Cross Canada Tour

Day 18 - June 25th - Redvers, SK to Souris, MB
115km

 I woke up this morning to a thick fog, so after a quick breaky I started riding, and was soaked very quickly with the moisture in the air. Then the sun started to show through the haze making the humidity even worse. Even when the fog cleared, it was a very hot and humid day. Today, the winds started from the Northwest (good), then after about 45km I stopped for my second breakfast at Reston, MB. When I left there the wind switched to Northeast (bad).

 I did lose my hour too, I'm now on Manitoba time - 2 hours ahead of PST.

Souris is a pleasant town and the community park where I am camped is OK apart from all the goose poop everywhere. It was hard to find a decent pitch without those curly brownie-green things in the way. Anyhow, apparently Souris has Canada's longest swinging bridge, which I'm about to check out after this email stuff.

 Earlier, I stopped at a small country store/post office in Delaugh for an ice cream and a cold drink, and discovered that the store had been robbed just last night. The lady owner was, understandingly, pretty upset about the whole thing. While I was there the RCMP showed up to do the fingerprint thing etc. The thieves mostly took cigarettes and some of the postal stuff. Not surprising that they took the smokes, as a pack here, and in Saskatchewan, costs almost $10.00! You don't see many young people smoking though! However, I find it so gross to walk into a store or restaurant where people are smoking; it's quite legal here, unlike in many parts of BC. I guess that they'll wise up eventually.

 I had to buy another book today, I finally finished Pierre Berton's "The National Dream," which was about the building, actually more about the political shenanigans, of the CPR. It was a good book to bring along though, as the railway is almost always visible wherever I've been travelling. The book also mentioned our venerable E & N on Vancouver Island, and how it was the carrot on the stick to bring BC into confederation - interesting reading, especially now that our Island railway is so threatened.

 The Red Coat Trail continues in Manitoba as Highway 2. The road is in excellent shape, but the shoulder is, well... non - existent! Once again traffic is very sparse, so not many problems encountered. Perhaps as I near Winnipeg, conditions may change?

 Last night, after I finished my email, the park in Redvers started filling up in the group picnic area. Turns out the locals were having a wiener roast evening. They invited me over, so I went over and chatted for while, and phew, managed to skip on the wieners! Anyway, it was a very pleasant hour that I spent with them. What a bunch of go-getters, they have all kinds of community projects on the go and it seems like everybody chips in to help; nice to see!

 Well I'd better be off to do the tourist thing and see the famous swinging bridge!

Day 19 - June 26th - Souris to St. Claude
158km

 Another good tailwind today, but the temperatures are soaring. I also heard today that it's going to get even hotter in the next few days - Oh joy!

 I stopped in Treherne and checked out the campground; nice place, but within 30 seconds I had at least 20 mozzies clinging to my legs - I was outta there!

 So I carried on to St. Claude and found out that the campground here is still a pipe dream! Luckily, there is a cheap motel - $35.00 - so all is not is lost! There's also cold beer, so after the hot ride and all that sticky sweet Gatorade, there's nothing like a cold one - or two!

 The highway still had no shoulder and was getting busier, but after all, I'm less than 90km from Winnipeg. Tomorrow I hope to pass south of the big city, without meeting too much traffic. And if the wind remains favourable, I might get another 100 miler in! We'll see! I do know that, just as today, I'll have to be up bright and early to beat the heat as much as possible.

 I stopped in Glenboro for my second breakfast, the main street there was called Broadway - The main street in Souris was called Broadway and the main street in Treherne was called... wait for it - Broadway. Not very original these Manitobans! Literally though, they were extremely broad streets!

 By the way, the swinging bridge in Souris was long but not very high, I think that the one over the Capilano in BC is more spectacular, but longer???

 Well, Basil's nattering, so I guess it's time to go forage for food!

Day 20 - June 27th - St. Claude to Richer
172km

 Including 20km wandering around Winnipeg! But more of that later.

 As I was sat on the pot this morning, staring at my bike which was outside the bathroom door (yes, I do leave the door open when there is only Basil to offend), what I was looking at was a broken support stay on the front rack. Great, what a way to start the day! Why it broke, who knows? So I cobbled it together with some zap ties and decided after all that I was, not unlike the guy in the tire commercial after finding out that he was on the wrong flight... "Goin' to Winnipeg." It's funny, because for the last few days that phrase has been going through my head, and I've been answering myself, "Not bloody likely." But I guess something was in the wind as I had to visit the place after all. I phoned MEC (Mountain Equipment Co-Op) as soon as they opened and found out that they didn't have a low-rider in stock - great again! But the fellow at MEC was very helpful and suggested a couple of places that might have one. I phoned around and located one at Olympia Cycle - who happen to have four outlets in Winnipeg. I got directions from him to the closest one (I think in fact that it was the furthest, but whatever!), but he may as well been talking Chinese - I don't do directions very well!

