June 10

Monday, June 11th, 2007

I had no intentions of reaching Montreal today, but as we got rolling, I realized it was far more achievable than originally anticipated. A few locals had told us that Montreal was about 140 km from Trois Rivieres. But Patrick had told us that we were less than 100 km from the edge of the city!

Leading up to this point, I have been trying to calm my dad’s nerves about driving through Montreal. He was very concerned about the busy streets, the language barrier and rough roads. I suppose now would be the best time to let him know that the Montreal Grand Prix is on today. I could just hear the conversation:

“Uh, Dad? I know how worried you are about navigating your way through the busy streets of Montreal. And I don’t want to add to your concerns, but the Grand Prix is today. most of the roads will be closed. and the ones that are open will be packed with people trying to imitate the professional drivers. You can handle this, right?”

I think that is one conversation I didn’t want to have. To be completely honest, I had forgotten the Grand Prix was scheduled for today. But it was very obvious that going through the middle of the city was not going to be an option. There would be far too much traffic, closed streets and dangerous situations. It didn’t taking much thought to make the decision to keep slightly north of the city.

I was making surprisingly great time again. I had reached a town called Berthierville for lunch. The traffic was still thick and swarming with Harley’s. I’m starting to get the urge to go out and buy a bike! Not too far out of town a guy passed me on his Kawasaki speed bike with his girlfriend on the back. He revved his engines encouragingly, gave me a wave and sped off. He shot down the road and I watched the front wheel lift off the pavement as the bike stood up on it’s rear end. I’ve seen bikes pull wheelies before, but never with a girl on the back and doing 100km/hr! She must really love and trust him, or hate him.

One thing that has become entertaining throughout the province of Quebec has been the inaccurate mile signs. For example, I can recall one sign which read:

“Portneuf – 9 km

Deschambault – 25 km”

As I continued skating, I came across another sign 3 km from the previous. This sign read:

“Portneuf – 7 km

Deschambault – 20 km”

Now, I didn’t do to well in University Calculus, but I’m pretty sure my math isn’t that bad. Let’s walk through this. If Portneuf is 9 km away and I travel 3 km, then Portneuf should now be….. 6 km. And if Deschambault is 25 km away and I travel the same 3 km, the Deschambault should now be…. 22 km. So what am I missing?? Well, my head spun for a little while trying to figure out how the Quebecois calculate their distances, but I’ve long given up. Now it just makes me smile. Thank goodness for Mapquest!

Regardless of the mileage signs, I finished my day in the town of Saint-Lin-Laurentides. Once again, I had surpassed my own expectations to find that I had completed 103 km on the day! I’m a bit disappointed I couldn’t go through Montreal directly, but I’d be more disappointed if I was hit by a car or my dad had a heart attack from the traffic.

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June 9

Sunday, June 10th, 2007

I set off from Donnacona with my vision focused on Trois Rivieres. But my goal was quickly blurred by the rough pavement. Even with the wind at my back and some nice downhill grades, I couldn’t keep up a good speed. The rough shoulder forced me to go slow. If I were to pick up any more speed, I’d likely lose control. As it was, the rough surface sent vibrations up my legs into my spine which made me cringe in pain. I recall reading a monument in Quebec City which indicated that in the 17th century, when French soldiers would capture English troops, they would hold them captive for several days before fastening a primitive version of rollerskates to the bottom of their feet. The prisoners were then forced to roll to Trois Rivieres. Anyone who was able to endure the torture was set free upon completion.

Ok, that bit of history may not be accurate, but sometimes I feel like I’m being tortured.

As the morning sun rose above improving the weather, so too did the road conditions. And I could tell it was the weekend, because there was an abundance of cyclists out for some exercise. Although the roads are not optimal for rollerblading, I’m very impressed with the emphasis the province has on providing safe bicycle paths along the roads.

I’m not sure if my complaining had anything to do with it, but the shoulder of the road soon turned into a wide, smooth slice of heaven! Highway 138 from Donnacona to Trois Rivieres is attempting to redeem the province of Quebec by presenting me with some of the nicest conditions since leaving Newfoundland! Today, the ideal conditions were being enjoyed by all. Walkers, cyclist, children playing, convertibles and hundreds of motorbikes. So many bikes, in fact, that I was beginning to think I was in Daytona during Bike Week! I have never seen so many Harley’s! And the majority of them would give me friendly, encouraging waves, honks or the patented Quebec ‘thumbs up’.

