Joanna`s cousin Scott met us at 9:30am in Thunder Bay and we proceeded to follow him to his house. After the usual get to someone`s house rituals (laundry and showers) we went out exploring TBay. Got to see Sleepy G (aka the sleeping giant), Terry Fox monument and the Hoito (the Finlandia Club and restaurant), before passing out for a much needed couple of hours of sleep. We picked Scott`s girlfriend Kylie up from work and went out for a delicious TBay dinner at the Prospector where we scored two bags of fresh baked Prospector buns, mmm tasty. We finished the night off with a couple of beverages and a few games.
So after sleeping in and procrastinating for half the morning the Lord of all Catan and his mistress set off headed east.
It was a beautiful ride out, we followed the water rather than the highway, had blue skies and sunshine the whole way. After 75km Scott and Kylie met back up with us and had brought us another delicious dinner, cheese and chili smookies. So we hit up a nearby campsite and built a nice hot fire to cook and enjoy the night. Later that night fireflies put on a show for us and after that we packed it in for the night.The next day called for rain but we woke up to overcast but dry skies so we packed up and hit the road. Within an hour the weatherman`s predictions came to full fruition and the skies opened up all over us, we were soaked. We stopped for hot soup and to dry out a little along the highway before the rain stopped and we continued on to Nipigon.
roll back down to the waterfront of Terrace Bay on Lake Superior. We had made good time in these first 35km and not wanting to get caught in the rain that was forecasted for the following day and the knowledge of a warm dry bed at my uncle Barry`s in Marathon we decided to try to make the push for another 80km. Through this stretch we learned to really appreciate small gas station convenience stores b/c we seemed to always be running on empty as far a fluids go, and we learned to really hate the following road sign. To motorists it`s a good sign, it implies a passing lane is approaching in two kilometers and it will allow you to pass that transport truck that you have been following or whatever else might be slowing you down, or vice versa all in a safe manner. But as a cyclist it implies only one thing......
Leaving Nipigon we were told we`d see beautiful scenery and lots of hills. With great weather we saw both.
After 60km of going up and back down Joanna`s knee began to hurt a little so 10km later we pulled into the first town, Rossport, and found a beautiful spot to set up camp on the beach with the picturesque Lake Superior only feet away.
Leaving the cute port town of Rossport we climbed up and back down, and up and back down, and up to Schreiber and then back down and up, well you get the point.
Just before Terrace Bay we stopped at Aguasabon canyon for lunch then continued to
roll back down to the waterfront of Terrace Bay on Lake Superior. We had made good time in these first 35km and not wanting to get caught in the rain that was forecasted for the following day and the knowledge of a warm dry bed at my uncle Barry`s in Marathon we decided to try to make the push for another 80km. Through this stretch we learned to really appreciate small gas station convenience stores b/c we seemed to always be running on empty as far a fluids go, and we learned to really hate the following road sign. To motorists it`s a good sign, it implies a passing lane is approaching in two kilometers and it will allow you to pass that transport truck that you have been following or whatever else might be slowing you down, or vice versa all in a safe manner. But as a cyclist it implies only one thing......a gut wrenching, back breaking, leg burning, relentless, never ending hill that will start in exactly two kilometers, best of luck. Tired and beaten but not defeated we climbed our last hill into the town of
Marathon at around 8pm our toughest day to date. We showered did laundry, ate, tried to visit a little then crashed for bed.
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