 Well, Winnipeg is really spread out and I had to go to Portage, which is the main drag through the city, in fact it is part of the TC#1. It was a long haul from where I was on the Perimeter Highway, but I eventually found it after asking many passer-by's for help. How come most people don't know where they are? Eventually, I found a guy with a street map, but he couldn't figure it out, I did though, after almost ripping it from his hands! I think that I found every dimwit in Winnipeg today! When I got to the store, the sales guy pulls out a rack that won't work, I'll spare you the sordid details, but I was hot and sweaty and the temp was already in the 30's - this was before noon too - so I calmly said, "But don't you have a Blackburn low-rider?" "Oh yeah," he said, "But I thought that you'd like this one better." So I proceeded to give him my famous lecture about how the word "ass-u-me" works!

 Anyway, after purchasing the aforementioned rack and a new pair of riding gloves, to replace the ones that I had stupidly placed on top of one of my rear panniers, then rode away for miles and miles before I realised that I had bare hands - I thought something felt funny! - I found my way out of the big city, past the legislature, down to Portage and Main etc., etc. Found a grocery store, bought some supplies and pedalled my arse out of town! But my, it was hot! I was tired, but I still had a good tailwind so I persevered until I arrived at a small place called Richer, where I wisely chose an air conditioned motel room, rather than a campsite. I had to do the work on the bike anyway, and it was much more pleasant being able to use two hands, instead of a wrench in one and swatting flies and mozzies with the other, whilst possibly losing bits in the grass etc.

 I might add that Winnipeg is not a cycling friendly city, somewhat akin to Toronto; most of the drivers were complete morons when it came to negotiating a lane with a bike in it. I'm glad that I commute as much as I do by bike, otherwise I would have been very intimidated today.

 Otherwise, the rest of today's ride was fine - still had those tailwinds all day! Highway 2 ended at the Perimeter Highway, hence after leaving town I am back on the TC#1, a divided highway for now, with, yippee! a shoulder to ride on! Highway 2 in Manitoba had no shoulder whatsoever for its full length.

 Long weekend Friday tomorrow; I'm going to have to get where I'm going early, as the Lake of the Woods area is a favourite weekend place for Winnipeggers and Ontarians - and that's just where I'll be! Furthermore, the grades will slowly return to the roads - better check out that granny gear, I haven't used it since BC!

Day 21 - June 28th - Richer, MB to Kenora, ON
158km

 Welcome to Ontario!

 I installed my new rack last night, had a good kip, woke up early and was on the road by 6:00 a.m. Yes, I finally made it into Ontario, but what a hot day to ride in. The last two were bad enough, but today was/is a scorcher. So my reward for making it to Ontario in less than three weeks is a full day off - Yeay!

 I'm at Anicinabe park just on the outskirts of Kenora. Actually, I was lucky to get a spot, as this is a busy long weekend here. After cleaning up, I ventured back into town for some supplies. I happened upon Haps Pub & Eatery on the waterfront, which is where I am typing from!

 I had mostly crosswinds today from the south, but it was a good ride all the same. About 15km from the Ontario border, the granite rock of the Precambrian shield began to poke through the grasslands - what a fast change in scenery! I stopped for an ice cream at Falcon Lake just before crossing the border and it was already teeming with Winnipeggers who were there early for the long weekend, so obviously the roads were very busy today. Quite a bit of the TC in Manitoba had no shoulder, especially where it was a divided highway, but once into Ontario, it was two way traffic, but I had my shoulder back. I passed a couple of cyclists on a tandem towing a trailer with their kid in it and a whole bunch of gear. They were from France and are travelling around the world for "Peace and Love." Good luck to them! I couldn't chat for long as we were in a spot with no shoulder and heaps of traffic, but they did relate that they had visited Vancouver Island. I thought that I was sweating good today, until I saw the sweat pouring from them hauling their heavy load!

 The worst part of today were the deer flies and horseflies, dozens of them continuously buzzing around and bouncing off me. Funnily enough they seemed to decrease the further that I rode into Ontario.

 I am in the Lake of the Woods region, and it was sure nice to see a large body of water again (even if it is only fresh water!) after all that riding through the prairies. It's also nice to get the breeze off the water too. The park that I'm camped at, is right on the water, with lake swimming, boat rentals etc., super place and minimal mozzies - so far! I think that a couple of nights here will be good R&R for me. Kenora seems to be a nice enough place and has that resort town atmosphere, somewhat like Penticton, BC.The local Safeway store here has it's own boat dock for the benefit of the lakefront cottagers, who can take their loaded shopping trolleys right down to their boats - now there's convenience!

 By the way, yesterday as I was leaving Winnipeg, I passed a sign that said I was passing through the longitudinal centre of Canada at 96 degrees something - just thought that I'd let you know that very important fact!

 The hills started just before the border as did the curves and bends in the highway. TC1 changed to 17, after which I'll be taking 71 south to Fort Frances, but not until Sunday. I've flashed through the provinces up to now, but don't hold your breath on my progress through Ontario, this is a big, wide one to cross.

 Enjoy your Canada day weekend, I will!

Day 22 - June 29th - Rest Day - Kenora
0km