Day 46: Kakabeka Falls to Thunder Bay: Woke up early. Looked outside at the rain. Sighed. Got packed up and showered. Got back on the road for the short jaunt to Thunder Bay. Ended up being a little longer than anticipated, but made it to a major intersection and wondered where the core of Thunder Bay was. Just then a man in a truck rolls down his window and asks if I’m lost. I said no, because technically I’m not, I know I’m in Thunder Bay… He directs me to the right road and I make it to a college library where I spend all day researching, blogging and the occasional sports browsing. My intent was to make it to the bike shop in town and inquire about my tires, but it was getting on in the day and if I was going to make it to the campsite out of town, it would not have worked. So after walking outside into the monsoon I decided to stay in town and kind a cheap motel and then tend to my bike the next day. I found a cheap motel. I dried off. I ate. I read. I slept. Sort of. Apparently this motel was loaded with teens who like to play in the hallways until 3 in the morning… Yikes! Look at me sounding so old. I probably should have joined them.
Day 47: Thunder Bay and area: Woke up groggy. But no rain! I ate the free continental breakfast (fruitloops and toast, yipee!) and tried to use the vending machine syle internet kiosk by putting in a loonie for ten minutes. I spent ten minutes loading a web-page. I asked for my loonie back. “We don’t own the kiosk so it’s out of my hands,” says the receptionist. “Awesome,” says I. I had forgotten to check my email from my buddy Derek about what kind of tires to get, in all my hours on the internet the previous day. So after I got packed up and ready to go, I tried another loonie in the slot (like a casino it seems) and this time I lucked out. Got the info I wanted and was off to Cyclepath (the bike shop). Once arriving there I figured out they didn’t have the tires I wanted (by the way, if you don’t understand why I’m getting new tires, then you haven’t read my previous blogs… I’ve had around 20 flats since I started because the rubber is just too thin) so I left my gear there and quickly rode to another shop (Fresh Air bike shop) where they not only had the tires with super kevlar belted thick goodness, but they installed them for free. I rushed back to Cyclepath where I got them to check my chain and I decided to replace that as well and that was also installed for free. With more time left in the day than I thought I’d have, I went across the street to the theatre and saw “District 9″ all by myself. It’s not a chick flick, so I’m OK by myself:) Interesting movie. Left the theatre and headed for the grocery store to stock up and then was off to the campgounds outside town. After a grueling journey of zig-zagging through Thunder Bay, I accidently made it to the highway and found my campsite. It was there that I met another couple (John and Angela) who were biking from Vancouver to Toronto but taking a lot more time to do it and skipping from Winnipeg to Thunder Bay by bus. We exchanged stories as we ate supper and then I went to bed.
Day 48: Thunder Bay to Nipigon: Woke up to a dry but cold morning. Ate my oatmeal. Got packed up and decided it might be fun to climb the ditch to the highway instead of detouring for 4 km. Not fun. Not only did I have to lift my bike like an unconcious body (notice I said unconcious and not lifeless, that’s right, I’m an optimist) lifting and pushing over my head in half-metre incriments up a steep weed and thorn infested ditch. I almost had it topple over on top of me a few times. Was it worth it in the end? Possibly. But only because I have this story to tell. I got on the road and met John and Angela five mintues later. They were going to take their time they said. Me too, I thought. So I rode on ahead for 50 km, enjoying the scenery and the sunny day. I made it to an odd looking pillar (check out the pictures) which seemed randomly placed alongside the highway. There was a sign to describe what it was representing, but it wasn’t interesting enough to remember, so I forgot. It was then that John and Angela caught up to me. We decided to make it to Nipigon (which is further than they usually travel in a day) and have pizza together. I never saw them again. I take it they settled at a campground long before Nipigon because the wind got quite strong and I remember them telling me if the wind is like that, they don’t bother. I made it to my campground just before Nipigon and contemplated riding itno town for food. Something was oddly peaceful about deciding not to and just cooking some soup alone at my site. Sure enough, a man named Dave approaches from his RV and asks me if I’d like some salmon BBQ’d on a cedar plank. I could never refuse salmon, so I said yes. I walked over to the RV expecting to get the salmon and go back to my tent. His wife Rena invites me in to the luxurious RV, sits me down at the table next to Dave and places a loaded plate of cedar salmon topped with a mix of dill, butter, garlic and basil, a mound of hearty mixed rice and some slices of cuccumber and tomato. They also offered me their own brew of red wine and filled my glass. The meal was unexpected and spectacular. We ended up chatting for hours and then I got dessert. Two helpings of angelfood cake topped with strawberris, cantelope and whipped cream. As the night was about to end, they told me of their friends in the next town I’d be crossing and their motel. They told me to look them up and maybe they’d give me a good deal. Needless to say I am extremely greatful for Dave and Rena’s hospitality and excellent food and if you guys end up reading this, please understand how thankful I am. We said our goodbyes and I went to my tent well-fed and good humored. I slept well, with the occasional burp.
