Cross-Canada Tour - 2015

H

hawky94

The Brit Pack (probationer)
Hi all,

I'm back! (Again). I have been a busy bee this past Summer, and the last time since I was on here.

Well, not much has changed. I'm still planning on cycling across the country! But that expedition will have to wait until next year. This Summer, has been spent meeting people, training, and gearing up for next year's adventure.

My blog for the journey can be found here: http://jackonabike.ca/. I'll be posting miscellaneous articles, gear reviews, interviews with fellow riders that I'll meet on the road, and of course, keeping a trip journal to update all you wonderful people! ;)

A lot has happened this summer. I've been meeting so many weird and wonderful folks. I wrote this article about it. Attached are a few photos from a summer of meets and acquisitions!

At present, I'm looking at a very slim budget for my trip, and have since decided to turn to some crowdfunding for help. If any one of you would be interested in helping me out with some funds, feel free to send me a PM and we can take it from there.

The goal of this trip - aside from having an adventure and truly seeing Canada, is to become something of a travel writer. There will probably be a book of some sort, and I'll be posting regular updates from the road, both written blog posts and probably short video clips as I hope to take along my Dad's old GoPro.

So, that's me all caught up with the rest of you. What on earth have you all been up to?

Till next time,

Hawky.
 

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Northern Ontario

I've flown into northern Ontario. Albany River, James bay lowlands. Simply spectacular unspoiled wilderness, lakes and rivers everywhere. Some of the largest forest in the world. Ontario is great for the adventurer.
 
I lived in Thunder Bay, ON. for a few years. Get out to the sleeping giant island if you pass by there. The people around Thunder Bay view fishing as a religion. The Canadian beer is absolutely fantastic (not the mainstream brands) Try the local micro-brewery's beer (it is called the Sleeping Giant brewery and it has three different kinds of beer)
 
Hi Hawky,

It's good to hear from you, you sound so happy. It sounds like you're having the time of your life. What an adventure, riding a bike across Canada.
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I've seen photos and heard that it's a beautiful place to live so this will be something for you to keep forever.

I hope you're careful out there and remember.. let them wimins find you... not the other way around. :wink:
 
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Hawky94, haven't formally met you yet, so how do you do! Canada can be beautiful, yes. Been there more than several times. By the way, like your signature!

Dadsgirl
 
dadsgirl said:
Hawky94, haven't formally met you yet, so how do you do! Canada can be beautiful, yes. Been there more than several times. By the way, like your signature!

Dadsgirl
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Hi Dadsgirl,

I've been absent on the Forum for a very long time, as I have been focusing on other pursuits (evidently). Nice to meet you too!

I have only ever been to Ontario from New Brunswick - and that was by car. Somehow, I think that next year's expedition will open my eyes to a lot more. And I'll feel a much greater sense of accomplishment!

The only way to explore the contours of a country is from the seat of a bicycle.
 
hawky94 said:
I'll head up that way if it's not too f*cking cold! :D
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Canada Goose or whatever the brand name is will solve that problem. Watch out for the bears though. The summer up there is pretty nice, the mosquitoes might be an annoying issue. There is a nice delta just outside Inuvik which is even further north. You will see the the eternal light during the summer, the midnight sun is a nice thing to see.
 
There are still many areas in Canada that can only be accessed by air. The northern wilderness is vast in Ontario north of highway 11 it's basically wilderness for hundreds of miles absolute eye candy. It's almost hard to believe such territory still exist, even when compared to the American west.

I3BrigPvSk you were on the southern edge of such wilderness for Thunder Bay is a cold northern city. Not far from the great lake of Nipagon.

I would like to see Northwest Territories however they are a bit out of my range. Yes between brown bears and polar bears depending on how close you are to the tree line one certainty needs caution to use up their. You forgot to mention our friend the black fly. They make mosquitoes look friendly.
 
JOC said:
There are still many areas in Canada that can only be accessed by air. The northern wilderness is vast in Ontario north of highway 11 it's basically wilderness for hundreds of miles absolute eye candy. It's almost hard to believe such territory still exist, even when compared to the American west.

I3BrigPvSk you were on the southern edge of such wilderness for Thunder Bay is a cold northern city. Not far from the great lake of Nipagon.

