Canada Trip – One Wheel Man

Reflections on the Ride to Canada

Wasn’t this trip awesome!? Wow. I actually did it! It’s absolutely amazing. I’ve pulled some things together for this post I thought you’d find interesting. Take a look!

Statistics

728 miles

76 hours of riding

13 days of riding within 15 calendar days

Compare plan to actual

I made it in the number of days I had planned. However, I was planning more like 750 miles. I was only 22 miles short. This is for several reasons. One, I had to skip some really bad parts that were unrideable and two, because I ended up on the interstate in Montana, I was on a shorter route. I’d say it was a job well done!

I had planned to do 50-60 miles a day and then a long run the last day to see how far I could go. We had reservations at motels and such due to those plans. It made it a little difficult to do more. We cancelled a couple of them because we were too far past that point. There were several days I felt I could go further than I did.

Thoughts/Notes

An athletic diet is a tough one, making sure you get enough carbohydrates and protein when appropriate. I have some intolerances to some of the common ingredients in energy bars and other foods. It was hard to find the right snacks without those ingredients. And when we did find them, they weren’t cheap. That’s one thing I need to research better so I can feel on top of my game the whole time.

I wanted to keep riding some days, but we were already past where we were staying for the night, so I couldn’t go much further. An RV would make the trip a whole lot easier. I can ride as much as I can and want each day and we won’t have to drive too far to get to a place to sleep. Rest stops, Walmarts, campgrounds, etc. will be available for us to park for the night. All in all, we need an RV for the coast to coast trip.

After riding on the suggested roads from Google and finding several of them to be dirt and/or gravel roads, I’ve learned I need to study the road types and state laws on what roads I can ride on. On my ride to Canada, it was simply that I couldn’t ride on the interstates in Utah and Idaho and the roads that weren’t dozens of miles out of the way were the nasty ones. So grateful for Montana being a less populated state that cyclists can ride on any road or interstate. That made my life so much easier.

There were times on the trip that I felt like I wasn’t the only one on the wheel. It felt as though other people were on it with me. I felt a bunch of responsibility and I hoped I could measure up and do it. It was a team effort. I was not alone. Thank you to everyone on my team!

Thanks

There are so many people that helped put this trip together and help me pull it off. Without them, I’d probably be stranded on the side of the road, whether in city/town or in the middle of nowhere. I’d like to give a big thanks to all of these.

Family and friends for moral support and housing.
Organizations: the Deaf Dream, Deaf Vibe, Airbnb, The Cascade Courier
All prayers on my behalf.
Those who followed/shared the trip on here, Facebook, etc.
Individuals I met along the way, stopped to take pictures, talk with me, insisted I accept their donations (going towards next trip), helped me fix things up and keep going when necessary.
And of course my wife, who was with me the whole trip though 6 months pregnant. She never let me down. She’s the best cheerleader, coach, driver, supporter, and of course the best wife! Always encouraged me and supported my dream and goal.

Dreams

I have a dream that all people can achieve their dreams. Sometimes it just takes a little motivation and encouragement. Other times it takes another person by your side. But really, once you set your mind to it, you can do it!

My dream is to help deaf people throughout the world achieve their goals and dreams. I can do this by raising money for them to get a higher education. I can’t do it alone, but I am determined to make it happen with the help of many others.

Plans

I’m hoping we can get everything in order to do the coast to coast trip next summer!!! I’m hoping to start mid-May and ride the RAAM trail in about 2 months. I need to find a sponsor to pay for it and many people to donate.

And guess what!? You finally can! Go to The Deaf Dream’s home page. If you scroll down, it mentions my trip and there’s a button for you to donate. 100% of funds will go towards scholarships for deaf students around the world. You are making a difference!

Day 13

Today is the day! I’m going to reach my goal! Thank you to everyone that has supported me by following the trip, the kind comments, notes, and everything!

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I got up nice and early after a day and a half of rest. Started my ride at 6 in the morning in Vaughn, Montana when it was still 45°F outside. Cold! But not windy. 🙂 I’m ready for this.

