Riding out tonight to case the promised land
Oh-oh thunder road, oh thunder road oh thunder road
Lying out there like a killer in the sun
Hey I know it's late we can make it if we run
Oh thunder road, sit tight take hold
Thunder road
- Bruce Springsteen -- Thunder Road
Day 32 -- Quetico to Thunder Bay
172kms / 106 miles
Everyone was up bright and early that morning doing the usual mosquito dance over a bowl of steamy oatmeal. You can always tell that it’s going to be a long day as the tent poles start to come down at around 5am and I feel guilty about still being tucked up in my sleeping bag until about 5:45 when I emerge to ‘rise and shine’. I could tell from the little window in my tent that the sky was already bright blue and cloudless so I was in an excellent mood. I was totally looking forward to my first night in a REAL bed in over a month, a visit to the very cool metropolis of Thunder Bay AND I was going to wear my bicycle SKIRT for the first time..!. What more could I ask for. Life has become so uncomplicated (if you discount the fact that I had 172kms to bike that day). Because of the distance I decided not to risk trying a new pair of shorts so I doubled up with my ‘old faithfuls’ under my
bicycle skirt with its built in bicycle shorts.
Quetico Provincial Park is actually quite beautiful and it’s a shame that due to the weather I didn’t explore it as much as I should have. The cycle out of the campground reflected the age of the forest and the diversity in the ecosystem. A lush green forest with plenty of wildlife including moose and bears.
We kick started the day with a first stop at the Arctic Watershed – the high point of land at 506 meters. West and north of the watershed water flows to the Arctic Ocean. East of the watershed, water flows to the Atlantic. It was a nice compliment to the continental divide which we saw at the border between Alberta and British Columbia just several weeks before.
As we continued to knock down the kilometres remaining until our triumphant arrival in Thunder Bay it began to get hotter and the terrain began to ge
t more difficult. Lots of climbing and lots of rolling hills which provided plenty of excuses for water stops and Snickers stops. The scenery was stunning as we passed numerous lakes with the early morning steam rising up into the blue sky. We stopped for a refuel of food and water at km 57 – the service area of Kashabuwie – my stop was about 10 minutes shorter than everyone elses as I took a wrong turn about 50 meters from where I was supposed to turn and ended up crossing a railroad track, climbing a gravel hill and arriving at a lake and a shop selling fishing tackle… only to be told that ‘the group of cyclists are at the shop on the main road’. Oops.
After the rest stop we continued on until we reached Shabaqua Corners which presented a new challenge. Insane, insane heavy and fast moving traffic. There was a very, very narrow shoulder and quite hilly with non-stop traffic. As the industry in the area is predominantly pulp and paper, many of the huge long trucks are stacked with wood – either long, fresh logs or processed lumber. Either way, the trucks carrying the wood are HUGE and they barrel down the road with little room to manouver around a little cyclist. It is a harrowing experience which Brendan compared to ‘Star Wars’ and being attacked by the giant robots and trying to dodge out of their way.
We had been warned by James, a TdC vet, that a MONSTER of a hill awaited us at km 121 so at our lunch break at Shabaqua Corners there was a sense of nervousness and urgency in the air. Because of the time change it was getting late (3pm) and we still had 50kms to cycle on a road with heavy traffic and predominantly uphill. We had a huge lunch at a gas station where I found out that I am indeed lactose intolerant (there is no way that I can ever drink chocolate milk again…! Sniff sniff..!). It was getting hotter and I was keen to get the monster hill over with and get to Thunder Bay as soon as possible.
We then turned on to an insanely busy highway 11/17 with giant lumber trucks barrelling down on us. It’s scary when you are concentrating so hard on staying on a 10cm wide shoulder when you hear the rumbling of a trucks breaks coming up behind you… this is then followed by the constant zoom…. Zoom… zoom of the cars which also pass. It was a bit of a harrowing section of highway with some steep climbs but still enjoyable. The shoulder was pretty much non-existent in spots so we had to be on ‘high alert’ and be especially aware of everything going on in front, beside and behind the bike.
Once my stomach finished ‘digesting’ my chocolate milk and chilli lunch things became much easier (I have learned my lesson and have sworn off chocolate milk as a recovery drink now that I am certain I’m lactose intolerant). A much needed rest stop at Kakabeka Falls broke up the afternoon perfectly with 30kms left to go. Unfortunately we lost Brendan and the rest of the crew with the little side trip. The Falls were great with some nice views of the river and it w
as easy to imagine the challenges which faced early settlers when they came upon the falls in the middle of their early portage routes..! Whilst we were getting ready to get back on our bikes after the short break we met two guys from near Windsor who are biking across Canada to raise money for chrones and coilitis (website….) Super nice guys and it would have been great to sit down with them and compare notes. They were doing the trip in 90 days on bikes weighing in at about 100 lbs including gear. Pretty hardcore..!
