LEJOG - Rest Day

 We're halfway through the journey already so what better time for a rest day.

Having arrived in Askham last night, we proceeded to do absolutely nothing except eat and rest, unpack our bags and get laundry done.

Proper sleep, food and rest - both mentally and physically - has been sought after since day 1, and now we have it.

Askham, in the Lake District, is a beautiful little village perfect for resting. It's quiet and restful - we sauntered down to the pub for a pint, then back to the house to continue doing nothing - apart from cleaning the bikes and making sure they were set for the next stint of the journey.

It is done

Vancouver to Halifax, 3 June - 23 September 2017

Total Distance: 7565.84 km
Total Time: 364:15:43
Total Height gained/lost: 49760m /-51253m
Total Calories: 234494
Average speed: 20.66 km/h

Day 112/113: PEI (rest days)

September 19

After a great sleep and a tasty breakfast of eggs, toast and local bacon Dennis took me for a drive to Malpeque to visit the cousin of Karen, who I stayed with in Johnstown. We drove some of the back roads around the island and did a spot of shopping before heading back home.
We went to a ceilidh in Brackley Beach and listened to the amazing Jonny Ross and his band. Most of the tunes were local, with a scattering of more popular Irish tunes. It was great to hear this local music.

September 20

I took Dennis' kayak out for a paddle today and paddle across the harbour to the breakwater.
Lovely red sand beaches to park the kayak on while I went for a swim.
You have to watch the tides in this place, they are strong and fast. After I had finished my swim, I jumped back into the kayak, but it wouldn't budge. The tide was draining the bay so fast I had to walk about 400m to find deeper water.
By the time I had returned to the house, the sandbanks were just being uncovered.

Dinner was mussels and sausages, and fresh salad.
I am feeling very relaxed being here. Dennis works with wood and makes spoons of all shapes and sizes, and of different wood. The tour of the workshop is quite extensive.
Jane works with leather and makes amazing bags, money clips and purses, as well as any custom items she chooses.
It is great hanging out with creative people again, it certainly got my mind turning over, thinking about what is possible.

Day 100: Quebec city (rest day)

I had seen an article in the local papers about some cycling taking place in Quebec City this weekend. I think it was meant to be that we were in town on the same day that this event took place.
And it wasn't just some cycling event, it was the Grand Prix de Quebec, a UCI event for the world's best cyclists!
Even the world champion was here!

We took the bus to the ferry port, took the ferry over the river and saw the cyclist zoom past on the very first lap of the race.
Sixteen laps of a 12.6km course meant 200km of racing, so we took our time and walked the course, stopping every 15-20 minutes to watch the cyclists whizz past.

Matt and Amy spent the day doing art and coffee while Stephen and I walked the course, went to the fan village, entered every competition we could, sampled new Clif bar flavours and wound up at the finish line watching Peter Sagan, the world champion, win.

We headed back to the ferry terminal after the race and met up with Matt and Amy. Once off the ferry and bus and back at camp, we moved our tents and bikes to the park next door to the campsite. We had checked it out earlier in the day and decided it was perfect for a sport of free camping.
It was an old fort and was well looked after, so we pitched our tents out of sight of everybody and had a great night.

Day 99: Levis to Levis

Rain.
Rain.
Rain.
All night long.

No biking today, we were planning on going into Quebec City and have a look around, but the rain kept us in the tents and indoors for most of the day.

Rain over Levis

We hit McDonald's for breakfast and then headed over the road to Cafe Depot for morning tea/hot chocolate.
We ended up staying there for ages and the rain had set in.

By 4pm the rain had cleared to we packed up the tents and headed down the road to Place-Martiniere, where there was a campsite.
This was closer to the ferry that would take us over the river to Quebec as well, which we had decided we would visit tomorrow.

Distance: 22.5 km
Time: 1:09:10
Height gained/lost: 150m /-125m
Calories: 677

It's called camp (L-R: Suderman, McDonald, Ashcroft)

Day 95: Boucherville (rest day)

It rained all night and all of today. Not just little drops of rain, but big drops, wet drops, accompanied by thunder and lightning, and wind. Strong and gusty!
Basically it was a perfect day to be off the bike, indoors and watching movies. We were doing all three!

The Day after Tomorrow and Back to the Future kept us entertained for hours as the rain soaked everything around us.

An extremely unproductive day.

Day 93: Montreal (Rest day)

Being in a hostel, it is almost impossible to sleep in. Doors slamming and people coming and going made for an early start today.

I would be meeting Matt, Amy and Stephen for lunch today, at Schwarz's Deli, but before that happened I needed to do a bit of exploring on foot.

Schwarz's is an institution in Montreal, and when I arrived the queue was already out of the door and winding its way up the sidewalk. They served smoked meat sandwiches. And that is it!

They were amazing, so I bought 2.

After lunch we walked down into the Old Town, grabbed another first, a DQ Blizzard, then parted ways. Matt and Amy were staying in NE Montreal so had a little bit of a bike ride ahead of them. 

