McDonald’s is not high on my list of places to chow down. In fact, I do not remember the last time I’ve actually eaten there. That’s where we are now though, seated beside a circulating group of young, energetic and educated tree planters. We are all equally dirty and covered with bug bites. We are asking them questions about how the tree planting is going, how many do they plant n a day, (around 2000!!! And the girls plant more than the guys!!!), what they do to fight the insects, where they’re from, where they’re going to school, what they’re studying,…..   And they are asking us about our bike trip, what we’re doing to beat the bugs, how far do we go daily, etc.. No McDonalds hasn’t been my favourite place, until now! They have great coffee and I love their blueberry/pomegranate smoothies! I’m two-fisting it right now, being careful to take tiny sips of the smoothie to avoid brain freeze. Charlie has his hands wrapped around a large mint tea and both of us are entirely focused on our toys; checking email, Facebook and sending off our blogs. 

We were packed and ready to roll by 8:10 this Sunday morning. We are both very grateful that Jerry and Diane allowed us the use of their mobile home. City people that we are though, we sure missed indoor bathrooms, running water and electricity, so we were eager to head off.  The mobile home was very buggy too. Before we slept last night we had chased down and killed every bug in the place but they kept getting in somehow. I started off sleeping in my sleeping shorts and  T shirt, but I kept hearing the little buggers soaring around my head. Then I dived deeper into my sleeping bag but it’s good until minus 21, so I thought I might die of heat! I ended up sleeping, fully encased in my MEC bug suit and still had bites all over me in the morning!  It wasn’t until the dawn that I discovered a space between the window and the screen, that the bugs, excited and enticed by our red blood, managed to crawl through.  (And I won’t even begin to describe what I went through going for my morning pee in the bushes. All that tender never-exposed skin! I was a real delicacy! Just for the record, I am NEVER coming back here!) 

We rolled into Hearst mid-afternoon ( we have now done more than 4000km!!)     and were ready for either Tims or McD’s, whichever came first and McD’s it was. There’s always good wifi at both places and whenever we have the chance, it’s so restorative to sit for an hour or more, fill up on caffeine and rest, electronic machinery in hand. I felt much better when we left in the rain  to search for our HoJo motel. Showered and dressed almost like normal people, we walked across the street and down the block to the only open restaurant in downtown Hearst. King’s Cafe, specializes in Chinese and western food. Dinner for two please.    They always serve toast with their Chinese food and their sweet and sour chicken balls are unique. A newspaper clipping, laminated and displayed, reads that Robert Munsch, the children’s author, thinks that the “King’s Cafe” sells the best sweet and sour chicken balls he’s ever had. I believe I know the secret ingredient!!!! I think they make the regular red sauce you always get with them and then they throw in a can of tomato soup. They are good, but nothing to get all laminated about!

Bed! I’m all excited to be in bed! No bugs flying around, light at the flick of the fingertips, a flush toilet and sink 7 giant steps away! I am pretty tired and I won’t last loooooonnngggzzzz!

Happy Canada Day!!!

Pitter patter, pitter patter. I sit here listening to the constant drumming outside the building. Whilst others may be celebrating their Canada Day 150 with friends and family, crowds, music, celebrations, barbeques and fireworks, Charlie and I are literally in the middle of nowhere! We are 100 km from Longlac and 111 km from Hearst on number 11, the  northernmost highway traversing Ontario from west to east. There is virtually nothing between the two communities except a fishing camp amd this little spot, which I’ll detail later. The fishing cabins, Klotz Lake Outfitters, are about 50km back, located, appropriately enough, on Klotz Lake. When we had originally planned this cycling route, one consideration was the vast expanse we would have to cross with zero access to anything we might need. So we looked at different alternatives. 

One alternative we considered was finding someone with a half ton truck and paying him to meet us on the highway to take us from wherever we were, (halfway, or hopefully further) to Hearst where we would stay the night and the following morning take us and our bikes back to the same spot to resume our ride. EFI. Well, we got a few names of people and Charlie made some calls. Nothing really materialized and no wonder! Who wants to tote around a couple of crazy cyclists on Canada Day when they could be drinking beer and having fun. If we had gone with that arrangement I would have been uneasy that perhaps he would forget to come get us. Could we do 211km? I think so. Today I think we could have but it would have been more than either of us would really want to do. The wind is not heavy today but neither is it in our favour. The other option was to see if we could rent a cabin at Klotz Lake. Charlie left several messages, all of which went unanswered. We figured it must be closed. Then someone told us about Pagwa Outfitters which is in an ideal location, halfway at about 100km. Charlie looked up the phone number, dialled it and was cheerily answered by Jerry, a francophone man. Charlie explained our situation, Jerry handed the phone to Diane, his wife, and she told Charlie that we would be welcome to stay in the mobile home at the hunt camp, located just off the highway. When asked how much we should pay for the night, he was emphatically told, “Rien! Absolutement rien!” I know this, because I was sitting beside him and heard it all.

