The End of a Long Journey

Distance: 3km
Time: ?
Experience: Priceless!What seemed like only a dream and a possibility has become a reality this morning. The end of our more than 6, 300 km journey across this great country of ours comes to an end today. The three of us boys got on our bikes one last time for the shortest ride of our entire trip. As we made our way down Barrington Street in Halifax it didn't seem to matter that there was a heavy mist in the air. It was good to know we were finished and that we had done our very best throughout the course of the journey. Wanting to do this trip together we were blessed enough to go the full distance in the time frame intended with all three of us biking the entire time. A pretty good accomplishment for three brothers who had never really biked together before.

The media had been invited to meet us at the Delta Halifax hotel and with none in sight as we left the hotel it was comforting to have our wives, Mother and Grandmother in the van behind us as we made our way. Arriving at our destination, Point Pleasant Park, we came to the beach where we planned on dipping our tires and found that there was an event scheduled to begin there very soon. The event was called "The Black Rock Beach Party" and was to celebrate the reopening of the Halifax waterfront to swimmers after a 30 year closure due to a sewage problem the city once had. One of the event organizers (Sue) was kind enough to let us intrude on their party before it began. It is always amazing to see how God works certain things out in our lives as we found out that Sue's husband had passed away with ALS a number of years ago and that cleaning up the waterfront for public swimming had been something her husband had first spear-headed! Not only did we meet Sue, who is a city counselor but we also met the Mayor of Halifax. There were also a number of reporters there to cover the story and we had a chance to share of our journey with a number of them.

We dipped our tires in the ocean, gave each other high fives and got hugs from family as we enjoyed the reality of being finished. We decided to stick around until the official opening of the waterfront and were among the first people to take a dip in the newly reopened Halifax harbor. So there was history in the making in many ways for us on this very special day!

WE MADE IT!!! Today marks the official end to our 62 day journey that saw us travel across eight provinces, go through 8 flat tires, a combined 3 spills off our bikes and 1 stolen bike. There is so much to be grateful for that it is difficult to start. We were truly blessed with good to decent weather throughout our trip and even more fortunate to make it across the country with only a few minor mishaps. We truly enjoyed seeing, smelling and hearing the Canadian landscape as we slowly traveled through it. The people we met along the way were so encouraging and we could not have kept going if it were not for the encouragement we received at timely junctures along the way. There is so much to take in that it will likely only be in reflecting upon our experience in the days, weeks, months and years ahead that we will truly be able to appreciate what this time has meant in our lives and the lives of others. We hope that you have been encouraged and blessed by our journey and would love to continue hearing from you. To be in touch email us at brothersbike4als@gmail.com

HALIFAX

Distance: 85km
Time: 3hrs 25min

Waking up this morning we all knew it would be a day of lasts. The last day to take down the tent trailer; the last day to bike, traveling from one location to another; and the last day before the end of our cross-Canada journey. Cycling into Halifax was a great feeling and a little surreal to be honest. It will likely take all of us some time before it really sinks in.

Arriving in Halifax we checked into our hotel the Delta Halifax. We are so grateful and appreciative to the Delta Halifax Hotel as they were willing to give us complimentary rooms for the duration of our stay in Halifax! Not only that but the staff at the hotel were extremely helpful and kind. It is definitely true what they say about east coasters being nice people. If you are ever in Halifax we would definitely recommend that you stay at one of the Delta Hotels (www.deltahalifax.com).

After checking into the hotel us boys had an interview with CTV news and then headed off to the airport to pick up our Mother and Grandmother who were flying in for the weekend to see us end our journey. Having both of them here is really special and means a lot.


After picking them up from the airport we all went out for a special celebratory dinner at the Haliburton Hotel. The east cost hospitality was in full force as the Haliburton provided us with a top of the line complimentary gourmet dinner at their hotel's restaurant called "Stories". The meal was outstanding, the atmosphere warm yet formal and the service extraordinary. They even put "Brothers Bike 4 ALS" on top of their menu which changes daily. If you are looking for an exceptional meal Stories is the place to go! (www.thehalliburton.com)

A True Thought From Truro

Distance: 130km
Time: 4hrs 15min

Today we made our way into our eighth and final province of the trip! The best part of making it to Nova Scotia is knowing we only have two days of biking before we finish. If only that were the case with every province!

Making our way to Truro, NS we had to do a lot of hill climbing but with the thought of only one more day to go in mind we could have conquered any hill. With the day's ride finished we all spent some time going through the tent trailer and van to be ready for the end of the trip and our parting ways. It is crazy to think that we are almost done after traveling for 9 weeks!

A Flat Day

Distance: 78km
Time: 2hrs 40min

All of us boys had been looking forward to having a shorter biking day after many long days on the road. It is crazy to think of how one's perspective on "short" changes on a cross Canada bike trip. If you were to ask any of us guys if we thought a 78km bike ride was short before our trip we would have said no way! Now a bike ride that takes under 3 hours seems like no big deal. CRAZY!!!

