San Francisco

Jack

I arrived in San Francisco late last night. The flight from Calgary was without incident – as I flew I tried the roughly guess how many ‘plane-rides’ I’ve been on in my life. After adding up the flights of the last year I realized that an admission of such a vast carbon footprint would summon Al Gore to absail through a skylight and arrest my ass – so I stopped counting. My friend Kelly picked me up from the airport and we headed into the Mission district to find some food. We settled upon a charming pizzeria that boasted the third best pizza in America, according to GQ Magazine – at least that’s what our camp-as-a-row-of-tents waiter was boasting. The pizza was great and the luscious vino was perhaps even better.

Today I hit the town – riding the train to the heart of the city my first port of call was Columbus street and the ‘Beat’ area of town. As a writer I have a few fellow scribes that I put upon a rather tall pedestal. The top rung of this bro-mance from afar is dedicated to Jack Kerouac. Kerouac wrote the seminal Beat Generation novel, ‘On The Road’ – which faithful readers of this blog will remember as my favorite book of all time. On the edge of Chinatown is a little alleyway that has been named in his honor – Jack Kerouac Lane is nothing more then a 100m stretch of pavement connecting two streets. Inset in the pavement are Jack’s words – immortalized for all to see.

Just around the corner is the ramshackle, “Beat Museum” which tells the story of Kerouac, Ginsberg and all of the other legends of the form. Though lacking in actual artifacts, save a few first additions it is home to a wealth of information and reprinted photos. Here is where things start to get a bit weird. I was standing in the museum, minding my own business when some middle aged woman walks up to me and says, “Oh my god, it’s amazing. It’s uncanny. You look exactly like him!” I wasn’t sure what she was talking about and was a bit perplexed that this random stranger would start of such a strange conversation with me. I replied, “Excuse me??”

“You look just like him. Just like Kerouac!”

If she was looking for some way to placate me, some sort of red button to push that would convince me to buy whatever she was selling I was in. she had me. “Really you think so?”

“absolutely, it’s amazing!”

I was flattered and a bit uncomfortable – I’m not so sure I see what she’s talking about. But imagine if you were a huge Elvis fan. You had all of his records, you could recite the set-list from the ’65 comeback special from memory and knew those trainspotter details that either make you look cool or strange depending upon the company you keep. And one day you head to Graceland and somebody comes up to you and says that you look just like the king – odd.

The rest of the day was spent cruising around the streets, checking stuff out. Dinner with an old friend (Sharif from my African Adventure) and a long awaited good nights sleep…

The Fine Line - Results

Thursday's showing of The Fine line was a HUGE sucess! thanks to everyone who came and checked it out. Here's Sophie's impression of the night...

I'm delighted to let you know that last night's screening of the award-winning avalanche film "The Fine Line" at Queenstown's World Bar was a huge success! The AdventureSkope Productions crew were hoping that about 100 people might attend, so they were overjoyed that almost 200 people braved the rain to be a part of this fantastic night. Even more people wanted to see the movie - We had to apologetically turn people away due to the World Bar having reached maximum capacity.

Proceeds from the film night, which are going to New Zealand Land Search and Rescue, have already exceeded $1,600 and further donations are still pouring in. Search & Rescue's Ed Halson is delighted with the result and has said that the money will be used to fund new "lost person rescue kits" a crucial ingredient in a successful backcountry rescue. The event was very well supported by local businesses with over $2,000 worth of products being given away to thirty lucky people. Sponsors included Body Sanctum, Harris Mountain Heli-Ski, IO NZ, Joe's Garage, Onsen Hot Pools, Outside Sports, Petzl, Quest, The Studio Pilates & Physiotherapy and The World Bar; along with 3 Fold Print and Impact Print.

Thanks to everyone that supported and attended this event - without your help it wouldn't have been the incredible success that it was!
Cheers!
Sophie

Photo of the day

Painting with light

One Week

Tonight i watched a cool little Canadian film called 'One Week'. It's the story of a 30ish guy who is diagnosed with terminal cancer and decides to ride from Toronto to Vancouver Island on a motorcycle. it's beautiful, poetic, honest and visually stunning. it's a love letter to Canada, a deep breath and a Polaroid. if you can - check it out. here is the preview.

