Sideways

North of Superior

August 17 - 24 : North of Superior



August 17
What a difference a rest day makes! I got back on the bike saddle this morning and a few pedal strokes later, I was genuinely happy to be there!!! I rode through a heavy, wet fog for the first few hours before the radiant, relentless sun appeared. The kilometres whizzed by as my morning included racing a train, passing the longitudinal centre of Canada, watching the farm fields fade to forever forests and sourcing some delicious homemade perogies. After lunch, something surprising happened... I crossed the Ontario border, and almost like magic, the road started going up and down and side to side! Shifting gears, leaning into hills and coasting down them - that is what riding a bike is all about - and I freaking love it!!!!! Looking back, riding across the prairies was a lot like riding a stationary bike while watching TV, but that's over now, and I will never complain about hills again! I was absolutely sending it, and my plan to get to Kenora today was completed before dinner, so I added 20 bonus km to make it an absolutely joyful 235 km day. :)






August 18
Some cold oatmeal got me started for the day and I peddled off - up and down hills, around corners - what fun! A fawn even ran alongside me for several hundred metres but a car came upon us before I could get my camera out. As expected, the road shoulders were meh but the traffic was respectful, so no real complaints. Today's 205 kms of scenery was comprised of lots of rocks, and trees and water (shout out to the Arrogant Worms!), with cottages circling numerous lakes, all eventually giving way to some flatter farmland vistas in the afternoon. Since it all seemed so familiar - having grown up in Ontario and visited this area several times - I forgot to take pictures until I was setting up camp by a lake near Fort Frances. I am also happy to remember several great chats at gas stations and little grocery stores along the way. As I think I've mentioned, I often find myself in conversation with all kinds of curious and friendly people, but today's chats were particularly fun. Typically, I roll into a gas station or small country variety store, hop off my bike, refill my water bottles, grab a snack, and sit in whatever shade is outside the store to eat it. People give me funny looks. I smile at them. They smile back. They ask where I'm coming from or going to. I tell them. They make an amusing comment, often saying I'm crazy, (Truth be told, I find "crazy" to be a rather useless and annoying word to describe some other thought they are likely having.) Then, the conversation either dies or it gets interesting. Today, it seemed that all conversations got interesting, which is good, because some days, these little chats are the only conversations I have. One chat was with a Dutch trucker who saw my bike outside the store and came in to find the person who rode it. Turns out he collects old bicycles, was curious about mine and then told me about some of his more unique finds. Another chat was with an American man who just retired and was on only his second vacation ever. He is loving it and is now thinking his third might be on two wheels! A young boy kept staring at me and my bike until his mom encouraged him to ask me some questions. They soon followed, in abundance! An older gentleman who, after piecing together my path to-date, told me that he doesn't respect many young people, told me that he "respects the heck outta me." All these conversations made me smile and continued to echoed around in my head as the day's kilometres rolled by and I made it to a campground in Fort Francis.



August 19
I hit the road too late for how hot it would get, but ohhh wellll. A few kilometres east of Fort Francis I travelled over the Noden Causeway, a 5.6 km long engineering marvel consisting of several long, and some high, bridges connecting at least 5 small islands and spanning the beautiful Rainy River. The Causeway even had rest stops with picnic areas, docks and panoramic views of the area. As the occasional float plane flew overhead, I continued to follow Highway 11 (the TransCanada) through terrain dotted with lakes, marshes, a lot of trees, rock outcrops, cottages and First Nations settlements. I also had time to think and have come to the conclusion that although the communities are relatively small in Northwestern Ontario and the available services are less plentiful than in the south, every time I stop for some reason or another, the conversations begin - seemingly more here than anywhere else. Following on from yesterday's chats, today I happily shared an hour talking to a youth addictions counsellor who had pre-career experiences that, let's just say, would well-qualify him to relate to those he counsels. I also joked with some motorcyclists who insisted on giving me $10 for my dinner. Later in the afternoon, I detoured for a food resupply before making it to Quetico Provincial Park, 195 km after my morning start. I was delighted to arrive in Quetico because it is a wilderness park and I have happy memories of camping here with my parents and canoeing - in a big ol' voyageur canoe made of birch bark, and in our family's more commonly sized and constructed version. As I type, I'm also pretty sure I am setup in the campsite next to the site where my parents and I pitched our tent, beside French Lake, and that makes me smile. Too bad I don't have any S'mores ingredients with me!




