EpiBlogue

This Cairn, located in Owen Sound, marked my final destination in Canada. It was erected by the city a few years back to commemorate the abolition of slavery and to honor the memory of the many slaves who made their way to Owen Sound via the Underground Railroad and went on to contribute to the development of the region. I didn’t know what a cairn was, but soon found out that it has its origins in Celtic tradition and is a manmade rock formation typically designed to serve as a memorial. Indeed that it is the purpose of the Owen Sound Cairn.




The tiles in the foreground represent the squares of the quilts that were used as signals to the freedom seekers.



Concealed in the quilt patterns were hidden signs and coded messages that were passed on to runaway slaves. The quilts were generally hung on lines or fences to serve as guideposts.



I apologize for taking so long to write this final blog entry. Returning to the normal pattern of life has kept me distracted. I miss the solitude of the ride and the contemplative evenings at the campsite.

I did make it safely home from Ontario, although it took me three days to do so. What a contrast – to go from 41 days where I had reasonable control of my destiny to 3 days at the mercy of the airlines. I am still awaiting the return of my bicycle, which I shipped. I hope it gets here this week, as I have become quite attached to it!

This has been an amazing journey, and your encouragement and support of the cause throughout has made it all the more so. I never felt alone out there, knowing that you were following along each day via the blog. And your contributions in support of the WUWF program fund have never been more important. As of today, 78 individual and corporate sponsors have contributed a total of $16,328. THANK YOU!! If you still want to make a contribution and haven’t done so, it is never too late. And remember, I covered all of my expenses on this adventure myself, so 100% of your gift goes directly to support your favorite programs.

I’m going to take a little time to catch my breath before I finalize plans for the next adventure in 2011. Stay tuned …

Large versions of all my blog pics can be found at my photo gallery

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End of the Line

After the longest ride of the trip (102 miles and nearly 8 hours on the saddle), I arrived at Owen Sound tonight around eight o’clock. I wasn’t planning to get here until tomorrow, but as I got closer today the endorphins kicked in and I decided to go for it.


This was in spite of a really wicked head wind and even the threat of rain at one point. I didn’t have any time for exploring once I got here, but will visit several sites in the morning and blog about them tomorrow night. I am very tired but elated tonight – it’s hard to believe the adventure is over. Here are a few stats:

Total miles ridden: 2,216
Total days riding: 41
Average miles per day: 54
Total dog chases (since Fulton, MS): 45
Total flats: 4 (all within the first week)


For about 20 miles of the ride today, I passed through very flat farm land (although at a high elevation). Seeing hundreds of these huge turbines stretching as far as the eye could see in every direction, I realized that the real cash crop in northern Ontario is wind.


They are very impressive and a bit creepy, with a kind of War of the World look about them. At least Canada is putting its wind to work in creating clean energy.


Here’s a picture of my first glimpse of Nottawasaga Bay, just outside of Collingwood. You can see it just over the tree line in the background. The scenery was beautiful and ever-changing as I progressed along the route.



I can’t keep my eyes open so I’m going to wrap this blog up with a huge thank you to those who have contributed to this campaign. If you haven’t, it’s not too late to do so. Check back tomorrow for more information about historic Owen Sound.

Large versions of all my blog pics can be found at my photo gallery

What Do You Think?

As always we want your thoughts, opinions and feedback. Please use the links below to make a comment or suggestion and to see what others are saying about this subject.

You Don't Have to Register
To have your say, just choose the 'name/url' option and enter a screen name (you can leave the url field blank) or choose the 'anonymous' option on the comment screen.

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