We left the RanDan Motel in Longlac a bit later than usual at 8:15. Unless we are trying to beat the heat, there really isn’t any point in getting up at the crack of dawn.  We really haven’t seen extreme heat; not since we were in BC’s Fraser Canyon, anyway. RanDan, both Charlie and I thought, sounds like RunDown and that it wasn’t a great name for  an accommodation. It is a modest little place but the owners, Marilyn and Claude Morrisett are such genuine down-to-earth people, we were glad to give them our business. Their rooms aren’t fancy but they are very clean and the beds are new and to the eye, spotless. We were there 2 nights and we cooked several meals in their kitchenette. We left the premises as clean as we found them and all they will have to do is wash the sheets and towels.

The morning was cool and still, nary an insect in sight. I ventured out without my bugsuit and was able to cycle about 60km before they started to come out. And out they did come, swirling, darting, masses of crazed black flies and determined horseflies and the ever present mosquitoes. Even Charlie put on his rain pants to avoid them. He has a full bug suit too, I saw to that, but so far has not worn it. I, on the other hand, wear mine every day. The guy at Klotz Lake, who was there after all (but has not as of yet mastered his answering machine,or on general principle, does not respond to out of province calls), called my bug suit an “I dream of Jeannie” outfit. Charlie liked that. Even though we are in such a remote area, it doesn’t feel that way. There are trucks passing us by every few minutes, most of which give us wide clearance on passing. Really, the only time for concern is when there’s oncoming traffic and you can hear a truck behind as well. Sometimes we quickly take our bikes onto the soft gravel shoulder. It’s not ideal but it’s better than being mown down by a Mac truck.

The hunt camp is just to the left before the Pagwa bridge. It’s closed now, of course. Hunting season doesn’t start until the fall. Marilyn of RanDan told me how she once helped with bear baiting. Yes, it doesn’t seem fair to me , but they actually do bait the bears to draw them in to the area for the hunters. She said they set up feeding areas with cooking grease ( like from restaurants) and then they put in these huge cylinders made of, get this, Twizzlers. Yep, that’s right, red licorice, and then they coat it with icing sugar!!!! And I’ve been eyeing the Twizzlers when we go into gas stations. As if I need to make myself even more desirable to bears!!! No, I’ll forgo red licorice until there’s a car I can get into nearby.

So, here we are in this mobile home at the hunt camp on Canada Day.     The fridge is on, but that’s the only thing on. None of the lights work. (It will be an early night) . The stove doesn’t work. There’s no water and no indoor bathroom. Nonetheless less, there are sturdy walls all around us, a roof which is great because it’s supposed to rain tonight. There’s no wifi but that’s OK as I can blog then save this as draft until somewhere along the line, the signal is stronger ought to send this plus about 5 more off into the stratosphere. I also have downloaded an iBook. Obviously I had been listening to too much CBC as I downloaded Jane Austen’s “Pride and Prejudice” thinking maybe I’d git  meself a little more cultured and edumucated on my ride this summer. What was I thinking!!!?!!    We have some canned food like Puritan Irish Stew, flakes of Turkey and Beeferoni, which we’ll eat cold, followed by fistfulls of yummy trail mix with M and  M’s. and bottled water. Charlie’s been looking at the beer in the fridge, but we mustn’t touch what is not ours. We are again astounded and grateful for the kindness and generosity of strangers. Mercia Diane et Jerry LaRoche.

Oh, and that pitter patter that we’ve been listening to…? That’s not rain. It’s the constant barragement of insect bodies colliding with the windows and outside the building.

