Here are the journals from Day 12 through Day 20...

 

Day 12 Velorution Bike Shop (Rest Day)

Woke up early, even on a rest day. We removed all of our things from the shop before they opened as curtesy. Kris and Mona went to get donuts at Superior bakery down the street then went for coffee. While they were away, Zach got his bike looked at, did some more filming, and arranged all of our video so far to be brought back with Mona. Around noon it was about time for Mona to depart so we went through all of our things and sent back quite a bit with her. Mainly small things that we hadnt used and were not going to. It ended up being around 7 pounds of gear! Too bad we wont notice that because we added a bunch more granola bars to our packs. Maybe in a week or so when those have been eaten we will feel the lightened load.

It was time for Mona to leave, she hugged Zach and said goodbye and then Kris walked her out to the car. It was a sad day for the both of us but especially for him. It was like day one all over again with the feelings of leaving her behind coming back. To make us feel better and to explore we got ready and started biking the Sault Ste. Marie HUB Trail system.

The HUB Trail system was really neat. It is approximately 23.7km in length and circles the entire city. It first brought us into Fort Creek park. The park was amazing with high suspension bridge built just for the trail. We got some shots of it on camera and interviewed some walkers as the passed by. It then took us through the industrial district , which was a huge contrast to what we were just in. Very dirty and full of smog as we passed by an enormous steel plant. We then road by the Soo Locks system and along the boardwalk through downtown. It then took us through some beautiful neighborhoods and finally through another wonderful park. We ended up right back where we started next to the Velorution.

When we returned to camp, the two interesting hitchhikers from last night were there again and we had to deal with that while we waited for Jan, the store manager to finish up. We went inside and Kris worked on his bike in the stand and we enjoyed a beer with the crew after close. After that we waited for Jan, and then went back to Bossy's pub for dinner and watched a Twins and Toronto game and hockey as well. After that we returned back to camp relieved that those two were gone. They left us with 4 huge grocery bags worth of food that people had given them outside of Walmart. Most of it we couldn't use but we did get some fresh fruit out of the deal. We spent the rest of the night inside the bathroom working on updates and our journal entries. Then it was off to bed in the cold once again but at least we felt refreshed and rested before starting into the new lake and new territory.

Day 13 – Velorution to Thessalon, ON ~ 55 miles

We woke up this morning after a pretty short nights sleep, short for us anyways. We went to bed around 12:40 or so last night after trying to get caught up on things while we had access to the internet. So we woke up around 830 and got our things packed up and sorted through the food that the two hitchhikers had left us from last night. We took some oranges and apples and left some at the Velorution, trying not to take to much unnecessary weight.

After packing up and waving good bye to the shop we went to WalMart quick so Zach could get a small camera...his other one got wet and stopped working so he sent it home to fix it later after a failed attempt the last few days.

Before we headed out we stopped at the Superior Bakery and Deli once more for a quick breakfast. Kris got a giant Apple Fritter and Zach got a Cherry Lattice and a sprinkle doughnut. After eating we followed the directions given to us by the guys at the Velorution for an easier way out of town, avoiding major traffic.

Once we got out of Sault Ste. Marie we got into some pretty flat farm country. Yet another type of terrain we have not seen yet. It was pretty great. We ended up riding on some country roads for a while and hardly saw any cars...just cruising through the country side. We hit a short patch of gravel road about a half mile long and then joined back up with our projected route. It was pretty flat the whole way today, which is a nice change, with only a few rolling hills. We were able to crank out miles pretty quickly.

We stopped for a quick gas station lunch in Bruce Mines because we didnt have much other choice. We sat outside and ate and chatted with a couple locals. From there is was only about 14 miles to Thessalon which was our projected destination for the day so we down to Lake Huron to do a bit of filming. It was the first time seeing it on this trip! Really beautiful and the appearance of surrounding land reminded us of Northeastern Minnesota. We filmed a few things and blasted on to Thessalon.

Just a mile outside of town we ran into a kid on the side of the road who was bike touring. He had a flat and was struggling to repair it. We helped him out and Kris gave him a few patches and Zach ended up giving him a spare tube...he was having a hard time and didnt seem to have many repair items. He was trying to make it to Sault tonight but I dont know if he is going to make it before dark. His name was Ben Todd and he is from Barrie, ON. He is biking to Vancouver trying to raise awareness and support for his nephew who has a disease that made him blind and unable to develop correctly. He was a nice guy though and we wish him the best. We got him going again and then continued in to town. Our verdict was that we should have pushed on to Blind River. There isnt much in the way of food or entertainment in Thessalon, at least today because it is sunday and everything closes early. We did find a small family diner and had a great meal. Much better than fast food and we like supporting local business! The food was much needed because of our small lunch.

After dinner we biked back out the way we came into town and threw up our tent at the local campground right across the road from the shore of Huron. You can see some of the islands way out in the lake from here and in a few days we will be out on one of them. We set up shop and showered and then went down to the beach to enjoy the last of the sun and do a bit of filming.

Overall it was a good day. We could tell the day of rest yesterday really helped because our knees and joints didnt bother us today! It is a good feeling to know that we are getting into the rhythm of things and things are getting smoother with routine. We just have to keep up on our documentation of things and we will be just fine!

Off to the town of Spanish, ON tomorrow night! We are going to bed at a decent time tonight after watching a bit more of Paddle to Seattle on the laptop! Hoping for another clear sky day again tomorrow! I think I just jinxed us....

Day 14 - Thessalon to Almenara en el rio Marina in Spanish, Ontario

We woke up this morning and got packed up quickly and ate a light breakfast. We took off and unfortunately had to pay $23.75 for our campsite. We were hoping to not have to since thew supervisor is not there on weekends but oh well. We headed out of town and kept trucking along until we stopped at blind river for Subway. We met two bike tourists from Quebec, a son and the father who were biking around the world together in 4 years. They were headed out to Vancouver and Then down to South America and then hopping on a boat an over to Africa. We couldn't imagine doing that with our parents for that long, haha. It was nice at Subway to have a meal that was decently priced for once. Steak and cheese deliciousness.

After Subway, Zach asked a lady how far it was to Spanish and how the town was. She said it was it was another 90km away and there wasn't much there. After we left we kept on at a very good pace and we realized that she probably thought we meant Espanola, which was further past Spanish. When we finally met back up together, we discussed it and realized we were pretty close to the town.

