updates on the campaign, so keep your eyes peeled.

If you have enjoyed reading about my adventure and still hope to give to Myeloma Canada, please help me aid the over 6000 Canadians living with this horrid disease and click on the link in the top right corner. If you've already helped me out on my way and contributed, thank you so much for your support.

I have a lot more to say, but for now... I just need to remind myself how to live again.

Day 29: Beaten, bloody, burnt & bruised

I called my roomate Iain last night to let him know I was getting close and to see how he was holding fort in toronto. I was around 330km away in Tobermory, but I told him that if the roads were good, and I got a bit of a tailwind, I might try to do it in 2 days.

I've obviously not been paying very close attention on this trip.

As though the moment those words were uttered from my mouth, the damage was done and no amount of touching wood, taking it back or begging for mercy was going to change anything.

It was windy. The roads mostly had no shoulder and sometimes had what I refer to as "the chiropractor". And to top it all off, it was the end of a long weekend.

Cyclists, if I can give you one piece of advice, it is to NEVER travel on the roads leading back to a city after a long weekend. While I'd lost the semis of the trans-Canada, they were replaced by a continuous line of impatient drivers, begrudgingly hauling their lives back to responsibility. I was run off the road twice; once by an RV who wasn't quite aware how long he was when pulling back in front of me, and once by an oncoming car who figured I didn't count as approaching traffic when overtaking the car in front of him.

Good times. Good times.

The one cool thing I can say about today is that I somehow beat my old speed record coming down a hill into Wiarton. My bike has now traveled over 64km/h while fully loaded. I'll leave it to you to guess where I'm hiding tonight. Think of it like a giant game of where's Waldo. Feel free to comment your entry below and the winner will get a big, sweaty, 5 day unshowered hug... assuming I can muster the strength.

My knees are starting to grind when they move. The pins in my ankle creak with each big push and I've started to feel a nice soreness in a bad place. The right shoulder which was giving me problems long ago can no longer be stretched without sharp, shooting pain. I can never sit quite right, regardless of what I'm sitting on and I don't think I've had a 'proper' bowel movement in weeks. I have 3 or 4 layers of sunburns, and I look like a superhero without his mask because of my glasses tan. When I lean in close on the road, I can feel my thigh muscles gurgle... I don't really know what that means.

Mentally, I likely make my body look pristine. I miss my friends. I miss my family. I miss people. I freak the hell out of restaurant employees by trying to have in depth conversations with them and likely being a bit too eager to talk. I scream at the wind sometimes, louder than I've ever yelled in my life. I laugh uncontrolably when I finish climbing a hill, only to see an even larger one on the horizon. I stopped saying my mantras, and now sometimes I just make ogre-like noises when I'm having a tough go.

I'm done, but I'm not quite done.

Day 28: I'M ON A BOAT!!

Well I should like to think todays title is pretty self-explanatory, and you can likely also guess how far I made it today.

A hefty headwind blew up from lake Huron today. The roads looked as though Manitoulin island had recently experienced some seismic activity. The hills were even back in moderate force. However none of this mattered for a few reasons. First, it was a gorgeous, sunny day yet again. Second, I got to ride a boat for the first time in likely years. And lastly, I'm now so close to Toronto that I can smell it (on that note, is the garbage collection strike over yet?).

Operation kill the kilometers continued today. I likely would have tried to go further but by the time the ferry let off at Tobermory, it was almost dark and I struggled to find a "campsite". However, I'm now settled in with the bugs, slugs and bear cubs where I belong. I can't tell if I'm going to miss living out in the woods in this state of peaceful wilderness.

No, wait... check that. I won't miss this at all. I'm cold, wet, my back aches and I think I'd consider having one of my kidneys harvested to get a bed.

Ok, maybe I'll miss the slugs a little. ;-)

Day 27: Listen to my own words

Something hit me last night, and it wasn't a truck. When I go on vacation, the first few days are always difficult since I'm still stuck in my obsessive, tunnel-vision-focus work mode. It isn't until I have a couple days off that I remember how to relax and start enjoying myself.

Now granted, this isn't really a vacation (read: one of the most difficult things I've ever done) but it is still an adventure and I feel as though I've allowed the same plague to infect this trip, but on a much larger level. Through this entire journey, I had been so focused on my schedule, or my biking statistics, or every little press release, or making sure that everything was supposed to be perfect, that I neglected to let myself relax and enjoy the trip much. Yes, this may be in part why the campaign has gone so well (nearly $30,000 raised!! We're almost there!) but I want to make sure I'm doing things my way too.

I'll get there when I get there
if I even get there at all

I think I wrote these words somewhere back in Saskatchewan, but I don't think I've been living by them. I rushed through the cold and rain to make sure I was in the Soo when I said I would. I pushed myself through the prairies and barely noticed the few fields beside me. Even just two days ago, I nearly had a hissy fit when I had to re-plan my route and miss out on Subury.

But no more. From here on, the only place I need to be is finished and the best time to do that is when I finish. That said, my current situation is likely a bit counter intuitive. My body feels great, but my mind is exhausted, lonely, and wants to be with friends. As such, my days are getting longer and my distances more aggressive. The 10th is well in hand as a finish date and the 9th is starting to look more and more appetizing. If it's all got to be done anyway, I'd rather make hay while the sun is shining.

So, I'm a bit past Espanola today. It was another sunny day, with a small, unfortunate headwind, but that didn't stop me from marching over 130kms. Only an hour ago, I bid adieu to the trans-Canada for good. I'm now on the #6 to Manitoulin island and will later be on smaller roads in southern Ontario. It was a good road for over 3200km, but like all things good and bad, it must come to an end. I can't say I'll miss all the heavy transport traffic, or the horrible road conditions, but we'll see what the road ahead holds.

I'll likely be catching the ferry tomorrow and from there... only time will tell.

Day 26: Hellllooooooooo LEGS!!

Today was as close to perfect as I think things are going to get. It was sunny, clear skied, relatively flat and most importantly, the winds were as calm as Hindu cows. Of course a tailwind would have been nice, but after last week, I'll take whatever I can get.

I started the day by enjoying a nice breakfast with Jill, Ted and their cousin Jamie. We probably stayed up partying a bit too late last night and I didn't get on the road until close to 11, but some things are just worth it. I'd rather have a good time now and sleep when I'm dead. Thank you again Jill and Ted for all of your hard work and for being so hospitable. I did more and met more people in a day in the Soo than the entire week around Superior and most definitely will have some great memories to take with me.

