Day 62 - Au Revoir Ontario

I woke up to rain dripping it's way through the tree cover onto my tent. It was heavy enough to warrant waiting a few hours before I left the comfort of my tent and ventured towards Quebec. On the way to the bridge I stopped into the war museum and gawked at the tanks on display from the windows outside. I also visited Parliament Hill where it struck me (as it has on various points of my tour) how incredible it is that I have made it this far by bicycle.

After a few wrong turns I found my way to the bridge to Quebec and bid my home province of Ontario farewell and thanks for a month of travel and experience I'll never forget. It was bittersweet but the subtle changes I expect to find in Quebec were something I've been looking forward to for a long while. I also can't wait to ride the famous La Route Verte across Quebec. It should be a relaxing change from the sometimes hectic and shoulder-less roads I've had to ride on occasion in Ontario.

Immediately across the bridge I was greeted with a bike path that curved along between the road and river east of the bridge where many geese and a few gophers hung out. The path at times went onto quiet side streets where cars were of little concern and through all sorts of well marked turns. It may not have been the most direct route but certainly a pleasure to ride.

I felt it was mandatory to eat a poutine or two in Quebec so I stopped for one on the corner of Georges and 148. A few hours later my stomach decided that was a critical mistake and well... lets just hope the owner of certain garage near Papineauville didn't go venturing out back the next day. I also dealt with a small bit of rain but nothing serious which left an aftermath of thick and extremely amazing looking fog that cut across the farm lands and along with the full moon made for some incredible looking landscapes.

I did a bit of night riding as La Route Verte had brought me onto 148 which had some very wide and clear shoulders to safely ride on. The night atmosphere was fantastic and a welcome change from the sun I have come to be very familiar with since BC. It carried me on safely for as long as I felt like riding until I decided to camp alongside an outdoor hockey ring in Pointe-au-Chêne for my first night in lovely Quebec!

Day 61 - Mud Lake

Last night I was the victim of some serious squirrel harassment. They are by far the loudest creatures I've encountered in the wild. They make crazy chirping at each other over territory disputes and have no qualms about climbing over my tent and scaring me awake with their little claws raking across my tent. I've heard much larger creatures lumbering around but squirrels take the cake for most nosy and fearless bunch.

Before I could leave this morning I discovered another flat on rear again. Once again it was a small sliver of metal similar to a staple that I most likely picked up through some of the construction that was being done on the roads yesterday. It was easily fixed either way and I set off on a beautiful day along the reliable TCH. A couple of fellows must have seen me fixing the tire at a gas station a ways up the road as they asked me if everything was ok after and about my tour.

As the sun went down I hopped onto the Trans Canada Trail near Carleton Place. The trail was nice to ride on with very little loose stone and quiet surroundings with trees leaning in on both sides. By dark I was guided by my small bike light and at times when the trees cleared off I shut the lights off and followed the light of the moon. I never caught sight of any animals but I heard a few scurry off as I approached. Startling a bear or running into a deer were my only concerns.

The trail shot straight into Ottawa where I found an interesting area of sand and tall trees to put up my tent. For such a big city this was a nice little area to find and camp in with no old fires or beer bottles laying around to indicate it could be a hangout spot for teenagers or anyone else to be bothered by. It was incredibly dark and very quiet and only the occasional squirrel disrupted the silence. I was far enough off the path to not notice anyone that may be passing by late in the night. If ever you find yourself stranded in Ottawa, check this little spot out.

Day 60 - Squirrel Town

Leaving Peterborough finally put me out of the big cities and back to highway riding through wooded lands. This type of travel is what I've grown accustomed to and allows me to saunter along and enjoy the relaxed atmosphere of sparse wooded lands and the occasional cluster of country houses and farms. The roads are acceptable, not spectacular but safe enough that I don't need to look behind me often for any heavy traffic.

As the sun creeps behind the trees I've set up camp just a few meters from the highway in a strange little wooded area alongside a lake. There are squirrels everywhere in the trees and bouncing around in their squirrelish ways. This should be a nice place to camp with only a bit of noise from the highway to worry about in the night.

Day 59 - Peterborough

I left Oshawa on a familiar route for a short time but soon entered part of the city I wasn't familiar with. Going on further east I entered farm lands about 20 km out of town. The land was very hilly with great views at the tops and fast times going down and large trees lining the roads. My route was cut short by a bridge under construction but I pushed the bike around the side and went on to have a completely empty road to myself for a ways.