Photo of the day

Don't try this at home

The Fine Line

Avalanches are serious business. Every winter skiers, snowboarders and climbers are caught in slides that for the most part end in tragedy. I’ve lost friends in avalanches, colleagues and people that I will always hold in esteem – snow doesn’t care who you are, how good a skier you are or what sort of training you have. If you are in the wrong place at the wrong time – you’re in trouble.

On August 3rd Sophie (my wife) along with friends Adrian and Debbie headed out for a ski at Coronet Peak, near Queenstown. I’ll let Sophie take over from here:

We were skinning up the main run at Coronet Peak At about 4.30pm. At about 3/4 of the way up - I heard a cry for help coming from way out of bounds. We stopped and listened and the calling, desperate calling, continued but we couldn't yet see anyone. Eventually we spotted a person on a ridge 300-500+ metres away. Adrian and I skiied over to see what was up at about 4.50pm - I was expecting a broken leg, at most.

Adrian got to the snowboarder, Fraser, first and confirmed that there had been an avalanche (later classed as 2.5-3) in the valley just behind the ridge and that his snowboarder brother Ryan was buried, hadn't been seen for 10-15 mins, that neither of them had any avo gear and that the last seen point was unknown as Ryan had been swept around a corner of the valley during the slide. We were looking down the kinked valley at the debris - there were two upper release points on a very steep section which had then released one entire face of the kinked valley with numerous terrain traps below. The debris was probably 20 metres wide and 600-800 metres long and would later prove to be many metres thick - we needed help and fast.

I called 111 to get help on the way while Adrian questioned the brother further but he was already in shock and was having trouble making sense, but we got as much info as we could from him. Adrian did a quick sweep of the whole area to see if he could spot anything, but it was unlikely as the brother had already done the same straight after the slide. I tried to help sweep the upper area (we traversed into it about 1/4 of the way down) but when 111 tried to call me back I realised I was in a dead cell zone, so I had to climb back up to the ridge where we spotted the boarder to make another call. At around the same time I saw three patrollers at the top of the valley, trying to figure out where to go so I pointed to the slide area with my ski.

With their help we got a 6-man probe line going with the probes and poles that we had, but it was a little futile as the debris was deeper than our probes. More patrollers joined us and we were able to give the brother a break and make the line even longer and tighter. A second probe line started sweeping behind us but it was all just something to do until the avalanche dog arrived. We probed about 3/4 of the way down the debris when we were told to clear off the debris area and let the dog do it's thing and give us a much needed break - I forget the time but it was probably 6.30pm by this stage and I was exhausted. I was always looking at my watch not for the time itself, but to work out how long he'd been buried for...

The dog found two possible points one of which was stronger and right where we had last been probing so the patrollers dived in to probe the area some more. They did so at length without any real luck - more evidence was needed. So everyone was called off the debris and a guy with a recco machine swept the area and got a weak signal in the same spot as the dog had suggested - so then they started digging. They had two dig crews of 4-5 people and they dug deep for a long time.

After maybe 20mins of digging Adrian and I were told that we should go back to base, so we started climbing up. At some point during our climb there was lots of yelling but we were too far away to know exactly what had happened. I later learned that they'd got to Ryan's snowboard but that he was still buried beneath it - he must have been about 2.5-3m deep we reckon. This was at about 7-7.15pm. We continued our journey back to base - a 30 minute climb up the ridge, a skidoo ride to Greengates and a bus from GG to the base to avoid the media.

While we wrote our witness statements back at base we heard that Ryan was in hospital but that his fate was uncertain - he'd been buried for about 2.5hr so we both knew that some miracle would have to occur for him to be alive. When we left Coronet Peak at maybe 9.30pm there were still many unknowns but we asked the police to let us know what happened so that we didn't have to learn about it on the news. I went back to Adrian's as I wasn't yet ready to go home and Deb came over too - we all needed to debrief. Just before Deb arrived the police came over to Adrian’s place let us know the expected bad news. While they'd done CPR from burial site -> chopper -> hospital Ryan been pronounced dead on arrival, the poor guy. I feel so sorry for Ryan, his brother Fraser and his family - it was such a tragic accident that could have *so* easily been prevented, but one that has had such dire consequences.