Once I finally got going on the road I again noticed something different. With smaller hills, no winds and rested legs, I was really booking it. I covered 120km today at around 25km/h without even feeling it and am suddenly very excited to blow through the rest of this ride. I kept looking down at my legs, expecting them to eventually hit the wall as they had so many days before around northern ON, but they simply pushed on, and smirked at me as though to say we're baaaacck.

All things considered, it was an enjoyable but uneventful day. The shoulders are still horrible and there are still a ton of trucks, but that should all change once I turn onto Manitoulin in the next couple days.

As a parting shot, I think I found my favorite road sign of the entire trip. I wish I could say this was a unique anomoly, but these things were everywhere. I was pissed off because I didn't see a single carriage; all I stumbled across was a pile of horse crap.

Rest Day: Sault Ste. Marie

If I thought yesterday was amazing, I had no idea what was in store for me. Jill & Ted had put a ton of work into the day and we had an absolutely amazing time today.

I started the day bright and early with a meeting with the mayor, followed by a photo op & interview at the hospital. I then did my usual 'day off tasks' of bike maintenance, catching up on emails and groceries.

I had heard some unfortunate rumors about cycling not being allowed on highway 69/400 south of Sudbury, so I decided to give the ON ministry of transport a call. Sure enough, after being transfered 7 times, I eventually spoke to someone who was able to tell me that from Sudbury, there really was no good way to cycle into Toronto which wasn't either:

A) Illegal

B) Suicide
C) All of the above

As such, I had to do a bit of research and make a tough, last minute decision. My route for the last week of my journey has been changed and unfortunately, I'll no longer be passing through Sudbury. This will mean me missing out on a number of media and hospital opportunities as well as a chance to stay with the family of my friend Lynn.

What I will be doing instead is turning south before Sudbury and venturing onto Manitoulin island (I've updated the 'Route' section for a more accurate map). From there, I ride to the tip of the island and catch a ferry from South Baymouth to Tobermory. Then I will turn east at Owen Sound and ride along the coast to Collingwood and towards Barrie, before taking Yonge street all the way to downtown Toronto. The difference in distance is only about 15km shorter, but I assure you, I'll be well over the promised 3500km (in fact, it looks like I'll be closer to 3700km after all is said and done).

View Larger Map

While I'm dissapointed to be missing out on Sudbury, I've been told great things about Manitoulin and the Nottawasaga Bay. In addition, I love boats, and I'm looking forward to getting to ride the ferry across the lake!!

Tonight, we had the most incredible time. Jill & Ted invited over a group of friends and we sat around eating, drinking, singing and enjoying everything there was to enjoy about life. It was a great change after being isolated in the woods for a week and I could not have thought of a more perfect evening before kicking off my last week on the road. We even had a cake to commemorate the occasion, spelling mistakes and all!!

Day 25: A Hero's Welcome

I often wonder if the left hand watches the right and makes plans accordingly. After spending one of the most arduous weeks of my life traveling around the Superior, today felt almost as though it was decided that I had suffered enough, and the time for my enjoyment was upon us.

Now don't go thinking for a second the wind was pointed in the right direction or anything... let's not go crazy. I still had a slight cross/head wind, but by this time, it felt like nothing more than a gentle tickle across my crazy bushman's beard. Everything else however, was sure to click into place.

I bid adieu to my good friends from the south after an amazing evening and got on the road in good time. Sure, the situation really wasn't that different from previous days, but at this point, it was information which drove me forward: I was almost in Sault Ste. Marie.

The day pushed along with more gorgeous views of lake Superior, fantastic voyageur breakfasts, hills that I may have nightmares about tonight, and a slowly declining odometer towards civilzation, and a day off.

What I didn't anticipate was upon my arrival in SSM, little ol' me would get one of the warmest welcomes of my entire trip. Jill Lang Ward, her husband Ted, and a group of friends had come out in full force, with police escort and Prairie Pedal flags hanging from their car windows to usher me into their fine city. After the last week I'd had, it was almost enough to bring me to tears.

We eventually made our way back to Jill & Ted's home where they INSISTED that I do as little as possible. They prepared a meal fit for a king and we spent the evening eating, drinking, and learning more and more about each other. Jill underwent a stem cell transplant over a year and a half ago which took very well and has been in remission ever since. She's technically retired, but as is the case with so many of the energetic people I'm meeting on this trip, has a life which one could hardly call relaxed.

The icing on tonight's cake (well, blueberries and ice cream) was when, after catching up on the prior website posts and before doing this one, I went for a quick dip in the hot tub. Yes, as though a crack of sunlight was broken through the dark clouds, my definition of perfection was redefined. Take a body that's been beaten, battered and bruised around one of the the largest lakes in the world, introduce it to warm, jet-filled waters and what do you get?

Mushy, lazy, euphoric bliss... aaaannnnd, bed.

Day 24: Turn the right corner

(expanded upon from barely decipherable notebook scribbles)

It's amazing how a small brush with a mother bear and her cubs can make you forget about trivial things like headwinds. That said, I "awoke" this morning, still clutching my can of bugspray and well aware that once again, I would be battling my old friend Mr. Wind.

Still, I wasn't going to let it ruin my day. I had the fortune to travel through one of the most scenic places in all of Canada, Lake Superior park, and I was going to enjoy it!! Between stints of pressing my nose against the handle bars to hide from the wind, I managed a few glances along the coast to see some of the most beautiful views one could imagine, and slowly made my way through the park.

Near the end of the day, I hit the infamous Montreal River hill, which I had been anticipating for the whole trip, as it was likely the steepest hill I was to face on the entire thing. At a 7% grade, I was really hoping to top my old speed record as well, but with the wind, I barely made it over 55km/h.

When I was ready to settle down for the night, I picked a random dirt road and turned the corner. This was the choice which would make my day. I followed the road towards the lake and stumbled across a little slice of heaven. There was a small clearing with a few fire pits directly beside a beautiful pebble beach with a creek flowing into the bay. To add to everything, a small apple tree grew by the lake.

