Day 35 July 31 2009

Wawa to Pancake Bay

Depart: 9:30 am
Arrive: 8:30 pm

Daily Distance: 154.03 km
Time: 9:15:26
Odo: 3967. 1 km
Max: 48.1 km/hr
Avg speed 16.6 km/hr

Weather: Foggy wIth a breeze from the south, 12 degrees most of the morning.
Cleared in the afternoon.

Road: hilly, condition C+

I know you folks on the west coast don't want to hear this , but, its cold here. There was a heavy mist off the lake most of the day which forced me to put my coat on at the crest of each hill prior to my deccent. In the late afternoon just as I was about to pack it in the skys turned blue, I had only done 100km but I wanted to take advantage of the weather and get the dlimb at Montreal River behind me so I decided to do another 50 and try for pancake bay.
Fortunately, after the big climb the remainder of the trip was on level lakeshore. Along the way there must have been 100 places that I could have free camped with nice sandy beaches but I prefer campsites for showers and bear security. I was shocked to find Ontario campstes are 32 bucks a night and my site backs onto the highway, next time I free camp.
Mosquitoes are plentful this year but don't tend to bother you if you are moving faster than 11.6km/hr which has been a great incentive not to slack off on hills, if I do start going to slow, lunch is on me.
I've set up camp, cooked my lentil soup with a can of salmon and Ichiban noodles. In an aluminium pot so to keep from getting Alzheimers,  I better  go do a Sudoku.

Day 34 July 30 2009

40 km W of White River to Wawa Ont.

Depart: 7:30 am
Arrive: 5:30pm

Daily distance: 133.42 km/hr
Time: 7:53.14
Odo: 3813.0 km
Max: 46.2 km/hr
Avg. 16.9 km/hr

Weather: Overcast/showers, Wind S (headwinds)

Roads: C+

$10.20 today, 2 nickels a dime and a ten. Dollar bill, that's a good day. The terrain continues to be hilly and I'm starting to consider a rest day in the near future as soon as I'm out of Red Green country, just 2 more days to Sault Ste. Marie.
I have very fortunate with the weather being overcast and showers, I can't imagine doing these hills in the type of heat that's being experienced in the West, just remeber we had snow that stayed around for two months.
Tomorrow I head for Montreal River where I will camp prior to tackling the climb this side of the Sault.

Day 33 July 29 2009

Terrace Bay to 40km w of White River

Depart: 8:00am
Arrive: 6:30 pm

Daily Distance: 142. 89km
Time: 8:10:18
Odo: 3679.6 km
Max. 51.4 km/hr
Avg. Speed: 17.5 km/hr

Weather: Sunny and Cloudy most of the day, two rain showers.

Roads: Good, (B+)

Waited for the rain to stop then took off. I was determined to make better milage today. The first 80 km to Marathon  was short steep hills, I stopped counting after ten, it makes for slow going. Just as I approached Marathon, the rain started, I decided to go for lunch and get a few groceries. After waiting about 2 hrs  I was thinking I was going to have to stay having completed only 85km, then the rain stopped and I decided to keep going.
Just outside Marathon I stopped at the information booth to see how far it was to the next campsite. It's been bothering me that when I ask how far a destination is I always get an answer like " about 20 mins" to which I ussually reply "on my bike?" The other answer I get is always in miles, common in these parts. So today I go in and say " hi I'm on my bicycle heading to White River, how far in Kilometers is the campground?" So she tells me " about half an hour" " oh so its close" I say " ya, about 25 miles" she says. I give up
I made my milage that I wanted too today and have positioned myself to make decent hops between the next towns and campsites. I'm starting to see the light at the end of the Ontario tunnel.

Day 32 July 28 2009

Nipigon Ont to Terrace Bay Ontario

Depart: 9:00 am
Arrive: 6:00 pm

Daily Distance: 109.04 km
Time: 6:50.25
Odo: 3536.7 km
Max. 51.8 km/hr
Avg. Speed: 15.9 km/hr

Weather: Rain all morning, showers on and off all afternoon.

Road Conditios: shoulders generally good(B+) 1 big hill 3 major hills,

Today was one of the most challenging yet satisfying day I've had this whole trip. Whether it was my new gears, the cool weather or  my superb conditionig I'm not sure, but, I did 3 very large climbs today anyone of which would have required some walking in the past. Very satisfying.
Although cycling in the rain can be miserable and really make my feet stink, I go through far less water than on a sunny day. Today I drank less than 1 L. compared to maybe 6 on a hot day.
I have been hearing talk of 'the big german guy' who is cycling across the country yet had never met him, until today, this guy is HUGE the Paul Bunyen of the cycling world. I met him just prior to the end of the day and asked him how he found the hills, "easy" he said. "Really" I saId kinda surprised. "Ya" he says" but my legs are killing me and I'm calling it quits early today", even fellow cyclist won't give a straight answer.

