Day 26: July 24 Kenora (rest day)
Picture: Herb cleaning and tuning his bike on rest day, a popular activity

I rested and ate.  Laundry was the first order of business.  New Craig (his real surname is Makepeace) and I went into town and loaded up the machines.  We ate a healthy breakfast -- donuts and coffee -- while waiting for dryers to free up.  The laundromat was right next to the docks, so  people could pull up and do their vacation laundry.  No bike stands out front for us, though.  The Safeway grocery store across the street had boat slips as well.  The rest of the day was spent back at the campsite updating this web page.  It helps me keep my memories organized and fresh, even if no one else actually reads it.

Today is Neri's 70th birthday.  He's ridden all the miles and still shows up with a smile at the end of every day.  The group gave him a new pair of biking shorts.  The ones he was wearing had holes that even duck tape couldn't fix.  We made him promise to throw the old ones away.  I think it was a present to ourselves as much as to him, especially for those riding behind him!

Day 27: July 25 Kenora to Caliper Lake Provincial Park  80 miles (129 km)
Picture: Robert, by a lake (Longbow?) on the way to Sioux Narrows

This turned out to be one of the best rides so far.  The sky cleared, the road was newly paved and we flew up the hills.  The landscape has changed.  Instead of flat, straight roads, we now have rock walls, continuous hills, and forest all around.  This is the beginning of the Lake of Woods area.  It covers a huge area between the US and Canada.  There are over 14,000 islands.  It's a tourist destination for folks from both sides of the border.

I was nervous starting out today.  My confidence level was low because of bonking on the way into Kenora.  (Bonking: you run completely out of energy.  You can't think straight either, for example to sit, refuel and rest.  Runners call it hitting the wall.)  I felt strong and fueled up, so I went out at a reasonable pace, neither fast nor slow.  I was tooling along easily when my back tire exploded with a bang.  A quick look showed a 3/4" 3-corner rip in both the tire and the tube.  I hadn't seen any glass, so the culprit was most likely a sharp rock.  A new tube and a boot fixed it right up. (A boot is a piece of old bike tire with the bead/edge cut off.  You put it inside, between the tube and the tire, and it covers the hole until you can replace the tire.)  Robert and Neri stopped to make sure everything was ok.  Neri had heard the explosion from quite a distance back and knew what had happened. By the way, he looked great with the streamers on his bike today.  He's hoping they'll make it easier to attract women.

I asked Robert to ride with me for a bit just to make sure the boot would hold.  I think riding together sparked both of us to ride up the hills a little harder and down the hills in a tighter tuck.  We stopped for a photo by the side of the road (see the picture above) and were joined by Alan and Jules.  Jules was in the same kind of mood so he joined Robert and me as we attacked the hills.  Jules has discovered that he's a real climber.  When we stopped for our first lunch Robert kept on going but Karin and John caught up to us.  John, Jules and I continued attacking the hills.  Karin and Alan stayed together and caught up to us each time we paused to breathe and laugh (are you getting the turtle and hare picture here?)  Karin said "the boys were playing silly buggers".

We stopped for a second lunch at a small restaurant on the edge of Sioux Narrows.  Tip for future bikers: don't go to the Rod and Reel Restaurant -- the waitresses were rude, the food was not very good, and the service was slow.  After lunch, John, Jules and I decided to open it up.  We set up a fast paceline and wanted to see how fast we could do the remaining 31 miles (50 km) to camp.  We covered it in about an hour and a quarter, at around a 22 mph (36 kph) pace.  Not too bad considering all the hills we climbed.  We were running on endorphins.  At times we were trading the lead between 34-37 mph (55-60 kph), which is phenomenal at our biking level.  Jules kept saying "I can't go this fast!" with a great big smile.  He wonders if he'll pay the price tomorrow.  I don't care; I feel wonderful again.

Day 28: July 26 Caliper Lake Provincial Park to Taylor's Cove  90 miles (144 km)
Picture: Log storage area in the town of Fort Frances, home to a huge paper mill

I had the most relaxing day.  It felt like a leisurely stroll, not a 90 mile ride.  Having the right attitude was the key.

The short hills were a little tougher this morning since I was doing them on my own.  It took a while to warm up.  When I caught up to Karin and John, two strong riders, I realized that I was riding fine (it was a confidence check).  We were just 9 miles (15 km) outside of Emo, so I decided to ride with them and have a second breakfast.  Are you starting to sense a trend here?

Emo, population 1,200, had three choices - the convenience store, the family restaurant (with lots of pickups in the lot), or the Emo Inn.  The mechanic and the cashier at the gas station recommended the Inn, so off we went.  We had grilled cinnamon buns and coffee.  They took a normal cinnamon bun, painted butter on the bottom, and dropped it on the griddle to heat it up.  Then they delivered it warm and upside down... with more butter.  Eminently edible.  John and I both ordered the large size (which was two buns, not one bigger one) and then split second order.

