Day 43: Stormy prairies

The storms and floods in Manitoba and Saskatchewan are all over the Canadian news. Some puddles are so deep that you can just see the roofs of parked cars!

It didn't look quite as bad outside today. I got up after a great sleep (I gained another hour yesterday) and got myself ready to brave the outdoors. I had washed my clothes last night but it was still humid and they were wet this morning. Putting on wet socks is the worst! But they weren't going to get any drier once I got outside.

I rode 5km out of town with a tailwind before I reached the highway and headed west. The wind was coming from the north so I had a fierce sidewind, complete with horizontal rain to the right side of my face. At least it wasn't coming from the south, I would have had facefulls of road spray from the traffic too!

It was slow going and after 30km I was tired and hungry and in need of a toilet / tree. There was a town but it was 4km north of the highway - at least a half hour trip into the wind! So I carried on. I finally found an abandoned building to go for a pee behind but it was horrible stopping in the driving rain so I crammed some soggy trail mix into my mouth and kept cycling until I reached a roadside restaurant for a BLT and soup. And my second pint of chocolate milk today. 

The forecast had said the rain and wind would be less severe in the afternoon but that didn't happen. After lunch, the wind was coming more from the north west and it was absolutely savage. I was swerving around on the (thankfully wide) hard shoulder as the gusts came and went. It was so slow and hard work but every time I stopped for a rest, I almost got blown over so I soldiered on.

By the time I got into Moose Jaw after a 70km day, I was tired and fed up of being soaking wet. I checked into a travelodge and peeled soggy, dirty clothes off my pale, cold, wrinkly skin. I really hope the storm is over by the morning. 

Hitch hike

The wind wasn't doing 40kmh today as predicted. It was doing 60kmh with gusts of 80kmh. I woke up at 6am because the wind was howling in the window and the rain was hammering against the back of the curtains. I already knew I wouldn't be riding my 100km today.

So I Skyped Dave for a few hours, packed my stuff and didn't go out into the storm until the checkout time of 11am.

It was howling! The rain was horizontal, the trees were flailing and I could hear a few car alarms going off in the distance.

I starting riding towards the highway. I was doing 10kmh at first - not bad! Until I got out of the shelter of the buildings and into the farmlands... then the wind really hit me.

It took me two hours to ride the 15km to the highway with my head down, checking my mirror and pointlessly sticking my thumb out every time a car came past. I've never hitch-hiked before but I found it depressing. Empty pickups rolled by, stony-faced drivers ignoring my plight. I felt angry at them, which I know is silly - they don't owe me anything. 

So I got to the highway and stood with my bike resting against me and my thumb out, occasionally being almost blown over by a gust of wind. I had decided to wait an hour but after 10 minutes I was cold and decided 15 minutes would have to do. Zoom, zoom, zoom. Then... a couple pointing and talking... deciding... and pulling over! 

"Where are you heading?"
"Regina"
"Okay, get in."
Woo!

Lauren and Elaine are an Indian couple from Saskatchewan and they told stories, taught me about traditions and told me I should try and go to a Pow Wow whilst I'm in Saskatchewan and Alberta. We drove past another cyclist on the way and he looked like he was having a hell of a time. I hope another kind person stopped for him! Lauren and Elaine took me the 350km to Regina, dropped me off right at a motel door and sent me away with a pair of handmade earrings. It was lovely!

Tomorrow, the forecast is bad again, but not as bad. I might be able to make the 75km to Moose Jaw. On Tuesday, things are looking up! I can't wait for some sunshine.

Day 42: Rainy prairies

I packed up then headed to the town hall for the community pancake breakfast before I hit the road. It was overcast, misty and humid with not a hint of a breeze. My pace was good and as the breeze came this afternoon, it helped me along and I did 20-30kmh all day.

It started raining around lunchtime and in the absence of traffic to worry about, I put my music on and pedalled along, singing at the top of my lungs, enjoying myslef in the downpour. A couple in a pickup pulled over and offered me a lift but I was having fun so I declined but thanked them for the offer. There have been days when I would have had my bike in the back faster than he could say 'do you want a ride?'.

So I was in Brandon not long after lunch, having clocked 95km. I wanted to go a bit further but desperately needed to do laundry and didn't want to risk another unserviced village campsite and yet another day of picking the least gross t-shirt out of my laundry bag, so I checked into a cheap motel and sorted my stuff out. The only problem now is that I can't go for dinner because my clothes are all wet except my pyjamas.

The forecast for the next few days is rain with a 40kmh headwind. Gulp.

Day 41: Prairies

Someone moved into my dorm room in the middle of the night. This morning me and Zoe had a chat and breakfasted together before we set off on our ways. She's going to work on a ranch in BC this summer guiding horse riding tours!

I loaded up my bike and wobbled off down the road. It's been a while since I rode it with all the luggage! But after 20km things were back to normal, complete with all the old aches and pains. 

It took a while to get out of the city and onto the relatively less busy two-lane highway but there was a wide shoulder all day so I only had to worry about the farm traffic that was sharing the shoulder with me. One tractor that I pulled over for and one monster of a machine that could have driven straight over the top of me and I wouldn't even have to duck! Thankfully he drove around though. 

I'm sorry to say that the landscape was boring. Not as flat as I was expecting of the prairies, but pretty flat. And just fields everywhere with woodland in the distance. Nowhere to stop but the hard shoulder and no trees to go behind for a pee.