When we arrived in town we went to the Foodmart to get dinner and Zach got a bunch of great groceries but most importantly ice cream cookie sandwiches! We stopped off at the LCBO and picked up a couple cans of Alexander Keiths IPA and a small taste of Wisers Deluxe. We headed to the marina after that and got setup right on the water next to an old sailboat on the Spanish river. We made our Velveeta Shells and Cheese dinner with cheese rolls and met some people who were working on their sailboat for the summer. We talked to the marina owner afterwards and he told us a little bit of history about lake huron and the area we were in.

We learned that the lake has a still thriving whitefish industry, where boats have quotas of 500,000lbs a year! We also learned that the Spanish river is a large walleye spawning ground and that during Victoria weekend (next weekend) people will catch their limits in under 10 minutes so it seems that we should come back and fish there. We spent the rest of the night listening to Bob Seger and singing along on Zach's computer looking at the stars....... against the wind.

Day 15 – Spanish to Whitefish Falls

We rose around 8ish and got out of the tent and packed up. We had a breakfast of Olympia Granola and got coffee from the Marina office. We knew we had a short day of around 45 miles but we blasted off because the wind was with us and we were cruising! We got off Highway 17 and onto Highway 6 which is a much less traveled road. We arrived in Espanola, a town built around a paper mill, in a really short amount of time, but we were really hungry and again stopped at Subway for the footlong of the day. Subway Club with chips and some root beer!

From there we only had about 15 miles to our destination at the Pope's home on Lake Huron in the Bay of Islands. We stopped at eh grocery store on the edge of town and Kris went in to get groceries while Zach sat outside and watched the gear. Zach chatted with a lady who winters in New Mexico. It was nice to talk to a local of the area.

Kris came out and we were on our way again. We faced a few hills on the way as we were heading through the La Cloche mountains range. It is a range that is millions of years old and is said to have been higher than the Rocky Mountains, but has since been warn down. It is also interesting because the range is made of Quartzite so it is spotted with bands of white colored rock. It is a really beautiful area.

We arrived at the Pope's, a member of Warm Showers, and were greeted by Dave. He was working on his gardens and stopped to offer us a beer. We sat on their deck and chatted and quaffed the beer and then got our things set up for the night. They offered their screened Gazebo for us to sleep in for the night. After getting settled we decided it was finally time to have our first jump into one of the Great Lakes! They had the perfect setup. We reluctantly jumped in and decided to do it a few more times before drying off. Afterwards we interviewed Dave and asked him questions about the area and the decreasing water level in the Lake which is a very complex cycle.

We were getting ready to make dinner when Dave told us that they were going to make us dinner. Such a nice gesture! Dave and his wife made us chicken breasts with marinara pasta and salad. It was delicious! After dinner Dave offered to take us on his boat for a ride out into the Bay of Islands. It is a huge bay with terrain very similar to that of the Boundary Waters except that many of the islands have cabins on them. It was beautiful as we were out just as the sun was setting. We did some filming and enjoyed the ride.

After coming back we sat inside and watched the Coyotes v. LA Kings game on TV, while getting some work done on the computer. Coyotes blew it. But we are still rooting for them!

We turned in around 11 and are heading out onto the Manatoulin Islands tomorrow and across on the ferry to Bruce Peninsula!

Day 16 – Whitefish Falls to Tobermory ~ 65 miles to South Baymouth Ferry

After waking up post cold night in the Gazebo we were invited inside to have breakfast with the Pope's. It was an awesome breakfast of granola and yogurt, bread with homemade black currant jam, and coffee. A great start to a morning. We packed up our gear, took a couple pictures together and got ready to head out. We said our goodbyes and took off.

We were headed to the ferry in South Baymouth on the Manatoulin Islands. We had a nice tailwind to start the day and the weather was pretty nice. However as we headed toward the Islands the clouds started to move in and for a brief bit we encountered some rain. Before we crossed onto the first Island via swinging bridge we met up with three brothers who were headed North toward Espanola. They were heading back out to Fort Collins, Colorado where they were originally from. They had been living in Toronto for a time and it was time for them to head back home. There name for their group is Tour de Tripod.

We headed over the swinging bridge across the North Channel to the small town of Little Current where we stopped at the grocery store for lunch. We had sandwiches, chips, and blueberry turnovers. Not a bad lunch by our standards. After we ate we continued on along the highway. We reached 10 Mile Point after climbing the long, but not so steep hill that Dave had warned us about. We stopped for a minute to check out the view and then continued on our way.

We knew that the ferry to Tobermory left South Baymouth at 3:50 so we peddaled hard until we arrived. We got there around 2:30 and got our tickets to board the ferry. We grabbed a bowl of homemade chicken noodle soup and a cup of coffee from Carol and Earl's, a local eatery, and then headed to the ferry.

We were the first to board and we rode our bikes onto the ship into the holding level where vehicles are stored for the ride. We secured our bikes with twine rope and headed up stairs. The 365 foot ferry is called the Chi-Cheemaun and holds around 600 people and 125 cars, and has a crew of 36. A really huge boat! We headed up and did some filming before we headed into the lounge where we got a couple drinks and enjoyed the ride. We saw many great sights including the many islands that surround Tobermory. This included the Fathom Five Marine Sanctuary, a world renown dive sight due to the many shipwrecks that sit on the bottom of Huron.

It was about a two hour ride and when we arrived in Tobermory we got a few beers from the LCBO and headed to look for a campsite for the night. We found one for 33 dollars. Expensive, but that is something we have gotten used to in Canada, and it at least had internet.

We set up camp, showered, and made dinner while we enjoyed our beers. After dinner we biked the five minutes back into Tobermory to use the payphone. We made calls to the fam and Mona and Bre and then headed back to camp.

We did our audio journal for the night and checked out the stars after we used the internet to catch up on a few things and then we headed to bed. We decided not to set the alarm because we thought we deserved a good nights rest.

Off South to Sauble Beach tomorrow.

