I can see all obstacles in my way
Gone are the dark clouds that had me blind
It's gonna be a bright (bright), bright (bright)
Sun shiny day
- Johnny Nash - "I Can See Clarly Now..."
Nipigon to Terrace Bay – Day 35
113 kilometers / 70 miles
Galley Duty was made more challenging this morning because of the fact that I absolutely could not find the energy to crawl out of my sleeping bag today. It was a very cloudy morning and I had a strong suspicion that rain was imminent. Nothing is worse than Galley Duty in the rain. It is more than ‘character building’, it is soul destroying as it likely means that you will be starting the date early, leaving late and getting wet in the process. Yick..! Fortunately the rain never materialised in spite of my worries..!
We were packed up and ready to go at around 8:30 which was pretty good timing. Brendan was on turbo mode in an attempt to avoid the rain so he left early with Ian. Andrew kindly helped with the bags and the clean up which made our departure even more timely. I was a bit worried as Dave had mentioned that today was gong to be the 3rd biggest climbing day on the trip. It’s hard because I know that nothing can be ‘bigger’ than the Rockies but somehow the thought of a day of climbing is so intimidating and sometimes I am convinced that everyone builds up so many stories and rumors about the hill that you lose all perception of reality. I have decided to try my best and ignore what people say about ‘monster hills’ and try to take things more in stride.
Andrew and I started the day with a coffee at ‘Max Milk’ in Nipigon (http://www.nipigon.net/). Nipgon is a classic old Northern Ontario railway town. Visitors traveling along the 615kms stretch of Highway 11 between Cochraine and Nipigon are primarily hunters, anglers and truckers. The Lonely Planet ranks Nipigon quite high on the scale of ‘godforsakeness’.
It seemed pretty deserted and run down but the Max Milk had a group of friendly locals. The cashier asked where we were from and what we were up to and chuckled when I asked if there were humungous hills up again. Apparently we will have hills until we reach Sault Ste. Marie which is about 600kms away..! Yikes..! I powered up with a coffee and rice crispie square and a pep talk from Andrew. We volunteered to be ‘sweeps’ for the rest of the day as I was keen to take the hills slow and steady without the pressure of time.
The initial few kilometres were bumpy ones thanks to some hardcore construction and the hills that were ‘promised’ in the first few kms of the trip never really materialised…! There was one climb as we began to ascend a steep and rocky escarpment but it was certainly not impossible and throughout the climb you were rewarded with gorgeous views of Nipigon Bay. Additionally, just before the bustling metropolis of Gravel River the sun came out..! We had a pancake stop at Gravel River and enjoyed the best coffee in town (it was also the only coffee shop…!). It was already 11:30 and we’d already covered 50kms so were nearly half way. A good feeling and a reason why I like short days..!!
The rumours about the hills finally materialised around km 60 when we started some gorgeous climbs through the rocky Canadian Shield. It was surreal biking through canyon-like passes bordered on either side by tall red rock through which the road had been cut. It was one of the first times in a long time that I really had to crank my way up a hill in my smallest gear. I could feel the lactic acid building up in my legs which was a satisfying feeling (although it hurt!) but it meant I was working.
It’s fascinating to feel my body becoming stronger and dealing with the ‘hell’ that I’m putting it through at the moment. The rewards are definitely becoming obvious though as my legs have so much more definition – particularly my quads and calf muscles.
We had what I think might be one of the 2nd best downhills of the trip so far today as well. After a long steep climb about 7kms out of Gravel River we had a tremendous downhill – absolutely gorgeous, fast with a wide shoulder through to Rossport. It was stunning and it felt like I was ‘at the top of the world’ as I shot like a rocket down the tarmac with a steep rocky drop to the right of the higway. The road was in great shape with a very wide shoulder so you could really enjoy the speed, the views, and the satisfaction of knowing that you really deserved that downhill particularly after what had been quite a challenging and particularly sweaty uphill. It was great to see the Rossport sign and it was a little ‘oasis’ that I didn’t expect to find after my experiences with Northern Ontario towns so far.
Rossport (http://www.rossport.ca/) is described by the Lonely Planet travel guide to Canada as “the best place on Lake Superior to do precisely nothing, in a setting reminiscent of a model miniature vil
lage, minus the kitsch, plus the quaintness.’ Rossport was a fantastic stop – it didn’t have any fast food stores, had no motels, and not even many people… what it did have was loads and loads of flowers and plenty of charm. Its population peaks at around 100 people. We had lunch at a lovely café called the Serendipity Cafe which had a view out over Lake Superior. It had a picture-book church, tiny caboose museum and a gift stop painted decoratively in bright blue. The locals were all friendly and I felt a bit like I was stepping into a picturebook. At the restaurant I dined on a fantastic Greek salad and huge glass of fresh iced tea. With the warm sun, the gorgeous views, and feeling of satisfaction of having gracefully survived the morning I was feeling pretty good..! It was one of those ‘This is precisely why I am doing this trip’ sort of hours. Laura, Tak, John and Lani also joined us and we all raved about what a fantastic day we were having so far.
