Day Thirty Two - Rest Day Thunder Bay

Last night we stayed indoors at Lakehead University.  Ken said earlier that we would have trouble adapting to sleeping inside once we got home and I hoped that it wouldn't effect me.  It was so hot and humid in most riders rooms that they sweat the whole night as they were sleeping.  Not the best nights sleep for me.  I would have preferred sleeping in my tent.

At 6:30 I woke up mostly because of hunger.  For breakfast I found a couple packages of instant oatmeal and tea bag in my basket.  In the common area there was a kettle to make the hot water.  Four of us planned the night before to leave for the bike shop at 8:30.  Arlen needed to have his crank looked at because he was having trouble shifting, Sam needed a new helmet, John needed to find a top tube bag, and I needed a new brake lever and a wheel.

Arlen wanted to go to a bike shop that he visited a few years ago called Petrie's.  He found that his crank needed to be replaced.  The shop luckily had what he needed and he was ready to go in less than an hour. John found what he needed quickly and got the shop guys to file down some of the rivets on his Brooks saddle.  John and Arlen went to JJ's, a local breakfast place, and Sam and I headed over to the bike shop that carried Trek bikes called The Fresh Air Experience.

Once at the bike shop Sam found his helmet and headed back to the university.  I dropped my bike off hoping that the shop would reassure me that they could fix it and tell me that they had the parts and would have it today but they told me to call them at 2 to get an update.  The number 2 bus was the way I got back to the university.

While Ben, Matt, and I were checking out the university grounds we noticed that the signs were in English and some kind of Native Indian language.  I asked a four people if they could read the signs and the fifth person could.  Her name was Steph Loon and she was from Slate Falls Ontario.  She told us the sign was in a dialect of East Ojibwa and she spoke West Ojibwa.  She was in a native language program.  Steph told us of her life living on a trap line until she was 17.  Her family caught fish by gill net for sale, hunted moose, duck, and geese, and trapped beaver.  Her picture is below with Ben and Matt.

At 5:10 I received a text from the bike shop telling me that my bike was ready.  I happened to be in the store at the time because I had walked down to the bike shop with the guys as they wanted to do some shopping before they went to the movie.  Jeff and Will from the bike shop, pic below, fixed me up with a new wheel that they took off a bike on the showroom floor and a new break lever.  Both were covered by the Trek warranty.  They told me that they found two holes in the new Specialized Armadillo tire that I bought in Regina.  I replaced it with a Schwabel Marathon Plus tire.  Three people on the tour have them and between the three they have had only one flat.  For 600 plus kms I've been worrying if I would make it to the next day and now the worrying is over.

Later on I met Kerry, John, and Arlen at 5 Forks.  I just sat down as they served their dinner.  Arlen was very nice to share his huge piece of chocolate cake with me.  Tomorrow we should be able to visit the Terry Fox memorial.  We will only be travelling 105 km so we will get into camp early.

Matt, Steph Loon, and Ben learning Ojibwa at Lakehead University

Jeff and Bill from Fresh Air replaced my oval rear wheel

Arlen wondering how he will eat that huge piece of cake.  Also wondering 'where is the ice cream?'

Day Thirty One - Thunder Bay

This morning I got a late start because yesterday was tough. Today was another century ride. I was up had scrambled eggs and out of camp by 7:15. I hadn't been able to check on the weather last night before I went to sleep because there wasn't very good cell coverage at the camp. Today did get up to 35 which we have experienced but we haven't also had to contend with the humidity.

There was some excitement at breakfast as a number of squirrels were running around the feet of the cooks and causing one person in particular a lot of stress because of the threat of rabies. 

At around 29 km in we crossed into the Atlantic watershed from the artic watershed. Pictured below is Arlen and me.  A number of other riders also were at the sign at the same time including Ben the driver. We had crossed over the pacific to the artic watershed when we crossed into Alberta from BC. 

Some riders stopped to look at Kakabeka falls at 137 km. I skipped it but managed to get a picture of it from Kerry who has seen it many times. I just wanted to ride the last 30 kms into town so I could relax after a long day. Arlen was just passed the falls and I found him eating his favorite food, ice cream. 

The day ended with us settling into our dorm rooms at Lakehead University. After we settled in when went over to a townhouse where the kitchen crew was preparing dinner. Chicken with red sauce and salad was served and it was really good. 

We lost a hour today as we crossed I it the eastern time zone just before Thunder Bay. It will be difficult to get to sleep because of the time change and this is the first time we have not slept outside for 3 weeks.

Arlen and I crossing another watershed

Very scenic Kakabeka Falls that I didn't visit (Pic by Kerry).  I justed wanted this day over with

Kate's sandwich helper the Chipmunk

Day Thirty - Quetico

It took a little while to get to sleep last night as there were children playing volleyball very close to where my tent was pitched. There was also someone revving their boat motor for quite some time. The campsite was very nice other than the noise. The people that arrived early at the campsite pitched their tents in the premium sites just adjacent to the lake.

