August 6th: Home

What time is it? Where am I? Have I even slept at all?

These are all questions which we asked ourselves today..and I’m not even sure when today began. We had a sleepover at the airport and it was definitely a rough night. I have no idea why they insist on having those “Don’t leave your baggage unattended” messages go on so frequently and at such a high volume. I’d prefer Art waking me up compared to that thing, at least Art had style (see post of Deer Lake). Either way, we had a 3 hour flight which took us to Toronto, followed by a 2 hour layover which left enough time for lunch. Brian and I got onto our flight and were already getting a bit confused as to what time it was, but I don’t know if that had to do with time zone changes or simply the fact our sleep consisted of 20min intervals every hour.

Anyway, we are flying into Vancouver and first thing Brian and I are both thinking is “there is no WAY I’m going to be able to give anyone a good conversation or do any interviews.. this is going to get embarrassing.” We arrive into the airport – Richmond is so FLAT!! This is exciting news for me, as people who have biked in cities such as Montreal and St. John’s could relate.

I was absolutely ecstatic to see all the people at the arrival. I must’ve looked pretty dumbfounded as I was not really aware of the layout of the airport. Suddenly I hear a “YAY!!”, almost as if they were surprised to see me too. You see, the plane was delayed about a half hour, something to do with forgetting to get the luggage on the plane and count it, it was a real inconvenience for someone with restless legs (sorry to keep ya’ll waiting).

So I look in front of me to see my friends from camp Will and Luke ( I obviously hugged him as soon as I saw him!) — straight in front of me. These are faces I have not seen in a year! And then I see my mum, sister Becca and brother Steven! And then one of my best buds Brad! James, Loretta and Michelle Tong! Lis and Dan Kingsley from Motorcycle Ride for Dad (I don’t take your compliment lightly Dan, thank you so much)! And Dan Hubbard, the man who escorted us all the way to the ferry on the very first day of our trip! And then another great friend, Aliyah! Family friend Chris Evans! And then Mae and Colin from my church which I gladly call part of home!….. These are all people that I saw at least over 2 months ago when I was a different person. One after another, each come into my vision and I feel like I’m having one of those strange dreams where everything comes together and somehow makes sense. These are all people that come from MANY parts of my life, all in one spot. I honestly think there will only be two moments in my history where something this monumental will happen again – my wedding day, and my funeral. There is no word to describe my reaction when this happened – however those of you who were there clearly know. I was overwhelmed to the max, and had no idea where to start, who to hug, and how I could possibly thank each and every one of them in such a way that it represented how I felt – speechless. In fact, I really regret not giving some sort of speech as I know each of you came quite a distance and out of your way to see me only for several moments, but the thought did not come to me as I was half comatose at the time! I will gladly meet up with any one of you and have some 1-1 time to make up for it though =).

So Brian and I took a bucketful of pictures, somehow scraped through an interview with Fairchild TV, even though part way through they congratulated “Dr. Sam Wade” on the P.A. system at the airport and I’m very easily distracted! I was also able to spend some time with my camp friends, one of which who was getting on a plane himself within the next couple hours.

I feel so loved, and though I didn’t get a chance at the time, I personally thank each and everyone of you, not only for being there to greet me home, but for being such an irreplaceable part of my life. There were certainly times in the past several months where I have felt discouraged and beaten, and along with my grandfather, it was all of you who pushed me along the way.

“And the Man of the Hour is taking his final bow, as the curtain comes down, I feel that this is just good-bye…for now…” -Pearl Jam

Sam

*Thank you very much to everybody that came out to the airport to support our arrival, and also a big thank you to Fairchild TV for interviewing us! It was exciting and unexpected to be on TV after a long day!

August 5: St. John’s to Cape Spear, NL

It’s really funny how life can really throw you a curve ball — and how awesome it is when with that pitch you hit a home run!

I was not expecting to write a new post so soon as we have ceased biking the longer amounts and now it’s all touristy stuff – or that is what I thought!!!

Waking up in St. John’s there lies a speechless Sam Wade in a Delta hotel room (LOVE Delta!). How is it that I am looking out onto St. John’s Harbour first thing in the morning? Wasn’t this only a little blue inlet a couple days ago when I was looking at it on Google maps from Richmond, BC?? I honestly cannot tell you how I made it here, it seems like a dream… a very good dream . So the three of us went to the bike shop first thing to accompany Brad as he acquired an entire new back wheel. Then after lunch we were a little shaken up realizing that the 3 cycleteers were splitting up (yes Brad, we grew so fond of you) as Brad continued on his venture and we completed ours.