The Highway snaked it’s way directly through the heart of Trois Rivieres. I was pleased with my progress when we reached the outskirts of town and stopped for a minute to verify the route through town. The city itself was beautiful. Very old with a lot of character. It’s actually the 2nd oldest city in Quebec. Everyone in Trois Rivieres seemed to be very patient and enthusiastic. I had more honks, waves, and of course, the thumbs up than anywhere else in the province, so far! One man even passed me, pulled over and snapped a photo with what appeared to be a $5000 camera.

I baffled my parents, as well as myself when I crossed the 100 kilometer mark on the day. I never expected to achieve this much distance in Quebec. But I suppose stranger things have happened. I took my final stride for the day in a town 15 km outside of Trois Rivieres called Pointe du Lac. With no service centers in sight, we headed back towards Trois Rivieres where we pulled into an Ultramar for the night.

While I was sitting in the RV working on this website, my attention was directed towards the sound of an English-speaking voice. Not only that, I could sense an English accent. The door swung open and my dad walked in with another man in pursuit. David walked right up to me with a huge smile, handed me a donation and landed a great big hug on me! He was exceptionally impressed with my efforts and was very excited to meet me. He wished me well and sent his support to Adam.

After dinner, I was still working at getting my journal up to date when my dad told me I had another visitor. This time I went outside to meet Patrick and Sylvie Gelinas. They, too, were very excited to meet me. I really don’t see what the fuss is. I’m just a guy rollerblading. Sure, I have the handsome good looks of Brad Pitt, the sense of humour of Will Ferrell, and the athleticism of Michael Jordan, but I’m just another guy! Patrick and Sylvie had just been out for a walk with their dog but insisted on coming back in a few minutes to make a donation. Sure enough, Patrick reappeared with a generous offering. He took note of the website and said he would go on regularly to see how I’m doing. However, I wasn’t expecting to see an e-mail and a message come in through the site less than an hour after Patrick left! Here’s a sample of their encouragement for me:

“Rich,
toi et tes parents êtes des personnes extraordinaires, ne l’oubliez jamais.
Nous vous souhaitons Bonne Chance dans cette aventure hors du commun.
Sylvie & Pat”

This was definitely one of my most memorable days in Quebec.

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June 8

Friday, June 8th, 2007

With all the sun, blading and walking around Quebec yesterday, I was more exhausted than I realized. I was asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow and I didn’t moved until nearly 8:00 am. It feels like it’s been years since I slept in that late! There was a time not too long ago that I could sleep until 2:00 in the afternoon. Am I getting old if I consider 8:00am to be sleeping in?! I also know I was out cold last night because my parents asked me in the morning if I had heard the bull dozer in the middle of the night. Apparently a construction crew had come by at 3:00 am to get some heavy machinery from directly beside our RV. I had no idea.

A quick breakfast and some organizing of our messy vehicle, and we were off to explore some more historic areas Quebec has to offer. Jim was nice enough to lend us his car so we didn’t have to use the gas-guzzler while we were zipping around town. I seem to be planning my days off as perfect as could be asked. Yet another cloudless day would make for fantastic photographs of Montmorency Falls. These waterfalls are a few minutes East of Quebec City and you can actually see the city skyline from the board walk at the top of the cliffs. I didn’t think much about the $9.00 entrance fee until I actually got inside. I realized it was basically just a parking fee. Walkers, hikers and anyone else can just stroll in with no questions asked. So if anyone is planning to explore the area, I strongly recommend seeing these falls, but be sure to just walk in. Save yourself the over-priced parking charges.

Now that my ranting is done, I can tell you about this enormous, powerful, yet graceful spectacle. The falls towered over the shoreline below where we began our tour. The cliff stands an impressive 76 meters high (a full 27 meters taller than Niagara Falls). The diverse exposed rock face make for an unusual backdrop. A rickety-looking set of wooden stairs zig-zag up the rock like a serpent. A boardwalk along the top of the Falls was highlighted by a bridge which dangled over the waters edge. As we walked along the base of the Falls towards the dizzying staircase, we could see the mist quickly engulf those who wandered too close. We began the ascent slowly and cautiously, but didn’t linger too much because the spray from the falling water was now blanketing over us, too. There were several resting points as you climb the stairs and made for great picture opportunities. It was entertaining to watch the number of kids on field trips walk right up to the base of the Montmorency almost as if to challenge its strength. Every kid walked away drenched in the liquid of defeat. I can just hear their teacher’s scoldings as they walked onto their school bus dripping wet.

Once we triumphantly reached the summit, we paused momentarily for another photograph before turning back down the weary stairs. By the time we reached the bottom again, we were ready for some lunch. And what could be better than a true French sports bar?! We drove down the road and found a place called La Cage Aux Sports. I think it was safe to assume this was a sports bar. We crammed some greasy fries down our throats (sorry Crystal), and headed back to Angie and Bruno’s house.