I would like to see Northwest Territories however they are a bit out of my range. Yes between brown bears and polar bears depending on how close you are to the tree line one certainty needs caution to use up their. You forgot to mention our friend the black fly. They make mosquitoes look friendly.
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Yes, the best way to explore Canada is to fly around. Many communities arrange tours year around. We had the black fly around TB, I have never been bothered by them, though. Yes, people went out to Nipagon for fishing, that is the religion around there. If I should take a trip on bike, I would start in Calgary and go further west. I would avoid Thunder Bay, there is nothing to see there. Between Toronto and Thunder Bay is nothing, between Thunder Bay and Winnipeg is even less. I would take the trip on the American side instead. Duluth is a very nice city and the Americans seem to care more about the area around the great lakes than the Canadians do.
 
I liked driving through the virtually unpunctuated wilderness only to see lakes and rivers break up the rock and trees that extend forever it seems. When I drove from North Bay to near Thunderbay I was just astounded by how few people there are up there. I believe one stretch may have the worlds longest stretch of paved highway between gas stations and they warn you with a big sign.
Your lucky on those black flies if you get into the bush they can be a real bother.
I've never seen western Canada just the far north of Ontario and Quebec. I hear the Canadian Rockies are breathtaking.
 
JOC said:
I liked driving through the virtually unpunctuated wilderness only to see lakes and rivers break up the rock and trees that extend forever it seems. When I drove from North Bay to near Thunderbay I was just astounded by how few people there are up there. I believe one stretch may have the worlds longest stretch of paved highway between gas stations and they warn you with a big sign.
Your lucky on those black flies if you get into the bush they can be a real bother.
I've never seen western Canada just the far north of Ontario and Quebec. I hear the Canadian Rockies are breathtaking.
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If you are driving from Thunder Bay toward Winnipeg. Just before the border to Manitoba is a little place called Kenora. This little city is very nice, they have fixed it up really good. There is a lake there too with boat tours, you can get lunch and dinners on board. There is even a micro brewery in Kenora. I have never tasted their beers, though. I was driving and i don't drink anything stronger than coffee when I am driving.

I have never seen the Canadian rockies either, but I have heard they are amazing. So if Hawky wants to see them, it could be nice to start in Calgary
 
We have black flies in New Brunswick, where I am presently. They are barstewards!

I haven't seen much of the country, aside from driving from NB to Ontario - in the winter! (Stupid idea - stopped for two hours by a stretch of black ice in Quebec). But, I haven't really seen Canada. Hopefully, I will get to take the GoPro, so I can capture some of the best bits on film! :D
 
hawky94 said:
We have black flies in New Brunswick, where I am presently. They are barstewards!

I haven't seen much of the country, aside from driving from NB to Ontario - in the winter! (Stupid idea - stopped for two hours by a stretch of black ice in Quebec). But, I haven't really seen Canada. Hopefully, I will get to take the GoPro, so I can capture some of the best bits on film! :D
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The north is not much fun in winter. The outfitters tell me it routinely gets to -50 F at base camp with only 4 or so hours of sunlight in December. Who knows how cold it is in the bush? The trouble with the snow is it just doesn't melt until May. One interesting note is that in June the trees and bush all greens up in just a week or so. You can almost see it happen. No grass the ground is covered with a thick layer of moss
 
JOC said:
The north is not much fun in winter. The outfitters tell me it routinely gets to -50 F at base camp with only 4 or so hours of sunlight in December. Who knows how cold it is in the bush? The trouble with the snow is it just doesn't melt until May. One interesting note is that in June the trees and bush all greens up in just a week or so. You can almost see it happen. No grass the ground is covered with a thick layer of moss
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The last winter was insane. As a Swede, I am pretty used with cold winters, but the last one was....usually, the cold days can last for a few days or a week. The last winter the really cold weather lasted from November to March. Down to -50C and the snow disappeared in May.

The majority of the Canadians have never seen the whole country. Something I realized with Canada was. The Europeans don't realize how big Canada is. When I lived in TB, I needed the renewal of my Swedish Driver's license, contacted the embassy, got the documentation. But I was forced to go the consulate in Winnipeg to pick it up. TB is an 8 hours drive from Winnipeg, and that's one way. If I needed a new passport I would be forced to go to the embassy in Ottawa, regardless where I live in Canada.
 
I almost adopted a bear cub when I lived in Canada. The bear cub (black bear) had apparently lost his mama. I was talking to him (I don't know if the cub was a male or female) and I named Bobo after the cartoon Yogi bear and his side kick Bobo. So here is Bobo......

 
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