August 20
'Woke up, packed up, and put on my riding clothes. Have I mentioned?... My base layers are usually still soggy with yesterday's sweat, and my shirt is always soggy because it does double duty as my towel the evening before - oh the joys! Somehow I don't think they get smellier day to day, just soggier, or dare I say, "more moist" (@briannaaareilly). I passed a road sign today telling me that I entered the Atlantic watershed - so I guess that if I was a raindrop my journey would be all downhill from here. Speaking of raindrops... rain clouds lingered on the horizon for the entire morning, occasionally freeing some drops and sharing them with me. :) The rainbow to all this was a perfectly placed 'chip truck' at the side of the road. I enjoyed a delicious lunch break and a few chill-out moments before continuing on into Thunder Bay where I stopped after logging 160 clicks. In Thunder Bay I was reunited with the Shields - a wonderful family I know who were former cross- country ski coaches and teammates from my Waterloo high school days. We ate a most delicious home cooked dinner and enjoyed catching up - laughing at ski things, bike things and really, just most things in general.





August 21
My morning started with clean clothes and hot oatmeal!!! Andy then escorted me out of town on his bike, along some ideal side roads he had already scouted out as part of his roller-skiing training. Before long, the inevitable happened and I was reunited with my reluctant buddy of late - the Trans-Canada Highway. The Highway and I rolled along together, making good time through the sunshine for a 185 km day. The reason why I joined this partner reluctantly is because in this area, the Trans-Canada Highway shoulder can best be described as really bad to non-existent and the traffic (including trucks) is fairy steady. While my trip research and discussions with cycling friends prepared me to expect this, it doesn't make the actual experience any more fun. It means a few adjustments are needed for riding and it also means that I take a lot fewer pictures. I can't shoot pics while rolling because I need to be more focused on staying on the road than enjoying the scenery. Today, I did note lots of pristine lakes and, after the first real climb I've done in a while, I was rewarded with a marvellous view of Lake Superior! The climb was followed by a joyous, rip roaring descent where the afternoon raindrops stung my face, but I didn't even care because I was finally descending something fun! Another highlight of the day was my 4th accidental reunion of the trip with an old friend and yep, it was in Timmies (in Nipigon). Ryan G said, "Hello!!" He was headed westward by car. Statistically I wonder what the chances of us meeting are but I don't care enough to calculate as I'm on holidays! After a brief chat and a little treat, I then pedalled on to Rainbow Falls Provincial Park where I met a Dutch cyclist who was also exploring Canada by bike. We happily shared a campsite and swapped stories on into the night.



August 22
I interrupt today's daily dribble about another day on the bike to let you know that today I woke up, picked slugs off my clothes and gear and proceeded to find slugs hitching a ride along with me for the rest of the day. While I'm into it, just thought I would highlight some more of 'those moments'... Moments when you crest a hill, the sun comes out, and Free Fallin' comes on my headphones. Moments when a passing car honks in encouragement. Moments when a smile cracks across your face and you realize there is nothing you would rather be doing at the moment (no matter how many slugs are in close proximity). These moments fill me with a rush of energy that can carry me kilometres. I had a few of these moments today, but I also had a lot of rain and almost continuous lack of road shoulder along the Trans-Canada Highway. Under threat from a big, black thundercloud and a friend excited to see me, I turned off the highway after only 111 km and rode into Marathon to visit @veronica.knott!!! We had a great time catching up, eating Chinese food and reminiscing about our good ol' UBC BoG days. Who would have ever guessed that the two of us would end up here!