Day 17 – Tobermory to Sauble Beach

Today, having not set the alarm, we woke up at around 9:45am. We got packed quickly and had donuts, oranges, and granola bars for breakfast. There was a chipmunk in camp that wouldn't leave us alone and we could actually touch him with our feet. I got a super close shot of him pawing at my camera so that was neat. In Tobermory we headed south and didn't stop until we saw a 24 hour drive through coffee shop the the side of the road. We drank our coffee as fast as we could because the gnats were so bad we couldn't sit still for too long.

We stopped and had lunch in Ferndale at a gas station and grocery store. We then headed west towards the shore of lake Huron. Once we got there we realized that the road turned into gravel for quite a distance. A guy stopped and helped give us directions who was very nice. We ended up having to go back about 4 miles to get back on highway 6 and travel further south to Mar. There we headed west and got on a very nice quiet road that took us towards Sauble Beach. We stopped at Sauble Falls provincial Park and got some shots of the waterfalls.

From the park we headed into town only to find that the giant gated trailer parks were $40 a night for one tent! We headed back into town and got Subway. We asked people where to stay but they had no ideas. We learned that there is a by-law in the town and no one can set up a tent, even in their own yards. We hung out on the beach for a while and watched the sunset, including a stand up paddle boarder just sitting out in the cold lake watching the incredible colors go down.

We sat in a park across the street from the beach and watched the sunset and worked on our journals. We are off to Gorilla camp for the night behind the library in some wooded area where hopefully we wont be found or bothered. Its cold tonight so I think we will be ok. Off to Point Farms provincial park in the morning near Boggies Beach.

Day 18- Sauble Beach to Point Farms provincial park

Woke up this morning behind the library unseen, so our gorilla camping was a success. We packed up quickly and got out of there before we were noticed and headed down to the Two Chicks cafe right by the beach. It was closed and Kris made the comment that they were probably not up yet as they had been partying late last night. So we headed up to another bakery near the library we slept at. We had coffee, toasted bagels, turnovers, and used their internet. After breakfast we went down to the public restrooms to get changed and ready. While Zach was using the restroom, an older guy came out and told me to tell my buddy that he needs to lay off the McDonalds. I couldn't stop laughing and couldn't wait to tell Zach. We finished packing and filled our waters and we were out of town.

We hit road construction pretty quickly. It was about 10-15 miles of grooved pavement with gravel shoulders and no where else to go. Even worse was the holiday traffic flying by us. We eventually made it through the construction having passed some wind turbines and arrived in a small town. We got snacks there and headed down a nice paved side road into the town of Kincardine. We found out that the area we had previously been in was called Power Valley because of all the wind turbines, solar panels, and a nuclear plant.

Kincardine was a nice old port town. We headed down to the marina to wait for a newspaper representative and watch the huge fish being brought in off the lake for the fishing derby that was taking place. We saw some huge lake trout and salmon. After our short interview and photo shoot we were on our way again.

We stopped at Pine River cheese factory and got some really good cheese curds. Then we stopped at a small gas station and got a few more snacks. There wasn't really much out there in the farm areas so we started to hit a wall having to battle the wind and no real food all day. We finally arrived at the provincial park having biked over 70 miles. We left our stuff in camp and headed back to a nearby gas station where we got ice cream and supplies for our famous chili-mac recipe. We went back to camp and headed down to a very nice beach and sand dunes. We had to climb a ton of stairs on the way back up but we changed and went back down for a swim and to film.

During dinner we met a couple who like to bike tour and they brought us a map later that showed us all of the side roads in the country that could be used instead of the busy highway. While we were enjoying the sunset, we heard a huge crash and screaming and crying from down below by the beach. Kris ran down there to see what was wrong and found out that a kid had flown off his bike, broke through a very sturdy sign, and flown off into the woods. Kris checked him out and surprisingly he was ok considering that his brand new bike was destroyed. We went to bed that night listening to a full campground of screaming children and barking dogs. We cant wait for this holiday weekend to be over.

Day 19 - Point Farms Provincial Park to The Pinery Provincial Park

Woke up this morning at 8:30 to screaming kids, barking dogs, and the hot sun. We could tell that it was going to be a scorching hot day. We got packed up and had a few granola bars and peanut butter. We got some nice shots on the way out of the park of the overhanging trees and wind farms off in the distance. We headed towards the town of Goderich, which was very large and beautiful. Someone on the way told us to stop at Culberts bakery so we did. It is a very famous bakery that just reopened after a destructive tornado ripped through main street last year. The bakery was amazing and there was a good line out the door. Once inside you had to take a number and wait to be called upon. We had turnovers, orange twists, carmel apple cookies, and coffee. We ate outside and then headed for the lighthouse. We learned that the lighthouse was built around 1850 and was the second lighthouse on the Canadian side of lake Huron. There was a photographer there who we interviewed about the town and the tornado. We found out that the tornado only killed one person on one of the ship cranes but devastated the town. It ripped right through main street and then was gone. You could tell that there was a lot of damage and missing trees but the town had quickly rebuilt. He showed us the salt mines, which is one of the biggest in the world that they were still rebuilding. After a quick photo, we were on our way out of town and passed the farmers market.

From there we used our new map to quickly navigate a really nice country road down to Bayfield. The town was really old and still had gravel sidewalks. There we had burgers, fries, and ice cream. After that we went down to the beach and saw a shipwreck that was partially out of the water and we could see the smog across the lake near Detroit. We hopped on another back road that quickly turned to thick gravel and after stopping someone we found out that it was like that for a ways. We decided to head back to the highway and brave it from there instead of the slow going and possibly tire popping gravel. We quickly arrived in the town of Grand Bend, which we were not ready for. It is where all of the younger kids go to for the long weekend to party. There were literally thousands of people in bikinis and swimsuits having a great time.

