The Prairies

I thoroughly enjoyed my stay in Thunder Bay a very nice community located on the shores of Lake Superior. Jonathan was a first class host who had made arrangements for me to spend sometime with his extended family. It was a very nice visit. I felt very welcome there. Our Saturday morning run through the city and along the water front and marina is something I remember for sometime – thanks Jon.

An interesting stat about Thunder Bay is the thriving Finnish community. An estimated 12,000 people of Finnish origins live there, in what is claimed to be the largest established community of Finnish speaking people outside of Finland.

I rode the final section of highway out of Ontario on a hot Sunday afternoon. I had stopped for an early lunch and met Diane a sole biker who was returning to Winnipeg following a week of touring. We rode together for a couple of hours. She had recommended I check out a scenic route which headed north to Sioux Lookout approximately 65KM one way. I rode in that direction for approximately 25KM but the air was hot and heavy so I aborted that plan and followed-up on her seconded suggestion. I made my way directly to Rushing River Provincial Park in the Lake of the Woods region. Here I was provided a camp site on the lake where I set up my living quarters for the night and then went for a swim. That evening I sat out sipping wine and chatting with my neighbors. It was great to be camping and hassle free of bugs. The following morning I was awaken by the call of the loons so I crawled out of the tent and off for a run I went. This location provided one of the better camping experiences to date.

Later that day I crossed into Manitoba and rode to Brandon. This community of 40,000 residents is hoisting the 2006 Special Olympics Summer Games from July 18th to 23rd. My brother Ray who has a major role with this organization was in this city attending the games. With my luck I was passing through and he had an extra bed in his hotel room and a few cool ones in the refrigerator - bonus. It was a very nice visit. I was able to meet a number of the staff members and volunteers associated with this quality organization (Learn more about the Special Olympics www.specialolympics.ca ) And once again it would have been easy for me to stay a few days in Brandon and enjoy the festivities but I had to move on.. Thanks Bro – It was a great visit.

From Brandon I headed North to connect with the Yellowhead Trail which I would ride to Edmonton. This route lead me through rural Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta. It turned out to be an amazing ride through the world's breadbasket - endless fields of colourful crops and big sky. It was great to ride by the endless fields covered with the golden and blue hues of wheat, canola and flax.

Here in the Prairies it was not unusual to ride past small community to be welcomed with a billboard proclaiming this area to be the home of a NHL hockey player or a member of a championship curling team.

Llyodminister proved to be a very intersting community.The provincial border runs north to south falling directly on Meridian Avenue in the centre of the city. Addresses east of Meridian Avenue are considered to be in Lloydminster, Sasketchewan and addresses west of Meridian Avenue are considered to be in Lloydminster, Alberta. It is actually incorporated as a single city with a single municipal administration. I would think this would cause some interesting issues for city managers.

I plan to stay in Edmonton until July 24th. I have been provided with some awesome accommadations at Steve and Patty new home. While here I will check out a few tourist locations and have the motocyle's 10,000 KM service interval completed at the local BMW dealer.

A high tech biker.. Before entering Alberta I stopped at a picnic site to download maps from my PC to the GPS..This GPS is a great tool for the urban area's. I had never been to Edmonton before so I simply entered Steve / Patty's address and this unit directed me across town directly to there door.

The nickname Big Sky Country is sure to delight with spectacular cloud formations. Their vehicle license plate says it all "Land of Living Skies".

A motorcyclist must be continuesly monitoring his / her mirrors to be aware of what is transpiring behind them. In this case I was admire the sky I left behind and fearing that the sky before me would bring rain..

Prairie farmers haul grain to a local elevator. A train will then transports the grain to a shipping port or to a mill for processing. Grain elevators like this one are slowly disappearing and being replaced by large inland terminals. In the 1930s there were over 3200 elevators. By 1999 there were only 304 remaining.