As you can imagine this was an extremely harrowing experience to be a part of. So many questions and so few answers. Being so far away from Sophie (I’m in Canada at the moment) during this has been especially hard on both of us. But on the other side of anguish comes catharsis.

Sophie has decided to put on a showing of the excellent avalanche education film, The Fine Line as a way to raise awareness in Queenstown. The organizing of this event has been really beneficial for everyone involved, it’s really helped with the process of healing. If you live in Queenstown I strongly encourage you to come to the film, not only is it a great piece of filmmaking but also we are donating all funds raised to NZ Land Search and Rescue.

Here is the press release for the event:

"Ski Porn with a Public Service Message" at the World Bar.

This Thursday at 6.30pm, AdventureSKope Productions will screen the award-winning avalanche film The Fine Line at The World Bar, with all proceeds going to New Zealand Land Search and Rescue. The film that was famously described by Powder Magazine as "ski porn with a public service message," well and truly breaks the stereotypes for educational films. It delivers the deep powder, big lines and huge air you’d expect from a great ski movie, but The Fine Line goes a step further, teaching audiences what avalanches are all about - and how to ride and survive them.

AdventureSKope event director, Sophie Kennedy says she was inspired to organise the screening after being one of the first on the scene at the avalanche that killed Ryan Campbell. "Although we weren't able to save Ryan, I hope that by screening this movie and increasing avalanche awareness in Queenstown, we might be able to prevent situations like this happening in the future." Kennedy said, "If you have any interest in avalanches, snow sports, backcountry access or simply exquisite cinematography you should see this film. You just never know, someone's life might depend on it some day."

The film’s cutting-edge cinematography which includes wire-cam, time-lapse, animation – and even a claymation cameo – has seen it win a swag of international awards including "Best at Festival" at the 2009 Fernie Mountain Film Festival, "Best Director" as the X-Dance film festival and "Absolute Winner - King of Films" at the 2009 Livigno Film Festival in Italy.

Doors open at the World Bar, Queenstown at 6.30pm with the film starting at 7.00pm. Tickets are $10 with all proceeds going to Search & Rescue. House drinks are $4 and entry to the spot prize draw is included. Prizes from - Body Sanctum, Harris Mountain Heli-Ski, IO NZ, Joe's Garage, Onsen's Hot Pools, Outside Sports, Petzl, Quest, The Studio Pilates & Physiotherapy & The World Bar.

Click HERE to see the facebook page about the event and register your RSVP.

Thanks for reading and we hope to see you there.
S&S

photo of the day

Calgary Tower -- Why Canadaians are so good at hockey -- The Plane

Seeing as this is the 300th post on the Adventureskope blog - I thought it fitting to post 3x photo of the day.

Looking forward back

Ten years is a long time. A decade gone in an instant. In 1999 I was living in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. I had just graduated from art school (The Western Academy of Photography) and I was about to enter a new stage of life. I was finished with school and I was ready to venture into the greater world. At the time I was working with young people through the YMCA, helping to develop young leaders. As an exercise we wrote letters to ourselves to be opened 10 years later.

Today I was going through a bunch of stuff at my folks place and in a long forgotten manila folder I found the letter. I’d forgotten that I’d actually written in, let alone what I might of said. Ripping open the envelope I was filled with a mix of trepidation and curiosity. Fear that I might not have lived up to my expectations and interest to see where my 22 year old headspace was at.

