Well, has it ever been an eventful past 24 hours. As some of you may have gathered by now, our vehicle, that majestic (yet lethargic) Dodge Caravan, is now a heap of useless metal, filled with random trinkets and alot of uncooked rice. Yesterday, as we were driving out of town to our staging area for the day, the slight knock that has followed us from Vancouver to St. John’s and back to Quebec became a roaring thunder, and an unfortunate omen of what was about to come. About thirty seconds after the storm hit, quick as a lightning strike, and loud as a hurricane, she died. Then and there, on Highway 1, just west of Cabano, Quebec, she bit the dust.
Unlike in Newfoundland or Manitoba, where help is the next car away, we waited, like a bride at the altar, for what seemed like an eternity. As darkness fell, we realised that help wasn’t coming, and it was time to call in the Cavalry. After doing what I do best, calling friends back home and getting them to sort these things out (I’ve done it from Paris and London on multiple occasions), we managed to get a hold of the Surete Du Quebec, and they arrived very promptly, shortly followed by a tow truck.
We camped the night out in Timmy’s, and as the snow fell and the town went quiet, the distant hum of the highway keeping time, we realised something. We are incredibly lucky to live in this stunning country. Yes in this instance we were living in a leaky van in freezing temperatures with nothing but rice and kimchi to eat; but we still had shelter, and food, and relative warmth. Yes in the big picture we have political goons running the show, our healthcare system isn’t all that fantastic, no one has any money, and Timmy’s coffee isn’t all that fantastic. We still have people running the place, a healthcare system, money, and kick ass coffee. We’ve learnt that in this day and age, it’s all about perspective; and although its easy to dock Canada for what its not, you look at what it is, and it’s simply stunning, and we should work to keep it that way.
Now as we get ready to take a train from Riviere du Loup, QC to Montreal, and from there fly back to Vancouver, I want to assure you that this is not the end. Although we may not be cycling across Canada anymore, our adventure hasn’t ended there, and our fight will never die either. When we return to Vancouver we will be putting together a video, showing how you can join the fight without neccessarily donating money. After this, we intend to fulfill our commitments in Winnipeg and Calgary, where we will deliver care packages to a children’s hospital and take part in a small skate-a-thon at Calgary Olympic Oval in January. Furthermore, as we will have a week to contemplate and work in Montreal, alot more photos and material will be posted here on the site, so stay tuned!
A $500 van, Driven from Vancouver, BC to St. John’s NL
Living in said leaky, uncomfortable van for a month
Cycling from St. John’s, NL to Quebec in 2.5 Weeks
Enduring the cold, the snow, and the WIND (it’s incredibly powerful)
Living off of rice, kimchi, and spicy red bean paste
Meeting some INCREDIBLE people along the way
Seeing Canada, the greatest country in the world, first hand
It truly has been an adventure, and will continue to be for months to come. Cheers, and see you all soon!
Nicholas
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