“This is going to be a good day!” Gerald’s joyful exclamation (made just about every morning) was met by a soft groan as Amelia turned over in her sleeping bag. Gerald’s statement has been true everyday, but today was to be exceptional—we were going to ride the final kilometres to complete our journey across Manitoba.

Today was full of special little moments. The sun was warm and welcoming when we set off, but the road was not yet bustling with traffic. We found wild blueberries at our breaks and split muffins at our breakfast.

We geared up and down through the many hills of the Whitshell—chasing after one another as we did so. Just after West Hawk Lake we took a path marked “No Thru Road,” because Gerald had seen it on Google Maps and knew that it would lead us to the #1. We had a chuckle, upon emerging next to the highway, at signs claiming that “Google is wrong!”

Staying true to traditions established early on this trip, we went through every construction zone today. Because why start using detours now?!

On August 1st we left Togo, Saskatchewan with the goal of biking across Manitoba. Almost 1000 kms later (we may have enjoyed a few extra trails), we have reached the border between Manitoba and Ontario. Now our original plan was to arrive at this spot on August 14 and have Cheryl (Gerald’s wife) pick us up at the border. Seeing as we’re a few days ahead of schedule and this entire adventure has been more about the journey than the destination, we decided to change the destination. Plans changed. Again.

We are now sitting in a hotel room in Kenora. Surprise! Seeing as we spent the first part of our trip travelling through Saskatchewan, Amelia petitioned that it was only fair if we spent an equal amount of time in Ontario. To celebrate the completion of our trip across Manitoba, we first cycled an extra 50 kms out of Manitoba and then checked into a hotel.

In order to guarantee a place tonight, we changed our ways and reserved a room. Just as monotony was causing Amelia to second guess why we had booked a place, a pair of pliers were required to get us into our assigned room (which hadn’t been cleaned) and the adventure continued!

We are now indulging in a few luxuries: separate queen sized beds, electricity and the ability to shower (or bathe!) frequently! 

It feels surreal to have successfully completed the main league of this trip, but it is invigorating to think of what tomorrow will hold. 

*There will still be a blog post tomorrow. Come back to find out what it’s about!*

Clean and luxuriously spread out,

Gerald and Amelia

The music bellows through the breeze as we descend one hill and then pant up the next one. The words of Ellie Holcomb shift over and around us as both a reminder of God’s love and our need to care for one another. 

“Up and over the mountains

Valley deep as the ocean

When you can’t keep going

I will shoulder your burdens”

We chose I Will Carry You as our theme song because it resonates with our faith values and our purpose for this trip. Sometimes we need to carry others and other times we need to allow ourselves to be carried.

As evidenced by the drinking water sign provided just moments after we finished our dinner and emptied all but a scant few drops of water, God does provide. During this adventure it has also been made clear that God’s provision doesn’t always appear as we think it should (or want it to…).

We have been blessed by fantastic weather this entire trip, but given the bugs we experience nightly, we are grateful to have fabric that secures to poles and pegs to bubble around us. Our tent shelter is a rectangle that leaves little else to be described. In a rough measurement provided by Gerald’s shoe, we concluded that our sleeping space measures about 3.5 feet by 6 feet inside. There are two of us that sleep in this small space and Gerald is a tall human! 

With God’s grace, we can get through anything. Especially if we are only in this tent for one more night! 

Today went something like this:

We…

-woke up

-biked to Drifter’s Inn for breakfast

-biked to Seven Sisters Falls 

-had lunch at Jennifer’s Picnic

-checked out Whitemouth Falls Provincial Park

-biked to the Whiteshell

-had supper somewhere (added water to a dry food bag)

-chatted and dreamed

-biked some more

-set up camp at Brereton Lake Campground

-(coming soon!) slept

A big highlight was playing with the drone in multiple locations. 

We travelled 102kms today and the end of our journey is in sight! 

Just a reminder:

“I will carry you

Through your darkest night

When you’re terrified

I will carry you

When the waters rise

When your hope runs dry

I will carry you”

Hear these words as God’s promise to you. Now if you want to experience this chorus the way we do, just imagine Gerald pumping his fist in the air and Amelia singing along.

From tight tent quarters, 

Gerald and Amelia

Quote of the day: “We are fully booked.” -Hotel Clerk

We had plans for the day, but they changed. What actually happened is probably more interesting anyways…

We departed from our writing table (where we left you yesterday) to find Linda and John’s modest home on Gimli Road. We heard our names before we found them. 

Upon parking our bikes we implemented our “pull out tent, douse each other in bug spray, then set up tent as quickly as possible” regiment. (Which we are becoming quite good at!)