In Peterborough I found my friend Teri Lynn's house and was treated to a great meal and some relaxing times. We watched a movie and some Invader Zim, which is a pretty twisted and hilarious cartoon. Check it out!

Day 58 - Oshawa Break

Decided to spend a day in Oshawa relaxing. Went to the library and after 10 years still had an active account! I saw The Campaign with my step/half sisters, it was pretty silly but decent none the less. Tomorrow I'll leave and head to Peterborough to stay with a friend there.

Day 57 - Oshawa

Short day to head north up 2 to Oshawa where I'll visit some more estranged family and probably take one more day off there. I lived in Oshawa for a year about 10 years ago and the city hasn't changed much. It's a decent enough place but I'm starting to itch to get out of these cities and onto some quiet country roads again.

I considered cutting through Scarborough along the way to visit the area where I grew up but decided against it. Nostalgia is great and taking a stroll down memory lane is nice but sometimes its more of a distraction. I've spent so much time looking forward in this tour that I didn't want to look back. I had already pondered doing a second tour across Canada in the future so perhaps I could visit then. Returning to the giant green and grey cradle when I've got a solid education and job under me will be much more rewarding.

The drivers on the way to Oshawa were plenty and the bad ones made themselves known with honks and cursing out their car windows. Must be Rob Ford supporters. Once I got into Pickering on 2 the area started to get more and more familiar from my bike rides 10 years ago. My step families house was easy enough to find and I pulled to see for the first time my little nephew Damien. I'm an uncle! Jesus I'm old haha...

Day 51-56 T-Dot

I didn't want to blog about each day here in Toronto but I did get to do a lot of random stuff. My aunt that lives here spoiled me with takeout the entire time. I've enjoyed a few rides around town and oddly have to say that riding the streets of Toronto feels pretty safe. I discovered you can't walk up the CN Tower anymore. Its now a charity event hosted 2 or 3 times a year. Bummer.

I picked up a new tire for the bike and put it on the back, rotating the rear one back up to the front and putting the old back one on a curb for someone to take along with my fender that doesn't fit the new back tire.

One of my other aunts and her husband were also coming to town to see Bruce Springsteen so I spent a bit of time with them as well dining and taking a bus tour around town as well as visiting Toronto island.

It turned out that Fan Expo was happening from Fri-Sun as well so I checked that out. I ended up meeting Stan Lee (creator of Spider-Man), LeVar Burton (Reading Rainbow, Startrek), and got a picture with Christopher Lloyd and the Delorian! Gillian Anderson was to be there but only Sat and Sun, she is an absolute babe but I have to get back on the road again... C'est la vie.

I also hung out with my step sister whom I haven't seen in 10 years. We checked out the busker fest which was ongoing and a bit dull. My last day there I also wen't to Niagra Falls and got right down in under it which is pretty impressive to behold.

It's been a great week off and my legs feel rested for the first time in a month but I've got to get moving again, still 3500 km or so to go before I'm done!

Day 50 - The Big T.O.

I ended up staying up late and having a few drinks as well as getting rained on so I wasn't up very early. The couple that had let me stay in their yard saw me off and I didn't leave town until about 12pm. I knew I'd be taking some time off in Toronto and staying with my aunt so I set out to make it there today.

Things started out as farm lands with giant wind turbines and progressed into bigger and bigger towns. It wasn't long before I was going through places with more then 100k people. Eventually I was in the full blown city and it was close after 12pm so the traffic was decent. I rode a bit on the 410 which is both illegal and somewhat dangerous, but man is it flat with wide shoulders. The off and on ramps are a disaster for a cyclist tho and if it were daytime I would have avoided it entirely.

I passed through quiet business districts and down main streets that would probably be packed with cars in the day. At one point a train crossing had a train coming my way but going slow as hell. I figured I'd play it safe and just wait (I could have made it across the tracks easily, the gate was up for a bit). The damn thing took 15 minutes to pass by...

Anyhow I did eventually make it to my aunts in Toronto and will stay here for a while for my first and most likely only long break of the tour. I'm hoping to walk up the CN tower and explore the city a bit in the next few days.

Day 49 - An Eventful Day

I slept in. My frigging alarm didn't go off. I've been thinking lately I've just been turning it off in my sleep but after a test it did not go off at all. Last night there was a lot of rustling in the bushes around my tent and something big pushed its way through the wooded area a few feet away at one point. Made sleeping a bit difficult at times. By the time I was up and gone it was 9:30am and my plans of making the 9am ferry were long ruined. The next ferry would be at 1:30pm and was about 65 km away so I had to hope the wind and hills wouldn't slow me too much today.