To make things even better, 3 motorcyclists from the US were there to greet me. Mike, Paul and Cody had been riding around the Superior and were fantastic to hang around for the night. We talked Canadian-US politics, muscle power vs motor power, and even the finer points of relieving one's self outdoors. Being on motorbikes, the guys had the luxury of carrying a lot more gear than I did, so we managed to start a fire and had a proper cook up with chicken, corn, soup and grilled apples.
Before the ride, I was really looking forward to lake Superior because it would afford me the opportunity to, at a moment's notice, hop off my bike and go for a swim. Sadly, with the weather as cold and wet as it had been, I'd yet to have a day to enjoy the lake. Fortunately, on one of my last days on the lake, the sun was shining, the water looked inviting, and I had 3 other people as crazy as I was. We jumped in the lake for a quick dip and then spent the evening shivvering and drying off by the fire.

I fell asleep to the sound of a babbling creek and soft waves lapping on the shore of lake Superior. This was the trip I had been waiting for. This was the adventure I wanted every single night.

This is living.

Day 23: Baby Problems

(expanded upon from barely decipherable notebook scribbles)

When I last left you, I was bathing in a euphoric figurative and literal tub of hot water, pizza and beer. The next morning, while relaxed, was unfortunately a harsh snap back to reality.

The wind was blowing in my face again. At this point, I almost began to feel as though I wasn't welcome around Lake Superior. It was as though the lake had simply decided that I did not belong and that it was going to do everything in it's power to try to turn me the other way.

Little did this lake know of the strength of a Saunderson's stubborness.

I realize as I write this that you're likely quite sick of hearing me mither and moan about the wind. I assure you, however sick you are about hearing it, I am FAR more sick to be still complaining about it. I realized today that since leaving Winnipeg, I have had 1 day of tail winds.

Otherwise, the day was quite pleasant, if a bit cool. I decided to ride with my shirt off for a bit, but put sunscreen on my shoulders, which have been known to burn in the past. I apparently bought very good sunscreen because my lower back is painful to the touch and yet my shoulders are still white as a ghost. It's actually quite a hilarious thing to look at; you can see the exact lines where my hands reached around my back to apply sunscreen.

The evening was an interesting one. To date, I have only seen 1 bear (roadkill near Dryden) however I have now heard a couple. As I began to drift off in my tent, I heard the most frightening noise I could possibly experience. It was not the expected growl or groan of a full grown bear, but little hoots and hollers of wee little babies.

Anything but babies.

Yes, what little I knew about bears shot to mind and I recalled the most important fact: never mess with a mother bear when the kids are near. I stuck my head out my tent and saw some russling in the bushes around 100m away. I sat in fear as the cubs slinked further and further away, and fortunately was never given my introduction to mom.

I still slept on pins and needles, alert and ready for action. Sadly, I even got rid of my leatherman, so the only weapons I had to defend myself were a can of bugspray and the scissors from a first aid kit. The bear may have killed me, but boy would his eyes sting.

Day 22: Last straw(s)

I didn't so much wake up this morning as I did eventually decide that I was sick of shivering inside my completely enclosed mummy bag. I had thought that a sleeping bag rated to 2 degrees would be warm enough for the month of August but I was obviously wrong.

Last night was likely only 4 or 5 degrees, but apparently the company also lied. Alas, not much I could do but wait for the sun to heat things up a bit and get on the road.

The hills just past marathon were fitting to the name and once again *drumroll please* there was a bit of a headwind. Personally, I've been quite amazed that while following a circle around lake Superior, the wind has managed to track me and blow in my face the whole way.

It was also an interesting experience to be cold all day but still manage a sunburn on my neck. That was sadly the most noteworthy part of my day on the road.

By the time I reached White River, I'd had enough and wasn't even going to try to be a tough guy again. It was already cooling off and my body ached in ways I've never experienced. I decided to swallow my pride and go to a motel. Once I had made the decision to take it easy, in true Saunderson fashion, I was sure to do it right. Say what you will, but at 6pm today, this sight was the very definition of the word heaven:

Motel room with bathtub: $62.17
Large pepperoni pizza: $13.73
Two cans lager beer: a few charming smiles at reception
Scratching an itch of 3 cravings at once: Priceless

Since it was late on a Sunday in a small town, the liquor store was closed. However, when I put on my utterly hearbroken face, the receptionist felt compelled to dig a couple out of her fridge for me. The rest is glorious history.

I'm sure you're trying to remind me that I need to get back on the road tomorrow and I still have a few days in the bush before the Soo. Unfortunately, I can't hear you over the sound of how awesome I am right now.

Day 21: Little things

The day was horrid. I'll say it.

It was still raining when I got going, but I had already lost a day and wanted to push on. I'd only made it 15km to Schrieber and I was already contemplating stopping for the day. I was wet and chilled to the bone. I stopped for breakfast and the sun eventually came out. That was my cue to get back on the road.

The wind of course had other plans and gave me my slowest day on the road. It was the little things such as the subtle incorrectness of this sign that kept me going:

The massive hills continued to appear in front of me but I didn't mind climbing them. I went about the same speed up them as I did down, except I didn't have to deal with a blast of wind in the face.

I set camp on a rock face off the highway, just shy of Marathon. I really needed a good night sleep... shame I wouldn't get it.

Rain Day: Rossport

(expanded upon from barely decipherable notebook scribbles)

Its cold (8'C), it's pouring, and there is a massive headwind. Any one of those three ingredients and I might still consider being on the road, however add a dash of Shane and we have a perfect recipe for hypothermia. I spent the entire day keeping an eye on the weather hoping for a break to hit the road, but it never came.

If you're wondering, I found a task even more boring than watching grass grow: watching slugs crawl on a tent. I started to name them and quickly realized that I was going mad and needed to get out of the tent. I went back to Serendipity for another great meal and this time had a good long chat with the owners.

Roger took a liking to me and after enough complimenting, he even gave me the recipe to his delicious Serendipity rice:

1 large yellow onion
2 cans of Campbell beef broth
1 cup of white wine
4 cups of water
4 cups of rice

fry the diced onion in a pan with butter or oil
add the dry rice to the pan after the onion is clear
mix the liquids and bring them to a boil
add the rice onion mix to the boiling pot
place the pot in an oven at 350f for 45 minutes

enjoy!!

See, I did more than freeze my butt off in my tent all day.

Day 20: What a shot

(expanded upon from barely decipherable notebook scribbles)
Surprise surprise, I'm back on the road, it's raining, 10 degrees and there's a headwind. Fortunately the rain is periodic and the wind is slight. Generally speaking, not a bad day when compared to most of my recent ones.

