On Thursday the Dunnville Rotary Club organized their weekly meeting at my parents' farm in support of my ride for Huntington's disease.  There were more than 50 in attendance including people from the Rotary Club, Lion's Club, the Royal Canadian Legion, and the Huntington Society.  Also in attendance was the Hartery family which has been dealing powerfully with Huntington's since their 33 year old daughter was diagnosed with the aggressive juvenile form of the disease about three years ago.  My uncle Bob, who has Huntington's, along with the rest of the Glenney side of my family was also there to help with preparations and to sport the great "Trans-Canada Bike Ride" T-shirts my mom had made up for the event.

We had a catered lunch and corn roast followed by a presentation I prepared to share some of the pictures and stories of my ride.  At the end I spoke about Huntington's disease and was presented with several generous donations from local businesses and organizations toward the cause. 

In total, over $4000 was raised for Huntington's disease.  Many thanks to everyone who came out to support the cause!

I made it home to my parents' house in Dunnville Ontario yesterday afternoon and have been enjoying the best sunsets of my ride.  I was greeted in Cayuga by my Aunt's parents, Mr. and Mrs. Smith, and by my Aunt Lois and Uncle Ward and cousins Brandon and Justine.  Then when I rolled up to my parents' house my mom, dad and dog K2 were sitting on the front yard to greet me.  Thanks for cheering me on everyone!

The night before last I arrived in Guelph and stayed with my sister Laura who took me out for dinner and made sure I was looked after in royal fashion.

Yesterday morning I woke to thunderstorms and rain and decided to push back a meeting with the Huntington's people in Kitchener until lunch time when I could use Laura's car to drive the 30 km to Kitchener instead of taking my bike.  It was a great meeting.  The Kitchener news paper came out to do a story and then the Huntington's group took me out for lunch at an all you can eat sushi restaurant....  we definitely got our money's worth with my appetite! :)

By 4pm the weather was looking better and I was all packed up and on the road to Dunnville.  It was a pretty quick 100 km from Guelph to Dunnville.  I was anticipating the "hills" between Caledonia, Cayuga, and Dunnville that I have driven so often, but after all of the riding I've done this summer those "hills" are pretty much non-existent.

Today we cleaned up the barn in preparation for the Rotary meeting that will be held here on Thursday.  We're anticipating a pretty big turn out and hopefully some good donations for the Huntington's cause.

It's funny how the most dangerous moments of my trip have been in my most familiar settings.  I had a run in with the weed whip at my house in Minneapolis and today while cleaning up the barn, the ladder slipped and I felt about 10 feet mashing up my hand and my hip.... glad I've got a week to recover now :)

Tonight my dad and I cleaned up my bike and got her ready for the next leg of the trip.  She's happy when she's clean and shiny.... oh, and I named her Betsy.

Here's a recap of the ride from Webbwood to Guelph.

From Webbwood where I made my last update, I continued my ride with Meaghan and Toby and we stopped in Espanola to have breakfast at Roger Rabbit's which was really good!  The Espanola paper came out and took my picture for a story and the owner of the restaurant gave me 20 bucks for my ride.  Then we stopped at Giant Tiger to get some minor supplies.  I found a $2 kite that I thought would be fun to attach to my bike.  It worked pretty good until I got up to speed with a big cross-wind - then the kite was all over the place and I decided to retire the kite.  Fun while it lasted.  We also stopped to pick raspberries and then found a place with infinitely customizable banana splits - mmmm good!

The trip down across Manitoulin Island was really great too.   While waiting at the rotating bridge on to Manitoulin Island we met Rachel who was on her way home and, curious about our ride, offered us a place to stay with her family at their home about 40km down the road.  It was a very generous offer and we were excited to accept.  During the ride to our newly discovered destination, we stopped for some fun pictures at the "Ten Mile Point". 