The road snaked around through flat lands, hills, and along rivers for many nice views I could only appreciate briefly. The winds weren't great but they didn't hinder me as badly as yesterday. I spotted a kids bike in a ditch that appeared to be in good condition so I dragged it onto the side of the road to be better seen by whoever may have lost it. Turned out a truck that had passed me a few moments prior was slowly cruising down the highway looking for that very bike. Not long after that I found $20 stuck in a bush, free ferry ride!

For the third time I ran into Henry at the top of a long hill having a break. I stopped with him for a bit before realizing I only had 1hr left and 20 km to get to the ferry so I bolted and pushed on and caught the ferry just as they were beginning to load cars on and ended up being the first one let on. Harry had made it on just before we left as well. For 2 hours I relaxed on the ferry while it sailed south on the massive lake. A few gulls lazily drifted along with the ferry and were fed cheezies by a few passengers. We passed a scenic lighthouse and it turns out yesterday was national lighthouse day (or something similar).

After arriving in Tobermory and riding another 30 km I sat at a corner store for a break and some food where Henry eventually stopped as well and we met for the last time today. I'm pretty sure he ended up camping in a visitor center I saw up the road but I pressed on in hopes of cutting down on the distance to Toronto. After 3 coffees and another 50 km or so I found myself in Weirton where it was quickly getting dark. I found a nice big field by the town hospital but as I was setting up my tent I noticed a couple sitting by a fire in their backyard not far off so I figured I'd better explain myself to ease any worries they'd have.

When I told them about my trip and what I was doing they invited me to pitch my tent in their backyard and join them around the fire for a few drinks. It turns out the couple was hosting a small party for a friends birthday. Eventually a few more people showed up and I had a great time talking with everyone and enjoying a few drinks and some cake. I was up later than I had planned but the price was certainly worth it. What a great time and awesome day!

Day 48 - Wind Giveth and Taketh

After yesterday I had to get some km put in so I was up and gone at 7am and happy to find the weather was nice with a strong wind blowing my way. I put 50 km behind me in little time and turned off onto Lee Valley road for a slightly shorter route to Manitoulin Island. The road was very bumpy and in somewhat poor conditions but had hardly any cars using it. It cuts through quiet farm lands for a very peaceful ride. I found something very nice on the side of the road, but until I get home and figure out who owns it I won't go into too much detail.

Lee Valley road lead me into the town of Espanola where I stopped for groceries and ran into Henry again. At this point I had gone 85 km with only 450m of climbing so the land was fairly flat up until this point. Leaving town I had to turn south onto 6 to get down to Manitoulin where the hills suddenly begin and the terrain gets very similar to that of Newfoundland.

The road snakes its way down into the Island which unfortunately for me turned the wind that had been at my back all day into a brutal headwind that made progress difficult. I ended up taking a long break at a wide part of the road they use for the snow plows to turn around in the winter. The wind didn't let up by the time I started again so I trudged along at times getting slowed down to 10 kph on flat ground from the brutal winds. I spotted quite a few massive birds that I believe were Turkey Vultures soaring in place in the wind.

After 15k of wind in my face I arrived in Little Current and found an abandoned field that looked like it was used by horses on occasion with a viewing area off to its side that had a roof. The clouds looked like they would be bringing rain so I set up under the little shack and stayed the night. Tomorrow I'm hoping to make it to the early ferry that will take me across Lake Huron to Tobermory.

Day 47 - Just Rain

I was up early to the sound of rain battering my tent, so I went back to sleep. I ended up lazing around until 1pm until the rain died down. As soon as I got everything out of the tent and half packed it started pouring again.

I left town and dealt with more rain than not for the short distance I went today. Luckily the shoulders on the highway were generous so I wasn't too bothered by the traffic. In Blind River I was able to dry my tent and some clothes at a laundromat and further up the road I met another cyclist named Henry who was going from Thunder Bay to Toronto.

Twenty more kilometers out of Blind River the weather stayed wet so I decided to call it a day with only 45 km traveled and found an abandoned baseball field with a nice shelter built behind it to put my tent under. Tomorrow will be drier hopefully and I'll make it to Manitoulin Island.

Day 46 - Mennonite Country

I said goodbye to the Cuddy's this morning after a big breakfast and grabbed two spare tubes in the old downtown district of town. I checked out the bridge that connects Canada to the USA and talked with a strange guy who had actually ran into the other cyclist I met a while back (guy with the trailer). Small world.

Coming out of town I ran into two other cyclists going from Calgary to Toronto. I would run into them a few times today. Saw lots of giant things. A giant table, giant loonie, and giant Newfie chair (that's what I call them at least).

