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Table of Contents

Introduction: where it all begins

The tentative route: always changing

The Equipment: always too much

Canada

Ontario

The Fateful first day and the heavy shower

Headwind: I thought the wind was supposed to blow the other way

Being your best friend

Raining again...

Fate is testing me again...

On the shores of the mighty St. Lawrence River

Gorgeous route today

Last of Ontario and of course a farewell shower

Quebec

Bonjour Quebec

Brrrrrrr, it's cold!

Beautiful parks...

Whew, tough day

Don't give up!: under-pass blues

Quebec City

First sunny day. Hurray!

True taste of Quebec

A slice of heaven...

And finding out a bit about the history of navigating up the tricky St. Laurent

The covered bridge

New Brunswick

Hello New Brunswick and the Atlantic Ocean!!!

Mosquito attack

Acadian village

Nothing much: or how much you can learn by sitting in a local Tim Hortons

Kouchibouguac National Park: and sleeping with puppets?

Ah, meeting wonderful people.

Prince Edward Island

Entering Prince Edward Island over Confederation Bridge

PEI National Park

On towards Isles de la Madeleine

Magdalen Islands

Isles de la Madeleine: Havre Aubert Island - Cap aux Meules Island - Havre aux Maisons Island

Isle des la Madeleine to PEI to Nova Scotia: 2 ferries in one day

Nova Scotia

Bird colony

3000km Cape Breton

Last day in Nova Scotia: and the road no-one knows

Newfoundland

NEW FOUNDE LANDE!

Encounter with a black bear!

Reaching Gros Morne National Park

Hiking in Gros Morne

THE ROAD FROM HELL GOES THROUGH PARADISE: toughest 25km yet!

Back on Trans-Canada

Summer solstice and longest day yet :134km

Arrival in Terra Nova National Park

Terra Nova and on to Bonavista Peninsula

Rain and my "new-found grandparents": The day time stood still...

I saw a WHALE!

Roadway to heaven

Gorgeous Skerwink Trail and Trinity and Random Passage: and Bingo Night scare!

Getting to Chapel Arm

      Tribute Sean Power

St. JOHN'S at last: and what all this trip meant

St. John's Signal Hill and Cape Spear

Happy Canada's Day and return to Toronto: closure

Statistics so far

Toronto

Strange things in the big city!

The departure and: The Accident!

Life goes on: and wounds heal slowly

The adventure continues: at first by train

      Thanks to Graham and Sheila

Saskatchewan

Adventures begin with the train ride: whew almost missed it

Impressions from train 001: The Canadian

First impressions of Saskatchewan: and how I escaped being eaten by a pelican

A taste of Saskachewan

      Heaven's Gate: life above the 52nd parralel with Terry and Denyse

Saskatchewan meltdown!

Prince Albert National Park

5000Km

Land of the living skies: and how we got awaken by the sound of coyotes

Under the Saskatchewan sun: a thank you to all the friendly people of this province

Into the Saskatchewan wind: and it's really blowing

Last day in Saskatchewan: waiting for the train

      Goodbye Saskatchewan: lasting impressions

Alberta

The land of the big: big mountains, big-time traffic, big trucks, and big money

Jasper National Park: and Spirit Island, Maligne Lake

Jasper Town: and fast changing weather

The Whistler’s Mountain epiphany: serenity now

Edith Cavell Mountain: a slice of heaven

The day the rain wouldn't stop: 8h at 7deg C, it was snowing above

Columbia Icefields: over 2000m pass

Banff National Park: Mountains in smoke, forests burning...