Day 49: Nipigon to Schreiber: Woke up late. Got out of town even later. Noticed the terrain seemed significantly more difficult. Oh, and for the record, the highway shoulders in Ontario are terrible and today was no exception. Basically these hills were almost comparable to the mountains of BC. So I fought the wind, avoided the rain and climbed and descended the hills. I made it to the motel Dave and Rena talked about and prepared to talk to the owners about them. Nobody was home. I checked every door, and the garage. Every door was unlocked so I figured someone would be returning shortly. I even entered their home (attached to the motel) and was confronted by the most intimidating and ineffective German Sheppard guard dog ever. I petted him and scratched his belly and played ball with him for half an hour. I also gave the occasional “Hello?” in case someone was home. No answer. After much deliberating, I decided to head into Schreiber and check out the pub that they also happened to own. I descended a large hill with a large smile on my face until I realized that I’d be climbing it on the way back to the motel. I made it to the Press Box Bar and Grill and asked for Chris and Judy (the friends of Dave and Rena) and it was their that I met Shane, the son of Chris and Judy. He told me that his folks were out of town but that his brother was back at the motel and would gladly accomodate me. I told him I was there for almost an hour and he called his brother. Apparently his brother (I can’t remember his name) was sleeping in the next room and never heard me. I got some food and talked with Shane for a bit about my trip. He decided to load my bike into his van and drive me up the hill to the motel. It was there that I met the sleepy brother and they let me crash for the night for $30, no tax… A fair bargain…
Day 50: Schreiber to Marathon: Woke up late. Left late. Flew down the hill, again:) Decided to go to a gas station to pump my tires and met another cyclist named Keston, who was from Kamloops and was sitting at the station waiting for a ride to the next town. Keston’s ankle had been swollen for a few days and he decided not to ride. Ahead of him were two of his riding partners (whom I would meet later) and they were cycling for a cause called “peddle for the planet” (just put .com at the end of that to check it out). We discussed eachothers’ trips briefly and then I was on my way. Well I explained my previous day to you and how there were a lot of giant hills, camparable to BC? Now imagine the exact same terrain, again. Talk about deja-vu… Even the distance was almost the same to the next town. The only difference was that it started raining again about half-way. Well I made it to Marathon, or at least the sign that says Marathon (a cruel prank in Ontario that I would grow accustomed to) and figured out that Marathon is actually 5 km off the highway and my campsite is even further. So I started on my way, downhill, and cursing the hill as I passed because I knew I’d be climbing it in the morning. Made it to my campsite, paid for it by putting money in an envelope and then in a letter box for the magic fairy to collect. I went back into town to call my mom (hi mom!) and then bought some groceries and settled at the A+W for a teen burger, some onion rings and a root beer. That’s right, I said A+W… wanna fight about it? Don’t worry, I’ll burn it off… eventually… So I made it back to my tent and realized that Keston had made his way there and joined his riding buddies Martina from Vancouver Island-ish (can’t remember the name) and Malcolm from Whitehorse. I decided to walk over and introduce myself and about 10 minutes later, Martina was helping me carry over my tent to their site. We’ve been riding and camping together ever since. Keston is an interesting fellow, although the word “interesting” doesn’t begin to describe him. He is very kind and thoughtful and has seen many adventures with his bike, including a trip through the States and way down through Mexico. Martina had never really been into biking before this trip but she is well-travelled, determined and caring. Malcolm is the youngest of the squad and he has done a LOT of biking. He has toured through the States and beyond and put in over 20000 km last year alone. He is intelligent, wise, and optimistic and what makes us all a good fit I think is we can all connect with our good sense of humor. Anyways, we all discussed the next day and possibly riding together and then went to bed.