It was nearly 4:00pm, but I was feeling rejuvenated and wanted to get a few kilometers in. We took a long look at several maps before determining the best location for me to start. I couldn’t start in the Old Town because of the cobblestone, traffic and construction. So we calculated an equivalent location so I wouldn’t lose much distance. I may have missed a kilometer or so, but I’ll make it up. We settled on starting from Victoria Park downtown where another rollerblade/bicycle path beautifully wound its way through the city along a river. When I got as far as I could go, I got back on the streets where I was happy to see some well maintained bike routes, as well. As bad as the roads have been for rollerblading, I’ve been pretty impressed with their acceptance of bicycles. A lot of emphasis and money has been invested in making Quebec a bike-friendly city.

Once outside the city, the road conditions dropped slightly, but still weren’t too bad. I had a very slight tail wind which helped me cover nearly 50 km before stopping in Donnacona around 6:30 pm. I was even able to look around while skating today, so I could absorb some more of the beauty Quebec offers. There really are some incredible old houses, almost castle-like, with phenomenal views of the river and the south shoreline. I felt so good to have a day like this. It feels like it’s been an eternity since I could enjoy what I’m doing, but days like today make me glad I’m making this small sacrifice.

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June 7

Friday, June 8th, 2007

I left Montmagny earlier than most days with a sense of optimism. Although I knew the forecast was for winds from the South West, they were only blowing towards me at 5-10 km/h. The roads weren’t great, but could be worse (consider this to be my subtle foreshadow).

The light breeze in my face quickly erupted into a whirlwind of fury. The wind wasn’t quite as bad as the previous day, but it was mighty close. When I stopped for a break, I quickly re-checked the weather forecast for the area and I was baffled by what I read. The forecast indicated winds reaching 5-10 km/h in the morning and in the afternoon. And immediately below the forecast was the up-to-the-minute recorded values. And this was showing wind speeds of 35-50 km/hr. Seriously?!

I continued to battle the vicious elements and tried to remind myself that there are more devastating things in the world than rollerblading in strong wind. But even with my best efforts to remain postive, I came very close to the edge. The wind was strong as ever, the shoulder, although paved, was extremely rough with many stones and dirt, and the traffic was proving to be exceptionally impatient and disrespectful. Inch by inch, I kept going until finally a car pulled over in front of me.

“A donation will lift my spirits tenfold right now!” I thought. But as I got closer to the little red convertible, I realized the man was just taking a video clip of me with his cell phone. He smiled and waved, but didn’t get out to offer any other support. A bit disappointing, but at least he realized I was trying to make a difference. Maybe he’ll go online and donate.

When I finally reached Levis (a couple hours after I was hoping), I made an easy decision to take the first exit into town. For those who don’t know the Quebec geography, Levis is the city directly across the river from Quebec City. I could have gone through Levis and taken a bridge into Saint-Foy and back tracked into Quebec, but I thought it would be more interesting to take the ferry across the river directly into the Old Town of Quebec. This turned out to be the best choice I made in a long time! The instant I turned off Hwy 132 into Levis, I was greeted with a separately paved bicycle/rollerblade path! The path quickly began to veer away from the road on which my parents were driving. We paused for a moment and tried to determine if the path would lead to the ferry terminal so I could split off from the vehicle, or if I should stay on the road to ensure we’d be able to stick together. I noticed a woman taking a break from her afternoon rollerblade on the path.

“Parlez vous anglais?” I asked with my best English accent.

“A little bit.” she replied.

We were able to communicate enough to find out that the path would indeed go directly past the ferry terminal. Decision made. My parents would drive ahead and I would skate for 7 km along the beautiful path which wove through Levis with gorgeous views of the Northshore and Quebec City. It was a great opportunity for me to finally enjoy the scenery of this province. I got to see part of Levis that most tourists would never know existed. And the best part was that the woman skated with me so I was able to ask about the various buildings and mountains across the river.

As bad as the conditions were, the last 7 km helped me to forget all that I had endured that morning. In fact, by the time I reached the ferry and finished for the day, I had completed over 50 km.

