Grand Total: 4220.3 km
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| Leg 7 - Kakabeka Falls to Echo Bay (Thunder Bay to the Soo) |
Distance and Time: 107.2 km at 4:55
Route: Pancake Bay Provincial Park to Echo Bay (20km east of the Soo)
I started off today feeling sluggish and stiff in the lower back and knee. Maybe my body is telling me it needs a rest. Took a break at 45km and a wrap with peanut butter and banana did wonders. The next 30km into the Soo were much better, even with another couple of good hills - the last doozer there just to remind cyclists that they weren't finished with Lake Superior yet! The views were great again north of the Soo and I was sorry to say good-bye to the great lake. There are many sport I would like to return to explore.
The hwy north of the Soo was without much of a shoulder and quite rough - about the worst we have experienced in Ontario and that coupled with the pre-weekend cottage traffic made things a bit hairy. Luckily we were treated to paved shoulders for a bit outside the city but entering and exiting the city was dicey. We made a pit stop at Velorution, a cool cycle shop.
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| Velorution bike shop in the Soo |
We also hit Walmart Foods for some re-provisioning. What a culture shock! Having spent most of the summer in quiet out of the way surroundings, I think I would be happy to live far from big-box mega stores and their crowds and traffic.
On the way out of Sault Ste. Marie the road look familiar and I realized we've completed a loop. We pulled into the Soo on this very same hwy during the early afternoon on May 10th and I remember thinking I wouldn't relish cycling that highway and there must be another way out of the city for cycling.
Anyway, I got through it to 17B and Echo Bay and will re-join 17 tomorrow. The terrain has definitely changed now that we're following Lake Huron. It's flat! And on another positive note we are over the hump in terms of hills, and on the home stretch to Ottawa now!
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| Camped tonight on a First Nations park in Echo Bay |
Thursday, July 19th
HAPPY BIRTHDAY to Caleb and Jackie!
Distance and time: 134 km at 6:03
Route: south of Wawa to Pancake Bay provincial park on hwy 17
There is no way to describe today other than awesome. The scenery was stunning along Lake Superior, the weather was perfect, the hills were varied (Wayne got a particularly long and nasty one which I only descended), the traffic was light and I swam twice! My cycling seemed to take on a relaxing and almost mesmerizing tone today. I pushed up the hills as usual, but in between them just kind of meandered at a slower pace, enjoying the views and not worrying at all about traffic. Call it a natural high, I guess. Our first stop was at Old Woman Bay in Lake Superior provincial park.
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| Old Woman Bay, can you see her profile? |
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| Outhouse sign at Lake Superior provincial park. "Digestive by-products" is a new one for me, but if the shoe fits... |
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| Katherine Cove - first swim of the day |
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| One of many gorgeous views today |
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| gorge at Montreal River's hydro-electric plant |
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| view looking back at afternoon tea break |
We decided not to stay in the park overnight and stopped down the road at a quiet abandoned gas station/store. Traffic has virtually come to a standstill (too many night-time moose warnings), the stars are out, and it's time to hunker down.
Wednesday, July 18th
Distance and time: 144.7km at 6:20
Route: White Lake Provincial Park to 18km south of Wawa
It was a cooler cloudy day, great for cycling. The terrain was less challenging than yesterday, consisting of mostly rolling hills and some flatter sections. I'm really glad I took this route as the truck traffic is lighter, the hills are not as daunting as I thought (they look far worse from a car), the scenery is great and the long lonely stretches are quite meditative.
We passed through White River early in the day and stopped at the Visitor's Centre where we met some fellow cyclists from Ottawa, Mike McGoldrick and his wife. Mike has a website about cycling in Ottawa and touring in Ontario and Quebec (www.gobiking.ca). What luck - it could be a good resource for our upcoming leg in Quebec.
White River's claim to fame is that it is the actual birthplace of the real Winnie the Pooh! A photo op was a must.
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| White River - birthplace of Winnie the Pooh |
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| Winnie's story |
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| 1000km into Ontario and not halfway through the province yet! |
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| View looking back to the west from Wawa |
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| Another TCH icon |
We're staying by the side of the hwy tonight at an historical spot commemorating the Michipicoten River canoe route, an important link of the fur trading route between Lake Superior and James Bay.
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| "campsite" tonight by the Michipicoten River, an old fur trading canoe route |
Tuesday, July 17th
Distance and time: 151.6km at 7:14
Route: Schreiber to White Lake Provincial Park on hwy 17
We didn't park in the greatest spot last night as jackhammers and pavement cutters started up close by before 7:00am. I managed to doze through some of it despite the rude awakening, though. Funny what the body can shut out when it needs to sleep.
