Day Thirty Nine - Rest Day Sault Ste Marie

Todays rest day started with me sleeping in until 8 which was nice.  A couple of guys rode there bikes to the Husky truck stop just a km or so away.  Later on in the day I planned to see the new Mission Impossible movie at the theatre downtown in the mall.

At around 10 John and I walked down to the bus stop 2.5 km away from the campsite.  We thought that we missed it but there was another one soon after that took us directly downtown across from the mall.  We walked over to the mall and had something to eat in the food court.  The subway had WIFI which John was looking for.  After lunch I headed to the movies.

In the movie I fell asleep four times but managed to catch most of it.  From what I could tell it is much like every Mission Impossible movie, forgettable.  I did however get to sit in an air conditioned room, in a nice chair, and with no mosquitos bothering me for 2 hours.  After the movie I picked up some AAA batteries that I had needed for a while for my bike rear lights.

After the movie we met up with Kerry go to dinner.  As I might have mentioned before, no meals are prepared during the rest days.  We all enjoyed our dinner and we were back into camp before 8.  Tomorrow is going to be a long day at 172 kms.

John getting some well deserved sleep after eating a large breakfast on our rest day.

Canadian geese at the campground.  Across the water was the United States

Day Thirty Eight - Sault Ste Marie

Luckily today was an "easy" day because we only had to travel 87 kms. The fist 5 kms or so my legs feel like they will not make it. Then they warm up and suprise me most days on how they perform. The legs just have a mind of their on and peddling is a reaction to sitting on the saddle. 

In the morning at camp we ate pancakes as it was fitting because we were in Pancake Bay.  They were consumed quickly by most because their was no wind and the mosquitos were out in force.  Sam and I tried to leave camp quickly because it was forecasted to rain in the morning.  We did get a couple of drops on us but not too much despite there being dark rain clouds looming beside us for a couple of hours.  Arlen, John, and Kerry joined us on the road and we road together mostly.

Our first stop was in Havilland at about 50 km.  We saw an ice-cream sign and knew that even though it was 10 am Arlen would love to eat some.  He didn't though and people ordered their second breakfast.  Kerry found a butter tart to eat which was not his favourite of the trip.  Later I was glad we stopped there and not in Heyden a little bit down the road as I needed a little bit of time to digest the food before the Mile High Hill.

The Mile High Hill was not that bad.  But I did drop out of the pace line to remove extra clothing that I wore to keep warm in the cool morning air.  It had warmed up quite a bit since then and I didn't need to lose any extra water while climbing up this monster hill.

The rest of the ride was uneventful but I did notice quite a few of motels in disrepair on the approach to Sault Ste Marie.  Once in the town it looked like all others of that size.  We chose to bypass the city  and not follow the cue sheets.  We got to the campground in good time.

We spent some time to pitch our tents and I got a couple of hours sleep before dinner.

  

Day Thirty Seven - Pancake Bay

I got up late compared to most mornings at 6:30. Sam and I were riding together today and he was on cooking duty so I had a little more time.  Once I got my tent  down and ate four pieces of John's deep fried French toast I headed over to the laundry to dry my clothes that were soaked from the day before. 

At 50 km we skipped the suggested side trip to the Agawa Rock Pictographs. We did check out the view from the Agawa Bay Lookout and took a couple of pictures. 

At 57 km we stopped at the Visitor Information Centre where we filled up our water bottles. The lady in the gift store said the water was not drinkable but another lady took us into the office area and let us use their bottle water. 

Outside of the visitor centre we met a father and daughter that were cycling to Montreal from Vancouver.  In a couple of years previous the father had did the same trip with his son, now it was the daughters turn.  He was using a Yak trailer that held most of their gear and included a 4 litre bottle of water.  He said that they had run out of water and wasn't going to let that happen again.
 

We stopped for lunch in Montreal River. Arlen mentioned that four years ago he had lunch their and he recommended it. We arrived as "new" John and James were leaving. Arlen had been there for only 5 minutes. John arrived shortly after we arrived. Arlen ate and left before realizing that they sold ice cream in the store across from the restaurant. 

We finished the ride with only a couple more hills. For dinner the galley crew served stir fry which was enjoyed by all. Tomorrow we arrive in the Soo and next day is a rest day. 

The tailrace of an up river hydro generating plant in Montreal River ON

Shoreline in Lake Superior Provincial Park

High rock walls along the highway in Lake Superior Provincial Park

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