My Last day was by far my wettest, I woke up around 6 and looked outside at pouring rain and strong winds. A few hours later is was still pouring but the wind was starting to slow. Just after 10 I made my move towards home. It rained hard for the first 3 hours and I got a lot of odd looks from passing cars. I even had an interview with NBC Storm centre. As I approached Robinston, Maine the skies parted and Geoff Slater met me as we catwalked our bikes for a few hundred meters before clapping our tired together blades of steel style before we continued on towards home. Just after we met we saw St.Andrews from across the water. It was only a mile or two away by water but still 20 or more by bike. The weather became warm and sunny as we came to the boarder and Patrick met us. The last few miles were really great and the amount of relief when I came into town was wonderful. I was so happy to see friends and just ride down the front street. My mom had made a big dinner for my arrival and we sat around with friends and enjoyed a great night before going into town.
The trip as a whole was fabulous, my bike didn't let me down at any point of the 796.7 Miles (1282 km) and I received so much kindness from so many people. Thank you to everyone that helped me along the way.
Sunday, September 5, 2010
Friday, September 3, 2010
The final push
My day off the bike in Boston was great. I spent the morning drinking coffee and reading in Bob and Alphonse's backyard garden. Bob and I then had great Indian food for lunch. I walked around downtown and went into some great shops. I got a pair of air jordan's for $50 in karmaloop and went into bodagga. That shop looks like a plain corner store from the outside and when you first walk in. You then walk over to a snapple machine, wave your hand and it slides open to reveal a really awesome shop with limited edition shoes, deadstock ballcaps and great books.
I then headed over to my friend Jeanett's house just before she headed out to bikes not bombs. I dropped my bags and biked to meet a friend from chamonix this past winter. We all met up later in the night and I stayed up past midnight!
The next morning I headed out, going slow at first but picked up speed as the day went on, I was reenergized as I hit the coast and went into New Hampshire. The towns that I hit as I came to the coast were classic Americana. The old arcades with 80's sunfires parked outside made me nostalgic for a time I've only seen in movies. The fact that it was all outdated and the people were all leather skinned from to many goodtimes in the sun were different from the movie sceens.
I camped out that night and was along the coast most of the next day as I crossed into Maine. I expected a 70 mile day but as I approached Portland I realized I would have to go much further. I finished in the dark as I came to a campground at 96 miles.
Yesterday was the first time that the 90+ heat got to me, before that I just felt hot, yesterday I was miserable. I finished at 75 miles and spent the evening chatting with some old men as I charged my phone in one of their campers.
Last night I really started to want to get home, I have had fun but could use some human interaction and nice sleep. I tried to have a huge ride today and left camp before 7 this morning. The weather while hot was not as oppressive as in the past few days. Mid afternoon the heat started to give way as the wind picked up. I had two quick meals and was able to break the century mark and rode 116.46 miles with an average speed of 13.07 mph. I arrived in machias, Me and am staying at the motor inn. I told the manager what I was up to and they gave me my room for free tonight. I asked the guy at the desk what was open and he offered me his car if I wanted to drive and get something. I declined but was blown away.
Tomorrow i will try for home mid morning as long as hurricane Earl is calm enough for me to ride. I sure hope it is, I am really looking forward to arriving.
I then headed over to my friend Jeanett's house just before she headed out to bikes not bombs. I dropped my bags and biked to meet a friend from chamonix this past winter. We all met up later in the night and I stayed up past midnight!
The next morning I headed out, going slow at first but picked up speed as the day went on, I was reenergized as I hit the coast and went into New Hampshire. The towns that I hit as I came to the coast were classic Americana. The old arcades with 80's sunfires parked outside made me nostalgic for a time I've only seen in movies. The fact that it was all outdated and the people were all leather skinned from to many goodtimes in the sun were different from the movie sceens.
I camped out that night and was along the coast most of the next day as I crossed into Maine. I expected a 70 mile day but as I approached Portland I realized I would have to go much further. I finished in the dark as I came to a campground at 96 miles.
Yesterday was the first time that the 90+ heat got to me, before that I just felt hot, yesterday I was miserable. I finished at 75 miles and spent the evening chatting with some old men as I charged my phone in one of their campers.
