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Sep
30 (Thursday) - Day 198 - Louiseville, QC to Trois Rivieres, QC
(38.0 km - 5:54 travel time - 5597.8 km total)
It was a walking day in full rain gear in this chilly and wet day. But
Kevin enjoyed a good shoulder up to the point where the wild winds
reminded him of prairie moments. A tough travel day was broken up with a
woman inviting him into her restaurant for whatever he wanted. Hooray! He
arrived at the Trois Rivieres Hotel D`Ville (City Hall) to be greeted by
Francois Roy, Jean-Francois Philibert and of course, Sweet Jane. After
some unique municipal hospitality including the
golden book and some golden beverages, Jean-Francois invited the couple
back to his family`s home for the next two evenings. A wonderful night of
French/English confusion was had by all... a splendid welcome to the place
of the 3 rivers (which is actually just one river that splits into three,
but that`s okay...). |
Sep
29 (Wednesday) - Day 197 - Lanoraie, QC to Louiseville, QC (47.9 km -
5:39 travel time - 5559.8 km total)
It's so easy to commence a days trip from the comfort of a motel room. But it`s still tough to get up at 6am
anywhere. Kevin plunges into the foggy coolness of happy traveling. Light rain and lack of shoulder were
only temporary setbacks in this scenic journey to Louiseville. This little town was in full decoration
for the weekend's upcoming festival. The local high school let Jane & Kevin take a shower (le douche) and
do some internet time. Ecole L`Éscale also gave them each of t-shirt of their school! Then it was an eating
tournament until darkness where they car-camped behind an RV Dealer in a huge
downpour evening... |
Sep
28 (Tuesday) - Day 196 - Lachenaie, QC to Lanoraie, QC (40.7 km -
4:22 travel time - 5511.9 km total)
Taking a leisurely drive back from the Eastern Townships with Jane, Kevin got off late in this sunny
and warm day. Good travel conditions had him finished mid-afternoon in time for a telephone interview with
MacLean`s Magazine. It was luxury night as the couple splurged for a motel to scrub Kevin`s stink and sort
their gear. |
Sep
27 (Monday) - Day 195 - St. Eustache, QC to Lachenaie, QC (41.7 km -
4:22 travel time - 5471.2 km total)
This was supposed to be a Montreal rest day, but Le Coyoté did some poor map reading that required him to
pound out a wee marathon prior to doing a tour with Jane. Upon completion, Stephan Fox (creator of
Fireball Energy Gel) was there to greet Kevin and re-supply him with some gel. Then it was tour time for
Jane & Kevin as they visited Sutton where Kevin lived for 3 years as a youngster. |
Sep
26 (Sunday) - Day 194 - St. Eustache, QC (Rest Day)
Rest and be a tourist in Quebec day! |
Sep
25 (Saturday) - Day 193 - St. André-Est,
QC to St. Eustache, QC (39.8 km - 5:07 travel time - 5429.5 km total)
Expecting light weekend traffic on these backroads, Jane & Kevin take off at sunrise to watch Quebec come
to life. The shoulder is grass, weeds and fences so they watch traffic carefully with no big problems.
Along the way, rural Quebec is busy with pumpkin selling, apple festivals, cyclists and a whole whack
of people speaking French. It`s tough to get a good pace going on such roads, but it`s okay to enjoy the
sights slowly. They arrive in St. Eustache where Jane rents a car to return her rented bicycle to Ottawa.