August 23
Today I am pretty sure I sailed 222 km instead of biking them. I haven't had a tailwind in so long I forgot how magical they are, and today brought that all back! It was a northwest tailwind that was blowing in some rather frigid air but I've got the layers to stay comfortable, even as I watched my breath condense in front of me. I rode through White River, the hometown of the black bear cub that was the real life inspiration for A.A. Milne's Winnie the Pooh, and by the huge, new Canada Goose monument in Wawa! The giant goose was another visited icon of my childhood, and it was fun to ride by as a flock of real Canadian honkers flew overhead. As I was getting dinner I was touched by yet another heart-warming gesture as a man that I had been chatting with in line at a sub shop insisted on buying my meal saying,"You earned it!" Crawling into my sleeping bag beside Rabbit Blanket Lake in Lake Superior Provincial Park, I recalled an all in all, wonderful day.




August 24
Today's combination of multi-directional wind gusts and fun shoreline terrain helped today's 195 km roll by quite easily. I had a relaxed day stopping to enjoy scenic vistas, eat snacks and wait for highway construction flaggers. The landscape is is the prime habitat of my favourite tree - the eastern white pine - and I thoroughly enjoyed the sight of hundreds of them along the highway. This evening, I rolled into Sault Ste. Marie, marking the end of my journey around Lake Superior. It also afforded me the opportunity to overnight at the fabled bike shop #velorution_bike_ski, featuring free cyclist camping and shower facilities, plus the anticipated company of fellow enthusiasts for the evening.

Sideways

Friendly Manitoba

August 13 - 16: Friendly Manitoba

August 13
I enjoyed a leisurely recovery morning, and rolled my way along the Yellowhead Highway into *drumroll* Manitoba. Yay Manitoba! So much for my much anticipated prairie tail winds - even here the winds are still blowing strong in the 'wrong' direction. (Before I started my trip, I was told that prevailing westerlies would be pushing me along, but instead I have been experiencing consistent easterlies.) It has also been very hot but I'm reluctant to complain much because on the positive side, it hasn't been super stormy and no tornadoes in sight. The heat has also helped me discover a new favourite drink combination - see my photo and this one you can try at home! Terrain highlights of the day include a descent into and a climb out of a large valley which included an enjoyable coast on my bike (the first in several days), and the sudden disappearance of my glorious paved shoulder, aka "home." When the shoulder disappeared, I tried biking through thick gravel on the roadside for a bit before finally realizing that was not going to get me anywhere, and turned onto gravel side roads. (I can bike hard gravel and dirt, but I cannot bike 2 inch thick, loose gravel.) The side roads were okay for the most part, except a notable rough stretch down, into and through a gravel pit and next to a black bear - yep, I'm blaming the road, not the bear! After a long but definitely entertaining last few kilometres, I reached Carly's parents' place and was welcomed happily to my home for the evening.





August 14
Some days are better left without every minute detail explained and today is probably one of them. After leaving the fantastic hospitality of the Sotas with some delicious treats, hugs and smiles, I jumped on my bike saddle, encountered lots of less than ideal cycling roads, and faced a relentless and strong headwind. I'm not happy to admit it but the headwind also blew me into a grumpy headspace and I stopped short of my goal for the day, after 195 km of fight. Most often, I try not to fight the daily challenges and instead roll with them and save my fight for the road. I find that even with cycling day after day, it's not my legs (hilariously pictured above) that I have to be aware of and take care of, but more so my thoughts. However, today my legs were stronger than my head and they carried me to a lovely campsite where I got to enjoy a beautiful sunset before laying my head to rest. Uplifting news... I have officially clocked >8,000 km cycling this summer. Here's to tomorrow!



