LeaJan
Leanne and Janice Ashworth Joined: May 11th 2006
Logged in: August 29th 2006
Logged in: August 29th 2006
We are two sisters on a cross-Canada bike tour that we like to call "Just-Go-East!". Just us and our trusty bikes, Jake and Nutcase. If you care to join us, we would love to have you! Or if you have insight on places/people to visit along the way, we are welcoming any suggestions.
If you would like to donate to the cause, we are raising funds for the Sierra Club of Canada, an organization promoting environmental stewardship. The link to donate online is http://www.sierraclub.ca/national/getinvolved/index.html
Thanks to everyone who has helped us along the way on our crazy adventure. We will have stories to share with you all in September, that's for sure!
Travel Blog Posts
red sand in PEI
So we made it! All done! Whew, it feels good to have accomplished something that I thought at first was insurmountable. So since I last wrote in Deer Lake we had some great adventures in NFL. In Grand Falls we discovered that if you want to have fun you have to make it yourself, so we did! Accompliced by a jolly traveller from Quebec, Guiome. From there we ventured off the Trans Canada into the great abyss of bog in central Newfoundland. For 2 days we rode through nothing but bog and fir trees, oh, and some stellar grades, but what we found on the south coast of the island was worth the trip. About 3.64 minutes after arriving in Pool's Cove we had been invited into the home of a very generous gentleman who ended ... read more
So we are on the "Rock" finally! Actually, we have been here for a week or so, just got back from Gros morne National Park, Leanne's dream come true, which was quite incredible really. We climbed the Gros Morne mountain and took a boat tour through the Western Brook Pond (don't get confused though, the "pond" is actually 16 miles long! that's Newfoundland for you...) where we were surrounded by huge cliffs and trickling waterfalls, some that even dissipated before they reached the ground because they were so high. Wow, It was even more spectacular than the photos make it out to be. We have been treated rather royally since we arrived on the island too. I must confess that I was quite nervous to ride the island after speaking to a lady in cape Breton ... read more
Just rewards for those grueling uphills
So the weekend that we have been looking forward to all summer has arrived, the long weekend at the cottage! This weekend is a tradition with our extended family; we all gather for a rockus weekend of fishing, horseshoes, golf, visiting, and of course eating. Good times were had by all. Even for Dan although the 79 new faces of our multitude of relatives were somewhat overwhelming. Thanks to all my very generous family members who were very supportive for our cause. The two weeks up to this point were quite something. Last we checked in was Ottawa. While on the way out of Ottawa we stopped in a at bike shop and met Marc, a friendly frenchman (they DO exist Dave) who was so excited about the idea that he decided to join us! It ... read more
terry fox memorial- half way point
So long, farewell Ontario! We have just about completed the journey across Ontario with a lovely sendoff weekend at home in Dunrobin. Coincidentally we even overlapped the same weekend that our grandfather was visiting which was great timing! It was a nice break to canoe and play some beach volleyball for a day rather than bike and after a tour of the capital, Dan now knows more about the Canadian Captial than he does about his own capital in Washington. Let's backtrack to Thunder Bay where I last wrote; Thanks to Fiona and Jeff for showing us an awesome time there, on her birthday even! Finish pancakes were all that they were cracked up to be and Fiona got us VIP treatment at her bar for the Blues Fest party which was a blast. If you ... read more
glow in the dark manitoba
Somewhere this week we figure that we have reached half way on our trip by distance, but since we are not sure of the exact place, we decided to have a week long party! why not? It started with a 3 day canoe trip in gorgeous Quetico Park followed by a relaxing day in Thunder Bay chez my good friend, Fiona, where we took in the World Cup soccer and Blues Fest festivities, not to mention the infamous Finnish pancakes. Thanks Fiona and Jeff! To re-cap up from my last entry; most noteworthy is that we are now a group of three on the road. In Pipestone, Manitoba we met up with Dan, a young man from Chicago who was on his way to Vancouver but after a few weeks of solo riding he was in ... read more
hoodoos in the desert???
"That's a load of crock sh#*!" Grandma Bep, Swift Current, June '06. Apparently life does not make sense in Saskatchewan for the saskatoon pie baker, but she sure was nice to us. We found shelter from the rainstorm in her cafe and befriended Grandma Bep. There have been a lot of rainstroms... Even in Alberta's desert! We went to the Writing on Stone Provincial Park, supposedly a "desert", but there were gale-force winds and flooding from all the rain during our visit so I don't believe them.... We Loved the hand dryer in the batroom and the wood stove though where we dried out our soggy stuff. The park was incredible still with hoodoos everywhere! Some with petroglyphs carved by various native tribes who used the sacred Milk River Valley as a place to seek ... read more
goats on the roof in Yakh, BC
Today the funniest thing happened to us. Leanne and I woke up to someone saying, "Excuse me, there will be a herd of cattle coming through here in a few minutes, You might want to move your tent!" Well, we have never packed up so quickly! Yikes, It was like running from a very slow moving avalanche! We got out just in the nick of time. Now we are drying off inside a visitor's centre where it is dry cause we have been stuck in the rain for all of Alberta.... I guess I should recap up to this point. We are now in Alberta! After 6 grueling mountain passes and many other climbs, our legs are glad to say farewell to BC. We did enjoy many of the quaint mining towns and really friendly folks ... read more
Bikes in Pacific
Here is our first official update on the raod! Reporting to you from Grand Forks, BC, the Borscht capital of Canada we have been told. We are stopped here for a trip to the bike doctor for dear Nutcase, Janice's bike appropriately named it turns out, which has already broken 2 spokes and gone through a multitude of tubes... So maybe a road racing bike was not intended for carrying so much gear? All people on the trip are doing ok as of yet, knock on wood. The mountains have not made us baulk just yet... Our first was Allison Pass just past Hope, BC and we have another beauty waiting for us just 20 km down the road. Back in Vancouver we dipped our tires in the ocean to kickstart the ride. Thanks to Heather ... read more
Testing, testing, 1, 2, 3... so Leanne and I, Janice, are here in Dunrobin, Ontario, for the month of may while we prep for the big trek. I think my legs have been in a semi-spaghetti state all week getting used to biking everyday! Our date of departure is May 30th to Vancouver with dear papa in tow. He will join us through the mountains until Calgary. This is a trek of a lifetime for us all, Leanne has been dreaming it up since highschool, and we greatly thank anyone who has helped us or will help us along the way. If you wish to support us financially, we would appreciate any donations be made to the Sierra Club of Canada in efforts to help canada along its path to sustainability and environmental awareness and protection. ... read more
