Waiting at a rest stop just inside Quebec border.


Sailboats along Lakeshore Drive in Montreal.


Spiral ramp off bridge onto Lakeshore Drive. Lots of fun!


Different architecture in Montreal.


Group reaching Quebec.


Bicycles are given their own traffic signal at some intersections. How Cool!

We had been in Ontario for several days, maybe even pushing a week. There were many similar traits and characteristics. The language was the same, much of the food was the same and so were many of the customs. I often felt I was not really in a different country and wondered why people would chose one country over the other in which to live. A couple of the notable differences were of course the money, which is now close to the US $ in value, but we do not have Loonies ($1) or toonies ($2) coins, the price of gasoline, which is about $4/gal, the use of the metric system, which is used throughout other parts of the world, the historic nature of the country and the age of many buildings, and a wonderful respect for people on bicycles.
Upon arriving in Quebec the differences are immediate and very notable. French is the primary language, with all street signs and most ads in French and the language is spoken in every shop and restaurant. This did cause me some difficulty in getting into Montreal on samedi (Sat). While we just left Montreal this morning, it already seems worlds away. The Montreal experience was a pleasant one and one I immensely enjoyed. It truly felt as if we were in a European city. I rode along Lakeshore Drive, which goes along the edge on Montreal Island for many kilometres, viewing great houses, going through fun little towns, museums, locks and canals, and goes into the heart of the the city. Many people were out riding, walking, jogging, and just enjoying being outside. There is a great deal of history and great buildings to represent the dynamic and wonderful people and cultures which have thrived in this city. What a privilege to experience such a wonderful place fairly close to home!
au revoir.
Dennis

Facts and Figures

The view out my window in Pitcon Harbor, Ontario


Elora, Ontario mill and falls


The new epitome of a "flowerbed"



Dennis leading the pack!


As we near the last week of the trip, here are some facts and figures.
I have ridden in two countries, seven states and two provinces. Three of the states begin with the letter M. I have been in four time zones and gotten wet at the beaches of three Great Lakes. I have put about 1600 miles on my bike thus far and only had four flats of my own, but have changed many tubes and tires over the past 6+ weeks. We have a two-hour dinner 5 out of every nights, as a group of 30 really wrecks havoc on some small town restaurants and kitchens. I think Dave and I have put about 7500 miles on the van and still have to get back to Denver. This part of Canada has many towns that were created in the middle to late 1700's.
The past two days we have followed the Waterfront trail across parts of Ontario, along the shores of Lake Huron. The following surfaces were varied and exciting, loose gravel, packed gravel, chip and seal, sand, asphalt, concrete, boardwalk, paving stones, and fortunately, there wasn't any glass or construction materials. The path also went through small towns, through forests, along marinas and harbors, through a fairly large city of Kingston, close to mills, manufacturing plants, prisons, state buildings and offices, near college campuses, a great deal of farm land, and along the lake and St. Lawrence Seaway. Quite an adventure and I guess that is why it is called Timberline Adventures.
We have seen a variety of resources being cultivated, wheat, corn, soy beans, potatoes, sugar beets, carrots, onions, alfalfa, hay, sunflowers, canola, lavender, malt, barley, grapes, blue berries, strawberries, raspberries, and many types of berries grown in a specific region, lumber, llamas, horses, cattle, sheep, goats, chickens, oil, wind, solar power, water power.

The following thoughts are from another writer, but do cover the gamut of the feelings I have. "Thought I'd comment on our group's in-the-moment thoughts about this adventure. Sort of a seventh inning stretch, if you will. Most of us clearly had major trepidations about signing up for a two-month extended pedal. While many of us had done long trips, this one will be the longest journey for all of us. First and foremost, is to state the obvious -- this is a great group of people -- accomplished in so many ways -- who are gracious to a fault making everyone feel a part of this great ride. The upbeat feel, the positive attitude has spread like a disease. We laugh, we kid, we help each other, we drink 3 milkshakes in a day, we ham it up for photos, we buy each other drinks, and we are having a blast. We are living 'in a bubble' and more than a few have expressed major trepidations about, you guessed it, having to rejoin the real world. Maybe this experience is teaching us that disconnecting, almost totally, from the day-to-day may be the big positive delight of the trip. Yes, it's refreshing to be recharged. Very!"

The experience has been a daily grind with early morning wakeup calls and an opportunity of a lifetime, which I will remember forever and friendships made that will last for many years to come. Thanks for the memories.

Best wishes to each of you and thanks for your support and encouragement.

Dennis

Oh, Canada

It has now been six weeks on the road and some of you may have forgotten what I look like. Hopefully, the 2 above pictures will jog your memory.
We now are in Canada, having crossed over the bridge from Port Huron into Ontario. The photo on the van was trying to get bicycles over the bridge and to say the least, I made a rookie mistake and got stuck on the van, much to the enjoyment of people lucky enough to stay on the ground. We have stopped at several Tim Horton's, which are quite good donut and coffee shops. We have spent 3 of 4 nights at hotels attached to golf resorts. Unfortunately, I didn't bring my clubs, so just walked the courses. Have been swimming in both Lake Michigan and Lake Huron. the beach at Grand Bend, Ontario was quite nice and refreshing as the temperature was around 90 degrees.
The past two nights we stayed in Stratford, which has a well-known Shakespeare Festival. I was able to attend the production of "The Tempest" with Christopher Plummer as the Prospero. He was excellent.
Below is the nice 2 bedroom loft Dave and I shared while in Stratford. My favorite and urban living at its finest. I do love to be in the heart of the downtown area. Stratford does also have more of a European feel than some of the places we have been.