A decent bedtime allowed for an earlier start. We devoured scrambled eggs and toast—thanks to our lovely hosts—then visited the artesian well for one final souvenir from the area.

One rest-stop (in which Gerald learned the hard way that one should always try both washroom doors!) and about 43 kms later, we were in Selkirk. Arriving just in time for lunch, we became patrons at Roxi’s Uptown Cafe. There we discovered that chocolate peanut butter milkshakes are a cyclists dream and make us both very happy! It’s a good thing too—because we were still in a decent mood when we were informed that the hotel in which we had planned to spend the night (thus checking off another “first” as far as the location of our night lodging) had no vacancy. 

A few options presented themselves, but the one chosen was to take advantage of the weather and ride on. Plus Amelia’s newly purchased riding gloves were eager to escape their confines and be put to use. 

While cycling, it is both intriguing and downright disgusting to discover how much litter and other items can be found along the side of the road. Today we saw: a padlock, a garden glove, a pair of high heels (not Amelia’s style), a pair of sunglasses and a motorcycle licence plate (which Gerald picked up because his wife will use it in her garden), amongst other things. Amelia has attributed these items as belonging to the “Highway Shoulder Thrift Store.” Imagining the stories behind these items provides stimulating conversation during breaks. 

We cycled 124 kms today—a day that was supposed to include a pool, hot showers and a tv—making it our longest cycling day yet! We only have 110kms to go before we reach our projected total. Although. given the way things have gone so far, we are well aware that things could change! 

As the moon blossomed from a ghostly stamp to a glooming sphere, we toured Lac du Bonnet, in search of a place to spend the night. 

The search took longer than expected and at one point Gerald surprised Amelia by actually considering staying in a cheap hotel in the town. We settled for freshly mown grass behind a local business near the entrance to the town. Far from the hotel we were going to stay at in Selkirk, our current lodging is still a place where we can rest our bodies and Gerald can snore. 

The planners and the plan changers,

Gerald and Amelia

*Read to the end to find a free recipe!

We woke up to the smell of bacon and the sound of a blender mixing crepe batter. Simple luxuries we do not take for granted!

Breakfast was prepared and beautifully presented by Amelia’s friends. Katelyn and Daniel recently moved into a house just south of Gimli and generously stepped away from their work renovating, to host us last night. This morning we enjoyed a delicious breakfast, and then went for a canoe ride on the windy waters of Lake Winnipeg in a tippy canoe. Gerald insisted on steering, so he was left to do much of the work while Amelia took frequent breaks to documente the experience.

Daniel and Katelyn live busy lives and we are incredibly grateful for their hospitality. We left these new home owners anticipating a return when their Airbnb is ready and we can properly compensate them for a stay. 

5 km later we were at the beach. Winnipeg beach—a blend of sand, sun, and (thankfully) shade. We populated a secluded picnic table for much of the afternoon, abandoning it only briefly to grab food from the grocery store.

Amelia pretended she was sweating back in Indonesia in order to fully submerge herself in the water. Once her body was semi-numb, she enjoyed using different muscles while people watching from the buoys (and eventually swimming around). 

Gerald caught up on the news for the first time since we left last week, thanks to a newspaper given to him by Katelyn. Napping was his main pursuit of the afternoon, though it was made difficult because his arm didn’t want to stay on the narrow bench.

Gerald would have settled for a burger and fries for dinner, but Amelia was tired of greasy food. Amelia’s ability to find a current menus online proved inferior to her choice of a place booked solid for the next month. Her expensive palette (and guilt about spending money) were both satisfied due to a few cancellations (and the fact that Gerald just walked up and asked if he could sit down on the patio). Soothing “feel good” music serenaded us under the lush vines as we sat at a granite table and wrangled these words. 

That is where we sit still.

Respectfully relaxed,

Gerald and Amelia

Recipe for a Day Off:

Ingredients:

• Cycle as little as possible
• Relax as much as possible 
• Eat what you want
• Go where you want 
• Do what you want
• Have many meaningful conversations with a person near and dear to you

Instructions:

Mix all ingredients together in whatever amounts work best for you on that day. Enjoy.

Gerald was surprised by the sight before his eyes. Tombstones stretched before him as he exited the tent at 4 in the morning to find a bush. Gerald recovered quickly from his shock by recalling that today he would receive watermelon—a worthy remedy for many ailments, especially “surprise! You decided to sleep in a cemetery” morning shock. 

We survived the graveyard and then set a record for earliest departure thus far: 8:09am! (Amelia was proud as this was less than 10 minutes past the original goal, and therefore still acceptable by her own tardiness standards.)