Brian and I headed to one of the several destinations we had in mind – Mile 0 – and waited for the newspaper photographer to arrive. When we got to Mile 0, it was another one of those finalizing (and tender) moments. To begin at Mile 0 in Victoria with all motorcyclists, politicians, loved ones and other supporters…and now to be at the other end. How symbolic! Now… to dip our wheels into the Atlantic in the exact same location which Terry Fox dipped his artificial leg… wait a minute. There is a construction everywhere and everything beyond the monument to the water is fenced off. Well I guess that is it then.

Nope. Not for Sam Wade. Not after coming this far, 8010km to reach this final destination point. I am _going_ to dip my wheel in the water where Terry Fox did no matter what. I marched into the port authority and had to talk through several people. They kept trying to convince me it was a lot easier to do it in a wharf further down the street, but to that suggestion I restate the several previous sentences. My stubborn nature once more prevailed and we were admitted past all the fences and had one of the biggest moments in my life. Every September of my life I have been reminded and inspired by Terry Fox, and if you read my post from Thunder Bay, you’d understand even better how I feel about him and his determination. I dipped my front wheel in the water, and as I did I felt just a rush of relief and joy. I had made it to my final destination, and this symbolized all that and more. I could go home and say “Yes. I did that. I biked to St. John’s harbour just like I promised, and I did it for my grandfather.”

But obviously if you know me, you know that was not enough. I realized I was 14km away from the further eastern point of North America. So why not? It’s only 28km round trip, how hard can it be?… Well, there was only one word needed to answer that. Mountains. But, once again, my stubborn nature got the best of me. I felt like Forrest Gump by this point when he decided “So I ran to the end of the road. And when I got there, I thought maybe I’d run to the end of town. And when I got there, I thought maybe I’d just run across Greenbow County. And I figured, since I run this far, maybe I’d just run across the great state of Alabama.”

So Cape Spear… that was no easy hike. I don’t think hills like those ever get easy when you are carrying a whole bunch of gear up with you, no matter how many km you’ve already biked. Unfortunately it took long enough that Brian had to turn back halfway to ensure we had bike boxes for the flight the following morning (Thanks Brian!!). As I said at the beginning of this long post, sometimes things don’t end like you expect. Sometimes, you spend so long looking for luck and when you finally quit, it shows up. I arrived at Cape Spear and said hi to a man who was looking my way as I rode up to the plaque that said “Cape Spear”. “I was NOT expecting it to be that hard to get here” I said, wiping a bead of sweat from my forehead and hoping I looked somewhat presentable. ”Where you riding from?” he said. “Well, just St. John’s today.. but originally Victoria, BC.” He looked at me in disbelief, “and you JUST made it here!? Well congratulations man! You just made it to the most eastern part of North America!” he reached out and shook my hand in quite a bit of excitement. “I can’t believe you aren’t doing cartwheels right now” he continued. “Well.. I’m..pretty tired” I replied in a what must have been a pretty calm voice for that moment, as he was clearly right. And if I could do cartwheels without embarrassing myself, who know, maybe I would have. Either way, with this little bit of commotion, one of his friends came over to congratulate me, and then a different couple, and before I knew it, I was surrounded by a semicircle of at least 15 people, all strangers to me and each other. They all gave me a round of applause and were taking pictures of me, with me, and all. I felt like a real rockstar! As things calmed down and I answered some questions, I decided to make the most of the situation at hand and work on some public speaking “Hey well… I suppose since you are all here, I was wondering if you’d like some wristbands” and before you know it, I was tossing out wristbands left, right and centre while collecting donations – almost $60 was raised for the Prostate Centre in that moment.

I would sincerely like to thank everyone that made that moment, as well as donated and supported what I was doing. Knowing no one in St. John’s, I found it really hard to believe I was going to stop biking the next day without any real cut off or reception, and this was totally unexpected! I was in so much disbelief and finally got that feeling I’ve been searching for – the feeling that everything that I have been through, all the abuse I’ve put on body, it was all worth it even if only for that one moment. Not because I was receiving all this praise and congratulations, but because I was surrounded by a bunch of strangers, all who seemed moved by my efforts and willingly threw out their wallets and gave me whatever they could to support others. I could not help but get emotional as I biked back over those mountains to St. John’s. Despite the fact I had little to no water on the way back, it was a lot easier than on the way there as I felt a burden was lifted off my back and everything I was carrying was featherweight. If my biking could continue to encourage people to do what just happened there, I would gladly bike all the way home to Vancouver.

