Have No Fear

Hi friends,

Sorry about the lack of blog posts since we've been in British Columbia. Don't worry though, I will eventually take the time to write about our trip- probably before the end of the week. Stay tuned!

Can't Believe We're Here

Wednesday, February 17th, 2010.

As you can probably imagine, we've been unbelievably busy over the past week!

Staying an hour away from downtown causes us to plan our days a little more than we would like, but the scenery in Mission makes it all worth the trouble. The energy in Downtown Vancouver is like none other- imagine Canada Day celebrations in Ottawa and times that by 100... everyday of the week! It's hard not to be consumed by what's going on around you, causing you to completely lose track of time; first thing you know you're parking the car at 10am, the next, you're checking the time and it's almost midnight! 

Speaking of parking, whoever hyped up the fact that there would be 'no parking downtown' or 'all the streets would be closed' etc, did a marvelous job keeping the general public from bringing their vehicles into the city centre. We were pleased to find minimal traffic during our attempt to drive into the downtown core and immediately found parking in an underground garage right outside where the Olympic Flame is located at only $20/day. Mind you, I believe that this was part of a successful campaign launched towards keeping greenhouse gas emissions minimized during the games- which was one of John Furlong's priorities of his mandate! 

For those of you who don't know, John Furlong is the CEO of the Vancouver2010 Organizing Committee. He has been under much scrutiny over the past few days regarding matters that I believe are out of his hands- take the weather for instance. I mean after all, It's not John's fault that Vancouver is having record high temperatures for the month of February. I say hats off to Mr. Furlong as he has been dealing well with all the criticisms, much that have come from south of the border I might add. 

John proved yesterday on an interview with CTV's Brian Williams that all the proper procedures and measures are being taken to resolve the issues at hand- after all, besides a few delays, all the events have been completed thus far. 

Now enough with my political analysis of the games and on to some more invigorating firsthand accounts of the excitement. Taylor, Dennis, Leanne, and I may not have been at the Moguls venue when Alexandre Bilodeau won Canada's first gold medal on home soil, but we were definitely at the next best place- Robson Square in Downtown Vancouver, packed with thousands of screaming fans. We arrived early and were able to watch the whole event standing front row! You could feel the energy seeping into your veins as the Canadians took turns tearing down the course. Vincent Marquis, one of the earlier Canadian competitors, sat in first place for a while and was amazing to watch as he egged on the crowd, generating mass cheers from all the supporters- congrats to him on his 4th place finish and also to Pierre-Alexandre Rousseau who finished 5th. 

Anyway, there is much more I'd love to tell you about- and will (including our night in West Vancouver), however I have to get ready to head back into the city. Don't fret, I will continue to post until you truly feel like you were here!

Much love,

Brian Stever

Leanne's Second Blog Post!

There hasn't been much to talk about from my end lately other than a few arguments here and there. Taylor has developed a cold over the past few days which isn't a big deal, besides the fact that he spits flem out the window quite often which likes to spray in the back seat. Dennis and I now know how to prepare for this by ducking down when Taylor rolls down his window. 

Also, a few days ago Dennis and I, in the backseat, thought it would be a great opportunity to test out the emergency blankets as it was quite cold outside. We opened what we all like to call the tinfoil blanket and then proceeded to snuggle up thinking we were doing nothing wrong. Everything was fine until Brian noticed Taylor gripping onto the steering wheel for dear life. Apparently the emergency blanket was making a lot of noise and distracting Taylor as he was driving. Another thing to add to his frustration was that it was the middle of the day, and the sun was reflecting off the shiny blanket into the entire car. Dennis and I were unaware of this as we were having too much fun playing with the tinfoil!

We arrived at Big White late Wednesday night, and the guys and I had a great time on the hill Thursday morning. Dennis, Brian, and I were snowboarding, and Taylor was skiing. Big White is a much bigger hill than the hills we have back home, so we took pictures and enjoyed the great weather. We were getting everything together and ready to go when I noticed something different about the car. I asked Dennis if he knew that the wipers were ripped off and he giggled and said no. I immediately knew he was lying, so I asked him what happened. "They didn't work anyway," he said. "So I kicked them off with my boot." As everyone else is laughing, I'm thinking wow, that was stupid. We've been having really good weather, so I soon got over it and we were on our way. The drive was going well until it started to get darker, and then started to rain. As large trucks were passing by, spitting rocks and dirt on our windshield, Taylor was getting more and more distracted. Dennis and I were in the backseat sweating to death, so we asked Taylor to turn down the heat, and he turned it to low. Dennis informed Taylor that he didn't turn it all the way off and there was still hot air coming out. Taylor then started yelling "OH REALLY DENNIS, THERE'S STILL AIR COMING OUT?" as he was feeling the vents. Brian told Taylor that even though Dennis was being an asshole, to calm down and stop yelling. We pulled over to avoid the wet weather in search of a place to stay, but realized we were far from any lodging. Thankfully after twenty minutes of contemplating, the rain died down. We were back on the road and arrived in Mission, BC within the hour. That concludes the driving portion of our journey, but I'll be sure to create a little more drama for another good laugh.

