DAY 20 - DESTINATION WABIGOON, ON

Yesterday dad left Winnipeg and headed to Kenora.  Dad is now in Ontario - another province behind him.  He arrived in Kenora last evening around 6:30 pm.

His hosts in Winnipeg were great.  THANK YOU to Jeff for his kind contribution to the journey.  Dad spoke with his host's sister who is a nurse on a cancer floor.  Dad gave a butterfly to his host and one for the host's sister as well.  A BIG THANK YOU TO KAREN IN WINNIPEG!

Last night in Kenora dad stayed with the niece of a retired Halifax Russel Metals employee.  They made dad an awesome breakfast before he left this morning.  THANK YOU CATHERINE & BILL!  Dad gave me a quick call as he stopped to pick up some more sunscreen.

Today dad is off to Wabigoon, ON.  This destination was not on his original schedule.  After looking at a map in more detail, talking with his host in Kenora, and talking with some other cyclists, it was decided to change dad's route a bit.  He is going to stay on Hwy #17 towards Dryden.  Wabigoon is approximately 10 miles east of Dryden.  He will be cycling approximately 101 miles (163 km) today.  Tomorrow his planned destination is Upsala and then on Saturday his destination is Thunder Bay (back to his original schedule).  He is in Northern Ontario and the towns are far and few in between.

It will take dad approximately the same amount of time to cover Ontario as it did to cover the Western provinces.  However, we do get another time zone change so even though he will still be in Ontario he will be one hour closer to his home time zone.

Dad, we are so proud of you!  Miss you lots!
love Faye, Christina & Brian, April & Joe, Meghan, Connor, Nathan
xoxoxoxoxoxxx

DAY 19 - HEADING TO KENORA, ON

Yesterday was another good day of cycling.  Dad got to the edge of Winnipeg around lunch time.  His hosts from Portage la Prairie made him a vegetable/fruit smoothie packed full of vitamins, and antioxidants and energy from full foods.  Dad had a wonderful breakfast that his hosts provided and wonderful conversation before heading off to Winnipeg.  THANK YOU LINDA AND MITCHELL.

Winnipeg is so big and Dad had approximately 10 miles to go until he reached Russel Metals in Winnipeg.  He had a good visit in Russel Metals and got a tour of the facility.  His host was another 10 miles away from Russel Metals, but going East.  When dad leaves Winnipeg today he is close to the Trans Canada and is now at the edge of Winnipeg on the East side.

Today he is off to Kenora.  I believe today is the longest ride of the journey.  He is  travelling 123 miles (197 km).  The weather looks good, the winds are small, and the road is fairly flat.

STORY FROM DAVID MOORE

Last night I received an email from David Moore Sr. and he wanted me to share his story on the blog.  It is my pleasure Mr. Moore.

I grew up in Truro, and I am a former RMI Ontario employee. My son, David Moore Jr. worked for the Russel B&T division in Stoney Creek, Ontario for more than 20 years. He died of thyroid cancer two years ago. He was misdiagnosed, or may well still be with us today. Therefore, your wonderful cause is near and dear to me, and my family.
Hang in there, and good luck the rest of the way.

Best regards;
David Moore Sr.

Mr. Moore offered dad accommodations if his journey took him through Owen Sound.  Dad is staying on Hwy 17 from Sudbury to Ottawa so unfortunately does not get the chance to meet Mr. Moore.

ACCOMMODATION UPDATE

A BIG THANK YOU to everyone who has offered accommodations, but we are still in need of a few.

Listed is the trip schedule. Should anyone wish to accommodate me (Gary Jones) for a night, (one meal, one shower, and eight (8) hours of sleep), please contact my daughter Christina at christina.cameron@ns.sympatico.ca. THANK YOU!

Day 24 - June 7th Thunder Bay to Nipigon (accommodation arranged)
Day 25 - June 8th Nipigon to Marathon (accommodation arranged)
Day 26 - June 9th Marathon to Wawa (accommodation arranged)

Day 27 - June 10th Wawa to Montreal River (looking for host)

Day 28 - June 11th Montreal River to Sault Ste Marie (accommodation arranged)
Day 29 - June 12th Sault Ste Marie to Blind River (accommodation arranged)
Day 30 - June 13th Blind River to Sudbury (accommodation arranged)
Day 31 - June 14th Sudbury to North Bay (accommodation arranged)
Day 32 - June 15th North Bay to Petawawa (accommodation arranged)
Day 33 - June 16th Petawawa to Ottawa (accommodation arranged)
Day 34 - June 17th Ottawa to Montreal, PQ (accommodation arranged)
Day 35 - June 18th Montreal to Trois Rivieres (accommodation arranged)
Day 36 - June 19th Trois Rivieres to Quebec (accommodation arranged)
Day 37 - June 20th Quebec City to Saint Pascal (accommodation arranged)
Day 38 - June 21st Saint Pascal to Edmunston, NB (accommodation arranged)
Day 39 - June 22nd Edmuston, to Kedgwick (accommodation arranged)
Day 40 - June 23rd Kedgwick to Campbellton (accommodation arranged)
Day 41 - June 24th Campbellton to Bathurst (accommodation arranged)
Day 42 - June 25th Bathurst to Richibucto (accommodation arranged)
Day 43 - June 26th Richibucto to Borden, PE (accommodation arranged)
Day 44 - June 27th Borden to Wood Island Pictou, NS (accommodation arranged)
Day 45 - June 28th Pictou to Truro (accommodation arranged)

DAY 18 - DESTINATION WINNIPEG

Dad started his day yesterday by going to the A & L Get Active Bike Shop to get two new tires.  THANK YOU TO BILL & BERYL his hosts in Brandon!  Bill took dad to the bike shop and then took him to get a hair cut and beard trim while the bike was being looked after.  Amy at A Hair Affair looked after dad and would not charge him or take a tip.  She just gave dad a big hug and said no trouble at all.  THANK YOU AMY!  Dad thanks Ron for the contributions to his ride.  THANK YOU to Cam and Sacha at the Bike Shop who gave dad a discount and gave the bike a much appreciated tune up.  Picture of dad with Bill & Beryl.

Dad arrived in Portage la Prairie last night around 6 pm.  Today he is headed for Winnipeg.  Checked the weather and it looks good for cycling.  Sunny with a few clouds & a high of 17 in Winnipeg.  The winds are blowing from the west.

BROOKS BULLETIN ARTICLE

When dad was in Brooks, Alberta last Sunday, his hosts arranged for a reporter to interview dad.  Dad made the front page of the Brooks Bulletin.

DAY 17 - PORTAGE LA PRAIRIE

Dad arrived in Brandon, Manitoba last evening around supper time.  He had an awesome ride yesterday.  The weather was in his favour and the winds were behind him.  He said he was averaging between 40 and 50 km.  However, he had a bit of bad luck, and ended up with two flat tires.  A gentlemen stopped and drove dad to the Esso to get his tires fixed to finish off his ride.  A BIG THANK YOU!

His hosts from last night loaded up his bike and drove out to meet up with dad and sure enough he did.  He cycled with dad into Brandon while his wife drove home.  It was a great ride!

Today dad is off to Portage La Prairie after getting two new tires for his bike in the morning.