Between the road and the fields, there's a 10 meter strip of uncultivated land. There are grasses and reeds all shades of green and rusty brown; wildflowers in white and yellow; birds, frogs, groundhogs, chipmunks and musk rats. The wind plays in the grass, bringing out its colours. Behind that 10 meter strip of relative wilderness, fields of monoculture. I imagine the natural prairies were beautiful.

Lots of trains went past today and I have finally seen them stretched out unobscured by trees, corners or hills. They can be 100+ carriages long, stacked two sea containers high! And blasting their horns all the way.

I stopped for lunch at Portage la Prairie then continued to MacGregor, totalling 125km. I had a tailwind all day, which was glorious and it was overcast but still 26 degrees and insanely humid. I'm dreading the day I have to ride into a headwind in the baking sun with no beautiful views to distract me!

After pitching my tent, I went for a beer and cooked my dinner then got pretty bored lying in my tent in the muggy humid heat listening to the angry, dysfunctional family in the trailer a few pitches down. A few bouts of thunder and a bit of rain but it hasn't cleared the air and even at 9pm it's still 26 degrees. Maybe a storm is on its way.

Getting ready

I'm struggling to get back into the swing of things. After spending two weeks out in the bush with Dave and living with his family, it's strange to be on my own in the city. I feel out of place in my outdoors clothes around all the clean people. And the city sights are getting me down - it's grimy and busy and there are lots of desperate looking people and homeless people.

I moped around a bit yesterday, doing a few chores and not getting all of them finished. Then I went to the cinema in what surely must have been the dodgiest part of any town anywhere, and came back to the hostel to find the owner Bill and his friend Stu drinking in the lounge. So we all stayed up until late chatting and drinking wine from a box.

This morning, Stu took me for pancakes. That cheered me up and I went back to the hostel to skype Dave and then my family.

I finally got all my chores done that were possible to get done in Winnipeg. I can't say I'm excited about getting back to the ride, but I will be glad to get out of town.

I only have 27 days to make it to Vancouver before Dave arrives (woohoo), so I'd better hope that my new saddle is comfy and my legs are rested. And a tailwind would be useful, but maybe that's asking too much! 

Winnipeg

This morning, Dave had to drive to Winnipeg for a survival instructor TV appearance and I wanted a ride to Winnipeg so we came into town. The filming was to be done in a provincial park on the outskirts of town and when we got there at 7am they were already set up.

There was a media van with a huge aerial, a camera and two camping chairs by a campfire. The crew said all they were missing was a tent, so I set up my tent and heard them filming the introduction with me in the background.

Then they needed to film an 8 second segment with no sound and asked me to lie in the tent then get out and stand by the campfire with the TV lady and Dave. So I did as I was told, only to find out afterwards that everything they filmed was streaming live onto the breakfast news, even the bit where I was setting up my tent in the background (hopefully not with my builder's bum hanging out!).

So Dave did a demo of how to make fire and gave some survival tips and that was that. Was I just on Canadian breakfast news?

Dave gave me a ride to a hostel in town and we said our goodbyes. It has been an amazing two weeks! I wanted to see wilderness and Dave showed it to me and made me feel safe out there, even when I was on my own. On my ride here, I'd heard that Manitoba was flat and boring but I have learned that is only half true (it is pretty damn flat). There's beauty everywhere if you go looking for it and you don't have to look very hard around the shore of a Manitoban lake.

Survival 4: Coming back

On Tuesday we had to pack up to leave. I didn't want to go. I got out the tent and went for a last swim in the lake before packing up.

We loaded the canoe and paddled across the lake and back down the calm river. It was still beautiful. When you're on the water, all you can see is an expanse of sparkling blue, a strip of lush green and then that sky stretching out over the world. There's nothing like the sky out there. You can see weather patterns for miles! You can see the underneath of the clouds above you, the sides of the clouds further away and it seems like the clouds in the distance are disappearing around the curve of the earth. 

Once we got back onto Wallace Lake, we could see the cabins in the distance. Back to civilisation. I didn't want to go. I'd rather stay on the island, even if it meant being hungry for a while longer. We'd lived for 4 days on trail mix, pepperoni, porridge and a few fish but I didn't care, it was a small price to pay for wilderness.

I was quiet on the drive back. Then we picked up Dave's kids and went to a Chinese restaurant and I ate as much chicken and rice as in could fit into my tummy. Well, no sense going hungry when there's Chinese to be had.

Survival 3: Solo attempt

It was so hot on Monday morning we were sweating just sitting having breakfast! I thought I'd have a hell of a time working in the heat, but at least the sun keeps the bugs away a bit.

I packed up and we headed to shore where Dave dropped me off. I put out a signal (an emergency blanket on a tree like a flag by the shore) then found a nice pine tree to put my shelter around. I cut down a decent sized trembling aspen and a small spruce for poles then put up the tarp over them. It took around two hours for me to build the shelter and it turned out to be pretty nice. It was small to keep the heat in - just enough room for me and my rucksack - it was waterproof and it had a roll down door in case of a storm. My mattress of spruce branches was so comfy that I almost fell asleep testing it out. And from the bed, I had a view over the lake and the sky to look for planes and boats.

I had a twig bundle and birch bark ready as a fire starter and a big pile of firewood collected. The wind was starting to pick up and I was glad of the breeze but I could see dark clouds in the distance. 

I found a good tree to use as a smoke generator - a 6ft spruce near the shore. I made a pile of spruce branches and started collecting kindling when I heard thunder to the east. I put my kit inside my shelter and carried on. Then I heard thunder to the west. I should have got my rain gear out but I didn't. 