A Place Called Mission, BC

Friday, February 12th, 2010!!!!

For the sake of keeping you updated on the Olympic games, I am going to summarize our last few days!

Banff was one of the most beautiful towns we visited on our entire journey, in fact it was hard enough getting Dennis to leave. We were worried the fun-loving staff at Quiksilver were going to offer him a job and then we'd be down one member for the last leg of our trip!

After spending an hour or so taking pictures and hanging out with the Quiksilver Banff Team we finally got back on the road and embraced ourselves for our epic encounter with the Rocky Mountains.

It's hard to describe the feeling that consumes you when traveling through the mountains, but I gave it a shot as we drove on... here's what I came up with:

'Everyone in the car was silent and it felt as though everything was in slow motion. The fresh snowfall lightly blanketed the millions of pine trees and a large heard of elk could be seen standing stiffly, silently on a frozen pond. The sheer size of the mountains was incomprehensible without a firsthand account. If there was ever a time in my life I felt so small and insignificant, than this was it.'

It's times like these that I wish I could write as well as my favorite author, John Steinbeck, or others alike. If you haven't had the opportunity to see the Rocky Mountains, then all of us would recommend visiting them at some point in your lives.

After what felt like a short drive in comparison to the seemingly endless highways we had trekked along our journey, we finally arrived in the peaceful and tranquil mountaintop community at Big White Ski Resort. Now I'm sure it's not always so quiet, but showing up on a Tuesday night probably had something to do with that. Anyway, we pulled into the driveway of a very nice condo/apartment and we happy to see our friend Megan. She introduced us to her hilarious and awesome Australian roommates who lived downstairs and we sat around talking until late in the night.

The next morning we woke up early as we had planned to hit the slopes. Megan hooked us up and we got to ride the hill for free- which was absolutely unreal!!!! We spent the better half of the day shredding and we took a lot of pictures- hopefully Dennis will post them soon!

In the late afternoon we packed up the car and continued west to Mission, BC.

Earlier in the day Dennis and I tore the windshield wipers off the car as they were pretty much garbage. Ironically, we were lucky enough to not need them until we tore them off...

After passing through Kelowna we saw a sign that read, 'High Mountain Pass, Sudden Weather Changes- Be Prepared.' It had been nice all day and we thought it impossible for the weather to take a sudden turn as the sign had cautioned us. Almost instantaneously our opinions changed as a mixture of rain and snow clashed against our windshield, needless to say it was a slow drive the rest of the way. After contemplating pulling over and staying put for the night, a slow moving vehicle in front of us managed to guide us to our destination like a guardian angel.

We finally reached Mission, British Columbia, our base camp for the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympic Games.

Everyday has felt like Christmas morning and I am so so soooo thankful to share this experience with some of my best friends!

Onwards To Calgary

Thursday, February 11th, 2010.

The drive from Winnipeg to Calgary was surprisingly beautiful. Saskatchewan offered a magnificent sunset that made the blowing snow look like silk as it flowed over the asphalt. The white fields appeared cloudlike and omitted a heavenly aura on our late evening travels.

After the sun went down Taylor and I watched a movie that our new friend Liz purchased for us while we were in Winnipeg. The movie, titled ‘One Week,’ told the story of a man’s journey from Toronto to Vancouver after being diagnosed with cancer. We were able to relate to much of the story as at points we were able to look out the window and see the exact spots shown on the screen. We agreed that ‘One Week’ was arguably the most inspiring movie we have ever seen and would definitely recommend it!

We arrived in Bragg Creek (just outside of Calgary) late Monday night and were extremely excited to be greeted by our friends Anna and Cam. After telling stories for a few hours Cam headed home and Anna went to bed, as she had to be at work very early in the morning.

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The next day I awoke much before the sun and very parched. I walked upstairs to get a drink and that’s when I met Anna’s dad- a very enthusiastic and jolly Dutchman who immediately made me feel at home with his gigantic smile.  We talked for a few minutes before I headed back downstairs to wake Taylor to get an early start on the day.

Dennis and Leanne soon joined us as we sat around the kitchen table drinking coffee. Before Anna left for work she gave us a bag of homemade cookies (that were amazingly tasty) and, on top of that, her dad gave us money to fill the tank.

We left Anna’s with a childlike enthusiasm towards the day. The sun was rising in front of us, and behind, the snow-capped mountaintops could be seen in the distance.  The anticipation to begin our journey through the massive Rocky Mountains seemed unbearable, but first we had to fill our bellies.