Zzzzzzzzzzz.           Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.   Zzzzzzzz.    Zzzzzzzzzzzzz

We slept in until 9am and didn’t even move out of bed for another 2 hours.  Charlie reached over and pulled out a bag of deluxe trail mix, the kind with M and  M’s in it. Mmmmmm……  We ate about 3 or 4 days worth of calories without feeling full. Eventually we wallowed out of bed, Charlie to go buy more groceries, me to pay for a second night at the motel. I ended up chatting with the proprietors, Marilyn and Claude for about an hour about all kinds of things: biting insects, the upcoming town fish fry, kids, grandkids, pranks and crimes in Longlac, blueberry tarts,   (Claude baked a couple of dozen yesterday and gave us some to enjoy), the motel, the theft of Claude’s new vehicle. The thief rolled and totalled it in Jellicoe, breaking his neck in the process. Finally I went back to the room to find Charlie had bought potato cakes and eggs, and steak for later tonight. I made a great effort and actually cooked scrambled eggs tomatos, and cheese with  my own special blend of herbs and spices I’d brought from home. Oh, it was an effort……

Right now I’m flaked out on the couch watching “Entertainment Tonight” and Charlie is sleeping soundly in the bedroom. My biggest accomplishment today was hand washing a few articles of clothing. 

It’s 4:30. We have about 13 1/2 hours more before we’re back on the road again. It’s supposed to rain again tomorrow. We will be spending our Canada Day 150 sporting flags on our backs, cycling one of the most remote highways in Canada, highway 11 between Longlac and Hearst. We have been exploring options for the Canada Day night and last night Charlie spoke to someone who has a hunting resort midway between the 2 communities. The resort is closed until the hunting season and they won’t be there but they will be leaving a mobile home, located just off the highway, open for us. It has electricity but no water. Very, very generous of them. Mercia Diane et Jerry!

It’s now 10:20 pm. We’ve done even more wallowing. Polished off a family sized bag of potato chips, an entire bag of Cavendish frozen French fries, steak and broccoli and, oh, we’re into the beer again. Dad phoned wondering if we’re still alive because the wifi is so weak here in northern Ontario I can’t get any of my blogs to post. Probably because I’m using my iPad off my personal hotspot from my phone. Then Claude, one of the motel owners came by with wine he’d made himself.    Both he and his wife, Marilynn are very friendly, kind people. Well, we handed him a beer and he sat down and we talked for a good hour and a half. Great people! Lots of stories about his family, (3 daughters, 8 grandkids, 6 greatgrandkids), their lives, his biking and skating for cystic fibrosis (47.5 hours!!!) and the things they’ve found under the beds since they bought this motel 24 years ago. 😳😫

It was a very wonderful way to spend our rest day!!!

It doesn’t matter how fit someone  is, how prepared they are or the kind of gear they’re toting, they are largely at the mercy of Mother Nature. I was thinking that today as we battled heavy wind, straight into our faces all day long. We only did 88km but it felt like a lot more. We both spent most of the day knuckled over our bikes, riding, focused directly on the tiny cracked and irregular shoulder. I was riding with reluctance, yearning for a day off, but Jellicoe was definitely not the place to park for a full day. Our last day off was in Winnipeg, 1060 km away. Longlac was our next stop, a small town on northern Ontario highway 11 and the very last community until Hearst, 210 km east.

We are fully equipped for camping, with tent, inflatable mattress pads, sleeping bags, cooking equipment, etc., but there is no freaking way I am going to camp out here in this bear, mosquito, black fly, no-see-um, deer fly, horsefly infested part of Canada. Oh, and I forgot, spruce bugs. And it’s been raining every night.  Final word, non-negotiable, no changing my mind. I’ll be much better when we get into more populated areas.

Hooray! We got into Longlac! First on my list was a visit to Rexall to buy a cortisone cream for my swollen, itchy bug bites. These, despite that I wear a full bug suit most of the time. Charlie doesn’t seem to be bothered by them much. Somehow the little buggers still seem to get to me, around my wrists, behind my ears in the 20 seconds I have my net off. The bites itch and swell and last forever. And of course, they add so much to my appearance….

While I was in Rexall , Charlie attracted a small crowd of 3 kids who had all kinds of questions about our trip, where we had come from, where we were going, and what it was like to bike across Canada.  A man came along, Ron, a retired paramedic, and he joined in the conversation. He has a sign shop but also takes people out kayaking. I noticed that while I had dozens of black flies swarming around outside my bug suit, he had none. He told us that as this was a particularly bad year for biting insects, even he will get the occasional bite but the best thing is to be freshly showered (well, good luck, we just cycled 88km), to add garlic to our diets daily and to avoid eating bananas. I’d actually read that sometime before but it had slipped my mind.  We have been eating bananas every day but there will be no bananas tomorrow, that’s for sure! Ron also suggested a local family-owned  motel around the corner, the RanDan.  