Having seen all of Emo on the way to the Inn, (which only took 45 seconds, even by bike), we headed down the official route.  It looked like a scenic detour that was inserted to get us off of a busy road.  The problem was that it wasn't very scenic and the road surface was awful.  It also added 12 miles (20 km) to the trip.  Very few of us actually took it.  We should have done what the others did -- ask the locals about the roads, not where to find good cinnamon buns.

The route took us near the river that separates the US and Canada.  You could see the States easily at a few points.  I was surprised that I wasn't homesick.  Canada is so similar to the US that it's hard to feel like you're in a different country.  Maybe it will when I reach Quebec.

The end of the scenic route was Fort Frances, a big paper mill town.  The woman at the coffee shop referred to the huge factory as "the cancer dome".  It puts an awful stench in the air and leaves a film on the cars, she said.  She wanted to move back to the country.  I think she's forgotten about a few of the country smells.

Our first stop in Fort Frances was the A&W for lunch (triple cheeseburger thanks to a 2-fer coupon from Ron).  The next stop was the coffee shop that was a converted convent.  The restrooms were labeled Sisters and Brothers.  John rated the cappuccino a 4.5 out of 5.0.  It was so good he had a second cup.  I found an amazingly tacky salt and pepper shaker (can you see where this is going Nancy?) on display in a curio cabinet.  Since I've been giving my sister Nancy really tacky sets for Christmas over the past few years, I just had to buy it.  If it survives the trip, she'll see it in December.

Quite stuffed and hydrated, we headed out to finish the last 25 miles (40 km).  The end of the ride was mild hills and curves with lots of trees and granite outcroppings.  It felt like home (southern New Hampshire).

The campground was rustic.  We had electricity but no running water.  It had to be hauled from quite a distance.  Other than dinner (pierogies and sausage), the best part of the evening was that our camp site was right on the lake and no one else was around.  I jumped in with my biking clothes on instead of showering. There's a dock too.  Most of the evening we had between 8 and 10 people sprawled on it.  The mosquitoes and flies left you alone out there.  On shore they were vicious.  Brook pitched her sleeping bag on the dock and ignored her tent.  I hope she doesn't roll over too many times.

Day 29: July 27 Taylor's Cove to Quetico Provincial Park 100 miles (162 km)
Picture: Chef Bruce.  Chairs are hard to come by, so you have to be creative

Brook stuck it out for about an hour.  The bugs were too thick, even for her.

I slept well.  Having soft ground makes a difference.  With a narrow pad to sleep on, if the ground is hard -- rock or gravel -- I wake up if I roll off.

Eric declared today a race day.  He wanted to go out hard.  Besides him, none of us were officially in or out of the race.  That way we didn't have to admit to trying and not winning.  Jon took off at least 30 minutes ahead of the rest of us, which is normal.  He usually leaves around 6:30 and gets to the truck way ahead of the rest of us.  He did the same today; none of us could make up that kind of time.  Eric was out ahead of me, but I didn't know how far.  Since I hadn't ridden with him before, I didn't know what he was capable of.  I just put my head down and set a fast pace that I thought I could hold for the day.  I caught him around the 39 mile (67 km) mark.  His average speed was 31.0 kph; mine  was 31.7.  From there, we worked together for the next 30 miles (48 km) to get to Atikokan (population 900).  We stopped for lunch to delay having to climb the big hill just past town. It was under construction and the asphalt was already removed.  All you could see was gravel.  It could wait.  The soup at the White Otter Inn received rave reviews from Eric and from Alan and Jules who joined us.

The gravel and the climb weren't so bad.  A water truck had just gone by so my bike was a mess from the mud.  I wanted to continue the fast pace (which ended up slower than the morning pace, imagine that).  Eric was ready to return to a slightly more reasonable one, so I rode on ahead.  The end of the ride was the same as the earlier part -- hills, granite, and forest on either side.  Car and truck (transports, to Canadians) traffic was light.  The winner of the race was Eric;  he was the first Eric to arrive at camp.

The campsite was in the back of Quetico Provincial Park, down a long dirt road.  By the end of it, my bike really needed a bath.  For future TDC riders, the handicapped shower has a shower hose with a handle.  It makes bike cleanup easier.

Our crew did dinner -- chicken fajitas, green bean salad, green salad and a veggie tray with dip.  We made enough for 35 and it was all wiped out.  I guess we'll try making enough for 45 next time.