Arriving about 5km from Rachel's place we were greeted by her and her husband, Todd, who had come out to see if we were still on our way.  They directed us to their place and looked right after us with a swim off the dock on the bay where they live, dinner, laundry, and comfy digs for the night.  They live on the only unceded indian reserve in Canada.  Todd is a negotiator with the government for several of the bands on Manitoulin Island.  He gave us a tour of their reservation and had lots of interesting information to share with us about their culture.

The next day we were off to Owen Sound by 7:15 in order to catch the Chi-cheemaun ferry at 9:10 over to Tobermory.  On the ferry we met a guy who called himself Koubec and said that he was the cycling champion of the '60s from Yugoslavia.  We took a funny picture with him showing off our leg muscles.  Then, through a friend of a friend of a friend of my dad's, we were afforded another place to stay.  Andrea and Matt and their three kids looked after us very well with a BBQ in their back yard, comfy beds to sleep in, and fun kids to play with.  We've been really looked after for the past week!  Prior to arriving in Owen Sound we took a little detour along the coast of Georgian to find a place to swim.  During the swim I built an inukshuk which is an Inuit symbol indicating that the way is safe.

After Owen Sound Meaghan and Toby split off toward Toronto and I headed toward my sister's house in Guelph.  It was a long day of narrow roads and CRAZY drivers.  If someone knows anyone at the Ontario Ministry of Transport - please tell them their roads are not bike friendly and their drivers need some safety training - primarily on #6 from Tobermory to Owen Sound.  I decided to take some country roads from Owen Sound to Guelph and found them to be just as bad - I think I will actually write a letter.

Arriving in Guelph was a welcoming feeling as I was in familiar territory and staying with my sister, which brings me back to the beginning of my update.

Sleep well and don't fall off any ladders!

A record's been broken!  Yesterday we rode 225 km - just for the sake of breaking our record.  After my night in Brimley MI I got up to a beautiful sunrise and spoke with one of my fellow campers at the campsite - he worked in a body shop but had an affinity for bicycles.  We had a good chat while I packed up my gear to head off to Sault St Marie about 40km down the road.  I went back to the restaurant where Debbie had taken me for dinner the night before to get my regular 3000 calorie big breakfast.  It's amazing how much food I can eat now.  After a short rainshower I was once again bound for Canada.  I rode on the county roads as far as I could and then had to go on the highway inorder to get on the bridge across to Canada.  There was a $1.50 toll (half price for bikes) and an Australian guy working the booth.  On the bridge now and snapping some pictures as I rode - since there was no sidewalk to stop on - I arrived at Canadian customs on the other side.  There was a bit of a line up and when I arrived at the booth I got one question - Are you bringing anything back? Nope.  Have a nice day!  :)  Now to find the bike shop - Vélorution - where Meaghan was camping with a bunch of other TCBCs.  This place is awesome!  A retirement project for the owner, there is free camping, bathroom/shower, and internet for cyclists.  It was amazing how many cyclists showed up that night - there were 14 of us hanging out around the campfire.  Really cool people from all over the place - Quebec, Switzerland, England, Ontario, British Columbia, Alberta, France.   Paradise! :)

By the time I arrived at Vélorution it was about 11:30 and Meaghan and the crew were still waking up.   I got my tent set up and then we rode downtown to find some more food.  It was Sunday and everything was closed except for a little restaurant that was packed.  We ran into three other cyclists here - one of whom (Guillaume) I had riden with across the flood plain of Alberta.  It's been really cool meeting all of these great people and the reconnecting to share our adventures and experiences.

Later that evening Debbie and I had arranged to meet for dinner and she came to take me to one of her favorite restaurants - Giovanni's.  It was a great dinner and she shared more of her experiences as a scout leader and her experiences with her husband's Huntington's disease.  After dinner we went to Walmart and the grocery store to find some food supplies for the road and to get ingredients for smores.