Marilynn and Claude, married more than 50 years have owned the RanDan since the 1980’s. They have a bunch of kids, grandkids and greatgrandkids. They run the motel, all 17 rooms doing all the cleaning themselves. Charlie likes to shop around for hotels/motels but I took one look at this place and said “We’ll stay here!”. It was very basic but so clean with brand new beds and a kitchenette. Just what we need for tonight and for lazing around all day tomorrow! Charlie rode to the local grocery store and came back with all kinds of good things to eat. We are settled in!!!   

“Goodbye Keigo! Have a fantastic trip! Our destination is the same. Maybe, if we’re lucky, we’ll see you again somewhere else on the road! You can text or email us and let us know how you’re doing!”

These are some of the words we said to our young Japanese guest when we left him at the motel. That and “Please make sure you’re gone by 11am, so we don’t get charged for another night.” Lol!

Keigo planned on taking the south route through Ontario via Sault Ste Marie. That’s the route Charlie and I had planned on taking originally. We have driven it before and it is so beautiful. We opted for the more northern route because of several factors including shoulder width, visibility, fog from the lakes, wind off the lakes, hills, types of vehicles and types of travellers, and days of the week we expect to be there. Settlements are few and far between no matter which route you choose, so you do have to carry more food and fill up on water wherever you go. We have those purification tablets too and I’m sure hoping to never have to use them.

Another nice day. Cool in the morning but it warmed up as the day grew older. This north route is beautiful too.       Remote and quiet, its silence is broken only by frequent birdsong and occasional trucks. There tends to be no vehicles on the road and then 5 or 6 will pass by, usually all in a huff, nose to tail, nose to tail….    I wonder why anyone wants to drive like that. It would stress me out so much.

Getting back to the birds, there is one in particular that I love. It sings 3 separate notes descending in order, the last note held longer and with a little “thrill” at the end. I’d like to know what type of bird makes that noise. There are a lot of them because we hear them all day long. We saw a rabbit today; otherwise no other wildlife.

About 40km from Nipigon, we came across a group of First Nations people, all wearing yellow shirts and walking for a number of issues including abuse of alcohol, abuse of drugs, for missing andmurdered First Nations men and women, for residential school survivors and their descendants and for suicide prevention.   We spent some time talking to some of them, including “Old Turtle Man” otherwise known as Fred  and Golden Eagle Woman, who goes by Tabitha.  Things are pretty rough on the reserve.

Uphill. Did we do anything other than uphill today? We must have, but it didn’t feel like it. The bugs were out in full force too so I wore my bug suit most of the day. The unfortunate thing about that is that it cuts down on the breeze I can feel and tends to feel hot. Mosquitoes, of course are everywhere. The horseflies and  deer flies appear from time to time, especially when it’s hot and sunny. Then there are the no-see-um’s….but we don’t know what they look like because, um… we’ve never seen ’em. Black flies swarm continuously and we just learned about another bug we have to look out for; the sprucebug! Apparently they are brownish, have long hard bodies, long antennae and have a nasty bite. I haven’t seen any yet but Charlie did. Apparently the best way to get rid of them is to grab them by their antenna and toss ’em. Ugh! The locals are saying that the bugs are especially bad this year.

Cedar Shores Resort on the outskirts of Jellicoe conjures up images of lovely cabins, sandy beaches, nice walking trails, kids playgrounds, ………     It actually is a run-down hunt-camp property the owner has had since 1989 and is now trying to sell. Bob gave us a “delux” cabin with a kitchenette.     Charlie went off to town to forage for food while I talked with Bob, who told me that the one store in town would be closed by the time Charlie got there. He asked what we wanted and I told him we were hoping to get ingredients for salad and a few beer. Several minutes later he appeared at my door with 4 beer, romaine lettuce, 2 tomatos (one was bad through and through), a withered orange pepper, an energetic looking cucumber, some mozzarella cheese and a brand new jar of Rene’s Caesar salad dressing . He said his wife was away and all that food was going to go to waste. He only wanted $10 but I gave him more and we left the rest of the salad dressing. I was thinking that his wife might kill him when she gets home. So when Charlie got home with Beeferoni and beer, I had a nice salad made.