The picture below is of the City Hall Building, which was right out our front door.

I had to imbibe in fresh cut fries with malt vinegar and salt and Tim Horton pastries. Both were mighty tasty.
Riding in Canada has been very enjoyable. Seeing the coast of Lake Huron, rolling countryside, old farms and buildings. The drivers have been more courteous and seem to give a little more space to riders. Saw many local cyclists out today as it is Sunday. We also experienced a Mennonite buggy jam, in which no cyclists could get by.
We have had the opportunity to meet various family members, and that has been fun putting names with faces. People are getting anxious about the end of the trip, now less than 2 weeks away. I will spend a few days seeing my good friend Art in NH and head back to Denver before heading to OR to do a 10 day trip along the Pacific Coast, the Rogue River, and Crater Lake. It should be a good time, and I hope to see the rest of the Lentini family.
Still having a wonderful time and enjoying the guests, scenery and riding.
Best Wishes!!
Dennis

Where the old meets the new

It has been several days since I have made any additions to this blog.
We did not see any fireworks for the 4th. On the 4th, the action took place well after 10 pm and most were in bed. In Minocqua, the fireworks were cancelled as Mother Nature's fireworks (rain and thunderstorm) took precedence over the one's that are manmade. We had wonderful homemade donuts at Paul Bunyon's Cook Shanty the next morning. It was raining quite hard as we took off on this day. The rain has fallen hard for the past couple of days, but the difference from rain in CO, is that the temperature stays pretty warm, so we keep riding.
We are now in Michigan and the Eastern Time Zone.
We have ridden along the northern coast of Lake Michigan to the town of St Ignace. We took the ferry to quaint Mackinac Island (see pictures above). This island has had huge historical significance with different countries holding possession of this centrally located island since the 1670's. It is an island in which no private cars allowed. The only motorized vehicles are municipal or county emergency equipment and snow plows. People get around the island by walking, bicycles, or horse drawn carriages. Mail, supplies, furniture and everything else are delivered by horse-drawn wagons and carts.
The bicycle snob in me, came out over the weekend, as I didn't ride my bike on the island.
There were alot of people on bikes who haven't ridden a bike in a long period of time and were not real aware of the other people riding bikes as well.
There were several weddings on the island over the weekend, with bachelor parties on Friday and the weddings taking place on Sat and Sun. I got to see Vince and Molly Carroll, friends from our days in San Diego. Vince is a summer minister, who does about 40-45 weddings each summer.

In Dairyland, not the same as Disneyland

Above, is Carla, Deb, and Vicki heading into the staqte of Wisconsin.

The picture below left is near the headwaters of the Mississippi River and the one on the right is a couple of days later.



We have gone into Wisconsin and now today, we have moved into the Uppper Pennisula of Michigan. The weather has been rainy for two of the past three days and was pretty humid today.

The fireworks in Hayward, WI were late, as the sun doesn't set up here until after 9 pm. I didn't stay up to watch. The next night, in Minocqua, WI the fireworks were cancelled for the second evening, and I didn't experience any fireworks this 4th. There have not been any fireworks among the guests, becuase the cohension has been very good. People support and encourage each other nicely.
I am not riding as much I would like, because I am one of two leaders currently on the trip. We need two vans on the road at all times. Dick and Carol, the owners, will be back next week. The roads have been better, with some nice rollers through the Northwoods.
The dynamics of the group has changed alittle. One person has completed the portion he was here and 4-5 have joined our ranks for a varied number of days. It has been interesting keeping track of 23-28 people on the road, spread over as much as 40 miles.
I am enjoying the scenery, roads, and people I interact with on a daily basis. Have had the chance to see a couple of friends and relatives so far and hope to see a few more before the trip is over. I spent the layover day in Brinerd, MN with a friend from the Denver area and his inlaws on a small lake. We went out on their boat and had a great time seeing good friends.
Our next layover day will be at the end of this week and I'm looking forward to the time on Mackinac Island.

1/2 Way to Maine

We are now in our 2nd of four states beginning with the letter M. Minnesota has been fun so far, with nice stays in Walker and Madden Classic Resort on Gull Lake. Truly lots of water, in the form of lakes. To go along with this, MN has a great deal of rolling hills and trees.
It has always been one of my dreams, on those really windy days in Denver, when the wind is blowing out of the west to ride east and have someone come pick me up, so I don't have to face the headwind to get home. I got part of that wish a couple of days ago, as we had a strong tailwind and it blew us to the place we were staying.
We stayed in Mahnomen, MN a couple of nights ago. I kept hearing single women say this town was going to die off as they said, Look Ma(h),No Men here. I think the town keeps surviving as there is a casino here.
With 3 leaders and 2 vans my riding time has been cut somewhat. All of us like to ride and we share the riding time 3 ways. I end up riding alot by myself, as I pass the slower people fairly quickly and am too far behind the fast guys to catch them. I do enjoy the time on the bike, whenever I get it as anyday on a bicycle is a great day, and some are even better than others. I actually rode to the top of a ski area today in a big chain ring all the way up, so I must be getting stronger. But, part of it might be the ski area was in Minnesota.
Hope to see a couple of friends over the next couple of days.
Dennis