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I started off pretty good, reaching 48 miles before lunch at 10:30am and a second lunch at 2, after 78 miles. There were a couple hills that were pretty huge though. It was rough but gorgeous!

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(after 100 miles completed)

When I had done 90 miles, I looked at my watch and saw that it was 4:30pm. I decided to get to the border by 6pm! I booked it after that, not stopping once so I could meet my goal. And I did! My wife passed me about 3 miles before the border and I knew I could do it! I rode through the Canada border at 5:59pm. I did it! Wow. I couldn’t believe it! After a few pictures to document, I stretched out on my yoga mat outside the car and just felt like I was going to be stuck there for a little while. I wasn’t, but I couldn’t believe I did it! I did it!! I originally planned to do 100 miles today, but surpassed it by doing 107. It was a challenge, but well worth it! It was awesome!!!

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Stay tuned for my reflection on the trip and future plans.

Day 13 Stats:

Started at 6:00am in Vaughn, MT

Ended at 6:00pm in Sweet Grass, MT, USA/Coutts, AB, Canada

9.25 hours of riding

107 miles (Personal Record!)

Random Fact:

There are over 100 world records on a unicycle. Can you believe that! This wasn’t for one, but I hope to set a new one for the coast to coast trip!

Day 12

Plan: There are 120 miles left to go, but I want to do 80 on Monday, so today, I’m only doing about 40 miles.

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Outcome: The wind was 25-30 mph for most of the day. Cold too, about 50°F when I started. It knocked me off Uni so many times, I couldn’t stay on. I even tried to crouch down so I wasn’t as much to hit by the wind. It helped, but not enough. Every part of my body ached. I had to call it a day after 2 hours of fighting through it hard core. But on the bright side, I will be well rested to do 100 miles on Monday! Canada, here I come!

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Day 12 Stats:

Started at 7:55am in Great Falls, MT

Ended at 9:55am in Vaughn, MT

2 hours of riding

14 miles

Random Fact:

Not so much about unicycles, but I was born deaf and grew up oral (talking, not signing). I learned American Sign Language when I was 14, going to junior high school. I never knew how much I would continue to use it throughout my life. I love it!

Day 11

Finally, I got an earlier start. Not the earliest, but earlier than the past couple days, it seems. Good thing too, because of the scattered thunderstorms coming my way in a few hours…however, it was already raining when I started at 7:30 in Wolf Creek this morning. It kept raining for the first couple hours. Luckily it wasn’t pouring, so I didn’t get drenched like day 1. Yikes, that was.

Day 11 rain

When I made it up another part of the mountain, I was so proud of myself again. I felt really good. It was beautiful scenery too. All the sudden, the sun came out for about 10 seconds. I felt like it was God smiling at me and giving me a thumbs up. I can do this! What a tender mercy.

Day 11 scenery

(This isn’t that spot, but just some of the scenery.)

I rode through a small town called Cascade to find a restroom. On my path, this lady stopped and started taking pictures of me like crazy. I said hi and she told me she’s from the local newspaper. I stopped to tell her more about my trip and gave her my business card and everything. Cool! I didn’t even contact them, and I’m getting publicity. 🙂

Day 11 city

Great Falls came up pretty fast. I got there before 1:30pm. I’ve never finished my ride for the day that early. Nice! Especially since 10 minutes later it started raining again. Great Falls welcomed me with crazy city drivers. So busy! One cool person rolled down the window and whoever was in the passenger seat crawled out as they could and cheered me on. Can’t help but smile at that! Now I can rest for the day. Ate tons of food at Golden Corral (buffet) and three hours later I was hungry again. Haha! Only two more days of riding to get to Canada!

Day 11 Stats:

Started at 7:30am in Wolf Creek, MT

Ended at 1:20pm in Great Falls, MT

5.25 hours of riding

53.5 miles

Random Fact:

Just like you’ve always thought, you do have to stay focused on pedaling to stay balanced. And believe it or not, keeping going helps.