Biking day after day after day can be a bit tiring and we were out cold in minutes. No insomnia for us these days. And speaking of bed, it’s time to head there. Goodnight. Don’t let the bedbugs bite.

………BEDBUGS……..?!!!

Problems, problems! Not serious ones, just stuff that has to be delt with. Last night was the last glorious night of pampering and meals on wheels in Willy and Rebecca’s RV.     We slept in the Walmart parking lot in bustling downtown Thunder Bay. This city is actually bigger than I had expected and it’s situated in an astoundingly beautiful setting.

After breakfast   Willy and Rebecca drove us back to the Terry Fox Memorial     because that’s where we had cycled to the day before. EFI. That’s our plan and we’re sticking to it. Off we went, Charlie and I, Willy planning on catching up with us a bit later. He’s fit, a decade younger, rides a road bike and is unencumbered by the weight of panniers. Also, I’m slower than him and Charlie paces himself according to my speed, thank goodness! Charlie noticed that his front wheel felt a little off, so we had to go back to “Rolling Thunder” , the bike shop we’d gone to the day before.  Can you think of a better name for a bike shop in Thunder Bay? Nah, me neither! These guys are awesome! Yesterday when I was in with broken fenders, the owner recognized that they had a lifetime warranty and replaced them for labor costs only. They also screwed in something by, he said, 2mm, and that made a huge difference when changing gears. They had done some work on Charlie’s back wheel yesterday but the problem today involved his front wheel. He had just purchased a brand new tire in Moose Jaw and this bike store owner, Dan, said it should be under warranty and he replaced it for free!   Charlie gave him some money though for his efforts. We were very impressed by this bike shop, “Rolling Thunder” in Thunder Bay, Ontario. We will be writing a glowing review for them.

By now it was almost noon, so Willy and Rebecca drove us back to the Terry Fox Memorial and we said our goodbyes, after Rebecca emptied her fridge into our panniers. I would never have accepted all that she gave us, except that I’m feeling a little uncertain of the land before us and accessibility to groceries. We gratefully accepted and we went our separate ways. 

My bike felt so heavy, unwieldy, unbalanced. How quickly we soften up, or perhaps I should speak only for myself. How quickly I have softened up! With no panniers for almost a whole week, I had gotten used to easy riding! It wasn’t long though before I was used to it once again but that first bit was tough.

We rode east in the beautiful sunshine. The locals are complaining about the weather but we appreciated the cool breeze. As we were climbing a gentle slope we saw another cyclist, alone and headed west towards the city. We waved, then noticed him scrambling to get off his bike. Meeting in the middle,on a grassy stretch between the east and westbound highways, we were surprised to find out that it was Keigo, from Japan, who we had first met in Tompkins, Saskatchewan.   (I thought his name was Kingo, but no, it’s Keigo). He said that he had been headed east out of town but was so tired that he needed a rest day and was headed back to Thunder Bay. We talked for a few minutes then wished him well before continuing on our journey. On we went. Rolling hill after rolling hill. Nothing herculain but not easy either. Suddenly we heard a loud “Hi” from behind us and who was there but Keigo!! He said he had decided to go to Nipigon after all. Probably he saw us old fogies and figured, , hey, if they can do it, I can do it. So we rode together, the three of us. Occasionally he’d pull out ahead but then he’d  stop, dismount and we’d see him waving at us and rushing to remount his loaded bicycle. We passed the Marathon of Hope End and we explained who Terry Fox was and what he had accomplished in his young life.

Well, he hit the gravy train with us. We stopped for a snack and all he had, all he’s been eating was white Wonderbread.. Snack was Rebecca’s banana chocolate chip muffins and a banana and we gave him a Cliff bar too. He was so happy, fist punching all over the place. A few hours later we pulled out Rebecca’s sandwiches. We had 6 of them. He and Charlie split 5.    The kid was dancing in the street. When we got to Nipigon we told him we were staying at a motel and that it had 2 beds and 2 attached rooms. When we asked him if he wanted to stay with us, I expected him to do backflips, he was that excited. We had a very nice evening with Keigo, sharing once again Rebecca’s fully cooked bratwurst sausages and some canned food. We all had showers , I taught him how to floss, (and then he asked me to teach him to brush too), and we all slept well. The next day we were headed off in different directions, but, if we are fortunate, we will see Keigo again.