At the café we met 3 cute American guys who were taking motorbikes around Lake Superior. That really appealed to me as well. The thought of seeing the views from a Harley Davidson would certainly be an exhilarating and exciting feeling – especially going ‘wide open’ (as one of the guys described it) on an open road… or an uphill. Ironically, as we got talking to them they became more interested in doing something like the TdC for their ‘annual’ trip next year. I began to consider swapping my bike for one of theirs…. Tempting..! Trek for Harley…. Hmmmm…. I wonder if I can get one with a sheepskin seat cover.
As we pulled out of Rossport the waitress mentioned that she was surprised that the rain which had been forecast had not yet materialised. Suspicious…. Sure enough, as soon as we pulled out of the café Andrew told me to look behind me which, on hindsight, wasn’t a very good idea. HUGE dark blue storm clouds blanketed the sky. Ohhhh noooo… I can’t believe that we totally relaxed for 1.5 hours in what was due to be a ‘short’ day and we were now going to pay the price by getting soaked in one of those 5 minute downpours. Those are frustratingly short and can get one frustratingly wet. Andrew and I stepped on the proverbial gas and zoomed like a rocket up and down the 20kms of hills until we reached Schreiber. All the while the clouds were picking up speed (and water) and were following us faster and faster. We arrived in Schreiber and zoomed (dry!!) into a motel café where we tucked into a big piece of pie and a warm coffee to watch the storm blow over. We were soon joined by Laura and Tak. Eating and drinking coffee was certainly a theme of the day..!
In case you were wondering, we did EVENTUALLY reach Terrace Bay (dry) where dinner was being served under a sun which had magically appeared. We quickly put up our tents and Brendan suggested dinner ‘out’ (after all, it WAS a Friday night..!) so we walked into the local restaurant in Terrace Bay adjacent to the Imperial Hotel (which had been recommended by our 3 motorcycle friends). I had an amazing, amazing GIGANTIC piece of lasagne (bringing my caloric intake to about 10,000 for the day…) and also a wonderfully cold and refreshing pint of Canadian. Brendan, Andrew and I had a laugh about the day and anticipated the following day to White Lake, a 147km ride and a hilly one at that.
Brendan and I walked the 1.5 kms back into camp whilst Andrew headed to 'The Imperial' for a few more drinks. The sky was looking rather ominous once again and just before we walked out of the restaurant we peeked at the weather channel which had a severe weather warning in effect for the area. Yikes… I had visions of the Youngstown hailstorm all over again. There was a silver lining on the cloud over our campground which, about 20 minutes later quickly disappeared as the heavens opened and the rain came down. Fortunately I was in my tent, dry and looking forward to a good, solid nights sleep…!
113 kilometers / 70 miles
Galley Duty was made more challenging this morning because of the fact that I absolutely could not find the energy to crawl out of my sleeping bag today. It was a very cloudy morning and I had a strong suspicion that rain was imminent. Nothing is worse than Galley Duty in the rain. It is more than ‘character building’, it is soul destroying as it likely means that you will be starting the date early, leaving late and getting wet in the process. Yick..! Fortunately the rain never materialised in spite of my worries..!
We were packed up and ready to go at around 8:30 which was pretty good timing. Brendan was on turbo mode in an attempt to avoid the rain so he left early with Ian. Andrew kindly helped with the bags and the clean up which made our departure even more timely. I was a bit worried as Dave had mentioned that today was gong to be the 3rd biggest climbing day on the trip. It’s hard because I know that nothing can be ‘bigger’ than the Rockies but somehow the thought of a day of climbing is so intimidating and sometimes I am convinced that everyone builds up so many stories and rumors about the hill that you lose all perception of reality. I have decided to try my best and ignore what people say about ‘monster hills’ and try to take things more in stride.
Andrew and I started the day with a coffee at ‘Max Milk’ in Nipigon (http://www.nipigon.net/). Nipgon is a classic old Northern Ontario railway town. Visitors traveling along the 615kms stretch of Highway 11 between Cochraine and Nipigon are primarily hunters, anglers and truckers. The Lonely Planet ranks Nipigon quite high on the scale of ‘godforsakeness’.
It seemed pretty deserted and run down but the Max Milk had a group of friendly locals. The cashier asked where we were from and what we were up to and chuckled when I asked if there were humungous hills up again. Apparently we will have hills until we reach Sault Ste. Marie which is about 600kms away..! Yikes..! I powered up with a coffee and rice crispie square and a pep talk from Andrew. We volunteered to be ‘sweeps’ for the rest of the day as I was keen to take the hills slow and steady without the pressure of time.
The initial few kilometres were bumpy ones thanks to some hardcore construction and the hills that were ‘promised’ in the first few kms of the trip never really materialised…! There was one climb as we began to ascend a steep and rocky escarpment but it was certainly not impossible and throughout the climb you were rewarded with gorgeous views of Nipigon Bay. Additionally, just before the bustling metropolis of Gravel River the sun came out..! We had a pancake stop at Gravel River and enjoyed the best coffee in town (it was also the only coffee shop…!). It was already 11:30 and we’d already covered 50kms so were nearly half way. A good feeling and a reason why I like short days..!!