Day 10

Today’s going to be a good day. Why? Because 10 is my favorite number!

I left Jefferson City at 8:30am. Because Helena is Montana’s capital (and also because they were doing construction on a bridge and there was no way I was going to cross that) I decided to go a highway route again. Only to find that they were working on that too; it was a dirt road. A kind worker told me the way wasn’t paved the rest of the way. (Note to self: I’ve really got to study the map better and plan my routes on paved roads.) Luckily that cross-section met up with Interstate 15 just down the road, and it was passed the construction, so I hopped back on it.

After Helena is uphill. Really, it was a mountain. It got hot real fast. The red rock scenery (picture on left) with a nearby creek made up for it. I rode the whole way up! (picture on right with mountain behind) Afterwards, I thought to myself, “I made it up a really big mountain. I am really proud of myself. I didn’t think I was going to make it. One pedal at a time. I think that’s how life is sometimes.” I think I’m much more prepared for the coast to coast trip. However, on that note, again, I must have a brake for that trip. Period.

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I made it to Wolf Creek, Montana before 3:30pm. Good timing. I’ve noticed that I haven’t had to ride in the evening yet due to not meeting at least 50 miles a day. Tomorrow is supposed to have scattered thunderstorms, so we’ll see what happens with that tomorrow. Hopefully, it’s not a day 1 repeat!

Day 10 EU red rock Day 10 river

Day 10 Stats:

Started at 8:30am in Jefferson City, MT

Ended at 3:20pm in Wolf Creek, MT

5 hours of riding

52.5 miles

Random Fact:

Unicycling all started when James Stanley invented a bicycle in 1866, called the Penny Farthing. It’s that big wheel with a tiny wheel behind, pretty much a unicycle in training!

Day 9

After our drive back to Silver Star, Montana from Butte, I started riding at 7:45am in 54°F weather. I was on roll! I just kept going and going and going! I didn’t even stop for lunch until after 1pm when I’d been riding for over 50 miles in five and a half hours. Whew! I have to admit, though, I didn’t eat the best last night and felt a bit sick during some of it. Luckily I had some Pepto Bismol to help me make it through. Lesson learned: stick to the diet.

Day 9 cold

After a quick restroom break in Whitehall, Montana, I found some other cyclists! There were lots of them riding today with KRG vans stationed along the way. I don’t know what race they’re doing, but best of luck to them too! They weren’t going too fast, so I was able to keep up with them somewhat. 😉

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Day 9 cyclists

Before lunch, there was a detour I had to take and there were way too many mosquitos! I put on bug spray and everything, but they seemed to want it like sugar! I can’t even tell you how many times I got bit. Too many, that’s for sure!

I wanted to keep going after lunch, so I did another stretch. This time, I took Interstate-15. My first time on the freeway, and I didn’t die! Yay! I am lucky that Montana’s roads aren’t too busy. However, shortly after I began I found myself heading into a mountain. You know what that means, huge climb! It went up about 1000 feet within 3 miles and back down the whole amount over 5 miles. Like I’ve mentioned before, going downhill on a unicycle, especially without a brake, is very difficult. I was going so fast! Literally, 14.5 miles per hour and I just hoped and prayed I wouldn’t fall off! I felt like I was on a roller coaster! That was some crazy time.

Day 9 I-15

Day hilly

The picture on the bottom is what I consider a fun and easy hilly area. I wish that’s what I meant by all these hilly times…it’s a lot harder than this.

I made it successfully to Jefferson City, Montana at 3:35pm. I completed 66 miles again! Awesome! I’ve done 500 miles!! Woohoo!! Roughly 220 miles left to get to the Canada border. Wow. I can’t believe I’ve made it this far already! I can do this!

Day 9 Stats:

Started at 7:45am in Silver Star, MT

Ended at 3:35pm in Jefferson City, MT

5.75 hours of riding (Personal Record time!)

