Greetings humanoids.
It's been so long since our last encounter I don't even know where to start. What intrigues you? Kilometers ridden? Near death experiences? My complete lack of hygiene? Well friends, prepare your brains for an onslaught of rambling and musings from the mind of Derth.
Last time we spoke I was vomiting forth a stream of vitriol that may not have been entirely deserved. Don't get me wrong—Manitoba's roads are an embarrassment; I must point out however, that Ontario, my place of birth and current residence, has many stretches of highway that rival the pitiful conditions found in its little brother to the west. So in Manitoba's defence, you're not alone in your ineptitude. Even a wealthy province like Ontario has great difficulty maintaining it's roadways. Take solace in your mutual crappiness, boys.
But enough criticism for now.
Shortly after my last entry, I rolled into the metropolitan center of Manitoba, Winnipeg. I must admit my expectations for Winnipeg were set rather low. Perhaps that's the Torontonian elitist in me speaking, but it's the truth. To my complete surprise, I found Winnipeg to be a very attractive city. Much larger in size than expected, beautiful riverfront parkland and a lot of personality. I eventually secured accomodation in a hostel near the city centre that was well maintained and to my complete delight, filled with other bicycle tourists. I found this concentration of cyclists so thrilling primarily due to the reprieve it offered from the dispiriting isolation I'd experienced in the preceding 2.5 weeks. Before I left on this trip, people would ask me about the loneliness I would invariably face while cycling solo for such great lengths. I'd respond with the utmost confidence, offering up the simple explaination that "I'm an introvert by nature, thereby perfectly suited to long stretches of solitary activity." Poor naieve little thing. From Castlegar BC to Winnipeg Manitoba I didn't see a single bicycle tourist. That's a long time to go without substantial human contact, even for an "introvert" like myself. Sure I had verbal contact with other people during this time—RV enthusiasts, servers, convenience store attendents, curious locals—but very rarely did this contact go deeper than a 5 minute exchange about where I was going and when I expect to get there. By the time I hit Manitoba I was starting to feel rather estraged from the rest of humanity, so you can appreciate the relief these other cyclists offered.
There was a couple of English folks making the cross, as well as two cousins, Tim and Toby from Vancouver and San Francisco, respectively. The first evening there we spent the night sucking back wine and some local brew we picked up at the Liquor store (I have to point out that the employees at the Manitoba Liquor stores are by far the friendliest, most helpful sales people I've ever encountered in a government controlled liqour retail outlet. Unlike the employees at the LCBO, who seem to regard their customers as some kind of parasitic nuisance, the Manitoba liquor store employees actually ask you things like "Can I help you with something" and, wait for it... they smile! CRAZY! Both Tim and I were in awe upon walking out) while comparing field notes and war stories from the previous leg of the trip.
The following day was a rest day, so I wisely walked around town instead of cycle. When in unfamiliar cities I like to wander aimlessly with no set destination, as I find this method often uncovers hidden gems and helps avoid tourist traps. After walking for several hours I eventually made my way into The Manitoba Museum. They have several amazing exhibits—namely a huge schooner and full scale 2 block re-creation of early 20th century downtown Winnipeg— along with some cool history on native tribes of northern Manitoba and the development and construction of the Churchill railway line. Later in the evening I went out for some beverages with a fellow crossing the country by greyhound bus and another guy from San Francisco travelling by motorcross bike. We eventually found our way to some "happening" bars where, against my better judgement, I drank in great excess and returned to bed around 4 am. Normally this wouldn't be a major concern, but I was scheduled to ship out the next morning and ride a meaty 140km. Somehow I managed to hold it together the whole day despite the gut-rot and post-drunk haze clouding my head. Nearing the end of that days journey we saw at least 25 deer along the side of the road and one very skittish black bear. It was unbelievable. Almost every kilometer someone would spot another deer standing only feet from the roadway. Most often they'd scatter upon sight of us, however, a couple large bucks simply stood their ground and stared as we passed. It's always a pleasure watching deer bound through deep brush with the utmost ease; humans in comparison are such clumsy, bumbling creatures. Tim, Toby and myself eventually rolled into a provincial park around 10 pm, set up our tents and passed out.
Somewhere around Ignace we added two more cyclists to our group: Doug and Naamaan. These guys had been working in Tofino for some time and wanted to return to Sault Ste. Marie for the summer. They bought a couple of used mountain bikes for $200 each and started riding. Each wore a giant backpack—a guitar sticking out of Naamaan's, a bongo out of Doug's— and smoked a pack of cigarettes a day. Despite the immense weight on their backs and the cardiovascular disadvantage from the smokes, both were able to haul ass. Doug and Naamaan were quite adept at sniffing out good, free campsites. With their aid, I was able to spend less than $65 on accomodations from Winnipeg to Toronto—a period of 15 days. (NOTE: For those interested, I plan on writing an indepth article on the value and advantages of stealth camping when bicycle touring once I return from the east coast). We secured many beautiful lakeside sites all the way from Kenora to the Soo. Upon arrival in Sault Ste. Marie, we made our way to Naamaan's cottage for some booze and sauna—something I think we all desperately needed after many long days in the saddle. Tim and Toby had to stay in the Soo an extra day for bicycle maintenance reasons, while I chose to carry on because I wanted to reach Toronto as soon as possible. The roads from Tobermory were pretty crummy with lots of traffic. Combine that with a south wind and I was in one of those moods where I mutter profanities at anything that crosses my path. In retrospect I realize I was pushing myself too hard in those final days before Toronto. I was averaging 18okm days regardless of conditions and my ass and mental stability were starting to wear down. During my second leg of the journey, I have to be more conservative in my riding and less mileage hungry.
Being home has been a relief. I had dinner with my parents and brother and spent time with Marilyn and Speedball. I think my butt has recovered fully so I'm hoping to ship out come Friday.
To this date, I've done approximatly 4300km. I can't be sure because there were several days in the beginning of the trip where I'd remove my odometer during storms (I later realized it is waterproof), resulting in my estimation of distance.