Otherwise it was a gorgeous day with sunshine and temps in the mid-twenties. I cycled by the towns of Terrace Bay and Marathon and was sorely tempted to cruise around both spots even though they were off the hwy. Terrace Bay looked like almost every house had a glimpse of Lake Superior and both spots had public beaches. Here are a couple of scenic photos from those areas.
The hills came fast and furious for most of the day and then toward late afternoon the hwy leveled out a bit as it veered away from the lake after Marathon. There were a couple of doozers but for the most part the hills were a welcome diversion. I was definitely using core muscles and instead of "pedal to the metal" running through my head on the up slopes, I was thinking "belly-button to the spine" as the Pilates teacher always says. And with a bit of a headwind I didn't have to white knuckle it on the brakes to control my descents on the down slopes like yesterday. We pulled into this pretty campground late in the day and once we were settled my biggest decision was whether to have a beer before or after a swim (I opted for after)!
Some observations: I sure wish vehicles without daytime running lights would switch their lights on. As I'm gauging the traffic behind me in relation to oncoming traffic it is really only headlights which are visible for any distance, especially in cloudy conditions. We sure are a country of U-haulers! I have seen hundreds of every shape and size this summer, and we haven't yet reached the peak season of dropping kids off at university. I still see the occasional banana peel on the roadway, but more often than not we are seeing half-full water bottles with what looks like ginger ale in them. Guess what it really is (hint - truckers are on a tight schedule and don't like to stop for a pee)!
Monday, July 16th
Distance and time: 95.6km at 5:03
Route: Nipigon to Schreiber on hwy 17
2nd Installment:
Although I had planned on making it to Terrace Bay today, I didn't launch from Nipigon until after 1:00 and by the time I pulled into Schreiber I was cold, wet and hungry. It was 8:00pm by that time and the RV beckoned to call it a day. I'm only about 10km from Terrace Bay so don't feel too bad about not making it there.
It's been a challenging day in terms of weather and to a lesser extent terrain. The first leg on the bike was wet but warm with a few hills. I had over dressed so took a couple of layers off for the next leg and ended up being soaked and cold by 58km into the afternoon. At that point I was looking forward to hills to get my body temp up. I took a long break in the RV then to warm up and dressed appropriately for the last leg into Schreiber. It was challenging with a few good hills but surprisingly I enjoyed them and the varied terrain. Traffic was light (post weekend) and the shoulders were decent for the most part, varying from narrow to wide and everything in between.
Even in the gloomy conditions (with a flashing red tail light for safety) the scenery was spectacular and would have been truly awesome in the sunshine. Even so, I took a couple of photos and hopefully tomorrow we will see some sun and get some better shots.
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| Near Rossport - kind of looks like the Gulf Islands |
I passed the town of Rossport with some regret as I had my heart set on doing a few hours of kayaking there and checking out real estate. But with the weather conditions and the late hour we likely wouldn't have found much open anyway. I will therefore add Rossport to my list of things to see next time.
Wayne had a fall coming up a hill west of Schreiber. His chain came off as he was changing to an easier gear and he couldn't get unclipped. And I couldn't seem to get unclipped to stop for him, so watched helplessly in my mirror as he took the fall to the left onto the pavement as a transport truck came up from behind. Fortunately he wasn't scraped up (maybe a bruise on his hip) and righted himself before the truck passed.
As I mentioned earlier, I wasn't too sure about my reach on this new set-up. Changing gears was fine but the brakes are not as sensitive as I'm used to, and to control myself down some of the declines I really had to grip hard. My arms have muscle groups I was probably never aware of, and I bet I'll be sore tomorrow.
We've noticed some billboards for the "Casque Isle trail" and must remember to check it out further, it's a 50km coastal trail on Lake Superior between Terrace Bay and Rossport and definitely an item to add to my bucket list!
We are parked just off the highway at an abandoned gas station site in Schreiber, along with a mega motorhome rig beside us. Just finished a feed of chicken stir-fry and a bottle of 2007 Malbec. Life is good!
1st Installment:
We picked up the bike last night, with new handlebars, gear shifters and brakes. I'd like to pass along a huge thanks to Mike for his time and effort. He wouldn't even charge us for his labour! The fit won't be the same in terms of reach and comfort (so much for my Bike Fit physio session with Mary Patterson last year which resulted in my bike seat and handlebars being precisely arranged for my reach and cycling style), and we may have to stop in Sault Ste. Marie for some more fine tuning, but my Cycle Canada book states that the bike shop there is the best in Canada. Luckily most of my fittings could be transferred over albeit with a little jury-rigging (odometer, mirror, etc.). This experience points to another reason why I should have brought both bikes with me. I could have stored the road bike and hopped on the touring bike and continued almost without interruption yesterday!