The highlight of the evening was taking a canoe ride in the lake with Brook.  It was very quiet and peaceful, unlike camp.  We saw a beaver.  Very cool.  I went to sleep to the sounds of a nearby guitar playing Dust in the Wind.  It wasn't a train whistle, but it was pretty nice.

Day 30: July 28 Quetico Provincial Park to Thunder Bay 101 miles (163 km)
Picture: Jeff at Kakabeka Falls

It was another long day.  Herb, Catherine and I woke up early to start breakfast for those heading out early.  We woke up Jeff at 6:00 a.m. and he jumped right in.  A few riders were off between 5:30 and 6:00 a.m.  Everyone but Bruce McM (Chef Bruce, as opposed to Big Bruce) and our cook crew were gone by 7:00.  Our blueberry pancakes received rave reviews.

A few kilometers out of camp Jeff and I saw a moose on the side of the road as we came around a bend.  I assume it was female since it had no antlers.  We stopped and stared.  It stared back for about a minute before walking across the road and disappearing into the woods.  Jeff was able to get his camera out in time.  My digital one took too long to dig out and fire up.  That's technology for you.

About an hour into the ride, we stopped at the watershed between the Atlantic and Arctic oceans.  We'd been to the watershed between the Atlantic and Pacific back at the B.C.-Alberta border.  I'd never really thought about water flowing to the Arctic.  Brook came by in the truck while we were stopped.  We did the picture thing and then raided the truck for more food.  I'd already eaten my first banana and didn't think I'd have enough for the such a long day.  The early stretch was 60 miles (100 km) of hills with no towns.

We met up with Eric, Kelly, Big Bruce and Neri at Shabaqua Corners and stopped together for lunch and ice cream at the Timberland Restaurant.  (It's a small country.  The person who lent us the canoes in Quetico was connected to the people who run the restaurant.)  We heard from the waitress that most of the riders had stopped in earlier.  Herb pulled in as we were eating.  He needed some WD-40 or chain lube.  His rear derailleur wasn't shifting.  Probably from the dust and sand from the dirt road on the way out of camp.  Jeff pulled out his trusty bottle and solved the problem.

The rain started right after lunch.  The first time it was just a few sprinkles.  The second time we were soaked.  Both of us had carried jackets for several days earlier in the week but hadn't needed them.  Today, neither of us was prepared.  Oh well, at least it was warm.

Even with the rain, we picked up speed after lunch.  We'd been dragging in the morning.  The toughest choice of the day was at the junction of highway 102 and the Trans Canada Highway.  The official route was longer and went past Kakabeka Falls.  The other way was shorter and we were tired.  I talked Jeff into the longer route.  It was a good choice.  The rain cleared up and there was a great set of downhills into the town of Kakabeka Falls.  With drafting we rode at speeds of 37-45 mph (60-67 kph) for a good 3 miles (5 km).

The falls was worth a stop.  It didn't have a huge flow going over, but it was impressive nonetheless.  The storyboards around the lookout platforms described the portages around the falls that early traders and pioneers had to make.  The traders used 36 foot long, 12-man canoes.  Each man was responsible for two 90 pound bales of furs plus all of their other gear.  On a typical portage each man made five trips.  Eventually they sought an easier route and found it in the boundary waters.

We arrived at Lakehead University in Thunder Bay around 6:30 p.m., after the time change.  We're finally back on Eastern Standard Time, yeah!  We'll sleep in real beds in dorm rooms for the next two nights.  I hope I can stand being inside again.

Dinner was chinese food at a local restaurant.  It was provided free by one of the people sponsoring Isabelle's ride.  She's attempting to raise $1.5 million for the Arthritis Foundation.  She's been talking to the media -- newspapers, radio, and television -- in many of the cities we pass through to raise awareness for the cause.  Not bad for a 65 year old woman with an artificial knee.

Day 31: July 29 Thunder Bay (rest day)
I woke up early, then rolled over and went back to sleep.  What a luxury.  There were no zipper alarms (the sound of zippers on sleeping bags or tents opening) to wake me up early, nor any voices a few feet away.  It was stuffy sleeping inside again.  I may need to pitch my tent in the back yard for a few days when I return home to slowly reenter normal life.

Thunder Bay was a big city.  I know that because it had three bike shops.  I had to visit all of them, of course.  I needed a couple of spare tires and new handlebar tape.  For an additional $25, the mechanic at Petries cleaned the chain, tightened bearings, and put on the new tires and tape.  The new tires are black with yellow stripes on the side.  Since the bike is black, I feel like I'm riding a bumble bee.

The other find of the day was a pair of biking sandals.  They look like Teva sandals but with a biking cleat on the bottom.  Maybe I can do something about the tan line on my legs now.

onward >>  More Northern Ontario: A party, Winnie the Pooh, and a giant goose

backward >>  Manitoba: My first Tim Hortons

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