Thank you Willy and Rebecca for your amazing love and support on our trip. Thanks to you we were also able to bless another cyclist., 22 year old Keigo of Japan. Charlie and I look forward to more wonderful times with you and that starts again in September!!!! Yay!

Terry Fox. 

Unquestionably, he was a real hero. I’m sure he never guessed the impact his commitment and endeavour would have on our nation and worldwide. Charlie remembers a Terry Fox run in Seol, Korea, and how thousands of people on the other side of the world, people too young to remember him, too far away to have ever met him, tied up their runners and ran to make money to conquer cancer. It brings tears to my eyes to think of how Terry Fox must have suffered as he ran those many kilometres along the highway and when I think of how he must have despaired when he had to quit. He fought hard. He did lose to cancer but he won as a person, as a man and as an inspiration to all of us.

It was, at last, lovely outside today. Rebecca, Willy, Charlie and I had breakfast in the RV and then Charlie and I resumed our eastward ride, enjoying the sunshine and happy that our shoes and clothing were drying out. We are enjoying these last few times we’ll have with Rebecca and Willy.      Tomorrow after lunch Charlie and I will once more, be on our own. It’s a long, long way from Thunder Bay to North Bay (1,106.8 km) and even then it will take us another 3 days to get to Ottawa and civilization. It’s beautiful. There is no doubt about that. And this is like nothing I’ve ever done before. Or ever will again, I’ll see to that! I’m loving it with a flip side of hating it. It’s a challenge and I’m always on the watch, usually wet, frequently cold and always covered in welts from bug bites. Physically I’m not exhausted. I’m tired at the end of the day but not so tired that I can’t go on. It’s the vastness that gets to me. Knowing that there are at least 9 days of cycling before we get to North Bay and then another 3 to get to Ottawa, (with a stop to see friends in Renfrew), seems daunting. Not impossible, not insurmountable, but definitely a test. 

Last night we carefully calculated our distances because we knew that we were very close to midway and we were excited to find that we were 38km from that point. It gave us an extra bit of kick as we rolled away from the RV. Rebecca and Willy met us there, which just happened to be at the entrance to the Thunder Bay, population 109,000 sign. Rebecca had prepared a celebration. She gave me a “bouquet” of wild roses and told me that I was beautiful and tough, like the wild roses.       Then she gave me a heart shaped piece of amesth that she had purchased at a gas station and she told me that the First Nations people believed that it offered protection and that they carried it with them on their travels. Rebecca also had a Bible verse especially for me.       Ezekiel 34:24-27, which speaks of God’s presence and protection in all circumstances, including protection against wild animals. I accept that. Then we went into the RV for the “reception” where she served her famous banana chocolate chip muffins and tea. It was all very meaningful and cute and made us feel very special. She and Willy have gone so out of their way to cater to us. We are so grateful.

After this little celebration of our half way achievement, Charlie and I rode through the city of Thunder Bay and outside it to the Terry Fox monument where we paid our respects.  Many other people were there as well, including an American couple who had eloped 2 days beforehand. Anna and Curtis both come from very large families. As she put it, “I have 71 first cousins. I couldn’t decide who not to invite out of all that.” 

Our bikes needed a bit of care. My front fender had snapped. Fortunately they had a set in stock and they have a lifetime warranty so they changed them for me and charged me labor costs only. They also tightened my cables. Charlie needed new brake pads and a new front tire. While they were working on our bikes, we did laundry and looked for waterproof gloves.

Did you know you can camp your RV outside a Walmart overnight? That’s where we are tonight. The Walmart parking lot in Thunder Bay.  Everybody’s sleeping except me, our bellies full of an Indonesian dish Rebecca loves to make, topped off by cheesecake. Mmmmmm……

Gulp……..tomorrow we will have to  part ways.  We will miss them!!!!!!

I had no enthusiasm for more biking when I pulled my saturated gloves back on for the third time today. We had been biking in the pouring rain since just after 7:30 this morning with no respite. My shoes were soaked through too despite the waterproof shoe covers I had on. So wet I could feel the water squish between my toes. The rest of me was chilled but mostly dry. I wear a buff under my helmet which helps keep me warmer. It’s cold today and very, very wet. However, when we got going again it didn’t take  too long to warm up again. Even my wet parts warmed up in their private little saunas.

Charlie, Willy and I biked 60km then met Rebecca in the RV for a snack of tea and huge chocolate chip peanut butter cookies. So nice! Then we did another 40km and met Rebecca again for a fabulous lunch spread. Then., very reluctantly we three went back out into the downpour for the remaining 33km. 