Time for some R’and’R! I haven’t been to Quebec City since I was in elementary school, so this was a great chance for me to step back in history and appreciate the old French-Canadian culture. But first thing’s first. I needed lunch. And what a better place to eat than in the heart of the Old City at Place-Royale directly in front of the oldest church in North America. Even though we were surrounded by hundreds of school kids on tours, it was impossible to ignore the architecture in which I was being immersed. My dad later asked me what the most memorable part of Quebec City was. But I couldn’t give an answer. I was in awe by the incredible buildings, the elegant churches, the rustic cobblestone roads, the intimidating cannons, the talented artists, the impressive statues and monuments, and of course, the magnificent Chateau Frontenac towering above all else. My parents were a bit disappointed to see a bunch of construction and restoration in progress around the Chateau. But this allowed us to catch a glimpse of some ruins of original stone walls and entrances into the Chateau which had long been forgotten. Amongst the restoration crews were numerous archaeologists who were almost foaming at the mouth with the opportunity in front of them. If I had to answer my dad’s question now, I’d have to say that was it. Seeing the original walls being delicately dusted off and carefully preserved was amazing.

The afternoon was fading into evening, so we picked up a few last souvenirs before jumping in the motorhome and heading north of the city to a town called Lac Beauport where we were welcomed into the home of Angie and Bruno. Angie is the daughter of Jim and Bev Stevens who are good friends of my parents in Kingston. Lac Beauport was another beautiful area surrounded my forests, mountains (complete with ski resorts) and uniquely designed houses. It was hard to believe that we were only a few minutes out of Quebec City.

Angie and Bev both recommended a couple different places to go for dinner. We decided on a place just down the street called Chez Boub. Yes, it’s pronounce exactly how you think it is! It was nothing fancy, but gave us a nice sense of local dining. We were even able to communicate enough with them that they understood who I was and what I am doing. They were happy to offer my meal for free. Our waitress, Christine, was very patient and enthusiastic to try her English.

The day finished as good as it possibly could with an unexpected donation. A contractor had come over to Angie and Bruno’s house (they are having some landscaping done) and was more than happy to offer some support to my venture. Even with his broken English, he was able to understand and communicate well enough that he wanted to help. This was followed up with a quick load of laundry and a soothing shower to make the day one that won’t be forgotten. Tomorrow’s agenda consists of some more sight-seeing, groceries, and possibly heading towards Montreal later in the day if I feel up to it.

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June 6

Wednesday, June 6th, 2007

I’m sitting here in Montmagny staring at the sun as it slowly falls behind the north shore mountains and casts a gold shimmer across the St. Lawrence river. It’s easy for me to look around and appreciate the magnificence of nature and how it emphasizes this beautiful country I live in. But it wasn’t more than an hour ago visions were blurred.

Today I faced what could be considered the single hardest conditions next to my experience at Port Aux Basque. I’ve been reviewing the day over in my head, and it’s a tough call to pick a unanimous winner. On one hand, the weather during my last day on Newfoundland was unquestionably the worst I could possibly encounter. Strong winds, blowing snow and slippery hills. But the worst of those conditions were primarily during the last 10-15 km of the island. Today was another story.

I woke up to the sound of tapping against the roof of the motor home. What I thought was just the last few drops of rain from the night before turned out to be a flag slapping against the metal roof. I rolled over and pulled the curtain back only to gaze upon a sight of sheer horror. The wind was pushing tree branches around like they were blades of grass. The sky was still cloudy, but it wasn’t raining anymore. I flipped on the computer to do a quick check of the weather network to see how strong the winds actually were and how long they were going to last. My fears were confirmed. 50-60 km/hr from the south west… the exact direction I was heading. I knew it wasn’t going to be an easy day so I got my skates laced up nice and early. I was on the road by 8am.

To add insult to injury, the pavement went from bad to worse. Now, even if I wanted to go faster, I couldn’t. The first hour felt like an eternity. Although I was very slow, I was optimistic that I was making respectable time. Unfortunately I was wrong. I had only managed a mere 9 kilometers. The second and third hours were no better. I was trying not to over-exert myself, but the wind was fierce. It felt like I was trying to run under water. I was losing the battle. Port Aux Basque was only an hour or so. This was going to be all day long.

I was forced to skate with my head down for a couple of reasons. First, it helped me cut through the wind and hold my balance. Second, I had to stare at the ground to make sure I didn’t skate into a foot long pot hole or hit one of the millions of scattered stones. Even looking down, I still came too close to falling on many occasions today. The treacherous roads had just too many obstacles at times. Every so often, I would lift my head to see what was going on around me. The landscape, the river, the houses and the history would be incredible to explore through this region. It’s a shame I couldn’t fully appreciate it today.