It started raining a bit and Dave paddled over. He was worried that we'd be separated if the wind picked up because he wouldn't be able to paddle across.

It started pouring. Bow got in my spruce bed.

Dave wanted to go back to the tent and I should go too, the wind was getting stronger. I packed everything up and we paddled across in the downpour. I was starting to shiver. 

We got dried and sat out the storm in the tent. I was curled up in my sleeping bag trying to warm up, despite having been way too hot at 8am that morning! 

So I didn't get to (I should say didn't have to) sleep in my shelter getting munched by mozzies. But I learned that I have the skills I need to make shelter, fire, signals and fresh water. I'll save having to endure the bugs for a real survival situation.

It was windy that afternoon so I'm glad Dave came to get me when he did - I'm sure I would have survived the night but being separated by the weather would have made me nervous. We fished in the bay in the wind instead and I caught a perch that Bow stole and a walleye that we fried up and ate. I collected a salad of rose flowers, bunch berry flowers, dandilion leaves, fireweed and plantain leaves and we topped it with pepperoni bits fried in bacon greese. One fish is no feast for two people but we went to bed happy anyway.

I didn't take any photos because it was hammering it down but trust me that my little shelter was awesome.

Survival 2: Fishing

On Sunday we woke to fog and still air. The mosquitos were buzzing outside the tent and we got out reluctantly in our bug suits. But the sun burned through the mist and kept the bugs to a tolerable level by the time we ate breakfast. 

After porridge and the rest of the bacon, we headed out fishing in the canoe. It was hot on the water in the sun but occasionally fluffy white clouds would provide some shade. We paddled around the lake for a bit, landing on a few islands for a wander or to collect tiny wild strawberries bursting with flavour. Then we got out the fishing rod and Dave put on the motor. 

On the way back from the far side of the lake I caught my first fish - a pike! He was beautiful. "Do you want to eat him?" asks Dave. Hell yes! So mr pike got a knock on the head and flopped in the bottom of the boat. Poor Bow was scared and curled up against my back for a hug.

A little while later I caught a walleye and we took them back to cook them. Dave showed me how to descale and gut the pike and fillet the walleye, then we fried them up in the bacon greese we'd saved from the morning. Bloody delicious. 

It was warm so we went for a swim before heading out for more fishing but didn't find anything else. 

By then it was too late for me to build my shelter, so we went to sleep ready to go out the next morning. 

Survival 1: Heading out

On Saturday morning we finished packing up, loaded the truck with all the gear, the canoe and Bow the dog, and set off north. The drive took a few hours down a dirt road, through the mining town of Bisset for a last proper meal and into South Atikaki Park Reserve. We parked by Wallace Lake and loaded the canoe a the dock. 

It was well into the afternoon by the time we were out on the water but Dave had a motor so we zipped across the choppy waters of Wallace Lake, passing a few boats and cabins on the way. Then we came out into a small meandering river and headed upstream towards the next lake. It was calm and there was nobody else to be seen! We puttered past reeds, grasses, forests and wetlands. There were beaver lodges every few hundred meters and we saw beaver and musk rat as well as a smelly moose carcass. We stopped along the river for a wander amongst beautiful wildflowers, lichens, shrubs and trees. The ever present expanse of sky was a beautiful turmoil of blue, white and grey. We could hear thunder. 

We came out the river into Siderock Lake and it started to rain, so we made for a big island and set up camp. 

It rained for a bit then calmed down so we sorted our kit, cooked bacon and ate in the tent when the rain came back. We sewed up the holes in the tent's mosquito mesh then the rain stopped so we went for a swim. It was so beautiful I didn't want to get out.

As evening came, the breeze died down and the sky was gorgeous. Huge clouds were forming to the east, billowing into giants and blowing away to rain in the distance. We could see two ends of a huge rainbow, the rest of it swallowed in the cloud. To the west, thunder and dark sky.

We laid in the tent watching the sky darken as rain, thunder and night came, lit by flashes of lightning. The only sounds were chirping crickets, lapping waves and thunder. What an island! I wanted to stay awake all night and watch the world but I think I fell asleep around midnight.

Preparation

Today I have been packing and sleeping and preparing for tomorrow, because tomorrow we're heading out into a remote area for 4 days so that I can do my solo survival. We're driving as far as we can then canoeing and walking until we get to the lake that Dave has picked out.

We spend a day together practicing final skills like fishing before I'm left on my own and Dave heads a few hundred meters away along the lakeshore. Then I have to keep a fire going, find and purify water, make a shelter, build a smoke generator and look for food. I'm only allowed to take 1200 calories of emergency rations for the whole time, so I hope I catch something! 

Obviously there won't be any wifi, so I will update you when I get back. Here goes...!

Smoked rabbit

This morning we went out to learn snares and signals. I set a few practice rabbit and squirrel snares and we made a fire to cook a rabbit that Dave had caught in the spring and kept in the freezer. We boiled the back legs and roasted the rest. It was actually delicious, but then again we cheated and ate it in wraps with feta cheese!

We also built a smoke generator. Find a small spruce tree in a clearing or cut four thin ones and lean them against each other. Then pack them with loads and loads and loads of twig bundles and birch bark. Then cut down around 45 small spruce trees and cut off the branches to lay all over the flammable tower. The branches will keep the material in the middle dry and insulate the fire when it's lit. Finally, make a spruce branch hat for the tower - this will be removed to release the smoke once the fire gets going.