The party will soon be over. Rebecca and Willy, my sister-in-law and brother-in-law drove up from Illinois to support our bike trip for 6 days, 5 nights. They will be heading home on Tuesday after lunch and Charlie and I will be on our own again. They have helped us in so many ways, from carrying all our panniers, to providing us with snacks, great nutritious meals and hot cups of tea, as well as showers, indoor plumbing and a cozy safe place to sleep in their RV. Willy and Charlie poured over maps and checked stats on distance, elevations, shoulder width, amount of traffic, type of traffic and accommodations available along our way through this huge and mighty province. Together they figured out the best way for us to get through Ontario. The northern route is probably better even though it is 85 km longer. It’s flatter, has a decent shoulder and less traffic and that traffic is largely comprised of trucks.  We find trucks give us lots of room whereas the guys towing boats on their way to their cottages are scary and come too close. The thing  that I find daunting is that Ontario is so big. And the highway we’ll be taking is remote and wild and very long.

Other notable occupancies: we are now on eastern standard time and all streams from here on in empty into the Atlantic Ocean whereas all streams west of here empty into the Artic Oceam.        

You can’t bike with trepidation, wondering what is behind every turn. You have to do it with intention and go full out. Otherwise you’ll never get anywhere. As we persevere eastward I have to let go of my fears. Still, I continually scan the horizon. Is that shape over there black or just a dark green? Does it move? Today we saw a large turtle, about the size of a dinner plate trying to cross the road.  Willy picked up and pointed it towards the pond. We also saw the body of a large female Moose off to side. There were large vultures feasting on the corpse who flew off  reluctantly when we rode by. The body looked mostly intact but every bit of flesh had been stripped from its head!  There was an odour of decaying flesh that we did not initially smell but we moved on quickly when we did! The wild flowers are spectacular including  beautiful lupins, a flower I associate with the east coast. Rebecca picked some to put on the table.

Rebecca made us another hearty, tasty meal of pasta with a meat sauce, heavy on the vegetables. Every night she brings out German chocolate and it can’t be beat! We are eating everything offered. Soon we’ll be back to basics. Boo-hoo! We have enjoyed their company immensely. I shouldn’t put that in the past tense; we have until a Tuesday afternoon with them.

Very tired. We are parked near the highway and will fall asleep to the tune of traffic and the relentless pounding rain.

Goodnight.

Last night Willy parked the RV at the boat launch just a few meters from the lakeshore so when I awoke and looked out the window I could watch the seagulls floating and diving, in search of their breakfast.  . It was beautiful and so . far from the ordinary for me. Today was grey, gloomy and rainy all day. My kind of weather and I’m not even a vampire. (I suppose that’s what all vampires say. ) Why do I like that kind of weather? It’s because there are fewer bugs about. My theory, totally unsupported, is that their little wings are too wet for them to fly. I notice that as soon as the sun shines and it dries up, the bugs come out in droves! And they are huge! Some of them carry steak knives! There are horrendous horse flies, dastardly deer flies, malicious mosquitos and  bloodsucking black flies, although we haven’t seen any of the latter yet. Hopefully we’ve missed the season. I was totally covered up except for a bit of my face and some mosquitoes  still found the few exposed inches of skin.

We had fantastic conditions for biking today. There are many hills but some look far more intimidating than they actually are, appearing daunting from a distance and stretching flatter as we go forth.    Charlie and I started out leaving Willy with Rebecca. Willy had a few things to take care of and ended up leaving an hour later. He booted it though and caught up with us AFTER we’d had snack and tea time with Rebecca who met us 55km down the road in the RV.  All day he grumbled jokingly about how deprived he was about having missed snack time. He made up for it at lunch. Rebecca makes us the most amazing meals in this tiny RV kitchen. We are so appreciative!

Mid afternoon as we were charging down the road, me in front setting the pace, (slow), I saw a black shape about 100 metres away on the left. Loudly I asked Charlie and Willy what they thought and we all screeched to a stop, startling a mama bear. She looked up at us, then continued to graze, her cub bouncing around her. As we stood respectfully astride our bikes watching, and armed with our bear spray, she looked up again, then moved towards the thick forest, melting into the foliage within seconds. They are out there, even if we don’t see them.             We also saw deer crossing the roads and several squished turtles. If we see a turtle crossing the road, Charlie and I plan to stop and pick it up to help it across. Hopefully it’s not a snapping turtle! I like having fingers.