Just shy of Nipigon, the icing was added to the cake when a west bound semi kicked up and golf ball sized rock which found it's way almost perfectly to my crotch. The shot couldn't have been better if the driver had tried, from a meter away, with a laser scope and some sort of genital guidance system. Fortunately, the tower defended the domes, if you catch my drift, so the extrutiating pain lasted only 5 minutes, not an hour.

A passing minivan stopped to see if I was ok. I grumbled out a yep, but when they double checked, I replied, "well, no, but i'd rather not get into it.". Once I hit Nipigon, I found a forecast which put Friday as one of the most miserable days I'd seen. A quick discussion with the voices in my head concluded that I not stop, but make it as far as I could in the event that the meteorolgist actually be right for once.

The road past Nipigon was breathtaking as you can see below:

However, the gorgeous hills were as difficult as I had been warned about. Still, I pushed on and made it roughly 185km to Rossport. It was perfect since I had heard of an amazing cafe called Serendipity. I had a great meal and managed to set my tent up just east of town before the rain began.

This trip was all fun and games before I had to start worrying about losing my ability to have kids.

Rest Day: Thunder Bay

My day with the Conliffes in Thunder Bay was a wonderfully relaxing one. Mark's help getting prepared for the road ahead and Ena's tremendous cooking made things all the better. My little bike now looks like she's ready to take on the world with an entire new set of rear spokes which are roughly twice as thick as the old ones. They may slow me down, but at least they won't break (and if they do... I may decide to give up on cycling and walk the rest of the way).

The next week is the part of the trip which I've been a bit afraid of this entire journey. It also should prove to be one of the most breathtaking, peaceful experiences I've had in a while. That said, I've always been a social person, so I could do without peaceful and have a bit of a crowd now and then. By the time I hit Toronto, I'm sure I'll be some sort of crazed bushman, starved for attention and ready to tell you all my stories about conversing with the squirrels and helping them with their war against those vile chipmunks.

But I'll save that for another, slightly more mentally unstable day.

I've heard warnings of the hills around Superior being as steep as the rockies and longer than anything I've seen yet. I completely aired out my bags, bought sealed, dry food and still plan to hang everything in a tree to avoid the bears. I had a new bottle rack installed on my bike to carry more water, considering that most of this stretch of highway only has communities every 100km.

This is the real deal; no phones, no friends, minimal stores, scarce water, and animals everywhere. It's probably for the best that I won't be able to update until I get to Sault Ste. Marie, because I know I'll have some rough days out there (and you don't need to hear me swear anymore than I have). Already tomorrow, I'll be riding into rain and headwinds according to the weather.

All I ask is no more hawks.

-====-
Cause I'll get there
When I get there
If I even get there at all

Blow wind blow, blow the other way
Blow wind blow, chase the rain again
Blow wind blow, dry the tears from my face
Blow wind blow, blow me away
-====-

www.prairiepedal.com

Day 19: Rebirth

After leaving Upsala yesterday, I continued to ride into the early evening. It was only once the rain started that I setup my tent. I spent the evening being baptized by thunder showers. The lightening struck so close that I heard the crack before I saw the flash and the rain beat like loud drums against my tent.

I awoke with the sun, feeling reborn. The last trickles of rain patted against my tent and I poked my head out the tent to see the tree tops proudly swaying east. The west wind was back: my wind. This time however, things were different. My legs were stronger. My butt was used to the cracked, unforgiving road. My mind was more focused. Above all, my soul wanted revenge. Revenge for the 4 days which I was robbed of my precious speed. Revenge for the mangled shoulders and closely passing trailers. Revenge for the blistering sun and soaking rain. Revenge for my poor Gladys, who was falling apart, piece by piece. I needed to remind myself, and the road, what I was capable of.

And oh, did I have my revenge.

I spent the majority of the morning doing this:

Or as I like to call it, kicking ass and not wasting time taking names. I pushed until my legs felt like mush and just when I didn't think I could keep up my pace, I forced my legs to push some more. I had been worried that, now missing 2 spokes, my rear wheel was not long for the world, so between yesterday and today, I was determined to make good time and arrive in a bike shop in Thunder Bay before I was forced to give up on her and stick out my thumb.

By the time I reached HWY 102 turnoff, still 35km out of TB, a third spoke snapped and my rear wheel had become so deformed that it was rubbing on my brakes. No amount of tinkering with the other spokes would true the wheel sufficiently and I didn't have the patience to start playing around with the brake cables. So, I forged ahead relatively unphased by the slowing effect of the rubbing brakes. Just like the wind, it was an unseen hinderance which I was completely aware of but could do little about, so I was quite used to the experience.

My speed suffered in this stretch of highway, however the final road into Thunder Bay was a glorious coast downhill. I set out to the closest bike shop I could find and am having them re-thread the entire rear wheel with spokes used in mountain racing. If these don't hold up, nothing will.

My friend Alex, whom I studied engineering with at Mcgill and subsequently bumped into randomly in Oxford, linked me up with her aunt and uncle, Ena and Mark. I'll be staying with them for the next day while my body recovers an prepares for the massive hills around lake superior.

If you though I was determined last night, just look at me on a good day.

Day 18: A lot can happen in a day

I stumbled across a gas station with wifi and decided to give a quick update. Unfortunately it's not great news. When I sat down to write this, I knew I wasn't going to be able to spin it. I had some rough days in the prairies but at the end of it all, could always crack a little joke and make things sound like they weren't that bad. I was ready to try shining a bit of light on today when I realized something; you're not reading this as a motivational piece or a feel good story, you're here for the truth, good or bad.

The truth is the road has been hell since hitting Ontario ( westerners, insert your jokes here). I've had some incredible people to stay with (thanks again Ron, Claire, Roger, Darleen, Don and Linda) however my nights have only allowed me enough to recover and take a beating the next day.

The truth is that I wasn't ready for the hills, but I've adapted. I wasn't ready for 1 foot wide shoulders and idiot drivers, but I know how to stay safe. I wasn't ready to have my bike fall to pieces, but I've still been riding for more than 100km with 2 spokes missing. I never thought I would see winds worse than in the prairies, but I was blown over onto the gravel twice today and I still nearly cry when I do 15km/h down a hill. The truth is that there is a lot going wrong.

