Back to Cowtown

Saskatoon did a fine job of drying us out. We had a lovely lazy Sunday. I got the bikes clean and everything running like a top. A leisurely walk around the property stretched our muscles a bit.

It is more than a thankful thing that we headed straight to the campground Saturday rather than out onto the highway after the sad installation of my new back tire. As I began to install new brake pads the first thing that I noticed was the tube had been put in backwards with the stem pointing the wrong way. When I proceeded to loosen the caliper I became curious about why it would not swing up as it normally. Why did the brake line looked pinched? A good look over the situation soon identified a horrible fact. The all important bolt that holds the caliper bracket solid to the frame was not screwed in. Therefore, when a brake application was made the caliper spun with the rotor. Fortunately, to some degree, the caliper struck the rear shock getting stuck there. The shock is damaged but only cosmetic and it still functions fine. I had to loosen the wheel axle, re-align the bracket and secure the frame bolt. When this was all done I installed the new pads and was happy to see the pinched line did not leak when I tested the brakes. I really had some words for the shop that did the installation.

Monday was a bright sunny morning, already warm by the time we were ready to leave around 9:15. The first stop would be R&L Cycle before leaving town. At the shop I spoke with a chap who seemed to be the owner or manager, not there Saturday. He was quite horrified by my story and the possible risk. I got a complete refund with some humble pie and a vow to have strong words with the young guy who did the job.

We left Saskatoon on Hwy. 14 delaying our breakfast till our first fuel stop. We went as far a Biggar and stopped at a station that boasted a restaurant. The little station was run by an oriental couple who worked hard on their little enterprise. The restaurant could use a coat of paint but the breaky was good and they did have premium fuel. I was a little surprised to see the wife who did the cooking also come out to the pumps when we filled up. She couldn't believe that our bikes were six years old.

Our planned route was to leave via Hwy. 14 then turn onto #51 to travel on a quieter secondary highway. Quiet it was. The secondary routes are often more scenic and less traveled . The same held true this time. The fields of crops rolled like the swells out on the ocean. The intense yellow of the canola fields interspersed with the soft blue of the fields of flax.

Little dips and valleys added variety to the landscape that is quite lovely. The roads are long and straight but the prairies are by no means boring. We both enjoyed the flatlands a lot. The road surface of #51 is a bit rougher than the bigger ones but still easy to ride and the new tire certainly makes a difference. As we rode along my thoughts began to dwell on the issue of gas station frequency. We were well beyond the point of no return and my imagination started to run amok. One of the advantages of the straight rolling road is that you can see a vehicle coming for some time. I saw a pickup coming and pulled over and waited for it's arrival. Waving it down we met with a couple of friendly farmers curious about where we were from. They told us the next town was about 20 kms. ahead and it was a BIG town with 3,000 residents. We graciously thanked them and were off to checkout this big town. In Kerrobert we found the gas station, topped up and never worried about fuel supply again. The fellow there commented that it was surprising that the wind was not blowing 100 mph, yet. Luckily we didn't encounter any wind.

Our intended stop for the night was Coronation, Alberta. At the point of entering Alberta the road changed from #51 to #12. That was not all that changed. The road surface became wonderful. Coronation is a wonderful little town. As you come in there is a very attractive welcome sign in a park like setting with a CN railcar, some old buildings, some farm implements and just a real feel of a lot of pride in the little town. Because of the crowded situation in Saskatoon campsites, I had called ahead the day before to reserve a campsite. I spoke with Bob and when I asked if they were busy he said 'if making coffee is busy, I guess I am'. We followed the signage to the campground at the dam and found Bob and buddies at his trailer. Bob told me not to talk to the other two guys cause that would start a conversation and sure enough it did. They were a happy group of gentlemen who had done a bit of traveling themselves. Bob told us about a B&B he had stayed in out in Vancouver a few years back. About 20 minutes later we headed to our campsite. Clearly there was no need to call ahead.

The campground is located by a stocked pond with a resident pelican swimming aimlessly around. A large brood of other waterfowl also grouped together out near the centre of the pond. A group of young men were down on the dock fishing. After dinner we took a walk around the pond. We got some nice pictures of the pelican and of a fabulous sunset. We never did see the pelican catch a fish, he just swam around. There were however lots of fish jumping and feeding at the surface. Back at the campsite we enjoyed a big campfire thanks the kindness of Bob. Earlier Jill had gone over to confirm that we could have one and he gleefully took her for a ride on his tractor/quad unit and dumped a pile of nice wood at our site. We polished off the Sambuca and basked in the warmth of what could be our last fire. Likely we will not be able to have any in BC.