The roads were flat for most of the trip with a few farms and the occasional Mennonite driving a horse and carriage. I came across a closed camp ground and was poking around for a spot out of view when the two other cyclists passed by on the road.

I caught up to them only to find they were staying at a camp grounds and paying $15 each. When I told them I had spent about $65 total in camping fees the last month and a half they were floored. They had been staying on paid camp grounds every night and it was costing them a small fortune.

I left them to find a spot somewhere further up the road. A church looked good but the nearby graveyard spooked me, so after tangling a bungee chord in my spokes and nearly wrecking everything I found a school with a massive yard and camped there for the night.

Day 45 - Break Day

Decided to take a rest day and get some random things done. Ran down to bulk barn and got carried away spending $30 on 4.5 pounds of nuts, dried berries, and m&m's to make a sort of chaos mix. Doug has some nice digital scales and I weighed myself for the first time since Summerland, BC to find I was now 137 lbs. When I started this tour I was 150 lbs! If I can ride for just one more year I should change from a solid to a gas!

I also picked up a pen and notebook and from here on out will be writing my daily journals in that rather then the arduous task of swyping them into my phone and dealing with its insane and sometimes hilarious word prediction (whole grain dumpster bread?!). I'll try to update this blog as the cell service allows me.

I looked into getting another kobo but the hassle of downloading books back onto it topped with the likely chance it'll break made me stick with paperback. The extra weight kinda sucks but I can always ditch the books I've read once the time comes, tho I'd much rather get the old battered things back to sit on a book shelf back home. I've picked up the first book in the Dark Tower series by Stephen King.

It did occur to me how funny it is that I've gone from eBook and phone blogging to paperback and pen/paper. Seems I'm going backwards technologically. Anyhow, I'll be heading out tomorrow once due east towards Blind River, ON. Happy cycling!

Day 44 - Salut Sault

Today was a fairly lazy day. I didn't have much distance to cover so I did it slowly, stopping to read my book and relax as often as I liked. The ride itself wasn't anything out of the ordinary from the last few days. About 20 km from town I finally got cell service for the first time since Thunder Bay and after a barrage of emails and texts I was delighted to find my warmshowers contact had emailed me back and said whenever I show up to town is fine and that they had plenty of food so I should plan to be hungry. What good fortune I have to get such emails!

Sharon and Doug are a retired couple that live in the heavily wooded area of northern Sault Ste. Marie. I had no trouble finding the great house they built and was quickly shuffled in and showed to a cool room to call my own for the night. Doug cooked enough chicken and pesto to feed 8 people and we enjoyed quite a few of his you-brew-it beers before calling it a night. I had to smile at the irony that eating a big meal and having a few drinks then sleeping in a bed would be nothing out of the normal a few months ago but now it was the royal treatment. Makes you appreciate things.

Tomorrow I will get some stuff around town and possibly take a rest day and stay a second night as the hospitality Doug and Sharon have shown me will make it difficult to do otherwise (Doug mentioned about taking a break while pouring me up a beer, impossible to say no!). What is a cycle-hobo to do?

Day 43 - Beach Please...

A few noises woke me up last night but it was most likely squirrels. For such tiny creatures they are obnoxiously loud at times. Today I was hoping to push the 175 km to Sault St. Marie but the hills combined with the amazing beaches along lake Superior all slowed my progress. I was more then happy to stop a few times at various sand beaches throughout the day for a quick break and splash from the water.

At one point I was stopped along the shore eating an apple and the remainder of my trail mix and just lazily staring at the water. I ended up sitting there for some time enjoying the scenery before I headed off again up the road to discover a truck flipped over and surrounded by police and fire trucks. I didn't stop to ask but it looked like the truck had been in the northbound lane before it lost control and flipped over eventually skidding to a stop on the shoulder of the southbound lane.

It was a bit shocking to see such a thing and I wondered if my sitting at the shore had set me off the path of being crushed by that truck. That got me thinking about Quinn's tour to raise awareness for organ donation. His only message to me was to make people aware of my desire to be an organ donor. My license states I am an organ donor and I think here and now is a great place to say that when I do die you can give my body over to be carved up and used as the medical community sees best. Don't burn or bury me, I've got some healthy bits to use! It would be pretty cool if you could recycle the metal rod in my left tibia into something useful as well.

