Cabot Beach, PEI- North Rustico, PEI (44km)

This was a rough stretch. A very hilly and gusty 44 km along the northern PEI coast. I had no idea PEI was home to so many god damn hills. You think it would be flat. There were no places to eat for almost the whole way, and I was running low on water too.

I eventually came a across a pretty traditional lobster joint; The New London Seafood Restaurant. A tad expensive for my liking but a good experience all in all. Definitely gave me the fuel to carry forward on what was a very windy,hilly, and rainy day.

I stopped in Cavendish on the way to Blaines house in N.Rustico. The beach was awesome and is a must see for any tourist swinging through. The weather cleared up and I wish I could have spent two more sunny days there. I felt like I was in Mexico or something. This beach just killed the many Canadian stereotypes I had of the east coast.

 

Anyways, it was about 2pm, and Blaine called me asking where I was. I planned to be at his place around dinner time. He said he would pick me just down the road. Long story short, Blaine was a real cool guy and is a handy man. He does contracting work including painting, interlocking, and builds houses from scratch (including his own). His side business is in the fire wood market. He orders huge logs to his lot, and then using a bulldozer and chainsaws, manages to cut them up into 16 inch pieces, and delivers quads of them all over the island. He does very well, and needed some big help the few days I was there. A lot of large rush orders to prepare and deliver. With no time to waste, I was working at “the wood” as he called it, for the next two days. Cutting and chucking the wood and everything in between. Labour of this type never felt so good. This had to be one of the coolest “jobs” id ever done. I felt like a champion wielding a gas powered chainsaw for the first time.

Blaine was at the wood most of the time, but otherwise it was Sheldon and I sawing the wood and loading the bulldozer.

I could go on and on about how interesting the two of these guys were. But I won’t. I’ll let the documentary film (in process) speak those words. I met him through http://www.CouchSurfing.org

Blaine treated me, along with one of his girlfriends at a local restaurant; By the Bay. They specialize in steak and fresh seafood. Most people were overweight by a long shot, so you know the customers couldn’t get enough! Sort of had a flashback to Houston, TX

A storm came in after my second day at the wood. Man was I happy not to be cycling. Instead I went out the windy peer, picked up some oysters, and long story short I ended up on Blaines brother’s tuna fishing boat. We went about an hour into the middle of the ocean to bring in his fishing nets so they would not get swept away in the storm. We dropped the lines in because there was a 600lb Bluefin Tuna below us. We didn’t catch him, but we caught a bunch of Mackerel (bait for tuna).. but I ate them when we got home! A couple Cod, a lobster, a sharp weird looking fish, and a couple Mackerel came in on the nets. All food for the birds. It was not a lucky haul in the brothers opinions.

Third day I met Blaines close family. His sister owns a family farm with a cow and chickens.

All in all. These three days were some of the most exciting and interesting of the trip so far. Not hard to believe I wanted to stay for another week or so… But I wasn’t going to make it Newfoundland sitting on my ass. Time to say goodbye.

Day 5: Montmagny, QC- Kamouraska, QC (96km)

OK, take me seriously when I say this was the best stretch so far. 90km felt like 45km. The salty smell in the air was getting stronger and the sun was not too hot. Going on my second day without a shower, I felt cleaner and more refreshed than the day before.

Sneaking into that campground in Montmagny the night before was a super idea. The ground was soft and the whiskey put me into a deep sleep on the silky smooth and soft grass. It felt like I was staying at the “Hilton” of free camping. Not many bugs to worry about and I didn’t get rained on. I didn’t get to use my corn though, I had to lug the two pieces around with me for the whole day! boo…

Leaving on a positive note like this definitely helped me plow through the hills quite effortlessly.

I loaded up my trailer, brushed my teeth, and strolled on out, making a left onto the 132 which is now the old highway. Might I add, this stretch of road had almost no potholes, and although there wasn’t much of a siding, the lack of traffic made it more than safe. It was a beautiful road and the weather was superb once again.

It felt like from this point on drivers were much more cautious of cyclists and went into the opposite lane to pass if they were able too.

I did not make breakfast that morning, but instead cycled until I found a tiny cafe to eat. My phone had not been on for awhile and I figured this would be a good chance to charge it. There was an Antique store nearby. Lot’s of cool things I wanted to buy. Then I remembered I was cycling and hardly had room for a single beer in my trailer. Nevermind.