In the meantime, Brian was picking up our bike boxes and I met him in what turned out to be a shady spot in the city of St. John’s. Nevertheless, we met an amazing gentleman named Ron who chilled with us for an hour or two as tore our bikes apart and packed up. We had some fish and chips to celebrate after the tedious process was complete, got our cab and “slept” at the air port. What a rough night!!
To follow up with our motto here at Pedalers for Prostate — Promises have been kept, the miles have been completed… I’m just not sure whether sleep was ever really part of the equation in the first place .

Gonna stand my ground, won’t be turned around, and I’ll keep this world from dragging me down. Gonna stand my ground, and I won’t back down.- Johnny Cash

Sam

August 4: Chance Cove to St. John’s, NL

Distance travelled: 126km

It’s a strange feeling, waking up one morning and realizing that everything you worked for the past 1.5 years for will soon come to an end.

Woke up in the misty hills of Chance Cove and, realizing we were very short on water, hustled to main highway hoping we’d find something to eat along the way. It was amazing how the day turned out; at first I was told that it was going to be a rainy and miserable end to our trip, but it turned out to be a glorious occasion of warm weather, the nicest we’ve had in Newfoundland.

We stopped at a gas station after jetting it for 45km and found ourselves drooling all over a delicious dish of bacon and eggs — who knew that a gas station restaurant could be so good!! Just as we were finishing up our meals we met Tanya and Ray who seemed impressed with our efforts. We gave them wristbands and then Ray was SO generous in paying for our meals! Not long after I discovered that the Doreen from the Delta in St. John’s had offered us free accommodation for the night, and to literally top it off, the waitress then came and offered us more coffee even though we were well past done eating – suddenly, looked like it was going to be fantastic!! What we learned through talking to Tanya and Ray is they both serve in the military, and have worked in places like Afghanistan, making me realize that it is them that we should be in awe of; I think they deserve a heck of a lot more credit than we do!

Back on the road, Brad’s tire was getting louder and louder as the wheel continued to scrape the frame upon each rotation, and we were in a long and mad sprint to the finish. During this time, I really pushed myself to the limit and felt all that build up of determination flow into my legs as I powered through many hills – I was determined to not give up, but unfortunately for me so was Newfoundland.

Thoughts raced in my head as I saw the road sign digits to St. John’s steadily decrease; 102, 76, 60, 52, 49….. There had to of been over 25 signs pointing us in the direction to St. John’s today, always with the same arrow “keep going straight.. and then keep going..” as if it was a never-ending road. It was definitely cool to see most of the signs with no other city other than St. John’s, clearly because it is as far as you can go! But as I cycled, I thought back to how all this began, with my grandfather being diagnosed and a simple joke/comment I made about cycling across Canada. Never in my wildest dreams did I actually believe I would end up here, though I knew I could never stop trying. One thing that was always a sobering reminder is the hundreds of crosses which we have passed since BC along the Trans Canada Hwy. Though I would never learn these people’s life stories, these crosses remind me of many things, such as how life is so delicate and precious, especially when you trust your life to the hundreds of large trucks that drive by at 100km/hr each day. They also remind me of how we are all connected to cancer victims, all across Canada, and that has been constantly in mind as I have received numerous emails of people telling me their own personal stories throughout the past 2.5 months.

We entered St. John’s at around 3:15pm but did not actually get into town until 4:00pm because of our photoshoot at the sign as well as the fact that St. John’s has a long-winded way of getting people into their downtown core! What was fitting though, is that as we were on the highway entering St. John’s, I hit 8000km on my odometer, which was a pretty special occasion that I have been working up towards (our original route plan said this would take us 7998km, so that is pretty darn precise!!!).

We made it — and now we relax in a Delta Hotel, the only chain that has offered us accommodation more than once (this is their third time donating a room! We are SO grateful for them!). As my old professor would say, it is now time to ponder on the “So What, Now What?”