Poplarfield to Arborg was an amicable 29 kms filled with pleasant conversation and brisk winds that propelled us along. 

Upon arrival in Arborg around 10:30am, we situated ourselves in a Subway and got to work devouring sandwiches and putting the finishing touches on yesterday’s post. 

The journey from Arborg to the junction was fairly uneventful, apart from one break. We accidentally parked our bikes against a rock, and on top of an ant hill—which, apparently, ants do not appreciate. These were not your typical black worker ants. They were half red and determined to get to our ankles. Imagine how Amelia felt when it appeared ants were coming out of her shoes! (Amelia will now be keeping a close eye out for ants at rest stops as well.)

After the junction travel was against wind and painfully slow. Gerald was in contact with his wife Cheryl (aka Mom), who would be meeting us in Gimli just 30 kms away. 

Half way to our destination, Cheryl met us (unexpectedly) at a stop sign. A beautiful vision of white and blue, she graciously took our bags after we exchanged hugs and (for some) kisses. We could then ride the final length unloaded, thereby travelling significantly faster. 

Once in Gimli the three of us explored shops, walked the streets and had a delicious dinner at the Lakeview Restaurant. Oh, and Gerald got his watermelon. 

We are now staying the night at Amelia’s friend’s place just south of Gimli. 

Total kms travelled today = 90. 

Significant development: Gerald is now clean. 

With yawns and smiles,

Gerald and Amelia

Due to poor cell service our latest post is delayed. Please check back later today.

*Disclaimer: This post was written in the evening of August 6 and is meant to be read as such. Posting was delayed due to limited internet. Thanks to Subway for the decent seating and to all of you (our wonderful readers) for your patience.*

It never fails to amaze us how generous people can be. Sometimes all it takes is a simple conversation and strangers are pulling out their wallets to support MCC’s relief efforts in the Ukraine. It is humbling and truly inspiring. 

Lugging loaded bikes around is often the start of these conversations and is also a great way to meet people. Yesterday we met a gentleman that is travelling to Vancouver on a dirt bike using back roads. Steve started in Ottawa and is hoping to get to Vancouver by October. There are so many fascinating people in this world! 

It turns out that spending an extended period of time with the same person will not only teach you all the little things that drive them crazy, but will also give you multiple inside jokes and provide further ammunition to make them laugh and smile. 

During side by side riding (when safe to do so) and in-tent conversations, Gerald and Amelia have been sharing their knowledge with one another. For example, Gerald can now understand the difference between “your” and “you’re” and Amelia can point to the direction of the wind when given a report. Small things like these are making this trip memorable and (as a bonus) educational!

We left The Narrows around 11:30am and stopped in Ericksdale for a hot meal around 4:30pm. When we were refuelled, we embraced the calm of highway 68 on our way to Poplarfield. The cars were sparse which allowed us to ride side-by-side without worry. The wind whispered, birds sang and grass waved in the limitless space. Peace was upon us. We could have very well been the only people on the planet—all alone—yet we felt far from lonely. 

The total distance covered today was 108kms, bringing us to an even (as Gerald would say) 555kms overall. (Inside joke. Sorry!) 

We are now dead tired, so we are sleeping in a cemetery west of Poplarfield in order to make all of Gerald’s dreams come true. 

There was another lesson to be learned just before we went to sleep. After we were settled in our sleeping bags, we learned that the property our tent was set up on belongs to Amelia’s friend’s family! This news brought about a feeling of connection—to the land and to those around us—as we realized how small our very large world can be. 

With this new knowledge we were really able to Rest In Peace. 

Gerald and Amelia

P.S. Good news! We have started to frequent food establishments that have fly swatters already provided!

Mosquitos threatened to massacre as we invaded their dwelling. We could not be deterred however; boldly, we drowned our skin with mosquito spray to finish the task of establishing our temporary lodging. When we settled down to sleep, our bikes were fittingly tucked in amongst the shells of sunflower seeds, sheltered by the label reading “Home.”

Neither of us slept very well last night, but we both saw diamonds when we woke up!

We left the baseball diamond by 7:45am and headed to Corrina’s on Main for breakfast. What started as a response to an innocent inquiry about our travels resulted in meeting the owner of the restaurant (Corinna herself!), having our photo taken and receiving a very generous donation.

Moments like these have been unexpected and humbling. While few donations have been accompanied with a complimentary breakfast and a call for local communities to contribute to our cause, every donation (no matter the amount) is fully appreciated and makes a difference. Thank you to everyone that has contributed! If you have not yet done so, but wish to support MCC’s efforts in the Ukraine, you can do so here: https://donate.mcccanada.ca/registry/bike-manitoba-border-border

Dauphin was certainly a city of sunshine for our short stay. The rest of our day also happened to be quite sunny and (as Gerald the weather checker banked on) windy—in just the right direction. Shortly after leaving Dauphin we turned east and found cruise control. We stopped for lunch in Ste. Rose du Lac and then continued on our way.