My GoPro was completely dead by the time I got to Kamouraska and there was no place to charge it. It just occurred to me on this day that you can only charge it if it’s plugged into a computer. At least this is the case with mine. After today I had could not use my GoPro for awhile.

60-70km down the road I stopped at the famous- La Pocatiere.

A county which hosts “one of the most beautiful sunsets in the world!” (www.myexplore.ca/en/where)  Unfourtunatley, I was there in the middle of the day and could not afford to stay here the night. Too bad.

I took the oppurtunity to relax here for awhile, check out the rocky beach below, and take in the amazing mountains (or hills) across the fast moving river.

It was apparent that this was a special place. An older woman named Julie approached me out of nowhere and started up a conversation. She had seen I was taking photos with my tripod, and was wondering where I had come from and where I was going.

She was a nice lady, who seemed to have a keen interest in what I was doing. Also surprised I was alone.

She had suggested I change my route to go up the mountains south of me, so I could get a view of the river basin below. I smiled and told her that it would be awesome to  bike up there but just not after 70km of riding! It would also pack on another 20km to go there, and then end in Kamouraska.

She wanted to me to see these mountains so badly, that she offered to take me up there in her car. Of course, I couldn’t pass this up!

Because she did not have a pick up truck, I had to leave the bulk of my gear behind including my bike. A risky choice just for a few photos.  I locked my bike and asked another lady to keep an eye on my trailer for 40 minutes or so. She gladly agreed to. Considering there were a bunch of older folks and no punks around, I felt ok leaving the trailer in her hands.

We headed for this specific mountain, part of it a ski hill, and with a name I cannot remember or find on the internet. It was about 10 minutes away from Julies hometown- St. Pacome. I felt honored that she took the time to show me this little jem of a village.

We went through the town and made it to the lookout. It was interesting to see the route at which I just travelled and where I was going for the rest of the day from someplace other than a digital map.

She said she feels obligated to tell people about this little lookout, as she is from this village, and it is not advertised in any brochures. I was the first random person she’d ever driven up there though. So maybe I’m not as crazy as I thought.

She drove me back about 40 minutes later after taking some photos. She passed me some cherries, and cheese before she left. I couldn’t believe the generosity towards me- a complete stranger.

Back on the road again I had many intense thoughts and feelings about the people I had met so far on the trip. The thoughts were obviously ignited from my recent encounter with Julie.  I could not imagine myself travelling this way or any way actually, in complete isolation of humans.

What would be the point really? Yes, I left by myself, but it is the fact I know there will be people along the road who are willing to share something. Whether it be a simple conversation, a story, a warning, a salutation, a bag of cherries, a meal and even a couch to sleep on. There are people waiting out there for you, who are just as curious about you as you are about them.  I don’t mean ‘you’ personally either.

It felt like a made it to Kamouraska pretty darn quick after I left left Julie in La Pocatiere. Scenery was looking pretty fantastic. I came around a corner of a farm and there it was … Kamouraska. It was on this rock which looked like it was put there randomly. Kind of funny I thought.  I had no idea what this town was going to be like, but since I was so far from any large city, I figured it would be pretty darn easy to find a place to sleep.

The first thing that caught my eye as soon as I got into the village was this bird below. I don’t know what kind it is, but it sure is different looking. Maybe someone knows what species it is?

I think it got hit by a car too. I got super close to it and it didn’t even move. But i saw dried up blood near the leg. He would move every once and awhile. I felt like doing something -like putting it out of it’s misery. The poor guy put me in a pretty gloomy mood and I knew it wasn’t feelin’ so hot either. I thought that would be the best thing to do “morally”. But I didn’t and cycled away pretending I saw nothing. I just couldn’t bring myself to doing it. Plus, he could have been attacked from a natural predator. Perfectly normal I guess.

Earlier in the summer, one of our customers mentioned he and his family had a cottage right in this very town. He told me months ago that I would have no problem finding and staying at their cottage. Well I definitely got my hopes up. He never messaged me for 2 weeks prior to my arrival here. But just so happened to “see my message” later that night. Says he was renting it out or something like that.