I walked back to the hostel and had an afternoon nap.

This evening there was a pub crawl, organised by the hostel, that took us through the city, visiting a local micro-brewery and 2 other regular bars, the last of which had a skateboard park in the middle of it, and a ceiling covered in dangling bras!

Interesting indeed.

 

How I feel every morning

Days 88-89: South Mountain/Ottawa (Rest days)

August 27

Breakfast at the local golf club, Sandy Row, consisted of pancakes, bacon, tea, and more toast than I could handle. Maple syrup also made a brief appearance on the table.
After breakfast, Becca and I walked through the bustling 'downtown' that is South Mountain. To say it was quiet is an understatement.

Once home, we packed bags for a day at Amber, Becca's sister. Swimming gear and a few drinks and snacks, and we were on our way.
I spent ages in the pool, ate good food and am feeling very relaxed off the bike.

Back at Becca's, I swapped my tyres front to back. I hadn't realised how worn my rear tyre was, and how 'new' my front was.
Hopefully this new arrangement will get me to Halifax.

August 28

We're heading in Ottawa today. Whoop!

Beccca drove us into town and showed me all the sights, including her old uni. It's amazing so see these places in real life after seeing them so often in pictures. Becca and Richard (DDD) will be living in Ottawa, so Becca showed me the areas where they are looking for houses.

While walking through town, I saw a familiar sight. Touring bikes being walked down a side-street. It just so happened to be Matt, Amy, and Stephen who I had last seen in Sault Ste. Marie a few weeks back. I ran over to them and said HI, and was introduced to Jenna and Jenny, two other cyclists they had picked up on their travels.

We parted ways, and grabbed lunch at the Clocktower, then browsed the markets and downtown, taking in the sights of Parliament, the locks and then on to Gatineau, for a scenic drive and a swim in the lake.

It's beautiful up here!

We drove back home and made it just in time for dinner. An early night for me tonight, I am exhausted.

Many thanks again to the Taylor family for hosting me and showing me the sights and sounds of South Mountain and surrounds.

Day 80-82: Georgetown (Rest days)

The following takes place between 19 and 21 August 2017.

August 19:

Off to Niagara Falls with Samuel and Tracey this morning. Jonathan was off to soccer with Nathaniel. The traffic was heavy heading down to Niagara, so it took us 2 hours to get there. Once there though, it is certainly worth the drive.

The falls are amazing. The volume of water that is constantly pouring over the edge is staggering, and the noise is something else too. Crashing water gets mixed with the languages of the world, and the whop-whop of helicopters flying overhead. The setting is a little surreal though. Hotels tower over the falls, and casinos fill the gaps between them. In all of Canada, this is probably the most commercial place I have seen on this trip. Canada seems to do pretty well in keeping the unspoilt unspoilt.

After lunch and a walk along the walkway, we headed back home, via the Saffa shop. Guavas, fruit roll, koeksusters and Ouma rusks were purchased as a treat to all. When we got home, soccer was played for a bit before a delicious salmon dinner was served up.

August 20:

Church at 10am in Acton this morning. Jon was preaching as his dad was taken ill overnight. I got a mention and chatted to various members of the congregation after the service. Home for lunch and more soccer, before helping Jon start painting the basement.

An episode of BBC Earth before bed.

August 21:

Went into downtown Toronto on the GO train this morning. Tracey dropped me at the station and would collect me later in the day. It was going to be a hot day, and there was a solar eclipse on the cards as well. Once I arrived at Union station, I took the touristy Hop On/Off bus and saw the main sites around the city.

Coldplay was playing at the Rogers Stadium this evening, and the city was starting to get busy in the surrounding bars and restaurants.

I took in Casa Loma, Chinatown, the waterfront and the ferries, the Financial District, the Shopping District, the Distillery area, which is beautiful, and the CN Tower.

Unfortunately I wasn’t able to make it onto the ferry due to the time I had to get the train back to Georgetown.

As I was leaving in the morning, I spent the evening planning my route, packing my bags and eating guavas...mmm.

Tomorrow night I would be in Scarborough, spending the night with Malcolm, Jonathan’s brother.

Day 72: Sault Ste. Marie (Rest day)

As I feared, it poured with rain overnight and we awoke to big pools of water under, and around, our tents. Luckily the tents are of a high quality and no water had seeped inside.
By the time I emerged from my tent, Stephen was already up and had dug a little trench around his tent to drain the pools of water.

There would be no cycling today.

Breakfast was once again down the road at Timmies, where Amy and I stayed to catch up on our respective blogs. Stephen went down to the canal to fish and Matt went back to the bike shop to investigate pannier options.

Lunchtime came and went. This was the ultimate lazy day. I went to the bakery and Walmart to buy more food supplies for the road.
While walking there, the sky was turning a nasty shade of black, and rain showers could be seen across the lake. I made it to the bakery just as the clouds dumped what felt like actual buckets of water on us. These buckets soon had the gutters gushing and the drainage system working overtime.