We got some filming done and left in a hurry towards the Pinery park. Once we arrived there it was another 5 miles or so to our campsite. The roads were winding and the drivers were terrible. This park was huge, over 1200 campsites, a camp store, and cafeteria. There was buckthorn and poison ivy everywhere. We got settled into the city in the woods, as Kris dubbed it, and went back to the cafeteria for chicken fingers and fries. On the way there Kris was almost hit by a car who happily gave him the bird for being on a bike. We arrived back at our campsite at the same time that Troy Shantz got there. He is an avid cyclist and photographer/ documentarian from Sarnia, ON who contacted us after we sent emails to bike groups around the Lakes. Troy had booked the site a few days before so we could have one as the entire park was full. We shared stories and then he and Zach went off in his car to get some firewood. When they returned, we had a fire and beers, which was forbidden in provincial parks for the holiday. Troy told us about the wind turbines controversy that we had seen signs for along the way. We learned that the companies building these things make shady deals with the farmers. They cost about 1.2 million dollars to build but make about $400,000 a year and they only give the farmers $15,000 a year to lease the land. The turbines also devalue house prices around 20-30% and sometimes more than that. The biggest thing we learned was the health problems. People within a mile or so from the turbines have been experiencing sleeplessness, vertigo, nausea, random nose bleeds, and thyroid problems. Cattle have also been getting shocked by the excess power running through the water when they go for a drink. It definitely gave us a new perspective on wind turbines and that more research needs to be done. After that conversation we went to bed late and burnt from the relentless sun.

Day 20 – The Pinery Provincial Park to The Shanz's in Sarnia

We woke up around 8:30 and Troy started getting some footage of us as he is a photographer and film maker. We packed up and headed back to the store and got some breakfast then took off back through the park to the entrance. Troy got some shots of us biking through the park. Once we got onto the busy highway he continued filming, driving up ahead and stopping and waiting for us to pass. We filmed some wind turbines up close and just before we reached highway 7 we met Matt, a bike tourist from Sarnia that was heading up to the Pinery for the night to meet his friends. We met Troy one last time and then parted ways until we got to his house. We hadn't had much to eat so we stopped at a general store but it didn't have much so we had light snacks. Once we arrived in Brights Grove we found out that Troy was not going to be able to meet us and bike us to his place so we kept going.

Once in Sarnia, we passed huge and amazing lake mansions that are owned by the Oil and chemical big wigs in town. Apparently a few ex-NHL players like Dino Ciccarelli live out there as well. Once we got into downtown we stopped at Subway, like usual. It was a very nice place with a TV with Hockey on and they even cut your sub in half and served it in a small basket for people who were dining in. We have never seen that before and thought thats how they all should do it. After Subway we headed through the rest of downtown and made it to the Shantz's house. We met his wife Dayna and their four year old son Porter. They were busy making a new garden and they had a really cool chicken coupe in back. They let us take showers and do much needed laundry. After that we had a barbeque that consisted of great burgers, a fresh vegetable salad, and watermelon. It was absolutely great!

After dinner we biked along the waterfront and headed towards the Blue Water Bridge that heads across the St. Claire river into the US. We met up with Dayna and Porter and had ice cream a great place called Ice Cream Galore in Point Edward. We went back to the pier and filmed the bridge, the river, the open lake, and an amazing sunset. As we were doing many takes, a guy got in our shot and ruined our best one. We headed back towards downtown and passed the casino. Along the waterfront we filmed the oil and chemical refineries off in the distance. And made some calls on Zach's phone. Even though we were in Canada his phone picked up US towers and we could make some calls without the International fees that way. Zach decided to stay behind and talk on the phone while Kris and Troy headed to his work to get bells for our bikes. It is a $90 fine in Ontario if you don't have a bell on your bike but Troy had some extras. We lit some fireworks back at their place and then had a fire in back over some beers. It was a short day and we had a lot of time to get things done but most importantly to relax.

We can't thank Troy and his family for their amazing hospitality! We are going to leave here tomorrow with three new friends! Creating memories everyday.

Heading to Wallaceberg tomorrow to meet Margaret Baxter and her husband Ken. Can't tell you how good it feels to know that we have a place to go and meet new people.

Northern shore of Lake Huron complete and now we are off to explore the St. Claire river and start the Northern shore of Lake Erie!

First 11 Days

Here are the journal entries from the first 11 days on the road...there may be some spelling errors! Enjoy!

Day 1- Duluth to Silver Bay ~55miles

Wow…what a roller coaster of a day. In a good way for sure. We woke up this morning in our awesome hotel room in the Historic Fitgers Hotel(big thanks to them for that) and went and had a lite complimentary breakfast. Kris and I found it hard to eat because our nerves were really taking their toll on our stomachs. Last night we spent the night in the room trying to get our trailers packed just right in order to avoid stability problems that we had been concerned about. It was really just a matter of cutting out all unnecessary gear and packing the trailers correctly. After that we headed to bed after watching a bit of TV. It was Kris and Mona, Bre and I, and Jay and Paris in the room. A good way to spend the last night.

After breakfast we packed our trailers for the final time before departure and headed to the lobby with our gear. We sat around the round table and greeted friends as they came to wish us goodbye. All while camera crews from a few different stations were setting up their gear. It was pouring outside as expected, but we really hoped it would at least slow down. Right around 9 they interviewed us for a few minutes and then we headed outside to depart. It was a seriously emotional time.

We headed outside with our gear and were pleasantly surprised by the massive group of people standing out there waiting for us to come out, and that it had stopped raining for the time being. It was overwhelming. We went around and thanked our friends, family, and press for coming. Saying our goodbyes was really tough. Leaving loved ones isn't something that comes easy.

Then we helped each other secure the trailers and headed out. Emotions were really heavy. Luckily a few friends decided to follow us out of town on their bikes, including Mona. As we headed down Superior St. we played leap frog with the news vehicles trying to get some good footage. It was awesome.

Pat was the first to turn back with Mona following suit shortly after and Kris and her and a few private moments before he reluctantly turned and pedaled away. Next was Craig who turned back a few more miles down the road. Jimmy and Bill came all the way to Knife River which was a great way to catch up with them and keep company. After that we headed up to Two harbors in the pouring rain. Jay and Paris kept us company by driving slowly next to us and filming our every move. We stopped in Two Harbors at Subway a little dizzy and very hungry, of course it stopped raining as soon as we went inside. After we ate we headed up the shore into a very strong headwind. We passed through two tunnels and checked out Gooseberry falls. We hopped onto the Gitchee Gammi bike path and thats where we hit a wall. The combination of wet, cold, and the headwind eventually had gotten to us. but we pulled through and made it very slowly to Beaver Bay. A couple painful miles down the road passing by the North Shore mine, we made it to Silver Bay and met Jay's mom, and sister at the gas station. We slowly made it up the final hill to their house.