Anyway, I figured I’d try my luck at the local bar in hopes of snagging at least a lawn to sleep on legally. The bar, which was packed with staring old folks in nice sweaters, had unusually expensive beer and food. I knew I wouldn’t be hanging around much longer after this 9$ beer. This put me in an even worse mood. I know I wasn’t dressed up for the place, but I sat outside in the corner, and this was apparently the only place to grab a beer in town- hence the prices… so loosen up a bit!

It’s possible though that my mood at the time created a bit of a negative vibration in the place. Or I just wasn’t wanted there.

As the sun started sinking quickly I needed to make a decision. Do I stay in this town and search all over or do I leave the town (toward my next destination), In hope of finding somewhere to stay. I only had an 1.5-2 hours of light left. I decided to make some distance and stop at the next place I saw suitable.

All of the coast line for the next 3-4 km was either inhabited, too rocky, marshy, or inaccessible. The road veered away from the coast and I was getting worried as I became densly sandwiched between farms. (I like sleeping on beaches and in forests, not  a muddy farm-field with no element protection). The temperature became perfect and the view was just getting nicer. I could have biked for another 35km very easily.

Luckily though I came across some sort of building with a Jesus statue inside I think. It centered a graveyard with the tombstones and all. Almost biking by without even acknowledging it, I pulled off and made this my home for the night.

I walked in with my gear and situated myself under the best trees. Two that provided protection from the wind, provided some shielding if it rained, minimal roots on the ground, and enough cover from the semi-busy road.

I set up my stuff and got my stove cooking. Buttered pasta with herbs..mmm. I was not going to start a fire in the graveyard to cook my corn and risk blowing my cover! Those two pieces of corn will be sitting in my trailer again on route to Cabano, QC. I wanted to eat those so badly.

I walked around the graveyard trying to read the tombstone messages but no luck. I sat down at one of the picnic tables to eat and I was a bit shocked to find a pair of ripped female leopard panties. You all may laugh at me now, but when you’ve been alone for awhile on the road in a place you know nothing about-specifically the crime rate, you tend to think on the less optimistic side.

Sleeping in a graveyard is creepy enough but the fact I may now be sleeping in a potential crime scene, gave this night a comedic feel.

But I made it through the night with out any thoughts of the rapist. I was plenty occupied with my only visitors- the F*****G mosquitoes. Excuse my language. I drove myself insane slapping these buggers flying around my ears all night. The buzzing sound when their flying is outrageously annoying and frustrating- and when the sound stops you know they’ve landed on something, possibly your ear, eyelid, cheek or the outside of your sleeping bag. Either way you are still wide awake-adrenaline pumping- as you whisk them away hour after hour.

Day 4: Quebec City, QC- Montmagny, QC (63km)

I literally got so comfortable in Quebec City that I wanted to stay there for another 3 days or so. But with my limited time and the checkpoints and goals I had set for myself,  I had to be going. Plus, there was no time for my legs to get soft again!

I was ready to continue my journey eastward. I woke up on Sunday morning around 9am, and according to my “schedule”, thought I’d be taking the bridge south and doing an 80km day along the south shore of the St.Lawrence River. This was fine, but when I woke up pretty darn hung over from the beer fest the night before, I knew I was in for a rough day considering the hills everyone was talking about. But I knew I had to be on my way.

For some reason I decided to check my route when I woke up. Google Maps showed that there was a ferry terminal not even 20 minutes away and that it would take me to the south side of the river. Thank f*****g god. This made the day a lot more enjoyable. This ferry, which cost me $3, saved me a 30 km back-track. It allowed me to stay and have breakfast with scott, grab some whiskey and corn at the market (not knowing where I’d be posting up for the night), and provided an awesome view while crossing the river. I was ecstatic. And suddenly not hungover.

By the time I got to the other side it was around 3pm (breakfast went a bit late!). I followed a paved and busy bike path for about 6-10km after the ferry terminal. Everyone on their expensive carbon frames kept the pace moving fluidly though. It seemed like a lot of these cyclists take their bikes over on this ferry just for a change in scenery. The bike path turned south after 10km and so did I, accidently.