Day 51: Marathon to White River: Woke up later than everyone. Got packed up last. Keston offered me some coffee. I accepted. He passed me a filter, with grounds over an empty tin can with no label. The coffee was actually quite good and it perked me up, especially when I reached the bottom of the tin and sipped the remains of the kidney-bean juice. I said I’d catch up on the road and they took off. But before I continue, I have to note what these guys carry for food. Here I am with my humble little lipton noodle pack and maybe some bread for last nights supper. Well they’ve got the entire picnic table covered with cans of beans, jars of salsa, flatbreads, chips, bowls, eggs, metal utensils, multiple vegetable remains and packages and of course dried pasta and couscous. I still can’t beleive they carry all that food, but now I’m tempted to… Continuing on, I left Marathon in the rain and climbed that stupid hill and kept on going expecting to catch up. Never did. All that time I thought either they were too fast or I was too slow. Turns out they stayed in Marathon late to use the internet at the library as I flew towards White River trying to catch up. After a little ways past Marathon, there was an intense fog, the first I’ve had to deal with on this trip. So I got out my little LED light and attached it to my back wheel to make me more noticable. It actually works quite well, it’s pretty bright. Other than the fog, the day was filled with much less hills, but still the rain and some wind. I managed to make it to White River by 2:30 pm which is an early day and I found a hotel that would let me set up my tent behind them for free. I got set up and went to the local restaurant to fill the hunger gap and after I left I met the crew of Malcolm, Keston and Martina as I crossed the road. I mentioned the free camping and they got set up. The day ended in relaxing and we went to bed.
Day 52: White River to Wawa: Woke up and left with the crew. This was the first morning since leaving Braden that my itinerary was linked to someone elses. It was weird. We made sure to see the Winnie The Pooh statue (White River is his home- check out the pictures) and then we were on our way. Martina likes to lead the pack, Keston is at the tail and of course Malcolm is in the middle (a sad attempt at humor). I decided to tail Keston and see how the pace went. Well they each have their own pace and while I usually bike much faster, I also take more breaks. These guys bike half the day without stopping, which took some getting used to. The day was alright weather wise, there weren’t as many hills as previous days and the shoulders were OK. I seriously passed a sign for “The Yellow Brick Road”. I did not follow it. My life is average (that one’s for you Matt). Along the way, Keston had his ankle act up again so he rested for a while on the roadside while the rest of us continued on. We made it to Wawa and found a library to access the web. Keston found us not too long after and we made dinner plans. Martina and Malcolm were going to buy food at the grocery store, after the peddle for the planet trio met with the local newspaper, head to the campsite (5 km out of town) and Keston and I wanted pizza. We walked into the pizza place and ordered and I waited for Keston to return. Well my pizza showed up about 25 minutes before Keston, so I dived in. I was finishing of my crusts when Keston arrived to start on his own pizza. The pizza was great, and I’d start burning it off sooner than I thought. It turned out that through mis-comunication, Keston and I added about 10 km to our jouney looking for the campsite. It was off the road, on the beach of Lake Superior, but the trick was finding the right beach. Well we met up eventually, after climbing large gravel hills needlessly, and set up on a beautiful shoreline. Managed to catch the sunset (check out my pictures and a video I made), made a small campfire and enjoyed some time under the bright stars. A clear night, I thought to myself.
Day 53: Wawa to Montreal River: Woke up to a cloudy and rainy morning. Keston was going to try and hitch a ride into Sault Ste. Marie because his ankle was acting up again. Which left Malcolm, Martina and I to venture on. The day went on rather quickly, and with the exception of some more giant hills, it wasn’t a bad day. Then Malcolm’s chain broke. We pulled off the road and he tried to fix it. An hour and a half later we were back on the road. Made it maybe another 13 km, and a piece of his shortened chain fell off. Spent more time fixing the chain on the side of the road. By the time Malcolm was finished (and I have to admire his determintaion and optimism) his chain was so chort that he could not reach certain gears. For the bike experts: his derailer was bent so far forward it was almost grinding the chain. While we were waiting we came across an Australian guy named Lee heading the other way. We was very friendly and we exchanged stories. We wished him well and bidded him a safe journey through Canada with hopefully no snow, leaving so late in the year. We managed to make it to Montreal River after an amazing downhill stretch of almost 5 km which saw me reach near light-speed. Montreal River was exactly that: a river. There wasn’t really a town, but a campground by the river. It ended up being a pretty nice spot and once again there was a cool sunset. There was a family camping close to us from Brampton and they invited me over to their site for some conversation. I spent some time there with Tony and his wife and four children and had some good laughs. They had a giant bonfire going and had some stuff called “Magic Fire”which makes your fire turn to all colours of the rainbow. It was a sight to see. I forgot to mention that there was this lonely old man who just retired and wandered over to our site while we were finishing supper. He would start a conversation (but conversations consist of 2 people) and then ramble on about the topic himself. He began by insulting us by asking how many km we had done that day and then saying, “That’s it?” and he meant it. If you butted in with a comment, he would carry on about that. If you didn’t say anything, he would pick a random topic. If you ignored him (which Malcolm and Martina eventually did and then left me alone with him, thanks guys;) he would pretend to mozy on forward and then start another random topic. Well I do have a desire for listening to people, but even I have limits. The best was when he wanted your opinion on something and then when you started to give it, he would change the topic. Craziness. I learned the trick was to get really interested and ask intrusive questions, kind of like reverse psychology. He said it was getting late and wished me good luck. Perfect. So I showered and went to bed.
