I�ve thought about all of the things that we went through over the 65 unforgettable days and 7,000 km: the challenges, the surprises, the high points and the low points. I couldn�t have asked for a better riding companion than Jed, and while I�m sure we�ll remain friends, I wonder what parts of the trip we�d reminisce about if we met for coffee one day 20, 30, 40 years from now.
Our accommodations were probably the most interesting part of the trip. From municipal hall lawns to WalMart shopping cart stations to soccer fields to dugouts to patches of grass behind a post office or beside visitor�s centres, we found a place to pitch our tents. Of course, the hospitality of people went a long way to make our outdoor accommodations more tolerable.
I absolutely will not forget the kindness of the people we met; strangers, friends, family, and families of friends all went out of their way to make our trip more enjoyable. Twice, perfect strangers pulled off the road to invite us into their homes for the night, feeding us as well.
Satisfying our appetite was no small task, either. Without a doubt, we would talk about eating Tim Horton�s 46 times in 65 days. Our legendary hungry-man breakfasts, bagels, chocolate-chip muffins, and small diner experiences marked the highlight of many days, as eating became an excuse to stop riding. And with food comes drink, which we ensured to do on rest nights. It was in Calgary that we discovered blueberry beer, and in Carlyle, SK that Jed paid $27 for a six-pack of Corona. I couldn�t help but laugh about that.
Of course, there were times when our spirits could have carved valleys into the prairies. The 3 straight days riding into headwinds in Saskatchewan, getting soaked as we road through Ignace, having rocks thrown at our tents and one tent peed on in Hawkesbury, and having to ride into the night on a few occasions was challenging to say the least. But these obstacles made the high points of the trip seem that much greater. The rush we felt upon finishing our 150km, 11.5hr ride through Roger�s pass was amazing. It was great to reflect upon our longest day of 180km riding in the rain, having earlier contemplated stopping in Ignace after just 70km. And of course, the sheer adrenaline rush as we rode down into Middle Bay just past St. John�s was only earned after 7,000 kilometers of riding.
I hope that Jed and I don�t lose touch over the years, but if we do, I hope that we eventually do meet for a coffee to look back on these great times. Whether it�s these specific things about the trip that we�ll remember, I can�t be sure. But I do know where we�d meet for the coffee � Tim Hortons.