Pedalling with wind support came and went over the 121 km completed today. We found cruise control and lost it again, one could say…

But our efforts were not in vain! We arrived in The Narrows around 8pm, just in time to buy something to eat and watch the sunset. We are already just over half way done our journey—having complete 447 kms of our projected 890!

On another note, Amelia discovered what it means to have ants in your pants today, literally! She will be keeping an eye out for ant hills the next time she looks for a washroom. Oh, and Gerald is still not clean… 

Also accepting donations of nose plugs,

Gerald and Amelia

Gerald is a professional weather checker. It is a skill that he doesn’t flaunt, but he utilizes quite frequently—especially when bicycling across Manitoba with his daughter.

Gerald is also good at making plans eight months in advance and then changing them the day the plans are to be implemented. 

Gerald’s carefully constructed original plan was altered today in favour of a route that would not send us headlong into 20 km winds. The winds change and so must we. That is why we did not go to Manipogo beach today, but instead find ourselves in Dauphin, Manitoba. 

(The construction zone sign situated at the beginning of the route we were going to take may have also contributed to the change of plans…)

Biking brings about time to think and opportunities for honest conversations between riders. Gerald helped Amelia realize the potential that could accompany a change in her conflict management style. Reflecting on recent events also brought about a realization that everyone changes and change can be healthy and good. 

Changing our plans for today ended up being very good. 

After cycling nearly 60 km, we parked our bikes outside a Boston Pizza in Dauphin. Inside, we had a lovely meal complete with a pitcher of water (to share), a football game (for Gerald) and a fly swatter (also to share)! We discussed how comfortable we were being at Grandma and Grandpa’s last night and how privileged we felt to have witnessed their ongoing hospitality towards family (even when they show up unexpectedly). 

We then laughed over the uncertainty of tonight’s lodgings as the sun quickly set. 

Come back tomorrow to learn more about the home we found for tonight! (For legal reasons we do not wish to disclose our current location until tomorrow.)

Quote of the day: “I don’t want to be clean. I get used to the feeling and then I want it all the time.” -Gerald

Your friends that don’t like flies,

Gerald and Amelia

Watery, tasteless, warmed goo (aka dried whole egg powder) started our day. The protein rich component of our breakfast was not very palatable and as a result food became an invaluable commodity for the rest of the day. We filled up our water bottles from the taps at the community centre and didn’t realize the black flecks floating under the lids until later. These preliminary events can be used as context to further understand the appreciation felt for acts of kindness experienced later on…

We left our impromptu lodging at 9:30am (cleaning up our egg fiasco took a bit of time) bound for Camperville. Over the next two and a half hours worship music wove around us and the wind whistled at our backs. 

Around 5 km from Camperville, a grey Honda Civic slowed down beside Gerald and the couple inside started talking to him. We learned later that Cory and Laura had seen us cycling the previous day when we were near the Minitonas junction. They were heading home to Pine Creek First Nation (near Camperville). “Would you like some water?” they asked before stating, “well come to our house!”

Many things happened in the following 10 minutes. First, a white Ford Max with a familiar looking driver was seen travelling in the other direction. We were both pleasantly surprised to see Cheryl’s sister emerge after the vehicle pulled over and we offered sweaty hugs to Amelia’s two cousins. About 5 minutes later, another vehicle of family members (heading home from a recent gathering) was spotted and we waved each other to a halt in order to exchange more sweaty hugs, smiles and conversation. In the time it took for these two mini family reunions, Cory and Laura found us again, this time laden with three water bottles and inquiries as to whether we would like more. We received a total of seven bottles of water from Cory and Laura, along with two ziplock containers of fresh grapes and cut strawberries. Furthermore, Laura had every intention of buying us lunch, but the only restaurant in town was closed due to a power outage. The kindness shown to us by people we did not know was humbling and inspiring. Thank you Cory and Laura for your incredible generosity!

People powered the day—both those that we just met and those we have known for many years. Our family members had not needed to travel through Camperville, but they made a point of detouring to see us on our journey. 

The blessings of family continued this evening. We had supper at Gerald’s sister’s place in Winnipegosis (arriving there at 5:30pm) and are spending the night at Cheryl’s parent’s place. 

104km was the final odometer count of the day and both of these tired cyclists are grateful to have finally accessed a shower! 

Feeling refreshed and exceptionally blessed,

Gerald and Amelia