The letter consists of a series of pre-ordained questions – and the answers were sometimes laughable, sometimes prophetic and sometimes dead on – here it is, in all it’s ragged and honest glory:

Name: Scott Kennedy (still true!)
Nickname: Stumpy (in some circles, that’s still me)
My Closest friends are: Renee, Gavin, Jon (Renee was my girlfriend at the time and we still keep in touch, Gavin and Jon are still great friends – even though we are thousands of miles from each other much of the time)
Some cool expressions these days are: “The Shit” “The Bomb” (looking back, I don’t think they were that cool – even at the time)
My favorite teacher ever was: Gary Koroluk (still true)
When I’m not in school, I like to: Climb (still true, though I like lots of other things now.)
My favorite band is: Pearl Jam (still true)
My best memory from 1999 was: Climbing in Utah (it was an awesome trip as I recall – ironically I will be there again in a month)
My favorite movie is: The Empire Strikes Back (still true, honest!)
Favorite book: On The Road – Kerouac (Still true)
Usually, I like to wear: Comfy clothes (more true then ever)
Some important world events I witnessed I the 90’s were: I saw Star Wars Episode 1 on the first day it opened (OK I should be getting points for honesty that I am sharing this. My god – the end of communism, the end of the millennium and so much more and the best I can do is Star Wars – fuck me.)
I dream of being: Climbing / ski bum, mountain guide, photographer (done all those things! And loved them all!)
Though I’ll probably end up a: ski bum (to be honest, it’s over-rated in the long term)
If I could give any advice to the future me, I would say: Remember, have fun! (I still stand beside that)
In 10 years I will be: a Mountain Guide (true – though I don’t do much guiding these days)
And I will have: happiness (you bet!)
The world will have found solutions to: Hunger (sadly not yet)
And a major discovery will be: cure for cancer (nope)
I think the biggest trend will be: Polka music (I believe I was taking the piss – good god I hope I was taking the piss…)
By 2010 I will have traveled to: Everywhere – Thailand, Nepal, France, Asia, Alaska (well I’ve traveled nearly everywhere – though not to Thailand, Nepal or Alaska…)

All and all it was an amusing trip down memory lane – it’s interesting to see what my goals were at the time and how as I’ve grown since then – or not grown in some ways!

Photo of the day

Man hole cover & Les Paul (RIP)

Train to be a ski patroller in 5min 27seconds

Photo of the Day

Chain of Command

photo of the day

4

photo of the day

midnight overpass

The Importance of Ernest

The other day I came across this really nice article about a good friend of mine Ernest. Ernest was on the Tour d’Afrique with me – he’s a remarkable guy and this story which originally appeared in the Calgary Herald tells his story with grace and style – just like Ernest.

Through Africa with love

By Trent Edwards, Calgary Herald August 13, 2009

Life is not a dress rehearsal.

Erenst Enns took this, his late wife 's mantra, with him on the "adventure of a lifetime" across Africa earlier this year. The 69-year-old from Cochrane also took four of the 30 vials he filled with her ashes to spread at special times and places as he cycled from Cairo, Egypt, to Cape Town, South Africa, between January and April.
He emptied the first two vials on the anniversaries of the day he met Lynne and the day she died at age 57. But it was Enns' third scattering of ashes, well into his remarkable ride through Africa, that shows just how much he took his wife's message to heart.

On a sunny day in April, Enns jumped off the Victoria Falls Bridge between Zambia and Zimbabwe, falling 110 metres before his bungee-cord snapped taut above the roiling waters of the Zambezi River. At the top of his first bounce, he opened his vial and watched some of his late wife's remains drift away into the mists.
"She's sailing down the Zambezi, past the hippos, on her way to the Indian Ocean," Enns says.

Enns had meant to do the Tour d'Afrique, organized annually by Toronto-based Tour d'Afrique Ltd., in 2007. He had trained hard for months, hiring a personal trainer to build the strength and endurance required to cycle nearly 12,000 kilo-metres from one end of the continent to the other.
Then, two days before he was set to leave, he received crushing news. Doctors found a spiral cancer wound around an artery near his wife's liver.
"They basically said, 'You've got a year,' " Enns remembers.

Sitting on the sun-drenched deck of his beautiful 33-hectare ranch recently, Enns tried to put into words the bond he shared with his wife through their 14 years together.
"We never had a fight," he said. "We told each other we loved each other every day. It was the best relationship I could ever imagine."
So on diagnosis day, having just retired after 37 years of teaching math at the University of Calgary, Enns called the tour's organizers to tell them to keep his $12,000 tour fee. He would be staying home to take care of his wife.

But he never gave up hope that he could take his dream ride.