I thought about quitting nearly every hour I was on the road today. I actually threw my bike down once and had to walk away into the bush I was so frustrated. It was not pretty on the road today, and being alone didn't help my mind push forward either. But I didn't quit. Why?

Too many people were counting on this. It was one thing when it was a cute idea thrown around a pub in April, but now, this had become something more. My family, friends, and everyone I had met or contacted in some way was what reminded me that I couldn't give up. Beyond that I knew I couldn't let myself down. If I admitted defeat to this, I would never forgive myself.

So bring on your wind. Tear my bike to shreds. Rain until I'm swimming. Shine sun on me until I'm red.

Do your worst. I'm not slowing down anytime soon.

Day 17: Friend and a Foe

In the same way that a person can feel completely betrayed by a good friend who once treated them so well, only to turn their back when truly needed, I feel as though the wind and I are going to need to work on our relationship. While some days, it can be such a marvelous thing to push me along at breakneck speeds and jet me across the prairies, other days, it can turn mean and like a tamed animal, suddenly catching a sniff of it's natural instincts, tear its once friend apart.

Now that I'm done being all poetic and deep, I'll put it in the terms I'd really like to use; the wind both sucks and blows. While I thought that I'd be sheltered from the wind upon hitting the trees of the shield, I was wrong about two things:

1) There are no trees anymore... logging here was pretty severe
2) There is no shelter... anywhere... ever. Not from the wind

I had a great breakfast with Nordlunds and tried to get on the road at a decent hour, not because I had a big day ahead of me (so I thought) but because I had another great home which was welcoming me in Ignace. I knew something was horribly wrong though once I turned down my first big hill and found myself only traveling 15km/h. A nice, big SE wind blew right in my face for the whole day and likely shaved a good 5-10km/h off of my speed, nearly every way I turned (since I was traveling predominantly SE).

Otherwise, the day was perfect, proving yet again that I'll search for anything to complain about even when things are great. The sun was shining and the scenery was breathtaking.

I grumbled through the day, taking a few more breaks than usual and uttering a LOT more curses than usual and found my way to Ignace and the McIntosh residence. Unfortunately, Linda is currently in Winnipeg checking up on family, however Don welcomed me and was quick to turn my mood around.

Don is a retired engineer, so it took us about 10 minutes to be as thick as thieves. We've had a great afternoon of discussing everything under the sun and for me personally, he's been a joy to bounce some ideas off and talk shop with. So far, we've had burgers for an appetizer around 4, dessert around 6, and we're about to sit down for dinner at close to 9. This fits my schedule perfectly because at the end of the day, it means I get to eat a lot.

Tomorrow, I'll start my trek towards Thunder Bay and have a few nights in the bush. I've got a day off to look forward to in TB, however am becoming more and more afraid of the 'hills' (read: mountains) everyone keeps talking about around lake Superior.

Mother nature is, as expected,welcoming me with open arms, and a nice big thunder storm tomorrow. Shaun... did I mention that I'm VERY glad we went for the 2 piece rain tent and the warmer sleeping bag?

Talk to you in a few days.
www.prairiepedal.com

Day 16: Pain in dem der hills

After all the hassles I'd been having with the rear wheel, Ron was kind enough to take me into Kenora this morning and I got a brand new tire, spokes, and tube. It was a costly little venture, however the ride today was great, and well worth it. Due to the little excursion in the morning, I got started rather late and was on the road just after 11.

Claire dropped us off at the highway and Ron rode with me for a bit as I traveled further east. The ride continued to be breathtaking, with little lakes around every corner. There was unfortunately one catch.

I never in my life thought that after cycling half way across the country, I might say that I felt out of shape, however today kicked my butt. While the prairies were a great warm up, I think I may have had it a little to easy (and this is still considering all the rain, headwinds, and cold). Today was a perfect, sunny day, however at the end of it, my legs have never felt so tired. The winding roads, while beautiful, were an agonizing push every kilometer of the way with constant hills.

However, things started to flatten out a bit closer to Dryden and I'm now sitting comfortably in the good company of the Nordlunds. A few loose connections put me in touch with them, and I just got to experience yet another evening of an amazing home cooked meal. I got to enjoy corn yet again, and had some of the most delicious wild rice I've ever tasted (which is strange, since I've never even liked it before this).

I know what you're thinking; this has got to be the most pampered tour in history. I even have another bed tomorrow night, and a place to stay once I hit Thunder Bay. I assure you that I will make up for all of my decadance once I get on the road around lake Superior. Looking closely at the map, cell service and warm beds are going to be the least of my worries. Towns are spaced far enough that water could even be a problem, and I'm going to have to carry enough food for 4 or 5 days, to weigh down my bike even more (making more fun for that rear wheel).

In short, this entire trip has kind of been a build up towards the long haul around the Superior. I've had fewer and fewer days off, less people I know along the trip, and as I learned today, I'm heading towards terrain which is going to chew me up and spit me out.

For 7 days straight.

Day 15: Never a dull moment

Today (too-de-ay); a strange conglomeration of events, both beautiful, annoying, delicious, maddening, frightening and itchy.

My biggest concern starting this whole daily blog business was that things would get boring by day 3, however now I'm running into the opposite problem of having too much to talk about. So much happened today that it feels like it was two days (though it could wind up being 2... we'll get to that).

Regarding yesterday, I apoligize about being grumpy. Something about flats, winds, rain, crappy roads, the realization that I had no more friends/family to look forward to until the end, and being close enough to semis to lick the paint off their trailers was enough make me not that excited to write. I promise I'm better now though, and won't be grumpy for at least 3 seconds.

...

So just when I think I've left behind the worst of the roads in Manitoba, my welcoming to Ontario was somewhat sullied by this all too farmiliar image:
I know what you're thinking; do bikers do anything other than complain? The answer is yes, most are quite reasonable people, however I am a big whiney suck. The other question you're probably asking yourself is, 'what would it take you to be happy with the day'.

My requirements for a good day are simple:
- 20 degrees, low humidity
- Partially cloudy with little breaks of sun
- Wide, smooth paved ashphalt shoulders
- 80km/h tailwinds to push me along without pedaling

That isn't too much to ask, right?