Last night I really started to want to get home, I have had fun but could use some human interaction and nice sleep. I tried to have a huge ride today and left camp before 7 this morning. The weather while hot was not as oppressive as in the past few days. Mid afternoon the heat started to give way as the wind picked up. I had two quick meals and was able to break the century mark and rode 116.46 miles with an average speed of 13.07 mph. I arrived in machias, Me and am staying at the motor inn. I told the manager what I was up to and they gave me my room for free tonight. I asked the guy at the desk what was open and he offered me his car if I wanted to drive and get something. I declined but was blown away.
Tomorrow i will try for home mid morning as long as hurricane Earl is calm enough for me to ride. I sure hope it is, I am really looking forward to arriving.
Location:Main St,Machias,United States
Sunday, August 29, 2010
One week of Riding Complete
After 7 days of riding I am still really enjoying the trip. I expected that I would be tired of riding at times but I have enjoyed everyday, even the really rainy ones. After my first stop in Connecticut I had planned to spend an easy day meandering through quite roads towards Providence. What I got was much different; from the onset until nearly the end I was on route 1 which was very busy at times and did little meandering. The highlight of that day was the encounter with a man named Allan. He passed me going the other direction as I headed east. He asked where I was headed and if I had a moment. He had just gotten back from a 3 week bike trip in Montana and Alberta. He was an experience rider and asked me the route that I would be taking. The route I had from google maps was not the easiest way and instead of just telling me, he offered to ride the 25 miles that would put me in the right direction. During the time he talked shop, bought me a donut and donated 20 Canadian Dollars to my fundraising efforts. He was a retired research manager at Pfizer and was really interested in my trip and the St.Andrews Bike Fest this fall. As the day turned into the evening I started to look for a place to stay. I was planning to end in Mystic, CT but was told when I arrived that a nicer camp ground was 11 miles down the road, 11 tuned into 21 and I finished the day at 75.21 miles. I spent that night at a state park and slept until well after 9 the next morning even thought I had fallen asleep before 10.
After a late start once again I headed towards Providence. My ride was more quite than the day before and included some back routes, the types that I had envisioned when I thought about the trip before hand. My ride didn't seem to fall in as easily as it had in the days before but as I kept going the warmth or the weather and the prospect of getting close to Boston pushed me on. As I continued around the city I started to ask about potential camping spots with little luck, I started to ride towards some State Forest and planned to try and find a place to camp there. As I started to think about logistics of this idea a guy in a car yelled to me asking "where you headed?" I responded "Canada". He replied back "want some dinner and to soak in a hot tub?" I thought for a moment about the potential consequences of this but to my mothers chagrin quickly yelled "Absolutely".
Luckily the yelling man was Matt Hopkins, an avid cyclist, who is experienced in bike touring and is actually on the cover of the Rhode Island bike map. In addition to a wonderful veggie meal that his Wife Lauren made, he helped fix up my bike, gave me great advice on a number of routes and rode the first 40 miles of my trip with me today. It was really great to ride with another person so knowledgeable about cycling. His sense of humor also made the ride go by very quickly.
Today was the first time that I felt at all soar on the bike. I don't know if I noticed it more because I wasn't concentrating as much on my next turn with someone else along, but my arms and butt were killing me for much of the day. In the last hour of the ride today I had my first flat that turned into way more of an ordeal than it should have been. My spirits bounce back quickly when I stopped to chat with a retired Kiwi couple that were in the middle of a bike tour that originated in Montreal. It was only the second group that I had seen in my whole trip.
I finally arrived to stay in Boston with a friend Bob who I made through camp. He lives in a beautiful neighborhood on a block where all the backyards meet in a massive park. It is the greatest city refuge I've seen. This evening I walked around the South End a little, had some great Pizza and will fall asleep early before exploring Boston of foot tomorrow.
Here's to a day off!
After a late start once again I headed towards Providence. My ride was more quite than the day before and included some back routes, the types that I had envisioned when I thought about the trip before hand. My ride didn't seem to fall in as easily as it had in the days before but as I kept going the warmth or the weather and the prospect of getting close to Boston pushed me on. As I continued around the city I started to ask about potential camping spots with little luck, I started to ride towards some State Forest and planned to try and find a place to camp there. As I started to think about logistics of this idea a guy in a car yelled to me asking "where you headed?" I responded "Canada". He replied back "want some dinner and to soak in a hot tub?" I thought for a moment about the potential consequences of this but to my mothers chagrin quickly yelled "Absolutely".
