Update starts at August 28.
These sections are selected from logs and notes they send back periodically.
May 20 - Marv
As I write this in a cafe in
Harrison, we feel the stiffness. Yesterday we managed 64.5 miles adding on a few
because there were no motels in Aggassiz. We pulled a boner in not checking.
The results of the day left sore bodies. We both slept almost around the clock and
appear to have recovered this morning.
I felt pleased that we were in
quite good shape. 64 on the first day is not bad. Also, the places seemed to
come up quickly from our start in Coquitlam. Once we reached the Lougheed the road
was biker friendly until Mission with a wide shoulder. Cars were considerate giving
us a wide berth.
Somehow once on the bike, I accepted the notion that this is my life for the next few months as the bicycle will be our mode of transportation. Harrison? A pot for elderly women it appears. Talk in restaurant is about attracting birds.
In the evening as I reflected on the day, I had concerns. Loretta's knee and sore back was one. Our fatigue was another. How can we continue I wondered. We fell asleep at 9:00 p.m. and slept soundly.
May 22 - Marv
Yesterday we did the Coquahalla, all 55 kms of it. We reached the toll booth in 7 hours of biking. Before we began, I had plenty of anxiety. The night before I dreamt that a snow-slide closed the Coquahalla so we couldn't begin. I had visions of wet snow and water running down the lane we would be in. We could stay at the motel and wait for Sandra [daughter].
But
we began. Our legs are tight from the day before. We reach the highway and do
some walking. After a two mile ascent the road leveled off. As we cycled on
with a wind on our back the road seemed flat. The only clue that we were going up
came when we looked back and saw how much elevation was behind us. The other clue
came as the snow level came closer and closer. The main clue was our legs that
became weaker and weaker. The highway was a measure of engineering in terms of its
gentle slope along the river.
Then came killer upward climb number one as the highway made a huge arc rising well above the Coquahalla River. I was amazed that we were still riding and that we continued riding almost to the top of that slope. The road then leveled off with a steady climb that was negotiable.
We reached the
tunnel around 3:00 p.m. We walked the bicycles on the outside of the tunnel and then
faced probably the steepest slope on the road. A mechanic whom we later talked to
indicated that this strip of road is one reason why Merritt has so many tow truck
companies. We walked it, partly because we were exhausted by now and also because of
the conditions. The bike lane was gravely, narrow and pitted with holes. the
distance seemed like about three kilometers.
When we reached the crest of the hill we were once again on our bikes passing Coquahalla Summit (elevation 2244 meters) and it was easy biking from there to the toll booth. Sandra picked us up there from the toll booth to Merritt [as planned]. We will skip the 63 kms from the toll booth to Merritt. Nothing to prove by coasting downhill for 63 kms.
May 24 - Loretta
Yesterday
was a grueling day from Merritt on the 5A. It was recommended because it was flat
with one major hill. Never believe a non-cyclist. But it was definitely scenic
as we cycled alongside two lakes on rolling hills (sometimes steep enough grades to tire
us out)
We began at 09:15 with 2 apples, 2
oranges and a few snack bars to go 98 kms. 20 or so kms out there was a golf course
at Quilchena where we sat in the shade and had a soup and roll. Then we faced 75 kms
with an unrelenting sun, no shade, and a breeze that never favored us. 
By 2:30, after many rests due to hear, we stopped by Stump Lake at a little
boat launch area, made a little shade by stretching the tarp across our two standing
bikes, spread the sleeping bag over the groups and crawled in hoping the bikes wouldn't
fall on us. It was still warm but enough of a relief that we could doze off for
20-30 minutes. From then on I kept noticing all ½ ton trucks with empty backs and
wanting to get a lift but dad wanted to go for it. We ran out of water which was
scary. When we went by an exit stating there was a ranch with guest accommodation I
again wanted to try it. We were still about 25 kms from Kamloops, no water and
weary. However, on we went.
We stopped at two houses for H2O but nobody home. Finally a third try
even though' it was a bit of a climb to the house, dad got our bottles refilled. H2O
has never tasted so wonderful. Luckily, from then on we hit a fair amount of
coasting and flat areas -- until -- a major killer hill with sun beating down. The
grade was as steep as the steepest on Coquahalla and ¾ -1 mile long. We
walked! Coasting for 10 kms into Kamloops should have been great but it was hard on
the hands braking as too weary to trust ourselves. Finally, we reached the 1st motel
Day's Inn at 730 p.m. only to find that the town was fully booked due to ball games and
other sports events. With their help we found another motel and cycled to it.