The reality is the day was actually great. The construction which I hit at the border was almost done and I only had about 5km with no shoulder, before riding about 15km of some of the most smooth ashphalt of my life. From there to Kenora, I was welcomed to the beauty, awe, and rolling hills of northern Ontario. I quickly learned that the prairies are a walk in the park compared to the constant up down of the shield, but also that I am in love with trees, rock walls, and waterfalls.

As you can guess by my frumpiness (I love that word) from yesterday, I continued to have problems with my bike (so much for the tune up). A new day, sadly, did not remedy the situation. I made my way east of Kenora and was en route to meet Ron Noseworthy; a very distant, multiple times removed, double-in-law, so obscure that it becomes laughable, relative. Coming down a hill less than a kilometer away from where Ron was to meet me, I heard the harmonious sound of my back tire losing air faster than a leaking spacecraft. Fortunately, Ron had driven up the road to look for me and we were able to load the bike up.

The afternoon was incredible, save one small issue (but we'll get to that... just be patient). Ron and his wife Claire live in a positively gorgeous home direcly on the Lake of the Woods. After cleaning up, the three of us hopped in the boat for the roughly 20 minute ride into Kenora. It was breathtakingly scenic, and I was so calm and happy for being on a lake. We eventually made our way home and had a perfect (and I mean steak, mushrooms and corn on the cob, perfect) dinner.

Ok Shane, then what's wrong?

Well, what's wrong is that in the past 3 days on the road, I've had 4 flats and 5 spokes break. In short, my wheel is what's wrong. I replaced another tube tonight just before dinner, only to hear it explode in the shop as we sat down to eat. I have no idea why my rear wheel has started acting up, but for the first time on this trip, I'm going to be delayed. I've given up on my own skills and will be heading into the local bike shop tomorrow morning. This rear wheel has given me enough grief and at this point, I'm willing to throw money at the problem to get an entirely new wheel if I must so long as the spokes hold strong and the tubes stop popping like soap bubbles.

Ideally, I'll get things done in the shop quickly and be on the road to Dryden only a couple of hours behind schedule. I may however have to admit defeat to the elements, not make Dryden tomorrow, and aim to make up time in the coming days. Time will tell... quite literally.

The last thing I need to tell you today is MORE bad news (thankfully for you, not me this time). East of Kenora marks a very distinct black out zone for cellular service which does not pick up again until Sault Ste. Marie, with the exception of a small area around Thunder Bay. In short, what I'm saying is that you might not be hearing from me for a while. I promise that I'll be jotting down lots of notes, and whenever I get near a computer, I'll bring you up to speed, however I feel it's only fair to warn you that I could be operating under radio silence until early September. Still, keep an eye on the site for random posts, and I'll do my best to keep you up to date.

And don't worry... it's not you... in fact it's not me either... it's... the phone company?

http://www.prairiepedal.com/

Day 14: At least it's done

Regarding today, I'm choosing to invoke that old rule about not having anything nice to say and ergo, keeping my trap shut about this joy of a Thursday. I did however have my good friends from Kamp Photography in the morning though, so I'll let you enjoy the pictures from before the day went to hell in some form of arm based carrying device.

The Big Tune-Up

I just picked up Gladys, the bike which set sail 1000 ships, from Alter Ego Sports. They were kind enough to do a basic check up on my little mechanical baby for free and hopefully have me running smooth for the remaining 2000km. (Dear, sweet, merciful crap it sounds like a long way when you say it out loud)

I spent the day around the Peg and finally got to enjoy a nice dinner with family friends, the Betkers. I'm now waiting impatiently for Jake & Jess to return and amuse me before I pass out for the evening. I did notice rather interesting news in the weather today as a tornado warning was just issued for the Winnipeg area. I could be making incredibly good time tomorrow, I'm just not sure in what direction.

Given that I'm almost at the half way point of this journey, I thought I'd take a minute and recap (ok, the half way point is closer to the MB-ON border, but I actually have a laptop in front of me right now and would rather this than trying to type on my puny little iPhone screen). I'm nearly 3 weeks in and I feel fantastic. My body has been holding up quite well, and I've lost AT MOST 5lbs (I have been eating more than a black hole). My ankle has been giving me some trouble, however when it chooses to act up, I simply give it a time out and tell it to go sit in the corner. You just need to be stern these days otherwise who knows how these kids will grow up.

Mentally, I'm doing good, however very few people would call me normal to begin with. As I mentioned previously, I think the only reason I'm able to do this trip is because I'm already crazy. I have however noticed some slight changes in my way of life, as well as a great many bits of wisdom which I have acquired:

- My '5 second rule' has become a '5 minute rule'

- I find walking to be painfully inefficient and awkward

- One beer can now give me a slight buzz, particularly if chugged directly after dismounting

- Strangers are the best friends you have yet to meet

- I no longer think in days of the week, merely locations

- I no longer think in time of day, merely distance traveled

- I laugh uncontrollably whenever I see 'Prevent Dutch Elm Disease' signs because the first time I saw one, I read it as 'Prevent Dutch Oven Disease'

- I have developed an unfounded fear of bears, entirely due to my dreams

- I have developed a founded fear of hawks, entirely due to my reality

- I will openly talk about my bum within 5 minutes of meeting a complete stranger

- I am aware that the yellow liquid in pop bottles in the ditch is not, in fact, ginger ale

- Spontaneously breaking out into song is not only acceptable, but at times required

- I have managed to fit 9 meals into a day: breakfast, leakfast, brunch, blunch, lunch, linner dunch, dinner, and bedtime snack.

- Jacob recently discover a 10th, lunchfast, which is quickly becoming my favorite meal of the day

- Wearing bike shorts can create a phenomenon for men which I like to call 'mamel toe'

- 90% of my road diet is consumed in bar format; the remaining 10% is nuts, juices and insects

- I can setup a tent faster than most people can make a bed

- I have developed an inexplicable love and fascination for truck drivers, though I have never spoken to one for more than 30 seconds on this trip

- I talk to my bike... a lot

It's the people I've met on this trip who have been the inspiration for getting out on the road day after day. Every time I am in contact with someone on the road, it pushes me forward and reminds me why I'm doing this. Each little note, smile, wave, email, phone call and honk, uplifts me just enough to keep me going another 5km... 10km... 100km... 1000km.

