Fernie, BC to Thunder Bay, ON - Woo hoo halfway!

Holy doodles it has been awhile! I apologize for not getting at this sooner, but it has been a couple of weeks of long days of cycling and great visiting with newfound friends! Here goes, prepare for a long one...

I think where I last ended was in Fernie after meeting a cycling friend. So, I continued on that evening to Sparwood, BC. I met the most wonderful woman that evening at the campground I stayed at as she was so pleasant and it was super nice to have that at the end of a long day.

The next day I cycled 190 km from Sparwood, BC to Coaldale, AB. It was a hot one - about 33oC - and it was a long day in the saddle - 9 hours! However, it was a great day to celebrate as I crossed the first of many provincial borders and my tires welcomed Alberta. I crossed the last pass of my adventure which was Crowsnest Pass and this led into Alberta which was absolutely beautiful. I ended my first day of cycling in Alberta in Coaldale where I stayed with relatives of friends of mine in Pickle Lake. I could not have asked for more welcoming people to stay with and yummy, tummy-filling food at the end of the day and a great breakfast the next morning to send me on my way. Thank you so much Brigit, Robyn, Spence, and Bob!

My goal for the following day was to bike to Medicine Hat which would mean that I would make it through Alberta in two days. I met up with some cyclists (that I met earlier in my journey) from Almonte, near Ottawa, and we cycled together most of the day. Cycling with those folks was great as I was able to draft some of the time and save some energy as well as getting in some decent conversation. They left me at Bow Island and I continued on to reach my goal at Medicine Hat. I made it there at 8:30 p.m. and I was feeling a little pooched. I decided a hotel stay was in order. I went to the Best Western and asked the woman (this was on a Saturday evening) if they had any rooms available. She said, "We have two, one is a jacuzzi suite and the other is..." After the word jacuzzi I was pretty much sold! However, I was hesitant on paying the price as I kept thinking in my head how many nights at a campground the price of a hotel room would provide. But, I went out to my bike stood there a few moments, and thought, "Ashley, you work so hard for what you have earned, you deserve to treat yourself." With that said, I went back into the hotel and said to the woman (who was very sweet and gave me the corporate rate because she said I looked like I came a long way and that I was a nice gal) that I would like to take the room. It was a fabulous choice as I was able to relax in the jacuzzi, catch up on the news (of which I feel somewhat removed from the world without daily news updates), and enjoy two queen-size beds! What a great evening!

So, the next day brought a wonderful continental breakfast which was a great start to a day that would bring me into Saskatchewan. Oh yes, I also cannot forget the part of my morning that made me giggle. I had taken two hard-boiled eggs from the continental breakfast and thought it would be a great idea to heat them up. I popped them into the microwave and voila, that is how the blown up hard-boiled egg came to be. So, after the laugher I enjoyed the other hard-boiled egg that ceased to blow up! I cycled the rest of the day and met up with two cyclists from Montreal (Lucie and Pierre) that were riding a tandem bike. As I entered Saskatchewan I determined that there would be a lot of rolly hills, an absence of trees, a lot of ranchland and oil rigs. To pass the time, I started having races with the gophers on the highway! I had a late evening and arrived at my campsite in Gull Lake, SK at around 9:00 p.m.

After leaving Gull Lake, my next goal was to make it to Moose Jaw. However, I had no idea what the day was to hold with respect to the weather. It was a beautiful morning and I made it to Swift Current in decent time. There, I had enjoyed a treat from Tim Hortons and visited a local bike shop - Big Sky Cycles - for some air. Not far out of Swift Current I was poured on. I could see the storm coming, but there was no where to hide. The rain was coming down so hard I thought that it may leave welts on my arm and the wind was nearly pushing me off my bike, but I kept riding. The storm passed, but the wind stuck around and made riding that afternoon quite difficult. I wa rained on a second time that afternoon and decided to take refuge at a farm house where an elderly couple resided. They (Martin and Bertha) were very sweet and offered me towels to dry off and a roof over my head until the storm cleared. Shortly after, I was on my way to Chaplin. So, I did not make it to Moose Jaw, but the crew of guys I met in Chaplin sure made that night one of the most fun in SK. The guys and I shared some good conversation, good laughs, and great jukebox tunes before calling it an evening. It was just what was needed after a long day on the saddle and some not so great weather.