66 miles

Random Fact:

There are different sizes of unicycles. The tires can be anywhere between 12 to 36 inches. You can also find some that are around 5-7 feet tall (seat) or even double or triple wheeled (upwards). Lots of variety.

Day 8

I usually have to stop for about an hour to eat lunch and we stopped about 30 miles from where we were staying, so I decided to have my wife stay at the motel while I rode back to that spot and she could pick me up there and I could eat on the way back and save time. I started at 7:10am in Dillon, Montana. However, as soon as I got to the dirt road again, it was jamming up my knees. You can’t really have that as a long distance cyclist. So after 14 miles, I turned around and went back, meeting my wife at the motel instead. I still got my miles in, but less driving.

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While I was gone, my wife contacted the person about current cycling laws on highways and interstates. They simply told her that all roads are open to cyclists! Yay! This means I don’t have to ride on dirt roads anymore! Miracle!

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(left: Lewis and Clark named this Beaverhead; right: does this picture make my butt look big?)

After lunch, I kept going, on a paved highway. I was going so fast! I averaged about 11.8 miles per hour when usually I get between 9 and 10. I also did 66 miles! That’s a personal record! Wow. I got to Silver Star, Montana at 3:20pm. It’s a tiny town, but a good stopping point for the day.

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(left: this is actually on a highway….; right: welcome to Silver Star, MT)

We seem to be getting a little ahead of schedule, so we decided not to stay in the motel in Dillon and we were lucky to find a lady on Airbnb in Butte that could take us for the night. Today has certainly been another day full of miracles.

Day 8 couple bridge

Day 8 big tire 4

(top: wife and I in the sunglasses we bought for our wedding; bottom: I wish my tire were that big!)

Day 8 Stats:

Started at 7:10am in Dillon, MT

Rode toward yesterday’s ending point and back through Dillon and on.

Ended at 3:20pm in Silver Star, MT

7.5 hours of riding

66 miles (Personal Record!)

Random Fact:

Unicycle seats are not comfortable, but they’re not too bad either. It helps having padded cycling shorts. 🙂

Day 7

After a day of rest, it’s time to go again! Big thanks to the Nielsens for letting us stay as if it were our own home over the weekend! We had to drive about an hour to get to our starting destination. I started just north of where we stopped Saturday because that road was not very safe due to soft dirt roads and gravel (as if you were off-roading which a 36-inch unicycle is not made for). Today’s ride began in Spencer, Idaho, about 8:10am.

My wife drove ahead to see if there was going to be more of those kinds of roads…there were, but they didn’t appear as dangerous to her. She found a part where it said the road was closed ahead because a bridge was out. Luckily she went and found that it was recently driveable again and I had the okay to ride across. Whew!

After getting into Montana (sorry, no state border picture from the route I took this time), we couldn’t find the road to take for a while due to being out of cell service. We weren’t sure which way to go. After seeing several trucks and cars only go down one road, we followed. It was so bad! So hilly, dirt-y, rocky, etc. Boy, was it tiring and my knees hurt from all the impact.

One cool thing was seeing an owl flying around in bright daylight. Beautiful bird.

Towards the end of my ride, my knees were giving out and the dirt and rocks were not level that I came a little too forward, having my pedals whack me in the back of my legs as I “walked off” Uni, twice. Ouch!

Just as I reached 52 miles, I had for sure had enough of that road for the day (wishing for forever). 4pm and in the middle of nowhere, we had to drive about 35 miles on the same terrible road to get to Dillon, Montana.

We found a motel, instead of camping, since my body was more tired and worn than expected. When we went out to dinner at a restaurant called the 4B’s, they had a map of Montana posted. There are a lot of dirt roads on our path! Oh no! We were studying it when this kind couple came out and gave us their own copy of the map! It was so helpful! We even read on the 2009 map that cyclists could ride on interstates in non-urban areas. We’ll call tomorrow to confirm, but man, am I hoping that hasn’t changed! I could really use a smooth ride on paved roads. Lots of Montana to go!

Due to the tedious roads, pictures weren’t really taken today. Here’re a few pictures from along our path.

