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Canada |
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Sault Saint Marie, Ontario, August 8
Hello from Canada! Officially this time too. But not too far into our
northern neighbor, for the weather was horrible today. But before it got too
bad, I was able to cross the International Bridge under my own power. The
particular border guard on the US side didn't put up much of a fuss, but the
customs guy on the Canadian side gave me a stern lecture when he noticed that
I took several pictures in front of the Customs Office in Canada. Apparently,
you are not supposed to photograph the area for "National Security
Reasons!" I nearly laughed in his face, but I didn't want him to confiscate
that roll of film so I agreed not to violate national security
again, and I was on my way. On my way only another ten miles or so till the
thunderstorms came rolling along and I was done for the day. Please wish for
better weather in Northern Ontario for me so I can get back to riding! Good
night everyone!
-Darren
Blind River, Ontario, August 9
My first full day of riding in Canada has brought me 135 kilometers to the
town of Blind River on the North Channel of Lake Huron. Starting out this
morning, I thought the weather would be like it has been the past week, and
that means poor. However, the clouds lifted by 11, and with the exception of a
brief 10 minute thunderstorm I was caught in at 2pm, things were fine weather
wise. Road wise, now that's another story. No need to expand on that at this
time though.
So, my brief intro to Canadian life has revealed some
subtle and not so subtle differences as compared to the US. Firstly, I'd say
overall the folks in Canada seem to be even friendlier to me than in the US;
cars stopping to chat and give me apples and peaches, cars pulling way over to
give me some room on the road, etc., etc. Yet, I noticed that the urban area
of Sault Saint Marie was a little off as compared to a similar American city.
Storefronts looked really drab and colorless, and all the signs and
advertisements were really chincy and poorly done (sorry Marc, Nathan, and any
other natives that I am surely offending). The Sears department store wasn't
quite a Sears. I couldn't put my finger on what was wrong with the imposter
Sears, but something was. But overall, things looked just looked blah, East
Germany'ish to an extant, eh? I'm looking forward to getting close to Toronto
on mainland Ontario to see if these characteristics hold.
Some of the road signs here are an absolute riot! Now I'm
figuring that Canada has both English et Francais for official languages. So I
assume that all road signs have to be in both languages legally, which makes
sense. But what I can only guess is some cost cutting maneuver to only have to
make one sign, the transportation folks make these crazy "Classic
Concentration" type pictograph signs, such as the one with a paint bucket
+ gavel + $$$...give up? It means don't throw your paint and other trash on
the road or you'll get a fine. There were others too, but I can't recall, so
I'll be on the lookout tomorrow for some more.
Then there's this whole kilometer business. Now they're
entitled to have their metric system (even though I thought hearing someone at
the gas station ask another how many kilometers per liter they get on the
truck was pretty comical!), but use it then! All these advertisements for
motels, restaurants, bars, etc. on the way to Blind River used minutes as
their distance. 35 minutes to Enis's Restaurant, 33 minutes to Enis's, 18.6
minutes to Enis's. Does everyone obey the speed limit? Clearly not, as
18-wheeler's were breaking the sound barrier as they blew me off the road.
Don't they take the hoards of cross-country cyclists into account when they
make the signs? 33 minutes usually means 2 hours to me. And no one in the gas
stations and shops seems to use kilometers either. When I ask how far a town
is, it's always in minutes (I know you share my pet peeve on this one Uncle
Al) Anyhow northern neighbors, don't be ashamed of your inferior system, eh?
Shout out those crazy kilometers for all to hear, eh?
I'll get off my soapbox now! Have a great evening everyone, eh?
-Darren
(818) 261-2101 but the phone coverage is patchy in these parts, so fear not if
you can't reach me, eh?
Never cycle Transcanaddien Route 17.
I'm happy to report that I am off that hellish highway. Two days of it are
enough to last a lifetime! For the first time in over a month, I encountered
eastbound bike tourers today. I met Sheila and Dave in Spanish, Ontario today
upon leaving the town of Blind River. They are both extremely nice folks from
Denver who are riding from Washington State to Boston. We rode together on the
17 (strength in numbers) to the town of Massay, where a thunderstorm forced us
to seek shelter at the local ice-cream stand. There we met up with a group of
14 Canadian tourers from Quebec who are riding from Vancouver B.C. to
Montreal. It was great to chit chat with a large group of cyclists about
our journeys, the unbelievable treachery of Route 17, etc. Once the rain
subsided, we ended up all riding together to the town of Espanola. Espanola is
at the junction of the 17 and Route 6, which will take Sheila, Dave and I
south through the Manitoulin Islands (which divide Lake Huron and the Georgean
Bay) where we will take a ferry in the evening that will drop us off in
mainland Ontario. It should be a beautiful ride tomorrow, weather permitting.
Anyhow, that's the scoop for today. Have a great
night everyone!
-Darren
Good evening! Today was an absolutely fabulous ride from the town of
Espanola, Ontario to Tobermory on the mainland of Ontario's Bruce Peninsula.
To get there, we rode route 6 that took us on a hilly but scenic tour of the
Mantioulin Islands, the largest freshwater Island chain in the world, which
lies in the middle of Lake Huron. It was a 75 mile ride that was blessed with
perfect weather; I'd say the best weather on the trip so far. It probably
topped out at 80 degrees, but with a great tailwind and wonderful scenery all
the way. I was riding with Dave and Sheila for most of the way, and although
we got split up 4 hours into it, we met up at the ferry gates (along with the
Quebec cycling group, who by the way have a website that follows their trip
across Canada, www.increvables.com
which if u speak franscais u might wanna check out) and took the two hour
ferry from South Baymouth at the Southern tip of the Manitoulins to Tobermory
at the Northern tip of the Bruce Peninsula.!
