| Phil and Dave's Cross-Canada Bike Tour |
| Our Story: It all began on a snowy day in January, 2003, when we decided to go for a cross-country ski up at Horseshoe Valley, near Barrie, ON. For those of you who know David, you'll know that he "used to race", a fact that he constantly reminded Phil of while his ass was being dragged around the trail. On the way home we both expressed our deep desire to cross the country by bike, and we never looked back! The first decision we made was to ride from East to West - the ultimate goal being to reach beautiful BC at the end of the tour. Against all recommendations we stuck to our plan and cycled into headwinds for most of the trip. We felt that it 'built character' and made us 'more hardcore' and other such things. In reality, it made us slower, but probably stronger and more appreciative of the elements. Anyway... We did our reserach, looking at websites of people who'd done the trip before, and made a tentative route plan and equipment list. The route was sent to our family and friends in hopes of them knowing of people we could stay with along the way (thanks to all who helped us!). Getting our equipment.... well it took awhile (months) and lots of money (new clothing, racks, bags, tools, spare parts, sleeping bags...), but we were in good shape by the time our trial run came about in early May, 2003. Trial run, did we say? It was definitely that! We left 2 hours late from Toronto (typical), endured pouring rain and driving headwinds (typical), felt hungy (we got better at managing that) and had to alter our course due to time and energy constraints! We did bike 80km the first day, though, and camped in 'Uncle Bill's' backyard in Aurora. We'd planned to camp in the middle of nowhere up in Mono County somewhere, but couldn't refuse Bill Reid's shower and barbecue! So day 2 from Aurora to Toronto was short - about 35km with a tailwind, which was really about all we could take! The trip definitley helped us out in the 'what to expect' department, though. Three weeks later and Jake Herring drove us to Halifax, NS, where we saw the casino and some boat called Bluenose II. We filled up a small bottle with Atlantic water to take across the country with us (see photo) and then Jake immediately turned around and headed home, leaving us stranded in Dartmouth (across the river from Halifax) with our bikes! A hospitable stay with Nan and Cathy, and off we went! Day 1 went smoothly. Good wind and only one construction detour! Day 2 went not so smoothly. Let's see... strong headwind, intermittent rain, hungry, not used to riding for 8 HOURS!! It was a killer, but we arrived in (well, NEAR) Amherst, NS, to a big chicken dinner with Joan and Frank Allen. The next day we hit our worst road (see photo), but made it to Shediac just before sunset. The first week ended with two wonderful stays in Bathurst (with Joanne and John) and Dalhousie, NB (Bob and June). It also saw David prety worn out, but getting stronger (he didn't really train for the trip!), and Phil with extreme pain in his knees. A day off proved fruitful and Week 2 started with our 2nd longest day of the whole trip - 200km in 8 hours. This was great evidence that David was indeed up to the task (he had doubts) and that Phil's knees would be OK (he had doubts). Week 2 saw us through the St. Lawrence Valley with both incredibly strong headwinds and some decent tailwinds. Our destination, though: Hull, where Phil would visit his girlfriend, Gabrielle, and David his 'cousin', Paige. As difficult as it was to leave Hull, we persevered and made the trek through the Ottawa Valley to North Bay where we met David's parents. On to Sudbury, where Kim joined us for 50km, and then to Sault Ste. Marie and the beautiful Lake Superior. The ride around Superior was stunning, with the huge lake and equally huge cliffs on the other side. It didn't quite feel like Canada, especially not so far inland. If you haven't been, GO! Arrival in Thunder Bay saw us pay tribute to Terry Fox, and also our theoretical half-way point. Leaving Thunder Bay we'd gotten into a rhythm of doing pretty long distances each day, which we needed to do since we were falling behind our schedule. We did our longest day from Upsala to Dryden, covering 220km and 9.5 hours. Yup, it was a long day, but it allowed us to cover 1000km that week, from Thunder Bay to Brandon, MA. Of course, we'd arrived in the prairies, too. If you've never been, the flatlands start almost as soon as you enter Manitoba from highway 17, and then it's very gently rolling for the next 1500km or so! Manitoba seemed the flattest to us, while Saskatchewan seemed to have lots of deep valleys everywhere. For certain, though, the winds were generally against us in the prairies, save a couple of days (out of 2 weeks). We did have some interesting occurrences, though, such as a broken wheel near Regina, and broken crank axle near Calgary, about 10 flat tires, a hail storm, a night spent in a rest stop change room, 'muffler launch' (see photo) and, after Brandon, virtually no rain (all the way to Vancouver, actually). But we were definitely ready to leave the prairies when the time came. This brings us to Calgary, the entrance to the Rockies, where we stayed with our lovely hostess, Jen. Oh, but before I forget, Drumheller is an incredible town, just northeast of Calgary. It's in the Canadian Badlands (photo) and one of Canada's dinosaur 'hot spots' (photo). So we entered the mountains, but realized that we didn't really have to climb very much the first day since Banff (1400m) is only about 400m above Calgary. In fact, the mountains proved to be much easier than we'd anticipated, largely because we started at the high side and finished at the low side. Not that there weren't some big climbs (Kelowna to Merritt on highway 97C we climbed from about 400m to 1700m, taking 3.5 hours), but we were simply not overwhelmed or even particularly challenged by any of them. This might have been a different story had we started in Vancouver, though! Despite their 'lack of challenge', the mountains were still stunningly beautiful. The Rockies especially, with their dry summer look and towering peaks, were a sight to see. Finally, of course, the arrival in Vancouver! What better way to end a trip than in Stanley Park, Vancouver, on a hot sunny day at a busy beach! We dumped our water in the Pacific (photo) and that was it. We were done! And one day ahead of schedule. Thanks to all who helped us or read our emails! It was great to have you along. |
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