On to Lake Louise: but also Peyto Lake and Bow Lake

      Parting impressions from the Wild Rose Country: and sitting idle in Lake Louise

British Columbia

Yoho National Park: Emerald Lake

The Hailstorm: British Columbia putting us to the test

Mitch the carrot picker: a taste of BC hospitality

Skookumchuck?: and 6000km

Pacific Time Zone: and 3 months from the beginning

At last a peaceful hwy

Cycling on the road of friendship: with Ted and Carol

Columbia and Western Railway: the day I never looked back

Midway of B.C.: in Midway

Kettle Valley Railroad: cycling through history

Myra Canyon: the bypass and Mirela's 2000km

Okanagan Lake: the famous Ogopogo lake monster and sleeping in a tree

Oppressive heat: and rowing through seas of sand

The Tulameen Section: enough sand already

Towards Vancouver: and 7000km

Vancouver: city in between the Pacific and the Coast Mountains

Celebrations in Vancouver: Happy Birthday Mirela

With new friends Ryan and Kristen: goodbye Mirela

Sunshine Coast: from one ocean to the next

Powell River

Savary Island: the day I beached

Vancouver Island

On to Vancouver Island: and hop to Denman Island

Exploring Denman Island: and life

On Hornby Island: sleeping under the stars in my new oceanside mansion

Still on Denman Island: killing time on the long weekend

Tofino or bust: and sleeping with the giants

Pacific Rim Highway: caught a bear

Pacific Rim National Park: and another black bear

Biking on the ocean's bottom

City of Victoria: and the most mind-opening welcome yet

      Impressions of beautiful British Columbia

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

Washington State

Entering USA on Olympic National Trail: on a day of national mourning

The day of the salmon migration: and funny stories with Mark and Karl

8000km: on a nice quiet road towards Mt. Rainier

Mount Rainier National Park: 14410ft or 4392m

A man, the rain, and the mountain

The road by Mount St. Helens

Tribute to Terry Fox: and reaching the Columbia River

Oregon

Through the Columbia Gorge: and its high waterfalls

Portland and it's many bridges: and the spirit of the West

Staying with Geoff and Gretchen in Portland

Getting rained on: on the road to Mt. Hood

Mount Hood: and some of the best 5 miles I biked

Freeway thinking: and urine bombs?

Goodbye Oregon: goodbye Columbia river

Washington (re-visited)

In the footsteps of Lewis and Clark: through Walla Walla county

Last day in Washington: and 9000km over the Blue Mountains

Idaho

Into Idaho and Nez Perce territory: and bugged by ladies???

From Nez Perce into the Bitterroots

Leaving Idaho on the Lolo Trail of Tears: and a typical day in the mountains

Montana

Into Montana descending the "Bittercolds": and an encounter with White Fang in Missoula

In Lolo with Don: and Russian Titanium bikes

Along the Bitterroot Valley: and its myriad of ranches

Legends of the fall: and the tragedy of Big Hole

Legends of the cold: and chasing coyotes and deer

A walk through the Old Wild West: and the grueling pass with no-name

A river runs through it: and 10000km that's 1/4 of the circumference of the Earth! WHOO YEAH

Montana crying: goodbye my darlin'

Wyoming

Yellowstone National Park: the north loop

Snowing in Jellystone: and the killer Dunraven Pass 2700m

Yellowstone National Park: Old Faithful

Grant Teton National Park: and the three breasts???

Resting in Jackson Hole: goodbye Grand Tetons

5 months on the road: pushing south and 100-miler

Sensory deprivation over S. Wyoming's Bad Lands Hills

Climbing through the Flaming Gorge: and goodbye Wyoming

Utah (briefly)

To the top of Uinte Mountains: and snowing again

Colorado

Into Colorado: and 11000km

From Kokopelli over Douglas Pass: and a warm welcome in Fruita

Colorado National Monument: a day dedicated to Joe

Utah (in depth)

Along some of the loneliest roads in the world

Riding a marathon: and hiking the Negro Bill Canyon

Mountain biking in Moab: on a touring bike

Arches National Park: and an adventurous night with the help of strangers

The 7 arches in Devils Garden: and a freak storm

A day of sacrifice: followed by a day of rest

Along the San Rafael Swell: and miles of desert missing the colour green

Capitol Reef National Park: and through valleys of the moon, temples of the sun

The highest elevation yet: and the road over the spine of the world

You could see for ever: and suffering through headwind

Bryce Canyon National Park: and the hoodoos

12000km: and playing Russian roulette on a killer highway

Zion National Park: and The Narrows

Arizona

Goodbye Utah! Hello Arizona!: and Pipe Springs National Monument

The never ending uphill: and the highest camp yet

Grand Canyon North Rim: resting at the edge of the world

Hiking into the Grand Canyon on the North Kebab Trail: and a symbolic end to my trip through USA

Grand Canyon South Rim Desert View: and my million dollar view

Grand Canyon Village

      What next?