August 15
Good morning headwinds! I broke camp and renewed my fight through continued winds and then joined the good ol' Trans-Canada Highway. On the parries, I have tried to avoid this beast by travelling on northern and smaller roads, but the smaller roads haven't been working too well as they are also busy with traffic that seems to be funnelling into a bottleneck around Winnipeg; so it has become part of my route also. The highway shoulder is nice and wide, it's just the constant roar and rumble of trucks that leaves something to be desired in the soundtrack! I stopped mid-morning at my intended destination for the previous night - a lovely spontaneous connection in Portage La Prairie - and was so glad I did. I enjoyed fresh baked scones, an absolutely delicious smoothie, local veggies, yummy toast and homemade granola balls. But even better than the food were the friendly faces of Ashleigh and her two kiddos. We had a fun little visit and the kiddos even escorted me down the driveway on their bikes as I left! Back on the road again, I peddled 121 km into a Winnipeg hostel.



August 16
When I woke up and realized that I hadn't spent more than one night in the same place since Inuvik, I was arguably tired, it was raining outside and I was in a cool spot, it seemed like a good time for a rest day. And I had a great one! I ate food, caught up on electronic things, Skyped the magnificent @bowtieal, napped and visited the Canadian Museum for Human Rights. The Museum is relatively new, major Canadian museum with stunningly unique architecture and I found it to be well worth a visit. In particular, I think it does good work sharing stories from Aboriginal people in Canada. Later, as I visited The Forks market in search of food, a voice called out, "Julie! Is that you?" A great catch-up with Jasmin ensued, and I am now heading to bed smiling, rested, and excited to get back on Nutterbut tomorrow.

Sideways

Saskatchewan

August 10 
I dropped out of my hammock and back onto the bike (literally) for another day of riding through the flat prairies drenched in sunshine. It was hot and clear, and the multitude of insect dwellers along the road shoulders were deafening and very hoppy. Today was a fairly uneventful ride punctuated by diving hawks, rolling hills, and a friendly driver who pulled over to the side of the highway to ask me where I was coming from and going to. The chat provided a nice break from my solitary ride and the driver told me that the 'hills' I was the midst of were the last I would see until Kenora (a few thousand km away). And he was right - as the hills faded away, I refined my definition of 'flat' and rode into Saskatoon! In ToonTown I had the absolute joy of reconnecting with a few 'old friends' @connoranear and @kateemorr, eating a delicious, home-cooked dinner and being an eager participant in Miracle Treat Day.






August 11
I had a very respectably early morning as my host had to go to his real-person job (eh @connoranear) and I set off on yet another mission to get my bike fixed properly. I #gotmyfix at the @bikedoctorstoon, and was blown away by the bike shop and the quality of work. Amongst other things, they actually managed to clean the tar off my bike - something that other shops had told me was impossible. I also procured a new tire (my old one had a bit of a slice in it that has been giving me ~daily flats), and Nutterbut and I are feeling great! Thanks for the water bottle and good chats Bike Doctor Saskatoon!!! While the folks at Bike Doctor were working on my bike, I ate a pound of blueberries and spent some quality time with a computer in the Saskatoon Public Library planning my send east to Waterloo, Ontario. I've now got my route mapped out and I'm ready to roll! By the time I left Saskatoon it was late afternoon, so I just biked a quick 57 km until finding another campsite near Blucher. The 57 km were rather eventful as I encountered my first on-bike prairie storm. I could see it stewing on the horizon for a good long time and thought for a while that the road would skirt around it, but alas, it didn't. The winds came towards me from all directions but thankfully the rain was fairly warm and I never got too close to the electrical action - so no real complaints. Regardless, the skies before, during and after the storm were epic enough to make it well worth the sprinkle. I set up camp for the night in an orchard putting my tarp up - not because of the possibility of rain, but for protection from the falling apples. Ha!






August 12
Wahooo!!! Coming in hot and tired to Yorkton with a new daily mileage record of 270 km! The flat prairies definitely helped but the mild headwind and the heat did not. However, after basically gluing my butt to the bike seat for the day, I have almost made it across Saskatchewan. My day started with some 'day old' bakery gifts received yesterday from a very rad, slightly older, randonneur woman and they, along with lots of other nibblies, fuelled me enough to keep me on the bike. I've found two things that I need to help me put in long cycling days - starting my ride with the sun, and not getting off the bike unless absolutely necessary. The scenery for today's ride (when I noticed it), was flat prairie landscape with lots of wheat and other crop fields frequently punctuated by smaller pond and wetland areas. Mostly, my day was full of whirring tires, dodging road furniture, and pedalling. The last about 40 km was an adrenaline-fuelled race against the setting sun, and the rest reward was blissfully uneventful.

