Day Thirty Six - Rabbit Blanket

Today started out pretty normal.  The sky was overcast and it wasn't raining yet. On my way out of the park it started to rain lightly and so I decided to take shelter at the guard house and wait for Sam to catch up. A little while latter the skies opened up and it poured. Sam joined me and we waited for it to stop but it never did. After waiting 15 minutes and seeing other riders pass by we decided that it wasn't going to stop and we were going to get wet.

The first part of the ride to Wawa was relatively flat with some rolling hills. At one point it started to rain so hard it felt like I was getting pelted with quarters on my back.

At 40 km we stopped to warm up at a Robbins Donuts. There were 5 riders there already and 5 more 15 minutes later. Duncan was shivering in his seat as he didn't bring has rain jacket.  He is also 120 lbs and the fastest of the group. When he left the shop he bought a jacket at a nearby store to prevent getting hypothermia.

As Sam and I approached Wawa we could see the fog ahead.  As we descended the temperature went from 15 to 8. We took a pic of the goose and then headed to a nearby Tim Hortons for a "cheese toasty".  I took off my shoes to warm my feet on the tile floor.

After leaving Timmy's a very cold headwind chilled us to the point of pain. I didn't want to ride in this for the next 30 kms. Only 5 km later I had to take layers off again as the sun was out and climbing hills in a rain jacket and another coat was too hot.

Once in Lake Superior Provincial Park the hills got more tough and much longer. As we approached Old Woman Bay we could see the beautiful beach and Lake Superior. I stopped half way down the hill on the approach to the bay to take a picture.

The last major hill of the day was a one km hill in length with a 100 metre elevation gain.  I was happy to get into camp just in time to setup my tent before dinner.

John, Kerry, and Sam prepared a delicious pork chop dinner with mashed potatoes, and vegetables. A very good way to end a day of variable weather conditions.

The big goose in very cold Wawa ON.

Just 15 minutes East of Wawa ON sunny warm weather at Old Woman Bay

Lake Superior is really big!

Panorama of Old Woman Bay ON

Day Thirty Five - White Lake

This morning I had my alarm set for 5:15 but got up 30 minutes later because it was dark and cold. Our cooking crew of Matt, Vicki, and I were to prepared fried potatoes and been for supper. We had cooked the potatoes last night in preparation and we just needed to chop them up and fry them. We also served beans, the pork and beans type, in tomato sauce. We had everything packed up by 8 so we didn't get on the road too late.

The first part of the ride today was rolling hills. Sam and I were able to go 73 kmph down one hill. The ups are never fun for me but with a tailwind they are a little bit easier. The descents are always fun and the longer and faster the better.

Apparently there is no cell coverage outside of towns all the way to Sault St Marie for Bell customers. This is a big suprise to me when Rogers customers here are getting service. I will have to post this blog tomorrow in White River.

Half way through the ride just past Marathon we celebrated the half way point. Ben, the driver, made us ham and roast beef sandwiches at the visitors centre which was closed. There was also muffins, powdered donuts, and ice cream. We all took a long break there and as we were there the sun came out for a couple of minutes.

The rest of the ride was much less hilly than the first half. We also went quite a bit faster too. That lunch and the sunshine seemed to give me extra energy. We got to camp at 4 and was able to set up the tents quickly. Waiting for dinner I ate my remaining PBJs.   Tomorrow is a long day at 163 km so I will try to get an early start.

Bikes parked outside of the closed information centre just outside of Marathon ON

Celebration station just outside of Marathon ON. We are half way across!

Panorama of Lake Superior

Day Thirty Four - Terrace Bay

My alarm was set for 5:15 this morning and I woke up and it was dark so I set it for 6.  For breakfast was 4 pieces of french toast with powdered sugar and syrup.  Sam and I left camp with John and Kerry at around 7:30.

After dinner yesterday I used Google maps to map out the route for today to check out the elevation gain.  Arlen said that it was going to be a difficult day because of all the hills.  Google maps said the elevation gain would be around 1025 metres.  Not too difficult compared to the mountain passes in BC and Alberta.