Back to the day, I had wanted to cover 175 km to Sault St. Marie but at the 110 km mark I came across a spectacular beach with fine warm sand and ended up staying there for the night rather than cover the remaining 65 km and getting into town 11pm or later. I figured it would be too late to see if my warmshowers contact had got back to me and hunting for a church or walmart to camp on couldn't stand to the appeal of a warm quiet beach, so under the stars and on the soft sand I camp tonight.

Day 42 - Dream Walker

I left the pooh town and spotted a fellow I had seen yesterday pushing what I had initially thought was a baby carriage. Today I stopped to chat with him to find that he is walking across Canada! The carriage he is pushing is a trailer designed for carrying gear and a quick look at it and him was all I needed to know this man had been walking for some time.

His name is Pierre and he is from Quebec and living in Vancouver. He is making his way to St. John's Newfoundland covering about 45km a day. At 65 hes happily retired and is walking the world and plans to write a book about his experiences. It is to be called "Dream Walker" at the suggestion of a lovely girl he met in Ecuador. He told me of a few treks hes been on but after he mentioned Vancouver to Ecuador I was too baffled to remember the rest. I'm hoping I can run into him again in Newfoundland when he nears the completion of his trip. Meeting characters like Pierre has been one of the best parts of my trip as they burn with such a spark of life that you tend to catch a bit of it yourself.

After I bid Pierre farewell I started on my way down the TCH which would take a bend and lead me south until I reach Sault St. Marie in a couple days. The terrain was hilly as it had been the last while. With the thickness of the woods and the lumpy hills all around I sometimes feel like I'm riding across a massive chia pet. The wind wasn't too much of a bother today fortunately.

I met another cyclist pulling a trailer and heading west and we chatted for a bit. He was going from Ottawa to Vancouver on an old bike and trailer he had bought for next to nothing. His seat had come loose and he had wired it back into place and showed me its new fancy swivel feature which I thought was hilarious. He had also strapped a windscreen from a ski-do and a rear view mirror from a car onto the handle bars. He was like the hobo MacGyver of bicycle touring.

After a long stretch of desolate hills I arrived in Wawa and was startled to hear the roaring of car engines just over a hill in town. It turns out they were having a drag race show for the weekend but the fee to enter was $25 so I didn't bother to go in. I was however finally able to get on the internet again at a Tim Horton's and send an email to a WarmShowers host in Sault St. Marie. Hopefully I can hear back from them at some point and have a place indoors to relax for a day.

I was 200 km from Salut St. Marie at this point so I figured I'd push on and try to make it there by tomorrow night. I ended up doing another 40 km south from Wawa until it started getting late and I found a quiet area off the highway to camp. I saw a few bear tracks in a sandy area and gave the bear mace a test to see what kind of range it had. I didn't spray myself but I tasted it and its actually pretty good! Bear mace sandwiches anyone? My tongue is pleasantly tingling and I will be sleeping lightly listening for nosy bears tonight.

Day 41 - Relentless Winds

Despite the amount of sleep I got in the day yesterday I still didn't get up until 8am. The wind was still gusting but I would have to face it eventually it seemed. I packed up and after searching the town a bit had to leave on the same road that brought me in from the highway. This meant a long uphill before I was to continue east. When I did make it back to the TCH I had 10 km already on my odometer and one pain in the ass hill behind me to wake me up. Turning east on the TCH rewarded me with a blast of wind in the face that would continue all day.

I took more breaks then usual hoping the winds would change but every time I'd start again they'd be gusting the same as before. I was making terrible time and growing weary of the constant harassment the gusts caused me. They stole the air from my lungs, deafened my ears, pushed me back forcing me to constantly change gears, and robbed me of my speedy rewards on the downhills. They also blew the rotten stench of roadkill carcasses at me when given the opportunity.

This put me in a dark mood and I wondered what the hell I was doing here in windy tree hell Ontario. I had long decided I wasn't riding any considerable distance today so I stopped into a diner and had a coffee while reading my book for a while. Three cups later I decided to get the last 40 km over with and get to White River.

The coffee lightened my mood a bit and I cleared the last 40 km as the winds eased up their assault. The waitress at the diner had seen three other cyclists up the road which had me hoping I'd find some familiar faces in White River but a lap around town left me alone still. I did learn that this is the town that "Winnie" the bear was purchased from who would later go on to inspire the Winnie the Pooh character. It would be hard not to know this if you passed through as it it plastered everywhere.

Anyhow I'm camping next to an old train car that is out for display by the towns information center. A lot of RVs and the like are here as well so it seems to be the best place. It's actually pretty chilly at night the past few days... So I'm going to hop in the oll sleeping bag and hope tomorrow the winds aren't such assholes.