They go back via the Oka Ferry (not to be missed if you enjoy "The Flintstones"), and spend their last
night with Kevin`s Auntie Beulah & Uncle Ray. |
Sep
24 (Friday) - Day 192 - Point Au Chéne,
QC to St. André-Est,
QC (44.9 km - 6:03 travel time - 5389.7 km total)
After a much warmer evening, the morning began in perfect travel conditions. The paved shoulders of the
Laurentian Tourist Area were slick and joyful. Enroute to Grenville, Jane & Kevin met Girard and Martine
Cormier from France. They are in their 5th year of cycling, having just finished circumnavigating Africa
(a mere 41,000k). They`re headed to South America for another adventure. Arriving in Cushing, Kevin stops
for a photo at St. Mungo`s United Church where his
father had his first preaching gig. After a lengthy dike walk to Carillon, they`re soon in St. André-Est
under a gushpour as they scramble around town seeking tent options. A Pizzaria lets them pitch in their yard
and soon they`re cozy inside. Followed, of course, by a neat French experience inside the
Pizzaria. |
Sep
23 (Thursday) - Day 191 - Thurso, QC to Point Au Chéne,
QC (38.6 km - 5:09 travel time - 5344.8 km total)
The Coyote has been resting too long and his weary body hesitates to begin in the cool dark morning, but
Jane is eager, so they depart in thick clothes and get on with it. It warms up as they explore highway 344
visiting Papineauville, Montebello and Jane`s favourite; a cheese factory in Plaisance. By
mid-afternoon, Kevin is bushed so they pull over under dark skies to La Canadienne Restaurant who let them
pitch their tent as it starts to rain. Another French speaking dinner adventure, then an early collapse into
unconsciousness. |
Sep
22 (Wednesday) - Day 190 - Hull, QC to Thurso, QC (48.4 km - 6:21 travel time -
5306.2 km total)
A nice cool overcast day escorts Jane, Kevin, his Uncle Ray and cousin Diane out of Hull along the
splendid bike path on the Ottawa River. Gradually the crowd of 4 thins out to just Jane & Kevin. Jane is
accompanying the Coyote on a bicycle to Montreal to experience how Kevin`s days are. They enjoy a gorgeous
day to Thurso where they pitch in the back of Marcel`s gas station and attempt to order dinner in the very
French speaking area...Good fun. |
Sep
21 (Tuesday) - Day 189 - Ottawa, ON to Hull, Quebec (12.5 km - 2:25 travel time -
5257.8 km total)
Jane's aunt takes her and Kevin to breakfast then it`s a casual walking tour north on Bank Street to the
Parliament Buildings for some photos. The puncture resistant "Slime" Kevin wanted for his tires could not
be found in 8 bike stores, but he did get new tri-bars mounted and his new YESS front fork installed. As Jane
& Kevin crossed the Ottawa River on the Alexandra Bridge, cousin Maureen cycled up to welcome
them to Hull, Quebec. She set up a home for RoadRunner then helped them get back to Ray & Beulah`s for a Scrabble
Tournament. |
Sep
14-20 - Day 182-188 - Ottawa, ON (Rest Days)
What trip across Canada would be complete without a full tour of the country`s capital city? And as luck
would have it, Ottawa is full of friendly relatives of the Coyote. So it`s a time of re-connecting with his
Uncle Ray, Auntie Beulah, cousin Maureen, cousin Diane and her family Mark, Elise and
Merike. This was also a time for changing shoe styles (to New Balance 852`s),
visiting with Carolyn, Dave & John, a talk to seniors at the Glebe Centre and the Terry Fox Run. |
Sep
13 (Monday) - Day 181 - Richmond, ON to Ottawa, ON (27.4 km - 3:08 travel time -
5245.3 km total)
The run is delayed due to a scheduled visit with the Deputy Prime Minister, Mr. Herb Gray. Joining Kevin and Mr. Gray is Janice Oliver
from the Millennium Bureau. Kevin did know that Herb Gray is in charge of the Bureau prior to their meeting, so he decide to keep to the
original plan of cordial greetings and celebration. A pleasant meeting was had. Back on the road in Richmond by 11:00am with his cousin, Diane
and her friend Elizabeth. Both of whom have never run more than 11k prior to this day. To everyone's pleasure, they maintain a huge pace
and reach Kevin's Uncle Ray and Auntie Beulah's place together and jubilant. Time for a generous rest for everyone. |
Sep
12 (Sunday) - Day 180 - Richardson, ON to Richmond, ON (42.8 km -
4:35 travel time - 5217.9 km total)
Under perfect conditions, Kevin maintains a 10kph pace with light traffic for 24k. His Uncle Ray arrives roadside to cycle with him the
next 19k to Richmond. Kevin's cousin, Maureen surprises him with a roadside visit also! Ray & the Coyote continue a big pace all the way
and end up at a chip wagon for lunch with Jane. They're so close to Ottawa that they drive in for a night of luxury under Ray & Beulah's
cozy roof. |
Sep
11 (Saturday) - Day 179 - Silver Lake, ON to Richardson, ON
(37.8 km - 4:14 travel time - 5175.1 km total)