We had the campsite to ourselves. Our only neighbours were coyotes who gathered for a revival meeting during the night. They entertained us with spirited versions of old spirituals like, "The Hills Are Full of Fat, Glossy Gophers. Hallelujah!" and "There's A Hole In The Hen House and Farmer John's Gone to Town".

Tuesday morning we left Coronation and headed to Calgary. My dad had his first surgery ever and is in the hospital. My sister Kerri is also arriving today from Victoria. So we will stay till dad is home from hospital and comfortable.

Our first stop was in Stettler were we found a super little coffee shop and enjoyed coffee and a cinnamon bun. As we headed westward from there, the sky in that direction began to look very threatening. Fortunately, the way we were going was to turn south on #21 rather than go to Red Deer and onto #2. This was a very fortunate decision and we only met with a few raindrops and headed toward sunny skies. A fuel up in the one pump town of Elnora and onto Strathmore. Strathmore Husky had a restaurant were we had lunch and were served by one of the friendliest waitresses we ever met. Surprisingly, or not, it began to rain about three minutes after we arrived at my parents house.

Mom and I took a run to visit dad at the hospital while my sisters Melanie and Kerri looked after dinner. Dad is feeling well and in good spirits and hopefully the doctors will let him go home by the weekend. Back at the house we had a terrific dinner with mom, Melanie and her husband Kim, daughter Lisanne, son Josh, Kerri, Jill and me.

Did that sign say Kandahar, Saskachewan???

Left Portage under grey skies. The Weather Channel advised humidity was at 89%. That’s a high number. One wondered if rain gear plus snorkel was required.

We geared up and pointed west through the gloom. The rain was light, but visibility poor. The straight flat road made for easy travel and within an hour or two the rain stopped and the roads were dry. Local traffic thinned out and we had the highway to ourselves.

I had suggested to Grant that we stop for lunch in Minnedosa, the town we enjoyed so much. They have an excellent restaurant there and I rode happily anticipating a bowl of hot, home made soup to ward off the chill.

Grant, in the lead drove past the restaurant, and headed off the highway into town stopping at the coffee shop we’d visited. It’s an old building with fourteen foot high ceilings covered with the old embossed tin panels. The counter and shelving are the original varnished oak. The mod cons are expresso machines and some leather couches.

We’d barely cleared the door when fellow seeing all our rain gear, yelled, “Have you guys been out snowmobiling?”

“Just about,” we laughed.

He was sitting at a table with three men in their sixties. One imagines it was a regularly scheduled meeting with the purpose of resolving important world issues. The caller was a string bean sort of fella sporting a John Deere green baseball hat worn high on his head. In gold embroidery were the words, “Veteran of the Korean War”.

He explained he was just released from hospital following knee surgery, but on a good day rode his Harley. He was 76 and full of curiosity about what we were up to and interrogated us fully. He went out and had a look at the trailer and came back with another barrage.

We joined the three at their table and enjoyed the wonderful company of these three intelligent, lively gentleman.

We learned more about the affect of the weather on local farmers. Crops in this part of Manitoba are a month behind and many fields required re-seeding after the constant rain rotted the first seeds.

Our 76 year old friend in the green hat still tours all over the Prairies with his bike. He’d been all over Vancouver Island and recounted lunch on the PA Quay watching the salmon run.

Seems Grant and my miscommunication was a happy mistake. So enjoyed meeting these gentlemen and seeing their lively age-defying spirit. Lunch at the coffee shop was a latté & cinnamon bun, not the healthiest of options. Also was able to use the “destiny” excuse to justify buying some jewellery I’d had my eye on first time around.

The after lunch ride became much wetter and more miserable. Find it best to ride with my visor up under rainy conditions. It’s the only way I can see the road and I’m hoping the rain will be good for my skin. The straight roads and sparse traffic were appreciated.

Rainfall increased as the afternoon wore on. The wet seeped down my neck, up my sleeves until I was wet through and chilled. My ability to “put on a good face”, “be a good sport about it” about riding in the rain have long gone. I was a grumpy sorry old woman when we pulled into the Howard Johnson in Yorkton.

Words cannot describe the deep simple pleasure of a hot bath, changing into dry clothes and sitting back with a paper cup of Sambuca, TV controller in hand.

That night we used the internet to check weather and picked the driest highway possible. Destination Saskatoon.