830 - we collapsed in a room which was awful but were promised a better room next day.
May 28 - Loretta
Avola to Blue River
What a scenic ride as we rode up to the snow line. Clear sky, coolish -- only drawback was a strong headwind which gusted enough that we sometimes had to peddle downhill. We were on the road for 4 hours and that was long enough -- we will definitely rest tomorrow. The roads and shoulders are good which are a blessing as there are many transport vehicles.
We were told
there was one major hill and we thought we may have done it many times until we hit
it. Managed to peddle it in 21st gear for ever and ever. We passed
a point which was called Little Hell's Gate which was described a steep canyon off the
road. When we finally reached the top we were at the Mesitter
Summit - 765 meters. I took pictures
down to the road we came up - hope the picture can capture the depth and beauty of the
valley. We rewarded ourselves by lying down behind a low cement wall bordering a
rest area, ate an apple and enjoyed the sunshine with no wind. There was then a long
ride downhill (always braking for cautious me) and then the usual up and down slopes
following the river and facing the winds.
Jun 2 - Loretta
Jasper to Hinton
We had a
beautiful day and are surprised that we have new aches and pains and are tired.
Riding through the park was perfect -- cool, excellent shoulder, easy cycling in high gear
and many sights. We stopped many times to take pictures -- saw 9 elk, 1 deer, 9
molting sheep, eight plus brown mountain goats, 2 white mountain goats. When we left
the Park Valley there was a stinker of a long hill just to let us know we weren't free of
hills and then many rolling foothills -- some were really fun cruising down with enough
speed to make climbing easy. We were on the road 5½ hours so even with the many
stops it's still a lot of sitting.
Jun 3 - Loretta
It took us 6 hours to reach Edson (1 hour resting in the shade and eating a muffin and 1 bottle gatorade). I was not psychologically prepared for so much climbing. The rolling hills were constant and some were very long. Much to our surprise we crossed the Obed Summit which was higher (over 1100 meters) than in the Rockies!
When we were in Blue River, the manager told us that Edson was the highest town in the Rockies and we struggled with the truth of that statement. I think he was right. The foothills seem to be less high but the Motel manager said it was hilly til Edmonton. I sure don't recall it from the many times we've driven the Yellowhead. After 3 hours riding my body's tolerance for the cycling position dwindles so physically even though the legs are becoming stronger it is still quite wearing. We had the wind at our backs quite a bit from the summit on so frequently coasted for quite awhile -- then up and up we went again. The shoulder bas been wide and paved since Hinton and highway divided so traffic was less intrusive.
Jun 4 - Loretta
Edson -> Entwistle
Best day yet. Legs definitely stronger. Fewer hills and not as long or rigorous. Wind help us along -- felt great ... bum still gets sore -- a bummer, pardon the pun.
June 17 - Loretta
Saskatoon -> Viscount
We got up to the article in Star
Phoenix about us -- quite well done I thought. Jean and Gus took us to the highway
and sent us off there. Boy we never thought that we were going to need to build up
our leg muscles on the mountains so that we could cope with Saskatchewan! 
We faced a strong SE wind the entire way
and were lucky if we could get up to 15 kph. It was really difficult as it would
sweep across the fields and hit the bikes from front and side making the bikes
swerve. It just never let up. We took a couple of hour breaks -- one lying in
the shade in Elstow and one in Colonsay where we had hoped to stay. Alas, the hotel
rooms were all taken by construction workers at the Potash mine, but they phoned ahead to
Viscount and we booked a room.
June 18 - Loretta
Last night there was a gentleman in the cafe who had worked in the potash mine for 26 years. A few details that I found quite mind-boggling.
There are many miles of two lane tunnels underground about 13' high which are identified by street names and even have signal lights. These tunnels are about 3,000 feet underground. He described when they would come across a lake and freeze it!
I guess all the ore is brought to the buildings on the surface and separated there. The huge pink appearing mound is the tailings which consists mostly salt -- some of it is used on the highways but at some point the rest will be buried back in the lake.
When the mine opened in the 60s they had about 550 employees. Now it is mostly automated, so it is handled by a few people.
June 19 - Loretta
The wind today made the previous days look mild. It was even stronger and no let-up. It was mostly broad-siding us so hard that we had to keep stopping to rest our arms, which were tired because we had to grip the handles tightly.
