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difficult, because there’s only one road up 
there, the Trans-Canada Highway. And 
although he had to plan for it physically, he 
didn’t do a lot of special training because he 
regularly rides long distances anyway. 
“I get up on a Saturday morning and Susie 
will have something to do and I’ll say, well, 
I’ll go ride 50 or 100 miles,
” Gordon said. 
“I’ll do that without building up to it or 
planning it, and I really did the same thing 
here.
” 
For the entire 700-mile ride, Gordon was 
locked in. 
“I was just in the zone. I didn’t listen to 
anything, I didn’t have any headphones on,
” 
he said.
 Gordon made sure he would remember 
the trip when meeting people along the way. 
With a son-in-law who does a lot of 
graphics work, every time Gordon goes on 
one of these long rides, he has a shirt made 
to commemorate it. This time, the shirt read 
“Merrill’s Over the Top of Lake Superior 
70th Birthday Tour” with “700 Miles in 7 
Days” right below. 
“Everywhere we stopped, I had people 
sign it. People at the motel, the restaurant, 
even people I met on the beach signed it. 
They would sign their name and where they 
were from. So, I have that as a souvenir,
” 
Gordon said. 
When he got home, Gordon’s family had 
the front of their house adorned with check-
ered flags and big balloons reading “700” 
along with streamers and poppers. 
“It was very cool and very nice of them to 
do,
” Gordon said. 
Though he’s done long trips in the past, 
this was the longest number of consecutive 
days and miles he’s ever done. 

“I just enjoy the challenge of putting on 
the miles,
” Gordon said. “The fact I pushed 
myself at age 70 to do something physically 
demanding, yet really had it all under con-
trol and did it without any problems at all, 
pleased me a lot.
” 
On this trip, Gordon still made sure to 
connect to his Judaism. 
“When I got to Sault Ste. Marie, I found 
where the synagogue was there. When 
we got into smaller towns in Canada, if 
there was a synagogue, I looked for it. 
In the Upper Peninsula, we went up to 

Houghton and Hancock, and there’s a syna-
gogue in Houghton. So, I went up there and 
saw that. There’s one in Marquette and we 
saw the synagogue there, too. When I go on 
these trips, I make it a point to try and at 
least get there and find them,
” Gordon said. 
Asked if he’s going to continue these mile-
stone rides, Gordon says it’s not out of the 
question.
“Eight hundred miles in eight days when 
I’m 80 is gonna be a little tough. But I’ll put 
that on the calendar for 2034,
” Gordon said 
with a laugh. 

Gordon’s souvenir T-shirt commemorating 
the 700-mile trip

Gordon on the road
Gordon in Batchawana Bay, Ontario, during the trip

Merrill Gordon poses with Jeff Poe and his dog, 
Maddy — both accompanied him on the trek. 
Merrill Gordon with his wife, Susie, after 
returning home from the 700-mile trek