Well, as for the So What, we have raised some $11,440 for our cause, and have spread the awareness that 1 of 6 men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer if we do not learn to get checked regularly. We have met many, MANY kind people along the way who have encouraged and often inspired us as we have moved along, and we thank all of you. We also hope that in some way we have inspired others to follow their goals to the end and help others.

Now What? I guess we need a bit of time to think that over. Tomorrow we will head to the Terry Fox memorial, Cape Spear (most eastern part of North America!) and dip our bikes in the Atlantic. After that, we need to figure out how we are going to get a bike box from the shop to the airport so that we can pack up our stuff for travel; it should be a learning experience. Also there is the question of what I want to do about this $25,000 goal — is it realistic? Could I use my unmatched charm and wit to somehow persuade 1000 people to donate less than $14?

Upon our return, hopefully we can find some time to write up a more coherent review of our trip and all it’s highlights. What do you think the next move should be for Pedalers For Prostate?

FYI: Our plane is a West Jet flight that arrives at 12:13pm on August 6th at YVR Airport, WS 0467 I believe. We’d love to see you there.

Until then there is only one thing to say as we leave the Atlantic coast:

So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish.

Sam

August 3: Port Blandford to Chance Cove, NL

Distance travelled: 113km

As Brian said, it rained last night. But that was not the end of it — it rained ALL NIGHT. I was hiding in the tent, thinking that is was the safest bet at staying dry. However, sometimes even the best of chances aren’t enough.

We pitched our tents last night in a gravel area which was off the side of a road. With rolling bumps clearly from larger trucks which had pulled over in the past, I ensured that we set up our tent in the flattest spot possible to save our backs a little damage. Unfortunately, the flattest area also happened to be somewhat of a divet. It rained, and rained and rained. It rained so much that there were puddles underneath me – not just outsite the tent, but inside as well!!!

Yup, great start to the day. I put on my soaked, cold clothing which I thought was safe in the tent, and shivered my way through packing up until I hopped on my bike and tried to work up a bit of heat to warm things up. Apparently at this time it was 12 C, not your typical summer weather.

We stopped by the Clarenville info centre and gobbled down a bit of food while chattering our teeth. I thought on the way my bike seemed a bit heavier than usual up the hills and was quick to recognize that a stream of water was still dripping from out of the tent bag – waterlogged. We went into Clarenville for some warm food as the weather started to brighten (chili and hot chocolate!!) and then finally found the library we’d been looking for to catch up on a few things. Met Jerry and his wife there, and at this point I realize his words couldn’t be truer and that it’s all about the journey, not the destination. From Vancouver Island, it was a pleasure to meet them and we snapped a couple pictures. After grabbing groceries we had an interview with The Packet, the local newspaper, before we headed on our way.

With quite a bit more of ground to cover, we hammered our way through the many massive hills which kept coming and coming. We did take one break though, as we pulled over to the side of the road so I could call up my little brother Steven as it is his 10th birthday today. Sorry I couldn’t be there for it buddy, but HAPPY BIRTHDAY!! Unfortunately with all these hills it was not long afterwards that I suddenly hit a calorie/fatigue wall so it seemed, as every pedal stroke seemed to become more and more difficult. What did not help was the fact that the chilling wind, temperature, and rain from the morning had done a number on my knee. To make matters worse, Brad’s back tire situation was looking worse and worse as the day went on and we really were not sure how much further things would last.

We hit a turn off called “Chance Cove”, and determined it was a sign to take a chance and see what we could find in terms of a place to sleep. 4km down the road we pitched a tent just on the side of the road in a little cozy where the bushes broke up. In an attempt to dry out the tent, Brian accidently snapped one of our tent poles and we started to realize everything was really coming undone. We met some really great locals who drove by. Brian Rolls works with police dispatch and is a volunteer firefighter who provided us with some duct tape for the tent reparations (thanks!). He drove me into town to pick up the tape and in the meantime we had a quick but meaningful conversation on doing what you can for others. It really means a lot to me when I hear that sort of viewpoint coming from others. We also met another family who provided us with a lighter as ours was dead from rain — they then also returned and gave us COD! mmm!

With everything falling apart around us, accompanied by the very kind people of Chance Cove along with all it’s beautiful scenery, I am determined to ensure this is our last uncomfortable night of camping. A night where cars don’t wake you up every half an hour would be splendid =). Either way, it is our intention that tomorrow will be our last day of cycling for our tour as we head into our destination city – St. John’s, NL.