Day 7 scenery (L)

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Day 7 scenery (R)

Day 7 Stats:

Started at 8:10am in Spencer, ID

Ended at 4pm in the middle of nowhere, east of Lima, 34 miles Southeast of Dillon, MT

6.5 hours of riding time

52 miles

Random Fact:

The One Wheel Man decided to do a long distance trip shortly after he bought his 36-inch unicycle (2 years ago) when he did his first long (49 miles).

Day 6

The beautiful day began with moving tables for the garage/yard sale our friends were having. Then back to Idaho Falls, Idaho where I began my ride at 8:00am. It was going great! And then about 30 miles out the highway turned into a dirt road and my wheel kept flipping under me. Don’t worry, Uni and I are just fine and kept going.

Day 6 blown over

We ate at a taco truck in Hamer, Idaho. So good! Homemade tortillas and everything! I love Mexican food.

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There was even a wild(?) white turkey across the street! It seemed as though he wanted to keep looking at himself in the glass doors. Haha! In the picture it’s running away from me on the left…the tree is blocking its head. Sorry.

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Later, the wind picked up hardcore and I was on a loose gravel road. It was no fun. There were tons of cows, though. And anytime I tried to get close to them, they’d run away! I ended the day in Dubois, Idaho after about 58 miles at 3:30pm. Whew! Not too far from Montana now!

Day 6 cows

Day 6 cow run

Day 6 Stats:

Started at 8:00am in Idaho Falls, ID

Ended at 3:30pm in Dubois, ID

6 hours of riding

58 miles

Random Fact:

The One Wheel Man bought his 36-inch unicycle on KSL from a man for just $70 back in 2014. It needed a lot of fixing up (i.e. pedal fell off while riding it). But it was the best $70 spent!

Day 5

Are you ready for this? I left Pocatello, Idaho at 7:30am, still on my original frame, hoping it’ll last. However, just before 11, it started grinding again and I just felt sick in Blackfoot, Idaho. I thought my trip was over.

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Little did I know, my wife had called unicycle.com to talk with them about the situation and possibilities we had. The customer service person forwarded her to Amy, a CEO. She assured my wife that the frame is made of chrome and I can just bend it. But better yet, I didn’t even need a new frame to fix my problem because it wasn’t the frame that’s the problem, it’s the wheel bearings that the frame sits on. They are the ones that keep slipping out of place. (Picture below of frame grinding with crank shaft followed by me working on it.) She kindly emailed us directions of how to fix it. Miracle!

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When my wife got to me, we grabbed lunch and went to a couple stores to buy the things we needed. We found a local sports shop called Bill’s Sport West…but apparently, they only do skis these days. Luckily the man was so kind to find a couple things in the shop that could help us along. We worked on Uni right outside. It was hot but worth it. Simply put, we safely glued the wheel bearings to the hub. (Picture of how it’s supposed to work and then another of me hoping it works.) I hope it does the fix and permanently!

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I was back on the road by 1:50pm. Only 25 miles to go. I made it to Idaho Falls, Idaho! I met my wife at the Idaho Falls LDS temple at 4:30pm. In order to do that, I had to go through downtown…not the smartest. They have no shoulder at all and they’re fairly busy streets. But hey, I got to see the temple. Today was a day with lots of hardships, but it was a miracle that I still made it 52 miles.hanks Kristie, Halls, Amy at unicycle.com and the worker at Bill’s Sport West! Without you, we couldn’t have made it through this day!

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A bit thanks goes to Kristie, the Halls, Amy at unicycle.com and the worker at Bill’s Sport West! Without you, we couldn’t have made it through this day!

Day 5 Stats:

Started at 7:30am in Pocatello, ID

3-hour lunch and maintenance break in Blackfoot, ID

Ended at 4:30pm in Idaho Falls, ID

5.25 hours of riding

52 miles

Random Fact:

The One Wheel Man added a horse’s head to his unicycle in high school while he was the mascot, a lancer.