The following day I headed out at around 9:00 a.m. and made it to Moose Jaw by noon. I decided to stop at a Smitty's and have a decent breakfast. It was delicious! I pedalled onward and slipped off of the #1 hwy and headed towards Weyburn, SK. That evening I made it to Milestone and stayed at a small campground there. The evening brought soggy weather as I was rained on, but my tent kept me dry.

The next day, I had my mind set on making it to Manitoba. The day began with rain and I packed up my tent and other gear while it was sopping wet. The sunshine of the day first began when these folks a trailer or two over from me invited me in for a coffee. It was great to chat with Valerie and Bruce as they had been out travelling and were heading back home. I made it to Weyburn in decent time and stopped for a stretch and a granola bar break. This young guy approached me and asked me where I was cycling and if I was cycling for a cause. I explained to him what I was doing and so he handed me a $20 bill. His generosity was amazing and he decided that he would like the donation to be made to Jumpstart. It is so refreshing to see this side of people and on my trip I have seen enormous amounts of outreaching in all forms. I stopped in Stoughton for lunch and then continued on my way. The wind was great and I was making great time and pedalled onwards towards Manitoba. That afternoon a young guy named Chris stopped me on the side of the road and said he saw me earlier in Stoughton. He offered me dinner and a place to stay for the evening, but I thanked him for his generosity, but I was determined to succeed at my goal. That evening I made it to Reston, MB at 9:45 p.m. after cycling 254 km. It was a long day and to top it all off there were an insane amount of mosquitos at the campground I stayed at! Oh well, that evening I was ever so grateful for a shower, food, my sleeping bag, and pillow!

The next day was a great day to ride. The weather was beautiful and I made good time to Souris which is where I stopped to have a bite to eat for lunch. I actually started to encounter some hills again and it was great to see that trees existed, compared to the canola, wheat, and grain covered lands of Saskatchewan. As I kept spinning, I landed myself just outside of a small town called Holland when I noticed a vehicle had pulled over. Out of the car came a couple who approached me to say hello. They (Josiane and Robert) offered me a place to stay in their home in St. Claude for the night. They were attending a meeting elsewhere and said they would be home later in the evening, but to make myself at home. I still had about 40 km to make it to their place and I was starving. I stopped at a Co-op in Treherne and picked up some bagels and peanut butter...mmmm! The snack was much appreciated! I pedalled onto St. Claude and attempted to find Josiane and Robert's place. I couldn't remember their exact address, so I rode up the street until I saw some young boys playing baseball. I went over and asked them if they knew who I had met and they gave me the exact directions I needed to get to where I needed to be. The kids were so polite and inquisitive about my trip, that I could not have asked for better people to get directions from. Josiane and Robert arrived home around 10:30 that night and invited me in for tea and carrot cake. We had a great chat and I had a wonderful sleep in their spare bedroom.

In the morning, Josiane made the best oatmeal around and to top it off there were fresh raspberries to make it even more tasty. I continued on my way and started pedalling towards Carman which is where I was hoping to meet up with a friend (Hannah). I arrived in Carman around lunch time and tried calling Hannah. I couldn't get ahold of her so I decided to make a pit stop a bakery to put in some time and enjoy a pastry and a coffee before trying to call Hannah back. The people in Carman, I must say, probably top the list for friendliest town thus far on my trip. Everyone has been so generous, kind, and hospitable, but these people went over the top. At this bakery, which was family owned, the father offered me soup and more coffee after he found out what my trip entailed and how far I had come. He also told everyone who entered the bakery about my trip! His 16 year old son does a lot of the baking which was absolutely delicious and it was great to see a guy so young baking up a mean turnover! The gentleman sent me out the door with about 5 lb of goodies that we managed to cram into my panniers. I got ahold of my friend, Hannah, and we went for lunch at a coffee house in Carman. The food was great and the mango smoothie topped it all off. It was an awesome lunch and sharing it with Hannah made it even better as she had just arrived back from a solo trip to Iceland and had many adventures to share. After lunch, I pedalled onto Kleefeld where I stayed with friends. I met some great people at the Dairy Chef there who offered me a cone of their best ice cream...what a way to end the day!