We drove into Calgary and picked up our friend Rachelle before heading to a place called Nellie’s, where we also met our friends Kevin, Graham, and Brendan (FOWLERRRR!!!, inside joke…), whom are all paddlers at the Calgary Canoe Club. We sat and enjoyed a delicious and hearty meal while discussing the trip in its entirety.

After breakfast we dropped Rachelle off and headed to Crossrion Mills Mall where the Quiksilver Calgary Factory Store is located.

We arrived 45 minutes later at one of the biggest malls I’ve ever seen. Not knowing where exactly to find the Quiksilver store, we parked at the nearest entrance and began our search inside. While walking through the food court we over heard some girls talking. ‘Hey aren’t those the guys from MuchMusic!?’ It felt pretty awesome to be recognized, but more importantly it was gratifying to know that more and more people were learning of our support for Canadian Olympic athletes!

After a few minutes of walking we found the store where we met two great guys; Adrian and Ahmed! Once again, thanks to Karen, they knew we were coming. We showed them our blog and our car and took lots of pictures! They hooked us up with some more gear and let us write our blog address on the huge chalkboard behind the sales desk. While outside in the parking lot we met a girl named Blair Marie, you can find out all about our encounter with her on her super cool blog, found here- http://blairmariephotography.blogspot.com/

Check out her February 9^thpost!

We departed Crossiron Mills mall and began our journey towards the mountains. For Taylor and I it was a chance to revisit one of the most spectacular sights the world has come to know. For Dennis and Leanne, the experience was a new one, and it was exciting and wonderful to see the amazement spread across their faces as the giant mountains came into full view. Although Taylor and I had been there before, we could not for one second take for granted what we were witnessing. You might even say one could live in the mountains their entire lifetime and not lose appreciation for the sheer beauty they are so privileged to see every single day.  This was our drive through the Rockies as we passed through Banff and headed to Vancouver, this was our western Canada experience on our cross country adventure!

**More to come on Banff, Big White, and our arrival here in Mission after today’s adventures!!!

New Post On It's Way!!

Hey there sports fans!

The new blog post detailing the last few days will be up later today!! Also, Leanne's second post is on it's way, so be sure to check that out too!!

Much love,

Fancouver2010

A Long, Busy, And Unreal Weekend

Tuesday, February 9th, 2010.

After the gas drama in Wawa, Taylor and I settled in for a long night of driving. Upon leaving we noticed a large road sign advising motorists of 'Night Danger'. For a split second I dismissed the Moose warning as I had never seen a wild one in my entire life. The hazard instantaneously became real when all of a sudden I saw two beady eyes and a large shadowy figure looming on the side of the road! Although I didn't sleep much during the day it was hard to feel tired while being the self-proclaimed moose spotter. Lucky for Leanne, Dennis, and Taylor, I was very good at my job and we managed to keep the hitchhiking moose at bay.

Through the night Taylor and I made numerous coffee stops and as the caffeine invaded our bodies we felt wide awake. We shared deep conversations about life, opinions on worldly matters, and were able to really emotionally open up to each other- as only two people can when experiencing this adventure like we have together. 

Time seemed to fly by as the conversation infected us and before we knew it we were only 100k from Thunder Bay. That's when we passed a sign announcing that the section of the highway we were about to travel was dedicated to Terry Fox. It stirred some emotions within and it caused me to write this:

'An hour outside of Thunder Bay I gained a new appreciation for something that to me has lost it's meaning over the years. Ever since I can remember we celebrated the Terry Fox Run in school. We learned the tragic story of Terry's diagnosis and his passion to make a difference in our world. However, as the years passed it sort of became routine and in turn I found that I became ignorant to size of Terry's accomplishment. That was until this morning- at 6am we entered the Terry Fox Highway of Courage. To drive across Canada and see how far he actually made it was such an emotional and humbling experience for me. He dedicated his life to raise cancer awareness and to make a difference in our world. Who would've thought that driving on a highway could be so enlightening? I'm very grateful to have shared this with my close friends and to have this new perspective on the Terry Fox Run.' 

We then stopped to visit the Terry Fox Memorial Look-off, which provides a great view of Thunder Bay. It was early in the morning and still dark out so we took the liberty in driving the Sable right up to the monument. We then had a brief, but memorable photoshoot before continuing on our way.

A few hours later Dennis was behind the wheel and Taylor and I tried to catch up on some must needed sleep. After only an hour of shuteye I awoke to the car shaking. There was no immediate panic visible in the front seat so I checked the GPS to find out how fast we were going. It made me angry to see Dennis was driving 130km/h as we agreed to take it easy on the car and to drive safe- oh and might I add the speed limit was only 90. I told him to slow down and probably called him a few names before trying to go back to sleep. Literally (and I mean literally), a minute and a half later Dennis said 'F#!k.' 

