TravelBlog » chinacanuck

chinacanuck - Steve LePoidevin

After teaching math and chemistry many years in Canada, I have accepted a similar teaching position in China for the next couple of years, at least. Teaching a few more years, and seeing a bit more of the world at the same time, seemed like a better idea than retiring. The only possession we have left in Canada is our 1500cc motorcycle which we will use to cross the country for the third time in five years this coming summer. This blog was started to keep our friends and family informed about our adventures. I hope anyone else who stumbles across it also enjoys reading about our experiences in our new home.

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Joined on: February 26th 2008
Last Login: July 24th 2008

Blog Entries: 37
Photos: 379

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Blogs & Travel Journals

by chinacanuck, order by Date newest first.

By chinacanuck
July 24th 2008

Update for family and friends...

North America » United States » Pennsylvania » Gettysburg

We have arrived in St. Johnsbury, Vermont and have hit our first rain and cool weather in three weeks. We should be complaining but are actually rejoicing since we have been baking since we left BC. I haven't wriitten in here for a few days since I have not had access to the internet because of technical difficulties. In the last few days we have come from DC to Plattekill, New York to Gettysburg to here. Today we are off to Sherbrooke, Quebec, my old stomping grounds to spend a week with family at the cottage on Lake Memphremagog. I will [View Full Entry]

By chinacanuck
July 20th 2008

As far east as we are gonna go...

North America » United States » District of Columbia » Washington

Somewhere in West Virginia

We arrived in Washington, DC, last night at the peak of the 5:00 traffic and slowly inched our way along 495 North (know as the beltway) to our KOA location outside of the city. The temperature has yet to dip below 95F and stuck in traffic it might as well have been over 100! It was a relief to get into our air conditioned cabin after another scorching day. We wonder if we will ever see rain and cloud again. It has been over 90 every day since we started our trip almost three weeks ago. What we would do for [View Full Entry]

By chinacanuck
July 17th 2008

Woods...corn....fields...town

North America » United States » Kentucky » Louisville

Bent's Fort

Well, it has been a couple of days since I wrote anything in here! In that period of time we have managed to cross several states...Kansas, Illinois, Indiana, and are now in Louisville, Kentucky. On our way out of La Junta, we visited Bent's Fort just outside the town. Bent’s Old Fort National Historic Site features a reconstructed 1840’s adobe fur trading post on the mountain branch of the Santa Fe Trail where traders, trappers, travelers, and Plains Indian tribes came together in peaceful terms for trade. We stuck around and had an interesting two hour tour of the fort. The [View Full Entry]

By chinacanuck
July 14th 2008

Over the continental divide...

North America » United States » Colorado

View from the summit of Monarch pass

Yesterday, we left Gunnison, Colorado, and climbed and climbed up and over the Monarch Pass with a summit of over 11,000 feet. We rode by several river rafting groups on the other side of the pass which was obviously a big activity in the area. Beautiful rocky gorges and fast moving rivers for many miles. In my haste to get going with the trip, I forgot that I was planning on getting my brakes redone this summer. This cross-country trip was not originally planned until we moved to China. So yesterday, after examining the brakes and realizing they were shot, we [View Full Entry]

By chinacanuck
July 12th 2008

Sandstone and deep canyons

North America » United States » Utah » Moab

First pit stop in Utah

It has been an incredible couple of days of scenery as we continue to move our way across Utah and now Colorado. Yesterday we stayed in Moab, in the heart of the signature sandstone canyons and rock sculptures of Utah. The heat continued but it dipped a little to just over 100 F. We continued to travel along I-70 in Utah under blue skies but managed to get off early from Richfield so missed some of the heat. We turned onto #191 South to Moab and the scenery got progressively spectacular. It is hard to describe so I will let the [View Full Entry]

By chinacanuck
July 10th 2008

Heat and more heat!!!

North America » United States » Utah

Crossing into Utah

Well, we scorched our way through another day of blistering heat as we headed north from Las Vegas. By 6:30 this morning it was already almost 100 F (38 or so celsius). As we slipped through the northwest tip of Arizona and entered the higher country of Utah, we finally got some respite from the high temperatures. We gassed up in St. George, Utah and headed back out onto the highway. About five minutes later I heard Nancy shout, "Oh shit!!", in a very excited voice. I thought she had seen a piece of the motorcycle fall off or an animal [View Full Entry]

By chinacanuck
July 9th 2008

Images of Las Vegas

North America » United States » Nevada » Las Vegas

Palm trees outside Sunset Station

OMG...we now understand why most people visit Las Vegas in the fall and winter. We spent the day walking around "the strip" and checking out some of the big, well-known casinos. The temperature reaches 90 Fahrenheit by 7 in the morning and by midday it hovers at around 115 degrees. Yes, it is a dry heat but it is searing! The sights are something to see and there are many big name shows going on that we did not have the time or money to see. But it is fun just walking in and around the various huge casinos and shops. [View Full Entry]

By chinacanuck
July 8th 2008

Dry and hot...

North America » United States » Nevada » Las Vegas

Our cabin at the Ely KOA

Yesterday, we left Ely, Nevada bright and early to try to avoid the heat of our ride through the desert north of Las Vegas. As we headed south, the landscape became bleaker and the temperature reached about 48 Celsius by the time we were an hour north of the city. We decided we didn't get up quite early enough!! Small shrubs slowly changed to miniature palms and cactus plants, and the landscape looked more like the surface of an inhospitable planet than the earth. The temperature was about 46 Celsius (115 Fahrenheit) as we rolled along with the traffic in Las [View Full Entry]

This lush greenery is soon to disappear as we head further south

By chinacanuck
July 7th 2008

We cross the Nevada state line

North America » United States » Nevada » Ely

Near Twin Falls, Idaho

You know you are in Nevada when you have to stop at a casino for a coffee!! Today we rode into Nevada after staying the night in Twin Falls, Idaho. The lack of any previous bike trips this summer finally caught up with us yesterday and we ended up going to sleep at an ungodly early hour. We both obviously needed the sleep and feel much better today. The sun finally appeared yesterday afternoon and it heated up quite a bit as we crossed Idaho but it has been mainly cloudy so far on the trip. The trip down through the [View Full Entry]

Stopping for an early coffee in Jackpot, Nevada

By chinacanuck
July 5th 2008

On the road again...days 1, 2 and 3

North America » Canada » British Columbia » Vancouver Island » Victoria

Packed up and ready to go!

It has taken a few days to get this first entry up but later is better than never. We set out as planned on Wednesday morning from Princeton, BC, after spending a few days visiting with friends and getting our motorcycle up and running and licensed. As expected, our Chinese work visas were not ready to be picked up on our way through Vancouver that day because of the Olympic backlog. But it would not be a problem getting into the states the next day, we said to ourselves, since we had brought along our birth certificates. After visiting my son [View Full Entry]