Kevin blazed a quick 28k to Perth by 11:30 in the morning where he & Jane met Kevin's Uncle Ray and Auntie Beulah (from Ottawa) at the Time
Horton's shop. It's been a long time since they've seen each other, so a happy reunion was had. Ray cycled with Kevin to the 10k to Richardson
where they parked RoadRunner for the night. Jane & Kevin drove back to
beautiful Perth for camping and a wonderful dinner on the waterway patio. |
Sep
10 (Friday) - Day 178 - Sharbot Lake, ON to Silver Lake, ON (14.2 km -
1:42 travel time - 5137.3 km total)
oooooooo...Now that Jane is here, the daily distance seems to have taken a bit of a dive... It's casual to the gorgeous Silver Lake Park
where the temperature is cool, the bigs are sparse and camping is supreme. Looks like only a few other folks enjoy this type of camping
since Jane & Kevin are almost alone... |
Sep
9 (Thursday) - Day 177 - Kaladar, ON to Sharbot Lake, ON (37.7 km -
4:28 travel time - 5123.1 km total)
Kevin's first experience with thick fog presented no big challenges, and kept things cool. To his surprise, there was sometimes even a paved
shoulder that he could use! It's an intense reptile area, Kevin notices, as he weaves through unsuccessful attempts of road crossing
casualties. Seems like snakes, turtles and frogs dominate in this area (if there's any left at this point). Kevin's girlfriend, Jane Miller,
has flown from Vancouver to Toronto, rented a car and driven up to
Sharbot Lake to meet him today. The Coyote doesn't spend too much time on his own these days, does he? |
Sep
8 (Wednesday) - Day 176 - Madoc, ON to Kaladar, ON (36.6 km - 5:12 travel time -
5085.4 km total)
Another soaker night and morning which significantly reduces the Coyote's pace. He arrives at the Old Kaladar Hotel where Donna and Andy
let him pitch out back near the "wild kittens". They all spend a couple of hours together over dinner. |
Sep
7 (Tuesday) - Day 175 - Havelock, ON to Madoc, ON (36.9 km - 5:44 travel time -
5048.8 km total)
This very wet morning was a nice change from the heat, but it got very intense, so Kevin pulled over into a diner where Bernie bought him some
pancakes. Reaching Marmora, Laurie Foley of the local newspaper comes out to interview him while he's sitting at the IGA creating a sandwich.
Kevin loves the small towns. He also loves old backroads which he takes whenever possible like the old Marmora Road to Madoc. He pitches behind
the Municipal Works Building. |
Sep
6 (Monday) - Day 174 - Peterborough, ON to Havelock, ON (43.6 km -
6:10 travel time - 5011.9 km total)
After a night and morning of gushing rain, the Coyote is treated to the
Ontario Heat Treatment. Ouch. Then he tries something completely new: he takes a wrong turn. He soon realizes he's headed north and finds
himself at the start line of a 10k race in Douro. It's a Labour Day Fair, so he snabs a burger and watches some softball for awhile. Now
the heat has been turned on "full". Kevin is invited into someone's backyard for a cold pop and to check out a Viking carving. As
they're standing there talking, the owner's german shepherd rushes out of the
shed and bites Kevin on the bum! Standing right there, the owner denies it ever happened! Weird moment. Kevin never even got his cold pop, but
at least the bite didn't break the skin on his tush. Arriving in Havelock, Brad lets the Coyote camp in the backyard and rents him a
shower... |
Sep
5 (Sunday) - Day 173 - Greater Pontypool,
ON to Peterborough, ON (54.3 km - 6:55 travel time - 4968.3 km total)
It's another day with IronBoy Dean Hachey who scared up a 7k trot on his shaky legs before switching to inline skates. The cool morning on
sparse roads turned warm and muggy as the traffic got hectic. It's a long hot day to Peterborough where the two old friends are so heated
up, they take a splash in the Otonabee River (which they later learn was closed for health reasons). Dean's Dad catches up with the
travellers at the 49k mark where they are vigourously replenishing
their liquids in a posrts bar. After the grand farewell, Coyote Kevin inches through Peterborough to find a friendly Shell station to pitch
in the wild heat of the night... |
Sep
4 (Saturday) - Day 172 - Claremont, ON to Greater Pontypool,
ON (39.6 km - 5:05 travel time - 4914 km total)
To avoid the heaty forecast, Dean Hachey
and the Coyote leave Claremont under video siege by Dean’s wife, Judy at
6 early bells. It’s a hectic-free zone as they scamper light-heartedly
across the backroads of Pickering, Whitby, Oshawa and Clarington. All goes
very well (in spite of Dean’s excessive training preparation of 0k in 6
months) up until Burketon. Here, the map shows a desirable road that leads
into Pontypool. It turns into a dusty old snowmobile trail that was the
most challenging road to date. But they make it to Harry’s place where
Judy retrieves the battered lads to return to Claremont for the night. |
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