Ontario

This Ottawa family is all-in on the car-free, cycling lifestyle

When Richard Briggs was in his early 20s, he offered to buy his father’s Ford Fairmont which his father had decided to get rid of. But his father refused to sell it to his son, Briggs recalls, “Because you don’t need a car.” A decade later, when his father offered to sell Richard his used …

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Katherine Muir Miller Gallery

Traumatic accident led former nurse to new passion and artistic success

Walking through the burnished wooden doors of Katherine Muir Miller’s gallery on the main Street of Perth, Ont., is like walking into a delightful cross-section of Canada’s natural beauty, painted impressionist in style in lush and vivid colours. Muir Miller’s large landscape oil paintings draw you into iconic places, like British Columbia’s majestic Mount Robson, …

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Scaring away a middle-of-the-night invader

The ConnecTour team had the opportunity of being hosted by a Warmshowers couple in the heart of Ottawa’s Centre-Ville district, beside the Ottawa River. But the overnight campout in the backyard was filled with drama. In the middle of the night, Lynn Marshall was awaken by someone sneaking into the back yard. Fearing the person …

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Amish follow a humble path to a simpler way of life

Canada’s secondary roads are not only more peaceful and scenic to ride, but they also often lead to the serendipity that adds to the richness of our experience. We were on one such road, Maple Ridge Road, in northern Ontario, about an hour’s bicycle ride east of Thessalon (near the head of Lake Huron) when …

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Learning to roll with one of this tour’s unexpected twists

We’d been planning the ConnecTour cross-Canada cycle-touring ride for 16 months. Had it ever crossed my mind that one of us would be injured and off the ride for more than seven weeks? I know I certainly didn’t. Ever the optimist, I was excited to start on the four-month ride to discover our beautiful country …

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Wawa’s loyal support keeps country store going strong

Anita Young feels a lot of loyalty to the people of Wawa. And for good reason, because the people of Wawa have been there for her and her late husband, Bill, when they most needed a hand. Bill Young founded what has become Wawa’s most famous landmark, Young’s General Store, way back in 1971 and …

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You can fix the road, but who can fix reckless drivers?

There are dozens of highway memorials along the roads we have taken across Canada, fading memories to those who have died in crashes along the way. In some cases, the locations of these mishaps seem so benign, the tragedies are inexplicable. One often wonders, how could someone lose control at this place? Bicyclists are given …

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A private fantasy world, rich in local and family history

Sheri Turner is ebullient and energetic as she welcomes strangers to the fascinating world she’s built for herself near the tiny community of Shebandowan, about a day’s bicycle ride – or an hour’s drive – west of Thunder Bay. Her immaculate property, called The Settlement, is a house and panoply of outbuildings, mostly painted grey …

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Hanging on by a thin fishing line

Jake Trinkner was just 13 years old when his father bought a small fishing lodge on Crow Lake, just south of Kenora, Ont., moved the family from Minnesota, and set out to pursue a dream of hosting anglers. As his mom and dad, Paul and Christine Tinkner, began to step back from the business, Jake …

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