Articles from this Category
December 21, 2012
The crisp Loire Valley morning brings with it a morning light that’s very low in the sky. In fact it already feels like evening. We pack our bikes and say our farewells to Ken who’s been our wonderful paint-covered host at Les Frippières. As we’re about to leave, a mail truck pulls up and, with […]
December 11, 2012
The sky is far from blue. Instead it’s a beautiful combination of grays and wispy fog banks that stretch over the seemingly endless fields that flank our journey. With Le Mans behind us we’re now very much in the middle of the country and plan to stay here for this days riding. The roads we […]
December 4, 2012
Arriving in the rain with torrents of water running off of our suits has become our signature move. Our arrival at Relais des Caillères in Saint-Pavace not only converts Pierres kitchen into a muddy swimming-pool, it also heralds the end of the rain. Nita and I look at one another with a look that says […]
November 22, 2012
There are a few new things for us to get used to on the bikes. For instance, driving on the left side of the road, totally new signage and roundabouts. Yes, the dreaded roundabout has been in our heads since we arrived in the UK. In Canada, especially in the west, the roundabout is a […]
November 8, 2012
It’s one of those surprises that I really want to keep secret but sometimes, I just can’t. I’m too excited to keep it to myself! It takes less than ten minutes to tell Michael, less than fifteen to tell Nuri and, in under an hour I’ve told Nita. The surprise is two first-class tickets to […]
October 26, 2012
Due to the cancellation of the original ship to Southampton, the bikes are still waiting at the dock in Dartmouth as we prepare for our early flight to New York City. We arrive at the airport at four in the morning and for the first time in my life I fall victim to airline over-selling. It’s […]
October 22, 2012
So we are, for the first time, in a foreign city without our bikes. Nestled somewhere in the belly of Wallenius Wilhelmsen’s massive MV Toronto, the kids are getting locked down and ready for a three and a half week journey of their own across the North Atlantic. Nita and I have a week to kill […]
October 12, 2012
The ferry isn’t going anywhere. The wind and rain have picked up their intensity and an occasional flash of lightning over the water reveals an ocean that’s raging. We make our way down from the berth and into the lounge that’s still fairly quiet. Our new friends Bob and Peter are nowhere to be seen, […]
October 2, 2012
The morning in St. Anthony starts quite nicely. The sun is shining, the breeze is cool and we have a wonderful light for the days trip back to Cow Head (or Cow ‘ead). However, by the time we haul our bags down the two flights of stairs and load the bikes, a mass of clouds […]
September 25, 2012
The MV Atlantic Vision is, by far, the largest ferry we’ve seen. Of course the 7 hour journey from North Sydney, NS to Port aux Basques in Newfoundland isn’t a walk in the park either. The trip takes us through the Cabot Straight, which can certainly churn up some large waves during a storm. However, […]