Sideways

Alberta Bound!

August 2 - 9: Alberta Bound!

August 2 
After more catching up with my Prince George friends, I hit the road for a glorious 10 km descent into town and a grocery store. I got groceries, realized I forgot my phone charger cables at the house, had a less than glorious 10 km climb back to them, and then enjoyed another 10 km descent. Thankfully I'm just happy to be on the bike again and the riding back didn't seem too bad. Eventually Highway 16 spun me out of town and the highlight of the ride was definitely the roadside flowers. They're something I often notice but rarely photograph but today they were so colourful and showy it was impossible not to stop and take their pictures. The rest of the scenery was mainly comprised of hills on the verge of being called mountains and many, many trees. I ate dinner at The Ancient Forest park (a unique area of preserved inland rain forest) before finding another cyclist and joining them in setting up camp and swimming in the river.





August 3 
I hit the road early in an attempt to beat the heat and had a few kilometres of comfort before the sun's rays got going and made it 35 degrees of fun. The ride was great and even though there were hills and a headwind, I'm so used to dealing with those things that they didn't stop me from enjoying being back on the bike. The road wound along a valley through the foothills of the Rocky Mountains and slowly the hills evolved into row upon row of rock topped peaks. Not only were the mountains rocky, but my tires were too - say what? I was waived through construction by a flagger and shortly after saw a transport truck approaching me in the one lane that we were both using to travel in opposite directions! The truck won our little game of chicken (obviously!) as I opted to steer into the only possible escape into the freshly tarred and levelled shoulder. My tires promptly collected about a centimetre of tar and rocks, like a magnet picking up pins! After 100 km they are still coated with about 1/2 cm which may make them impermeable to flats, but in the heat they are rather sticky and slow. Tires aside and 170 kms of climbing later, I reached Mt. Robson (the highest point in the Canadian Rockies), found a spot in the campground with some Swiss and German cyclists, and chatted the evening away with them (they most accommodatingly spoke English). Although I was originally planning to bike the most beautiful Icefields Parkway, after realizing that it is a long weekend, I have decided to take a raincheck on riding that highway as it is likely to be absolutely infested by camper trailers this weekend. I will just keep on cycling east.






August 4 
The road must have read my post from yesterday and decided to remind me to take its headwinds seriously because today it served up at least a double dose. However, I didn't have far to go and the wind didn't ruin my day in the slightest - take that road! Today's 100 kms led me through valleys, between mountains, and because BC is a lot taller than it is wide, I actually hit the eastern border - Hello Alberta!!! I checked out (read stuffed my face in) Jasper, and after a few great, random roadside chats, meandered to a campground and setup the best hammock arrangement yet. As an aside, someone wise once told me if you are carrying more books than underwear you're doing it wrong... Kidding, no one told me that - I figured it out all on my own! So, this morning I finished reading a book and passed it along for at least 200 g of weight savings!











August 5
The Rockies disappeared today much more quickly than they appeared from the west. I travelled alongside some gorgeous rocky peaks before they gave way to open, rolling hills and puffy white clouds. I (as well as everyone else on the highway) saw an elk up close and personal, creating a traffic jam which I found thoroughly entertaining. After leaving Jasper, the 160 km ride was pretty uneventful. The almost 2 m wide shoulder was luxurious and I enjoyed listening to a Harry Potter audio book as I rolled along, trying to decide if I was going uphill, downhill or neither. I passed out of Jasper National Park, through Hinton (where I had a nap to avoid the sun) and on to Edson where I ate, set up my hammock castle in the cloud, and am presently enjoying cell service while protected from the surprisingly quick and nimble mosquitoes!