An Ontario Provincial Police car passing on the other side of the road made an immediate u-turn and began following us. They didn't turn on their sirens right away so we thought maybe they didn't actually clock us or maybe, just maybe, they thought are car was super cool and wanted a better look? After being tailed for a few minutes the wishful thinking became nothing but and the OPP pulled us over. We shared a laugh with the female police officer and she gave us a little bit of a break on the ticket but in the end Dennis still ended up with a $130 fine.

A few hours later we all let out a great sigh of relief as we crossed the border into Manitoba. With the dreaded Northern Ontario trek behind us our spirits were once again rekindled. I phoned ahead to our friend Dave Anderson to let him know we were getting close. Dave told me that we might have to kill some time as he was picking up Switzerland's Olympic women's hockey team. They arrived in Winnipeg to acclimate for Olympic preparation and Dave had the pleasure of chauffeuring them around for a couple hours before we arrived.  

Now to paint you a better picture of our weekend I'll give you a little bit of background on Dennis and I's relationship with Dave. Before our stop over in Winnipeg we simply knew him through our sport- Dave was a senior member of the National team and we knew more of him then he probably did of us. We had the luxury of going to breakfast with him a few times in the past as friends of friends. So as you can imagine it came of a bit of a surprise to hear from him after announcing our initial cross-country itinerary. Dave offered to put us up while we were in Winnipeg and we were much obliged!

Upon our arrival we grabbed some lunch and finally headed to Dave's. We turned onto a narrow street and began looking for his house. Dennis asked me for the house number and I responded with '256.' We found the house and parked in a nearby parking lot. As we approached the house we discovered a different side of Dave we were unaware of. A motorcycle built from scratch acted as a lawn ornament and a pirate flag hung from the upstairs window. We had a chuckle and thought it must've been a joke. Dennis knocked on the door and two kids came running down the hall. A short slender man with long hair approached the door to find the four of us standing there with our luggage.

'Is Dave home?' Dennis asked. 

The kids were yelling simultaneously in the background,

'Daddy, Daddy, let them in!'

Clearly we had the wrong address. I checked my email on my phone and soon realized we were supposed to be at 265, not 256. A short walk down the street later and we arrived at the right house. 

Dave introduced us to his girlfriend Liz and we all quickly got along. We settled in and took the liberty in having warm showers and put on clean clothes before heading over to the Winnipeg Quiksilver location. Avid readers of our blog, Dave and Liz (more so Liz) knew all about our Quiksilver connection from Toronto. Dave was excited to hear about this as he's good friends with Bob Rohmann, a Quiksilver rep near Cocoa Beach, Florida. Bob, who was inducted into the East Coast Surfing hall of fame last month, has always been great to the paddlers who train down south for a few months each year. Dennis and I have actually had the pleasure of meeting Bob and his lovely wife Tess and visiting their house a few times in the past. So in knowing Bob and Tess, Dave was naturally excited to take us over to the store for a little meet and greet session. 

When we arrived at the store we were stoked to find out that Karen from the Toronto location had advised them we'd be stopping by! Although they were busy, they still made time to hook us up with some sick promo gear. We left our car at Dave's so we promised to stop by the next day for a little photoshoot. The manager, Lisa was awesome but unfortunately told us that she wouldn't be around the following day. It was awesome meeting her and we greatly appreciate everything she did for us!

After leaving the mall we made a necessary pit stop at the thrift store in attempt to find a pair of black track pants to replace the ones Taylor lost in Toronto. We had little luck in finding a pair as nice as the ones Taylor lost, however we did score a few good items. I picked up a pair of UV protective sunglasses with lime green frames and sporty lenses- only 59 cents, which Dave spotted me. Taylor found a pair of metallic green track pants and although they're awesome, they'll still never be as good as the old ones. 

We then left the thrift store and headed to the liquor store, where Dave picked up a bottle of Crown Royal. Until then I had no idea where Crown Royal was distilled, nor had I ever really tried it! Dave may well be one of the biggest advocates for the province of Manitoba and seeing as Crown Royal is distilled in Gimli, Manitoba then it only makes sense for it to be Dave's drink of choice. 

After completing our errands we returned to the Anderson residence and settled in for a nice home cooked dinner, courtesy of Liz! Dave poured a few rye and gingers and I think we all discovered our new drink of choice.

Unfortunately Liz had to head off to work, but we were able to enjoy the wonderful meal before a night out on the town. Dave decided he would be the designated driver for the night so that we could go to a handful of places and get the full Winnipeg experience. 

On the way to the first bar we picked up one of Liz's friends, Emily. The 6 of us then drove to the Cambridge hotel to sit and have a beer. Dennis, Taylor, and I were excited to find the Cambridge had the same feel as the Mic Mac Tavern from our home town in Dartmouth. It was nice to feel so at home from more than halfway across the country. Dave told us old paddling stories and facts about Winnipeg and Manitoba. We shared a lot of laughs and had a lot of fun.