It was taking every ounce of mental strength to maintain my composure through the elements today. As the wind continued to howl around me, I heard a faint honk. “Odd…there’s no cars nearby”, I thought. I turned around to see my parents frantically trying to get my attention. The sound of the walkie talkie was being drowned by the sound of the wind. I looked across the road where my parents were pointing. A bison farm! For those of you who don’t know, nutrition is a big part of my journey. I have to make sure my body is getting the right nutrients so I’ll stay healthy and be able to complete the trek. And I’m lucky enough to have an amazing girlfriend in Vancouver who is a nutritionist! Well, bison meat is a major component to my diet. It’s an exceptionally healthy meat and is almost indistinguishable from beef. The health benefits of bison far exceed that of beef. I could go into details, but I won’t. I do recommend looking into it if you’re interested.

After purchasing various cuts of meat, I headed off into the wind once again. By the time we stopped for lunch, I’d covered an astounding 27 kilometers. I can usually clear that distance in an hour without breaking a sweat, but today I was exhausted.

In the afternoon, the wind showed no signs of weakening. I skated through a few small villages and hamlets along the river and couldn’t help but notice the number of artists and galleries in the area. It seemed as though every second house was a struggling artist. All the wood carvings made for a very unique visual stimulus that I tried to enjoy, but only managed a glimpse once in a while.

The mental games I’d been playing all day to hold onto my sanity came to a crashing halt when something unexpected happened. It had been days since the last donation had been handed to me, but a wonderful woman finally pulled over to help me out. I had been skating in Quebec for more than 200 km before the first donation came in. I didn’t realize how much this donation meant until the woman handed it to me. Even though I’m not bilingual, I hope the rest of Quebec follow this woman’s example and see that cancer has no boundaries. I’m faced with a language barrier while I’m in Quebec, but cancer affects us all.

Another small donation and a few more intense kilometers later, and I had reached Montmagny. I bladed through the town to make sure I at least completed 60 km on the day. But by the time I finished, I was feeling utterly dejected. My only consolation was the fact that I was now less than 50 km from Levis where I will be crossing into Quebec City tomorrow. I enjoyed a fabulous barbequed bison steak dinner and another memorable sunset, but I pushed myself as far as I could today. It’s time for a good night’s sleep to regenerate my damaged enthusiasm.

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June 5

Tuesday, June 5th, 2007

Three years ago today, my family was faced with an event of epic proportions which would forever scar us. My sister got married. Happy Anniversary, Becky and Greg! Today was not even remotely similar to that beautiful sunny day in Toronto in 2004. In fact, it started out as the polar opposite.

I knew the forecast was for rain, but I wasn’t prepared for the sudden drop in temperature. The weather channel was indicating the current temperature to be around 13 degrees with a high of 19. But once I was out in the down pour, it became very clear that 13 degrees was far from accurate. As I skated through the city of Riviere-du-Loup, my numb fingers told me the actual temperature was below 6 degrees. Even though I was lucky to relatively smooth roads at this point, I could only manage to cover 10 km before needing a break to regain feeling in my hands. The horseshoe on the front of our RV must have kicked into gear because when I was ready to head back into the storm (in full winter gear, this time), the rain began to lighten. I wasn’t much past the city limits when the rain ceased altogether! No, maybe my luck rabbits foot can do something for me about the temperature.

Presto! A sudden gust of tropical air wrapped around my body like a thick blanket. Within seconds, I went from ice cold to over heating. The clouds parted, the pavement became smooth and I could finally enjoy the Quebec landscape. I was now skating along the St. Lawrence River with beautiful old houses tucked neatly amongst the trees and overhanging escarpment. The view of the river and the North Shore hills was immaculate. We stopped for a few pictures and a snack before pushing on towards St. Andre for lunch.

Horseshoes and rabbits feet can only do so much. Just as I was rolling to the edge of St. Andre, I noticed a couple bright orange road signs which read:

“Route Barree” and “Detour”

You don’t need to know much french to understand what the signs were saying. Keep in mind, the road I was now on was a secondary highway because I am not allowed to skate on the Trans Canada in Quebec. And now I’m being forced on a detour off this road?? We sat at this crossroad for several minutes debating the best course of action. A road worker came by and we tried to get his opinion, but that conversation was lost in translation. And then something unexpected happened. I noticed someone in a bright yellow t-shirt walking down the road towards us. What really caught my attention, though, was the baby buggy she was pushing. There was no way this was a local. We were in the middle of no where! The woman turned out to be Michelle Jameus. I had heard about her before I began my skate in Newfoundland. She was running across Canada to increase awareness for animal rights (her site is www.jazzpurr.org). We chatted for a while and took a few pictures before coming to a collective decision to take our chances and go past the detour sign and head straight through the village. We wished Michelle well and I headed off towards St. Andre. It seemed like we had made a good choice until the pavement turned to mud. It appeared as though the town was having new sewage lines installed. Fortunately, St. Andre is not a big town. The construction zone was less than 2 km long. So I just hoped into the RV to get across. I guess I’ll have to do a few extra laps of the gas station parking lot tomorrow to make up that distance!