Tomorrow, weather permitting, I'd like to get some serious distance in and get to a campsite beyond Marathon.

Day 31 July 27 2009

Thunder Bay to Nipigon Ont

Depart: 8:00am
Arrive: 4:15 pm

Daily distance: 110.17 km
Time: 6:02.52
Odo: 3427.7 km
Max:49.4 km/hr
Avg speed: 18.2 km/hr

Weather: sun/cloud am. Thunder/lightning in the afternoon including 2 downpours. (Any sympathy yet)

Roads: lots of hill climbs today but all managable.
Shoulders: 50% D-, 50% A+

The rain has caused a few squeeks and groans to the bike.  I took some time this morning to make a few adjustments, clean some sand out of places it shouldn't be and added a few drops of oil, everything is running so much smoother and quiter.
Thunder Bay reminder me a lot of downtown New Westminster, circa 1986. Let's just say it needs work. Although I never saw the sleeping giant, I did see Sleeping giant park which had a great railway tressle.
One thing Thunderbay should be proud of is the Terry Fox Memorial. The memorial is within a park located off the highway just east of town with a great view of lake Superior. Even though the park is off the highway you don't hear a sound, very peaceful with a very tasteful granite monument and statue with well  kept gardens. I was very moved and impressed  by it.
Apparantly there is also a plaque on the roadside where Terry actually stopped but its not well marked and I missed it.
Nipigon is famous too, its from the Nipigon River the little boy launched his toy Canoe in "Paddle to the Sea" the town is now building an interpritive centre based on this story. I wonder what Lorraine would think of a canoe trip for next summer?, the two of us.
I got a message from Philip today,the young English chap I met in Kamloops, he's in Thunder bay tonight if he tries hard he may catch up to me.
Re my rear wheel. I replaced the rear wheel in Saskatoon and have put close to 1700km in it without a glitch.

Day 30 July 26 2009

Upsala Ont to Thunderbay

Depart: 7:00 am
Arrive: 4:00 pm

Daily Distance: 133.91 km
Time: 6:33.32
Odo: 3317.5 km
Max: 51.0 km/hr
Avg speed: 20.4 km/hr

Weather: Cloudy and light showers
Roads:  'C' narrow cracked shoulders most of the way

Officially crossed the time zone line today putting me 3 hrs ahead of PDT. Arriving in Thunderbay signalled the halfway point and am happy with progress so far.
I met a guy today who's story  I happened to catch on the weathernetwork last night, he's riding the country from West to East and back again to raise money for cancer research. I believe his website is called 'thereandback' his name is Trevor. Trevor has attempted to cross the country before, on foot, he pulled 500 lbs of his belongings in a cart, I don't believe he completed this journey.
He, like myself, found the Praries to be a breeze, and ussually against us. He tells me the eastern half is tougher than the west.
One of my biggest frustrations is getting accurate information regarding accomodations or groceries from either locals or tourist information booths. Bad Info can either send you too far or make you stay when you could have moved on. Although I like the scenery of Northern Ontario, I look forward to being back in civilization where I can buy real food.
Tomorrow I would like to get about 40 km east of Nipigon Ont.

Day 29 July 25 2009

Ignace ont to Upsala Ont

Depart: 8:30 am (Central)
Arrive:: 5:00 pm (Eastern)

Daily Distance: 111.96 km
Time: 5:53.50
Odo: 3183.6 km
Max. 42.7 km/hr
Avg. Speed: 19.0 km/hr

Weather: Rain/sun
Roads: C+: narrow shoulders with split asphalt.

The rain last long enough to get me soaked before the sun comes out long enough to dry off, then another downpour. I was wanting to go further than Upsala today but a thunderstorm made me run for cover to a gas station where the attendant phoned and got me a room in the local motel.
My friend Rocky told me of a collection of plastic debris comprised mainly of plastic bottles floating out in the Pacific Ocean. Apparenty, all plastic litter eventually finds itself  caught in currents called the Pacific Gyro and has been spun into a ball the size of a large city. When I used to ride the Island HigHway I would  notice a lot of recyclable containers laying on the roadside and always wondered if I  could collect enough bottles to fund my way across the country, I'm glad I never chose that option. First, most provinces don't use the deposit system , when I return my water bottles most times clerks will just throw bottles in the garbage and look at me like I'm some hippy freak. Secondly, when I started this trip, I found it strange how many half filled bottles of Iced tea were lying on the side of the road, turns out its not Iced tea in those bottles.
When they go to unravel the plastic mass out in the Pacific Gyro that's been destroyng marine life, I hope they wear gloves.