We did a total of 140km today. Rebecca went ahead and found us a suitable spot to park the RV for tonight and when we rolled up she had tea and chocolate ready for us and dinner on the go. Tonight she made chicken breasts, egg noodles and broccoli all with alfredo sauce. Oh, the calories! We are so, so blessed by Rebecca and Willy supporting us like this. Plus, it’s just so fun to spend time with them. I will cry when they leave us Tuesday afternoon after lunch to get back to Illinois. It will be a shock to our systems to have to figure out our own food and accommodations again.  It is a very long lonely stretch of highway across northern Ontario, especially between Longlac and Hearst. And I do not want to camp at all!

It’s pouring rain outside. We are so lucky to be inside this RV with Willy and Rebecca. We will sleep well tonight! 

Well, maybe not….. I just found a wood tick on me. Now I’m itchy.

It’s pouring rain outside. Pelting! The wind is doing its best to shake this little RV. We four are snug inside, the three cyclists showered and clean, each absorbed in their little machines. Rebecca is hard at work making us a dinner of ground beef, veggies and tomato sauce over pasta and soon we will be sitting around the little table eating dinner, and looking out over the windy grey lake.     Charlie and I are really enjoying being spoiled by Willy and Rebecca and it will be harder when they leave us Tuesday morning. We will have 2 weeks or more of this northern Ontario. I’ve been looking for an escape hatch but there isn’t one. Right now we are trying to figure out the easiest, safest and fastest way to go. We have heard it said that Quebec is the reward for getting through northern Ontario and as we have cycled Quebec the past 2 summers, we know that is true. Another cyclist is quoted as having said, “Don’t cry and just keep going.” Words to live by, for now anyway.

Cycling this early morning was excellent! It felt like we were flying because we didn’t have to take our panniers. Charlie and I left just after 7:30, leaving Willy behind with Rebecca in the RV. They had made us a fantastic breakfast of scrambled eggs with peppers and granola. Willy had to take the RV in to get fresh water and dump the reservoir, so after that was done Rebecca drove him to about 20 km from where they thought we’d be. He jumped on his road bike and worked mighty hard to catch up with us. Around 10:30 Rebecca drove up in her RV and parked on the side of the road. As we rode past she opened the door and presented us with a tray containing banana chocolate muffins and home made peanut butter cookies. I know I shouldn’t ….but I did!!!!    😛

Fort Frances looks like a very nice summer town. I’m sure it’s quite miserable in the winter but right now it’s bustling with people who are all excited to get summer going. Lots of vehicles towing boats. Lots of advertisements for fishing equipment, liscences, bait, etc.. Its a happening little place! We had lunch in a parking lot, once again prepared with TLC by Rebecca. We are sure eating a lot better with them around! It comes down to access to food on the road as well as to how much you want to carry. Cans of food are heavy. Lots of stuff is bulky to carry. Oh well, we will get by.

After lunch we did another 20 km east and Rebecca found us a place to camp at this great boat launch. We are self contained with no need for any of the facilities that a camp site provides. This is much cheaper. After dinner, and it was delicious, we drove back to Fort  Frances in order to get internet access. We (I did at first, but it was mainly Charlie and Willy) who figured out the best route for us to take, considering distance, shoulder width, elevations, quality of pavement and volume of traffic. The end decision is that we will be taking the highway from Thunder Bay to Nipigon, Longlac, Hearst, Kapuskasing, Iroquois Falls, Kirkland Lake to North Bay.    There are some long, long stretches between towns but the road is flatter. There are lots of trucks but we have found that truckers give us wide berth. The road to Sault Ste  Marie has more hills and lots of summer traffic; vacationers keen on getting to their cottages ASAP.  Many towing boats. Ah,….it’s a gamble, no matter how you look at it. What I really am sorry about though is that we won’t get the chance to see Carolynn Ouellette and her husband Ed, who live just a bit north of Sault Ste Marie. Carolynn and I went through dental hygiene together and haven’t seen each other since we graduated 24 years ago. Nonetheless, for safety, etc, we will take the northern route.

Soon we will go back to our camp spot for the night. It all starts again tomorrow morning. One little bit further, one little bit closer to goal. It definitely is fun and a challenge but it’s a real long haul too. I could sleep for a week and I’m not even halfway done!