August 6
I had an intentionally easy, breezy 112 km day scooting my way across fairly flat prairies for an early end to the day at my cousin's!! At times it was so flat that I forgot I was on a bicycle, sitting there on my wide shoulder listening to my audiobook with my legs spinning of their own accord. Not a bad way to spend a morning. As I approached Gainford, all of a sudden my foot was a bit wobbly. A quick check showed foot attached to pedal, pedal attached to crank arm, crank arm NOT attached to bike. Say what!? Thankfully I have a bike mechanic on speed dial (Maxxx:)) and was able to get that sorted. Eventually, I arrived at Curtis's ranch and we had an awesome time catching up, eating a delicious dinner, and having an evening full of creature care and farm chats.








August 7
After another round of calf feeding, and another round of rainy, roadside, remote controlled bike fixing (thanks again Max!), I rolled on towards Edmonton and spied the first tall buildings I have seen since I left Vancouver on July 1st! It took me a moment to figure out why something so familiar was so surprising but then I realized that I hadn't seen any tall buildings in over a month. I found what seemed to be the only bike shop that was open on this holiday Monday and got my bike properly fixed (I hope!). By the time repairs were completed, it was too late to make it much past Edmonton, so I did a little Facebook scrabbling to find an Edmonton connection. In no time flat, I found a place to stay for the night, and one down the road for tomorrow night - the world is a beautiful place! Carolyn and I enjoyed a good catch-up chat, dinner and garden raspberry nibble - how could I ask for more? Thanks Carolyn!




August 8
The offer from Nathan and Colin to visit their family's cottage was so enticing it convinced me to do a 240 km day. Oh yeah, my legs aren't too tired - I've still got it! My early start ride out of Edmonton was full of yawning gulfs in the pavement which I somehow managed to successfully navigate and after a few country roads I was back on a cozy highway shoulder. The amusing thing the road threw at me today was a house. A what? A full-sized house creeping slowly down the road towards me. The pilot car warned me and all the other oncoming traffic, and we had to head far over onto the shoulder to allow it to pass. There were several other large pipes, trailers and equipment that passed me today, but the full bungalow easily took the cake, and ate it too. Off the highway, I think it's safe to say I'm on the prairies. The land is flat, very flat, and full to the brim with agriculture. I'm also noticing a remarkable number of birds - ducks in sloughs (water-filled depressions), lots of predatory raptors (including a not so friendly hawk who decided to dive-bomb me twice), swooping swallows, and many small songbirds. My cycling day ended with a wonderful surprises - personalized, welcoming road signs to the Herrington cottage, a most delicious dinner, and the joy of seeing friends in their happy place.
P.S. Photo credits to @herringtoncolin (admittedly taken the following morning) and thanks for fixing my camera!





August 9
It was a fabulous Herrington cottage morning at Clear Lake, complete with: potentially the best breakfast of the trip - eggs benny in a muffin tray (so deliciously good); tubing on the lake; learning to knee board; hot tubbing; fun time with friends; a wonderful takeaway lunch and snacks; and fabulous farewell photos. As hard as it was to leave, it is always nice to be on the bike and today was no exception. I followed Google Maps for some gravel side road adventures which would have been fun except for the surprise of a recent grading, and the going was very slow. Back on the main roads was much more pleasant for me, if hot, and I road them on into Saskatchewan!!!! It did not instantly become flat at the border and slightly rolling hills were surmounted with relative ease and even more so, the occasional very, very flat sections. The road was very straight and ran alongside agricultural fields, the occasional oil grasshopper, railways with lots of trains, wetlands, and through small towns. My late start and gravel detour meant that my planned 177 km trek had me chasing the sunset, but I made it to my intended camping spot in Wilkie and set up another fabulous hammock castle under a gorgeous starlit night. 
P.S. Solid photocredz and hosting magic to @herringtoncolin, @nthnh and their parents. Cat can (and should) be found @themaxxtagram for more adventures.