Let’s get ready to rumble!

Sam

August 2: Gander to Muddy Brook, NL

Distance: 149km

After a night of restless sleep on rocky ground, we awoke looking forward to breakfast in Gander today. We were around 15km away from the town and we passed a very tempting roadside food joint that had a sign saying $4.99 breakfast! We pushed forward to the promise of grocery stores and restaurants in Gander.

When we rolled into town, we were surprised to see the streets of Gander lined with people! Were they awaiting our arrival into their town? We could only wish.. We had stumbled on their town’s annual celebration of Gander Day, and the crowds were waiting for the parade to pass through town. To our dismay, the library was closed due to Gander Day, so we weren’t able to use the computers as we had planned. We decided to take this letdown in stride and to join in on the parade! We pulled out our banner and Gander residents even invited us to follow behind the parade through town. Banner in hand, Sam and I slowly biked behind the last car shouting “Happy Gander Day!” as we trailed behind. We had a great reception of our banner and enjoyed the free, unplanned publicity as the crowd took pictures of us. As we slowly rolled through, Brad helped us take videos and pictures, so there is some great footage of us! It was so exhilirating to be a part of this event and we thank the town of Gander of being so friendly to us.

After the parade was over, we headed over to Subway for lunch, but we still needed groceries for the day! Each grocery store we visited in town was closed because of Gander Day! Turns out Gander Day was a blessing and a curse, and we were forced to buy food from Shoppers Drug Mart in the end. Food choices were very limited. After the unexpected wild goose chase for food, we were finally ready to hit the road.

The road ahead was riddled with steep rolling hills, especially when we entered Terra Nova National Park. It was starting to get late in the day, and the park was a lot longer than we had expected due to the hills. The problem was that we needed a place to stay, and the only cheap way we could do it is if we exited the park. There is a hefty fee for camping in a National Park, as we had learned from our previous experience in the Lake Superior area. Resolute to get out of the park, we pushed very hard to get out as fast as possible. We were so relieved to finally reach the signs exiting the park and we could look for a place to camp guilt free.

Running out of daylight at this point, we were getting desperate for a place to sleep. We turned into a side road, but the sides were lined with heavy trees! Luckily for us, we passed by a resident having a barbeque out front and we jumped at the chance to ask for a place to rest. We were allowed to camp by the road outside their house because they didn’t have much yard space. The moment we started setting up camp, the rain clouds opened and soaked us quickly. We were determined to make Kraft Dinner that night, so Brad cooked on his stove and I fixed his bike in the pouring rain. Well worth the trouble because I went to bed with a warm and satisfied stomach. Good night!

-briant.

August 1: W Badger to Gander, NL

Distance travelled: 147km

Crackle-thump. Crackle-thump. “EH HEM!” *loud rustle of leaves*.

This time it was not Art that woke me, but a large presence edging closer and closer to my tent until I made just enough noise to frighten it away. I would assume it was a bear, but obviously being the middle of the night I didn’t see the need to confirm such suspicions.

Dampness, Bug and Slimey Slugs. That’s the title of this mornings happenings. Wet and misty, it was a difficult morning to tackle. What made things better was first thing I noticed when hopping on my bike was that I had a juicy flat tire, the first since BC! I guess with that in mind I should still consider myself mighty lucky.

Grand Falls-Windsor was a lot further than I had originally thought, and getting there on quite an empty stomach proved to be more trying that expected. By the time we arrived I was already exhausted and out of calories. Unfortunately when we arrived we were a bit disappointed with the lack of a bike shop (and more importantly for me, no pins!). Brad has been having some difficulties with his back tire which has caused it to rub against the frame of his bike. We stopped for some groceries and Brian did his best to fix it well enough for Brad to get to our next destination. We stopped for food and while ordering I met a man who, in his earlier days, cycled around Europe for 3 months, taking pictures which he then was later able to sell, it was quite an interesting story. Right after speaking to him, a woman came up to me and said she saw me in the paper! How cool is it to be able to say “Yeap, that was me”!! I was really encouraged by both her and the other gentleman’s response to what we’ve accomplished (now over 7500km and more than $11,000 raised). The woman even made a generous donation which really made my day.

