This year marks Canada's sesquicentennial, and fifty years since I was a sixth grader pining to go to Montreal to join in the Centennial celebrations. For the whole year our curriculum was Expo-obsessed and everyone was going except me. No one seemed to care that I was celebrating on my own. I lapped up the coverage and information from fellow students who had travelled to Montreal with their families which left me with a desire to see this exhibit with my own eyes. I wanted to see the world beyond London, Ont., but in sixth grade it was a clearly an insurmountable task. The germ was planted. I was bitten by a travel bug and the antidote was to see the rest of my country. By the time high school hit, all the seniors were making the great pilgrimage to B.C. and hitchhiking across the county, but, again that seemed like an insurmountable task. Shit happened... again. In 2014 Olympian Clara Hughes cycled across Canada to raise awareness for mental health. I watched her ...
Day 72 - 1 Sep - St. John's - 83kms Today started out rainy and overcast again! Our mood had not changed. We ate whatever was left on the truck as this would be our last breakfast together. Whoa! The hills were very challenging and relentless! The rain was steady and colder than yesterday. We did have a tailwind though. That was a relief. It should have been a day of reflection and slowly making our way to the finish but the weather made the day all about getting there and getting it over with. I was so cold, my hand and feet were frozen. We were to meet at the Tim Horton's at 70k, eat, and wait for everyone to arrive. We were then to ride as a group to Signal Hill. I was too cold for that. I stopped, had a coffee, and kept going. I knew what was coming. The road up to Signal Hill is about 2 kms long, a 12% grade, and incredibly windy! I arrived at the hill and did my best to climb it. It was not pre...
Day 69 - 29 Aug - Englishtown - 107kms There is a definite wind-down atmosphere here! It was a short day today and everyone took their time to enjoy the incredible views! The Cabot Trail is hilly but very rideable. We had one more mountain (Smokey) to climb today. It wasn't as high (366 meters) but, with all the climbing I did yesterday, it was a tough one! The descent was a little scary for me. I met with Deb today! She retired before me and moved here to help her sister run the Colourtura Fine Art Gallery. The town was on my route for today so, all I had to do was stop and visit. It was good to see her again! She's happy and relaxed! The galley is amazing and the chocolates are yummy! We had another ferry ride today. That makes eight altogether! It's big ferry day tomorrow! We had to pack up all our things to leave in the truck. We only need a carry on for the ferry and the ride on Thur...
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