Mongo Jerry - "In the Summer Time"

We're not grey people, we're not dirty, we're not mean.
We love ev'rybody, but we do as you please.
When the weather is fine, we go fishing or go swimming in the sea.
We're always happy. Life's for living, yeah!
That's your philosophy.

- Mongo Jerry - "In the Summer Time"

Kenora Rest Day – 18 July
2,785 kms biked to date; Daily average 151kms

Ah, the glorious, long awaited Rest Day… it was like a dream come true not to feel the pressure of getting up and packing up my tent at 6am..! I was absolutely exhausted and slept so incredibly well. I was definitely happy to have made the decision to keep a low profile the previous evening so I was able to start my recovery process from the 6 days of riding and the 903 kms covered.

I got up at 7:30am hoping to make the most of the day and get one key element checked off the list – laundry. I headed down to the laundry stations as quickly as I could and threw my giant duffel bag of lycra into the line. There were only 2 washers and 2 dryers for 38 sweaty riders so the machines were a ‘hot commodity’…!

Brendan and I decided to head out into the big, bad metropolis of Kenora. As I dragged myself into Kenora the previous afternoon (chin on the handlebars I was so tired..!) I did manage to notice that it looked like quite a promising little town for exploration. We started the day in the usual tradition – with the Tim Hortons caffeine injection and a healthy filling of donuts. Laura had previously commented how she had started to notice how many Canadians are so overweight compared to our ‘svelt’ little group of riders… but then I could not help but point out that we spend most of our free time in places like Tim Hortons, Dairy Queen, McDonalds and any ‘greasy spoon’ / local diner within a 5 km radius of our route. Health and nutrition are not particularly high on the agenda and sometimes I feel like I am biking as an excuse to eat..!

Post Timmy’s we walked further to explore Kenora. It is a nice little town of about 13,000 people. The main industry used to be pulp and paper but the mill was recently shut down which has greatly affected the local economy. Tourism is now one of the key sources of revenue but with the increasing price of gas and the low US dollar that is also on a decline. In spite of this, I thought Kenora had a great vibe, a visibly young population and some trendy little shops. The name ‘Kenora’ originates from the 3 ‘districts’ that were combined to form one city – KEetwan district, NOxxxx??? district and the RAt district… And, another fact about Kenora is that the main street of the downtown core used to be the border between Ontario and Manitoba. More info can be found on http://www.kenora.ca/

Brendan has a friend who is originally from Kenora so was able to get some first hand recommendations. One real ‘find’ was ‘Ye Ol’Chip Truck’. Whilst it was only 11am and we’d just finished our Timmy’s breakfast we decided to indulge in some ‘chips’ (fries) served from ‘ye ol’truck’. Man, were they ever good particularly with the addition of salt and vinegar.

We managed to track down a book store, coffee shop AND, the highlight of my trip so far, a bike shop where I purchased a BIKING SKIRT..! I’d been complaining about my rather predictable and unfashionable lycra shorts and my limited wardrobe so was delighted to double my wardrobe choices by 50%..!! Now I have to make a decision in the morning of ‘skirt’ or ‘shorts’…! I also bought a new top to even out my rapidly darkening tan lines… As you can see, I definitely have my priorities straight.

A delicious frosty pint of Rickards was drunk at the popular bar in town called ‘Haps’. The sun was shining and it would have been so easy to have a few more drinks on the lovely outdoor patio and fall asleep in the sun. The bar was strategically placed on the main street so it makes for wonderful people watching. On a hot and sunny summers day with the sun beating down on your head with a cold pint in hand it is hard to believe that Kenora often experiences winter temperatures of about -40 degrees celcius..! Plus heaps and heaps of snow..!

One thing I’ve noticed since our arrival in Ontario is how friendly the people are. I’m not sure if it’s just the Kenora or Campground Culture but everywhere you go people are keen to chat or greet you with a ‘good morning’ and a smile. I’ve often heard that Canadians are polite and the folks in Kenora certainly seem to live up to the reputation.

That night we all met up with the French Connection, Laura and Tak and splurged on a $13 (!!) "All You Can Eat 'Chinese' Buffet". It was a hilarious meal with loads of laughs particularly around reading of the fortune cookies.

MSG lethargy set in as we decided to complete the evening with an instalment of Batman – The Dark Knight. I am embarrassed to admit that this is the first Batman movie that I’ve seen and I must say that I very much enjoyed it and am going to have to broaden my horizons and see the others. Fantastic film – both the storyline and the actors - and I would certainly give it two thumbs up and would actually even watch it again. Between Spiderman and Batman I’m really getting my fill of comic-book superhero movies. The movie theatre where we saw the film was absolutely packed with a very young and very jovial mixed crowd. It was Friday night and everyone was out in full force. Some people even came to the movie with faces painted like the Joker. At the moment the days all seem to blend together so I have completely lost track of days of the week. It was strange to be reminded that it was Friday night and in ‘real life’ I would be going out with friends in London and preparing for the weekend ahead – not massaging my muscles preparing for a 127kms biking day the following day.

We all walked home from the theatre mentally preparing for our next installment of riding. A lovely full moon lit our path and guided the way to the campground. Another relaxing and productive rest day had once again come to an end.