Saskatchewan - The earth meets the sky in the breadbasket of the world.
The only province in Canada whose borders are man made. A province easy to draw and difficult to spell..

These three farming components are utilized as a unit. It would be interesting to know the cost of this device. Info from Stats Canada - Over a five-year period prices farmers received for their products declined by 27.2% while prices they paid for expenses such as fertilizer and fuel increased by 8.5%. Farmers are squeezed by increasing costs and declining value of many of the products they sold. It must be extremely difficult to operate a business under these conditions.

An open road and an open sky. Saskatchewan holds the Canadian record for the most sunshine averaging 2,520 sunshine hours annually.

A touch of Prairie Colours

A sea of Canola

My place on the lake..

Ontario

I rode out of Ottawa on July 4th heading towards Sarnia where I would visit my sister Helen and her buddy Jack. The map of south western Ontario is very busy thus providing a number of routes to chose from for my ride that region. The large divided highways offer no appeal as there was no need for me to rush. Instead I selected secondary routes which would take me through town and villages I had never been before. I stopped in Orillia a small town north of Lake Simcoe where I camped for the night. The following morning I rode to Wasaga Beach / Collingwood resort communities on the shores of Georgian Bay. This region is definitely cottage country and the traffic through here has remarkable increased. I continue in a westerly direction towards route 21 which will turn south and follow the shores of Lake Huron. But first must I ride through community of Owen Sound a community which has named it's airport after Bill Bishop the World War II flying ace. As it turned out that wouldn't be the only item I'll remember about Owen Sound for it was here I had my first minor mishap. We were stopped in a construction zone for 15 minutes. I had lowered the bike's side stand and sat there. When traffic started to move we only proceeded three or four metres and stopped again for another five or more minutes. At some point I had assumed the side stand was lowered and simply left the bike lean to the left. Over it went... Bummer, how stupid could I have been.. The three or four vehicles behind emptied as the occupants ran to my assistance. I felt terribly embarrassed. Together we picked up the bike. I lowered the side stand and climbed on and started it up. Fortunately we were soon able to proceed. I rode on for a few KM located an area where I could pull over to inspect the damage and to lick my wounds. The engine guards and the aluminum Jesse luggage boxes suffered minor scrapes but they did their job and prevented the bike from coming in contact with the asphalt. Unfortunately when I came off the bike as it went down the buckle on my right boot came in contact with the fuel tank and left it's mark.

I arrived in Sarnia early in the evening and was greeted with a very warm welcome and an other awesome meal. Once we pushed away from the table we made our way to the downtown area for a very pleasant walk along the banks of the St. Clair River.

A couple of days later Helen and I drove (car) to the resort village of Bayfield which is located on the shores of Lake Huron. This village is the home of a very large marina which provides shelter for hundreds of boats most of which are high end quality sail boats. This was an great location for this dreamer to spend a couple of days. Chris and spouse Karen are the proud owners of the “Five Sea's” a Hunter 29.5' sailing sloop which is moored in this Marina. For two days I visited with the Campbell's - Helen and three of her sons Chris, Steve and Mark and their families. It was a wonderful visit fulled with good company, good food, cold beer, refreshing dips in the lake, evening fires on the beach c/w a marshmallow roast and a great afternoon of sailing. Special thanks to Karen, Chris and the girls for sharing the facilities, their toys and providing some great meals I thoroughly enjoyed the visit.

On July 10th I left Sarnia and headed north towards Tobermory where I would catch the ferry “Chi-Cheemaun” for the 1 3/4 hour crossing to Manitoulin Island the following day. Sister Helen had made arrangements for me to stay over night with her friend Ann who lives in Owen Sound. I reluctantly accepted the invitation. I was not comfortable because I did not know this lady - here we were asking for a bed for the night . The visit worked out very very well. I was provided with very comfortable accommodations. The surprise was Ann's daughter Nancy who now resides in Calgary was there visiting her Mom. There is another twist in this story I knew Nancy for sometime but had not seen her for 5 or 6 years. It was very nice to visit with both of these ladies. Special thanks Ann for opening up your home to this vagabond.