Starting out we had a good tailwind.  The wind was coming from the West and we were travelling North East.  During the day the wind changed many times.  You would climb a hill and have a tailwind then at the top be nearly blown off your bike.  All in all the wind was favourable for us luckily.

We passed some very nice looking rock faces during todays ride.  Some were rust coloured and in one place it looked like a man made wall (See pics below).  There were also some really nice look outs were we pulled over to view lake Superior from above.

Our first stop was in Gravel River at 50 km.  Mostly everyone stopped and some had snacks like pie or butter tarts.  Arlen had a chance to eat his first ice cream sandwich after eating a 2nd breakfast of a fried egg sandwich.

At 74 km the route detoured us from the highway into Rossport.  We stopped at a restaurant called Serendipity for lunch.  While there we had a gentleman request a picture of our lunch table.  Another man and wife said that they had driven all the way from Thunder Bay to eat there.  He said it was a 2 hour drive and we took 4 hours to bike there.  Many people had the blueberry shortcake for dessert.

Less than 5 hours after we started we were in Terrace Bay and at our campsite.  I was on cooking duty so I quickly sat up my tent and headed over to the rec centre for a quick sauna and shower. Dinner was tuna and macaroni with salad and chocolate pudding for dessert.  Tomorrow is a 139 km day and looks like the wind will be at our back.

At a lookout over looking Nipigon Bay ON

Red rock outcrop on the descent to the lookout

Arlen with his photo smile out front of Serendipity restaurant in Rossport

Inside the restaurant

Natural rock out cropping looks man made

Day Thirty Three - Nipigon

The temperature last night was relatively cool compared to the previous night.  I spent until 11 last night organizing me baskets so that I wouldn’t have to get up too early.  I set my alarm for 5 and woke up and it was still dark so I slept another 45 minutes.  Because we are close to the western boundary of the time zone the sun rises at 6:27.  As we move east the sun will rise earlier.

Breakfast was pancakes that was served at the townhouse that four of the riders were staying at.  I took some time to clean and lubricate my bike as I didn’t have a chance yesterday because it was in the bike shop.  By 8 we had left Lakehead University and headed towards Nipigon.

The route took us close to the Terry Fox memorial.  Some riders took the opportunity to see it but as normal I skipped it to get to camp asap to relax and rest my legs.  My primary goal of this trip is to cross the country on my bike.  Some people on the tour are very gifted physically and can do 100 + kms easily.  I am very happy to finish each day, get to camp to eat, shower, and go to bed.

Sam, Arlen, Kerry, John and I formed a paceline shortly after leaving the campus and headed East through the city.  We caught up to Chris and Kate around the 10 km mark and drafted them until they pulled over at 30 km.  Today there was a pretty strong headwind for most of the day. Arlen and Kerry pulled away and I caught up with them when they pulled over for a break at a Shell gas station & restaurant at 45 km mark.  John and Sam met up with us there.

After our break Kerry and Arlen broke off from the group but I managed to keep up this time.  Arlen and I were challenging each other for quite a while.  I am heavier than Arlen so I go pretty fast downhill and he goes up hills amazingly fast.  In most cases he can stand up the entire hill with little effort.  We ended up wearing each other out and at the top of one hill, at 78 km, he said “are you guys ready for a break?”.  I was about to be dropped off the pace line so I was glad that he wanted to have a break then.

We did the 109 km in under 4.25 hours and beat the truck to the camp.  Instead of waiting for the truck to arrive we headed into town to go to Tim Hortons and wait for the truck there.  John arrived shortly after and loudly pronounced that “Day Thirty Three is in the book!”.

Julie and Ken arrived at 7 as Ken needed to get a rear wheel on his bike.  We was experiencing the same problems that I had with my wheel.  By 11:30 his wheel was fixed and him and Julie even took the time to see the Terry Fox memorial.  We set up their tents and saved them dinner because we knew they were running late.

On our rest day people where mentioning that there was quite a few challenging hill east of Thunder Bay but today we didn’t see them.  A veteran of the tour said that tomorrow will be challenging and he is going to bed early.  It is only a 115 km day tomorrow so I will probably  eat a hot breakfast and start around 7:30.

Red rock out cropping along the route

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