Our departure from Yorkton was a gloomy one. An expectant peek through the curtains confirmed the worst. The reality of putting on wet rain gear and slimy wet gloves takes the shine off a new day.

Again, this is the best place to be under these riding conditions. Traffic is light and the terrain flat enough to offer decent warning of approaching vehicles. The road was so straight, you could probably just tie off the handlebars with rope and sit back.

There is a certain beauty to the rainy landscape. Colours are deepened by the rain and the fields of canola surrounded by lines of dark green trees under grey skies would make a fine painting.

About two hundred kilometres from Saskatoon, the clouds broke up and the blue took over. I finally started to feel warm again. At a gas stop, we optimistically took off the wet rain gear.

It’s lovely country here. The canola fields are interspersed with blue fields of flax. Small lakes with waterfowl are everywhere. The broods of goslings are teenagers now and mum & dad stood tall and vigilant as their brood fed besides the roads. We could see them swimming in precise rows, everyone getting fat and strong for their Fall journey.

We were surprised to see signage pointing to the town of Kandahar. Learned later that it was named by Canadian Pacific Railway executives in the late 1800s for a British military victory in Kandahar, Afghanistan.

Saskatoon lay ahead under clear blue skies. Our stop there has a mission. Grant was concerned about the lack of tread on his rear tire causing him to slip abit in the rain. He had phoned ahead and found the tire he wanted in one store, and a shop nearby to do the install. This gave us a relaxed lunch break before we headed to the Information booth for advice about campsites.

Saskatoon is a vibrant city with lots going on. it was the weekend and all the campgrounds were all full so we joined the “overflow” crowd in a field adjacent to the Gordon Howe Campground in the heart of Saskatoon. The campground proper is just lovely and we learned that many families from the farms and small towns in southern Saskatchewan were in town for the Exhibition.

The “overflow” area of a campground is perhaps the North American version of a refugee camp. There are no trees for shade or to act as a reminder of nature. It’s very much cheek to jowl. There is a porta potty and a tap, but the sign warns the water isn’t potable.

We've met some very nice folks here and been subjected to some pretty abusive partiers down the way.

When Grant picked up his bike, the mechanic warned him that his rear brakes were quite worn. Grant had a pair of pads with his tool kit and after the tent was up, a tired and sweating guy set to work.

It didn't go well. The young mechanic had neglected to tighten a key bolt. The brake callipers rotated about the hub, denting the shock and pinching the brake line. It is very fortunate Grant is the kind of person who does not let things ride. This mechanical situation could have been disastrous. We intend to return to the shop on Monday morning for words.

Grant is off now washing the bikes. They look absolutely terribly dirty and bug splattered. The term is “Rat Bike”.

We hope to explore the river side parks in Saskatoon today and generally take it easy. We’ve put in a series of long rides in the rain and I for one need a gentle day.

The flat bit in the middle

Yesterday ended on a low note for me. We had enjoyed riding through this region of northwestern Ontario know as Lake of the Woods. It's aptly named, more lake than woods. As Grant commented, "There are lakes everywhere. Less of an 'event' than the rest of Canada."

Our detour lasted just shy of 200 km without a house to be seen. Trees and water and sky. The sky was blue for most the the ride, but on the horizon the dark clouds again had the look of the Vortex of Evil from the movies.

The thought of getting wet made me feel bad tempered. After our suit up in rain gear, my mood worsened. As the rain increased, my spirits bottomed out. When the rain came, it hit hard and nasty. I wanted to get off the bike and huddle under the tarp and have a good cry. That wasn't very mature or practical so we kept on going. It was a driving rain with strong wind gusts that skittered the bike across the road. Had to hold on tight and pray it didn't get any worse. Memories of TV coverage of the recent storms came to mind.

As Grant posted, everything ended well and we relaxed last evening and awoke in good spirits. Sun was called for and the weatherman finally delivered.

We chatted to our new friends, Clay and Yogi on the blue Harley who seem to always end up next door. They are on their way to Edmonton to see their daughter after a six year absence. Wow.

We pointed ourselves west and with the sun warming our backs, headed out to Kenora for breakfast. The traffic thinned allowing us to relax and enjoy the ride. The countryside dotted with lakes was a joy in the clear sunlit air.

Kenora seems a very pretty town set on the bank of a lake. We ate in a coffee house set in an old red brick building and enjoyed the very best granola I have ever eaten. I must try and duplicate the recipe. It kept me fueled up until our late supper.