I arrived on Manitoulin Island early afternoon after a very pleasant crossing of Georgian Bay. The remainder of the afternoon I toured this Island choosing to ride many of the unsealed roads to remote coastal area's. That evening I set up the tent for a night outdoors.

The following morning I rode off the Island and located the Trans Canada Highway No. 17 then turn left in a westerly direction. Here the transition in the landscape became was very noticeable. I had left the fertile farm land of southern Ontario and had now entered the land of the Canadian Shield. A sparsely populated region consisted of rocks and trees. My ride towards Thunder Bay over the next two days was very pleasant through remote, rugged and very scenic regions along the North Shore of Lake Superior. It was a couple of beautiful sunny day and the cool lake air made for very comfortable riding along a very well maintained highway.

I arrived in Thunder Bay on July 13th. My plan is to spend a couple of days visiting with my nephew Jonathan a resent forestry graduate from Lake Head U who is presently employed in this region. Early in the week I will set out on the final leg of the Ontario crossing to the Manitoba border will require a day or more of riding.

Thunder Bay's Terry Fox Memorial - Running 26 miles a day, this outstanding young athlete had conquered five provinces by the time had had reached Ontario. Then at mile number 3,339 near this very site recurring cancer forced him to give up his run.

The Canadian Shield is made up of some of the planet's oldest rock largely granite and gneiss. Here are the remnants of ancient mountain ranges, once as grand as today's Rockies.

One never knows what a walk in the bush will lead to. This were the Bears shit in the wood..If you go there you'd best take along you roll of T.P.

The Great Drive through Northern Ontario will take you on a 1000 KM excursion across the North Shore of Lake Superior

Manitoulin Island is Northern Ontario’s best kept secret and the largest freshwater island in the world.

Here I sit at the helm of another quality sail boat. Life doesn't get much better then this

The sailing sloop “Five Sea's” (appropriate named for the five member Campbell Family) tied-up in the Bayfield Marina on the shores of Lake Huron.

Cottage Country - The district of Muskoka stretching from the vast wilderness of Algonquin Park in the east to the rugged windswept shores of the Georgian Bay Islands in the west.


A student of Botany I am not.. I have no idea what was growing in this field but it's natural beauty was enough for me to turn the bike around and attempt to capture the setting with my camera.

Ottawa

Note - I have learned that I have not received some of the e-mail that were forwarded directly from my blog. I am uncertain why that would have occurred however if you were expecting a response and did not receive one your original message probably get through to me.

The morning I left Northern New Brunswick I discovered that I had burned a 2” hole in my riding pants when they came in contact with the hot exhaust pipes from the bike. This had occurred when I had parked the bike too close to my gear which was hanging in Maurice's garage. This incident had left me very disappointed. When I arrived in Ottawa I reviewed the damage with my sister-in-law Joyce who is an extremely talented lady. In no time she had my gear repaired and once again I have a happy rider. Thanks Joyce..

I had a great 9 day visit to Ottawa. While there I was provided with great accommodations and some excellent meal. Special thanks to Ray and Joyce, Daryl and Tara for the great hospitality.

This down time in Ottawa provided an opportunity to have the oil and filter replaced in the moto, to pick-up some camping items and a number of specialty tools, to simply relax – kickback fire up the BBQ and enjoy a few cold beer, chat with friends and relatives some of which I had not seen for a number of years.