Debbie then dropped me off at the bike store and said she would come back in the morning to bid me farewell.  When I got back to the camp several more cyclists had arrived and it was turning into a full size party.  I started the fire and we all started to congregate around the fire for smores and great conversations.  I laughed a lot this night.  It was really fun.

The next morning I woke at about 6:30 and started getting my gear together again for the next leg of the trip toward Espanola.   In the mean time, Debbie called and came over to get a picture.  Then she went over to the Sault St Marie newspaper - which was just across the street - and brought the reporter over to do a story and take my picture.  It was the same reporter who had done a story on her husband's Huntington's disease.  Debbie is awesome - completly lovable and beaming with life.  Thanks for everything Debbie!

And the pedalling continues - one by one we get on the road and the wind is roughly at our back.  Meaghan, Toby, and James all started out about 30 mins before me and I caught up to them about 2hours in to the ride.  We stopped for lunch at a little marina and then continued onward.  We stopped again to go swimming in Lake Huron and then again in Massey at about 8:00pm shortly after we broke 200km.  Here we met a couple of guys who were hitch hiking from Montreal to somewhere in British Columbia.  They had just started the same day and had already made it past Sudbury.  Everything in this little town was closed except for the tatoo shop and we were running low on water, so we went to the tatoo shop where they let us fill up our water bottles.

Another 15 km down the road was the town of Webbwood.  It was starting to get dark now and we needed to find a place to camp.  Upon entering the town we stopped at the first motel we saw and went in to ask if there were any campsites around.  The owner said we could camp in the field next to his motel.  That was great!  We got all set up and then cooked up a big dinner of shepperd's pie and pasta.  MMMM good!

Now it's the next morning again, the sun is shining and I'm sitting on the front step of the hotel by the Coke machine (since there's power for my laptop) making some updates and remembering all of the fun of the last few days.

Today will be more relaxed - it's only 125km to the ferry that will take us across to Tobermorry and Southern Ontario.

Fun, fun, fun!

Thursday July 15th - Crystal Falls to Marquette
This day started off early and everything was dry from the night before thanks to the cabin that was so generously offered.  I woke up with two deer outside of my window eating the grass around my cabin.   When I was all packed and had the cabin cleaned up I rode up the hill into the village of Crystal Falls to find some breakfast.  I found a pizza shop/bar that was open at 8am in the morning and went in to see if they served breakfast.  There was one combination on the breakfast menu - eggs/bacon/hash-browns/toast/coffee - I said great - I'll take it.  The owner was preparing his shop for the day and doing some of his paperwork while he made my breakfast.  The TV show "House" was on and we both had a couple of chuckles from the dry humor of the show.  Then I was on my way to Marquette which was about 75 miles up the road.  The wind was okay this day and I made good time.  At Ishpeming I saw the world's biggest working chainsaw and then managed to connect with Ryan's (my cousin's), girlfriend's dad, Tom.   Tom was going to be busy at work until about 5pm and I arrived a couple hours early so I just toured around town a bit and then ended up at the local coffee shop where I caught up on some email and web updates and had a couple of hoe.  Then Tom called me and I met him at his house where he checked to make sure I was Canadian by offering me a beer - a quick affirmative response to the offer confirmed my Canadian authenticity.   Shortly after his wife Deborah came home and we went out for dinner at the local Irish pub.  Tom and Deborah looked right after me this night.

Friday July 16th - Marquette to Newberry
The next morning I woke to say goodbye and thank Tom for his hospitality.  I didn't get to see Deborah before she left for work.  Then I got all packed up and rode over to the post office to pick up the new camera that Roger and Burnie shipped me from Minneapolis.  I was on the road by 10:30.  This day was supposed to be a rest day, but since I didn't know anyone else in Marquette I decided to move on.  I was getting bored with myself and the randomness of the thoughts rolling around in my head so I set a goal of 100 miles for the day and rode until I got there.  I stopped at a KOA campsite and found their $31 campsite fee (without power) to be extremely expensive - considering all I was going to do was set up my tent and go to sleep, and also considering that I've been paying between $0 and $10 for campsites since Saskatchewan.