The tour had slowly become a must-do after he discovered the joys of long-distance cycling during a three-week cycling trip through Europe in 2002.
When Lynne died on Feb. 5, 2008, Enns knew time was short for him to take on such a physically demanding goal. So he decided to join the next tour in "excellent condition." For three months, he lifted weights, climbed stairs and rode a stationary bike for hours each day.

He knew the tour would be worth every drop of sweat. On an earlier vacation to South Africa with Lynne, the country had wowed the couple with spectacular scenery and experiences. But to cross the entire continent on a bike, fully exposed to its smells, sounds and heat?

"That would be something else," he says.

The tour would stop at wonders both natural and man-made, including the Nile and the pyramids of Giza. And that was just Egypt--along the way, giraffes, elephants and zebras were among the natural attractions Enns encountered.

Sudan, as it turned out, would offer the most pleasant people of the entire tour. But not all of the tour's surprises were nice. The 40-some riders needed a police escort to get through the chaos of big cities. Ethiopian children harassed Enns and his fellow riders. Kenya's potholed roads rattled him silly. A shower sometimes meant wiping himself with moist towelettes. Worse, Enns bruised several ribs in a head-over-handlebars crash, and lost 20 pounds during his ride.

"Dysentery and biking is a great diet," he quips.

Through it all, Enns kept his wry sense of humour. And other riders on the tour went from being strangers to being like family.
"Everybody got along with him," remembers Shanny Hill, the tour's director.

As the second-oldest cyclist ever to ride the tour (the oldest was 71), Enns accepted the odd ride in the support van. But he cycled most of the route. A day after his rib-bruising crash, Enns disregarded doctor's orders and cycled 1,500 metres down into and back out of Ethiopia's Blue Nile Gorge. He also rode the tour's longest day, a 207-kilometre grind.

"It was a great challenge for mind and body," he says of his experience.

Enns visited 11 countries on the tour, almost as many as he had visited with Lynne when she was alive.
And the vials Enns has left? Well, the couple has a lot of special places left to visit --in body and in spirit.

© Copyright (c) The Calgary Herald

photo of the day

urban green-space & Funhouse Ferris Bueller (RIP John Hughes)

photo of the day

Downtown Calgary street art - pile of bike tires soon to be recycled

Freedom.

What is freedom? It’s the right to choose, it’s the right to refuse, the right to do anything or even the right to do nothing. Maybe freedom can be as simple as becoming unencumbered. To steal a metaphor from the most American of pastimes, baseball - this is what today was. On my bike tour it was like I was swinging two bats in the on-deck circle, today I dropped one and swung for the fences.

Calgary is an awesome place to ride a bike through. Once upon a time the powers that be decided to crosshatch the city with paved bike paths facilitating commuting and riding throughout the city without ever crossing a city street. This morning I left my parent’s house in the far northwest of the city and headed downtown. Within 5 minutes of leaving the house I was on the pathway system and headed south. Mid-week, mid-morning the path was all mine. Gone was the rack loaded with gear. Gone was the handlebar bag, the flag, the florescent vest, the GPS, the expectation of miles, the wonder of where I might sleep tonight. The bike felt light as a feather, like an overpowered muscle car just begging to go faster.

The perfect pavement urged me faster and faster. Like an un-caged animal I let loose, standing up on the peddles, giving it all I got. Paralleling the freeway I felt like I was gaining on the semi-trucks. Where once they used to clip at my heels, today I was making my own way, on my own road. Soon enough I was downtown. I played and danced among the traffic, trackstanding at the red lights and running the yellows when the coast was clear. Hopscotching uptown I weaved up the one-ways and down the side streets. Bump onto the sidewalk, skip to the front of the traffic line and beat them across the intersection. mashing on the pedals, music raging in my earphones. Sunkist pavement, lunchtime pedestrians fill the street, I weave through them like a game of mouse and cat.

After a day of play it was time to head home. Back onto the bike path and hammer the pedals all the way home. 55km for the day and it feels like child’s play. Seems appropriate – the freedom to play.