Sam and I stayed in camp long enough this morning to scarf down 4 or 5 pieces of French toast with syrup and powdered sugar. The cue sheet said that we were going 154 km today so I wanted to make sure to eat a big breakfast. We actually went 164 km today with our side trip into Atikokan. 

There was no services for the first 110 km today. When the support truck passed us I waved him down to refill my water bottles. At 70 km Ben, the driver if the truck, was stopped and riders were filling up their bottles and eating fruit from the truck. 

The terrain was more rolling hills surrounded by evergreens and occasionally a marsh with cattails. Every once in a while we would spot a beaver lodge or dam but never a beaver. I am hoping to see a moose but they seem to be very elusive. This area of Ontario is very rural and there are very few people or houses along this part of the route. 

At 110 km we turned off the highway for Atikokan. The town is about 5 km off the highway. We rode around the town to find the ice cream place that was mentioned on the cue sheet and found two of them. Most riders ate at o e or the other. Some wanted to have lunch so they headed over to the pizza place. John and those that ordered pizzas waited 99 minutes to get their order. 

The ride to the campsite after lunch seemed long and I did it alone as Sam went ahead as he had to cook diner. There was a bit of a tailwind which reduced the time I estimated to make it to camp. The gravel road to the campsite wasn't too bad. My rear wheel is still oval but it is still turning. Tomorrow or the next day I will bring it to the bike shop in Thunder Bay. 

Some nice flat straight road

Slowest lunch service ever at PJ's Pizza & Pasta in Atikokan, definitely miss this stop next time

Tracker rides at Quetico North Outfitters, just before park entrance

Day Twenty Nine - Taylor's Cove

Before I went to sleep last night I checked the forecast and it called for rain at 3 am. As the tent was so hot I took off my fly and set my alarm at 1 am to wake me up to put it back on before the rain came.

There were so many bugs you could hear  a buzzing noise throughout the night, until the rain came. There were some bugs that I was familiar with but hadn't seen in BC called May Flies. I asked Ken about a bug that I didn't know and he said it was a Fish fly. The bathroom had thousands of May flies that frightened most until they found out that they didn't bite. 

When I was putting my tent fly on I could see the sheet lightening in the distance. The wind was starting to blow pretty hard. The Mosquitos still were trying to bite me even in the strong wind.

After a few more hours of sleep I wa awoken by the wind shaking the tent and the sound of rain pelting the tent. Inside it was still dry and I was happy not to be i  that storm. At 7 am it was still raining lightly and by the time I was ready to leave camp I was one of the last to leave. 

The first part of the ride we were fighting a cross wind from the west as we were headed south. Once we turned East our average speed increases to 30 km. Our first stop was in Emo at 60 km. There was no services before that and we still had 30 km to go before Fort Francis. 

At the Fort we had a quick lunch and decided to check out the city a little bit before we headed back on the highway. The waterfront in Fort Francis is on Rainy Lake. It is quite beautiful except for the smell of pulp because of the mill is also in the lake. 

All riders got into camp fairly early and most had their tasks completed before dinner was served. Dinner was chilli and salad and it was quite good. 

Campsite at Taylor's Cove

Fish flies between fly and tent at campsite in Caliper Lake

Nice view on the causeway just outside of Fort Frances ON

Day Twenty Eight - Caliper Lake

This morning my galley crew and I created the most delicious pancakes.  Well really it was just the no name pancake mix but we had left over raspberries from a desert from a couple of meals ago, some chocolate chips, powdered sugar, and maple syrup (really Aunt Jemima).  The same pancakes in a posh restaurant would be $30.  We did it for pennies and it tasted very very good.

Today’s ride was126 km and was supposed to get easier the farther along we got but it didn’t seem that way for most of us.  Our first stop was for lunch at 75 km into the ride as we didn’t see any other option but some found some ice-cream sandwiches at 25 km.  Before we stopped for lunch we crossed a bridge that once used to be the longest single-span wooden bridge in North America.  The new bridge that opened in 2007 re-used some of the timber from the old.

The temperature today peaked at 35 and the head wind was a factor in our slower pace.  We are still in the Canadian shield here and it is rocky and hilly.  The route is way more interesting than the prairies but today our elevation gain was about 600 metres so we aren’t in the flat land anymore.

We stopped a couple of times to cool ourselves in the shade and to eat.  In the pic below John is eating a sausage his wife’s cousin the butcher made.

About 20 km from the campground I spotted a boat launch adjacent to the road we were on and I took the opportunity to cool my feet for a couple of minutes.  The rest of our riding group caught up and Ken was the only other one to cool his feet and more.  Ken took off his socks and shoe and wadded in and then laid down on his back.  He said it was the best thing that he did all day.  See pic below.