Soon after we headed to the outskirts of town to visit the St.Norbert Hotel pub where our friend Megan Hunter was working. Originally we planned on being in Winnipeg on Friday, which was in fact Megan's birthday! Due to our troubles in Ontario we ended up missing out on her birthday celebrations, but we were happy enough to see her Saturday night.

After visiting Megan's bar we ventured over to Luxalune, where Liz worked. Now I won't bore you with all the details, after all, you're probably getting tired of reading about our night out and frankly, I'm getting tired writing about it! 

So after Luxalune we all felt pretty tired, but Dave still had a few places he wanted to show us. I grabbed a large coffee at a nearby 7/11, but Dennis and Leanne couldn't handle their fatigue. We dropped them off before finishing off our night at 'Toad in the Hole.'

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The next morning I awoke to Dave shaking me. It was 6:30am and seemed like an unreasonable time to wake up after a night out. Once I gathered myself, I soon remembered that we had planned to go ice fishing!  What better way to experience Canada then to go fishing in the middle of winter? We scrambled to get our bearings straight and were out the door within the half hour. 

Megan joined us, driving her van along with Liz, Dennis, Leanne, and Taylor. I had the opportunity to drive with Dave in his awesome truck as we travelled north to Selkirk, Manitoba! We drove through the city en route and I had the pleasure of getting the Winnipeg tour first hand from Dave. In fact, even after we were outside the city, he still knew tons about the surrounding areas. We passed through the 'Portage and Main' intersection, which is known as the 'coldest' and 'windiest' street corner in Canada. Dave shared with me facts about the 1919 General Strike that took place there, as well as facts about the buildings and architecture. It was a very educational experience for me, not to mention that I am a huge history fan as well, which made it that much more interesting!

After eventually arriving at the river the rest of the crew hopped out of the van and into the back of the truck. We drove onto the ice and headed through the village of fishing shacks towards a less crowded spot. Once we arrived, Dave realized he forgot his key to the shack!! Luckily his Dad lived nearby in Selkirk so it didn't take long to get a replacement key. 

Before we knew it Dave had his auger roaring and was drilling through the 3ft thick ice. He drilled 6 holes and then taught us how to bait our lines. The best part about the shack was that it came fully equipped with a wood stove, which was almost unbearably hot if you were seated too close. 

At first it seemed we were all getting bites, but couldn't master the technique to snag the fish. Then all of a sudden Dennis got one! He reeled in a small fish no more than 10 inches. I later learned from Dave that the type of fish Dennis caught was called a Sauger.

As we fished Dave took turns teaching Dennis, Taylor, and I how to use the auger! It was such a great experience, one I'm sure we will all remember for the rest of our lives- and one that is truly Canadian. 

After a few hours of fishing and missing out on the 'morning bite' we decided to grab breakfast at one of Dave's favorite spots in Selkirk. The breakfast we ate at Brad's Bistro completely lived up to the hype. We indulged in the usual eggs, toast, and hashbrowns, but also had the chance to try kubasa and- believe it or not- rye bread for myself. Kubasa and rye bread were both very tasty and at the rate of liking new things I tried in Winnipeg it's definitely opened my eyes to trying new things more often.

Upon leaving Brad's Bistro we stopped by the 'Selkirk Catfish' to take a few pictures before heading back to Winnipeg! 

When we arrived back at Dave's we all settled in for a well deserved nap after a long morning of ice fishing. 

In the afternoon we headed back to Quiksilver to hang out with the cute sales associates and to have a little photoshoot. It was a lot of fun and we look forward to visiting the Calgary store tomorrow.. however we have been reassured by the Winnipeg girls that we will not have as much fun there as we did with them!

In the evening we returned to Dave's for the usual Sunday night fish fry. It was nice to relax and talk about the events of the past week while indulging in the fresh fish that Dave caught the week earlier! 

Our stay in Winnipeg was an all round spectacular time; from the great food we ate, to the amazing people we met, this trip has already been worth it's while!

Keeping You Posted

I have a lot to write about from our stop over in Winnipeg so please be patient! In the time being you can check out Leanne's first post found below or catch up on other posts you may have missed. We are currently still in Winnipeg and will be heading to Calgary tomorrow. Due to the light snowfall and for the sake of our dear parent's nerves, we have decided to take our time driving- though we are still planning on arriving in Vancouver before the opening ceremonies!

Oh, and one last thing!!
If you don't have twitter and are also interested in viewing those updates than check out http://fancouver2010.oasishfx.com. Here you can find both the latest blog posts and twitter updates all on one easy to navigate page! Thanks Oasis!

Leanne's First Blog Post!

Sunday, February 7th, 2010.