But there was more that happened that made today special. At least 10x more people honked at us, cheering us on than any of the previous days in NL, and probably any other day of the trip! We could not determine whether the article in the Western Star had anything to do with it, or perhaps simply because we are edging closer to St. John’s and our packs give us away. Furthermore, while stopping at an Info Centre we saw the Motorcycle Ride for Dad truck drive by!!! That was pretty exciting; for those who don’t know, they escorted us out of Victoria on the 22nd of May over 2 months ago. 20minutes later we then had maybe or so riders motorcycle past us. As Brian will probably say, this trip is truly coming “full circle”.

The hills into Gander were many more than expected, enough to wear me down a bit and worsen my knee, but I did what I could and took my time doing it. Saw a beaver doing a few laps in a small lake right by the highway, though unfortunately by the time I came back with my camera it had vanished, so I took a picture of his dam.

We stopped 15km before Gander so that in the morning we will be able to go to their library and use the internet since we have been out of service for the majority of the time we’ve been here.

Scooby-dooby-dooooo!

Sam

July 31: Deer Lake to W Badger, NL

Distance travelled: 153km

Thump, Thump, Thump, Thump, BAM!!! “You’s must be the sleepiest bunch I’s ever seen! Half the day gone already!”

Almost as though we were in a military zone and a bomb had gone off, we shot up out of bed and were ready for breakfast within seconds. This is how Art started our day at 8:40am. Quite the wake up call, clearly much more efficient than anyone’s alarm clock.

For breakfast, Florence cooked us up some bacon, eggs and toast. If only everyday started off this great! We cleaned up and were soon out the door, certainly sad to say goodbye. We cycled pretty much the whole day through. Sometime around dinner We stopped at a Info Centre/Gas station, and Brian came face to face with himself as our faces were on the front page of the Western Star! Things are definitely coming to a climax here in NFLD for our trip, and this was pretty cool and unexpected for us. From the Info Centre also picked up another pin for my now massive collection.

With more ambitious plans, we unfortunately had to stop early due to the account of rain which came up pretty suddenly!! We busted our butts to find any form of rain cover possible and pitched our tents for a wet night.

The Power is YOURS!

Sam

July 30: Corner Brook to Deer Lake, NL

Distance travelled: 60km

Enjoyed once again the comfort of watching some TV this morning while Brian headed into town in search for a new tire. Just before leaving our stay I made a call to the Western Star and set up an interview. We visited downtown for some groceries as well as to pick up Brian’s new tire. Having our interview with the Western Star was a little different than what we were used to. We met at the side of the road on the outside of town by the exit signs to answer some questions about us as well as take some pictures — unfortunately the way the landscape was in this area, that meant climbing uphill… at least it looked pretty epic. Our article can be read here: http://www.thewesternstar.com/Living/Health/2010-07-31/article-1639006/Pair-pedals-across-country-to-raise-money-for-prostate-cancer/1
May I just take note to make a couple corrections: 1) My grandfather was treated in France, and 2) Our site URL ends in .ca for Canada, not .com =). Many thanks for the chance to be interviewed!

Brian, Brad and I left Corner Brook with Deer Lake in view, excited to meet Florence and Art at their Birchview B + B. Rolling hills along the way, the road was beautiful as we were flanked by both water and mountain scenery. After only several hours (though because of yesterday it felt like more!) we arrived at Deer Lake. Art showed us around “The Shed”, the place we were staying for the night. It was a 2nd floor to an already existing shed which was fully furnished and included and bathroom and shower. Many different interesting pieces were hanging up along the walls and with the right lighting (Art loves his lights) it really felt like home.

Art was kind enough to make us his world famous bologna and baked beans, it was delicious! We learned that Art was in fact an Art-ist! *And I’m not just talking about his food*. He has made hundreds of masterpieces, from paintings to sculptures out of antlers and whale bone, which I was completely blown away by. We were actually lucky enough to receive from Art a souvenir made from antler/bone and tied up with hide.

We went downstairs into the Art and Florence’s home,  had some good talks about our ride and their business and just had a really pleasant evening. To top off the night, Art made us “Newfie Mug-Up”, consisting of bread, molasses and cream. With all this excitement and still fatigued from the day prior, we were ready to call it a night!

Cowabunga!