Luckily the yelling man was Matt Hopkins, an avid cyclist, who is experienced in bike touring and is actually on the cover of the Rhode Island bike map. In addition to a wonderful veggie meal that his Wife Lauren made, he helped fix up my bike, gave me great advice on a number of routes and rode the first 40 miles of my trip with me today. It was really great to ride with another person so knowledgeable about cycling. His sense of humor also made the ride go by very quickly.
Today was the first time that I felt at all soar on the bike. I don't know if I noticed it more because I wasn't concentrating as much on my next turn with someone else along, but my arms and butt were killing me for much of the day. In the last hour of the ride today I had my first flat that turned into way more of an ordeal than it should have been. My spirits bounce back quickly when I stopped to chat with a retired Kiwi couple that were in the middle of a bike tour that originated in Montreal. It was only the second group that I had seen in my whole trip.
I finally arrived to stay in Boston with a friend Bob who I made through camp. He lives in a beautiful neighborhood on a block where all the backyards meet in a massive park. It is the greatest city refuge I've seen. This evening I walked around the South End a little, had some great Pizza and will fall asleep early before exploring Boston of foot tomorrow.
Here's to a day off!
Friday, August 27, 2010
Day 4 Complete
My Fourth day of riding has definately been the best so far. It was the first day of sun and by far the longest.
After arriving in Verona, NJ and having a wonderful night with my mothers cousin and her family I rode to Hoboken, NJ and stayed with a friend Andrea from Camp Happy Times. We had a relaxing night of watching american TV and eating fantastic Sushi. The next morning I took a ferry across the Hudson River and rode up the west side of Manhattan on the Hudson River Greenway. It pored rain the whole of the journey but was still very enjoyable. I made really great time that day and arrived at my destination of Rye Brook, NY just after lunch. I was greated there by the Minick family. I had known the oldest son Alec since my first summer at Tyler Hill and had his younger brother Chad in my bunk two summers ago. They have a younger brother Jake who is funny as could be aswell. In addition to those boys some other campers came over to spend the day. Justin and Ethan aswell as Ethan's brother Matt were all in attendance. We had a wonderful day of hanging out, jumping on the trampoline, eating great food and laughing alot. I was so happy to spend the day with a great family and good friends in a setting so different than the one that I've known them for so long.
Yesterday morning I headed out on my longest day yet. I mapped out a route of 71.2 Miles from the border of New York to Guilford, CT which is about 12 miles past New Haven. The weather was wonderful and I felt really stong through the day. I arrived around dinner time and stayed with other friends, Lenny and Natalie from Happy Times. Its amazing how in one week of camp at Happy Times I build so many connections. It truly is a special place. We went for a beautiful dinner last night and I've been enjoying the wonderful setting of their home. Its set in the woods, Surrounded by a huge rock cliff to one side. Its probably the most beautiful setting for a house I've stayed in.
This morning I am a little slow getting to the road. My first days of camping are in front of me and I am having a hard time leaving such a wonderful place. From this point until Boston my route is far less planned, I will go east rather than north to Hartford. I will meet up with the East Coast Greenway again in Providence but will go along country roads for the next few days as I snake through the rest of Conneticut towards Rhode Island.
After arriving in Verona, NJ and having a wonderful night with my mothers cousin and her family I rode to Hoboken, NJ and stayed with a friend Andrea from Camp Happy Times. We had a relaxing night of watching american TV and eating fantastic Sushi. The next morning I took a ferry across the Hudson River and rode up the west side of Manhattan on the Hudson River Greenway. It pored rain the whole of the journey but was still very enjoyable. I made really great time that day and arrived at my destination of Rye Brook, NY just after lunch. I was greated there by the Minick family. I had known the oldest son Alec since my first summer at Tyler Hill and had his younger brother Chad in my bunk two summers ago. They have a younger brother Jake who is funny as could be aswell. In addition to those boys some other campers came over to spend the day. Justin and Ethan aswell as Ethan's brother Matt were all in attendance. We had a wonderful day of hanging out, jumping on the trampoline, eating great food and laughing alot. I was so happy to spend the day with a great family and good friends in a setting so different than the one that I've known them for so long.
