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VIA-Rail, ocean-to-ocean, 50 Canadians: this really happened!


One month ago, we boarded a train called The Canadian in Toronto.
We were bent on celebrating 50 Canadians Who Changed the World – the majority of whom are alive and thriving -- by following in the footsteps of those who created this nation by running steel rails across it. We called this endeavor The VIA-Rail, Cross-Canada, Ocean-to-Ocean, Book-Tour Extravaganza.
Faithful readers of this blog (hi, mom!) will know that Our Hero made stops in Winnipeg, Saskatoon, Calgary, Canmore, Banff, and Jasper. After enduring many hardships and overcoming countless obstacles, he reached Vancouver, made his way to English Bay and, carrying a copy of his new book (which paints a vivid portrait of cutting-edge Canada, if I do say so myself), waded into the Pacific Ocean.
Then came the second leg of the train journey, traveling on VIA-Rail’s “Ocean”: Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal, and Halifax. This afternoon, acting on the advice of locals, and assisted by a trio of volunteers, Our Hero made his way to Point Pleasant Park. There, despite a steady rain and a rocky shoreline that would have deterred a less intrepid author, he waded into the Atlantic Ocean, thus accomplishing his declared objective: ocean-to-ocean.  He was tempted to build a cairn.
This evening: Alderney Gate Public Library, 7 p.m. Tomorrow, Wednesday: return to the Centre of the Universe. Thursday: Canada A.M., 8:40 in the morning.  As always, photos by Sheena Fraser McGoogan. For the rest, check out www.50Canadians.ca. Somebody is going to win a copy of 50 Canadians Who Changed the World. Oh, and someone else will take home a $5,000 VIA-Rail travel voucher. Bon voyage!

Ken McGoogan
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Before turning mainly to books about arctic exploration and Canadian history, Ken McGoogan worked for two decades as a journalist at major dailies in Toronto, Calgary, and Montreal. He teaches creative nonfiction writing through the University of Toronto and in the MFA program at King’s College in Halifax. Ken served as chair of the Public Lending Right Commission, has written recently for Canada’s History, Canadian Geographic, and Maclean’s, and sails with Adventure Canada as a resource historian. Based in Toronto, he has given talks and presentations across Canada, from Dawson City to Dartmouth, and in places as different as Edinburgh, Melbourne, and Hobart.