SQUAMISH TO THUNDER BAY
Photos and Words by: Aidan Raynor
Join Canadian rider, Aidan Raynor as he takes on an 18-day touring adventure with his Dad to travel from Squamish to Thunder Bay.
"Weyburn, Saskatchewan to Souris, Manitoba. The days through the Prairies were long and hot. Baking in the sun and tail wind we were covering well over 200 km for much of it. After a while the landscape stopped inspiring me and the camera was fixed on my back for much of the day so I didn’t take too many photos along this portion of the trip."
Day 1: Squamish, British Columbia to Hope. Winding through the streets of Vancouver, BC I found a little street that reminded me of back home in Montreal, Québec.
Day 1: Squamish to Hope, BC. A woman cooks dinner for her family outside of the Slumber Lodge Motel in Hope, BC. It is located at the convergence of three of Canada's largest highways and was founded in 1848 by the Hudson's Bay Company on the land of the Sto:lo First Nation living in the Fraser Valley. Fort Hope began as a trading post then grew during the Gold Rush in 1858 then in 1982 it transformed again as the filming location of Rambo: First Blood. Every local shop has a screen grab from the movie with their business in the background.
Day 1: Squamish to Hope, BC. Fields, the Western Canadian discount store with snow capped mountains in the background. Year round the mountains surrounding Hope and all throughout the Cordilleran Orogen from BC to Alberta will be snow capped.
Day 2: Hope to Keremeos, BC. Out of Hope we climbed for about 30 kms on Highway 3. The highway connects Hope, British Columbia to Medicine Hat, Alberta. Known for its uncontrollable weather and high mountain passes Highway 3 is one of the more treacherous routes across Canada's mountainous region.
Day 2: Hope to Keremeos, BC. The sun sets through the Similkameen Valley onto the main road through the center of Keremeos. Located in the heart of the Canadian fruit country Keremeos feels like it is straight out of The Grapes of Wrath. With fruit fields surrounding the town and throughout the valley it is no wonder Canada's cherries and other prized produce come from this region. The valley was also home to many prospectors during the Gold Rush.
Day 3: Keremeos to Greenwood, BC. Through the Similkameen Valley "No National Park" signs litter the side of the road. The signs are referring to a proposed national park reserve in the South Okanagan-Similkameen. Local ranch and orchard owners are opposed to the park whereas the local Syilx/Okanagan First Nation are for the park as a means to protect the land as a national park reserve. The debate is still ongoing after nearly two decades of back and forth between the local, provincial and federal governments.
Day 3: Keremeos to Greenwood, BC. On our way out of Keremeos along Highway 3 we passed an "Every Child Matters" sign with the backdrop of the picturesque valley. Highway 3 rolls through the Lower Similkameen Indian Reserve home to the Smelqmix People of the Syilx Nation. The sign refers to a dark stain on Canadian history. For generations the Canadian government sent Indigenous children from across the country to government-sponsored religious schools that were meant to assimilate Indigenous children into European-Canadian culture. Generations of children were taken from their families and sent hundreds of kilometers away from their families. Across Canada around 150,000 children attended these schools, many were abused and an estimated 6,000 did not return. The “Every Child Matters” sign is a prominent fixture across Canada along busy thoroughfares as a reminder of Canada’s past. Now every September 30th is the Orange Shirt Day in Canada to recognize the long lasting legacy of the Canadian Indian residential school system. For more information about it visit: orangeshirtday.org
Day 5: Grand Forks to Salmo, BC. After a short rest day in Grand Forks, BC due to torrential downpour as well as low single-digit temperatures we climbed the 30km Paulson Pass with 1000m of elevation out of Grand Forks.
Day 6: Salmo to Cranbrook, BC. At 1774m of elevation the Kootenay Summit is the highest paved road in all of British Columbia. Even on May 24th the summit was covered in snow and will likely remain that way all summer.
Day 6: Salmo to Cranbrook, BC. One of the longer days through the mountains the Moyie General Store saved us from a bonk. In its early days Moyie was home to "the most important silver-lead mine in Canada '' according to the Canadian Department of Mines, employing most of the 1,200 people in the town in 1909. Then as the mines shut and the railway dwindled in importance Moyie today has about 266 people.
Day 7: Cranbrook to Fernie, BC. Along with a large accumulation of snow Fernie has also accumulated a lot of Aussie's. The local bar flies the Commonwealth blue ensign and even has a 25 year strong "Straya Day '' featuring chicken parmies, Aussie Pies and a Vegemite Sandwich eating contest.
Day 9: Lethbridge, AB to Maple Creek, Saskatchewan. "Pinto MacBean" pictured here is the mascot of Bow Island, Alberta. Bow Island is known for its dry edible bean industry so naturally they needed a 18 foot statue of Pinto MacBean.