After entering Manitoba, the landscape started to flatten. We stuck with Hwy #1, flat and straight and even. We were able to cover over 400 km today with very little fatigue.

Just shy of Winnipeg we crossed the longitudinal centre of Canada. N 49° 46.054 W 096° 48.583

I guess that's how the crow flies as it feels as though the bulk of our riding is behind us.

We missed the by-pass turn off and followed #1 through the centre of Winnipeg. I lived there for a year and remembered some of the beautiful old sandstone civic buildings. The traffic was a nuisance and it was great to be in the wind again on the four lane, pointed straight west highway. The bikes carried us along with very little effort or input. With a brief gas stop and leg stretch, we arrived in Portage La Prairie. We stopped at the Information centre for a weather update and they confirmed rain starting this evening. The decision was and easy one and Grant led us through town to a quiet fresh looking motel set back from the road. We both broke out in smiles to see that familiar blue Harley parked a few door down. It turned out to be a pleasant room with a kitchenette. The bedspread isn't as ugly as some of the others and everything is clean and homey.

My little bike has been as good as gold (touch wood), but today especially, I noticed a rattle that might have been from the chain. Grant had a look and confirmed the chain was loose. He offered to fix it if I made supper. A terrific deal from my point of view.

Rain called for tomorrow again so we have resigned ourselves to starting the day in rain gear. We've researched all the possible routes and will plan our route based on the least probability of rain. It will be what it will be.

It is good see Jill feeling good about the days ride. We had sun all day and that was great. Kenora was a delight to visit. With a population of 16,500 it is a bit bigger than Port Alberni. The downtown area looked to have a bit of funk to it. One of the things I noted about Ontario is the lakes. They are everywhere. They are like a frequent occurrence rather than an event along the highway. Of course the Great Lakes are awesomely huge. As big as the province is it is small in a way. Aside from Clay and Yogi we have encountered other people repeatedly. One of the fellows checking into the motel said that he had seen us the other day and earlier today too.

The roads of Ontario are nice to drive but could use a lot more pullouts in places that I would like to have stopped for pictures. The narrow shoulders don't really allow for photo ops. So much of the sights will have to be photographed in our memory. A resident of the province could spend years of vacations discovering their own province. Yesterday we passed a sign saying we were entering the Arctic Watershed. All rivers from that point north flow to the Arctic Ocean.

The tourist info centre here is located at a historic outdoor museum site. There are old buildings, machinery, railcars and an airplane. The site was closed when we arrived but when it is open it is staffed by people acting in period character. Portage la Prairie is quite a cool little city.

Our journey tomorrow doesn't appear to take us out of forecasted rain at all. However if we head to Saskatoon it may be nice there on Saturday.

More Sambuca Please

Sucking back another Sambuca I will have a stab at blogging. White River seems so long ago (two whole days). Throughout the day from White River we kept getting a good feeling about the weather. The trip to Thunder Bay, another 450+ km. day, still afforded us plenty of looks over Lake Superior. The lake often is like looking at the ocean it's so big. Charming little towns like Terrace Bay, Nipigon and others are a pleasure to pass through. At our fuel stop in Nipigon we met a rider coming the other way on a Harley Dyna who was wearing is yellow rain gear. He says every time he takes it off it rains. At this point we are not wearing any rain gear as we are optimistic. As we near Thunder Bay there are some dark clouds in the sky. Checking in at the tourist info centre at the Terry Fox Memorial we learned that there was a chance of showers during the night. Examining our options of campsites farther on, motels farther on and motels in Thunder Bay we decided to go to the Econo Lodge that we stayed at before. Staying here offers us an opportunity to do some laundry and get out for an evening. We decide to use the bus and go down to the SilverCity Cineplex. There we pre-bought our tickets and went across the street to Shoppers Drugs. Jill is able to replace some of her lost make-up. We go back to the theatre and see 'The Proposal'. Both of us really enjoyed the show. Feeling energetic after we decide to take the half hour walk back to the lodge. There was some showers early in the evening but it turned out to be a pretty good night.

Wednesday morning we rose and enjoyed the continental breakfast at the hotel. Under sunny skies we headed to Super Store and stocked up on food for camping. Some discussion brought us to the decision rather than continue on the route that we had already travelled we would take Hwy 11 and go through Fort Frances and up through Lake of the Woods area. At Kakabeka Falls we turned onto #11. The road is still a very nice road to ride. We enjoy little lakes along the roadside and spy what looks like an osprey nest high up in a power transmission tower. Looking at the power lines that cross this country it gives one to wonder about the monumental task and years of work bringing electricity to all the homes across the country.