We stopped for lunch just on the other side of town. I hadn’t been working too hard today, so I didn’t take my usual nap. I had only completed about 35 km before lunch, so I wanted to get started again.

It’s a good thing the scenery was unique with very few hills, because looking around helped to distract me from the rumbling pavement beneath my skates. Although it wasn’t the worst road I’d faced, it was far from the best. My pace was very casual so as to avoid injury from the vibration. We could see that the hills to the south of us were being pelted with rain, and we were lucky enough to be hugging the river which seemed to provide enough protection from the unstable air around us. I knew I wouldn’t have long before the rain spotted me and decided to attack.

I was just approaching Riviere Ouelle when I saw 2 bicycles in the distance heading towards me. I would have paid them no attention, but the flags and stuffed animals on their bikes made it quite obvious that they were on a mission. Amazingly, these 2 men were also on a voyage, but they were heading towards Newfoundland instead of British Columbia. What are the odds that 4 people would all be on the same stretch of road in Quebec within 10 km of each other, all doing different physical activities (cycling, running, blading) in support of 3 separate causes?? One of the men was even from the Kingston area! Small world. These guys are trying to raise money so Jerome can go to Eritrea, Africa to volunteer his educational expertise in a region that desperately needs the help (his site is www.vsocan.org/JJ).

It was another much needed comical relief to chat with them, but we all needed to get moving. We knew the rain wasn’t far off. I continued on and managed to finish just over 80 km when I stopped for the night just East of La Pocatiere. I’m under 140 km to Quebec City, so I’m pretty confident I’ll arrive early on Thursday. This should give me some time to tour through the old city before heading for Montreal.

The rain has now started for the night and doesn’t look like it will let up until the morning. But we’ve got an army of buckets duct taped to the ceiling to catch the various drips that we have encountered so far. Hopefully we’ll stay dry tonight!

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June 4

Monday, June 4th, 2007

I couldn’t help but be impressed with myself. I had successfully done what man has been trying to accomplish forever. I had gone back in time!

The clouds were threatening, but I think it was just the Weather Gods reminding me that they were not to be forgotten. I had just under 20 km to go before reaching the Quebec provincial border. I was a bit nervous because I have had very low expectations for the road quality in Quebec. So I decided to make the best of the remaining pavement in New Brunswick. I took off from Edmundston with a fury. A few rolling hills later and I was entering the fifth province of my journey. It was at that moment my unimaginable powers stopped and reversed the time continuum. I left Edmundston at 9:00 am and I had skated nearly 20 km in under an hour by the time I reached Quebec. But when I asked my parents what time it was, they indicated it was 5 to 9. I really did it! I had covered 20 km in negative 5 minutes!

The satisfaction of my achievement didn’t last long, though, because I realized we just crossed another time zone.

I spent only a moment at the border for a quick picture before turning to face the wrath of the Quebec roads. So far, the pavement has not been what I anticipated at all. Don’t get me wrong… they’ve been awful. But not what I was expecting. I almost feel like there are Quebec Road Gods who get pleasure out of teasing me. They present me with a wide, paved shoulder. They even coordinate with the Weather Gods to give me some tail wind. But the pavement was exceptionally pitted. It’s like trying to skate across a washboard. The vibrations resonate through my blades, into my feet, up my legs all the way to my head. It was so bad that I actually was hoping not to face any downhill stretches. The speed from the hills combined with the vibrations from the rough shoulder simply rattled my whole body so vigorously that my eyes shook and I could barely keep my legs from giving out.

As physically tough as the morning was, it was equally tough mentally. Thanks to the first 20 km and the time change, I was pleased to see that I had finished nearly 56 km by lunch. After some chow, I took a much needed nap to let my entire body recuperate.

I laced up after lunch with low expectations. Riviere-Du-Loup was about 60 km down the road, but I’d be satisfied if I could knock off 35-40 km. 14 kilometers later, the road still hadn’t improved, but the Road Gods thought it would be funny to have the Weather Gods dump some rain on me. So now I was fighting rough pavement, speeding traffic, the Appalachian foothills and rain. Maybe I hadn’t just stopped time. Maybe I had actually gone back in time a few weeks and was still on Newfoundland!