Not only was it a short ride but a fairly flat road, which was a nice change from the amount of uphill riding we seemed to do coming out of Quebec and heading through the first part of New Brunswick. The annoying flats of the day came from flat tires. Adam had a flat at the end of the past day and had two more again today. We decided that his back tire needed to be changed out as it was becoming too weak. Overall we have done really well with flat tires as with these three we are at 8 flat tires for the whole trip thus far. Not only that but all of us boys have been on the same set of new tires for most of the over 6,000 km we are traveling. We've all decided that the key to not getting flats is to have good tires.

Biking aside we also had a rest day in Moncton and decided to take in some of PEI. None of us had been over the Confederation Bridge before and so enjoyed our first crossing of the 13km bridge. Juliet attempted to have us all hold our breath for the distance of the bridge. Needless to say any attempts to do so were in vein. Once on PEI we drove to Charlotte town and took in some sites before heading back.

Where's the Exit?

Distance: 140km
Time: 5 hrs

While we were in Fredricton it was nice to be in a home again and to have a real bed to sleep in. Thanks so much Aron & Sarah for opening up your home to us it is greatly appreciated!

The next morning we were off again and heading for Moncton, NB. It was a scenic ride throughout the morning before we got onto the Trans Canada, which while not as scenic was a nice ride especially with the wind as it pushed us along. The day's distance was to be a little shorter then the rest of the week had been but when we made it to our end the day exit there was no exit in sight! Alas, we had to carry on to the next exit making our day similar in distance to the others. All in all though it wasn't too bad as we all knew it would mean a shorter day of bike riding would follow.

Crabbe Mountain

Distance: 140 km
Time: 5 hours 50 minutes

We had two options: A) Go a longer distance with fewer hills by taking the Trans-Canada or B) Eliminate some distance by taking back roads and face Crabbe Mountain. We chose plan B, harking to the call of Crabbe Mountain. That was our first mistake. The roads were in really poor shape and the grades on the hills were near ridiculous. Luckily some of the heat from the previous days had dissipated and so we were able to survive until lunch. That’s when we made our second mistake. The girls had driven ahead and found a ‘5km’ stretch of gravel on the road that they came back to warn us about. They were kind and offered to drive us over it, but assured us that about a kilometre in there was pavement underneath. We figured we’d tough it out like we did with Crabbe Mountain and so we gave it a shot. Turns out it was a little longer than 5 km and it was loose stone the whole way. Regardless, we finally reached Fredericton and were able to enjoy another meal out courtesy of our sponsors. Also, Amy and Heather slaved in the kitchen making delicious brownies, rhubarb bread, morning glory muffins, and stewed rhubarb. All in a day’s work for the ladies! Just 4 more days of biking left!

Ugghhh!!!

Distance: 155 km
Time: 6 hours 15 minutes

After nearly 8 weeks of biking, we were all very excited to knock off another province from our list and enter New Brunswick. Spirits were high as the day began but apparently not as high as the wind, hills or temperature and so this day was trying for all involved. The boys had a tough time as the wind would not give them a break all day. In any other circumstance it might have been humorous that they literally had to pedal on the downhill to keep up their speed but unfortunately today was not one of those times.
However, the boys were not the only ones to struggle as the girls had an interesting time of their own. Normally they pack up camp and then drive ahead and wait for us to eat lunch with them. During that time they usually enjoy an episode or two of The Office on the van’s DVD player but today the boys took a little longer to catch up. Needless to say, a car battery can only last so long and luckily Amy and AJ have CAA. Battery boosted and problem solved.

Nouveau Brunswick on the Horizon

Distance: 150km
Time: 5hrs 50min

Today proved to be a little confusing as we had to improvise our route along the way with not being allowed to bike on certain roads. It proved to be another long day of bike riding and after a cold end to our day yesterday today we found ourselves baking in the sun.

Our day ended with us slumping off our bikes at our campsite in Degelis. Cold showers were in order today with a good meal and ice cream from the local little restaurant across the road from the campsite. Having made it to Degelis today we will have a 15km ride tomorrow morning to the New Brunswick border, after which there will only be one more provincial border to cross!

Let the Long Bike Days Begin

Distance: 158km
Time: 6hrs 45min

With the longest ride of the week looming ahead of us we set out to cross the St. Lawrence. Back in the day that would have been quite the accomplishment but with a large bridge at our aid we were able to make it over the mighty river in pretty good time:)

One of the really neat things about the small towns here in Quebec is that they all have what appears to be the town church. While other buildings and homes may be run down these churches (likely all built in the early 1900s) are kept immaculate and seem to show the strong religious roots that were established here long ago.
The day was slow going as we were stopped by lots of traffic lights and then by the wind. By the end of the day we were contemplating whether to go the full distance or to get picked up early. We elected to ride on and with 15km to go thought it wouldn't be too bad. That was before we came across the road construction and the rain storm. By the time we made it to the camp site we were very wet, cold and ready for a warm shower and a hot meal.

