Shayne
At the time of our trip, I was twenty-four years of age. I graduated from the University of Waterloo with a Bachelor of Math degree in June 1999. From September 1999 to April 2000 I was working full time at BMG Music Canada as an Online Developer.
Before our trip, I had done limited travelling. I have been to the United Kingdom about five times to visit relatives and spent a month in Australia and New Zealand when I was twelve years old. Beyond that, the only traveling I did was a week long vacation each summer to my aunt's cottage on Georgian Bay, Ontario.
I grew up on a farm in rural southern Ontario, so cycling was a convenient way to get around when I was younger. While at university, I gave up my bike for inline skates, making it easier to pack and move every four months. But I looked forward to the time I would have permanent residence and could buy myself a new bike and start riding again.
In the autumn of 1997, I was working as a co-op student. My boss suggested that once I finish university that I should travel. He said it would be likely be the only chance I would have for a lengthy journey, especially once I start working full time. A couple months later, while walking home one evening in the snow, I was thinking of the future and remembering the advice my boss and given me. I thought it made more sense to see my home before travelling to someone else's. In Canada, I had never been outside Ontario save a couple day trips to Montréal and working in Hull, Québec for four months. So I decided that the first summer, 2000, after I graduated I would travel across Canada. And I wanted to do it in a very intimate fashion, be it hiking or cycling.
That plan lay not quite dormant and not quite a reality until the autumn of 1998. I was talking to Blue one day after classes when he mentioned he was organizing a cycling trip across Canada for the summer of 2000. He said he was planning to ride the Trans Canada Trail with a small group of people. He told me that Wendy and Galen were going and was wondering whether I would like to join. I told him that I, too, was considering travelling across Canada that summer and would consider it.
For me, I wanted my trip to be a private one. It would be a chance to be completely independent and experience total freedom. I was not sure I wanted have the responsibility of other people. But the reality was that I was not prepared to do a trip of such magnitude, in the fashion I envisioned, by myself. So a few months later I told Blue that I would join the group.
From late summer 1999 to the spring of 2000, I cycled about 1750km in and around the Toronto area. In the spring, once I received my trailer and panniers, I started riding carrying greater and greater amounts of weight. I spent a couple days riding in the rain to test my rain gear and discover how best to waterproof things. By the time our trip began, I felt comfortable to ride about 80km a day.
When I try to keep a record of the incredible things that I remember, the list quickly grows very long. Instead, I have chosen some overall memories, days of cycling that I enjoyed the most.
May 29 Our first day of great weather. Riding east on Huntingdon Road and seeing the mountains loom on the horizon was an inspiring sight.
June 1 The Quintette tunnels and the Coquihalla Canyon were incredible sights. While challenging, the climb up the Coquihalla Highway offered gorgeous scenery and a sense of achievement upon reaching the summit.
June 3 A beautiful sunny day while riding through the spectacular Nicola Valley, filled with lakes, wildlife, ranches, and more lakes.
June 13 Although a short day of riding, it was another sunny day while travelling through the prairie scenery. We were treated to a stunning sunset in Bassano.
June 17 A pleasant ride through the rolling countryside north of the Cypress Hills.
June 20 An effortless day of riding thanks to a 60km/h tailwind. At times, I was able to average 40km/h.
June 26 and June 27 Our final two days of riding were spent with Matthew, Christine, and Erin. It was a lot of fun riding in a large group.
Each day on the trip, when I was writing my journals, it was a chore to try and remember what I had seen and done that day. Months later, when I typed in my journals I could remember with much more clarity and was able to fill in the missing details. It seems to have taken time for the memories to form. There are some memories that are still so clear that it feels as if I can relive the moment. I can still feel the grass between my toes in Kamloops, struggling through the blinding wind and rain in Wolseley, and the warmth of the afternoon sunshine on my back while riding to Bassano. I hope that years from now, reading our journals and seeing the photos, my memories will be as crisp as they are now.