Day 33, July 1st, Montreal River to Sault Ste. Marie (124km)

Last Nights Sunset

To get to Sault Ste. Marie from Thunder Bay, you take Highway 17 East for 697km along the shores of Lake Superior.  The terrain is diverse and the scenery's beautiful.  Sault Ste. Marie is at the Eastern end of the Northern shore and marks the end of the major hills.  Waking up on the shore of the lake, I could hear the howling wind.  Overnight, the clouds in the distance had blown across the lake.  I packed up camp and thanked the guys with the canoe.  Without them, there would have been no dinner.  I wanted a good meal for breakfast.  Hmm... Pancake Bay, with a name like that, I expected the best.  Hundreds of years ago, the legendary Voyageurs would stop for breakfast here.  They would use the last of their flour to make pancakes before the final push into Sault Ste. Marie.  I made my way back through the forest.  Back on the road, I hit a supersized hill.  This highway makes you work for everything.  I would have to earn my breakfast on the way to Pancake Bay,

Beautiful Scenery Lake Superior

The hill wasn't really the problem.  The roaring sounds of relentless headwinds in your ears is demoralizing.  While the road from Thunder Bay to Sault Ste. Marie is a hilly, physically difficult challenge, the winds present the most formidable physical and psychological obstacle.  After reaching the summit, I pedaled down the hill.  Reaching the mighty speed of 25km/h, I sighed in exasperation.  Who needs brakes when the wind blows so hard I thought.  With the wind roaring in my ears, I fought my way to Pancake Bay. 

Tepees at Pancake Bay

Tepees appeared beside the road.  Ahh... civilization.  It had been almost 150 hilly kilometers with barely a store or a gas station.  I was happy to get to Pancake Bay.  The Agawa Indians run a great business.  You can buy their furs, shop for groceries or a souvenir.  Over 200 North American carvers are represented in their stores.  What was missing was a restaurant.  I resigned myself to breakfast from the grocery store.  The provincial parks could learn a lot from the Indians.  At over $35 a night the camping is expensive in Ontario's parks.  If you do spend $35, you might not even get showers. Employees mill around with nothing to do.  Thanks but no thanks, I'd rather free camp on the shores of the lake or support a private campground with friendly owners offering twice as much for half the price. We need to do better.  There is a disconnect between the government and the patrons of the parks.  The parks are beautiful, but scenery aside, the lack of facilities a exorbitant price give tourists little reason to stay.  In a world where cheap flights have made beautiful places more accessible, Ontario will lose its tourists if continues to fail to connect with those who want to enjoy the outdoors.  It was embarrassing to hear nothing but continuous complaints from international tourists unhappy with the facilities and the crazy price.  If the administrators so out of tune with reality, now would be a good time to make a change. Rant over...

Chippewa Water Fall

Leaving Pancake Bay, the roads stayed flat but the wind continued to howl.  Riding by the lake was beautiful. Small chip stands and grocery stores dotted the shore.  Beautiful little islands appeared beside the road.  For a minute or two, the lake would disappear.  Rounding a corner, it would come back into view.  A completely different portrait would appear before your eyes.  You had to constantly remind yourself you were still riding beside the same massive lake.  I slowly passed a waterfall.  Chippewa waterfall was right beside the road.  I paused to stop.  This road gives you so many reasons to take a break.

The Start of 1 Mile Hill

Stopping for a snack, I asked the friendly lady about the last 20km to the Soo.  With great enthusiasm, she warned me about One Mile Hill.  One Mile Hill is legendary.  There's a story about a cyclist who rode all the way across Canada, saw the hill, gave up and turned back to go the other way.  I got back on my bike and within 5 minutes I was at the base of the hill.  The  higher I climbed, the steeper the hill seemed to get.  In my head, I thought this would be the perfect training site for a sadistic running coach.  Hitting a mile, the hill still continued up but flattened out.  At 2.5km the summit finally appeared.  After the summit, I slowly coasted the rest of the way to Sault Ste. Marie.  Pulling in at a restaurant, I had a chat with Scott.  Scott's on his way to start a new life in Port Moody and left a week ago from Quebec.  I told him how spectacular and remote the 697km is to Thunder Bay.  Then I told him about the hills.  Scott's riding himself into shape.  He'll be a new man by the time he hits Thunder Bay.  I gave him my email, wished him good luck an yelled, "See you in Vancouver in 40 days."

For 697km, It's Been a Beautiful Ride Along Lake Superior

Distance: 124km

Average Speed: 18.8km/h

Maximum Speed: 58.1km/h

Time: 6:36

Odometer: 4052km