When I'm alone, I've had to develop mantras and sayings which help me get through rough days. Some days when I feel like I'm as low as I can get, it only takes one little sentence to make me start laughing and completely turn my day around. Some of them don't even make sense to me, others are inside jokes that I'll never be able to explain to another living soul. There is however one which I seem to gravitate towards more often than not, which I read on a website just before leaving on this trip:

If I wanted to get there faster, I wouldn't be riding a bike.

www.prairiepedal.com

Day 13: THATS IT!! Back to Winnipeg.

As expected, it rained a bit last night and it was 6 degrees overnight. Way to go, yesterday.

HOWEVER, with a new sunrise came a new day, and a damned good one at that. After very apprehensively slinking out of my sleeping bag (I must have looked like such a wuss), I packed up and got on the road. I was determined to make it a good day, and driven to get to Winnipeg in good time to enjoy some time with friends.

My good buddy Jacob showed up around 8 to tail me on the road. Jake is a professional photographer, but go figure, he didn't bring is camera. It was great to catch up with him, but we didn't stop for too long, since we knew the longer we spent out there, the less time we'd have to kick back and relax. That's when things started to get scary. It might have been some macho male thing, but apparently I felt the need to impress Jake. Without even really realizing it, I was keeping a good pace... ok, a very good pace.

By the time we reached Headingly, I looked down to check my average speed and almost fell off my bike (which would have been the second time today) when I saw that my average was at 30.40km/hr. I had done over 100km from MacGregor and managed to maintain a speed that got us there in just under 3 hours. There had been a slight wind, however it was a north wind, which would have simply blown across me.

Go, go, gadget legs.

Headingly was directly on the West edge of Winnipeg, however Jake quickly crushed my spirits when he told me it was still another 29.7km to his place (stupid urban sprawl). Unfortunately, we turned south to take the perimeter and the wind picked up, directly in my face. By the time we turned back east to cut into the city, it was too late. My beautiful average had been lost and I ended up at a measley 29.54km/hr average. Granted, it crushed my previous averages, most of which included a good tail wind, but I was just mad that I didn't beat 30.

Jake's wife Jess and my friends Brad and Asten (whom I grew up with) all showed up at Jake & Jess' place and we spent a good while catching up, reminiscing, and introducing ourselves to Asten's gorgeous new daughter, Camryn. It was great to see everybody and though Asten and the little one had to head home, Jake, Jess, Brad, his wife Marie and myself will be going out for a nice big meal tonight. Most people would likely feel like a bit of a 5th wheel... but I'm used to being single.

I have tomorrow off, which I couldn't really justify since I just had the weekend off in Souris. HOWEVER, while my body is all caught up, Gladys, my trusty steed needs some attention too. I dropped her off at Alter Ego Sports, who have been kind enough to offer a free tune up and basic repair on anything busted. I'll pick her up tomorrow and get ready to head off towards Ontario on Thursday.

And now... back to our regularly scheduled steak dinner.

www.prairiepedal.com

Day 12: One for the records

I'm noticing a trend between trying to cycle away from family and getting completely owned by the world. There appears to be a strong gravitational-malevolent (more commonly known as gravilevolent) pull surrounding my bloodline. When I left Jana in Calgary, I had 2 flats in an hour and it was so hot that my eyeballs began to poach in my tears. Upon leaving Brie in Lethbridge, it poured rain for the day in 11C temperatures and I had to sleep on a concrete floor under a cookhouse to avoid hypothermia. Today, trying to leave behind my parents and extended family, I'm lucky to have made it out alive. I love you all, but I need to run away before something really bad happens!!

I'd like to congratulate today on claiming the proud title of worst road day. I realize that I still have a few weeks to go, however it's going to take a curious bear, or an angry biker gang to top this one. Today was not the coldest day, but my fingers are still thawing. It was not the worst headwind, but Hwy 250 was a sharp, N wind, welcome back to the road. It was not the most rain I'd seen, but my clothing will still be wet well into tomorrow. The roads weren't as bad as Swift Current, but I'll be sitting funny for a few days. No, today only broke the record for most bike maintenance, however was able to claim the award for it's all around game.

Today showed me that it could play an agressive offense, but still a conservative defense. Today was a smart, crafty day with a head for the game. Today was a selfless team player, but also not afraid to drive one home on it's own. It had a natural talent that just can't be taught. Today showed huge potential for the future and will go down in history as one of the greats of the game.

Unfortunately, I was the opponent.

I had my parents driving behind me today which is likely the only thing that stopped me from throwing a hissy fit on the side of the road like a 2 year old who just lost their favorite toy. My parents insisted on coming since the stretch of highway I rode today is among the most dangerous in Canada. There were no paved shoulders most of the way and I was forced to ride in the lane of our country's biggest highway. I love my little keystone, but we have no money and we need new roads.

The weather was a balmy 12 degrees with the odd break of sun, just to get your hopes up, followed by the more frequent downpour. I had the wind at my back which allowed me to still make decent time, however periodically, it would flip direction just to confuse and annoy me.

I started off the day right with breakfast and a flat tire. I was convinced my parents had done it on purpose to get me to stay longer, however my conspiracy theory broke when a couple of hours later, my patched tube popped again in a different location. My second repair job of the day turned into a third when the valve ripped off as I was pumping up the newly patched tire. Fists whiter than a Winnipeg winter, I grabbed a new tube and begrudgingly got back to work.

The slap to the face came when I stopped in Brandon to do an interview with the local TV station. After the question period, they wanted some stock footage of me riding and naturally, on the last take we had to do, I managed to find a massive mud puddle and take a swan dive off the side of my bike. I walked into Tim Hortons like a swamp monster and spent a good while, and a good deal of tissue cleaning myself.

Still, I had a big day and made it all the way to MacGregor with a smile on my face. I said good bye to mom and dad and started thinking about the road ahead. I'm sure it'll rain cats, dogs and small herds of bison on my tent tonight but all I'll do is laugh and remember a classic quote:

Even the worst day on the road is still better than the best day in the office.

Rest Days: The Farm

It was weekends like this that serve as a constant reminder as to why I'm glad I grew up in a small town. I decided to take the weekend off to enjoy with friends and family, however a lot has happened in the past couple of days, so I needed to write something out before I get back on the road tomorrow morning.

When I arrived at the farm on Thursday afternoon, my modus operandi immediately became to sit back and do as little as possible. In the same way that I only ever get sick when I stop working like a maniac and take a vacation, I didn't feel just how hard I'd been on my legs until I finally got off the bike and took a day off. Still, it was foolish for me to think that I'd come home and have a 'day off'. I had nearly half a day of emails, thank yous, and updates to do and of course mom & dad had a laundry list of little tasks which were best suited for the youngest Saunderson.