I finally came across a road sign that showed Riviere-Du-Loup to be only 23 km away. Was I really that close? The rain continued, but the pavement slowly improved as I neared the city. We made some quick calculations and realized I was only a few kilometers short of hitting 100 km for the day again! I finished the day very strong. We pulled off the highway into an Irving on the outskirts of Riviere-Du-Loup. Unbelievably, I had just completed my first 3-peat. Three days in a row of over 100 kilometers. And today’s distance was bitter sweet when I look back at the conditions I faced and will likely continue to face throughout this province.

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June 3

Sunday, June 3rd, 2007

Last night after dinner, I had another luxury presented to me… a shower. The truck stop had showers and the staff offered me a key even though I wasn’t a trucker. It was a nice feeling not having to sleep in my own sweat.

It was almost 9:30 by the time I started skating today. I was still a bit tired from my 100 kilometers yesterday. Nevertheless, I headed down the road towards Grand Falls. The conditions weren’t ideal, but I couldn’t complain. Just as I got past Perth-Andover, the highway became four lanes and smooth again. I’d been skating for less than a couple hours when my walkie-talkie buzzed to life.

“Rich, you just hit 2000 kilometers!”

Wow! Another 1000 done. It feels like it was only yesterday I hit the 1000 milestone. I guess it’s like becoming a millionaire (not that I would know anything about that)…. They say the first million is the hardest to make. Well, the first 1000 km was definitely the hardest. It’s hard to imagine a harder thousand kilometers than that of Newfoundland. We pulled over for a quick photo, but I wasn’t far from Grand Falls, so I wanted to keep moving.

I surprised myself when I rolled into the city some 53 km after starting this morning. We drove down the main street and pulled into the Atlantic Superstore where we parked for lunch. Just as I was about to start eating, I heard a couple faint voices.

“Hello? Remember us?”

I looked out the window to see Denis and Nicole who had stopped the day before near Hartland to take a picture with me! Both of them work at the Superstore and out of sheer coincidence, we stopped here for lunch. We welcomed Denis and Nicole into the RV where they selflessly offered a donation. These are kids who are saving and preparing for University in the Fall, and yet they managed to find a little extra money to help my cause. An unbelievable gesture that I hope the rest of the country will copy. If we all pitch in, it won’t take very much to reach my goal.

After lunch and a nap we took a few extra minutes to check out the waterfall that we had heard about. Apparently, these Falls produce 90% of the volume of Niagara Falls. The Falls were far smaller than Niagara, but the amount of water pouring over the jagged rocks was astounding.

We only stuck around for a few pictures because I wanted to take advantage of the sunny day. The wind had now shifted and was slightly at my back. I tore through the afternoon heat like tissue paper. There were several downhill slopes that I was able to reach speeds of nearly 60 km/hr again. Before I knew it, I had entered the Edmundston City Limits. Physically, I felt great. By the time I left the highway, I had reached over 110 kilometers on the day. That’s what I call ‘Back-to-back Jacks’. Two days in a row of over 100 kilometers. Now that I’m about to enter Quebec, I don’t know when the next time will be that I’ll have an opportunity to skate over 100 km in a day.

So we’re right in the heart of Edmundston now, and only 20 km from the Quebec border. I’ll likely hit rain tomorrow, but the weather and road conditions of New Brunswick were amazing.

NEW PHOTOS ARE UP

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June 2

Saturday, June 2nd, 2007

Today wasn’t the most exciting of days. But if you haven’t figured it out by now, I can make changing a light bulb sound like safari adventure!

We left Nackawic at a pretty respectable hour, but not before stopping to see the town’s only major tourist attraction… a giant axe. Picture to follow. I was able to get on the pavement before 8:30am. It was a beautiful sunny day and there was only a light breeze so I was able to make pretty good time. The rolling hills of New Brunswick are nothing compared to the rocky slopes of Newfoundland. In fact, I felt like most of my morning was down hill. My parents were able to catch me on video doing almost 60 km/h at one point. Ever since leaving Moncton, the highway has been perfect. A little ‘too’ perfect. So it was no surprise when the smooth shoulder turned to a rumbling nightmare just past Woodstock.

I was planning to skate to the far end of Woodstock before breaking for lunch. But as we approached the city, construction signs started popping up. Sure enough, the highway narrowed to two lanes and the shoulder became gravel. I made a quick attempt to speed through the construction section with my dad blocking traffic behind me. But I soon realized it wasn’t working. We got off the highway and stopped for lunch. At least now we could ask some locals what the best option would be. Everyone we asked told us to stick it out and stay on the Trans Canada.