Once it was built, I lit a twig bundle on our cooking fire and put it into the base of the smoke generator. It took straight away and once it got burning, Dave took the hat off to release a huge plume of smoke - an excellent signal for search planes.

In these pictures, the hat is back on to try and make it smoke for longer - we only used 8 spruce trees, not 45 as it was just a practice! For reference, the top of the hat is just over 7ft off the ground.

Sleeping out

Last night we went out on the quad into the woods to set up my shelter. We cut down 8 small spruce trees, took the branches off and used the poles to make the frame of the lean-to. Then we put the tarp over the poles and used the branches to make a mattress. Once the shelter was up, I started a fire, set out my sleeping bag and Dave left me in the woods as the sun went down.

I tended to my fire for a bit before crawling into my sleeping bag.  The mosquitos were insane. I was wearing cotton trousers, a long sleeved t-shirt, my bug jacket, gloves and a baseball cap (to keep the bug net off my face). And I was inside my sleeping bag and waterproof bivvy. It was absolutely boiling! I lay there for a while before kicking my sleeping bag into the bottom of the bivvy and taking off my gloves. The mosquitos were biting my face where the net was touching my skin and the ones that got inside my bag were biting my hands and shoulders. And I could feel ticks crawling down one arm and on my tummy.

Needless to say I didn't sleep much. I eventually managed to reach the ticks to get them off and occasionally got myself into a position where the bugs couldn't get me but then I'd fall asleep and move and wake up with new sore, itchy spots. 

The bloodsuckers aside, it was a beautiful evening. There were fireflies dancing in the trees, some in clusters so bright I could have sworn someone was driving into the woods. The crickets were chirping until the night reached its darkest, then the forest was quiet except for occasional bird hoots in the trees and the constant whining of the mosquitos around my face.

Sometimes there was the sound of movement in the undergrowth and my heart beat faster and I could feel little surges of adrenaline rushing through my body. I kept a torch, the radio and a club by my head for safety and tried not to think about the wolf that had been seen near the house earlier that day. 

Around 2am the moon hung bright in the sky between the trees and a few hours later I fell asleep as dawn crept over the forest.

I woke up still hot and with my face and hands bitten and itchy and lay there watching the mosquitos dance for half an hour before getting up to make another fire. Then Dave came to collect me and after a sweaty walk back, I took my time in the shower, pulled out two more ticks and gobbled down a huge breakfast before falling asleep on the sofa for 2 hours!

When I got up we did GPS navigation, which I hadn't done before. Then we went for a walk around some rapids and the ruins of a 1900s dam in the glorious evening sunshine, pointing out edible plants, frogs, terrapins and wildflowers and enjoying the bug-busting breeze.

By now, the bites I got last night have gone red and hot and raised up, so I look like I have deseased hands and acne on my face. I will have to come up with a better plan of action for my 3 night survival next week!

Navigation

This morning we talked about maps. Canadian maps are different to OS maps. Not just because there are different symbols but also because the landscape and manmade features are different. There are hardly any contour lines here because the land is so flat, the roads all run in straight lines and there are very few houses.

We went out to practice pacing and bearings and I walked 2km in a square (500m along each side) without a map, ending up around 100m off course, which wasn't bad considering I'd been walking through thick undergrowth and deep bogs!

This afternoon the sun came out and we went out on the quad to look for somewhere to sleep out tonight. Unfortunately for us, the beavers have been busy and the trails were pretty flooded so we turned back.

We're going to make a shelter tonight that I'm going to sleep in whilst Dave pitches his tent nearby.

Predator safety

Today we headed out in the truck down a dirt road through the woods to a clearing that was used for gravel extraction. Dave told me which predators Canada has and how and why they might be aggressive. We talked about flares, bear spray and bear bangers then tried them out. Then we set up a table and chairs and put tin cans on a sand embankment to shoot at.

First I shot a .22 rifle and got to be pretty good at aiming, pinging Guinness cans all over the place. Then I tried a few other guns, including a big pump action shotgun that blasted itself painfully into my shoulder - two shots of that were quite enough! But it was fun trying out the different weapons.

In the afternoon we came back to the house to switch gear over then headed to Winnipeg on an errand. On the way, we pulled into a pizza place and Dave locked his keys in the truck. Doh! The window was open a tiny bit and after a variety of failed rescue attempts, we managed to use snare wire from the survival kit to open the window by hooking it over the window handle. So that survival stuff does come in handy!

Then we ate a ton of pizza, met Trevor to take him his kit and then started the long drive back. The sky was beautiful today. You see a lot of sky here because the land is so flat. It seems like you could drive a mile down the road and reach up to touch the clouds, they seem so close! In the morning, the sky had been so many shades of grey you couldn't even count. The sun peeped out in the late morning and patches of blue emerged as the billowing grey coat frayed into wisps and puffs of white on a background of the clearest blue. By evening, the clouds were vanishing into long strips on the horizon and the setting sun turned the sky from blue to orange and pink and lilac. Then the night came, and the land became shadow. The expanse of sky was deep orange and purple, colours blending seamlessly; their beauty reflected in the still floodwater.

So now I'm back and it's late. Tomorrow, navigation and shelter building. Oh, and clearly the pictures I took don't do the landscape justice, but here's a sunset from the car window for you...

Survival: Practice

Today we went out into the bush and worked on putting the survival pattern theory into practice. It was damp and boggy and hard work just to walk through. We found a clearing, collected firewood and tinder, put up a signal so the search plane would find us, then made a fire and boiled some water whilst looking for a suitable place to make a shelter. 

