Aching muscles, pungent road kill, stunning scenery, a curious bear cub, a couple of flat tires, and hours of quiet contemplation. All elements in Dr. Michael Knowles’ solo summer bicycle tour between Vancouver and Winnipeg. Although it might seem a curious way of taking a break from teaching and research, the real benefit of the exercise, he says, was not the exercise itself, but rather the opportunity afforded by hours on the road for prayer and quiet meditation. Plus it offered an object lesson in the vastness of Canadian geography: 22 days of riding and more than 2,700 kilometres took him less than half way across the country. He kept in contact throughout the journey by texting with office staff, who cheered him on and plotted his progress on printouts from Google maps posted in the second floor hallway of the college.