

Psychologically I'm really tired, fed-up, dying to finish. it might just be the frustration of being so close and still not finished.
Brian Eley... cycling across Canada... solo and unsupported... east to west through all 10 provinces.
Winnipeg Hotel- B's staying at a landmark hotel in GF, the "Winnie", and visited my dad's grave to take a photo. My dad would have approved of his trip, he loved sports (esp. hockey) but as my mother would say, "that man would watch any sport on TV"
137 kms- 7 hrs 17 minutes- 6,377 kms Total226 kms-9 hrs 41 minutes-5,012 Total
Also a perk, the bike was still clean and I didn't have to spent the usual 2 hrs going over it. So far bugs are not a problem, hope that continues. What I could really use is a couple more "buffs", (the multi-purpose tube-scarf runners use to cover their faces in winter). It is promoted as having 12 different uses, wraps the neck, head, face, hairband depending on how you adjust it. I can add a 13th, I need one to stuff under each leg of my shorts to drap over my knees and keep the sun off...am getting an incredible suntan(burn?).
I passed (yes passed- do you know how slow horses are?) a Mennonite family in a cart along the highway to the delight of the kids who cheered "the race". I thought they looked pretty cool too. Made it to Sault Ste. Marie in a relatively pain free day.
208 kms-8hrs 50 minutes-3,035 kms total. (in another 3 days I'll be at half the total distance about 3,500kms).
A beatiful day for a ride... sunny and the humidity is finally gone. I also past a major psychological barrier today by crossing Manitoulin Island and climbing up onto the Canadian shield to hit the TransCanada at Espanola. I'm finally in Northern Ontario and headed west on the TransCanada, north of the great lakes... the next big leg of my journey... and I feel like I've broken the bonds of eastern Canada and southern Ontario.
Tonight I'm staying in Massey after a slightly shorter than normal day (due to the ferry crossing), but did put in 146k for a total to date of 2,824k.
I also became an honourary member of some Long Island, NY motorcycle club, when we all lined up together for the ferry. I joked about hanging with the cool gang even without a motor and then we traded stories about our respective travels. The 2-wheel thing seems be a strange bond... I always get waves and friendly toots from bikers that pass me. I'm off to find myself a steak and a beer now...
It's been a wild few days. After I nursed the crippled bike into Belleville, my bad luck was offset by getting to enjoy a semi-rest day at my parents who live nearby. In the end I had to buy a new wheel and then spent the afternoon working on the bike and doing a couple short test rides to make sure everything was working. Yesterday, it was back on the road, restarting where I left off in Belleville.
A long, hot 186km ride into Toronto in 8 hrs 44 mins (with another flat... but just a nice normal one) got me home just as a bbq to celebrate my progress so far was getting started. What a great evening with so many friends. I think I may have re-hydrated with a few too many beers!
I want to thank everyone for coming. It's been lonely out on the road, and admittedly, I was pretty down after all the problems the other day, so last night was a real pick me up. Special thanks to Marie, Phill, and others who helped Carmel with all the cooking and other fussing while I lazed around.
Now I have to get back on the road before I get too comfortable here. However, after the late night and with all this heat, I'm definitely going to be dialing my effort back a notch and taking a few easier days to recover before the next big push into northern Ontario. From here I head towards Tobermory and the ferry to Manitoulin and on up to the Trans Canada.
Totals to date... 14 days of riding from St John's to Toronto...2,338 km (avg 167 km per day)... and I'm now basically 1/3 done.