It is approaching 11:00 a.m. and we are still in Nipigon awaiting some abatement in heavy rain showers. The visitors centre has wifi, so we are able to keep an eye on the weather radar and it should ease off sometime around noon. I could, of course, cycle through this weather; guess I'm feeling a bit wimpy :).
Sunday, July 15th
Distance and time: 75.6 km at 3:21
Route: Amethyst Harbour Rd. to Nipigon via hwy 11/17
We set had a communal breakfast with Ashley and Julia and set off fairly early this morning due to the heat. With my new triathalon shorts (made for swimming and quick dry with little padding) and short haircut, I was all set for the day. The shoulders were good until Dorion but then dwindled to almost nothing as usual. I'm getting used to it, though, and find the traffic is pretty polite most of the time.
launching with our new buddies
I was slightly ahead of the girls most of the morning, but things went downhill around noon as I limped 25 km into Nipigon without the use of any of my higher gears. My rear shifter doesn't work, and the problem is more than a broken cable. It looks like the whole brake and shift lever mechanism is shot. I guess I've had too many falls with this bike and it was just a matter of time. Fortunately we didn't have to go back to Thunder Bay as we found a guy named Michael Elliot, owner of Epic Adventures (www.epicadventures.ca). Mike has a shop for repairing his own gear - bikes, kayaks, skiis, etc. - and first advised we would have to go back to Thunder Bay. Then he had a quick look around and happens to have a set of handlebars and shifters intact which he can switch with my broken set. He was heading out on a group tour this afternoon but graciously agreed to work on my bike this evening. Hopefully I'll be on the road tomorrow.
So we said good-bye to Ashley and Julia in the hopes that we'll meet them again between here and Sault Ste. Marie. We are camped at a genuine RV site with laundry, water, electricity and internet, and are just heading down to wade in the creek.
Saturday, July 14th
Distance and time: 67.1km at 3:04
Route: Kakabeka Falls to Amethyst Harbour Rd. at TCH (hwy 11/17)
2nd Installment
After Luc's big breakfast, we got on our way. By the time we made it back to Kakabeka Falls and unloaded it was past noon. As we transited the city we stopped for an oil change, bike clothes and parts (there is a Fresh Air Experience store here!), groceries, a haircut (Lori) and a detour to the Terry Fox monument, so it was after 6:00 before we got going at the other end of the city on Lakeshore Dr.
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| An important icon on the TCH just east of Thunder Bay |
Lucky for us we met Ashley Brown and Julia Fisher at the monument. These intrepid girls just graduated from UVic and are cycling from Victoria to St. John's carrying all their gear. They are the most efficiently loaded cyclists we have met to date.
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| Julia and Ashley, our overnight guests |
1st Installment
After a couple of totally relaxing and much appreciated days unwinding at "camp" with Kathy and Luc we reluctantly hit the road again. This is the first time I haven't been chomping at the bit to get back on the road after a break. Perhaps it has something to do with the upcoming hills and heat and uncertainty about the road, but I think it is also related to the complete relaxation and warmth we've experienced these last couple of days at Reta Lake with the Paradis. I will add more once I have internet access again (in the meantime Adrienne is updating the blog with notes from my BB and cell phone pictures - Sam is on vacation out west), but for now I must mention the awesome hospitality, food and company we enjoyed since Wednesday evening. Kath's mom, Marie and her sister Janice were visiting so it was great to hang out with them as well, and to meet some of the generous and funny neighbours.
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| Hanging out at "camp" |
We were treated to a feed of freshly caught pickerel and bass thanks to neighbours Karen and Terry, and lots of Luc's gourmet home cooking throughout our stay. Kathy called a local bike shop and got the latest and best advice for transiting the city taking into account construction and traffic restrictions. We were introduced to a portfolio of entertaining letters from their adopted son "Porky" and feel we got to know a bit of his quirky personality.
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| Porky |
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| One of Porky's letters
OK, you're wondering who is this Porky guy? Well, if I have the story straight, Kathy and Luc hosted a pig roast at camp last summer for other cottage owners in the area, and one of the neighbours created "Porky" and parked him at the top of the road into their camp. Porky disappeared at the end of the evening, though, and they haven't seen him in person since. He has sent regular letters home, though, letting Kath and Luc know he is OK and filling them in on all his adventures with many photos included. He went out trick or treating on Hallowe'en, saw a dentist shortly after, was out hunting with the guys, sat on Santa's knee at Christmas, spent time with the mayor of Thunder Bay, had a girlfriend and drank too much beer a few times. Quite a guy, eh? Anyway, they hope he shows up at this year's pig roast which will take place on August 25th. Stay tuned and I'll let you know about the long awaited reunion!
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