I was exhausted and starving hungry when we got back at lunchtime, it's a bit different from cycling! 

After lunch and a nap we practiced different methods of making fire and then went for a wander past a dam to a quarry.

It was nice to be outside despite the rain and the mosquitos. My bug suit works pretty well so I've only got slightly bitten hands.

Survival: Theory

Today was the first day of my wilderness survival course and it was the theory section. We talked about equipment and what you need to do to call for help and stay safe and comfortable whilst you're awaiting rescue.

Dave MacDonald is teaching me at his house. He's served in the Canadian military and worked for search and rescue before teaching survival school. He lives in the countryside 20km from the town with his wife Jo and their two boys as well as three dogs and a few cats. The boreal forest is right on their doorstep and we're going navigating in it tomorrow. Woohoo! I've been getting cabin fever spending all day indoors.

Day 40: Solo once more

The mosquitos greeted us over breakfast and we sweated into our rain gear to avoid bites. Then we rode 2km to the border and another 2km to a shop on West Hawk Lake to fill our water bottles. We were off the highway then - glorious! There was almost no wind at all and the hills were short, gentle ups and downs so we made brilliant progress. 

After 30km, there was a sign for a picnic bench and we were starting to get hungry. I pulled in, the others behind me, but no sooner had I slowed down than I was swarmed by mosquitos! In the minute I spent walking in fast circles then pushing my bike back to the road I think I doubled the number of bites on my body. Don't think I'm hungry any more, let's hit the road! 

We passed a British couple on a tandem recumbent bike and stopped for a chat - one from Edinburgh, one from Newcastle. It was nice to hear familiar voices but after a few minutes the bugs drove us apart.

We rode another 20km before our bellies started complaining and we had to stop. We found a slightly breezy section of road, propped our bikes against each other and stood on the gravel verge to made and eat our wraps with only a few midges for company.

Then we breezed through another 20km before we had to part ways. It's been amazing having Simon and Bettina as riding buddies. They've introduced me to stealth camping, showed me new things to eat on the road and made me a faster, stronger rider. It felt natural to have company and I think we were a good gang. But it felt fine to ride away from them, too. We said our goodbyes and I rode into the flat farmlands where we'd emerged from the forest, content on my solo ride once more.

The last 55km only took me two hours, so I was done by 3pm and arrived in Lac du Bonnet having clocked an easy 120km today.

I'm waiting in town to be picked up by Dave MacDonald, who is going to be the instructor on my Wilderness Survival Course for the next 7 days. I'm excited about learning some new skills, having time away from the ride and seeing some wilderness close up! What I'm not excited about is sleeping out with the bugs. I hope Dave has some tricks up his sleeve that will help me survive being bitten by billions of mosquitos, midges and no-see-ums!

Day 39: Manitoba

We ate and slept well last night and didn't get up until 9am. After a breakfast of pancakes and eggs, we headed into Kenora to get supplies.

A cold wind was blowing with the promise of a storm so we ate lunch in town and wrapped up warm, ready for the 65km ride to the Manitoba border. Tonght we're going to camp at a closed down picnic site. I'm assuming there won't be any wifi, so I will update tomorrow night...

[Cont.]

The wind was pretty wild as we rode out of town, particularly on the bridge, where the side winds blew us alternately into the railings then the traffic. But the wind brought blue skies and fluffy white clouds insread of rain and the ride was beautiful! The rolling hills showed us views of the sky, the forest and the roadside rocks that have been blasted apart during the construction of the highway. We saw deer in the woods and butterflies and dragonflies flitting alongside us.

We only had 50km to do all day so stopped for ice cream along the way and took our time, arriving at the picnic site around 7pm. The visitor centre was closed as promised but the toilet blocks open and picnic benches and bins in place. There was already an RV set up for the night so we set up to cook dinner and camp. Then the wind dropped and the mosquitos came out. Thousands of them! We put on our rain gear and bug spray and ate dinner in the swarm but suffered relatively few bites. When the sun went down, there were even more of them and we pitched our tents and got in early to escape.

And so we spent the warm, humid night only 2km from Manitoba, happily bug-free in our tents until the morning.

Photo from Thunder Bay

Frank sent me this one of us leaving Thunder Bay in the rain

Day 38: Half way (ish)

We were late to bed by the time we'd washed, shopped, done laundry and eaten. I was totally worn out and looking forward to a good night's sleep. But a heavy rain storm kept me awake for part of the night and I woke to my alarm at 6.50am feeling less than enthusiastic about the day ahead.

Today's destination was to be Penny's house in Kenora, 140km away. When we set off, I was grumpy and the day's ride felt like a means to an end. I struggled to keep up with Bettina and all I could think about was how tired I was and how far we had to go.

After 40km we stopped for a snack - the food, the rest and the chat cheered me up. When we set off again, I was enjoying myself and drafted behind Bettina until lunch. Our lunch stop was plagued with midges! I ate my wraps whilst walking in circles and Simon sat with his buff over his face, refusing to eat anything in those conditions. He packed up and left, saying we could meet at the next picnic bench.

The next picnic bench had a lovely lake, awesomely ominous clouds and a lovely cool breeze to keep the bugs at bay! I lay down on a rock by the water for a nap.

We set off again with me at the front until I felt the strength leave my legs 18km from town and Simon took over. It was a long day but we made it!

Penny welcomed us with her two Irish wolf houds, a warm shower and dinner and a bug-free environment in which to enjoy them. 