Riding the bus and hiking along the Rim Trail: and spending a night with a friend

2 months in America: and the longest hike worthy to celebrate it

And finally a week of rest in Phoenix: thank you Nicu

Through the heat: and through the cacti

Estados Unidos Mexicanos

Sonora

Bienvenidos a Mexico: and life in a ditch

On the road of crosses: through the heart of Sonora desert

Baja California

Through the heart of Mexico

La ultima noche in Mexico

Escaping Tijuana hasta la vista Mexico: and the paradise of San Diego

      Impressions of Mexico

Back to America

California

San Diego: and California cruising

San Francisco Bay Area: and meeting wonderful people

      Impressions of United Stated of America

South America

Republica del Peru

Welcome to Cuzco: and getting adjusted

Through the Sacred Valley of the Inca: and along Rio Urubamba

Machupicchu: and feeling Peruvian for a day

Recuperating in and around Cusco: and mingling with the locals

Puno: and las noches de soroche

Exploring the islands of Lake Titicaca: Los Uros floating islands, Amantani, Tequile

      Impressions of Peru

Republica de Bolivia

A few days in La Paz

Huayna Potosi: the 6088m peak that beckoned

      Merry Christmas! or Feliz Navidad!: and a Happy New Year! or Feliz Año Nuevo!

Sucre: the Athens of America

From Sucre to Uyuni: and the legend of Potosi

The unforgettable Salar de Uyuni, San Juan, Laguna Colorada, Laguna Verde: and goodbye Bolivia

      Impressions of Bolivia

Republica de Chile

New Year Celebrations in Chile

Crossing the Tropic of Capricorn: and getting to Region de Lagos

Villarrica, Pucon: and hitting the road

Amores perros: and the attack of the Chilean flies

Republica Argentina

Argentina`s welcome: the day you want to give up biking for ever

Forget cycling on dirt = bus-time: and reflections on the world becoming the same

Into Patagonia: the making of another dream

The longest 27km: in the world between two worlds

Chile again!

Running away from the bugs: and purified by crossing Lago todos los Santos

Relaxing in a German town?: and in the footsteps of Che Guevara

Reaching Puerto Montt, flying to Punta Arenas: and the Seto Otway Penguin Colony

Torres del Paine National Park: and Patagonia overload

Cruising the Strait of Magellan: and hospitality at “Fin del Mundo”

Return to Santiago: and a surprise meeting

Vina del Mar and Valparaiso: and everything is in flames

Santiago

Argentina again!

Mendoza: and the day I got robbed

Ciudad de Buenos Aires: and adios Mirela, hemos vencido

      Impressions Argentina

Chile one last time

Cartagena, Quisque, Isla Negra, San Antonio: and goodbye South America

      Impressions Chile

New Zealand

Wellington: and the long flight to get there

South Island

The North-West Corner: Nelson and Marlborough Sound

Crossing the Cook Strait: and the anxiety of a new world

Into the wind: and getting my first taste of New Zealand

Over the hills: and into a Teepee?

Conquering Takaka: or haka on Takaka

Into Abel Tasman National Park: and doing a bit of tramping

Abel Tasman National Park: tramping and hobbling - misfortune hits again

Moving on to Kaiteriteri Beach: and another day of resting my battered foot

Back on the bike: and the long awaited 14000km

Quiet roads to Nelson Lakes National Park: and some interesting sightings

Along the Buller River, an earthquake: and an ode to a dying little bird

West Coast

The deluge through Paparoa National Park: and why travel this way?

