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34 FOCUS - MAY 2015 shared his love of physical activity. Cross-country skiing and cycling with their distinct seasons became our twin passions which kept us active all year round. So a suggestion that the pair attempt a cross-country self-supported bike tour was far from fanciful. And soon it was reality. We decided to start in Prince Rupert because it was logical given where Liz was working Bob remembers. On a map it might not look like the obvious place to begin but Im glad we did. The Yellowhead Highway which heads southeast from there had wide paved shoulders which certainly wasnt the case throughout the journey and light traffic. Lizs vacation allotment limited the couple to three weeks a year of continuous cycling so they broke the country into five manageable segments. Bob recalls that the initial leg from Prince Rupert to Calgary offered magnificent scenery. There were snow-capped mountains on both sides of the road as we set off in June. It was spectacular. The rewards were great but so were the challenges. We cycled about a hundred kilometres a day on a 36-pound bicycle carrying a 40-pound pack through mountainous terrain. Youre tired your quads are burn- ing and at the end of the day you have to find a place to lay your head. Travelling with another person provided companion- ship and security but required continual cooperation to be ultimately successful. One persons exhausted while the other wants to go further. One suggests a side-trip the other wants to carry on the same course. You have to consider your partner in every decision. Compromise compromise compromise Almost as if hes expecting the obvious question why would anyone want to make a trip of that magnitude facing all those difficult conditions Bob offers some insight. Its great for mental health he explains. The whole world vanishes and your greatest concern in the world is whether itll be windy when you wake up tomorrow. You also see the country from a unique perspective up close and personal. It gave us a sense for Canadas incredible beauty and its vast size. As they wended their way from west to east the second year Calgary to Winnipeg then Winnipeg to Tobermory the third Tobermory to Riviere de Loup and finally to Sydney Nova Scotia Bob counts many lessons learned. People were gener- ous and kind especial- ly when they found out what we were doing. I noticed there was much less farm land than I thought there would be. You could see the relationship between agriculture and the prosperity of an area places where the farmland was in use usually had a bustling economy. And I gained a real appreciation for the value of food energy. We burned between three and five thousand calo- Liz is seen here after pitching a tent along a river bank at one of their many overnight stops in the Canadian Odyssey. Continued from page 33 There were snow-capped mountains on both sides of the road when we set off in June ... Bob Almack We burned between three and five thousand calories a day after spending 6-8 hours pedalling ... Bob Almack Please turn to page 40