Day 7: Cranbrook to Fernie, BC. Along with a large accumulation of snow Fernie has also accumulated a lot of Aussie's. The local bar flies the Commonwealth blue ensign and even has a 25 year strong "Straya Day '' featuring chicken parmies, Aussie Pies and a Vegemite Sandwich eating contest.
Day 9: Lethbridge, AB to Maple Creek, Saskatchewan. "Pinto MacBean" pictured here is the mascot of Bow Island, Alberta. Bow Island is known for its dry edible bean industry so naturally they needed a 18 foot statue of Pinto MacBean.
Day 9: Lethbridge, AB to Maple Creek, Saskatchewan. Our last day on Highway 3 was spent racing across the dead flat Albertan Badlands into the cowboy town of Maple Creek, Saskatchewan. For reference to the cowboy nature of the town the local bar the "Jasper Hotel" needed to install a special doorway that would stop cowboys from bringing their horses into the bar.
Day 11: Eastend to Ponteix, Saskatchewan. Along with being my favourite province along the route Saskatchewan is home to odd old random bridges in the middle of fields that serve no obvious purpose.
Day 11: Eastend to Ponteix, Saskatchewan. Grain silos still dawning the ever fading “Saskatchewan Wheat Pool” logo like this one here in Cadillac are littered all over the province. Once a co-op that helped Saskatchewan's wheat farmers get a decent price for their crop it then morphed into a global agri-buisness prominent in Western Canada and South Australia. Now all that’s left are the old silos in every small town across the Prairies.
Day 11: Eastend to Ponteix, Saskatchewan. Prairie sunsets are something to behold. The mountains of British Columbia and Alberta are special but there is something to be had watching a car burn up dust down a dirt road in the sunset.
Day 12: Ponteix to Weyburn, Saskatchewan. Every herd of heifers was different. Some ran away either scared of these weird fast moving creatures on two wheels or others chased you and started a stampede amongst the herd.
Day 12: Ponteix to Weyburn, Saskatchewan. There’s a saying in Saskatchewan that you can see your dog run away for days and I can attest to the factual nature of that statement.
Day 17: Dryden to English River, Ontario. Unbeknownst to us at the time this would become the second last day of our trip coast to coast. The many hours spent in the saddle had worn down the nerves in my Dads arms causing his hands to go numb. This coupled with the dangerously narrow shoulders along the Trans Canada was a recipe for disaster. With the trucks passing mere inches away from our shoulders and not having a solid grip on the bars when the wind from behind the truck pulls you into the road. Ontario is a harsh province to cross on a bike and it got the better of us. The towns are remote leaving no room for bonking and the shoulders are no wider than your bars.
Day 18: English River to Thunder Bay, Ontario. I can be seen here enjoying the only redeeming aspect of this stretch of adventure in front of the Eastern Standard Time Zone sign. The superior nature of Ontario baking culture was the only redeeming aspect of my time spent riding through Ontario. Having grown up in rural Ontario I may be biased but Ontario baking culture is truly unmatched. On our last day, English River had nothing but a hotel so we had to bear through the pouring rain for 50 km to get to the nearest gas station. Thankfully there like in most gas stations across Northern Ontario there were tons of delicious baked goods. This cinnamon bun was one of many treats stashed away for caloric replenishment.
WHAT AIDAN WORE:
SQUAMISH TO THUNDER BAY
Photos and Words by: Aidan Raynor
Join Canadian rider, Aidan Raynor as he takes on an 18-day touring adventure with his Dad to travel from Squamish to Thunder Bay.
"Weyburn, Saskatchewan to Souris, Manitoba. The days through the Prairies were long and hot. Baking in the sun and tail wind we were covering well over 200 km for much of it. After a while the landscape stopped inspiring me and the camera was fixed on my back for much of the day so I didn’t take too many photos along this portion of the trip."
Day 6: Salmo to Cranbrook, BC. One of the longer days through the mountains the Moyie General Store saved us from a bonk. In its early days Moyie was home to "the most important silver-lead mine in Canada '' according to the Canadian Department of Mines, employing most of the 1,200 people in the town in 1909. Then as the mines shut and the railway dwindled in importance Moyie today has about 266 people.
Day 7: Cranbrook to Fernie, BC. Nestled in the heart of the Canadian Rockies Fernie is one of Canada's most popular ski towns receiving an average of 9 meters of snowfall each year.
Day 2: Hope to Keremeos, BC. Out of Hope we climbed for about 30 kms on Highway 3. The highway connects Hope, British Columbia to Medicine Hat, Alberta. Known for its uncontrollable weather and high mountain passes Highway 3 is one of the more treacherous routes across Canada's mountainous region.