Until friday night, I didn't have anything to write about as Brian covered all of the events in an unbiased way. It was about 10pm when the tension between us started to build. After driving on a dirt road for about 2 hours going 45 km/hr, we finally hit the highway where Taylor started to drive. Dennis and I were just starting to get comfortable in the backseat ready to fall asleep when the gas light came on. You might not think this is a huge deal, but after checking the GPS several times we realized that the closest gas station was approximately 150km away. We remembered we had a 5L gas can in the trunk, but it was empty due to Dennis thinking it was unnecessary to fill at the previous gas station. Dennis and Taylor seemed to think that we would make it just in time to fill up, but Brian and I thought there was no way. At this time we called CAA on my phone (the only one with service) to warn them that they might have to pick us up if we didn't make it, but of course, the phone cut out in the middle of our conversation. We continued to drive down the two lane highway with our eyes glued to the gas gauge as well as the GPS tracking how many km were left. As soon as we reached only 10 km left we started to feel a little better thinking if we broke down someone could run to the rescue with our gas can. Eventually, our GPS lead us to a Petro Canada where we were relieved to finally fill up. This is where the drama really begins. Because we had to pay at the pump, we needed a debit or credit card and all of our gas money was cash. It was freezing out, and we were all tired and comfortable so Dennis asked Brian to fill up with his visa. Brian didn't have a jacket on and Dennis did, so it only made sense for Dennis to go. After telling Brian he was good for nothing, Dennis got out and slammed the door behind him. About 2 minutes later we all look outside at Dennis struggling to fill up the tank. After putting 9 cents in the car it stopped working, so he tried again and another 9 cents went in. The pump wasn't actually pumping gas so we had to search for another gas station. Dennis got back in the car and we proceeded to drive around. While pulling out, the police pulled us over probably thinking we were trying to steal gas. He directed us to a 24 hour gas station up the road where we finally filled up at 1.11/L. I opened the door while Dennis was filling up to remind him to fill the 5L gas can as well but he still seemed to think it was unnecessary. Taylor, Brian and I all thought Dennis was being ridiculous considering we almost just ran out of gas, so Taylor got out to search for the gas can in the trunk. He soon came back in as it was freezing out and he couldn't find the can. Everyone was a little agitated at this time because we just wanted to get back on the road. Dennis, still thinking it was a stupid idea to spend $5 on extra gas, was in the back seat rolling his eyes as we were trying to figure out what to do. I eventually got out of the car and after searching the trunk, I found and filled the can. After a quick pit stop at Tim Hortons we would be on our way. As we all know Tims only takes cash, so Brian asked Dennis for $5 from the gas money and he would pay him back later. Dennis' exact words were "yeah right, ---- you." Brian obviously got frustrated, and after telling Dennis he was the worst brother in the world, he slammed the door and kicked the back bumper. Thankfully we got back on the road, and the eleven hours of driving Dennis did earlier put him to sleep. When we woke up in a couple hours we were all in great moods, although Dennis still seems to think he's right, and he never did apologize.

Special Olympics Canada

Big announcement! Due to all the generous donations, we have decided that any surplus will go to Special Olympics Canada! Keep the love going and get excited Canada, OUR Olympic Games are fast approaching!!!!!!!

Friday, February 5th, 2010.

We departed Waterloo around 11:30am and headed back east towards Toronto. It seemed like more and more fellow highway travelers were recognizing the Sable! The overall mood in the car was at a high considering the past night's events. We felt refreshed and their was a lot less tension between our crew. We shared in group conversation for the first couple hours, laughing and joking around. These are the memories we will look back on and smile in years to come. 

Half way between Toronto and Barrie we came across a fairly large traffic jam, the highway was at a stand still. At first we were disappointed with the situation, but if there is one thing our Mom told us, it's this: always look for the positives in life. Keeping that in mind I came up with an idea. I quickly asked Dennis and Leanne (the two neatest writers) to write down our blog address on little pieces of paper. I then jumped out of the car and approached all the nearby vehicles handing out the papers. The surrounding travelers definitely had a laugh as I frantically ran from car to car knocking on the windows. Even if all the little pieces of paper end up in the trash than at least it was nice to get out and stretch my legs!

As the day went on, Dennis took over driving and Leanne joined him in the front. Taylor and I laid in the back and bathed in the warm sun shining through the window. The horror stories we were told about Northern Ontario seemed like mere fairy tales. The peace and serenity of the open road consumed us until evening. 

As the sun went down so did our spirits... The following part of this post is what I wrote at approximately 9pm EST.