While I was in town I picked up this t-shirt – never more an appropriate find.

shirt detail

The Final Recap

Distance - 2000km
Location – Burlington, Ontario – Winnipeg, Manitoba
Accommodation – hotel 90% of the time, camping 10%
Weight before ride – 175lbs
Weight after ride – 165lbs
Thigh circumference before ride – 19.5”
Thigh circumference after ride – 23”
Days riding – 14
Average distance per day – 143km
Rest days – 3
Number of days with significant hills – 13
Number of days with rain – 4
Furthest day – 216km
Number of days over 160km (100miles) – 5
Number of flat tires - 2
Song of the trip – Alive – Pearl Jam

I'm in there somewhere, on the right about half way to the stage.

Beard status – there is was… gone

Photo of the trip – The Road

The List

It seemed to be a common denominator, whoever I met as I was on my bike ride would always say, “wow, you don’t have a lot of stuff!” it’s true I went mega-light, but I did have all that I needed. So I thought I’d show you what I took and point out some stuff that was in the ‘must have’ category.

L to R top to bottom

1 – Marmot ultralight rain jacket
2 – Mountain Equipment Co-Op Drifter +15 sleeping bag
3 – Thermarest Z-Lite sleeping pad
4 – Patagonia zip-off trousers
5 – Mountain Hardware fleece shirt
6 – Specialized Cycling shoes
7 – Pearl Izumi Cycling jersey
8 – shower cap from hotel (used to cover handlebar bag in rain)
9 – toothbrush (with handle cut off)
10 – Integral Designs SilTarp
11 – water bottles (x2)
12 – Canon HD Video Camera
13 – tensor bandage
14 – Patagonia Capaline boxer shorts
15 – zip-ties
16 – MEC arm warmers
17 – Seal Line 20L Drybag
18 – Giro bike helmet
19 – Icebreaker Superfine wool t-shirt
20 – Ibuprophen
21 – Solio Solar charger (charges iPod, Cell phone, GPS, etc.)
22 – camera case
23 – passport
24 – extra tape for video camera
25 – extra battery for video camera
26 – sun glasses
27 – 8GB USB stick
28 – Petzl Headlamp
29 – Canada flag
30 – maps
31 – micro bike lock
32 – 10m of cord
33 – camera battery charger
34 – tent pegs (x4)
35 – solar charger cables
36 – cell phone charger
37 – iPod Charger
38 – Garmen Etrex Legend CX GPS
39 – cell phone
40 – iPod
41 – handlebar bag
42 – Pearl Izumi bike shorts
43 – sunscreen
44 – Pearl Izumi Bike gloves
45 – Icebreaker running socks
46 – MEC mini dry bag
47 – cycle computer
48 – bike lights
49 – Leatherman
50 – hand sanitizer
51 – extra screws
52 – tire levers
53 – spare break pads
54 – eye glasses
55 – reflective vest
56 – energy bars
57 – Buff headscarf
Not pictured – Canon G9 digital camera, Gary Fisher Wingra touring bike, ASUS Eee PC 8.9" netbook laptop compter and case, flipflops, Chafe ease cream, bike tool, extra tube, patch kit.

So what were the most valuable pieces of gear? The shower cap was invaluable, the iPod kept me sane, the GPS kept me on track, the good quality bike shorts were worth every cent.

What didn’t I use? Cell phone charger, USB stick, lights, spare break pads.

Total weight – 22lbs (not including bike)

That’s it and that’s all. Other then a few extra bits and pieces that I didn’t use, I was super happy with everything I brought. I wasn’t left wanting anything and wasn’t ready to ditch anything in the bush along the way.

The End

if you can't see this special video post - click HERE to go straight to the source.

Day 14

When I woke up I was tired and sore. Even though I’d just had a few days of rest I was still knackered. It was a deep seeded tiredness that just won’t go away until I actually stop and stop for a long while.

The headwinds were back and worse. It was always going to be a big day – I was planning on clocking up around 160km. trouble is, the town at 160km had no place to stay for the night. All there was to do was keep going. And keeping going meant going all the way to Winnipeg. By the time I got here, I’d clocked up 212km for the day. I was shattered. Beyond shattered.

