Biking Coast to Coast!
Stephanie Kelley
Last Friday I stopped in at Nissen’s Market to pick up a few items and found that a couple of long distance bikers had stopped into Nissen’s for a snack and break from the road.
One of the bikers told me they were biking across the country, from Vancouver to Newfoundland, and as I drove away I regretted that I hadn’t brought my camera to take a photo of the guys on their bicycles.
Hey, I was just driving to Nissen’s and back but once again this was one of those lessons: Photos Ops pop up when you least expect them.
I actually try to have my camera with me at all times, you never know when you’ll see a UFO or a sasquatch…
But, as it transpired, I would get to meet the bike team anyway as they stayed overnight in the village.
They rented a spot at Baird’s Campground for the night, and after they’d freshened up they came into town for dinner at the Waterfront Bistro.
Knowing that I’d want to meet the guys Chef Charles gave me a call and I promptly grabbed my camera (ha ha!) and headed down the hill to join the party for a drink and to get the story.
Sid Dickinson and Hugh Fallon are riding coast to coast in order to raise funds for the Collingwood and Meaford hospitals in Ontario.
Sid’s son Jonathan Houghton is accompanying the team by vehicle as he pulls a camper trailer and all the necessary gear for the journey.
This ride, Sid says, is the ride of a lifetime…. By the time this trip is over he will have biked over 7,500 kilometres. They try to average 120-140 km per day, then find a place to set up the trailer each night.
As we enjoyed the evening, people began gathering along the Boardwalk to watch the Boat Parade. We headed over to watch it ourselves, and the guys from Ontario were charmed by our small town festivities!
However, I didn’t take any photos that night…. I met them again after they’d had breakfast the next morning so they’d be dressed in their official biker regalia!
As they enjoyed their second meal at The Bistro, which they raved about, fellow diner Tim Nicholas came over to present Sid with a donation from his family to help their cause.
The C2C team travelled to Nackawic that morning, where they spent that night, then they headed for P.E.I. for a couple of days.
You can follow their journey and get all the gory details with pictures by going to: Georgian Bay Club or Hugh C2C