Day 54: Montreal River to Sault Ste. Marie: Woke up under a rain-drenched tent. Oh sure my stuff was dry on the inside, but I have to get to in the wet eventually. So I packed what I could, put on my rain gear and headed for the office store. I bought a litre of milk, and three little boxes of cereal. It was awesome. It totally reccomend the combo of Rice Krispies, Corn Pops and Fruit Loops. I packed my tent in the rain and got ready to go. The three of us got underway and started climbing hills again. After about 30 km of hill climbing it finally flattened out. We made it over 40 km to a quaint little rest stop with indian carvings and crafts and such. As we rode into the rest stop area, that crazy old man I told you about before was there, just leaving the store and he yelled towards us, “What. Did you guys get motors or something?” (refering to how fast we had gotten there) we laughed a nervous kind of laughter and he walked to his RV and drove away. Nightmare averted. I stocked up on some lunch food and we rode another 25 km or so to stop for lunch at Chippewa River. I didn’t take a picture, but it was a pretty sight. We ate in the rain and batted off the black flies (who act like mosquitos) and then left for the next 60 km. We made it quite a ways before Malcolm got a flat tire. Suprisingly, his chain lasted to the whole trip. Martina was far up the road and so I offered my pump, but couldn’t find the adapter for his different valve system. So Malcolm ran up to Martina to get her pump only to realize it wasn’t working. After much effort, I managed to find my adapter and we got his tire pumped just enough to make it to the next gas station. We made it to the next gas station and pumped it full. All day I had been wearing my rain gear, but by this point it was warming up so I stripped down to my shorts and T-shirt. We rode into town before long and wound our way over the dusty, non-biker friendly streets to the bike shop where Keston would be waiting with Andre, a local bike enthusiast offering his home for us to stay for 2 nights. We met up after some waiting, which saw me indulge into a cheeseburger and fries (I don’t know why I crave grease when I’m working out) and then we rode 6 km to his beautiful house. I met the dog Molly, and she put up her paw for a tummy rub. We got aqainted with Andre and Andrea (his wife) and had a glorious supper of tacos, sourcream, salads and sausages and topped off with raspberry pie with icecream. They have a sauna in their house, which I partook in and then watched a movie to cap off the long day. Zoolander is such a mindless movie, but so worth watching on a day like that. I slept in a bed downstairs, comfortably.
Day 55: Still in Sault Ste. Marie: Woke up later than usual because I could. Ate crepes and french toast for breakfast and loaded on the maple syrup because it’s divine. Stayed at home because of the monsoon outside (which apparently they haven’t seen in a while- if only I had a loonie for all the times I’ve heard THAT on this trip) and was on the Net for most of the day writing for you fine people. I eventually rode out in the rain to fetch some groceries for the next leg of my trip and just had supper. We ate rice topped with cooked vegetables and cheese and it was very good. Oh and Andre loves wine. He makes his own and there is always an open bottle, at least while I’ve been here. He is responsible, of course, as am I, but it’s been nice to have wine whenever I’m thirsty:) I venture out tomorrow with the same trio along the #17 highway taking one more step closer to Ottawa.
So that’s all that’s been happening… Thanks again you guys for the comments, they really encourage me, and I wish I could respond to all of them, but then I wouldn’t have time to blog! (to comment, try clicking on a recent post on the right of the screen, and then you should be able to scroll to the bottom and comment)
I heard I was mentioned on 96.9 Jack FM the other day, so thanks Eric Francis for doing that for me…
Keep me in your thoughts and prayers and know I miss you all, but also know I’m enjoying myself and am getting more and more excited about the journey to come…
This is also about raising awareness for the food bank, folks… They do an amazing thing for those in need in Calgary… I’ve seen it with my own eyes… Spread the word and let people know what I’m doing!
Hey there’s some new pics for you to look at before I blog again and and even more pics… Just go to the right side of the page and there’s a link to pictures of “SK, Manitoba and Kenora”…
I may have been born in Saskatchewan, but right now the only privilege I feel granted is to have a justified opinion on how AWFUL the highways are! I’d take some time to knock the highways further, but I hear Manitoba is worse! Oh goody…
I spent that evening with my Uncle Jeff, Aunt Connie, and my cousins Greg (who stayed an extra day to see me before moving) Justin (who just got back from tree planting) and Matthew (who is home for the summer from school). After great food, multiple slices of Saskatoon pie and good conversations by the firepit outside, it was a welcome relief to the daily grind. I slept in my cousin Natasha’s bed (she is off at camp) and the next morning I got to talk to her on the phone and get her verbal approval for my having stayed in her room.
