May 27
Today was pretty much a down day. I got to work on blogging for about an hour or two. But I am so far behind I am not sure if I will ever get caught up.
Today was actually a great day I was able to play with a 7 foot Yellow Anaconda. I have limited experiences with Anacondas. I sold a few babies in my time and usually they are a pretty aggressive species. I also got to play with a 14 foot Tiger Reticulated Python. Another snake species that I have very limited experiences with. I sold a few baby reticulated pythons in my time and they are also known to be a fairly aggressive species. I also got to play with a Mexican Beaded Lizard; one of only two venomous lizard species in the world. This was another first for me. I also got to play with a Red Tegu lizard. This guy must have been close to 4 feet. Tegu Lizards are a personal favorite.
Today was also a cool day because Steve had called Clarke Heipel from YourTV North Bay to interview me. This would be my second interview in the short time of being back on the road. Steve also reached out to the local newspaper in North Bay for me.
The highlight of the day was being ale to jump in the alligator tank with Mojo. Mojo is an 8 foot female alligator. The cool connection that I have with Mojo is that Mojo was in my possession back in 2002 when I owned and was in the process of selling my reptile store in Hamilton.
When I get a bit caught up with blogging and my content I plan to do a separate blog piece on Reptile Camp.
There are few people beside Steve Featherstone who has consistently impressed me with building their careers. Steve is very hard working and extremely community oriented. Steve sets an excellent example of small business ownership.
Steve & Holly Featherstone
May 28
Km’s Pedalled – 85 km’s
Destination – Just east of Sturgeon Falls
Todays Notes – Today was slightly cooler temperatures cloudy. So the day started out nice but then leaving Reptile Camp I missed my turn for Bonfield and ended up pedalling 15 km’s extra for no good reason.
And then when I finally did get into North Bay I took another wrong turn and instead of being in a grocery store I got completely totally soaked in a thunder storm. It rained pretty much the rest of the day
I did a newspaper interview with Chris Dawson from the Bay Today. During the interview I was handed $5. Today I also saw my first bear; so that was pretty cool. And I realized that I have pedalled 5,500 km’s.
May 29
Km’s pedalled – 67.5 km
Destination – 30 km east of Sudbury
Today’s Notes – Today I got a very late start; it was raining, overcast and a headwind. A tough day all around. It was mostly flat for the most of the day. And it looks like I have a flat tire to fix in the morning. I have another newspaper interview tomorrow in Sudbury. Traffic was heavy on the highway with just a narrow shoulder.
May 30
Km’s pedalled – 68 km
Destination – Whitefish camped behind a church
Today’s Notes – A rough morning with rain and overcast. Fortunately the weather cleared up in Sudbury. I did my newspaper interview with Ben Leeson of The Sudbury Star. While grocery shopping I was handed a box of Joe Louis from a Newfounder now living in Sudbury. I felt much better when the sun came out.
May 31
Km’s pedalled – 76.5 km’s
Destination – Almost in Walford
Today’s Notes – A cool cloudy day with spitting rain, with lots of head wind and sometimes rain.
June 1
Km’s pedalled – 53.5 km
Destination – Blind River
Today’s Notes – Today I came across a CBC article that says the Arctic May be closed all summer?? This is not good. I had a super late start this morning. Some things never change.
My Sudbury newspaper article ended up being published in the Sault Ste Marie newspaper even before I arrived in Sault Ste. Marie.
The sunshine is back but with very strong headwinds. Not the greatest day. I don’t feel great and actually ended up looked up Covid-19 symptoms.
I saw a momma bear with 2 cubs
June 2
Km’s pedalled – 78 km
Destination – Bruce Mine
Today’s Notes – It rained through the night. I feel better this morning but weak from not eating super last night. So far a nice day with good temperatures, blue sky and no wind
I did the Jeff Sammut SirusXM radio show at lunch. This was my third time on his radio show.
All my batteries are almost dead
I helped some Mennonites with a billboard along the highway and got paid $20 for my troubles.
June 3
Km’s pedalled – 73.5 km’s
Destination – Sault Ste Marie
Today’s Notes – Today is a beautiful sunny day but with lots of headwind. I am shocked at how many Mennonite are up here in northern Ontario.
I am camping just inside Sault Ste Marie city limits so that I can check into a hotel tomorrow (with points). All my batteries are virtually dead and I am weeks behind in documenting this ride. At this point I don’t know how else to get work done with every restaurant doing take out only.
June 4
Km’s pedalled – 11 km’s
Destination – Checked into Days inn
Today’s Notes – Finally taped The Road Show #4. This should have been done over a week ago. I got all my photos and video footage to the cloud and I updated my Media page.
Ray Chin a cyclist heading east messaged a few days ago planning to go around Sault Ste Marie. Apparently he had tire problems and ended up coming into town. So he is staying in my room. Good thing I chose 2 beds.
I worked very late into the night trying to get caught up on stuff and finally closed my laptop at 3 am.