I made a decision to take a rest day in Kleefeld to spend time with my boyfriend's sister and her family. As well, I was reminded that it would not take me four days to get to Ignace which is where I would be meeting a friend to be taken up to Pickle Lake for a few days of visiting. I had a wonderful breakfast and then during the afternoon a few of us ventured out to Huntfest in Winnipeg. I actually ended up meeting some trappers I knew from Thunder Bay. Oh, such a small world! The day ended with a great dinner and a card game before a restful night to prepare for a big day. Thank you Mike, Connie, and the boys for an awesome stay!

The next day my goal was to make it to Kenora, so I knew I was in for a long day. The morning began when a red-winged black bird decided to use my helmet as a landging strip! I am sure this bird had to be confused or must have thought my helmet (being black, gray, white and red) was the alpha of all birds! Also, during the morning, I met up with friends of mine from Pickle Lake. It was great to see some familiar faces and get some encouragement for the ride. Shortly after, I met up with a cyclist (Nyle) from Calgary and we were both heading to Kenora, so we stuck together for the rest of the day. We had some great chats and got to share a border crossing together, which as cyclists, is a major victory to be celebrated! During the ride we determined that the two of us really enjoyed cheesecake, so we made a pact that the first place we were stopping upon arriving in Kenora was Safeway so that we could buy a cheesecake. Well, we arrived in Kenora at 8:20 p.m. and can you guess what time Safeway closed at? 8:00 p.m. so we enjoyed a laugh in the empty parking lot before searching out a restaurant! We then decided we would eat at a restaurant that ended up NOT having cheesecake and then we ventured to Boston Pizza and finally found our prize! Finding the campground that evening was another adventure in itself, but we made it there safely and were super excited for a shower, a sleeping bag and a tent over our heads.

The next day was beautiful and I was east bound to Dryden. I made it to Dryden around 6:30 p.m. that evening as I had a bit of later start leaving Kenora and I stopped in Vermillion Bay for a bagel, some peanut butter, and a chocolate milk. I stopped in at the people's place I was staying at (good friends I know from trapping) they couldn't believe I was there already! I had a wonderful dinner that evening and it was great to catch up with some fabulous friends. Thank you so much Rhonda, Tony, Kyle, Shannon, Kayden, and Karsten for the great visit and good times!

I cycled to Ignace the following day, which was a short ride so I stopped at Timmy's in Dryden for a coffee before heading out. I spoke with some folks there about my trip and they were blown away that I was cycling by myself. Just as I was leaving Dryden a vehicle pulled over and I then realized it was friends of mine from Mishkeegogamang which is where I have been teaching for the past two years. It was great to see them and to also let them know I would be up to the reserve to visit in a few days. As well, on my travels I saw this man wearing a rice hat and pushing a shopping cart - maybe across Canada - I am not sure, but stay tuned for more on his whereabouts! I arrived in Ignace at around 5:00 p.m., grabbed some Subway, talked to two cyclists from Holland (Mashall and Noor), and then headed to the campground - of all places I have travelled so far, can you believe it, Ignace, ON has been the most expensive for a campsite! Who would have guessed!

The next morning I had breakfast at the Tempo and then I was picked up by my friend Miles and driven to Pickle Lake for a few days of rest. It is crazy how far and fast you can get somewhere in a motorized vehicle! I enjoyed a fabulous few days visiting in Pickle and down in Mish (I saw the kids I had been teaching - oh, so wonderful as some of them were so surprised!) as well as some super fantastic fishing with some fabulous company. Thank you so much Linda, Ken, Lucie, Roy, Miles, Roger, and Abbey for making sure I was well nourished and that there was a place for me to stay at the end of the day. And, thank you Garrick especially for making sure that my visit and ride back down to Ignace was super special. ;)