Saturday July 17th - Newberry to Brimley
I just about woke up to being baked in my tent.  The sun was shining and my tent was starting to get really warm.  Now that I was a full two days ahead of my schedule - due to not taking a rest day and riding 100 extra miles and still feeling a little bored by myself - I decided to take a little detour to Paradise.  Paradise is a little town on the south shore of Lake Superior about 50 miles from Sault St. Marie.  Hey, if you had an opportunity to go to Paradise, wouldn't you go too?  It was an extra 40+ miles out of the way, but I got some pictures of the falls at Tahquamenon, met Don and Chris from Indianapolis who are riding a tandem bike on a several day tour and then stopped at a little restaurant in Paradise.  The restaurant was packed and there was a couple who offered me a place a their table.  We started talking and I learned that the woman's brother's ex-wife has Huntington's disease.  I told them about my ride and shared about the guy I met who's walking across the continent (Toyota Walkimori).  They left before I did but paid for my lunch.  I didn't even get their names.  Thanks for lunch wonderful couple?  Moving on now from Paradise I was aiming now to get to the campsite at Monocle.  During this part of the ride I got a call from a woman named Debbie who lives in Sault St Marie and who's husband recently passed away from Huntington's disease.  We agreed to meet at Monocle at 6pm.  During my ride to Monocle I stopped several times to pick and eat raspberries at the side of the road, took a swim in Lake Superior and met a guy named Don with his family.  He offered me a towel to dry my feet off and get rid of the sand so I could put my bike shoes back on.  Oh, and I also stopped at the Iroquois Point Lighthouse and spoke to a couple from Minneapolis touring on their motorcycle.  I also spoke to the care taker of the lighthouse - he was living his dream.  Finally, I made it to Monocle and found the campsite to be full.  At the same time I connected with Debbie who wanted to buy my dinner and pay for my campsite.  We decided that I would ride to the next town where there's a state park and then go for dinner.  She shared with me a lot of the things she experienced with her husband's Huntington's disease - some funny stories, some sad stories, and some unbelievable stories.  This is a great and strong woman.

Now I'm in my tent about to fall asleep with a full stomach.  Tomorrow I will meet up again with Megan, who I met, riding with her dad, back in Manitoba.

G'night!

Rode from Crystal Lake to Marquette today.  Got a pretty early start since I was able to stay dry last night in the cabin.  It was a quick ride to Marquette.  Got interviewed by the channel 6 news station of Marquette just east of Ishpeming.  Now I'm at the local coffee shop waiting for Tom (my cousin, Ryan's, girlfriend's dad) to meet me after he's done with work.

Ahhh, another night in a real bed! :)

Tomorrow I get to pick up my new camera at the post office.  That's exciting too! :)

What the heck is a Hodag?  It's Rhinelander Wisconsin's mythical mascot, that's what it is!