Our speed was the lowest since we began the trip.
How does the Cremation of Sam McGee go? "The wind she blow from northeast west, the south wind she blow too." We can vouch for that.
Jun 21 - Marvin
Some reflections on the first month.
Odd things stand out for me.
There is something proud, strong and majestic about a river that is about to flood over its banks. The Thompson River does not resemble the quiet stream flowing gently over mud and rocks as I remembered it. Fed by numerous angry streams is something to behold. As it cascades down, it fills its channel and pushes against its banks. It threatens to erode the soil supporting the plant life that has ventured too close to the edge. We enjoyed cycling up the Thompson River.
For a 5 km stretch of road leading into Dafoe [between Lanigan and Wynyard], we cycled directly into a 35 km/h headwind. Gusts were stronger. The effort required an uphill cadence with the added irritant of a stream of air on our face and body with no escape. This was the hardest 5 km so far. Then we turned to ride east with the wind directly at our side. It still held us in our grip and the gusts lifted us from our bikes. Oddly enough, I found that by turning my upper body at a 30° angle to the wind I could tack as a sailboat does. But as I began to feel a chest and pains never experienced before, I realized that my body was not meant to sit on a bicycle at a 30° angle. Such are the winds of Saskatchewan.
June 23 - Loretta
Made better time. Though the
wind was on our side it was more towards the back of us so gave us a little help. 
The clouds were fascinating and we felt
like we were dodging them all the time. Some were black and seemed to be about to
come over us and then would ship past us and rain somewhere else. The wind was
unreal -- it was actually hard to stand on the ground and keep our bikes from blowing over
when we'd stop. I've tried taking some pictures to show how the trees and grass were
bent but it was hard to keep the camera still.
June 24 - Loretta
Woke up to the wind as strong as yesterday. I was reluctant to begin, but ...
The first 20k Ws just terrible. They are reconstructing the shoulder lane so we had to ride on the car lane with the wind broadsiding us and the bike swerving towards traffic. It found it so unnerving that we stopped for some muffins.
Took a picture of moms and babes having coffee and cigarettes in cafes. The little cafes in these small areas seem to be the focal points in the communities.
June 25 - Loretta
Minnedosa at the Valley Motor Lodge
We woke up to pouring rain. I was feeling tired and we easily decided to stay for a day. We realized that we had been on bikes for 8 days which justified us taking a break.
We couldn't have picked a nicer place to stay -- it is filled with character and historical info. I would love to come back here. The old hotel is full of charm and the people are so friendly and genuine. We have been invited to join the local flavor at the Legion today -- they're having a Meat Draw and said they would gladly helps us dispose of the prize if we win.
We went to the Legion at 5pm ... It was fun. There were quite a few draws and I won breakfast -- a bag of bacon, eggs, bread, etc. I took it to the motel and traded it for breakfast with the manager.
June
30 - Loretta
Took a picture of Marv against some dark clouds -- we dodged showers all around us all day. Also, it was neat to see the longitudinal center of Canada.
July 1 - Loretta. Canada Day
Last night while we were watching TV we heard this ssssss. I jumped up to see my back tire go completely flat! It sure was good timing as we could put a new tube in outside our rooms. The tube had suddenly just blown in the area around the valve.
The last picture in the film is to show what one meter paved shoulder looks like. We
sure enjoyed it for a change. The picture also shows that we have entered the
pre-Cambrian shield. We have now left the fields behind, there is nothing but
forest, and we've seen a few large flat rocks in the ditch. Dad also saw a black
bear lying in the grass of the ditch. I missed it.
We have seen a lot of dead animals and a few birds on the highway as we've cycled across. The saddest was two beautiful deer lying on the side of the road. There are many signs warning of deer, but they dart out so quickly -- we managed to see only one dashing across in Saskatchewan.
July 5 - Loretta
Enroute [to Dryden from Vermilion Bay] we stopped at Egli's Sheep Farm. Wow! They raise the sheep and do all the manufacturing of clothes, mitts, slippers, leather jackets, etc., etc. The prices were great and at first I was going to have a shopping spree and have them ship it back. The thought of making decisions made me procrastinate and I put my name down for the catalogue instead.
If we had been there an hour earlier we would have seen a demo of shearing, their dogs at work, etc. Very impressive.