Yesterday morning I headed out on my longest day yet. I mapped out a route of 71.2 Miles from the border of New York to Guilford, CT which is about 12 miles past New Haven. The weather was wonderful and I felt really stong through the day. I arrived around dinner time and stayed with other friends, Lenny and Natalie from Happy Times. Its amazing how in one week of camp at Happy Times I build so many connections. It truly is a special place. We went for a beautiful dinner last night and I've been enjoying the wonderful setting of their home. Its set in the woods, Surrounded by a huge rock cliff to one side. Its probably the most beautiful setting for a house I've stayed in.
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Monday, August 23, 2010
Day 1 complete
My first day on the road has come to an end, it was far shorter then some of the days that I will have in front of me but an accomplishment none the less, especially after my day yesterday. Yesterday camp happy times came to an end, it was a great week but I was happy to be leaving camp and starting a new adventure. On route to db's house I found out that he was at the hospital with his grandmother and I wouldn't be able to stay with him. I then got the car Service that I was in to take me to a cheap hotel db had found for me. I arrived to find the dirtiest hotel I've seen. The people staying there were terrifying, I did not feel nervous about any of the places I visited today but last night I was. I asked if he would take me somewhere else. He thought it was a good idea and brought me to the first person I thought of; Matt from CHT. Matt, was a great host and even drove me to new Brunswick this morning. Db met me at city hall for my send off with some members of the community. it wasn't raining when I started but it didnt wait long. It might have been 30 minutes in total that it didn't rain in the whole trip. The total journey today was around 35 miles. I have purchased better rain gear for the rest of my trip. It's calling for rain the next two days.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
Friday, July 30, 2010
From New Brunswick to New Brunswick in a Kilt
I will embark on two grand adventures in the coming months and ask you for some support. The second trip will be starting in September and will be done through Canada World Youth and will consist of volunteering for three months in each; The Kim Boi District of Vietnam and Powell River, British Columbia. Canada World Youth is a non-profit non governmental organization that allows young Canadians the opportunity to become more actively engaged global citizens through travel and volunteer work. This program is funded in part by the Canadian International Development Agency. The "In part", part brings me to my first adventure.
To take part in this valuable program each individual must raise at least $2800 to help mitigate costs that run in the neighborhood of 17-19 thousand dollars. In order to raise this money I will bicycle from New Brunswick, NJ to St. Andrews, New Brunswick after the completion of my contract at Tyler Hill Camp in Pennsylvania. As a member of the Off Kilter bike team I will complete the journey in a New Brunswick tartan kilt. The journey is approximately 1019km (633 Miles) according to google maps. I am calling the trip "From New Brunswick to New Brunswick in a kilt so I can volunteer in Vietnam and British Columbia", kinda rolls of the tongue eh? Any amount of financial assistance would be greatly appreciated, for Canadians I am able to provide tax receipts for donations over $20. If unable to send money, kind words or advice are also greatly appreciated. You can donate online though this website or by sending me a check or money order that is made out to Canada World Youth. My home address is 332 Brandy Cove Rd. St.Andrews, NB E5B 2L3. Thanks very much.
Love and Kind Regards
Brendon Chrus
To take part in this valuable program each individual must raise at least $2800 to help mitigate costs that run in the neighborhood of 17-19 thousand dollars. In order to raise this money I will bicycle from New Brunswick, NJ to St. Andrews, New Brunswick after the completion of my contract at Tyler Hill Camp in Pennsylvania. As a member of the Off Kilter bike team I will complete the journey in a New Brunswick tartan kilt. The journey is approximately 1019km (633 Miles) according to google maps. I am calling the trip "From New Brunswick to New Brunswick in a kilt so I can volunteer in Vietnam and British Columbia", kinda rolls of the tongue eh? Any amount of financial assistance would be greatly appreciated, for Canadians I am able to provide tax receipts for donations over $20. If unable to send money, kind words or advice are also greatly appreciated. You can donate online though this website or by sending me a check or money order that is made out to Canada World Youth. My home address is 332 Brandy Cove Rd. St.Andrews, NB E5B 2L3. Thanks very much.
Love and Kind Regards
Brendon Chrus
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