Day 40 - Lazy Day Off

I woke up this morning to overcast skies and a lot of wind from the northeast. This was excuse enough for me to delay my start but I eventually decided I'd just take the whole day off.

I ran to the grocery store and got some junk to eat and randomly read, ate, and napped all day while the wind sent sporadic gusts into the side of my tent.

Tomorrow I'll make a really early start of it and if the hills give way and the wind lets up I'll try and put in a good few km to make up for today.

Day 39 - Coffee Marathon

I was up at 8am to have a coffee in the church and was given some muffins from the priest before he left to give a sermon. Before leaving town I located the laundromat and cleaned all my clothes. It was located in the basement of a gas station with a restaurant.

One of the ladies had seen me biking around town and told me to come upstairs to the restaurant to cook me breakfast. I was treated to pancakes, eggs, bacon, hash browns, and more coffee. She said I reminded me of one of her sons. I guess despite my gruff appearance I'm still fairly charming. Just another victim of youthful good looks.

With everything clean and a little too much eaten I went to leave town but got a flat in my front tire. Somehow the valve had partly ripped loose from the tube which made for a massive hole. There was no patching this and I was lucky to find the hardware store had one tube of the right size left.

With no more delays I was able to leave town and ride more of the same from yesterday. Hills and views of lake superior were the majority of the trip. I stopped for a break at a lookout and while eating some sausages, spotted a large bear crossing the train tracks in a valley below.

Later I settled in Marathon at the local campgrounds where a french cyclist approached me and despite the language barrier managed to communicate that he was cycling from Vancouver to Montreal. I'll settle here for the evening reading my book and listening to the amusingly loud geese and ravens on the lake near by.

Day 38 - Lake Superior

Quinn was up and gone before I woke up. The Pastor of the church showed up a little later with a coffee for me and left the church open so I could use the washroom. He gave me a little pamphlet about the baptist church and said if it's not for me then leave it somewhere for someone to find. Seems a fair deal for the generosity. (I'll put up a link here when I can)

I laid around a bit and read my book before leaving. The terrain today was as hilly as some days in BC. The hills themselves are covered from top to bottom in mostly pine trees. With the rising and falling of the land I was able to look out and see the massive Lake Superior. It's odd to see a body of water that isn't an ocean yet spanning over the horizon.

At Rossport I had climbed a 150m hill and was treated to a nice little beach at the top along the highway. I picked a spot with long smooth rocks slanting into the water and crawled into Lake Superior for a refreshing wash and swim. Afterwards I laid back on the sun warmed rocks and watched the clouds lazily crash into one another for some great relaxation.

A few more lumpy hills and I arrived in Schreiber where I casually rolled around the streets for a bit until I decided I'd stay at a roman catholic church. I was able to ring the ministers door and inquire about camping. He seemed to be a bit reluctant but decided it would be fine. He came out a bit later and we chatted about how my tour was and what I did each day. He seemed pretty amazed with the concept, and I've grown to see it's not all that hard but just takes time and dedication.

The Pastor invited me for coffee in the morning and bid me farewell and I shall camp in the safety of the church yard on this slightly chilly night in Ontario.

Day 37 - Terry Fox

I was up and feeling good to go so I bid my hosts farewell and first headed to chapters to pick up a copy of "Fools Fate" so I could finally get back to reading since the kobo crapped out. I headed northeast out of town and back onto the TCH and had a whole separate three lanes to myself due to construction.

I stopped to visit the Terry Fox memorial and ran into Quinn on the way up to the lookout. He was heading to Nipigon or further so I let him go on and figured we would meet up the road somewhere. The Terry Fox memorial was pretty great. The guy truly is a hero and inspiration to me.

I got back onto the TCH briefly then turned off on Lakeshore drive for a nice view of lake Superior. Quinn ended up getting a flat and we met up again back on the TCH not long after. A dark sky up ahead around 80 km in ended up pouring on us for a quick but hard shower. The last 30 km into town was enough to dry off.

I had scouted a few places to camp on the way through town and noticed a Baptist Church looked decent. We rode a few more km down the road to a convenience store and cooked some food on a picnic table across the street. By some strange coincidence the pastor for that church pulled up and asked us if we were camping and if so we were welcome to use the back yard of the church.

After a day that went from cool to hot to wet we ended it with our bellies full of warm food and a welcome spot behind a quiet church. Content is a word most fitting for how I feel tonight.

Day 36 - Rest Day

I lingered around the walmart area most of today and got some random things done. Deb invited me to a BBQ that I ended up being late for because I fell asleep when I was packing my gear up.

