Halfway!

Halfway means completion is possible and no longer daunting.

Halfway is a milestone on any journey, but for me is a bit hard to pinpoint where halfway is, or in fact, was. 

Canada's longitudinal “halfway” point is just east of Winnipeg (day 52).  This is the only reference to halfway that is absolutely certain, for I do not know the final mileage nor the final number of days to reach my goal in St. John’s, Newfoundland.  But let’s assume my trip planning was pretty good at 5,700 miles and 110 days, then day 55 brought me to Fort Francis, opposite International Falls, Minnesota, that is due north of my home in St Paul.  

On the promenade in Fort Francis, with International Falls across the water
Reason to celebrate with ice cream!

If by mileage, then 2,850 miles was achieved on day 60 on the road between Thunder Bay and Sleeping Giant Provincial Park, where some rest days camping with friends may have marked my logical “feels like” halfway point.

The Sleeping Giant, resting in the sunset of the first half of my journey.
Can you see her lying there?

As I write this, I have started across the north shore of Lake Superior and the second half of my journey, realizing that, more than anything else, I can complete this journey! As you know, I have much time to think about things whilst balanced on my wheels, particularly what halfway might really mean for this journey.  Consider:

I just changed my tires in Sleeping Giant, which means this new pair of tires should last the entire journey. (Commercial endorsement: Schwalbe Marathon Plus are the best tires). I have had zero flats thus far.  I hope that incredible record stands in the second half.

Showing blue is the sign of a fully worn tire!

I have passed through three time zones in Fort Francis – Pacific, Mountain, and Central.  Three more to go: Eastern and the two maritime province zones, Atlantic and the half-hour shift in Newfoundland.

Crossing into the eastern time zone, just east of Shebandowan, Ontario.

That once around Superior, I have likely completed well more than half of the vertical gain I can expect on this trip with the Rockies and Cascades, and even the more rolling northern prairies, accounting for the greatest elevation gain behind me.  And of the watersheds, I have completed two out of three watershed passages: Pacific and Arctic, and have passed into the Atlantic watershed for the remainder of the journey, halfway across Canada.  This is amazing to comprehend that the drop of water I experienced in the many rainstorms flowed to the Pacific and the Arctic seas (by way of Hudson's Bay) and now, halfway across, flows all the way to the Atlantic via the Great Lakes and the St. Lawrence River.

Crossing into the Atlantic Watershed halfway across the continent, 
east of Atikokan, Ontario

It is conceivable that I have seen more than half of all the trucks go by that I will see. That is a welcome prospect.  The reason is simple: I have more local road options heading east this second half than the limited TransCanada highway this first half. I welcome that prospect.

The prospect of having eaten only half of all the ice cream I will consume on this journey is a welcome prospect.  The same goes for chocolate milk and orange juice.  As I have not had poutine yet (doesn’t seem the best kind of ride fare), that prospect still looms in the second half. The best seafood is yet to come.

I have been exposed to two languages thus far – English and First Nation tongues.  I have two to go – English and a lot of French.

Though hard to predict, I have only taken half of the photos I can expect to take, including selfies! And speaking of self, I will likely not lose the same amount of weight this second half as the first.  Weight loss on long bicycle trips follows a parabolic curve – the lesser the continuing loss, the longer the journey. But lean is still a prospect. And to think my hair and beard are only half of what they will be - maybe a barber will arrive in the second half; then again, it is curious to see what shaggy really looks like!

At nine Warm Showers hosts, it is possible I will have that many more this next half.  What a joyous prospect to learn about different cultures through this network.  There are many more hosts in the eastern half of Canada than in the western half.   

It is possible that I have many more occasions to answer the question, “where are you headed?”  The population and number of towns and the potential for interaction are much greater in the eastern half of Canada.

Due to that greater population prospect, it is also possible that I have seen more wildlife this first half of the journey than the second half will present.  While I have seen bears (8), elk, deer, bighorn sheep, beaver, and many lesser creatures, I have not seen any moose.  They span the entirety of Canada. I am still hoping to see this beautiful, elusive creature.

This elk must just be posing for the travelers to Jasper

Indeed, marking halfway really means “I can do this!”

Can you?  Hopefully, I am only halfway to the number of funds I will raise on this trip.  If you haven't already, please consider donating to any one of the causes around education I am riding for.  Please visit my ride website for more details: https://z.umn.edu/PeterbikesCanada