June 13. Kingston

We have acclimatized to the realization that our cross-Canada bicycle ride has ended at least for the time being. Gramie is still disappointed at having to truncate the ride but is doing her best to adjust. This has been made easier by knowing that our friends in Canadian Citizens Care Alliance have pitched in and are riding for us. A number of them got the ball rolling by telling us that they would ride their bikes in their own neighbourhoods and add up the Km to finish the ride for us. This has evolved into a fun activity, which will be recorded on a website. Anyone will be able to participate by doing something active outdoors (where making vitamin D is possible) and recording it there; the activities could be anything that doesn't depend on a motor and is outdoors. Biking, running, walking, sailing, paddling would all qualify, maybe even parachuting. Gramie had her eyes checked at the Urgent Eye Clinic at Hotel Dieu Hospital on June 11, and that afternoon we took a 40 Km bike ride west of Kingston; the walk to the clinic and home added about 8 Km. On June 12, we started running stairs and doing pushups at Lake Ontari Park; that added about 8 Km. Today (June 13) we rode our bikes east of Kingston in a loop of about 50 Km. Tomorrow morning at 10 AM, we have "talk & walk" session at Rodden Park. We started these with the idea of getting our neighbours together outdoors in a setting that would encourage informal discussion about whatever comes to mind. People everywhere have been subjected to isolation and lack of personal interactions for the last four years, and need to talk with others. We thought that "talk & walk" would be be one way to facilitate social interaction. Moreover, it requires no expenses and no one has to host anything in their homes. The only minor expense was the paper we used to make up about 500 notices that we distributed in Calvin Park.

This picture was taken from the Third Crossing, formally known as Waaban Crossing. It shows the Rideau Canal and the rowing course in the background.

Rain followed us.

After we got home, the rain caught up with us. It seems that we have attracted the rain all across the country.

At least the rain helped the flowers in the garden.

We plan to finish our cross -Canada bike ride locally by riding enough distance to complete sufficient km to cover the distance from Field BC to Kingston. Someone in ccca is setting up a website to log distances. We're hoping to make this a fun project by inviting family, friends and new friends to join us by logging their distances too. Perhaps we can include all nodes of self-propelled movement. Sailing could be included and grandchildren too.

We're home

We're home. Maybe a bit tired but happy to be here.

Yesterday we left Nipigon with the idea of having a steak and eggs breakfast in Terrace Bay at a restaurant that we knew but it didn't open until later so drove on to White River and ate at the A&W. From there it was an easy drive all the way to Sudbury.

When we passed the turn for Manitoulin Island, I took a picture of where we might have turned south. Another time perhaps.

At Sudbury we turned south on Hwy 69 and then took Hwy 12 to the 401. From there it was a straight run home with a pit stop for a bite. We we home after midnight.

I got up around 7 and emptied the car. The bikes are reassembled but will require some adjustments. Everything is great.

May 25. Winnipeg to Nipigon.

Last night we had a great dinner with Linda and Jerry, steak and the works. Then this morning we went to a nice Greeks restaurant for breakfast. Gramie and I had the house special which had eggs, sausage, ham, cheese and other things smothered in Hollandaise sauce. It was tasty and full of calories that we need. After that we went back to the Oleschuk's apartment, packed up and returned to the Trans-Canada Hwy to continue our journey home. Our stops were for gas near Falcon Lake and Thunder Bay where we also had supper. We stopped at the time change line for pictures and finally in Nipigon at our motel. 

Driving was very easy as the weather got better as we drove eastward out of the cold and wet into the warmer and drier weather.

May 24. Swift Current to Winnipeg.

After breakfast at the Comfort Inn, we started driving towards Winnipeg. The roads were great to start but they became snow covered after we passed through Brandon. We are staying with Linda and Jerry tonight and this evening, Gramie is at the emergency eye clinic to be checked out.

It snowed enough to cover the road and fields nearby. Around Portage la Prairie the road was covered with a layer of slush that almost blonde me when a freight truck passed us. I found that driving behind the trucks, in the path that they had cleared of slush was the safest for us.