We spent the night getting hot showers, drying our clothes, and setting up camp. We had a hot meal of taco salad and drank some beers. We lit a fire around nine and hung out while working on uploading our film and watching the news, which we were on multiple times. We cant thank Jay's mom Annette enough for her kindness and hospitality. We went to bed happy and warm in the pouring rain.

We just really want to thank all of our friends and family for being there for us and we just want them to know how much we love them all. We wouldn't be where we are without them.

Day 2 -

We woke up this morning to the sound of rain on our tent and dreading the thought of braving it for another day we fell back asleep for a while. When we woke up for the second time the rain had stopped and we started our day. We went inside and had some egg bake that Annette had made for us and then we slowly packed our things. Before we left we all got together for a picture of the group, Paris, Jay, Sam, Annette, Kris and I. Sam made Kris and I bracelets and she gave them to us right before we left. They are awesome! We didn't get more than 100 yards down the road before we stopped again. Somehow Kris and I put on each others shoes unknowingly and when I went to clip in to my pedals I couldn't do it. So I pulled over at the end of the block and we figured out the problem and put our own shoes back on.

Finally heading down the road the sun was breaking through the clouds and shinning its beautiful light down on us. It is amazing how much a bit of sun can lift the spirits. Right away on Hwy 61 we passed a couple walking that said they had read about un in the paper that morning and several people honked and waved in support as we went. We passed Tettegouche State park playing leap frog with Jay and Paris. We waited too long to each lunch and got a bit cranky so we stopped as soon as possible once we reached Lutsen and we had amazing sandwiches at the Moondance Cafe. It is locally owned and the sandwiches we huge and delicious for a decent price.

After lunch we continued on refreshed. We made our way toward Grand Marais and the weather was still treating us right. Once we reached GM we stopped for a slice of nostalgia at Sven and Ole's right down by the water. It was a great idea and gave us the energy needed to reach Judge CR Magney SP, our destination for the night.

We hit a physical and mental wall before we reached the park but we rode together and helped each other and eventually made it. Jay and Paris had picked up a 12 pack of PBR and they were waiting for us when we arrived. We set up camp and made some CHILI MAC to relive the West Coast experience. Around 830 Lucas Will and his pup Tishcher came to visit us and hang out for a bit around the fire. It was great to see him and catch up and talk about the trip. It really boosted our morale. He left and we went to bed just as it started to sprinkle. Long day but a good day. We went from 114.5 miles to 186.9 miles= 72.4miles

Day 3 -

Well here we are sitting in a Comfort Suites hotel room in Thunder Bay, Ontario. Its 11:30pm. Lets recap…

Apparently we were pretty exhausted from yesterday because we woke up at 10. That was our first mistake and it ended up throwing off our whole day. We got up and made some Huevos Rancheros for breakfast, the freeze dried kind, but it was still good. We headed out of camp around 11 and said a filmed a short clip about the Devils Kettle in JCRM SP. We headed off toward Grand Portage and the Canadian Border about 27 miles away.

We started off ok but could tell that we were really sore from the day before. The wind was pretty relentless and we rolled into Grand Portage around 2pm. We were going to stop at the Casino and check WI-FI but we determined it wasn't worth pulling out the laptop. So we grabbed some much needed lunch at the gas station and headed North.

Right after we left GP we encountered Mt. Josephine. She was our biggest challenge yet and the gradual climb seemed to go on forever. We forged on and stopped at the scenic overlook on the coasting side of the mountain. We realized our second mistake of the day which was not remembering that the time zone switches to Eastern at the border. So we didn't end up reaching the border until 4 pm, with 30 plus miles to go. After a quick stop we coasted down to the Border.

We rolled up to the border and talked to the Guard. They had us come inside because of our pepper spray which is apparently illegal in Canada. So they asked us a bunch of questions and confiscated our spray and we continued on our way happy to finally be in Canada.

By the time we reached Thunder Bay it was getting dark and realizing we weren't going to make it to our projected destination on the North side of town we struggled with what to do next. We stopped at a coffee shop for donuts and coifed and to try to get some Wi-Fi and come up with a plan…they didn't have Wi-Fi so we were clueless and decided that even though we didn't want to we were going to have to get a room. Some locals pointed us in the direction of the hotels and we ended up overpaying for a night indoors. Not much else we could do since we weren't going to bike any further and it was 9:30.

So here we are sitting in the room after eating some Little Caesars and taking a hot shower. We are refreshed and have made a plan for the next few days. Lets just hope we can stick to it.

Live and Learn.

We stared at 186.9miles and ended at 252.1 miles= 65.2miles

Day 4 – Thunder Bay to Wolf River Campground ~52 miles

We woke up in the hotel room comfortable but still feeling very tired. Got out of bed and slowly made our way to the continental breakfast...mildly appetizing at best. We brought it back to the room and tried to eat as we packed.

We were supposed to be heading out to Sleeping Giant Provincial Park today, but because we were so sore and tired we made the executive decision to put our energy into moving closer to Nipigon so we can have a really short and relaxing day tomorrow and still be on pace with our schedule. We decided our destination would be Wolf River Campground, which will give us a 20 mile day tomorrow. It is unfortunate that we are missing Sleeping Giant but we have to do the best we can with the circumstances.

After packing we checked out and headed outside. It was windy, cold, and drizzling. The triple threat. We headed out on the expressway with all of the other traffic. Bikes were not supposed to be on that route but we took it and luckily didnt get stopped by the Mounties.

As we made our way through the outskirts of town we got our first look at Sleeping Giant. Pretty amazing to see that there is amazingly dramatic terrain so close to home. They are improving the roads to Nipigon from TB so we had to negotiate a lot of construction which was very frustrating at times.

We slowly made our way north east on the Terry Fox Memorial Highway, stopping for lunch at a roadside gas station. We chatted with the attendant who was a cancer survivor and had 30 percent of his tongue removed.

We arrived at the Wolf River Campground around 5pm and got our site right next to the Wolf River. The grounds were supposed to still be closed but the operator let us stay for a reduced fee because the water and electric were still turned off.