The rumours about the hills finally materialised around km 60 when we started some gorgeous climbs through the rocky Canadian Shield. It was surreal biking through canyon-like passes bordered on either side by tall red rock through which the road had been cut. It was one of the first times in a long time that I really had to crank my way up a hill in my smallest gear. I could feel the lactic acid building up in my legs which was a satisfying feeling (although it hurt!) but it meant I was working.
It’s fascinating to feel my body becoming stronger and dealing with the ‘hell’ that I’m putting it through at the moment. The rewards are definitely becoming obvious though as my legs have so much more definition – particularly my quads and calf muscles.We had what I think might be one of the 2nd best downhills of the trip so far today as well. After a long steep climb about 7kms out of Gravel River we had a tremendous downhill – absolutely gorgeous, fast with a wide shoulder through to Rossport. It was stunning and it felt like I was ‘at the top of the world’ as I shot like a rocket down the tarmac with a steep rocky drop to the right of the higway. The road was in great shape with a very wide shoulder so you could really enjoy the speed, the views, and the satisfaction of knowing that you really deserved that downhill particularly after what had been quite a challenging and particularly sweaty uphill. It was great to see the Rossport sign and it was a little ‘oasis’ that I didn’t expect to find after my experiences with Northern Ontario towns so far.
Rossport (http://www.rossport.ca/) is described by the Lonely Planet travel guide to Canada as “the best place on Lake Superior to do precisely nothing, in a setting reminiscent of a model miniature vil
lage, minus the kitsch, plus the quaintness.’ Rossport was a fantastic stop – it didn’t have any fast food stores, had no motels, and not even many people… what it did have was loads and loads of flowers and plenty of charm. Its population peaks at around 100 people. We had lunch at a lovely café called the Serendipity Cafe which had a view out over Lake Superior. It had a picture-book church, tiny caboose museum and a gift stop painted decoratively in bright blue. The locals were all friendly and I felt a bit like I was stepping into a picturebook. At the restaurant I dined on a fantastic Greek salad and huge glass of fresh iced tea. With the warm sun, the gorgeous views, and feeling of satisfaction of having gracefully survived the morning I was feeling pretty good..! It was one of those ‘This is precisely why I am doing this trip’ sort of hours. Laura, Tak, John and Lani also joined us and we all raved about what a fantastic day we were having so far.At the café we met 3 cute American guys who were taking motorbikes around Lake Superior. That really appealed to me as well. The thought of seeing the views from a Harley Davidson would certainly be an exhilarating and exciting feeling – especially going ‘wide open’ (as one of the guys described it) on an open road… or an uphill. Ironically, as we got talking to them they became more interested in doing something like the TdC for their ‘annual’ trip next year. I began to consider swapping my bike for one of theirs…. Tempting..! Trek for Harley…. Hmmmm…. I wonder if I can get one with a sheepskin seat cover.
As we pulled out of Rossport the waitress mentioned that she was surprised that the rain which had been forecast had not yet materialised. Suspicious…. Sure enough, as soon as we pulled out of the café Andrew told me to look behind me which, on hindsight, wasn’t a very good idea. HUGE dark blue storm clouds blanketed the sky. Ohhhh noooo… I can’t believe that we totally relaxed for 1.5 hours in what was due to be a ‘short’ day and we were now going to pay the price by getting soaked in one of those 5 minute downpours. Those are frustratingly short and can get one frustratingly wet. Andrew and I stepped on the proverbial gas and zoomed like a rocket up and down the 20kms of hills until we reached Schreiber. All the while the clouds were picking up speed (and water) and were following us faster and faster. We arrived in Schreiber and zoomed (dry!!) into a motel café where we tucked into a big piece of pie and a warm coffee to watch the storm blow over. We were soon joined by Laura and Tak. Eating and drinking coffee was certainly a theme of the day..!
In case you were wondering, we did EVENTUALLY reach Terrace Bay (dry) where dinner was being served under a sun which had magically appeared. We quickly put up our tents and Brendan suggested dinner ‘out’ (after all, it WAS a Friday night..!) so we walked into the local restaurant in Terrace Bay adjacent to the Imperial Hotel (which had been recommended by our 3 motorcycle friends). I had an amazing, amazing GIGANTIC piece of lasagne (bringing my caloric intake to about 10,000 for the day…) and also a wonderfully cold and refreshing pint of Canadian. Brendan, Andrew and I had a laugh about the day and anticipated the following day to White Lake, a 147km ride and a hilly one at that.
Brendan and I walked the 1.5 kms back into camp whilst Andrew headed to 'The Imperial' for a few more drinks. The sky was looking rather ominous once again and just before we walked out of the restaurant we peeked at the weather channel which had a severe weather warning in effect for the area. Yikes… I had visions of the Youngstown hailstorm all over again. There was a silver lining on the cloud over our campground which, about 20 minutes later quickly disappeared as the heavens opened and the rain came down. Fortunately I was in my tent, dry and looking forward to a good, solid nights sleep…!
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