Here’s all you need to know about today. Hilly. Windy. 148 kilometers. 97 degrees Fahrenheit.
Author Archives: Kim Ross
Waubun? Waupun? Wisconsin
Here’s the story about tonight’s rest stop. Waupun was to be called Waubun, meaning “dawn of day” in Ojibwa, but someone working for the State of Wisconsin made a spelling error and the town never bothered to change it. (I can empathize with this poor guy. As I was writing this post, I had to keep checking the spelling of the city name, only to find that I actually spelled it incorrectly.) Every place has its own little peculiarity and that is it for Waubun/Waupun.
Sailing the S.S. Badger
Every year on the Cycle of Hope, we will get one day off in two weeks, a reprieve from riding. Usually, our day-off falls on a Sunday, but this year, on Saturday we reached the shore of Lake Michigan and the organizers have found a creative way for us to cross the lake and enjoy a day-off. Today, we were lucky enough to ride on a floating entry in the National Registry of Historical Places (NRHP), the S.S. Badger. The NRHP is the United States government’s official list of “districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation.” There are more than 1 million such registrants in the NRHP, but less than 100 of them are ships or boats, and we are lucky to have spent our morning on one of these ships as we cross Lake Michigan.
A Century Day
Leaving Mt. Pleasant this morning, we put in our longest day yet, arriving in Ludington on the eastern shore of Lake Michigan, after a 185 kilometer ride.
Heading Stateside
Day 4 – Sarnia, Ontario to Mt. Pleasant, Michigan
Today, we say goodbye to Canada, as we leave Sarnia and head west into Michigan.
Lake Erie to Lake Huron
Today was a shining example of the wonderful experiences that happen during the Cycle of Hope, that remind us of the goodness and the generosity of people.
Lake Erie – One Big Lake
Harking back to my elementary school education where I had to color and label a map of the Great Lakes that the teacher “mimeographed” for me, (in the days before photocopiers), and reading up in my ever-trusty source of all information, Wikipedia, I find that Lake Erie is in fact the fourth largest of the five Great Lakes. In other words, it is the second smallest of the Great Lakes. In spite of its rather poor showing in terms of size compared to the other Great Lakes, Lake Erie is either the 10th or the 13th largest lake in the world (depending on how one chooses to measure such things.). Riding along its shore on a bike serves to reinforce exactly how large it really is.
Day 1 Jitters
Niagara Fall to Simcoe, Ontario
Today is lift-off! After months of fundraising for Habitat for Humanity and diligently training on our bicycles, it’s time to hit the road, leave Niagara Falls behind and begin the long but wonderful journey back to Winnipeg on our bikes! As we gather in our matching jerseys for a group photo before we depart, the excitement among the group is palpable. In total, we will cover over 1600 kilometers (1000 miles) in 12 days. Today’s leg begins in Niagara Falls and ends, 148 kilometers later in Simcoe, Ontario. For some of us, this will be the longest ride we have ever dared to try. New riders anxiously wonder whether or not they up to the challenge. Continue reading
Cycle of Hope 2015
Here we go! After a two day drive, sixty Winnipeggers rolled into Niagara Falls today, amid little fanfare, but with a big task at hand. We leave tomorrow morning, heading back home, but on the return trip, we are on bicycles. We will cover 1000 miles (1600 kilometers) in support of Habitat for Humanity and the Cycle of Hope.
Serendipity and Yarn Bombing
How much serendipity can a person jam into one weekend? My old personal record would have been, well, one but this weekend I think I had two, maybe three or perhaps four serendipitous events, depending on how one is wont to count them. Continue reading
Well Spoke'n 