Day 26, June 24th, Upsula to Thunder Bay (177km)

A Night at the Camp

Sitting around an oil drum burning whatever we could find, I was spending the night drinking with the construction crew widening the highway through the town.  Back in Sparwood B.C, Drayer had told me a bit about the lives of roughnecks.   It's a tough way to live and the money disappears as quickly as its made.  The guys out here can drink a lot.  "Abuse of Power," is what Drayer called it.  Whether it's booze, gambling or women, they find a way to throw their money away.  The construction gang was a jovial bunch.  We drank a lot, told a lot of stories and by midnight I was ready to call it a night.  "Leaving at 5am," I said.  "Honk if you see me on the way back to Thunder Bay."  "We'll be up before 5am," one of them said.  Tomorrow was a workday and they do this every night.

Smoke From Forest Fires

Waking up early, I caught a whiff of smoke.  My head was throbbing from the beer.  My first thought was I hope we didn't burn down the campsite last night.  Emerging from my tent, I could see smoke filling the low areas by the trees.  We hadn't burned down the campsite, but something was causing a lot of smoke to drift into town.  I went down to the gas station/restaurant to grab some breakfast and find out what was happening.  Over breakfast, the waitress said the smoke was coming from Pickling Lake forest fire nearly 600km away.  

Sunrise at Camp

Finishing breakfast, a Greyhound bus pulled up.  As I got back to my coffee, I heard someone say , "Hey Mark, how you doing?"  It was John from Saskatchewan.  John had had enough.  After getting pummeled by a major rainstorm in Winnipeg, he bought a ticket for Windsor and put his bike on a bus.  It was good to see him out here and one day he'll pick up where he left off.  Wishing each other the best of luck, he got back on the bus.  

Bye to the Rain Hello to the Sun

Starting my ride, it felt like summer had finally come.  I could see the rain clouds moving out being replaced by clear blue skies.  It was warming up fast.  Stopping at the rest stop that lets you know you are now one Eastern Standard Time, I loaded on the sunscreen.  It was gonna be a scorcher.  Heading down the flat road, I had the wind at my back.  Within a couple of hours, my left quad was already sore and tightening fast.  This injury is getting to be frustrating, the conditions were so perfect for a fast run to Thunder Bay.  I took frequent breaks.  The hills past Raith were tough on the leg.  Eventually, I left the Arctic Drainage Basin.  All water spilled on the road from this point on would enter the Atlantic.  This was excellent news.  It would be a downhill run to Thunder Bay on the shores of Lake Superior.  

Passing Shabaqua, I faced a dilemma.  I could shave 20km off my trip by taking Highway 102.  The problem is, Highway 102 bypasses Kakabeka Falls.  My quad was sore, but I wanted to see the waterfall.  I stayed on highway 17.  It was a good decision.  There is a legend that Green Mantle, an Ojibwe princess who upon hearing news of an imminent Sioux attack, entered their camp pretending to be lost.  Bargaining for her life, she promised to lead them to her fathers camp.  Placed at the head of a canoe, she instead lead herself and the Sioux warriors over the falls to their deaths to spare her tribe.  The legend claims you can see Green Mantle when staring into the mist of Kakabeka Falls.  While I didn't see Green Mantle, Kakabeka Falls was a cool reprieve from the hot afternoon sun.  

Trying to Fit in as a Tourist

Pushing on to Thunder Bay, a bunch of no bicycles on the road signs appeared along the highway.  Ignoring the first set, I continued along the road.  The shoulder disappeared and the highway got rough.  This was crazy.  I was going to be fresh meat on the road if I didn't get off soon.  At the next crossroad, I pulled to the side and grabbed my map.  An off duty OPP officer pulled up.  He asked where I was going, and I told him a hostel east of Thunder Bay.  He said just follow the highway but when I mentioned the signs he told me about a bunch of side roads that take you into the heart of the city.  I set off up the side roads.  Highway 17 is crazy out here.  

At the Eastern edge of Thunder Bay, I got back onto Highway 17.  The no bicycle signs reappeared but that wasn't going to stop me.  I was on my way to see the Terry Fox Monument.  In 1980, having lost a leg to cancer, Terry Fox embarked on a cross Canada run to raise awareness for cancer research.  While the cancer would return, Terry Fox made it to Thunder Bay.  To date, over 500 million has been raised for cancer research because of Terry Fox.  One of the guys I used to run with out of a local running club in Port Moody drove the support van.  While I've never heard Doug talk about the trip, he really was part of something special.  Having cycled halfway across the country, it's unfathomable that someone could have run the other half on one leg and a prosthetic. 

Getting back on the highway, I quickly found an exit to get me to Lakeshore Drive.  At the end of this road is a hostel.  It has been ranked as one of the best hostels in North America.  While there is nothing special about the hostel itself, it's owners have lead extraordinary lives.  Willa and Lloyd lived in Borneo for 6 years in the late 60's.  Upon returning to Canada, they opened this hostel in 1971.  Their trips to Afghanistan, India, Lebanon, Nepal and other places are the stuff of legend.  What is even more legendary is their humanitarian work.  Lloyd and Willa have sponsored numerous refugees to Canada and built schools in Sierra Leon.  They've lived a wonderful life, and now the world comes to them in the hostel that they've owned and operated for 40 years.  Some of those refugees live here.  It's an amazing honor to meet them.

Lake Superior in the Distance

Distance: 177km

Average Speed: 21.9km/h  

Maximum Speed: 61km/h

Time: 8:04

Odometer: 3319km