Start of Blind Guy Biking Tour
Day 1 – May 31, 2009
Sunday was departure day and it took all day to get going…
Packing the vehicles took all morning. After lunch we headed to Chatham ON to pick up the trailer that would be home for the next 110 days. I left getting lessons on how to stabilize the jacks and wheels and empty the septic tank to the boys and spent the afternoon playing ball and hide and seek with the owner’s 3-year old daughter. Someone had to do it. First stop was Port Huron MI across the border from Sarnia ON. We had a late dinner of chicken in a panini. And we all crashed for our first peaceful sleep in new beds.
Day 2 – June 1, 2009
In the morning we trundled over to the Cracker Barrel Restaurant for gigantic American breakfasts and all compared our aches and pains from sleeping on poor mattresses. Except Aaron. I guess at age 20 – nothing aches – yet.
The drive was going well until we noticed that we had lost a vent on the side of the trailer. The detour to a Camping World for parts and a trip to Walmart in the resort town of Houghton Lake took more time than expected. The day ended with Anna’s great bbq ribs and a bottle of red wine in a campground by Lake Michigan, just past St. Ignace MI.
Day 3 – June 2, 2009
Needed to make up some time, so we had a very long day of driving through some very pretty country along Hwy 2 on south side of Lake Michigan. Just past Deer River MI, and 15 km off Hwy 2, we found a 64 year old fishing lodge with an RV hook-up for the night. Dinner was leftover ribs and potato salad. We ate inside the trailer where we still had to fight off hundreds of mosquitoes. Unfortunately we didn’t get them all and at least one found Judi’s forehead so she looks like she ran into a rake handle (again).
Day 4 – June 3, 2009
Woke up to the sun shining which deceptively hid the fact that it was few degrees above freezing. Got one last glance at the very scenic Tamarack fishing lodge before we hit the road - which would be a long open flat boring drive across the USA prairies of Minnesota and North Dakota. This gave Judi time to load the Canada maps into the GPS before we start cycling. With several crashes and slow download speeds that took most of the day. Dinner was sandwiches on the shoulder of Hwy 52 because there was no place else to stop after Minot ND.
Crossed border at Portal ND. Judi got her bottle of Bombay Sapphire Gin for summer G&Ts. She expects to reward herself at the end of the tough hill-climbing days. Arrived in Estevan SK at about 11pm EDST (9 pm CST). The day ended with a beautiful prairie sunset. (It would appear that Saskatchewan does not move to DST.)
Day 5 – June 4, 2009
We went north from Estevan to Moose Jaw to pick up supplies and new walkie talkies so convoy could communicate better. After quick lunch at Smitty’s headed for the Trans Canada Highway. Highlight of day was seeing potash (or salt) blowing in the wind. It looked like clouds of smoke rising from the earth for miles. Dinner was snacks in car. Arrived at 11:30 pm and stayed in Campground overlooking Olympic Park in Calgary AB.
Day 6 – June 5. 2009
Had brunch in Canmore AB and drove to Kamloops BC. Beautiful mountain driving. Dinner was BBQ steak, baked potato and salad.
Day 7 – June 6, 2009
Arrived in Vancouver at about 3 pm and had lunch with Richard’s cousin. Camped in Delta BC and had snacks for dinner after the trailer developed an electrical problem and we ran out of gas so no cooking ability.
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