It is a beautiful site right on the river. It is really quiet here though and we had a hard time with that at first...really becoming homesick. But it the bad feelings passed. We set up our tent and collected firewood. As we made dinner a RV pulled up to the site a few down from us. We would later find out it is an older couple from Germany just visiting and traveling around Canada. After eating by the river we played a game of cribbage with a wager of the loser buys a shot when we go the the bar next. Close game but Zach drinks the first one on Kris.

We started the fire and the Germans made their way over to join us. Being the good Germans that they are they brought over beer to share with us. We sat by the fire and talked about politics and our different cultures. It was great. After three beers each their fride had been wiped clean....so they broke out the Jagermeister! We had a couple shots each and decided it was time to turn in.

Short day to Nipigon tomorrow!

Day 5 – Wolf River Campground to Nipigon ~ 20 miles

It was a cold night last night and bot of us reluctantly got up to relieve ourselves in the night. We woke up sore and a bit tired from a late night with the Germans. Packed up and decided not to have breakfast and just eat a few granola bars since we were so close to Nipigon. The campground host gave us the information to Mike with Epic Adventures – an outfitter in Nipigon, because we were planning on staying with him. We headed out onto the crazy semi filled highway and soon regretted not eating a better breakfast.

As soon as we pulled into Nipigon we stopped at the Husky House Diner and truck stop. We had lunch and tried out the Canadian staple food of French fries covered in cheese and gravy...poutine.

We payed our bill and head to EA but Mike wasnt home so we went down to the library and used the Wi-Fi to catch up on a few things and check out our route for the next few days.

We headed back up to EA after a bit and met Mike and he looked at our route with us and gave us advice. He is a good guy and we hope his business continues. We signed his garage door of fame and headed down to pick up some groceries for lunch tomorrow.

After stocking up we headed back up the hill to the highway and made our way to the truck stop and each took a $5.64 shower and made a few phone calls from the payphone. Much needed and necessary because we may not get another one for a few days.

After we cleaned up we headed down to the Marina to find a campsite for the night base on the advice from Mike. Made dinner and looked at the route once more. Kris made a fire. We are both feeling pretty down today and are looking forward to a more populated area and warmer temps. But we have 6 days of pretty remote living coming up with hilly terrain to top it off. It is going to be a test.

Sorry we didnt make the Shag.

Day 6 – Nipigon Marina to Schreiber Campground

Woke up this morning frozen to the bone. Zach was ok but I shivered most of the night. I realized in the morning that I had not even slept on my sleeping pad so that was probably a big reason why I was so cold. The other reason was that it dropped below freezing that night, probably around 28 degrees F. We packed up all of our stuff, being late again, and headed up towards the highway, where we stopped at Tim Hortons and had donuts and coffee before our big hills day. Zach ordered a medium coffee, which ended up being gigantic. Never oder a medium there, shit coffee. Zach talked to some truckers from Quebec and then we filled up our water bottles, me from the bathroom and Zach from the counter. After that we headed on our way towards Schrieber, while the truckers from Quebec honked us on our way. Zach had also talked to someone who had mentioned the Velorutian.

We had been warned about all the hills but we had no idea. There was a hill that took us around 30 minutes to climb. The biggest we have climbed so far. They reminded us of rocky mountain climbs. Right before that we had stopped at an abandoned gas station where we had lunch consisting of turkey and cheese sandwiches, Triscut crackers, friut snakcs, and of course Skittles. By the time we had reached the top of the climb our stomachs were not feeling to well. Some guy stopped and asked us for directions to New Brunswick having traveled all the way from BC. He didn't know where he was going having traveled half way across Canada. At the top of the huge climb, off in the distance we could see the road climbing another big mountain, so we knew we were in for more. That seemed to happen to us often today. The downhills were a lot of fun, you had to break hard in order to not get out of control with your speed.

Next we stopped in Peyes Platte reservation to ask advice and directions. The native inside was very stoned and was listening to Smoke on the Water and talked to me about life. We climbed another huge hill and enetered the small but beautiful town of Rossport. There was a great beach there but Kris ended blowing by it trying to catch a biker he saw off in the distance. After a few miles he caught him and talked to him for a while on places to stay and the area. His name was Peter, and was very helpful. We followed him up another large hill before we parted ways.

We hit a bunch of gradual hills where we just kept climbing and climbing. There were lots of signs for Schreiber on the side of the road but the distances were all different and that was irritating. We finally made it into the town where we saw the campground on the left right away. We puled in and the owner said they were closed but we were welcome to pitch a tent. We then biked around the town to see what it looked like. Of course the Beer store and LCBO were both closed and everything was closed or for sale, much like we had seen over the past few days. We finally went to the gas station where there was a italian restruant. We ate there and it was mediocre but expensive. This lady kepy talking to us and wouldnt stop. She took Kris out in the hallway to see that wall of fame of travelers who have stopped at the place. Turns out the mayor of the town owned and operated the place as well. After dinner, a few beers, and hockey watching we headed outside where we interviewed the mayor and he took our photo for the wall of fame.

We headed back to the campground, set up shop and got ready for bed. Zach tried to work on his bike a little but to no avail. The mosquitos were gigantic, bigger than we have ever seen. We went to bed just before it started raining outside. We ended the day having traveled approximately 60 miles.

Day 7 – Schreiber to Marathon ~ 60 miles

Last night was a bit warmer than the previous and I think we both slept a bit better. Zach woke up, sometime in the morning when the sun had started to peak out, to the sound of rain hitting the tent. We both verbally acknowledged our disappointment. We both fell back to sleep and again woke up later than we would have liked. Unfortunately that seems to be one of the running themes on the trip thus far. Hopefully that will change.

We quickly packed our things while it continued to sprinkle and we headed a couple blocks down to the local Robins and got a couple donuts and coffee and Kris filled up his water. We really dreaded going back out into the cold and rain, but we knew we had to.

We started in on the hills right off the bat. We had been warned that the road to Marathon was like a roller coaster and we would learn that they weren't kidding. It was relentless all day long...non stop climbing. Not to mention the wind and rain did not stop. We were soaked through within an hour of riding.

Even though the weather was brutal the scenery was incredible the whole way. After about 10 miles of riding we came to the town of Terrace Bay and stopped at the local grocery store to pick up lunch because it would be the only town we would pass through before lunch. We rode until about 2 or so looking for a place to get out of the rain and take lunch, so when nothing like that came along and the rain had stopped for a bit we just ate our lunch on the side of the highway.