It was a day filled with pain. The accumulated miles of the trip so far were really adding up. My whole body just ached – from the core out. The reality of the adventure was on my shoulders like a ton of bricks. It was decision time. I’d decided from the get-go that this trip was less about seeing the countryside and more about pushing my limits. I wanted to see how far I could push things – and that’s just what I did. Heavy thoughts as I drifted to sleep…

Recap:
Distance - 212km
Location – Winnipeg, Manitoba
Accommodation – hotel
Beard status – Randy “Macho-Man” Savage
Song of the day – Drop D - Betchadupa
Photo of the day – The Road

Day 13

Lucky 13. after a nice break it was time to hit the road again. My cousin Lori and my uncle Gord gave me a ride back to the highway. My first task of the day was to find a bike shop in Dryden to fix a broken spoke. While I was in Dryden I had the chance to catch up with an old friend and fellow blogger Chris Marchand. Chris is the author of the awesome blog Hinterlands – I’ve referenced it plenty of times in the past and it’s part of my daily read. Chris and I go way back, we were great friends back in the Fernie, BC days – circa 2001. We had a great catch up after nearly a decade apart – funny how good friends pick up where you leave off.

The inertia of the rest days, catching up with friends and chilling out was a tangible presence as I started to ride. It was 1pm by the time I was on the highway and heading west. The plan was to head to Kenora – 135km to the west. As soon as the highway swung to the west the wind turned up to full volume. I won’t wax lyrical about it too much, but the short answer was that it sucked. It sucked for a long, long time.

Near to dark I finally arrived in Kenora, tired and over it.

Recap:
Distance - 135km
Location – Kenora, Ontario
Accommodation – hotal
Beard status – “wow, you really do have a playoff beard.” – Chris
Song of the day – Alive – Pearl Jam
Photo of the day – Bigfoot

The art of the rest day

After a good long push around the Great Lakes – the arrivalk in Sioux Lookout for three days of rest was a welcome reprieve. With a gaggle of extended family in town it was a whirlwind of visits, catch-ups and relaxation. In my three days in town there were some real highlights that are best exemplified in these photo’s of the day. On Saturday we headed off to the dump to check out the bears (as you do…)

On Sunday I was part of a bocce ball tournament that was great fun. The action started at 8.30am which coincidently was the time that I had my first beer of the day. This pretty much set the tone for the day… in the end my team which consisted of me, my cousin Jamie, my cousin-in-law Kevin and friend Robbie didn’t exactly light it up. Dispite our passion for the game (trash talking), innate skill (luck) and focus (on drinking) we ended the day with the unenviable record of 0 and 4. ouch. Next year we decided to start drinking at about 5am so by the time the first game starts we’ll be ‘ready’.

On my final day in town I hung out with the family and had a great day seeing everyone. As I went to bed I looked out the window of the cabin and saw this amazing sight. The moon rising over the lake was as bright as day.

Day 12

There is an interesting psychological idea that the human body can only endure what it perceives that it can. Self imposed limits dictate the level of endurance that a person has. The best example of this is the idea of going for a 5km run – when you get to the end you are tired and glad the run wasn’t a km further. The same person could go for a 10km run and come to the same conclusion. So what happens when there is no preconceived end point to a run or a ride? What happens then with that mental barrier that says, I can go no further is removed? Today I found that answer.

After a great catch-up with Graeme last night I turned in early – I knew today was going to be big. My plan was to head west from Thunder Bay towards the town of English River, along Highway 17. I wasn’t planning on staying in English River – I have family in the small town of Sioux Lookout, about 90min north of there. Instead of the lengthy detour, deviating from my east/west route, my cousin Lori was going to meet me on the road and drive me to Sioux, where I’ll stay for the weekend and get ready for the push west.

The day started warm and clear – mist on the lake and a few clouds in the sky. By 11am I had already clocked 100km and felt great. By early afternoon storm clouds were brewing to the west and by 1pm it was raining with the ferocity I have not seen since being caught up in Hurricane Olga in the Caribbean a couple of years ago. It was like the end of the Matrix. Chubby rain fell with such volume that it flooded the ditches and reduced visibility to feet. It was almost too heavy to ride in – almost.