Once I got to camp I set up my tent to dry and air it out.  Most mornings we don't have a chance to do this so it is the first thing I do when we get to camp.  After my tent was set up I head to the lake for a cool swim.  The water had a lot of silt in it but the temperature was nice and it cooled me off.  Dinner followed soon after.

Tomorrow we will be very close to a city in the US called International Falls.  Some people are considering going over to the US for lunch.  International Falls is close to Fort Francis.  I hope to meet a college roommate to see if he would like to get some lunch tomorrow as we will be there at that time.

John with his wife's cousins sausage

Taken from the bridge made of reclaimed wood from the previous bridge at Souix Narrows

Ken cooling off on a hot day near Caliper Lake ON

Day Twenty Seven - Rest Day Kenora

It was 8 before I opened my eyes and emerged from the tent. It was a rest day and I had plans to go to the bike shop at 10. Matt also needed to go for a derailure adjustment. When we left Duncan joined us as we were going for lunch afterwards at 1.

The bike shop said they had seen a few wheels like mine in the past year. They were all different brands of bikes. Common problem I guess. My wheel can only be replaced by another Trek wheel as it uses a through axel that only Trek uses. My next touring bike should have common parts that are available anywhere. 

Lunch was at the Lake of the Woods brewery. Wednesday is the only day that it is busy there because of the farmers market. We waited a half an hour to get a table for six as other riders were joining us there. Lunch was good and we had a lot of laughs. 

It was 3 when we decided to go back to camp before we fell a sleep. Once back at camp a couple of us headed to the lake for a swim but I opted for a nap on the grass in the shade. 

Dinner was leftovers shrimp jambalaya. It was good last night for dinner and good today too. Really quite an uneventful rest day but very relaxing. We have only 4 days to the next rest day where we will be staying inside for the first time since Vancouver. 

Lunch at Lake of the Woods Brewery

A welcome sign after 100 miles of horseflys

Day Twenty Six - Kenora

This morning it took a while to get up.  I still feel like I’m running on Pacific time and we are now two time zones away in Central.  Even though it didn’t rain everyone’s tent was soaked from the morning moisture from the grass.  John’s wife came at 7 to bring bagels, cream cheese and salmon.  Thanks again!

Today was the last of 6 days that we will be biking in a row.  Tomorrow is a rest day.  In the past six days we have travelled close to 1000 kms.  We did 172 kms today and it was supposed to be an “easy” century ride.  Some people did find it easy but my legs were very tired.  

As soon as I left camp today I noticed that my rear tire was rubbing on my fender.  I rode for a while like that until the group caught up to me and encouraged me to look at it closer.  I eventually took the fender off and it was ok for a while.  About 30 km after that the tire started rubbing on the frame.  I stopped and checked the wheel to find that a spoke broke away from the rim of the tire and the portion of rim was also gone.  No chance to replace the spoke.  I loosened the spokes around the missing one to balance out the wheel and that worked to Kenora. The wheel was still very unbalanced for most of the day.

Our first stop was to be at a bakery in Whitemouth.  One of the veterans had gone there four years ago but when we arrived there it was not there.  We opted to go to the hotel restaurant close by.  Most people enjoyed the apple, cherry, or blueberry pie.  At that point it was 11 and we were not very far into the ride and most people made it a short stop.

The terrain changed today from very flat prairie to undulating short hills.  It was a welcome change and for most of the day I found the scenery to be interesting.  One very notable point was the horseflys that were swarming around us.  There were about thirty around the five of us.  A couple of people got bit more than once but I didn’t thankfully.  We noticed that they were so big that they cast their own shadow. 

Our next stop was in Rennie for a cold drink.  A woman and man came up to us and asked about our travels.  The man said that he had completed a fund raising trip from Niagara Falls to Winnipeg.  People are interested in why we are doing this tour, where we are going, and where we came from.

The last stop was for some ice cream in ice Whiteshell.  We were told by other riders that we should stop but we didn’t find anything special about it.  I had a “fresh” pineapple shake.  It consisted of 3 rings of pineapple that had been quartered and then added to a vanilla shake.  Not really what I had in mind.  Cold and refreshing non the less.

Once we finally got into camp it was the normal rush to get the tent and sleeping bags dry with the remaining sunlight.  I asked the galley crew how long until dinner.  Then Matt reminded me that I was supposed to be on tonight.  It seemed that I just did it a couple of days ago.  The days seem to blend together and its hard to separate one place from another.

The hilight of the day was listening to a folk band practice for a performance while I was waiting for my laundry to complete.  Matt went back to the campsite to tell the group about it and two more people joined us to enjoy the music.  Tomorrow is a rest day and I plan to sleep in and then late morning make my way to the bike shop to see if they can help me with my wheel.

Manitoba done! Now only three weeks until cross through Ontario

Hills and more hills.  Come on rest day!

Panorama on bridge just before Kenora ON

Listening to musicians practice their folk music while waiting for laundry to finish at the campground in Kenora