We were freezing at that point and determined it was more comfortable to climb the hills than to coast down them because the cold was unbearable going down them. Kris was really struggling to keep warm, especially his feet. We just had to keep moving. We agreed that the terrain reminded us of the Boundary Waters but with a road. We also kept our eyes peeled for a moose but no luck today.

Toward the end of the day Kris pulled ahead and Zachs knee really started to bother him. It seemed like we just kept climbing the hills at that point and didnt ever seem to go back down. Every hill seemed to continue after turning every corner...up and up no relief.

We finally got to Marathon around 6 and coasted down the hill to the city center which is a couple miles off the highway. We decided that we needed a hotel room. Not to would have been to dangerous and miserable for us being so wet and all of our things soaked. Hotels are ridiculously expensive up here but we had no choice.

After checking in we hung most of our things to dry, showered, and headed to the restaurant that is connected to the hotel. We sat in the bar and watched hockey and chatted with Marc the owner. He was very nice and gave us a beer on the house after we told him what we were up to.

After dinner we went back to the room and watched some more tv and got caught up with all of our chores before heading to bed happy to be warm and in comfortable beds.

Hopefully the next few days will be a bit easier on us. 3 more nights to Sault Ste Marie!

Day 8 – Marathon to White River

First Day of week two. Marathon has been the biggest town we have been through since Thunder Bay, almost 4000 people. Seems to be that a lot of the towns are struggling pretty bad but the people are so friendly and nice.

Marathon is about 2 miles off the highway and we had to head back up a huge hill but before that we had breakfast at Robbins and then Zach bought some groceries for the next day at the local at extra foods while Kris made some calls out front and watched the bikes. That hill was huge, but we made it up to the highway and headed towards White River. The weather wasn't looking good, windy and possibly rainy and we didn't know where we were going to stay. But we headed towards the next town with the wind in our faces but in the best spirits possible considering the day before. Kris got some frostbite on his toe and Zach's knees were hurting pretty bad but we marched on through the day.

Marathon was the last time we were going to see the lake for a few days. We are headed around Pukasaw Provincial Park which is very large. The wind was terrible all day long. We did the first 20 miles by noon and did the last 35 miles by 6pm, it was a slow going day. We stopped at the overlook for one last look at the lake and thats when Zach found out that his camera was broken and he couldn't fix it.

We just climbed all day long. We didn't see anything all day long except for a Diner named Gloria's where we used the bathrooms. We searched for moose all day long but didn't see any. At around 2:30pm a cop stopped by Kris and told him that there was a moose ahead on the side of the road and to use cation. The cop was taken aback by Kris' “ Oh sweet”. He saw a moose on the side of the road but couldn't get his camera ready in time and didn't get footage of it. The moose was very white in color with a tint of green, never seen anything like it before, like a ghost moose. Probably hungry coming out of winter.

We stopped for lunch at a huge gold mine, with huge tilling piles/mountains. Right after lunch we saw our first bear but it was dead on the side of the road. Maybe hit by a car but pretty fresh. We plowed through the wilderness along a corridor but through the boreal forest. We passed a huge burn area that happened in the last ten years. As far as we could see was the burn area. It gave us a very lonely feeling. The las ten niles were so long with so many hills but we finally made it to White River. It seems that right before we hit a town we have to face one more huge hill every time.

We stopped at the A&W for dinner and got some advice where they told us we could camp for free in the visitors center grass. Zach went to Robbins for coffee while I showered at the Husky truck stop. It felt great. We set up camp next to Winnie the Poo park. White river is the home of Winnie the Poo so we had some interesting things to look at. Zach lost his wallet and eventually found it back at the counter of the gas station. It was nice getting situated somewhat earlier to relax and get some filming done. We had cigars and watched Paddle to Seattle for new filming ideas before drifting off to sleep. It was incredibly cold that night. We feel like we are finally getting into the groove bu we need luck to be on our side with the weather. Its off to Wawa tomorrow and then towards the Soo.

Day 9 – White River to Rabbit Blanket Campground

Starting to loose track of the days, getting into the mode and forgetting them entirely. What a triumphant day though, we passed the 500 mile mark today and had our first 80 plus mile day. The sun was on our faces and the wind was finally at our backs, we crushed the miles today. It took us 4 hours to go 55 miles, which normally would have taken us 6-8 hours, what a great feeing.

We woke up this morning to the sun shining and went to Robbins for the usual routine. We also got a bunch of downhills today or at least got to go back down the ones we climbed. Kris saw his second moose toady and this time got it on camera. Hopefully Zach will get to see one before we leave Canada, Kris 2 Zach zero. We had lunch on the side of the road, and were hoping to see the big bike group that people had been telling us about.

We climbed a huge hill into Wawa and then had to head around and back for 2 miles into town. We went to the Value Mart and purchased groceries for the next few days because there is nothing to help us resupply for at least that long. Kris purchased a small bottle of Crown Royal whiskey for the evening to celebrate a great day and some big milestones for us. $15 for a .375, pretty crazy prices.

We headed back our of town and watched a fighter jet take off from the airport with many other spectators. People were saying that its not very often that you see a jet in Wawa. We headed down the road towards Lake Superior Provincial park. There were many hills and we could feel the weight of everything we had bought which slowed us down, along with the wind and hills. The park was incredible, we biked on top of lots of mountains which reminded us of the Rocky Mountains, looking out for miles in every direction. We dropped down about 1000 feet and all of a sudden came out right next to Lake Superior. It was so cold compared to the mountains area but thinking back on it, it was the closest we had been to the lake since we left Grand Portage, MN on day 3.

We were in old Woman bay, a bay with a creek splitting it right down the middle but sand beaches as far as we could see. Apparently there is an old woman face in the side of one of the cliffs but we didn't see it. We met a guy who told us to watch out for the big wolves. W climbed another huge hills and encountered a bear on the side of the road. We were careful because it looked to be a cub. We got it on film and then started yelling at it but it payed no attention to us then all of a sudden ran off into the woods.