July 11 - Loretta
We didn't leave until noon -- another relaxing breakfast. Enroute we stopped at the commemoration to Terry Fox -- a park, statue, building overlooking Lake Superior. Very impressive, you can see it atop a hill. Apparently, his trip ended about 10 miles from there.
July 13 - Marvin
Mostly, the roads have been friendly for
cyclists. A white line dividing the traffic lane from a paved shoulder, which ranges
from a meter to a car width provides a safe zone for cyclists. But on occasions, I
was left wondering, are these roads safe for cyclists? Where no identifiable
shoulder exists we were left to share the traffic lane with cars keeping as close to the
right edge of the paved traffic lane as we could. The edge of the pavement drops 5
to 10 cms onto gravel which is often hard to negotiate on a bicycle.
Today, Loretta and I were clinging to a one foot shoulder on the paved edge. A huge truck, which I had no seen in my mirror, passed very close to me -- inches it seemed. I looked ahead to Loretta who saw the truck approaching. She drove off the pavement onto the gravel maintaining balance and enough speed to pull back on the pavement when the truck had passed. On technique we have developed to survive the roads never meant for bikes.
As we pulled out of Schreiber the road provided a wide paved shoulder enabling us to take full advantage of a long friendly hill. At 40 kph, I see an approaching drain which I swerve to avoid. As I pass it, I notice that two grates are missing, creating a hole that would swallow a bicycle wheel. I experienced a terrifying moment as I watched Loretta approaching the spot in the road not daring to shout a warning. She swerved to avoid it, by inches.
July 15 - Marvin
A day over Lake Superior.
It was a typical day in that we did not start as early as we had planned. Loretta, the pessimist, thinks the day will produce rain; Marv thinks the day will be great. Both are anxious, looking for a reason not to begin after five days of cycling.
The first 10k are uneventful except our legs are watery from the day before. Then the hills came one by one as we crossed the low mountains that provide the north boundary of Lake Superior -- those that the glaciers forgot to grind down. Hill and hill appeared and the highway went over each of them. Loretta kept up her reputation of not having walked a hill since Kamloops. Marv walked a couple. As we struggled to the top of the final hill two motels (in Marathon) came in sight. Never had a motel and the thought of a hot bath seemed so great. We had cycled 78 k that day and at least half had been uphill.
July 16 - Loretta
Marathon -> White River
Woke up this morning feeling really tired. If we had been in a bigger place we may have rested. It was very hard to leave that cozy room. It was overcast and a wind that appeared to favor us so off we went.
Fewer, less steep and shorter hills, but nevertheless our legs were sure telling us that they didn't have much oomph left. I was feeling a little like the Tin Soldier that needed to have some oil injected in the knee joints. However, it remained cool and the wind was friendly which made us glad to be out there. Marv was visibly weaker on the hills which for me was a sign that no matter what, we needed a day off. When we heard the forecast of probable thunder storms and more, that cinched our decision.
There have been some weird storms in this area that have left the residents in awe -- they describe the black clouds which then turn green, terrible wind, downpours which leave devastation where they hit. I don't quite know what we'd do if we were on the road. Apparently there isn't much warning.
I feel again! I was climbing up a hill, changed gears and they jammed, I couldn't get my feet unlocked from the pedals, and -- into the gravel. As I lay there I looked and saw the back gear slip into place. I realize now that I was too quick trying to change the back gear too soon after the front gear. Another lesson. I didn't do any major damage to my body except my right hip will probably hurt a bit to sleep on it.
July 17 - Loretta
Time off in White River
Now that we've relaxed we realize that we left it too long. Dad has slept and slept and slept. The whole body does not want to move much it seems. We are in a delightful little town (pop 1,000) which has taken advantage of being famous for the beginning of Winnie the Pooh.
There are two huge gift stores, a museum and a park to commemorate this fact. All in all, it's quite delightful. At first I was going to buy quite a bit and send back, but the post office was closed today and somehow it's just too big a hassle.
July 18 - Loretta
After much debating, we decided to take today off. It seems that we have to justify it to ourselves which is stupid. I was concerned at how tired Marv was yesterday, not to mention that we're both dropping off pounds which I'm not sure is too much. Anyway, another day of loading ourselves with food wouldn't hurt.
Marv is still trying to get some SFU work done and so he's able to do it when not so tired. I picked up a used pocket book and am enjoying reading as a pleasant change. We are both content to spend most of the time in our room despite it being nice outside.