Since the ferry departed at 6, it afforded us great views of Lake Huron,
Fathom Five National Park, and the Bruce Peninsula at sunset.
Well, the light is fleeting here, and I must hurry to the
convenience store to grab dinner. Take care everyone and write or call soon!
-Darren
Owens Sound, Ontario, August 12
Hello everyone! I am currently in Owens Sound, at the conclusion of a 70
mile ride from Tobermory, through the winding windblown hilly hillsides of
Route 6. After a wonderful rest stop at Elliot's Grocery halfway into the
ride, where I picked up a marvelous assortment of fresh fruits; cherries,
oranges, plums, etc., I continued on to Owens Sound, a town of 21,000. I was
down with O.P.P (Ontario Provinicial Police of course) and their post in Owens
Sound (yeah, they know me from my dealings in Blind River, Ontario where they
gave me some quality camping sites) and they pointed me towards the Provincial
park, where Dave, Sheila, and I are camping as we speak. It is a town of its
own here at the park; bursting with RV's, tents, hooligans, and the like.
After cleaning our stanky selves up we set up camp and headed to the downtown
scene for some bar hoppin' on a Saturday night (1 bar) and some tasty Chinese
grub. Now I have returned to the park, ready to get my slumber for tomorrow's
long ride south (where exactly I can't be sure) Anyhow, good night to all and
to all a good night!
-Darren
Hello all! After a couple cups of coffee to get the cobwebs outta my head
after the Molson tour yesterday evening. I said goodbye to Dave & Sheila
as they headed east and I took the southern route. It was a planned 135km ride
to Guelph, but hillier than I expected so I ended up calling it a day in
Fergus, 115km into it. And that is that! I apologize for the short report, but
the park I stayed at last night had a collection of pheasants, blackbirds,
ducks, gulls, an every other flying noisemaker known to man that started their
cackling and crowing before dawn. depriving me of some sleep that I must now
make up for. Have a great evening everyone
-Darren
p.s. Shasta shall be conquered, Nathan. The B.C.C. better fix us some good
meals too? And tell her to lay off the crack!
St. Catherine's, Ontario, August 14
Just wanted to let everyone know that everything is great, as I am relaxing
in St. Catherine's this evening. I shall write tomorrow morning and tell you
about the day's events. Have a great night!
-darren
...
So today, as in today the 14th, I rode my blue bicycle from Fergus to the
town of St. Catherine's. St. Catherine's has been one of the only definite
stops on my trip, for my sister's boyfriend's mom lives there and I was
invited to spend the evening there.
The first 25km or so was very nice; but then things got WAY crowded.
Into the town of Guelph I pedaled, greeted with 6 lanes of chaos and
construction. A decent shoulder though on the 6, so it wasn't that bad. Then
to my surprise the 6 merged with the 401 for 5km or so. Now the 401 is a huge
8 lane artery in Ontario that goes to Toronto. Cyclists aren't allowed on it,
but I had no choice. 3km into it, O.P.P was on my tail (cops) and pulled me
over. Do I have any outstanding warrants? Did I know that cyclists weren't
allowed on the 401? Do I have ID on me? So on and so forth...So they ran their
background checks on me as I waited on the side of the road, but they were
nice enough and proceeded to escort me the remaining 2km back to the 6.
Through the town of Hamilton I went, a 300,000 person city that is not a
cyclists paradise. To my dismay, the 6 again merged, this time with the
forbidden 403. Luckily, no cops were in sight and I managed to avoid any more
background checks.
Once I got out of Hamilton, the route was lovely; the remaining 40km were
through scenic vineyards on the less traveled route 81. I arrived in St.
Catherine's by 6:30, and once there I proceeded to Linda Hunt's home for some
great company and a little relief from tent living for a couple days. Linda
and her boyfriend Allan cooked a delectable meal of corn, salad, potatoes, and
most importantly, a 2 pound steak all to myself, which I quickly devoured and
then continued by eating the scraps from their plates like some junkyard dog.
Oh how I miss steak on a regular basis! So that's where we stand. As my steak
digests I look forward to taking a day off tomorrow to soak in the sights and
sounds of St. Catherine's. Good night!
-Darren
Niagara Falls, Ontario, August 15
I'm still spending the night in St. Catherine's, but today I spend most of
my day at scenic Niagara Falls, the mother of all tourist venues, the Mecca
(& Medina to boot) of every tour bus and umbrella waving tour guide known
to man. It is quite beautiful though, with both the American Falls &
Horseshoe Falls displaying their awesome power for the thousands of gawkers,
myself included, to marvel and click away at.
I scoped out the Rainbow bridge, where tomorrow I will use it to
cross back into America and into New York State. I plan on taking route 20
through most of New York. If anyone has driven Route 20 recently, let me know
if u think it is cycle friendly or not. Anyhow, that's the story.
Any NY relatives and friends who want to ride with me for a couple days are
welcome. Call me and we'll work it out (ha! yeah right!) Anyhow, I thought I'd
extend the offer anyway.
That's it for tonight. Good night everyone!
-Darren