I have ridden around 3,300km and am around half way through my trip. Hooray! Tomorrow, we ride to the Ontario / Manitoba border.

Day 37: Plague

Last night, we found a lovely spot on a beach by a lake just out of town and set up our tents as the sun was setting. The moonlight shone on the lake, a loon let out a mournful cry and we dived in our tents to escape the clouds of mosquitos. 

We woke early to a sunny morning and a nice cool wind keeping the mosquitos away. The sun shone all day, steadily warming the air to 32 degrees! And the wind tried to keep us cool and slow our progress.

Several cyclists crossed our path today. A Dad and his two daughters riding with a support vehicle. And a couple staying at the same site as us tonight, all heading east.

We stopped at every picnic bench we came across today in a bid to mend our tired legs. We've been riding pretty fast as a team and even though we take turns at the front, the pace is starting to take its toll. But we got to see a lovely waterfall and some sparkling blue lakes, teeming with dragonflies!

At our last stop, a caterpillar fell onto the table from a tree. Then another crawled up from the ground. Then another, then another. They're everywhere! The road was covered, the trees were covered, the forest floor was crawling! Our bikes were full of caterpillars and they were falling from the trees onto our heads. We rode away thinking we were leaving them behind...

Along the road, they were still everywhere. And at our campsite, it's much the same. Apparently the population booms every seven years or so and we came at just the right time! Just when you think you've had all the bugs a country can throw at you - mosquitos, midges, no-see-ums, horse flies - another pops up! At least the caterpillars don't bite I guess.

Day 37: Plague

Last night, we found a lovely spot on a beach by a lake just out of town and set up our tents as the sun was setting. The moonlight shone on the lake, a loon let out a mournful cry and we dived in our tents to escape the clouds of mosquitos. 

We woke early to a sunny morning and a nice cool wind keeping the mosquitos away. The sun shone all day, steadily warming the air to 32 degrees! And the wind tried to keep us cool and slow our progress.

Several cyclists crossed our path today. A Dad and his two daughters riding with a support vehicle. And a couple staying at the same site as us tonight, all heading east.

We stopped at every picnic bench we came across today in a bid to mend our tired legs. We've been riding pretty fast as a team and even though we take turns at the front, the pace is starting to take its toll. But we got to see a lovely waterfall and some sparkling blue lakes, teeming with dragonflies!

At our last stop, a caterpillar fell onto the table from a tree. Then another crawled up from the ground. Then another, then another. They're everywhere! The road was covered, the trees were covered, the forest floor was crawling! Our bikes were full of caterpillars and they were falling from the trees onto our heads. We rode away thinking we were leaving them behind...

Along the road, they were still everywhere. And at our campsite, it's much the same. Apparently the population booms every seven years or so and we came at just the right time! Just when you think you've had all the bugs a country can throw at you - mosquitos, midges, no-see-ums, horse flies - another pops up! At least the caterpillars don't bite I guess.

Day 36: Rain and shine

We packed up our wet tents in a swarm of mosquitoes, went to the cafe for a big breakfast then to the shop to stock up on lunch foods. The first 40km passed quickly and we stopped for a break on some roadside rocks, overlooking the vast expanse of forest. The sky darkened and specks of rain began to fall. We put on our rain gear and pedalled on as the specks turned to drops and the drops came down in their billions!

We pulled in at a covered picnic bench for lunch, shivering as the temperature dropped under the clouds. After sandwiches, we made tea and hot chocolate in a bid to stay warm as we waited out the rain. We had to wait a while but eventually it cleared and we set off again.

After half an hour the rain was back and we rode with the rain soaking our heads and torsos and the road water soaking our feet and legs. Those of us in the back also got facefulls of gritty road water from the back wheel in front of us, which was less than delicious. 

Then, blue sky ahead! The clouds were behind us and the sun came out, warming the world from 10 degrees to 25 degrees in half an hour. We pulled in at a viewpoint to dry off in the sun and decide where to spend the night. 

After a big shop in Ignace, we're heading just out of town to cook and camp. We bought meat and vegetables and salad - I'm so excited about the prospect of a proper meal! The only time I usually get enough veggies is staying with warmshowers hosts.

Day 35: Upsala

After a good sleep, we woke to a frosty, dewy world and the mist rolling over the fields. Happily it was too cold for the biting insects and we breakfasted in peace before setting off in the cold but sunny morning.

We rode a third of the way before stopping for a snack. We were making good time until we had two setbacks in quick succession. First, Simon's chain broke. We put the new one on and were back on the road. Then, we saw another cyclist heading the other way! We waved and pulled over, waiting for him to cross the road to join us. The highway was busy today and he didn't look properly before pulling out. One truck swerved to avoid him and another had to slam on the brakes! 

The trucker who had to stop pulled over and we told the guy to go and apologise. Next thing we hear the trucker (quite rightly) laying into the guy "you think it's funny? It ain't fuckin funny. I nearly hit you AND those three! And now my load is all fucked up because I slammed on the brakes." So we didn't have much chat with the guy. He was wearing flipflops, had his helmet clipped to his trousers and was badly sunburned. Can't believe he made it this far alive! After a short lecture on safety, we carried on, with a bad feeling about the whole thing.

After that, things improved! We passed the watershed from which point North all water flows into the Arctic ocean. And we crossed the next timezone! Then we rode a long flat straight with Bettina powering away in the lead at 22kmh into the headwind! That woman is a machine, I could barely keep up and I was drafting. So we arrived in the town of Upsala in the afternoon sun and found a campsite and restaurant - ahhhh, shower and a real meal!