I met some of their friends and had a few beers and BBQ and played a game called "Things" which was pretty funny. I was invited to crash on their friends couch which I gladly accepted, and here I shall stay the night. No idea what I'm doing tomorrow.

Day 35 - Dawn Until Dusk

Unfortunately the ride data for the first 185 km was lost during the trip.

I was up at 4am but it was pouring out so I ended up sleeping in until 9am, long after the others had left. The skies were muggy and the ground damp from the nights rain. It was chilly but tolerable in a t shirt. The roads weren't as hilly today with a lot of flat stretches.

The first 100 km went by and it was close to 5pm at this point. I had taken two breaks to eat and dry out my tent. I hadn't seen any sign of the others but a fellow at the gas station who had come from the east said he had seen cyclists a ways up the road, not very specific.

I decided to ride on to the next town which I thought was another 60 km but it was closer to 80 km. The roads really flattened out and I was cruising along when I noticed the entire sky behind me was covered in very dark clouds. They eventually caught up and overtook me while pushing me with a nice tailwind.

Unfortunately with dark clouds comes rain. First it was little bitty stingin' rain, then big ol' fat rain. I finally got some use out of my rain jacket. I didn't bother to put on the rain pants so I ended up a soggy bottom boy. The rain got so heavy that cars pulled into the rest areas and I had the road to myself!

Eventually the rain ran it's course and a double rainbow came out! Woahhhh! Anyways my waist down was pretty wet by the time I reached town with 185 km behind me so I hung out at a closed store, had a snack, and put on less wet socks. The pop machine had lured me there but was all sold out but gave me a free toonie. At this point it was 9:30pm and I was still feeling fine and Thunder Bay was around 70 km further so I decided to do a little night riding again.

The moon was up in full soon after I left the small town and the traffic was sparse. At one point I was climbing a hill and I had the low beam on my headlamp on to watch for any bumps when I came across what I think is some kind of a wolf laying dead on the side of the road. It startled me at first seeing an animal of that size but I quickly realized it was dead. It had a compound fracture on one of it's front paws and had probably died not too long ago.

After getting a picture I realized I better have my bear mace out in case one if these gets brave and tries to attack me. Of course it's in my back bag under my bag of food, so the whole street smells like delicious bologna and I've got a good look at the size of the wildlife now so I'm a bit excited. I put the mace in my drink holder on the handlebar bag and moved along.

About 4 km up the road I noticed my solar panel is missing when I was patting around to check all my gear. One of my bungee cords was gone as well. Great, came off when I was getting the mace I figure. So I head back to the corpse and find the panel sitting there. No sign of the bungee but no big deal.

When I leave again about 2 km up the road my headlamp catches a pair of eyes 10 feet off the side of the road. I could feel the hair on me shoot right out in a pathetic but funny primitive reaction to danger and after an instinctive "Holy fuck!" I made a silly "AHHRAARAARA" type barking sound and it ran off with a glimpse back before it vanished. A little later I caught sight of a small fox across the road as well looking like it bobbed along with something in it's mouth. He ran off into a bush and I watched his little fox eyes follow me as I passed by.

The moon was out in full for a good while and I was able to ride by it's light alone but the clouds came again and covered it over and dropping a light rain. The glow of Thunder Bay's lights had been creeping closer and closer as I went on.

Eventually the woods left the sides of the roads and farms started showing up with a few street lights popping up here and there. I came across the Thunder Bay city sign but had to go on another 15 km down the TCH (which is 17 in Ontario) which at this point had tiny shoulders and only one lane each way. Bikes are actually not allowed on this road but since it was past 1am and the traffic was sparse I went on. In the day I wouldn't dare ride this road.

The big city finally showed up but was mostly a ghost town. The wind had been pushing me a good ways and now I rode alongside city trash that kept up with me surprisingly well. I found a walmart and set up behind it for a well deserved rest after my new longest ride on record.

Day 34 - +2

Must have rained a bit last night. I left the door open on my fly tarp for some dumb reason and my shoes got soggy. That made for an uncomfortable 40 km until I took a break to change socks and dry shoes.

I left Dryden before the couple did and just outside town saw a deer crossing the road get hit by a car. It flew a good ways but got up and ran away afterwards. Still a bit sad to see.

The wind was in my face and roads their usual Ontario hilliness  It was surprisingly chilly the morning and grey skies threatened with rain or worse. It was mostly woods and the odd house here and there. I see a lot of dreary marshes that remind me of Newfoundland.