So after lunch we hopped back on the TCH and I pounded through the construction zone as fast as my legs would move. Once at the end of it, the smooth shoulder didn’t start for me again. I was faced with uneven ground with scattered stones for the next 15 km.

As frustrating as it was, I stayed optimistic because I knew that I was near a town called Hartland and the road would improve there. I was also excited because Hartland is home to the World’s Longest Covered Bridge! And I intended to skate through it! The bridge is only one lane, so you need to wait until there are no cars coming before you can go. The plan was to have my parents drive through to the other side and let me know when there were no cars coming. Just as they reached the other side, there was a break in traffic and I took off like a shotgun. The bridge is almost 1300 feet long so I had to hustle. When I emerged from the opposite end, my mom was standing there filming my triumphant moment.

It wasn’t much past Hartland that I noticed a car off in the distance pull off the road. It seemed like they were a long way to be stopping for me. But all four doors opened and a group of kids headed down the road towards me at a light jog. I wasn’t too sure what to expect, but when I reached them they excitedly asked to pose for a picture. I let them snap a couple shots before turning around so my mom could grab a shot of the group, too. They were a pretty enthusiastic bunch who were on their way back to Grand Falls from an orientation at the University of New Brunswick. And when I checked my messages this evening, Denis (in the group) had let me know that they will be watching for me when I come through the city. Well, Denis, I’ll be coming through tomorrow. So let as many people know as possible! Everyone is welcome to grab their skates and join me for a while. Hopefully we can turn enough heads to get some extra donations!

I had covered a little over 100 kilometers today before my feet told me that I was done. So we’re just south of Perth-Andover at a big Ultramar Truck stop for the night where I’m being treated to a pasta dinner and a glass of red wine.

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June 1

Friday, June 1st, 2007

It was nice to have my own room for a change, but I was really looking forward to getting started today. I was booked in to talk with two classes at Nashwaaksis Middle School in Fredericton and then I was to hurry across town to make an appearance at a graduation!

Nashwaaksis was a pretty amazing school. I was speaking to 2 separate grade 6 classes in the gymnasium. Their gym was as big as a university facility! There was an indoor track, a swimming pool and a hot tub! Unfortunately I didn’t have time to stick around to try the hot tub out. I was greeted at the school by Cynthia’s husband, OJ. He took me through the school to the gym where I setup for the first class. This was a unique presentation for me since time was limited and the students didn’t know I was coming. But it worked out great and I think the kids enjoyed meeting me. After one of my talks, a couple students, Greg and Jayden, actually came back and donated to my cause. Thanks guys!

Around 10:00am, Cynthia guided us through Fredericton to the graduation I was attending. This was no ordinary graduation ceremony, either. I was, once again, a ‘special guest’. They actually announced to everyone in attendance that there would be a slight change in the agenda in order to squeeze me in. I waited patiently at the back of the room while the graduates filed in and onto the stage. Once everyone was in their respective places, the valedictorian called me forward to accept a donation on behalf of the graduating class. I was met on stage by Will and another classmate, Emma, who each gave me an envelope. This may not sound like an overly exciting event, but it will forever remain in my memory because this was no ordinary graduating class. This was a daycare graduation at the Frederiction Regional Resource Centre for 3-year-old children who would soon be entering pre-school! The kids were fantastic and very entertaining. Will really kept everyone on their toes as he bounced around the stage almost uncontrollably. He’s a sweet boy, but a real wild child. This definitely provided me with a much needed comical relief.

When I left the graduation, Cynthia let me know about one more surprise she had for me. A local organic health food store was willing to donate a box of fresh food to me! So Cynthia took us over to Aura Natural Food Market. The women there had prepared a box of items which they figured would be suitable for me, and then also let me go through the store to grab a few additional items. Aura is one of the only stores of its kind in New Brunswick. I was pretty happy to find some of the brands that I recognize from Vancouver. I even noticed that they carried Vega products! I’m sure I’ve mentioned before, but Vega power bars and shakes are highly recommended by many nutritionists I have spoken to. I know Vega quite well since they are a Coguitlam-based (Vancouver) company who are providing me with some products during my endeavor.

It was now just about lunch time, so we had a quick bite before I laced up my skates and headed down highway #8 out of Fredericton. The conditions were still pretty good. I had to fight through a little bit of head wind, but I managed to reach Nackawic which is over 50 km west of Fredericton. My original estimates are looking pretty good. I’m still a bit ahead of what I expected, but I anticipate the rolling hills of New Brunswick and the rough roads of Quebec to slow me down a bit.

NEW PHOTOS ARE UP!

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