Right when we were nearing out exhaustion point we came to the campground, which was our goal. Rabbit Blanket campground was a great place, hot showers, running water, and a campsite right on the lake, about 20 feet away. Trout flipping up in the water, and loons swimming passed constantly. The terrain of the last few days has reminded us of a cross between the Boundary Waters Canoe Area and the Rocky Mountain foothills. The only bad thing about the campsite is that is was $37.50 a night!

In camp we met Chet (Cheddar) and he told us his life story and showed us all of his bird calls that were amazing. He had the best loon call we have ever heard. We had a nice fire with him, dinner, and some well deserved whiskey. 200 Km or Klicks until the Soo. Velorution here we come.

Day 10 – RBC to Pancake Bay Provincial Park

Woke up a little late, very cold around 9am. Threw everything together and had donut hole for breakfast. Chet stopped by one more time to wish us off with his remote control helicopter that he was flying around. The park ranger stopped by and made us pay but gave us a reduced rate at $20, which was great.

As soon as we headed out of the campground we had a huge hill but then got to the ranger station where we filled up our waters because the water at the campground was not safe to drink. Then we headed on our way through the whole park and it was very hilly but spectacular. We passed the group of 4 bikers from Clear West, the ones we wanted to see the other day. We wanted to film them but they were climbing a hill and had no intent of stopping but we exchanged praises and good lucks and went on our way. They were riding two by two with a follow car that blocked traffic and made people go around them. They were impressed with all of our weight were were pulling since they were not pulling anything, and the last guy said that they had heard about us and our trip, and that was the whole conversation in passing.

Today was a day of suffering against the wind and huge hills. We dropped down to Katherine Beach and shot some film. We met a guy who quizzed us on our french, which isn't that good. When we reached Agawa Bay we had lunch on the beach. The bay was massive with sand beaches along the whole route. After lunch we biked for around 10 miles before reaching the other side where we could see the road we had come down clear across the bay. We went over a few huge hills into Montreal river that we had been warned about. After that we had a scary 2 mile downhill back to the water.

We made really good time after that, having the wind at our backs and flat terrain. We were very tired but finally made it to Pancake Bay Provincial park. $37.25/night but beautiful beaches. It is called Pancake Bay because the Voyageurs used to stop there on their way to Montreal from Fort William. They would have pancake dinners on the beach for their meals. There have also been many shipwrecks off the coast of the bay including the famous Edmund Fitzgerald.

We got into camp and made pasta dinner and apple cobbler, took showers, made some phone calls, and set up a fire. We went and filmed down at the beach and got some great footage of the water and sunset. Soon after Mona arrived to visit us all the way from Duluth, MN. She came with our new jerseys, which looked great and some more Granola bars. As we are typing this we can hear some wolves howling very near by us. We enjoyed some American beers and a fire before we went to bed. We have a 40 mile, hilly day to the Velorution bike shop in Sault Ste. Marie, which we have been looking forward to the entire trip. It will be a good time to refresh and start again.

Day 11- PCBPP to Velorution Bike Shop (Sault Ste. Marie)

We woke up around 9 am and quickly broke down camp and had a quick breakfast of peanut butter english muffins and headed off toward Sault Ste. Marie donning our new jerseys. We passed a bunch of amazing beaches and tried filming with some new camera angles. We knew we only had a short distance, but again the wind was in our faces and we were just exhausted from the two previous days. We were heading into a more populated region and with that came a few close calls with motorists driving in the shoulder.

We ended up skipping lunch and just ate a few Olympia bars because we werent to far from the Soo, but that ended up being a mistake because a few miles outside of town we encountered probably the steepest and one of the longest hills we have seen on the trip thus far. A few motorists gave us a honk of encouragement as we climbed. Our anticipation of reaching the city just made the ride seem to take forever. Once we reached the top the terrain mellowed and we slowly crept toward town.

Once we arrived in town we stopped to ask directions to the Velorution and we are glad we did because we were literally only a few blocks from it and would have bike long past it had we not asked. Once we knew we were there we immediately went to Wendy's and had a fantastically satisfying meal of fast food burgers. Oh Wendyland!

After eating we went the Velorution and passed by the city water tower being cleaned. The Velorution was amazing and far exceeded our expectations. Every wall is airbrushed with detailed bike related art and the whole shop is really well thought out down to every small detail. We could talk about it all day but to get the real experience you need to stop here! Www. Velorution.com. Velorution = bike revolution. The campsite is in the rear of the shop and we got our tents set up and got situated. Mona and Kris went to do laundry and Zach did computer updates and did some filming around the shop.

After laundry we got some advice from the guys from the shop about our route and they suggested avoiding the big highways and Sudbury and instead taking the route out to the Manatoulin Island and across to Bruce Peninsula on the ferry. Rob the mechanic let Mona borrow a bike and the four of us biked to Bossy's Pub and Grub where we had great food, beer, and conversation. He had his own bike lock at the restaurant because it is the local hangout for the crew at the shop.

After dinner we biked back to camp and discovered two hitchhikers that had found their way into the campsite. They were obnoxious and crazy and it was a weird way to end the night and pretty much forced up to go to bed to avoid them. We decided that the proposed route would be the best for the purpose of the trip and went to bed with the decision that tomorrow is going to be a rest day. Great to finally be here at the Velorution.

End of Day 3

Holy cow! Over 12,000 website visits and 625 "likes", makes us feel so proud of all of our support and fans. We really couldn't do it without you all! We are currently in Thunder Bay, Ontario having battled extreme wind, rain, and some pretty gnarly hills. Kris took a big spill over his handlebars yesterday but he is just fine. We have been meeting some really cool people and seeing some amazing places. Big thanks to our film crew Jayson Lewis and Paris LeDoux who we left behind today at the Canadian boarder. Thank you to all of the media outlets who helped spread the word more than we could have ever dreamed of! Lucas Will, it was great seeing you man! Off towards Nipigon tomorrow!!!!!!!!

The Time Has Come

The time has come for our Big Water Bike adventure to finally begin! After 1 1/2 years of planning it crazy to think that at 9am we will be heading into the great unknown. Please come down to Superior St. in front of the Fitgers Brewhouse in Duluth, MN at 9am to send us on our way around the greatest lakes in the world. Special thanks to all of our fans, sponsors, and donors, we couldn't have gotten to this point without you! Thanks to the Fitgers Inn for putting us up for our final night right where we need to take off from! See you all on the road!