'An eerie feeling consumes me. My nerves feel like they're tearing at my insides as my stomach turns and trembles. It's 9pm though it feels more like 3am as we haven't seen a light for hours. Yet again the GPS has led us astray. The divided highway diminished to a one lane dirt road. The lack of cellphone service concerns us as we feel uneasy about the reliability of our car. The only thing that takes my mind off this agonizing drive is writing this blog post, which ironically is about how afraid I really am. In reality I shouldn't be scared; If the car breaks down or runs out of gas, we have enough food and water for a couple of days, as well has the proper emergency equipment to survive the cold, though we worry still- will they find us without cellphone reception? How long will it take? The longer we drive, the more we question our fate.

The snow covered road makes it hard to travel any faster than 40km/h and the unreliable GPS says we still have at least 50 to go. This is what they warned us about- this is Northern Ontario...'

Well after traveling near 100km on a dirt road through the middle of night, it has really given us an appreciation for civilization. It's hard to get Canadians pumped up for the Olympic Games, when there's no one around.

**We want to reiterate how thankful we are to the Read family for lending the GPS to us! We would most likely have 4000 speeding tickets right now and we would be completely lost. Also, a big thanks to JF for installing the power outlet in our car. Our GPS would've been long dead and we would've been so so so lost without it. Even though it led us astray a few times, it did put us back on track. 

***More to follow- including Leanne's first post!!

New PayPal Button

Scroll down to view the new post about last nights mishaps. 

As for the new button- we are not asking for people to donate us money. Many of our friends and family members have asked us for our bank account numbers etc, but this just makes it easier for them! Thanks to anyone who donates, we greatly appreciate any donations. Just to reiterate, we are NOT asking for donations, so don't feel obligated to do so.

Thanks again to everybody for following along!

See you in Vancouver!!!

PS Shout-out to Geoff Tobin for sending me the info on creating a PayPal button!! HeyPal-PayPal!!

True North Strong And Free

Friday, February 5th, 2010.

Have you ever had one of those days where everything was going phenomenal, then all of a sudden it's all turned upside down? Well yesterday was one of those days.

After being on MuchMusic and getting sick hookups from Quiksilver, we were on top of the world. We left Toronto around 3pm and headed south... After approximately 30 minutes of driving we soon realized that we weren't headed towards Thunder Bay. I re-calibrated the GPS and we continued along the way.

5 hours later we arrived at the American border. Wait a minute... we pondered. Isn't this a cross Canada road trip? After a few minutes of deliberating we decided to stay true to our cause and true to our country. After all, you can't make a cross Canada road trip without battling through Northern Ontario. We decided to take the hit and back track towards Toronto.

About an hour outside Toronto we started to experience some car troubles. A piercing sound coming from the left front end caused us to pull over and search for a place to rest as there was no sense in pushing the Sable too hard. We didn't settle in until early into the morning, though it was nice to sleep in a bed and take a hot shower.

Dennis and Leanne awoke early this morning and took the car to a local garage, The Mufflerman. Taylor and I picked at the continental breakfast as we anxiously awaited the verdict.

To our surprise, they arrived back at the hotel in under an hour- with the car. The sound coming from the front left end was caused by a rusted plate or something... (obviously I don't know what I'm talking about so bare with me). The plate was removed and was only a minor repair. The front right tire bearings are gunk'd up I guess?? They topped of all our fluids but the biggest issue is the back left shock, which is split in half. Apparently it is a little bit of a safety issue, though hopefully we should be able to make it the rest of the way! All in all, Dennis and Leanne said Bob and the guys at The Mufflerman were great to deal with and if you're ever in Cambridge, Ontario and you need your car fixed- stop by 372 Hespeler Road!

We are currently packing up the car and will continue west to Winnipeg- unfortunately a full 24 hours behind schedule. Good thing we gave ourselves two extra days...

Our Good Day Goes Bad...

Stay tuned for the next blog post where I will tell all about our troubles this afternoon and evening... but first I need to get some sleep. 

It's currently 3am and we've been forced to stop at a Super8 Hotel in Kitchener. 

Find out why tomorrow a.m.

...on a lighter note, I was able to upload pictures and add them to the earlier blog posts and I also published the blog post that brings you right up to earlier this afternoon.

What a Day

Thursday, February 4th, 2010.

Before I dive into the tales from Toronto, I will quickly tie up some loose ends from our stop in Ottawa. 

It was nice to enjoy a few home-cooked meals during our stay in Canada's capital city! On that note, we'd like to send out a big thank you to the Barton's and to the Marcus' who also provide us with a place to stay! 

We planned on leaving Ottawa yesterday around noon, though we really only made it out of the city by 4pm. The drive felt long, even though it was the shortest leg of our journey. We stopped briefly in Smith Falls so Taylor could reunite with some of his Junior A hockey bros, before quickly getting back on the road to Toronto.

The Fancouver2010 crew rolled into Toronto at 10pm local time, greeted by Chris Mehak and a couple cold ones. Before heading downtown I decided to give Much Music a call to let them know we were in the area. I left a message and we carried on with the evening festivities.**

****    ****     ****

We decided the night before that we would only leave Toronto around noon, as we are now driving a straight 24 hours to Winnipeg. So, when we awoke early this morning, we decided to check out the Royal Ontario Museum. If you are in Toronto or are ever visiting, we highly recommend going as it was well worth the $20!