I have the experience that I am looked after.  No matter where I am the people I meet are friendly and generous.  The day before yesterday started off with sunshine but the forecast called for rain.  I got about 50 miles into the ride and found myself racing with a really dark rain cloud.  It was closing on me and I noticed that the bottom bracket of my front rack had broken and my panier bag was hitting my spokes each time I went over a bump.  I pulled into a house with an over hang to get some shelter from the rain and to assess the problem with my rack.  Right away the owner came out and offered me shelter in his garage.  I found that the bottom right bracket of my rack had broken and the fix would be to drill a new hole to make a new mount - the rack would be a little twisted but it would work.  My host found a drill and a drill bit that fit and I was quickly back to operating condition.  Then he filled up my water bottles.  The rain had passed and I was again on the road.  Riding a little further, another more ominous rain cloud enveloped me and it was raining so hard that I couldn't see the road anymore.  I pulled off the road and into another house where the Anderson's lived.  I was quickly invited inside to get out of the rain.  Soaking wet at this point I was offered a towel.  They happened to be eating dinner and offered me a plate of hotdish and a big glass of milk.  They had seen me on TV a few days before and were excited to know what I was doing and to see my website.  After a while the rain stopped and I was on my way.  On my way out Mrs Anderson gave me some money for the road.  Many thanks to the Anderson family!  Now that the sun was shining again I was able to make it to my destination for the day - Turtle Lake.  Upon arriving I found the RV park but the checkin was closed and wouldn't open until after I left the next morning - a free night!  I set up my tent and then went over to the gas station/McDonald's to see if I could find a snack to put on top of the hotdish I got from the Andersons.  Another cyclist happened in and I asked him what he was up to.  He said that he and about 300 other cyclists were on a 6 day trek and that they were all camping at the highschool a few blocks down the road.  Cool!  After eating I headed down the road - on my unloaded bike and found the group.  I immediately started a conversation with Sue, Keith, Kevin, Scott, and a couple others.  We shared some fun stories and then went into the school where a TV was showing the Fox 9 News who had filmed me leaving Minneapolis earlier in the day.  We didn't see anything about my ride on the news but we had a fun time talking about our biking adventures.  The next day, Keith and Scott came by my campsite to wish me good and safe travels.  Scott has a website (www.bicycledreamer.com) and gave me a wristband with the words "Seeing Magic In Life Everyday" ... take the first letters of each word and see what it says :)  Great people!

Now, I am eating breakfast in Hawkins WI at "Fred's Way to Go" bar, talking to the locals and the bartender, Charlie, who offered my breakfast on the house.  Thanks Charlie! 

See mom - I'm looked after :)

At the campsite last night I met some of the people from the Lion's club who were having a meeting.  I spoke with Pete about my ride and then shared some of my stories with him and his clubmates in the parking lot.

I need to recap some more of my experience riding in to Minneapolis last week.  It was kind of surreal seeing the outline of the city come up on the horizon.  I rode 2100 miles to arrive here... a place where I have had so many experiences and made so many friends.  And a place where I have grown and changed in so many ways.   It was an exciting experience arriving in Minneapolis.  I found so many reasons why I love Minneapolis including the people, the bike trails, the lakes and rivers, the open spce, my friends and neighbors... the list goes on.  As my time in Minneapolis continued I found myself reliving some of the things that have kept me from really commiting to being in Minnesota...   It's an interesting life to say the least - and I'm loving it!

Today (July 13) I rode to Rhinelander Wisconsin and got filmed by the local TV station - channel 12.  Check out the link in "Contacts and Press"

Upon arriving in Rhinelander I checked my telephone messages and found a message from my dad saying that a radio station in Hamilton Ontario (CHML)was going to call me at 6:40 to interview me live on the Scott Thompson show.  He called promptly at 6:40 and I was interviewed live for about 10 minutes.   That was cool!

Tonight I am staying at Evan Miller's place.  How did I happened to meet someone who lives in Rhinelander Wisconsin you ask!?  Well, his girlfriend happens to teach at the yoga studio I frequent in Minneapolis, she heard about my ride and let Evan know about it.  Turns out my route went within a few blocks of his house, so he wrote to me and offered a place to stay.  What a guy.  Thanks Evan!  We cooked some steaks and hot dogs and took a tour of Rhinelander, stopped at the local establishment for some beers and pool, and then went back to watch my Rhinelander TV debut.   The spot aired several times and as I was leaving Rhinelander the next morning a lot of cars honked and waved.

It's only been a few days since I left Minneapolis, but with so many new experiences and people it seems like a hundred days have passed.  Thank-you everyone for making this such an amazing experience.  Too much fun! Somebody come and share it with me!

So, now for the serious business - I'm at almost $6000 in donations and I'd like to leave the US on Monday with a square $10000...  who wants to help? :)

Starting to get a little incoherent as the night progresses later and later...