Sam

July 29: Port-Aux-Basques to Corner Brook, NL

Distance: 205km

I woke bright and early to the billowing wind violently whipping our tent fly. I had a bike tire to replace and I was eager to get to Corner Brook so that I could get a new tire! After too many flats from a worn down tire, I was fed up and I hoped for the best for the day. Also, the wind was behind us and we wanted to take advantage of it so we could cover as much ground as possible.

Not long after we started, the rain clouds rolled in quickly and were soon drenched. At this point of the trip we barely use rain gear anymore! At the beginning of the trip we were all geared up in head to toe with rain pants and booties, but nowadays we just go as is and just fight the weather. As long as we keep moving, we can keep warm. Luckily the climate in Newfoundland is much warmer than I had thought!

The stretch to Corner Brook is supposedly the hilliest in Newfoundland so we braced ourselves for a taste of BC again. Newfoundland thus far has made this cross country trip come full circle because the hills and coast lines are reminiscent of home. And the rain! Everytime we climb long hills, it always seems to rain for us. I constantly wiped my glasses as we were shooting down the hills so I could avoid rocks scattered on the highway. I was so lucky today because I had no flats! I had to keep my eyes peeled for rocks the whole day and it was mentally straining.

Towards the end of the day, we met Brad, another cyclist who also biked from Port-Aux-Basques. Conversation made the most tiring final stretch go by very fast and we soon found ourselves entering Corner Brook, shivering and soaked to the bone. We didn’t even realize when we passed the 200km mark! It was a momentous day for us.

The weather being miserable, we decided to treat ourselves to a room at the Comfort Inn and thankfully Brad wanted in as well. $50 split between three people was well worth it for a warm shower and cozy beds! After been camping for the past few weeks, we decided it was time to treat ourselves on our final stretch of this trip and also to celebrate our first 200km day. Having stuffed ourselves full for the night, we were tuckered out and was so glad we weren’t camping in the rain storm outside. I am so tired, good night!

-briant.

July 28: North Sydney to Port-Aux-Basques, NL

Distance: 22km

We had an early awakening from the bustling cars around us in the ferry terminal and we stumbled out of the tent in a daze. The ferry for Newfoundland was scheduled to leave at 10am, so we had planned to get all of our belongings ready early so that we wouldn’t miss the ferry. To our dismay, the ferry was actually delayed again! This caused a lot of frustrated travellers because some had been waiting since 12am the day before to catch the 3am ferry. Apparently there are such a slough of problems with this ferry system because Nova Scotia runs one end, and Newfoundland runs the other, so communications just get scrambled. We conversed with fellow travellers about the terrain in Newfoundland from Port-Aux-Basques to Corner Brook and we had a lot of mixed reviews of the road ahead. Some warned of the desolate stretches of rolling hills, which worried us about our food and water supply.

The 10am ferry didn’t actually leave the dock until 1pm, which set our plan back even further than we had wanted. However, now we were stuck on a boat for 5 hours! This ferry was so much more luxurious than we had ever expected! It was the closest thing to a cruise ship at a price of $50. Inside there were lavish reclining seats, a movie lounge, buffet (not free, to my dismay), live entertainment and a bustling bar lounge. We made use of their electricity and charged all of our gadgets again. We tried to rest, but was woken up by Avatar playing on the screen.

Docking in Newfoundland was a very surreal feeling because it felt as if we were entering a whole different world. The tabletop hills stretched around us, and houses were sparse. We both had the feeling of “what did we get ourselves into” when we saw the terrain and felt the billowing wind. No doubt I was excited to set foot on “the Rock” and explore the land of the much talked about cheeriest people in Canada.

After a quick stop at Foodland to fuel up and the information center for a map, we set off out of Port-Aux-Basques. What an exhilirating feeling! I was in awe of the beauty of Newfoundland’s west coast as we giddily rode into the sunset. However, that feeling was short lived as I encountered a flat back tire. My tires have been giving me too many problems lately because they have taken me across 7000km with a loaded pack. I hastily changed tubes because night was quickly coming. Apparently too hasty because the moment I picked up my bike, I got another flat.

Fed up, I voted for setting up camp for the night, after barely gaining any ground. I couldn’t find the tires that I needed at Canadian Tire, perhaps I was looking for the wrong tires. My only other option is Corner Brook, a whopping 180+km away! I can only hope that I don’t get a flat tomorrow because heavy clouds are rolling in..

-briant.