After leaving the Museum, we went back to Mehak's house to grab the few things we had brought inside. He offered to fill our tank and we were ready to embark on our longest drive of the trip. While at the gas station I received a call from Peggy at Much Music! We were all ecstatic to make it on the 12 o'clock spot during Much's Videoflow and to meet and hangout with Devon Soltendieck!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pn2TGfGnY4c

After having an awesome experience at Much Music, we went out to the car to continue our trip. That's when we met James, a well dressed entrepreneurial gentleman who stopped to ask us about our car. He noticed the Quiksilver hat I was wearing and suggested we stop by the Quiksilver store next door. Taylor and I walked in with him and he pitched an idea to them about giving us some merchandise. After getting the ball rolling for us James headed back to work. Quiksilver hooked us up with some rad tees, beanies, and stickers- we were super stoked so we fist pumped! The store manager, Karen, was really awesome and offered to help connect us with other members of the Quiksilver team along the way! Thanks Karen and James!

Now we are finally back on the road and headed to Winnipeg. Looking forward to seeing our friend, Dave Anderson and celebrating Megan Hunter's birthday with her tomorrow night!

**When we went downtown Taylor wore a tracksuit he purchased at ValueVillage. The bouncer wouldn't let him in with the pants on, as they didn't fit the dress code. I quickly put on my thinking cap and approached the homeless man standing near the door. After tossing him a $20 bill I traded my pants with Taylor and put on the generous homeless man's pants. We were planning on giving him back his pants once the bar closed, but unfortunately he ran off immediately after the exchange. If you ever see a short bearded man wearing black track pants in the Toronto area, then be sure to say 'Hi' and give him some change! 

The Journey Has Begun

Wednesday, February 3, 2010.

Our adventure began late Sunday night when we rolled out of Dartmouth at 11:45pm. I offered to take the first turn driving and decided to take a dose of caffeine to keep myself awake. After a few more minutes behind the wheel, I still felt fatigued from the weekend's activities. I found myself cuddling into the backseat no more than 20 minutes after our departure, trying to settle in for some shut eye. However, the caffeine I put into my body had other plans. I ended up staying awake with Dennis and Taylor, while Leanne managed to get some sleep.

A couple hours later we pulled into our Grandparents house in Moncton, New Brunswick. Now, 2am may seem like an unconventional time of day to pay a visit to your relatives, but Memere and Pepere Stever are always prepared for the unexpected. After a quick bite to eat we hit the road again, this time with Taylor in the driver's seat.

Taylor and I managed to stay awake until 6am, though we realized we were getting further and further behind schedule as we were only driving 90-100kmph through the night. The headlights on the Sable weren't as powerful as your typical highway traveling vehicle and for this reason the ground seemed to be flying past. Even with the high-beams on, visbility was still subpar**.

The trip continued on as most of the driving was shared between Dennis, Taylor, and I.

We arrived at the Meunier residence in Cap-Rouge, QC., 10:30am, Monday morning, to pay a visit to our good friend Antoine and his family. We were greeted by his hilarious and awesome father, Jean-Francios (JF), and his girlfriend, Chloe. Antoine was at the gym, but was expected to be home within the hour so we sat and enjoyed the company. During the conversation, JF realized we didn't have a power source in our car. We pulled the Sable into his garage and set him free on it. After removing the radio and cutting some wires, we then had a make-shift power supply! This was necessary for our trip because the GPS can only hold a charge for so long and we needed to have it on all the time for speedometer sake.

Soon after, Antoine arrived home and we conversed for a while before hitting the road again.

The Sable preformed well during the day and we managed to average a speed around 110-120kmph through Quebec. The heat has trouble circulating inside the vehicle and according to Dennis, 'the wind whistles through the vehicle like a piece of swiss cheese!' Besides having to bundle up the ride has been fairly smooth thus far- knock on wood!!

Before arriving in Ottawa, we paid a quick visit to our friend Michael in Montreal. The stop was short but sweet as I put another dent into my Subway gift card to fill my belly. We left Montreal during 5pm rush hour traffic, which we should've known better than to do. After spending some time in the jam, we eventually made our way back onto the open road.

We finally arrived in Ottawa at 7:30pm local time... Now, if you've made the drive from Halifax-Ottawa before, you'd know that there is no way it should take 20 hours to complete. All we can say is, 'slow and steady wins the race' or in our case 'slow and steady makes it to our final destination in one piece!'


**We later learned, while paying a visit to the Barton residence, that our visibility issue was due to the amount of road salt build up on our headlights! Wow, we aren't very intelligent.