Well THERE'S ya problem..!

Spotted the issue here yet? Yes, that'd be an instant flat tyre, thanks very much..!

So that was my third flat of the trip (so far... It ain't over yet!) but nothing compared to Will, who's leading at at least 7...


Flat aside, it was a good day. We'd bush camped the night before, and for once, things weren't too dew covered & wet when we packed up, so we started the days roll pretty well.


As the day wore on though, the many up and down roller-coaster style hills began to add up, and the constant gusting headwinds started to tire us out sooner than usual, so at around 75 miles, finding a diner in the small village of Finland was very welcome.

After a great burger each, we all opted for one of the amazing home baked desserts that were on offer... Tom had his favorite, the chocolate cake, Will chose the Butter Tart, and I had to go for the awesome blueberry pie & ice cream... Oh yeah!





Fueled up, we knocked out the last 18 miles of the day to Emo, just inside the Canadian border, where the town Fair was in full swing with fairground rides, cotton candy, drag cars and horse riding... Quite the bright and noisy sights and sounds!

We got the all-OK from the local police to camp at the back of the fairgrounds where there were other RVs set up, so we plonked ourselves at the far corner of the field and made camp.





This morning, we have rolled over the river, and back into the good old Yoo-Ess-of-Ayy...
And back into a solid 20 mph headwind! So we have stopped at the Hardee's just south of town to grab a feed, review the map and get out of the wind for a bit...






More to come soon...

Cheers!

RWK
OUT!


- Posted using BlogPress from my amazing iPhone 5.

Location:Emo Rd,Fort Frances,Canada

Riding the thin white line...

The chosen campground was a great place to stop for the night, being a mile or so off the highway, and therefore devoid of traffic noise.

Getting there, we opted for the path-less-taken again, turning off the main highway earlier than riding to a more main junction, and taking the alleged 'road' Google Maps offered us... It was a fun 2 miles of dirt, sand and trees to bash through and over, but we made it ok.




Whilst setting up the tents, we saw many a small frog hopping around, so I got up close and personal with one for a moment... The iPhone 5 does a pretty decent macro shot..!




Leaving the campground this morning, we were hoping the road shoulder was going to return sooner rather than later, but for the first 12 miles, we were still having to ride the thin white line... So I took up the rear-gunner position and set both my tail lights to strobe mode... It really makes a big difference, making us much more visible from a long way back, and meaning we were mostly given a good wide berth.




Above, Will, riding ahead of me into the rising sun, skimming along the edge of the road along the thin white line.
After 35 more miles of Manitoba, we made it across to our last province... Ontario.




And after another 20 miles or so, we are at a great little Shell station, with a very well stocked store and café where I'm about to sink my teeth into a very well stuffed, freshly made, roast beef sanger... Oh yeah!




More soon...
RWK.
OUT!
- Posted using BlogPress from my amazing iPhone 5.

Location:Voyageur Route,,Canada

A rest break amongst the Aspens...

It's hard to take pictures whilst riding... Especially along the past 17 miles which have had only a deep gravel shoulder, so we've had to ride on the edge of the right lane...

Big-rigs, motor-homes, cars, caravans and motorbikes have all blown past us, but most with the common sense and forward vision to move into the left hand lane... It's only the odd prat that has buzzed us a bit, but luckily they were vastly in the minority.

So now we are taking another rest, or ASS-BREAK! at a small roadside rest area, where I'm reclined in comfort on a picnic bench, typing this, and enjoying the blue sky framed Aspens as they sway gently in the welcome westerly breeze that's been assisting us on our ride east today...




More later from the campground... 10 short last miles away.

RWK.

OUT!

- Posted using BlogPress from my amazing iPhone 5.

Location:TC-1,,Canada

A sunny lunch break..!

Aaaaaah yeah!
Just had a nice tin of stew & a naughty Cherry Dr Pepper from the gas station... And now a little snooze in the perfect-temperature, not-too-hot sunshine on the grass...


We will roll on shortly... About another 50 kms/30 miles to our planned campsite for the night...

More soon...

Aaaaaaaaah!

RWK.

OUT!

- Posted using BlogPress from my amazing iPhone 5.

Location:Therrien Dr,,Canada

Another roadside rest break...

20 miles outside of Winnipeg, it is time to give the butt a break from the saddle and take a rest break... Oh yeah!





- Posted using BlogPress from my amazing iPhone 5.

Location:Municipal Road No 29 E,Taché,Canada

Welcome to Winnipeg...

It's been 5 years, but I'm back in the PEG!

We did a short 45 mile day to get into town, but it was a a bit of a tough push, riding against a stiff easterly headwind.

Fortunately, we were riding after a great solid cooked breakfast... We met Dwayne at the campground the night before, and as the owner of a nearby diner, he offered to give us a ride to breakfast and back to the campsite after... And boy what a brekky!! A generous feed at a great price, we were feeling very satisfied and fueled up as we started the days ride.









Dwayne, Tom, Will and me... Full and fueled!

We were in town by lunch, and near-o'd into the Holiday Inn, where we are resting up for a full zero today... We've already re-supplied this morning, and are now doing emails and updates, as well as getting our craving feed on... Mmmmmm, Ravioli..!



Tomorrow, we ride out eastwards again, and will be taking about 3 to 4 days to get into Ontario and down to International Falls, where we'll cross into the US.

For now,

RWK,

Out!


- Posted using BlogPress from my amazing iPhone 5.

Location:Colony St,Winnipeg,Canada

Brandon bound...

Leaving Sinclair was an easy affair as we packed up dry, the night having been quite mild, and the cover of the trees preventing any morning dew forming on the tents.

The morning ride was a breeze... Literally. A nice tailwind gently assisted us along towards the still rising sun as some morning mist began to evaporate from the surrounding fields.










Will was a bit later leaving, and Tom was a bit earlier than me, but once I caught Tom up at a crossroads where he was taking a break, we waited a while together for Will and pondered on trail messages...

Finding a discarded apple, I tried leaving a message for Will on the road... It actually worked!





Not that we ended up needing it, as it wasn't long before Will appeared on the horizon and caught us up.




A quick roadside snack break, and we began to roll again, making our way east and north towards the town of Brandon.

As we reached town, some 79 miles from the start of the day, the darkening skies finally broke and the rain came down, so it was time for an early dinner at the co-joined KFC and Taco Bell.







Once the rain had mostly done and was just drizzling, we rolled north 5 miles to the main Trans Canada route 1 and the campsite there, where we set up for the night...

Unfortunately, the mozzies nailed my forehead before I could get my cap on... Bastards!





Having a light supper at the nearby Maccas, I had to snap a pic of a truck towing a truck towing a truck towing a truck..! Seriously!




Tomorrow, we push on towards Winnipeg...

More soon!

Cheers.

RWK

OUT!


- Posted using BlogPress from my amazing iPhone 5.