I told my mom that it could be nice to have a little meal with some family while I was home. In a moment of exhaustion on the phone one day, when asked who we should invite to dinner I panted out, "I dunno, everyone." My parents were never ones for hyperbole, and so Saturday night, we had enough family members together to constitute a reunion. This had my grandmother, father, mother and I, running around like mad on Saturday trying to prepare dinner for almost 30 people. Of course, given the forcast of rain, dad and I setup the entire shop with tables, chairs, a bar, and place settings, only for it to turn sunny 30 minutes before everyones' arrival and have us haul it all out to the back yard.

It was fantastic to see everyone, including some of my little cousins whom had about doubled in size since I last saw them (I now understand how easy it is to start feeling old).

This morning, my cousin Chris, my aunt Cheryl, and a handful of others organized a local get together to support the ride. I cycled from my farm to a nearby strawberry farm and met about 20 friends and family from the area who all biked from Hicks' farm into Victoria park in Souris. We even had police escort for the ~5km ride to the park. The highlight of the ride was seeing my little cousin, Keagan, riding his bike, still with training wheels, the whole way... and only complaining a couple times :-) Once we arrived at the park, there was a great turnout for a BBQ and some entertainment. I got a chance to see a throng of people from Souris, many of whom I hadn't seen since 2000, and my aunt even convinced me to get up on stage and play a couple songs.

All in all, it was a fantastic day and a great way to end my stop in Souris. Between the BBQ today, and other donations which had been collected by one of our local financial planners, Kirkup Agencies, our little community of Souris was able to raise close to $5000. I was blown away by the amazing support of this town and reminded of the strong community which I was lucky enough to grow up in.

You may have noticed on our donation website that we've broken the $10,000 mark as well! In fact, coupled with the money raised in Souris, pledges from corporate sponsors, and mail-in donations, we are now well over $20,000!!! To everyone who has been generous enough to donate, thank you so much. We still have a good way to go, so if you are still hoping to find a way to help out, please encourage friends and coworkers to check out the website, and learn more about this campaign. If you have yet to contribute and are hoping to, please use the web link in the top right hand corner or mail your donations to:

Prairie Pedal - Myeloma Canada
P.O. Box 326
Kirkland, QC H9H 0A4

One last thing I wanted to share today was regarding multiple myeloma and farming. A lot of people ask about what causes myeloma, and while little is still known as to the exact sources, studies are starting to make some links. Living on a farm his whole life, many people questioned whether some element of the lifestyle could have affected my father at all, and could be a source of danger for other farmers. My dad recently stumbled across a study done in the US which showed just that. Many pesticides have been found to increase the risk of multiple myeloma, including a Bravo 500, a fungicide he used when much younger which contains chlorothalonil: a chemical found to greatly increase chances of developing myeloma.

http://www.beyondpesticides.org/dailynewsblog/?p=1901

http://bloodjournal.hematologylibrary.org/cgi/content/abstract/113/25/6386

You'll be hard pressed to ever have any of these companies take responsibility for their products, however this is still valuable information for many farmers who have been exposed to a plethora of chemicals throughout their lives.

On that note, I think we're relatively up to date and ready to hit the road with a vengeance. I'm glad everyone is enjoying reading about this adventure as much as I'm enjoying doing it. I might have a cellular black-out through some of northern Ontario, but otherwise, I'll try to keep things entertaining, and hope to have as many random stories come out of the woodwork.

http://www.prairiepedal.com

Day 11: No place like home

Of course, unlike Dorothy... I didn't have the option of simply banging my heels together 3 times. We last left you after spending a wonderful evening with Joanne and Genvieve at the Towler residence in Virden. This morning, Bev was still sleeping after working an exhausting late shift and Garth had to drive into Winnipeg. Fortunately, I might as well be their son, so I was left to man the house. I made breakfast and got the girls on the road, and then had the luxury of sitting around for a while. It was fantastic to travel with a couple of kindred spirits, and I hope they have a safe ride all the way home to New Brunswick.

Bev and I spent the morning catching up, and I did a small interview with the local Virden paper. Around 1:30, I decided that I should eventually get on the road, and head back to my little slice of heaven. If you're thinking for even a second that this was going to be a fairy-tale story, think again.

The wonderful tail-winds which had pushed me so far the previous two days had switched directions and I spent one of the most grueling days on the road yet. Although it was a mere 65km to the farm, I still felt worse after this day than I did after the 200km day with a wind at my back. It's rather amazing how much of a difference a little wind can make. I read somewhere that a cyclist could feel as much as 50% of the effect of a wind (meaning that even a 20km/h wind could slow my speed by 10km/hr) and today was a reminder of that effect.

Still, not even brimstone from the sky was going to slow me down today. Though the wind was merciless and the roads were rough (I took some backroads to get home) I knew the prize that waited at the end of the day. Though it may seem like nothing to you, this was the most glorious sight I could have asked for:

I hadn't been home since Christmas 2007. The last time I saw my dog, she was at least 15lbs lighter. The yard has new trees in it that I don't recognize, and old trees which I planted as a child which are bigger than I ever though possible (I sound like an old parent recalling when a kid was THIS big). Most of the farm equipment is gone after my family's farm auction in April. My dad had moved a shed from the bins over to the garden, since his retirement has got him focused more on the garden than the fields. The office doesn't have the same crappy desk I used to spend hours on end sitting at. They re-tiled the bathroom. My parents were even talking about remodeling my room.

And yet it felt like nothing... not a single bit had changed. This place was, is, and always will be... home. I must admit, things might get a bit awkward after my parents sell the place and I try to sleep in my old bed... but I'm sure the new family will be understanding.

Dad and I spent the afternoon catching up over a couple cold ones and mom arrived around 7pm with my Grandma from Dauphin. I was told that we have a BBQ planned for Saturday night which will involve more family than the Italian mob, and I can't wait to see everyone again.

So here I sit and type; one-third finished, met some of the most incredible people of my life, seen the prairies in a way I've never before and completely aware that my journey has really only just begun.

I couldn't be happier to be home, but I can't wait to hit the road again.

Ok... after my butt has a few days off.

http://www.prairiepedal.com/