The vibe didn’t feel right, and I never saw the river for 20 minutes. I turned back to where I came from and asked for directions. I knew it. Wrong way. So I guess I could add 12-13km onto this day. I’ve made worse detours on small trips prior to this one and I was not to upset.

Once I got onto the road, the hills started to appear. Again, the scenery kept me going. It distracted me from how much my legs and ass hurt. The mountains which started to appear on the north side of the river, were spectacular. They were as smooth as silk against the blue sky. They all kind of blended into each other.

I did not stop much on the way out. Maybe 2 or 3 times for water (don’t have a spot for one on my frame). This was my most efficient day yet (22km/hour). QC-Montmagny was the nicest part of the trip so far. It literally was getting nicer and nicer as I ventured east. The smell of salt and “freshness” in the wind was becoming more apparent as I traveled toward the ocean. The rivers’ salt to fresh water ratio was increasing.

I had been following this river for about 340km from Montreal. I felt much further away because of that salty smell though. Smelt like somewhere foreign. This is probably because I grew up in Toronto and go to school in Montreal, and am used to breathing in smog and pollution.

No turning back now.

When I got into town, I noticed it was very well kept and clean. I pulled into a boardwalk and watched father and his son fish as the sun sank toward the horizon.

I could see a few places that looked alright for the night but everything looked very rocky, indeed 2/3 spots were. There was one other place I needed to check out closely, I’t looked like there was some tree cover too.

It was a park, and whatta’ you know there were campers. Everywhere. There was also circus looking tent 150ft away. There were families all over the place, and one older lady camping out of her car. Her and I were the only ones travelling alone.

Before setting up anything I sat down and observed the area. Lots of families. I had no clue if I was allowed here -let alone if there was a fee $.

There was a fence behind the trees where all of the RV’s were. I talked to the older lady who shared a bottle of wine and a chicken with me. She wouldn’t take any of my whiskey though. She seemed lonely and was travelling from Montreal to Nova Scotia for no apparent reason but travel.  She mentioned she paid something like $35 at the front gate and that there was some show going on in the tent.

I didn’t see any gates, and I didn’t have the dogs after me, so I set up my gear when the woman went to sleep.

Not surprisingly, everyone in their campers looked at me weird as I hooked up the blue tarp to my bike and pegged the other ends of it in the ground. They probably thought I was mentally ill.

The grass was soft and there were no roots, rocks, or rain in sight. The wind of the water kept the Mosquitoes away and wasn’t strong enough to blow my tarp out of the ground. Success.

Spiders everywhere. Fortunately, none made it into my sleeping bag.

A 4 day retreat to Northern Ontario

I’ve taken some awesome footage too (pre-trip-Documentary). Which I will share with you all in september when I make a teaser for the film.

 

Hope your enjoying these pics. I am learning everyday.

 

Cheers,

Getting used to my new toy

Yes, the first photo I took is of my toe!. I was bored, and had nothing else to shoot before bed. It gets a bit better I promise.

To all the the photo experts out there, please bare with my amateur attempts using manual. I am slowly learning.

Was amazed at the amount of trains today; 4 freights and 4vias (passenger trains).

The weather could not have been better either… phew, I never thought I’d say it… but i am trained out for the day.

On top of the trains, there was a cool dog, a live crew change , and some kids who thought it would be cool to try and touch one of the moving trains. There was some cool artwork by the tracks too.

One night out camping in Prescott, ON

Painters Weekend- where a bunch of filthy kids who paint houses for a living get together and drink lots of beer. I was in bed by 10:30pm.

 

 

I heard a train in the distance, I had to hit up the main line. Some children gave us a quick lift on their quads to the tracks on some random dirt road. I think I converted colevan into a railfan now too.

 

 

 

A bunch of police came through for a nice visit. Someone was arrested.

 

Now, back in Montreal, I’m going to head over to the rail line and hopefully catch a few trains with my new camera.

 

Enjoy!

 

 

 

 

The Rails

There is just something about having a beer trackside!

 

Serving the needs of Montreal’s beer consumers

From the last post you can see that I have been struggling to save up my pennies in order to complete the next two objectives for Summer 2012 in anticipation of a 2000km eastern Canadian bicycle tour.

To summarize, I have been digging through garbage cans for recyclables, working for a bicycle powered moving company, and selling many of my possessions.