More rain on the way to "Harakiri": and flowers for the ladies

Happy Birthday to Me!: and what have I learned

The Glaciers: and the "View of Views"

Onto the “road-kill” road to Haast: and raining with sand-flies

Du Haast, du Haast nicht: the hard-way over this pass

The cold, wet, and miserable way to Wanaka: and another day of waiting out the cold-spell

Over the highest paved road in New Zealand: and reaching Queenstown

The best gravel road so far: and being the laughing stock at 15000km

Into Fiordland National Park: and hiking with your wallet

"Mistical" Poipoitahi / Milford Sound: and biking through a refrigerator

Southland and Otago

A day of rest followed by surfing a sea of green hills: and other implications

To Invercargill: and learning more life lessons

Riding "organically": and battling the wind and the demons within

Reaching the southernmost point in the Catlins on the road that feeds me: and some of the secrets of cycle-touring

To Kaka Point and beyond: and some stories to learn from

Getting to Dunedin

Life in Dunedin with Dean and family: and exploring the dazzling Otago Peninsula twice

Rolling peacefully along the Otago Central Railroad

Chasing the sheep over Danseys Pass: and celebrating the simple life at 16000km

Canterbury Region

Embracing the wind: and push-biking a push-bike???

A tragic accident brings the trip to an end on the first of April: Aprile Pazzo with a view of Mount Cook/Aoraki

From Mackenzie country to Canterbury country

Through Canterbury countryside: and tales of 2 Germans

To Christchurch: and making new friends

Losing myself through Christchurch: and a sense of closure

The last day of cycling in New Zealand: and the importance of play

North Island

Happy Easter from Down Under: and QUO VADIS?

Makara Beach: and a celebration of the Earth

Reunited Down Under: and the lightness of being

Sunset over the North Island

Tongariri National Park: and the land of the volcanoes

Ecclectic Wellington

Digging in: and the last day in New Zealand

      Impressions of New Zealand

People's Republic of China

Welcome to China: Ni hao from Chairman Mao in Beijing

The Forbidden City

Cycling in Beijing: and the cycling utopia

The Great Wall of China: and the thought of walking on bones

Xi'an: and the Terracotta Warriors

Chengdu: and the Panda Reservation

      Impressions of China

Tibet Autonomous Region

Lhasa: and a year in Tibet

The spiritual side of Lhasa: and that feeling of Tibet

Drak Yerpa Caves

On the road again: and the deleterious effects of tourism

Climbing into the clouds: and feeling like a star

Around Yamdrok-Tso Lake: and the Tibetan permit

Over Karo La pass 5020m: and lessons from Tibet

Reaching Gyangze

A day of rest in Gyangze: and visiting the Pelkhor Chode Monastery

Reaching Shigatse and celebrating 20000km together: and an end to this journal???

An apocalyptic Jeep Ride to the border with Nepal: and a matter of perspective

      Impressions of Tibet

Nepal

Kathmandu a world devoid of silence: and the discrimination

To Swoyambhunath Stupa a.k.a. The monkey temple: and the bodies are burning

Last moments in Nepal: and a tribute to an abandoned soul

      Impressions of Nepal

India

Bodies burning in Varanasi: and the shock of India

An air of normality in Rishikesh: and in search of false spirituality

New Delhi: and failing the final test???

      Impressions of India

Romania

Romanian countryside at Calugareni: and the loss of innocence

Seaside at the Black Sea

A few days of rest in the mountains

Romanian countryside: Vasad

Romanian countryside: Dudestii-Vechi

THE END

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"A Quixotic adventure around the world." Copyright © 2006-2012 By Mircea/Mitch Tinca - (contact). All rights reserved. Website Copyright © 2000-2012 by Neil Gunton Wed 8 Feb 2012 08:48 UTC -08:00 (0.183s)      Top    Link    Report