The final kms into Thunder Bay were a breeze thanks to a quiet and beautifully paved smooth and consistent shoulder on Oliver Road. Ian kept Andrew and I laughing throughout the ride. The great thing about Ian’s riding ability is that he is an incredibly strong rider but doesn’t realise it which sometimes greatly affects the efficiency of our paceline.
I was so worried that the arrival in Thunder Bay was going to be like our arrival in Kenora – totally hilly with our final stop miles away – but I was wrong. It was a lovely easy ride through the Oliver Road subdivision, a right turn onto the rough and crumbling Thunder Bay main road and then there we were – our home away from home – civilisation – the Confederation College residences..!!
I was sooo happy to see the truck surrounded by a bright array of tents drying in the hot early evening sun. Andrew, Ian and I all agreed that it had been a long but enjoyable ride. I was pleased that we finished it together.
That night Brendan, Andrew, Dave, Terry and I went out to dinner for steak at a fantastic steak restaurant recommended locally. I had a 12 oz New York Steak AND a gigantic slab of cheesecake…The feast was then followed by a few beers in the pub with the French Connection and a few others at 'On Deck'. Lots of fun and loads of laughs. It’s great to all chill out and enjoy the evening before the Rest Day knowing that you don’t have to get up super early in the morning to a damp tent..!.
Bicycle Skirt…
My bicycle skirt performed brilliantly throughout the day – I did receive a few honks from passing trucks and put it down to my stylish riding gear and not to the fact that I was taking up too much space in the lane… It was however rather restricting and I was surprised at how it seemed much less comfortable than I’d originally hoped. I originally put it down to
the fact that I am getting ‘tree trunk legs’ and can no longer fit into a ‘small’ pair of bicycle shorts. Upon closer inspection at around 5pm at a Rest Stop I discovered that not only did I have the ‘shorts’ part of my bicycle skirt on inside out, but I also had them on backwards!! This explained why they were so tight, restricting and uncomfortable throughout the day. These are the types of incidents that I should learn to keep quiet… Unfortunately, I have yet to learn from my mistakes and told Ross who announced it to the entire group and I was awarded the ‘turkey’ to commemorate and celebrate my stupidity. It is the TdC 2008 version of the ‘Darwin’ award.
172kms / 106 miles
Everyone was up bright and early that morning doing the usual mosquito dance over a bowl of steamy oatmeal. You can always tell that it’s going to be a long day as the tent poles start to come down at around 5am and I feel guilty about still being tucked up in my sleeping bag until about 5:45 when I emerge to ‘rise and shine’. I could tell from the little window in my tent that the sky was already bright blue and cloudless so I was in an excellent mood. I was totally looking forward to my first night in a REAL bed in over a month, a visit to the very cool metropolis of Thunder Bay AND I was going to wear my bicycle SKIRT for the first time..!. What more could I ask for. Life has become so uncomplicated (if you discount the fact that I had 172kms to bike that day). Because of the distance I decided not to risk trying a new pair of shorts so I doubled up with my ‘old faithfuls’ under my
bicycle skirt with its built in bicycle shorts.Quetico Provincial Park is actually quite beautiful and it’s a shame that due to the weather I didn’t explore it as much as I should have. The cycle out of the campground reflected the age of the forest and the diversity in the ecosystem. A lush green forest with plenty of wildlife including moose and bears.
We kick started the day with a first stop at the Arctic Watershed – the high point of land at 506 meters. West and north of the watershed water flows to the Arctic Ocean. East of the watershed, water flows to the Atlantic. It was a nice compliment to the continental divide which we saw at the border between Alberta and British Columbia just several weeks before.
As we continued to knock down the kilometres remaining until our triumphant arrival in Thunder Bay it began to get hotter and the terrain began to ge
t more difficult. Lots of climbing and lots of rolling hills which provided plenty of excuses for water stops and Snickers stops. The scenery was stunning as we passed numerous lakes with the early morning steam rising up into the blue sky. We stopped for a refuel of food and water at km 57 – the service area of Kashabuwie – my stop was about 10 minutes shorter than everyone elses as I took a wrong turn about 50 meters from where I was supposed to turn and ended up crossing a railroad track, climbing a gravel hill and arriving at a lake and a shop selling fishing tackle… only to be told that ‘the group of cyclists are at the shop on the main road’. Oops.After the rest stop we continued on until we reached Shabaqua Corners which presented a new challenge. Insane, insane heavy and fast moving traffic. There was a very, very narrow shoulder and quite hilly with non-stop traffic. As the industry in the area is predominantly pulp and paper, many of the huge long trucks are stacked with wood – either long, fresh logs or processed lumber. Either way, the trucks carrying the wood are HUGE and they barrel down the road with little room to manouver around a little cyclist. It is a harrowing experience which Brendan compared to ‘Star Wars’ and being attacked by the giant robots and trying to dodge out of their way.