Storms predicted for tomorrow afternoon...  guess I'll try to get an early start.

Sleep tight, don't let the bed bugs bite!

On the road again!  After a nice break in Minneapolis visiting my friends and sleeping in my own bed for a few nights I'm back at it. 

When I arrived in Minneapolis on Wednesday afternoon I had arranged to meet up with my friend Kaye from the CorePower Yoga studio to ride into Minneapolis.  We had a little trouble finding each other but finally managed to connect at the Caribou coffee shop downtown.  It started raining but I knew I had only a few more miles to go before I would be in my own house and able to get comfortable and relax a bit.

While downtown I connected with another friend (ex girlfriend, in fact) Catie and got caught up a bit - it was good to see her.  Why's it so hard to find love! :)

Moving on, my friend Margit happened to be in transit through Minneapolis and managed to change her flight to the next morning so that we could visit and make dinner. 

When I arrived at my house, Roger and Burnie (my wonderful neighbors) were in the street waiting for me with their cameras.  On Thursday night they made dinner for me and I got to meet Opal and Don - Roger's brother and sister in law.  We had Lasagna - mmmm.

It was a busy few days visiting with friends and colleagues, attending Rotary meetings, and getting things in order for my departure this morning.

On Friday night I had a barbecue at my house with lots of friends and lots of fun.

Saturday was more bike maintenance, laundry, a haircut, and a dip in the pool with my friends Shari, Heather, and Paul

Now, I'm off to start the second half of the journey and all rested up for the adventures that lay ahead.

Peace and Love all the way!

Arriving a day early in Minneapolis (July 7th) - ah, an extra day in my own bed! :)

Once again it's been a few days since I posted an update and I'm struggling to maintain consciousness after riding 182 km in to the wind today so that I could catch up to what I lost yesterday due to an even stiffer wind.

Today (July 3rd) - started off early as I was planning to make up about 50km of lost distance from yesterday's wind.  I woke up at about 6:00 and started packing things up when it started to rain - I barely got it all packed before the rain really started coming down.  Then to finish it all off there were some random golf ball sized hail stones that fell to the ground.  Being qick to don my rain gear I managed to stay dry.  The rain didn't last very long and I was able to put the rain gear away quite quickly after it stopped.  I was on the road by 7:15 but without water or breakfast.  About 30km down the road I finally came to a gas station with a restaurant.  Upon entering there was a man and a woman who had passed me on the highway and surprised that I caught up to them so quickly.  They asked about my ride and I gave them one of my cards and told them some of my story.  When they left they said
'hey, we're going to pay for your breakfast".  That's great I said!  Thanks!  As I was finishing up a young boy named Cody and his dad came in for breakfast.  Cody was really curious about my bike and really like the cards I showed him.  He took a few for himself and his sisters.  On my way out I gave the waitresses one of my cards and got them to fill my water bottles.  Then the owner (I think she was the owner) came out and asked if I was taking donations - I said "sure am!" and she gave me $20.

Moving on, I came to the US border and rolled up to the window.  The guard said "passport please" and I handed him my passport and green card.  He asked me a couple simple questions and then about my ride.  I told him and his colleague the story and gave them each my card.  They said have a nice ride and I was on my way again.

The rest of the day was pretty much spent with my head down to minimize the drag and fight the wind and heat.  By noon the heat was scorching.  It had to be over 40C.  At the 100km point in Donaldson MN (pop 41) I stopped at a house to see if they would fill up my water bottles.  Kayrol answered the door and said sure I'll fill up your water bottles, come on in!  The air conditioning of her house was a very welcome break from the heat.  Her son Austin and daughter Kassidy were also home and they offered me a sandwich and snacks before I got on my way.  I learned from Austin that beets are a major Minnesota crop.  Who knew?!