These 3 sources of incomes are providing quite nicely, however, i wanted to see if I could try something a bit more clever to add to the revenue stream (it’s better safe then sorry). Today I started a business. Of course, it is nothing serious or permanent but i think it will work for the sole reason the mission of the company (which i will talk about below) is directed at a basic societal need.

To most this will sound stupid, and if it does, i encourage the criticisms to pour in…

***Big time edit…This is just a funny/clever idea. I will not actually do this- Maybe just a empty bottle pickup service.

It all started last night when I had a flashback of a party i was at a few months ago. Many arrived to the party late in the night, some forgetting to bring beer, and scrambling to get to the convenience store before 11pm (when liquor sales are prohibited). They were angry when they arrived at the door at 11:01pm and were refused the purchase.

It quickly occurred to me that this happens all too often, and I could help my friends-and their friends out. I could start an Eco-friendly beer delivery and “empty recyclable” pickup service. Go ahead, your allowed to call it sketchy,but keep in mind this is just an idea!

I think, as long as they do not purchase the beer after 11pm, i could technically deliver the beer to them and I could set up an “accounts payable” in which they would pay me for the delivery another time.

If worst comes to worst I could shift the companies main service to the sole pick up of recyclables from peoples apartments and houses (ie. cans and bottles) for no fee. I believe there is a need for this as well, as our society breeds significantly lazy people.

The mission as of now would be to simply satisfy all emergency beer needs on the island of Montreal in an effective, efficient and Eco-friendly manner- and it makes sense to me.

I will have an awesome bike with gears, a trailer with a capacity of 100lb, and have great endurance to power me across the city all day and night!

I figured out the logistics of how it would work, the price i would charge, and the initial investment I would need.

Say $150 for a stock of 5-6 24 packs, and another $30 for printing business cards.

I may also include the sale of premium craft beer at a premium price brewed by moi.

Here is a business card i quickly whipped up today.

There is more i could ramble on about, but i rather hear some feedback from all the visitors.

You do not have to tell me that selling alcohol is illegal after a specific time, i know, and have addressed this above in an attempt to avoid a potentially bad situation!

If worst comes to worst, i will change the company to a bottle/can pickup service!

Cheers!

From can collecting to moving companies, I am making dough and achieving goals.

It has been quite awhile since i’ve been able to check out and leave feedback on all the regular posts. I’m sorry!I figure now that I have a moment, I can do a summary post on all that is going on in my life, specifically the events that have kept me from accessing a computer, and posting.

Like i’ve mentioned a few times, I am on a mission. A mission to hussle hard, and make money for my wacky cycling trip to Newfoundland this summer. The mission consists of 3 objectives which are to be completed before mid June, all of the funding for these objectives will be from many sources, but not my full time job I start on May 1.                          

• - #1. Accumlate $600 for new bike parts (complete April5th)                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  – #2. Accumulate $800 for Nikon  D5100 and accessories                                                                                                                                                                                                                 - #3. Accumulate $350-$500 for spending spending money on tour (plus some supplies)

I was at $300 after selling old parts in March, plus $100 for my xbox I sold a month ago. At this point, I was trying to figure out how to get the extra $200.

It only made sense to do my part in collecting cans on st.patricks day, where 100,000′s of beer consumers litter the streets with there cans and bottles which you can bring into some grocery stores and recieve a refund of 5 to 20 cents per can.

I am a pretty motivated person to say the least, and that Sunday was no exception. I had left my friends at 9 30am, with a bag full of bags, and started to collect into Monday morning. I was totally surprised at how generous, friendly, and understanding people were all day. This could have been because of the abnormally nice weather, but either way, it meant less garbage cans I had to rummage through.

I met all sorts of people, got super drunk with all the beer and whiskey that was given to me, and was quickly submerged into this canning culture. All the other collectors were super friendly, and we shared many laughs and stories. To say the least, I was homeless for the day, and I had a blast. I made $95 but was so sore and hungover late Monday, I could hardly walk. (will upload some pictures shortly)— Even months after the event, i continue to collect. It has become a habit!