Day 34: Stealth camp

We had a great time last night, sitting around a bonfire in a garden with people playing guitar, harmonica, mandolin and drums. We heard improvised blues and folk songs and even a poetry recital, it was a beautiful evening.

We got to bed around 1.30am and woke up with fuzzy heads to prepare for our ride.

Tonight, I'm stealth camping with Simon and Bettina, their usual sleeping arrangement. I've been too scared to do it on my own but it should be fun together. Just hope the forecast for rain is wrong...

So no wifi tonight, but I will update today's post when I can.

[Cont.]

The rain came down steadily all morning and we were tired so we took our time over breakfast and got on the road just after 11am. We rode in the rain to Kakabeka Falls for lunch. The falls were an awesome display of raw power, the torrent of coffee coloured water pouring over the edge into a cloud of mist below. 

By the time we left, the rain had cleared and it was well into the afternoon. We were struggling with the hills, having not slept very long the night before so with 50km under our belts, we knocked on a farmhouse door to ask if we could camp on their land. "Yes of course, another cyclist stayed last night actually." And we went over the road to pitch our tents on a fallow field by a grove of trees.

Unfortunately last night's camper had left not just a patch of flattened grass, but also a neatly tied up bag of rubbish and a few piles of toilet paper on top of the unmentionable piles of 'toilet'. I guess some people are complete fuckwits.

We cleared away his mess, set up camp, had an early dinner and a nap in the afternoon sun. Glorious! It was a beautiful evening and too hot in the tents even at 9pm!

Day 33: Solo no more

I had 115km to ride today and the forecast was for a headwinds and rain. I had been hoping to have a day off in Thunder Bay to rest my eternally achy body, but that hope was exchanged for another when I finally got in touch with Simon.

Several warmshowers hosts had told me about Simon, a young Swiss bloke, also riding alone and going the same way as me. Then the guest book at Veloution had an entry from him with a link to his blog, so I sent a message. I left Sault Ste Marie two days behind him, but after my epic 145km day, I was only a day behind. He met with Bettina, another solo rider and they rode together. We decided to all meet in Thunder Bay after they'd had a day off there.

Now that I think about it, my feelings of loneliness and the need to hurry along probably came from knowing that companionship was always just 100km down the road - so close and yet so far!

So the thought of a long day today with no day off was bad, but I was excited about meeting the pair and riding with them.

I set off in the partial sunshine with what appeared to be a tailwind... nice. I bumped into 4 other cyclists coming east over the course of the morning. One of them is cycling around the world and has done 13,000km so far!

It was a nice morning - I'd done 50km by 11.30 and was feeling pretty good about my progress. But I knew I'd get into town tired and too late to do chores I'd been saving for the city stop. I was having a waffle in a side road, contemplating my situation when a guy in a pickup truck stopped for a chat. He was heading for Thunder Bay.

"If I asked you for a ride to Thunder Bay, would you give me one?"
"Yeah sure."
I bit my lip, thinking. I'm enjoying the ride but if I get a lift, I get the afternoon off AND I get to ride with Simon and Bettina tomorrow...
"Can I have a ride to Thunder Bay please?"

Greg is a trucker who likes hunting, fishing and sleeping in the backcountry. We had a nice chat and he dropped me on the outskirts of town after covering 50km in 20 minutes.

I rode into town, got my bike serviced and bought things I'd run out of. Then this afternoon I finally met Simon and Bettina! We rode together to Frank and Marcie's house, our warmshowers hosts for the night. After a delicious dinner and a beer, we're heading out for a night of live music - woop!

Day 32: 90k meditation

I have had some unfamiliar feelings creep up on me the past few days. I think one of them is loneliness. Another is the feeling like the ride is something to get finished, rather than a fun thing to do. And the worst is a creeping insecurity that I can't quite place but I think was caused by the Austrian shopkeeper. 

Most people when they hear I'm doing this trip alone tell me that I'm brave or courageous or whatever, especially because I'm a girl. I resent being given extra credit for being a woman so I usually shrug off such comments by saying that being a woman travelling alone just means that people are extra nice to me, which is true. 

The Austrian shopkeeper however, said that I was brave (in a tone that meant he actually thought I was stupid), then added "there's a lot of bad people out there, you better watch out, I'm tellin ya, a lot of bad people. They find women in them roadside ditches, abused and murdered. I hope you know martial arts or somethin! I wouldn't let my daughter do a trip like that alone. You watch out."

All morning I angrily stewed over his pointless scaremongering. What am I going to do, sit at home all day and dream about going on adventures? You can't live in constant fear of what might happen. I might get hit by a truck, I might hit a pothole at 60kmh and break my arms, I might get murdered, I might get mauled by a bear. But if I don't go on adventures, I will most definitely regret it and might get murdered or hit by a truck anyway!

So I wasn't in a good mood when I was getting ready to go out. But the air was cool, the sun hot and the breeze blowing in the right direction for me - perfect! The hills were ridiculous today and loads of fun. I'd do 3km of uphill, the sun baking my back, the sweat dripping down my face, the flies swarming around my head and a calmness settling over me. Then I'd spend 10 minutes zooming all the way down again, feeling like I was stood in front of an air conditioner on full blast.

The views were incredible! I'd get to the top of a hill and there would be nothing but forested hills in every direction, punctuated by rives and lakes. I've never seen so many trees! And I've never cycled so fast! I was done by 2.30pm.