Moving on once more with my head once again down and staring at the pavement I pushed on until I got to the town of Eluclid.   My water bottles were again empty and I found a bar that was open with several motorcycles parked outside and walked in to see if they would fill them up.  It was a funny experience.  I walked in with my bike gear (spandex and all) and the whole bar (about 15 people) turned and looked at me like I was from another planet.  I asked the bartender if he could fill my water bottles and then had a conversation with a couple of the ladies at the bar who were really curious - of course the rest of the bar listened to the story as well.  As I was getting ready to leave I yelled across the bar to the bikers on the other side "who's got the wimpy pedal bike out there?".  They laughed and asked how far I'd ridden - I said I've just come up on 100 miles for the day - they said "hmmm, that's about how much we did today" :) 

By now I was only 20 miles from Crookston where I had originally planned to be today.  I arrived at about 9:00pm and said to myself - tonight's a hotel night.  The sky looked pretty menacing by the time I got checked in and cleaned up.  Oh, and I got a 25% discount, just for asking. :)

Now for yesterday...  I started off from Jenette's house at about 8:30 and made my way through Winnipeg along the Trans-Canada highway.  I had heard of the middle marker of Canada and that it wasn't very far outside of Winnipeg and figured I would go there to get a picture.  The wind was something else and as the day and heat went on I continued to lose confidence in my ability to get to my planned destination and across the US border. 

In Alberta we endured two of the 4 elements - earth and water.  In Manitoba I endured the other two - fire and wind.  I also discovered two new elements in Manitoba - rough roads and hungry mosquitoes!  Sorry Manitoba, you scored the most points for bad roads.  That stretch of the Trans-Canada coming in to Winnipeg with no shoulder is down right dangerous!

Canada Day - this was a good day.  I slept in a bit (till 8am) and then got up to go to a yoga class that TCBCer Tim had suggested the day before - Moksha Yoga Studio - which is apparently all over Ontario and Quebec.  I arrived a few minutes before 10 and again toldthe story of my bike ride and handed out some cards - which everyone loves!  They gave me the class for free and 5 free passes for when I happen upon other Moksha Yoga Sudios. Very nice.  Go to www.mokshayoga.ca to learn more.  After the yoga class, Jenette was excited to set me up with a massage and her friend Paula suggested her therapist (I have to look up his name).  He charged $50 for a full body massage.  He said the amount of time didn't matter, as long as he got the job done.  It took two hours!  I was like rubber when he was done.  Then he gave me some tips on stretching and said go home and take a epsom salt bath to pull out all of the toxins he had released from the massage.   I think it helped me put those 182 kms in today to get to my scheduled destination.  After the massage went back, had the bath, then got a ride to the Osbourne Village where the Canada day party was happening.  During the ride we took a tour to the top of "Garbage Hill" (the highest point in Winnipeg) to get a view of the city and a picture of Jenette and I.  Now at the Canada Day party - a few bands playing, a Subway store to quench my appetite and my TCBCs - Shawn, Cody, Sebastian, Tim, and Megan.  We ultimately ended up at the Forks (where the Red River and the Assiniboin River meet) to get some more food and watch the fireworks.  I also connected at the last minute with Paul Klassen of the Winnipeg Engineers Without Borders group.  We didn't have a lot of time to talk but he gave me $20 and wished me well.

June 30th - a day off!  I connected with Jenette who I know from the Landmark courses I have taken in Minneapolis.  Jenette lives in Winnipeg in a 55+ apartment co-op and offered me a place to stay for a couple of days while I rest up to celebrate Canada Day and prepare for the next leg of my journey to Minneapolis.  She's been looking after me as if I was her own.  I woke up to coffee, Vector cereal, and an opportunity to get some laundry done.  She's even trying to get me an appointment with her massage therapist!  That would do my hamstrings a world of good!

Happy Canada Day!!!

I think I'm caught up again!  

Tomorrow I head to Fargo where I will connect with my buddy Dale and celebrate Independence Day with more fireworks!

Bonne nuit.