The couple met me at a break area on side the highway at 40 km and we debated waiting or going as a lot of people were warning us of storms to the east. After a bit of lingering we decided to set off and the clouds parted to let the sun in. We met another cyclists not far from our stop who's name is Jenny. She has been biking a winding route from Victoria BC to various places all around for the past 3 months and plans to finish in Newfoundland.

The 4 of us went on and stopped in Ingace to eat a nice communal dinner of steak and salad. We eventually set up camp behind the community center (which forbids camping).

We actually had another cyclist stop in named Quinn which the couple had met in Dryden so he'll be camping here as well and tomorrow we will all make our way towards Thunder Bay, tho I'm not sure I'll make it there until Sunday.

Day 33 - I Dream of Crazy Trains

I decided to sleep in since I've been making such great time the last few days. The rain died down during the night but kept activating the lights in the pavilion. The train tracks were only 20m from the shelter I slept under so when a train would approach their horn wake me. I'd be confused and groggy then the ground would start trembling as they rolled by. This would usually trigger the lights and I could never make sense of what was going on but I figured I was going to be ran over every time it happened.

Despite my sleepy logic I survived the night and headed out of town. I saw the guy that suggested I use the pavilion and thanked him (a little more honestly) again. I was treated to comfortable overcast skies and cool 20° temperatures. Deb and Carlin said they'd be in Dryden tonight hopefully so after an easy 40 km I arrived in town and had a nap under a tree by the welcome sign.

When I awoke my back tire had gone flat. Once again I must have had a slow leak and I'll wager its one of those tiny metal bits I always seem to get stuck in my tire. I pumped it back up as a temporary fix and headed into town to get something to eat.

I decided I'd leave town and head further east on the TCH for the day but the sky started to darken and a walmart reared it's head so I figured I'd take a half day today. I need to get caught up on this blog anyways and my legs could use a rest and the bike needs some love. I've set up on the nice grassy side of walmart hidden by a small hill and a line of truckers staying here as well.

I tightened up the bolts on the bike and rotated the tires as the back one is showing a lot more wear than the front. Most likely this is due to the weight distribution and my tendency to use the rear breaks more. I did find a hole in the back tube but no apparent cause so all I can do is patch it and hope all is well.

Deb and Carlin showed up around 9pm and we will set out early tomorrow. The idea is to make Thunder Bay by Saturday which means two days of 175 km. Here's hoping!

Day 32 - Entering the Giant

I left Falcon Lake early but not as early as I'd of liked. Got back on the TCH and in a little more then 10 km I was greeted with the big welcome to Ontario sign. My 2300 km ride through this massive province begins today! I'm looking forward to it as it is my home province and there are a few people here I'll get to visit.

Right away the terrain was hilly and the roads were lined in thick forests. Its almost like they drew the boundary for Manitoba as soon as they hit the hills. The roads themselves were in good condition and had nice shoulders for most of the day.

I arrived in Kenora after 60 km with only a brief stop for a silly photo at the border. Here I picked up cell service again and found Deb and Carlin had gone kayaking somewhere near by. I ended up falling asleep on a bench by the big lake in town. The cool breeze and lack of sleep the night before due to obnoxious loud talkers were a good combination for an afternoon nap.

I wasn't sure if the couple would push on but they keep a good pace so I decided to leave town and just ride on until I grew tired. I rode through a few construction areas but nothing too hazardous. The TCH here does a lot of cutting through hills so you get a lot of sections with blasted rock walls on both sides. These really remind me of the highway in Newfoundland. They also make good high ground for camping if need be.

The TCH went winding along and I kept at it despite the day growing long. Soon enough it was 8pm and I was told by a motel clerk that there was nothing between us and Vermilion Bay but 50 km of bushes, moose, and bears.

I rode well past the time the sun was up and eventually had the moon overhead for my first bit of night riding. To the north the sky lit up more and more as a storm approached. It was fully dark and past 11pm when I arrived at the small town of Vermilion Bay.

I found a church to setup camp but a local saw my headlight and seemed to think it was a bad idea to camp there. After I asked about a better spot he suggested a bungalow not far down the road. A bit annoyed, I set off and found it quickly and just finished deciding I'd set my tent up under it when the sky opened up and it poured as heavily as I've seen so far. The oll first night in a new province rain trick I've seen a few times now.

Anyhow, the rain was really heavy for a short period and a tree even blew over near by. It's subsided since I've set the tent up and I've heard from Deb that they are in Kenora so I may take some shorter days and let them catch up. Until then, I'm friggin tired, good night!