There were a number of evenings we'd sit around and enjoy some awesome meals. Here are but a few tales. The first evening I arrived I was invited to join brother Ray and Joyce for a dinner party. The gather took place at their friend's home who family's roots were from the Philippians. It was my first encounter with many of the dishes which had originated from that region. The foods they had prepared were simply delicious and the hospitality they provided made for a very entertaining evening. Special thanks to the Rada - Conde family. Number one son Daryl has become very skilled around the BBQ turning out some great beer-can chicken, burgers and steaks. There was also the awesome meal Ray and Joyce prepared over the July 1st weekend. The ribs, salads and deserts were simply delicious. The food at all of these meals was great but it was the people who sat around these tables that made these gatherings very special. Thanks for sharing.

It was great to experience Canada Day in Ottawa to be among the thousands to gather on Parliament Hill, to stroll through downtown area and the market area simply observing the people and the many activities. It was enjoyable to stand on the normally busy Wellington Street (now barricaded for the festivities) near the front gates to Parliament Hill and watch the fire works as they light-up the night sky high above and at the rear of the Centre Block's Piece Tower. Oh Canada!!!

Town House for Sale - Number one Son - Daryl and spouse Tara have place there home on the market - Moving on up...

Family member Mathew proudly wears a Team Canada hockey jersey while displaying Todd Nicholson's Gold Medal. Todd was Canada's flag-bearer at the opening ceremony at the Paralympic Games in Torino. He is considered one of the best sledge hockey players in the world. As Team Canada's Captain Todd lead the men's sledge hockey team to its first-ever gold medal at the Paralympic Games in 2006.

These eight locks of the Rideau Canal's lift boat from the Ottawa River to a higher elevation on the canal. They are positioned between the Parliament Buildings and the Chateau Laurier Hotel located on the right of the photo. The Bytown Museum is housed in the oldest building in Ottawa, the former Commissariat building for the Rideau Canal built in 1827 located on the left.

The city of Ottawa was awash in red and white on Canada Day as the nation celebrated it's 139th birthday.

Every available space on the lawns of the Parliament Buildings is utilized as thousands showed-up for the entertainment on the hill.

One of the many quality meals consumed while in Ottawa – Here is Mark's breakfast creation a strawberry, blue berry, banana crepe topped with maple syrup.

La Belle Province

I left northern New Brunswick on Friday morning of June 23 . I rode along route 132. I was very familiar with the first 100 KM section of this highway because there was a time when my favorite skiing partner Tania and I would drive this section every weekend during the winter months to ski one of the best ski hill in the eastern Canada. A remarkable difference this morning was the ice on the Matapedia River had been replace with canoe's and salmon anglers.

Route 132 is a very scenic ride along the Matapedia River thought small farming and forestry communities to the larger well established regions of Rimouski and Riviere du Loup. West of Riviere de Loup the route meanders along the south shore of the St. Lawrence River. I followed this route to the city Levis where I found a reasonable priced motel and settled in for the night. The weather had been good enough for camping but this was the Friday night of Quebec holiday weekend St. Jean Baptist and the camping areas were busy. There was plenty of blue and white everywhere and people were in a partying mood. I later walk to a nearby bar for a couple of cool one's and enjoyed the festivities. The joie de vive and their ability to cut loose are but a few things many of us can learn from our friends from La Belle Province – they know how to celebrate.
On Saturday morning I rode over Le Pont de Quebec, down along the river and past Le vieux-port, a very touristy area this is. I located route 138 a secondary roadway which hugs the north shore of the St. Lawrence River all the way to Montreal. I throughly enjoyed this ride which is designated as “La chime de Roi”. When New France was first being settled, people established themselves primarily along the shores of the St. Lawrence River in order to facilitate communication and transportation. The first Canadian roadway adapted to vehicular traffic, the chemin du Roy ( King’s Highway ) was built in 1734. It connected Montreal and Quebec City, the two largest cities in the province. This roadway provide spectacular views of the St. Lawrence and lead me through many unique small town and villages.

I had made many treks from New Brunswick to Montreal and Ottawa. These trips were always rushed get on the highway and drive like hell to get there. My ride to Montreal over the past few day was by far the best ever. It did take much long but the scenery made the ride much more pleasant.