This didn't help the situation back at the campsite one bit. Water everywhere and our tents right in the middle of it all!

Once the shop had closed for the day, I moved my tent and bags and bike under shelter and proceeded to try and dry everything. We setup the tunes and cooked our dinner under the shelter, comfy and dry.
I then setup my tent under the bike shelter and pinned it down with my panniers and had a pretty good night's sleep.

Tomorrow I would head out but I think Matt, Amy and Stephen would be spending another day here.

They will be missed as it has been great fun riding with them.

Day 64: Nipigon (Rest day)

I was tired today.

Seven-and-a-half hours of pedalling time yesterday had sapped the strength from me, so I had a lie-in.
Not much happened today.

I tried to do laundry but it seemed that all the washing machines and driers were broken and out of order. I did a food shop to replace all the food I ate yesterday, and bought more to eat today. I had lunch of hot-dogs, under the gazebo in the campsite, and watched a movie, while trying to keep my eyes open.

I watched the geese on the lake for a little while, then headed back to the Chinese restaurant for another round of dinner, before going to bed very early

It's amazing at how quickly a rest day can go when you're not doing anything in particular, but when you're sitting on a bicycle, a day can go on forever.

Day 58: Kenora to The Willows

I am tired and mentally drained today. As a result I have decided not to ride.
My front wheel also started playing up yesterday, making some awful clicking noises.

I have stayed in the shade for most of the day, eating and recovering, and trying not to think too much about the bike.

I headed up to The Willows campsite at 4pm, mainly to reduce the mileage for the following day,  but also to see how my front wheel was holding up.

While I was setting up my tent, Carl walked up and introduced himself, and invited me round for dinner.
I had just bought myself dinner, but he insisted I come over as he couldn't possibly eat it all himself.

I had a shower and brushed my hair, and headed over.
Carl is driving from Vancouver to New Brunswick, going back to live near his folks after 20 years.
His travel companions are a cat called Cheese, 4 budgies and a bright yellow canary.

Dinner was a number of hotdogs with all the dressings, and sides of baked beans and a beef stew.

It always makes for a better night when I am able to sit and have a random chat with someone, to find out why they are travelling, where they are going, what they do.

Thanks again Carl.

Distance: 18.2 km
Time: 0:55:21
Height gained/lost: 136m /-143m
Calories: 547

Days 46 - 50: Regina

The following takes place between 16 - 20 July.

A lie-in and a slow start to the morning saw us eventually head out to "The Leg" - the Legislative Building situated next to the beautiful Wascana Lake. We stopped to take a look at the building and the gardens, but landed up taking a guided tour around the inside of the building.
It has lovely marble pillars and houses some amazing artwork of the past judges and First Nations elders.


The table used during the meeting of the Fathers of Confederation in Quebec City in 1864 is in the library, but with six feet removed. You can see the cut line in the picture.
Dinner on Sunday night were delicious home-smoked ribs and salad.

Monday was bike cleaning day, and I had the most willing helper. Alexis gave Shirley a wonderful soapy bath and had my tires sparkling in no time. The dirty chain stood no chance and was soon gleaming too! Thanks Alexis, Shirley is now purring and ready for the next stretch of the journey.
I took Shirley to Dutch Cycles, a bike store recommended to me by Brian of the Saski crew while on the Icefields Parkway, to have new handlebar tape wrapped on, as well as to get a new pump.
They did a great job, chucked in a little discount too, and had me back out and home in no time at all.
Monday night was baseball night. We were going to watch the Red Socks. Not those Red Socks, but the Regina Red Socks.
At the Mount Pleasant diamond, the home side took the victory over Moose Jaw, 10-3.
The smoke from the BC fires had blown in all day and provided us with a fireball red sunset!

Tuesday morning we went to the Mosaic Stadium to watch the Saskatchewan Roughriders practice. They are the local CFL team and are playing Clagary this weekend. Following the stadium, Kathleen, the kids and I went to Coney Island Cafe for poutine! You can have any topping imaginable, and the same goes for their milkshakes! Tonight I met with Brian and Aldona, and kids, from the Icefields Parkway, for dinner. A lovely feast was provided. Thank you, it was really good to see you again!

Wednesday morning we went to the Royal Saskatchewan Museum followed by lunch in Victoria Park. We unfortunately missed the farmers market, oh well.
We made our way to Milky Way this evening for ice cream. The weather had been amazing the last few days, and tonight is no different. Calm, and warm, it's a perfect night for ice cream.

Thursday. A shopping day. I picked up a few items for the road tomorrow, packed my bags and took Shirley for a quick spin. I haven't been on the bike since Saturday, giving my legs a complete break, and the saddle sores a chance to simmer down!

Tomorrow I am aiming for Grenfell, 130km away. Hopefully the wind will assist.