The plan was for Lori to leave Sioux Lookout at 3pm and head east on the highway – likely running into me at around 5pm. By 3pm my speedo was reading 150km for the day. It suddenly dawned on me that I could really be in for an all-time day. I geared up and went for it. For cyclists there are certain benchmark distances that resonate – 100km, 150km, 160km (this equates to 100miles or a century as it’s often referred to) and 200km. I had within my grasps the ever elusive 200km mark for the day. I’d never ridden that far and the fact that I was feeling strong – despite the rain, only encouraged me on.

At 4.30pm I crested 200km for the day. It was raining so hard I didn’t dare get my camera out to snap a photo of the speedometer. I assumed that Lori would be along shortly and decided to keep pedaling – it was keeping me warm in the driving rain and there wasn’t much else to do.

At 5pm I was at 210km and no sign of Lori. I was starting to get a little worried – even though she wasn’t late I was starting to think about a million and one variables. What if her car breaks down? What if in the sheet rain she doesn’t see me? The idea of riding and riding and riding all night was a nagging noise in the back of my head. Unsure of what to do beyond pedaling for however long it took, I just kept going.

At 5.15pm Lori pulled up beside me, rolled down the window and asked if I wanted a ride. I most definitely did! I’d ridden 216km for the day – far and away a new distance record for me – adding 26km to my previous PB only two days ago.

So could I have ridden further? Definitely. Did the fact that I didn’t actually know when the end was help with that? Definitely. Interesting stuff.

So now it’s time to chill out for a few days, catch up with my extended family and leave my bike well enough alone until Tuesday when I continue westward.


Recap:
Distance - 216km (new PB)
Location – Sioux Lookout, Ontario
Accommodation – cabin by the lake
Beard status – “nice playoff beard.” – Lori
Song of the day – The Depression Suite – The Tragically Hip
Photo of the day – Storm Clouds

Day 11

Today was supposed to be easy, supposed to be flat, supposed to be a pre-lunch cruise. As they say the path to hell is paved with good intentions. When I started I was already tired – the excessive mileage from yesterday was already taking its toll.

Up and down again – less then the days previous, but hilly none the less. With only 25km to go before Thunder Bay I was climbing a steady hill when a bug flew right into one of the air vents in my helmet. I wasn’t sure what sort of insect it was until the wasp stung my forehead. By the time I stopped and managed to get my helmet off it had stung me a second time. I screamed obscenities into the wilderness – the trees said nothing in return but the yell seemed to be somehow cathartic.

There was nothing to do but keep going.

I rolled into Thunder Bay around mid day and headed to one of the older hotels in the heart of the city. I parked my bike out front and walked into the lobby – sitting at a computer checking his email was my old friend from my African ride, Graeme.

We had a great day catching up on old times, telling stories of bygone adventures, friends in far away places and plans for the future. We ate and talked for much of the

day. Tomorrow Graeme will head east on his way to St. Johns and I will continue west.

Recap:
Distance - 100km
Location – Thunder Bay, Ontario
Accommodation – hotel
Beard status – “Dude, what’s with the beard?” – Graeme
Song of the day – The Good in Everyone - Sloan
Photo of the day – Scott and Graeme

Day 10

After a relatively easy day yesterday I decided to push it out a bit further today. The morning was chilly with light rain. Much to my annoyance I had to climb the 4km hill from town back up to the main highway. Once I hit the highway things improved quickly – within 15minutes I passed a large black bear hanging out on the opposite side of the highway. It’s fair to say that we surprised each other about equally. I stuck to my side and she stayed on hers. We gave each other a good look as I passed by and I went on my way.

Hill after hill the day melded into the previous few. Steady grind up, fly down the opposite side. The k’s added up and the clouds cleared to make for a warm sunny day.

In the end I rode a new personal best of 190km. I was knackered but pleased. I stopped for the night in the micro town of Nipigon. Far from an aesthetic place the most redeeming feature was the snicker factor of the fact that I stayed in the very dodgy feeling Beaver Hotel.

Recap:
Distance - 190km (PB)
Location – Nipigon, Ontario
Accommodation – hotel
Beard status – Vote for Pedro
Song of the day – Beautiful Day – U2
Photo of the day – The Beaver Hotel