We had been warned by James, a TdC vet, that a MONSTER of a hill awaited us at km 121 so at our lunch break at Shabaqua Corners there was a sense of nervousness and urgency in the air. Because of the time change it was getting late (3pm) and we still had 50kms to cycle on a road with heavy traffic and predominantly uphill. We had a huge lunch at a gas station where I found out that I am indeed lactose intolerant (there is no way that I can ever drink chocolate milk again…! Sniff sniff..!). It was getting hotter and I was keen to get the monster hill over with and get to Thunder Bay as soon as possible.
We then turned on to an insanely busy highway 11/17 with giant lumber trucks barrelling down on us. It’s scary when you are concentrating so hard on staying on a 10cm wide shoulder when you hear the rumbling of a trucks breaks coming up behind you… this is then followed by the constant zoom…. Zoom… zoom of the cars which also pass. It was a bit of a harrowing section of highway with some steep climbs but still enjoyable. The shoulder was pretty much non-existent in spots so we had to be on ‘high alert’ and be especially aware of everything going on in front, beside and behind the bike.
Once my stomach finished ‘digesting’ my chocolate milk and chilli lunch things became much easier (I have learned my lesson and have sworn off chocolate milk as a recovery drink now that I am certain I’m lactose intolerant). A much needed rest stop at Kakabeka Falls broke up the afternoon perfectly with 30kms left to go. Unfortunately we lost Brendan and the rest of the crew with the little side trip. The Falls were great with some nice views of the river and it w
as easy to imagine the challenges which faced early settlers when they came upon the falls in the middle of their early portage routes..! Whilst we were getting ready to get back on our bikes after the short break we met two guys from near Windsor who are biking across Canada to raise money for chrones and coilitis (website….) Super nice guys and it would have been great to sit down with them and compare notes. They were doing the trip in 90 days on bikes weighing in at about 100 lbs including gear. Pretty hardcore..!The final kms into Thunder Bay were a breeze thanks to a quiet and beautifully paved smooth and consistent shoulder on Oliver Road. Ian kept Andrew and I laughing throughout the ride. The great thing about Ian’s riding ability is that he is an incredibly strong rider but doesn’t realise it which sometimes greatly affects the efficiency of our paceline.
I was so worried that the arrival in Thunder Bay was going to be like our arrival in Kenora – totally hilly with our final stop miles away – but I was wrong. It was a lovely easy ride through the Oliver Road subdivision, a right turn onto the rough and crumbling Thunder Bay main road and then there we were – our home away from home – civilisation – the Confederation College residences..!!
I was sooo happy to see the truck surrounded by a bright array of tents drying in the hot early evening sun. Andrew, Ian and I all agreed that it had been a long but enjoyable ride. I was pleased that we finished it together.That night Brendan, Andrew, Dave, Terry and I went out to dinner for steak at a fantastic steak restaurant recommended locally. I had a 12 oz New York Steak AND a gigantic slab of cheesecake…The feast was then followed by a few beers in the pub with the French Connection and a few others at 'On Deck'. Lots of fun and loads of laughs. It’s great to all chill out and enjoy the evening before the Rest Day knowing that you don’t have to get up super early in the morning to a damp tent..!.
Bicycle Skirt…
My bicycle skirt performed brilliantly throughout the day – I did receive a few honks from passing trucks and put it down to my stylish riding gear and not to the fact that I was taking up too much space in the lane… It was however rather restricting and I was surprised at how it seemed much less comfortable than I’d originally hoped. I originally put it down to
the fact that I am getting ‘tree trunk legs’ and can no longer fit into a ‘small’ pair of bicycle shorts. Upon closer inspection at around 5pm at a Rest Stop I discovered that not only did I have the ‘shorts’ part of my bicycle skirt on inside out, but I also had them on backwards!! This explained why they were so tight, restricting and uncomfortable throughout the day. These are the types of incidents that I should learn to keep quiet… Unfortunately, I have yet to learn from my mistakes and told Ross who announced it to the entire group and I was awarded the ‘turkey’ to commemorate and celebrate my stupidity. It is the TdC 2008 version of the ‘Darwin’ award.
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