The hills, the views and the nice people of the day calmed my nerves and after 90km I found a lovely B&B in Nipigon, which is a pretty town and sweet relief after last night's stopover. I'm going to head to the marina for some dinner.

Day 31: That's better

I often complain about the weather - too sunny, too hot, too cold, too rainy. Well today was a goldilocks day! A cool breeze and a warm sun behind a thin veil of cloud. And I had a mix of headwinds and tailwinds, which I can't really complain about.

The views were beautiful today - I could actually see the lake and the mountains instead of jut the rain! I saw a huge lady moose stood in the trees by the road watching me ride by. And a curious musk rat sat on a rock sniffing the air at me instead of scurrying into his burrow.

The calm of the day has allowed my brain cogs to turn and I have been wondering about the world around me. It doesn't look like Lake Superior is tidal, but how can it not be? What is that weird bird that looks like a heron mixed with a rhea? What are the strange black bits in some of the trees? And what is that song I have stuck in my head that I only know a tiny bit of?

Google assures me that Lake Superior is not tidal. I still don't know why. But it does have a phenomenon called "seiche" (a French word that means "to sway back and forth") that can cause water level to rise or fall by as much as a foot. This happens when water piles up on one side of the lake because of wind or high barometric pressure and then shifts back to the other side.

The bird was an egret with its head feathers fluffed out.

The black things in the trees are caused by black knot fungus, which infects trees and kills them.

The song is John Mayer's "Gravity", since all those hills were trying to halt my progress.

So there we go. Another 100km bite the dust and I'm spending the night in the crappy little run-down town of Schreiber. But I did get to chat some German with an Austrian shopkeeper.

Day 30: Test of mettle

After 3 days of tailwinds, there was a change in the wind and it blew from the west with a vengeance. It was cold, hard work, the rain was blowing in my face and the wind was holding me back. It was worst around the lakes, where the wind could pick up over the water.

After just 38km I stopped at a restaurant for lunch and sat there shivering until a giant plate of steaming spaghetti meatballs arrived.

Then back out into the miserable weather. The spots of drizzle pierced my face and eyes like tiny needles. The endless stream of trucks zoomed past, whipping up storms of road water and grit. Trucks going in my direction gave me a few seconds of tailwind. Trucks going the other way gave me a galeforce headwind.

I don't think I enjoyed any part of the ride today. I kept telling myself 'just another 7km and you're halfway there', then 'just another 15km and you're two thirds of the way there', and so on. Every kilometre was a test of mental strength. Do I give up and try to hitch a lift? I fantasised all afternoon about getting in a warm pickup truck and being driven the rest of the way, telling myself it wouldn't be cheating because my hands, feet and face were numb, my thighs and knees were sore and the thought of another 100m was torture, let alone another 40km.

But I never stuck my thumb out. I don't think it was a matter of pride or a fear of cheating that stopped me, but the fear of rejection. If you feel like there's another way out - like you have a choice - then the pain is bearable. If you try to use that way out and then find it isn't an option, the pain might not be bearable any more.

After a very long stretch of straight flat road that took me nearly two hours, I was feeling my lowest. Then I saw two cyclists coming the other way! I stopped to chat and they cheered me up. I felt warmer and more able to tackle the last few hills after that. 

Two more hills and a diversion later I had clocked 96km and arrived in Marathon to knock on Annique and Jeanluc's front door. After a shower, dinner and cider, I'm almost back to normal, although pretty exhausted. Thankfully the forecast is for some sun tomorrow! 

Day 29: Moose madness

When I set off this morning, the air was still and thick with moisture. The trees were silent and the birdsong was muffled by the mist. Graceful little black and white ducks made delicate waves in the still water. When cars, vans and trucks thundered past, their tyres were noisy on the wet road and they sucked up micro storms in their wake, assaulting my senses and offending the silence of the forest.

The visibility wasn't great and I had to watch closely for traffic. At one point, a truck was approaching ahead and a U-Haul truck from behind. Those U-Haul trucks are the worst. I positioned myself inside the white line so that he would see there wasn't room to pass and slow down. But he didn't slow down. At the last second, I hugged the tiny sliver of hard shoulder and held my breath as he squealed past my ears - and blasted his horn, in case I hadn't noticed he was there. I used my first rude hand gesture since the start of my trip. 

I rode in a bad mood for a while then saw a truck in my mirror and a car ahead. Ugh. But then came the hiss and grunt of a slowing truck! He crawled along behind me until the car passed and I gave him a cheery thumbs up and a wave. Ahh, balance is restored, along with my faith in humanity.

On one quiet stretch of road, I saw the biggest moose I've seen yet. He was perfectly still as I passed, glistening wet black coat, antlers already an impressive size, growing in for the autumn mating season.

When I was half way done for the day, it started to rain pretty hard. I pulled in at a motel shop and ate my sandwiches inside whilst chatting to the friendly proprietor. Then I steeled myself for a wet afternoon and headed back out.

All afternoon, all I could feel, see, hear, smell and taste was the rain. I alternated between feeling tired of the wet and the traffic, and laughing to myself at the insanity of it all. Haha, what am I doing?! And is this what it feels like to go mad? I'm sure a sane person wouldn't be riding along a highway in the middle of a torrential rainstorm laughing to themselves.

I saw two young moose by a river, soaked through and looking at me, perplexed. I wonder whether they mind the rain.

After 100km on the road, I made White River and dripped in the motel lobby whilst I signed in.