 

Some of my friends suggested that I should have left the collecting to the homeless, and/or the ”canners” as I quickly learned on the hunt- and that it was unethical. I see where there coming from, but I believe that statement to be contradictory. I am helping to clean the environment and to be honest, st.patricks day provides more than enough cans for all those willing to break there back picking yhem up for 10 hours.

The other $100 was obtained from collecting more cans and bottles the following weeks(left behind in our apartment building) and I just sent the order out for the parts. I will post a pic of my new bike when I get it built next week.

Now, the next objective is to gather about  $800. I have 0$ right now. The $800 is for a Nikon d5100, and external mic (at 50%), and an SD card. So since this was such a significant amount I figured i needed a stronger source of income besides can collecting. I found a moving company, run by a young guy here in Montreal. Interestingly, the company is powered by bicylces.

 Of course, people move the bicycles and I thought I would be a great candiadate. I have done 4 jobs so far, and the next is on Saturday. Yes, i’ll say it again, we move stuff with bikes and trailers. The trailers have a cap. at 600lb and we can move a load like that up hills, down hills, and all over the island.

After loading up the trailers at the first location, we then bike our loads to the new location (usally a new apartment or house), unstrap everthing, and load it into the new place.

 I have moved loads of 500lb, usually consisting of fridges, stoves, washer and dryer, matresses, and heavy shelving units. Let me tell you, I never thought I’d work so hard in my life.. just thinking about it makes me sore.. It is fun though, and also allows me to train effectivley for long distance loaded bike tours. Oh, and you can sometimes keep the stuff people want to throw away. Like this great BBQ that was being thrown out today.

The companies website is www.myette.ca

If you want moving done on the island of Montreal, please give Julien a call and let him know Mac sent you!

That being said, I have done about $300 worth of work for the company. A painting I am working on for a friend will be sold for $250, selling old school books for about $100 and a TV at $50, and of course more cans at around $50. This will bring the funds up to about $800. And there you go, objective #2 almost complete

Sorry for the ramble, I am just getting excited!

 

A Traditional Quebecois Sugar Party

Saturday was homework- catch-up- day for me, as is everyday in University. I had planned on staying in the night and getting a few things out of the way before the week rolled in.

As I was getting into the groove of things, I received a call from a cyclist and friend named Phil. He asked if I’d like to come to a Sugar Shack with him and a bunch of his family… I jokingly said, “what the hell is that!?” he sort of laughed and replied “You’ve been living in Quebec for almost 4 years now, and you don’t know what a sugar shack is!?”.. I thought to myself for a split second, connected some dots, and replied.. “actually, of course I do,  how could I not know! WHEN ARE WE LEAVING?!”

And then my veins started zapping with the anticipated high doses of maple syrup to come. I was only a kid but I still have memories of my frost bitten-sticky fingers.

I was 12 years old and I was on a school trip to Quebec City and then to the famed Sugar Shack in Tadoussac, QC

The memories started to come back vague and positive. We had a lot of fun there.

At least for me, living in the city, with no car, and a non-Quebecois doesn’t allow me to have such easy access to traditional outings like a “Sugar Shacks” in the country. For those of you who don’t know what a Sugar Shack is, here you go.

It is a very special part of the Quebec Folkloric Tradition and I was very happy to be a part of that.

Starts getting a bit hilly around here!

I could tell that Phil was brought back to his Quebecois roots and that he was really taking in the whole ordeal, I think everyone was!  The place was jammed with Quebecois families and also a few M’ikmaq families, who would have shared some of the same music and facilities in the 17-1800′s. Everyone seemed to be reconnected.

I liked the traditional folk music although a little cheesy at sometimes. It was nice to see all the families there and little kids enjoying themselves. It was definitely a reminder of how beautiful the country is, and how people don’t really need anything but some good food, shelter, and each-other. I think this is a commonality in most traditions. It’s too bad we as a common society have gone the way we have.

The meal started off with a fresh pea soup and some home made bread. Followed with sausages, mashed potatoes, beats, “pig ear”, some sort of shepherds pie and an omelet. Pancakes were served for the first dessert and then we went outside by the fire to make maple syrup Popsicle type things on a stick as the second dessert. Keep in mind that you add maple syrup to absolutely everything, including your coffee. All of the maple syrup is harvested on the property.

Hope you enjoyed my blurb about a personal quebec experience.

Cheers,

Mac