QUEBEC

Distance: 120km
Time: 5hrs 15mins

Making our way along the same scenic road we had traveled the day before we made our way just south of Quebec City. With all the history that Quebec City has we decided that a rest day was in order for the following day to take in the sights of the city, especially considering that this summer is Quebec City's 400 year anniversary!

Montreal to Trois Rivieres

Distance: 120km
Time: 4hrs 30min

After a weekend off in Montreal we were back on the road again and making our way into the heart of Quebec. For those who have not been to Quebec it can be a little confusing when you see signs that tell you how far away you are from Quebec when you are already in the province. Apparently, there is no need to include "city" with Quebec as everyone knows what they are referring to.

Today our travels would take us half the distance to "Quebec" as we made our way to Trois Rivieres. The road was quite scenic as we made our way along the St. Lawerance and along the way we encountered a lot of other cyclists. Quebec definitely has a lot of cycling enthusiasts especially considering we saw so many on a Monday morning.

The Bad Day A’Commeth

Distance: 125km
Time: 4 hrs 20 min

We have been truly blessed on our trip across Canada. There have been friendly people to meet, beautiful views to behold and over all some pretty good weather for biking. So, it seems as though there was bound to be a bad day to come and today was definitely that day!

The day started out alright as we packed everything up and left Ottawa to begin our trek into Quebec and Montreal. When we got to where us boys were to start biking for the day Mike went to unlock the bike rack and start taking off the bikes when he realized there was something out of the ordinary. The bike rack did not look as full as it normally did. There was a bike missing which must have been stolen during the night. Someone had found a way to loosen the bike rack just enough to pull the last bike off, which happened to belong to Mike. The whole BBA crew stood there for a few minutes taking in what had happened and deciding what to do next. Thankfully, there was a back-up bike available (Juliet’s bike) which the boys were able to put together and Mike was able to use. What could have been a huge delay of days was averted and the boys were able to continue their trek.

Things did not end there however as the boys cycled into a rainstorm later in the day and upon arriving in Montreal all three took little spills off their bikes with the wet weather conditions. None of the boys were seriously hurt (only have some minor scrapes) but this was enough to call an end to biking for the day. On top of the tough emotional and physical aspects of the day we all found that navigating through Montreal is extremely difficult which led to the guys and girls getting lost and having a hard time finding each other. We were to do a radio interview with Radio Canada but with getting lost, were not going to make it. In the end we just barely made the interview as Mike and Adam went into a Best Buy store to ask if they could use the phone and do the interview from there. The interview seemed to go well but even it did not go as planned with the interviewer only asking Mike questions even though he had both Mike and Adam on the phone.

By the end of the day, everyone was thankful to just find our campsite and get something to eat before falling exhausted into our beds. We were bound to have a bad day or two so hopefully with this behind us we can look forward to much better days ahead. Thankfully, we have the next two days to rest in Montreal and to recuperate from the worst day ever!

Day Two in the Nation’s Capital

Distance: 75 km
Time: 3 hrs

Having stayed the night before in Ottawa at the Laurentian Leadership Centre (connected to Trinity Western University) we decided it would be best to put in a short day as we were to again stay in Ottawa for Thursday evening. The thought of a shorter biking day was especially nice since we were going to be up super early to be on an Ottawa breakfast television news show! We were to be at the TV station for 6:15am and with it being only a few blocks away from where we were staying we decided to bike. They had said we would be on the show at 6:50am but that we should be there early so they could prep us. We sat there until 6:45am before they whisked us outside to interview us on the street (so much for prepping usJ). The interview went really well and we were all glad for the opportunity. After the interview, us boys were dropped off just south of Ottawa to start our biking and traveled east until we came to a small town called St. Isidore. The ride was uneventful but it was nice to have the shorter distance and day.

After our ride AJ, Amy, Adam and Heather decided to go see some of the sights of Ottawa and the two girls convinced the guys to go tandem biking. Juliet and Mike were able to meet up with their friends Brenda and Michael to have a tour of the parliament buildings, where Michael works, after which the four of them went for dinner at their friends Kelly and Kaarin’s place.

Interviews All Around

Distance: 100 km
Time: 3 hours 15 minutes

Cycling today was straight forward and not too shabby with fewer kilometers. We did however have a few mix-ups when it came to interviews. Last minute, we changed our route for the day and decided to finish at North Gower instead of Carleton Place. Unfortunately, some local newspapers were hoping we would be passing by and we had to miss out. On the upside, one of the papers had a sister newspaper in Smiths Falls and we were able to meet up and have an interview there.