July 21 - Loretta
[After meeting the Whitfords], the sun is high, getting hotter (33º) and we still have a few hills to climb, albeit much easier hills than the past 2 days. The combination of not totally recovering from yesterday's heat and exercise, I was starting to feel it. We stopped at a restaurant for a break. The waitress, Penny Drimeau, was very sweet -- she brought us a huge pitcher of water (I had 7 tall glasses!) and Marv and I shared a blueberry pie with two scoops ice cream. She kept coming back to talk about what we were doing. Then she reported that the manager, Wilfred Neyland, gave us the lunch free (Trapper Table, Pancake Bay).
Onward we went along the shores of Lake Superior. The huge rocks previously seen had now changed to lovely sand beaches and I guess the water is warmer in these bays.
I was feeling worse and worse. The legs kept on working but each time we stopped, I felt more tremulous and was getting a little worried about making it to the next motel which we had been told had a couple of hills, one being named the Mile High Hill. By this time, any little exertion left me puffing. We stopped in some shade and I knew I was in trouble.
Now around 5:30 and it didn't seem to be cooling off. we stopped at a swimming area. I sat down and Marv asked a woman who came to a truck if she could help out.
She took charge. She put me in the air conditioned truck, she and her friend helped Marv load up the 2 bikes, her St. Bernard and we took off with her friend riding in the back. Dropping off her dog, she informed her husband who owns a tow service and she drove us approximately 17-20k to a motel. They were just wonderful. This woman used to work on CBC Radio, has many subtitles as a design consultant plus. would have loved to talk to her some more but all we could think of was getting in our room.
Later, we spent the evening trying to figure out how we could prevent this happening again.l Sure didn't like feeling that vulnerable. One of the reasons we kept pushing it and passing up some beautiful spots to stay was an interview scheduled with a newspaper in Sault Ste. Marie tomorrow at 2pm. Somehow, logic was not functioning in this heat.
WHAT A DAY.
Marv's version of the events.
The day began with a 5 km cycle uphill for breakfast. While we were eating breakfast, we met Warren Lees, an auto worker and Don Adolph, a former Bank of Canada employee. Great conversation. Later on the ride we pulled into a rest area and met the Whitfords. The morning saw plenty of conversation which delayed our start until about 11am.
As we began our journey for the day it was now very hot. A stop at 1:30pm produced another "random act of kindness." The restaurant owner Wilfred Neyland of Trapper's Table at Pancake Bay gave us a free lunch in support of our ride.
We struggled on. The sun beat down relentlessly. We stopped regularly consuming as much water as possible.
We stopped at a rock face for shade. We were both hugely affected by the heat. After a few minutes we cycled to a campground looking for a rescue truck to take us to the nearest motel.
We found one, Holly Hughes from Gaulois River. She took charge putting Loretta in the air conditioned cab, putting the bikes in the truck, and driving us to a motel. Another random act of kindness.
July 28 - Loretta
Sudbury to Sturgeon Falls
Surprisingly, my injuries didn't hurt pedaling until noon or so and then the left leg started hurting a bit and swelling increase a little. [Recall, Loretta's right arm still aches from holding on during the wind, and she fell in Sudbury bruising her leg and knee.] We had started out in rain for the first hour and pulled into shelter twice when it showered. Each time I would elevate my legs. We decided to stop here and treat them with ice and do a longer day tomorrow.
Once we left Sudbury, the roads improved and we had at least 1 foot of pavement to ourselves. The terrain is easy cycling.
July 29 - Loretta
Sturgeon Falls to North Bay
Started out with me feeling pretty tired. I think my fall kind of took some of my energy towards healing. The injuries hurt more walking than cycling, but they still are quite swollen.
Anyway, after debating, we decided to take ½ day off. North Bay is a lovely city right on Lake Nipissing. They're getting ready for their big festival this weekend, so lots of activity around. We went to the North Bay Nugget and were interviewed and had pictures taken.
Enroute Dad took a picture of the road. The last 30k was awful again -- minimal shoulder and sharp drops off pavement. It's hard to imagine the "whys" of construction of these roads as there is so much width to the shoulders (gravel) that could be paved. Another article in the paper about the danger for the cars going off the shoulder.
July 30 - Loretta
North Bay to Mattawa
The rest of yesterday really made a difference. We were on the road shortly after 8am and arrived in Mattawa at 1215 [68k]. It is very hot outside -- no cloud relief. The road was hillier than I expected and 2 or 3 with quite a steep grade. However, our leg muscles are equal to the task these days.