I stayed at the White Otter Inn in Ignace to ensure that the next morning I would be able to depart fairly early as I wanted to make it to Thunder Bay which ended up being 226 km. I started at 7:00 a.m. and cycled to Upsala and had a bite to eat for lunch. While I was there I met two other cyclists. The guy, Ben, was from BC and the gal was from Germany. We shared stories and adventures and then I hit the road again as I still had about 150 km to go. On this stretch of road I determined that Ontario motorists are probably the least courteous to cyclists, especially the transports. How many times do we have to be reminded that we share the road and just because the four or more wheeled vehicles are larger and faster does not mean they have the right to plow us off the road?? Oh well, the spinning continued! I again passed the rice hat man and gave him a hello and who knows, maybe when I head out east I will see him on my way back to Ontario! I made it to Thunder Bay at around 8:00 p.m. and shared a great meal with my relatives before cleaning up and catching some zzzz's.

That brings me to today...or I guess yesterday, as I have now been typing this blog for about two and a half hours! So, I spent the day in Thunder Bay and ventured to Cyclepath to get a bike box and then to the Persian Man to pick up some Persians for my family. I had a great lunch with my relatives at The Blue Parrot before heading up Mount McKay. I had never been up the mountain prior to this trip and it was a great way to overlook the city. We headed back to the house to enjoy a wonderfully scrumptious meal before I had to head to the airport to catch my flight. I am now at home for a short time and then heading out east to Newfoundland to attend a wedding and then I will head west bound towards Ontario.

It has been a great trip thus far and it is hard to believe that I have traversed half of the country on my bike with my own two legs as the power that drives the machine. To date, there are just over 3100 km on my bike and I am excited to see what the next few thousand km hold for adventure and wonderful new friends that I will meet on the way! Stay tuned and hopefully I can keep the updates coming more frequently!

Smiles, hugs, and happy spinning!

Ashley :)

Grand Forks, BC - Fernie, BC

Hello friends!!

It has been an incredible journey so far and it seems the more east I head the hotter it gets!

So, I left you last in Grand Forks, BC which was a beautiful town and I much enjoyed the people there. That night I stayed at Christina Lake and what a wonderful evening! I encountered so many people that were interested in my trip, I didn't think I was going to rest. There were two couples (Heather and Fred, Carol and Ed from Edmonton) that insisted I have some of what they made for dinner - salmon, shrimp, and potatoes. It was heaven in my belly!

I left the next day and pedaled onwards to Nelson, BC. I summited the Blueberry-Paulson pass and did not make it to Nelson until later that evening. I contacted a gentleman I heard about from a couple I met in Grand Forks and stayed with him for two nights. There was also a WOOFer staying with him - an organic farmer named Caryn who is from Newmarket, ON. I ended up taking a rest day and Caryn showed me around the city. It was fabulous and I was also able to cook some real food for Nelson and Caryn.

The next morning I left Nelson and headed towards Creston. This was a long day and I also had to summit Kootenay pass which is 1774 m above sea level. Four hours from the base to the summit - it was a long ride, but absolutely beautiful. There was still snow at the summit and I was able to see some bighorn sheep. Also, that day I met two cyclists from Oregon - Matt and Susan who I had lunch with in Salmo at the delicious Sacred Grounds. Mmmmm.... That evening I stayed in Creston and at the park there I met a couple - Ed and Susan - from Ottawa. They had me over for a delicious dinner and we shared in some wonderful conversation.

July 8th brought a journey from Creston to Cranbrook. It was a beautiful ride, but was starting to get warm! In the morning I met two motorcyclists from Ottawa and chatted with them as they had just come from Calgary and were continuing their journey west. I stopped for lunch in a little town called Yahk and had a delectable chicken wrap. I pedalled onwards to Cranbrook and made it there at about 7:00 p.m. mountain time. Upon arriving, I headed to the campground where I met a fabulous woman, Kate Walker with whom I had breakfast with this morning. Her daughter is actually the Creative Director for Momentum magazine which is based on cycling. We had a nice breakfast and then I was on my way.

So, that brings me to today. I have arrived in Fernie and I am about 30 km away from Sparwood where I will spend the evening. Tomorrow I am headed on to Alberta and who knows where that will bring me. I have had the pleasure of cycling with a guy from Colorado who has been on the road for 5 weeks and will still be riding for another 3 weeks. It was great to have some company on the road again for most of the day as he is spending the evening and tomorrow exploring Fernie.