Sneaky Man

Distance: 145 km
Time: 4 hours 50 minutes

Today the weather was decent and we even had a bit of a tailwind to nudge us along. We did hit two sections of construction which was a little unpleasant due to narrow roads and a few sections of dirt. The only note of interest we had was noticing a policeman with a radar gun at the side of the road. He was so well hidden in the shade and with his cruiser behind a rock that we didn't see him until we were almost right beside him. Luckily, it is a bit of a challenge for us to speed when the speed limit is 60 on the level.

Finally, Our Fourth Brother

Distance: 175 km
Time: 5 hours 40 minutes

We usually struggle a bit in the mornings when we know that we have a long day ahead of us but today was a little different. A friend of ours and an avid cyclist, Matt Campbell, had asked if he could join up with us on our trek to Peterborough and of course we were happy to have the company. Matt had been one of our advisors with regards to cycling before the trip and so it was nice to have the opportunity to thank him again and spend the day riding alongside him. Not only that, but Matt helped make the day interesting and pushed us a little harder than we were used to. Twice we were left behind as Matt sprinted off ahead and left us to try to catch up. The three of us were feeling fairly competent before we had began the day since Matt had not been out on his bike much this year but we were soon dissappointed to learn that he could still put us to shame. That being said, the day ended with us completing the distance and feeling a little more tired than usual.

Supporting Stretch!

Distance: 110 km

Time: 4 hours

After enjoying all of the support at the rally on Saturday we were expecting Sunday to be a bit of a lull for us as we rode from Owen Sound to Orangeville. However, we were blown away by everything that happened. We had to stop nearly every hour to meet with people who had come out to support us! We began our day with the encouragement of the Owen Sound Alliance church as we attended the morning service with our family and then started the day's journey from there. We went for about an hour and a half and were fortunate enough to enjoy lunch at our Grandma's house with some family. Half an hour later we were in Flesherton being waved down by a group of people including the Mayor of Grey Highlands, a reporter and a ton of great supporters who encouraged us along the way (Adam felt lightheaded, we like to think it's from being overwhelmed by all the people, but everyone was really understanding and helpful - thanks!). Last, but definitely not least, we stopped in Shelburne to meet up with Lori Wilson, Aunt Donna and another crew of family friends who had gotten together to support us. Along with granola bars, powerade and water they also handed us a jug full of money that they had raised for the cause. It was amazing to see all of those people come out and encourage us along the way.

Hometown High!

Distance: 5km
Time: unknown

Having biked for 6 weeks we made it to our hometown in Owen Sound. It was great to be home and to see so many familiar faces. Our Mom did a great job of organizing the Owen Sound rally and had some outstanding help from a number of our Father's former colleagues at Bell. The rally was a great success with things starting off with a 5km ride, glide or stride around the Owen Sound harbor. While the 5km was not our longest distance in a day it was definitely our most enjoyable as we did the ride with our Grandma Teeter.

A program followed with a silent auction, live music, an introduction of the Teeter Boys by the Mayor and an update on ALS research by Dr. Michael Strong. There was a BBQ, a kids craft section and a clown too! We were all really encouraged by all the support shown to us and the great turnout (there must have been at least a couple hundred people).

Thank you to all who attended and a big thanks to everyone who helped out with the event! Being home has been great and knowing that we are two thirds of the way done our trip has all of us feeling good about the remainder of the cross Canada tour.

Home Stretch...Kind Of

Distance: 115km
Time: 4hrs 40min


Our first day back in southern Ontario turned out with good weather and good company. Amy and her parents took the chance to bike with us from Tobermory down to our lunch break at Wiarton. It was a great achievement for them all and it was nice for us boys to have the company. We ventured off the main highway here and there to avoid some traffic, which provided us with a few more hills than expected for southern Ontario. The day of cycling came to an end with a local television station capturing our entrance to Owen Sound. In all, it was nice to reach familiar territory and see familiar faces.

The Chase

Distance: 110km
Time: 4hrs 30min

After enjoying our stay at Silver Maple Campgrounds we started our trek through Manitoulin Island with our end destination being Southmouth ferry terminal. Although the day was the shortest distance we had to travel for the week it was definitely not the easiest. We hit some construction right away, then some hills and for a good portion of the day we had to battle some pretty strong winds. We did however have some nice highlights from the day, which more then made up for the difficult ride.

For starters we were chased for most of the day by a news crew from Sudbury who were with CTV News. They were in touch with Juliet throughout the day and chased us mid-way down Manitoulin island before catching up to us. We were able to do a good long interview with them and the word is that the news piece they did was really great. The other highlight for us was seeing our Mother as she and our step-father, Al had come across on the ferry from Tobermory to meet us. We had a great time connecting as we sailed to Tobermory and then said goodbye as Mom and Al headed home to prepare for our arrival the next day.