The Valois Motel is located right on the Ottawa River. Like yesterday, the wind picked up in the later afternoon. So far, we have not benefited from the wind since Thunder Bay -- always seems to come from the south. We keep hoping that one of these days we will have it on our backs and make greater distance although for the next couple of days our distances are pre-determined by places to stay.
August 1 - Loretta
Rolphen to Cobden
Got an early start -- felt lousy. All joints and muscles ached and felt like jelly on any little incline. I think I'm paying for being cool and wet climbing those hills yesterday -- or maybe the muscles need more food as Marv's body is weaker also.
[That day, they made 99 k.]
August 3 - Loretta
Ottawa
It started out a day or rest. We walked our bikes to the bike store. Then we ambled down Bank Street towards the Parliament buildings. We thought it would be a good idea to visit Lou Sekora's office. We were welcomed with enthusiasm. They had received the email from Brian.
Judy Moore and Rose-Marie Nyborg showed us around and help us with suggestions, phone calls, retrieving info from the web site and FAXed some info to the Journalism Department at Carleton.
Then we went to Svend Robinson's office and we were treated well by Erik -- he also had suggestions of who to contact and photocopied a list of people and their numbers.
Both offices will have an article in their NDP and Liberal newsletters in their ridings.
August 5 - Loretta
Ottawa
Full day. We were quire anxious this morning about driving to the parliament building at 1100 -- we had to wait on a street for 15 minutes before riding there. There was quite a large group waiting for us clapping their hands. It really is quite moving having people so grateful for what we are doing. One of the women was teary-eyed as she thanked us -- it turns out that 9 years ago her son (29) committed suicide because of his illness.
CPAC, a TV station, was there and videoed us getting a pin and then interviewed us. Many pictures were taken and then about 15 of us went out for lunch. all in all very nice -- also quite exhausting -- their stories are very sad.
August 7 - Loretta
Lachute to Joliette
Perfect combination riding today -- roads, weather and traffic (no big trucks). We made good time as we cycled through farming area and small villages. Lots of corn and hay fields, dairy farms, silos and beautiful churches with the spires reaching high towards the sky.
In Laurentides we discovered the home and interpretive centre of Wilfred Laurier. It was very well presented and one young man talked to us as though he was back in 1890 (in costume also). Really neat.
August 13 - Loretta
Montmagny to St. Jean Fort Joli
One thing that is great about cycling the last few days is that the cyclists seem to have as much right on the road as vehicles. The cars have many reminders [signs] of cyclists throughout. These are the first bicycle signs we've seen since BC. Hooray for Quebec.
August 14 - Loretta
Day Off
The days off seem to be becoming more necessary but not any easier to decide. We woke up to overcast sky and a strong headwind. We kept debating -- I didn't want to cycle if it was going to be raining a lot and Dad didn't want to cycle if there was a strong headwind. It spite for a little while and then the threat of rain seemed to abate. But the wind was picking up -- even whitecaps on the river.
Dad is looking pretty gaunt and tired today but remains so goal-oriented that it's hard to decide to stay, especially when there is very little to do here except rest.
The worst part is no junk food or English newspaper available. Dada came out with a classic oxymoron "Well, I guess we'll just have to bite the bullet and do nothing."
August 20 - Loretta
Day off
Some day off. It was 3:30 before we had finished our chores and discovered we were tired -- had a sleep until 5pm and somehow the day is gone.
This morning we got up later because of the time change, another hour ahead of BC. We had a leisurely breakfast, read the paper then began finding our places of business.
First the Post Office to send mail and films home plus the defunct Palm Pilot. Next stop was the Laundromat to wash some clothes. Marv went to a bike shop and picked up some oil and new water bottles. then we went to the newspaper office to see if they wanted to do a story. There were interested so had a long and chatty interview.
When we went to the Post Office, I gave a card to the clerk there. she began asking about schizophrenia and apparently her brother has it and they can't seem to get info. Marv had some pamphlets and we had our press release and info on schizophrenia for which she was so grateful. It feels good to have been able to offer some help.
August 23 - Loretta
Miramichi
Such a morning we had. After breakfast we were met by Eleanor Kingston of the Schizophrenia Society and a couple of members. We phoned Jason at Radio and had a brief interview which apparently would be played during the day. then we went out and met other people, were interviewed by reporters and then videoed by a TV journalist.