Well, thank you everyone for following this adventure thus far and I look forward to catching up with all of you when the journey is complete.

Take care, miss you all lots, and I am sending hugs and smiles your way!

Ashley :)

Vancouver to Grand Forks, BC: June 28th - July 3rd

Hey there everyone!

So, I have been on the road for six days now and have had a load of adventures and travelled some very interesting country.

My trip began on June 27th when I arrived in Vancouver. Upon arriving at the Holiday Inn, I decided to grab a bite to eat in the restaurant. I met a gentleman named Zain from Waterloo, ON. Crazy, I come all the way out here and meet someone that lives only hours away from my home in Woodville. Zain was very generous and besides buying my dinner for the evening he offered to take me to MEC the next morning and to Kit's Beach so I could dip my toes in the Pacific Ocean. I was so grateful for all of his help and the time he took to ferry me around. Thank you Zain!!

I began cycling that afternoon and made it to a town called Pitt Meadows. I had no idea where to stay so I went searching the backroads in this area. I came upon a house with a playset out front and cows. I thought to myself, "This looks decent." So, I went to the door and asked the family if they knew of anywhere that I could pitch a tent. The gentleman, John, said there was a campground 20 km down the road... Then he talked with his wife, Yvonne and they said I could just throw my tent on their lawn. Shortly after, while I was setting up my tent, they then offered me to stay downstairs in their home. I felt completely welcomed into their family and I had a great stay. Their little girl, Alison was quite cute, and she told her Mom that she was going to write about me in her journal!

I continued on my way and made it to Hope, BC that day and stayed in a campground for the night. I cycled a total of about 120 km and felt pretty good as I had not yet encountered the mountains...

On day 3 of cycling I left Hope and headed towards Manning Park. During this ride I tackled a mountain that was about 1200 m high-eeek - Alison Pass. It was a good challenge and I must admit, I did get off and push for a bit. Upon arriving in Manning, I checked into a hostel. I met a man named Roy who was hiking the PCT Trail. Roy was 64 years of age and it completely blew my mind that he was hiking that distance at that age!

During Day 4 I cycled from Manning to Keremeos. Early in the morning I stopped to put another layer on as it was raining and chilly and I met up with three other cyclists. Two were headed my way and Jeanine was headed towards Vancouver. I had a nice chat with them while they were having breakfast. Gaston, Simon (father and son), and I headed out towards Keremeos. It was a good day for cycling as it was not too hot and we had to climb Sunday Summit. We saw two mule deer on our ride and also saw bighorn sheep and elk caution signs. We made it in good time, had some cherries from a local fruit stand, and then went for a Thai dinner on Canada Day.

The next morning we went out separate ways as they were headed towards Kelowna and I was still travelling on Hwy 3. I made it to a small town called Midway and ended up staying in a motel as it was a tough day. You have to wonder if you are sane, when the cows are even looking at you funny! I climbed Anarchist Summit, just outside of Osoyoos which is a 26 km climb. Ouchee! I made it with lots of breaks and stops to check out the Okanagan Valley.

That brings me to today! I woke up this morning and I was a little achy from the yesterday's climb, so I decided to take it easy. I am in the library in Grand Forks at the moment and I have met some neat people today as well. When I stopped at a cycling shop here, I met Justin and Stenya, who were very neat and adventurous people to talk to. As well, I went into a small bakery, in which Dave and Therien were fabulous to talk to. I will end up cycling about 80 km today by the time I reach Christina Lake where I will stay at a campground. I was going to go to Castlegar, but the Blueberry-Paulson Summit is a good climb and I want fresh legs tomorrow to tackle that. Then onto Nelson and I will probably stay in Salmo tomorrow night as after that, there is a 30 km climb to summit Kootenay Pass. I should end up in Alberta by Tuesday evening if everything goes well.

Okey dokes, this is the update as of now. There are a lot more adventures, but I only have a limited amount of time here before hopping back on my bike and cycling the last 20 km of the day.

Take care everyone, I miss you lots, and I look forward to hearing from you!

Smiles always,
Ashley :)