We were treated so well by all. the emotional part for me was when Cathy read Fideles poem (he sort of read along) and then talking to him afterward. He was really sensitive to our cycling feelings which I think paralleled some of his in his daily struggles. [Fidele is a schizophrenic.] We also met with the manager of the Inn who was very welcoming. Even the waitress refused a tip. We didn't get away until around 1pm.
Nice day. Washed clothes in the morning -- last time on the road. Dad worked on David's paper while I went to get some fruit and nuts for tomorrow. Knees feel good so I guess they're set to go again. This evening we went to the Confederation Centre to see Anne of Green Gables musical. There was a group of young people performing songs from 1950s and on. They were very good -- good mix of songs, good voices and interesting choreography. Then we went to Anne -- it was excellent. Only $34 per ticket -- 2½ hours -- even cried in it.
Dad sounds as it he may be getting a head cold -- we think, however, it may be an allergy to the air conditioner air so we'll try to keep it off tonight.
I still have some mosquito bites from our last couple days cycling. That was a surprise actually -- just didn't expect to be bothered by mosquitoes for some reason.
Talked to Ian this morning and Dawsons phoned this afternoon and Jean last night. Neat.
We were in the Guardian today page 3. Won't know what we look like without our helmets anymore.
August 29 - Loretta
Charlottetown to Pictou
A big surprise has been the mosquitoes along this area. In PEI, my back was getting itchy as we cycled along. Whenever we stopped, I'd get one or two bites on the legs. When we were in the motel, we counted 9 bites on my upper back. Afterbite has worked the best.
August 30 - Loretta
Pictou to Antigonish
This morning our closest place for breakfast was Tim Hortons. They had a glassed in area for smokers. While we sat there, we watched and counted car after car that went to the take out section. Amazing. There were 3 girls with headsets -- two were next to the window and one gal was the runner for the food (coffee next to window). The runner was really moving and very excited when she reported that the average made from 7-8am was 14 seconds per car. Apparently, there are competitions set up throughout the Pictou County.
August 31 - Loretta
Antigonish to Whycocomagh
It turned out to be an exhausting day. The hills were constant and some quite major but the worst part was the wind. It was brutal. Either it was a headwind or broadsiding us as it swept from the sea. Beautiful scenery as we approached the causeway and looked across at Cabot Trail hills. Then we crossed over the hills and were surprised to find it so uninhabitable. We went for long distances seeing nothing but hilly pavement, trees and listening to vehicles pass by. Good shoulder.
Only semblance of risk was when a wide load went by and we had to take to the gravel (lots of warning).
September 2 - Loretta
Baddeck to North Sydney
We left Baddeck thinking that this would be a nice place to spend a few days. There are so many sights to see.
We were dreading today as we have heard so much about Kelly's Mountain and that the hills are the worst in Cape Breton. It turned out to be a lovely day. The general hills weren't that bad and we stopped to admire many views. Sunny, light breeze behind us and good shoulders. When we arrived at Kelly's Mountain and it said 7k - 240 meters we realized that it wasn't going to be that bad. It was steady but very doable.
September 4 - Loretta
Ferry to Whitbourne
As soon as we started we realized that once again we'd be bucking a strong headwind which was also quite cold. The hills we expected and were there. It was really quite brutal -- took 4 hours to go 47k so we decided to stop here as it was another 40 to the next stop.
September 5 - Loretta
Last day. Woke up to cloudy, cool but wind had shifted to SW and was gentler. Felt pretty relaxed knowing we could do it and then were done. We've been told to expect hills in the Avalon Peninsula and there were. We stayed on the highway as hills were well engineered and the shoulders were nice.
When we were at about 75k we took the downtown exit and literally coasted almost all the way. In fact, staying in one position for so long began to be painful for me as my arms and legs got so stiff it hurt. We stopped just before entering downtown. I warmed up again.
Strange experience. As we approached the Delta we saw Brian in the car -- he head beat us here! A few pictures to add to the pictures enroute and up to our room -- a beautiful corner room overlooking the bay. We did it!
September 6 - Loretta
Woke up to a cloudy day. Wind from East (still check) and happy not to be facing the weather on bikes...
None of us were bursting with energy so we went to the hotel, ate dinner and the bar afterward. The waiter in the bar expounded on his philosophy of mankind which was fun. He and dad made a bet -- he said that Tobin would be prime minister within 5 years. They bet a bottle of wine.
September 8 - Loretta
Rainy, cloudy day. Going home!