This route has no stops and gas stations along the way and by the time we approach Atikokan we are both on reserve. As we turn off the highway for the town we can see that just ahead there is road construction and it looks like gravel. At the gas station in Atikokan we learn that the construction is about 10 kms and is all gravel. However there is an alternate way from town. Up #622 and meet Hwy 17 just east of Dryden. Of course we chose this path. It too will be void of gas stations and we will both be on or near reserve to make it. For such a secondary highway it is very nice to drive. The speed limit is a little lower and the drive is very relaxing. Traffic is lighter than light. We pass few cars coming our way and experience none going our way. At least until we pull over about 16 km. from #17 to put on rain gear. The sky has taken a turn for the worse. One car passes us and even stops to check if we are ok. Once we are suited up the showers stop. But this would not last. We turned onto Hwy. 17 and head towards Dryden. About 20 k outside of Dryden the rain comes. It came hard along with some heavy winds. The last 10 k into town were challenging. Rather than go for fuel I turned into the first motel that I saw. Jill's first words were "I've had it with the rain'. Once checked in we discover that we are in a room right next to the couple from Niagara that we met in Blind River. It is a very small wet world. Perhaps we will order in Chinese.

Random Tour Thoughts from an early riser.

Woke early excited to be on the road, but a peak at the darkness outside has sent me to the computer instead.

Not a safe thing to share dark roads with the moose. There are warning signs at every curve all over Eastern Canada. With their dark body colour and body mass at a height to cause disastrous impact, they are a real danger on the road.

Bill Parkes, from Nova Scotia told us that the Highway Department in their wisdom had erected large life sized plywood moose along the side of the road , but it resulted in roadside havoc. Semi's were careening all over the road. Cars screeched to sudden stops leaving strips of black down the road. It was decided to alter the signs and outline these D.O.H. moose in reflective tape and give them reflective eyes. Although, we have been told moose are one of the few animals that do not have reflective eyes.

We've ridden in the rain a fair bit. It's not as terrible as it sounds. We have pretty good gear and are comfortable. It's also part of the experience and it's best to go with that. But, after a few hours when the wet starts to seep in around the neck and crotch area and you can't see and enjoy the countryside, spirits sag.

Yesterday in the rain, I thought about my grand-mother. When I was a child we immigrated from England to rural Quebec with it's harsh winters. I can remember my Nan singing.... "Oh Canada. We hate your blooming weather!" I sang a verse out loud in her memory.

People have asked us if we get bored riding and we both answered no. We've also been asked if we have bike to bike voice communicators. When Grant answers no, the men all smile and elbow to rib congratulate him. The truth is Grant and I are both essentially quiet people who enjoy the time to ourselves. Not that I wouldn't have loved to be able to yell into a mike when I spotted the whale on from the Cabot Trail. Or when a sign has been missed (I too have been guilty) and we're headed in the wrong direction, frantic horn beeps ineffective as the miles passed. Or when a bathroom was desperately needed.

So how do we pass the hours? We've discussed it and shared that we: listen to music, sing out loud, practice French, think about entries for the blog, plan trips for next season, think private thoughts and simply enjoy the ride.

I've been making a study of biker waves. As bikes pass one another, their riders almost without exception, wave. It's the done thing. Some riders don't. but it feels rude and cuases me to grumble in my helmet. But maybe it's just not easy for the other rider to take their hand off the handlebar at that moment. Maybe they are distracted or simply plain fed up with all the waving.

Still, study has shown there are several categories of waves;

Low Energy Waves

- the one I call "Too cool for school" which is hand low about 25 degrees from vertical. Variations are index finger pointing at the ground or hand held flat and parallel to the bike.

- arm extended at about 45 degrees, hand limp, no eye contact

- the couple of fingers barely off the handlebar acknowledgment, clearly a safety call.

Moderate Energy Waves

- most often, the open handed palm out. Variations... hand stationary or a good old friendly wave.

My two favorite waves from the tour have been a fellow spotted on our way east, seen on a fine sunny morning who gave us a good old open palm, enthusiastic, grinning ear to ear, shake of the hand. It communicated his joy in the day. A shared wasn't it good to be alive and on our bikes in this spectacular scenery. Grant had seen it and felt his good energy too. We both still carry it with us.

We passed a group of men clearly full of beans, who each waved in a different way as though they'd rehearsed. One of them gave my other favourite, a double palm forward (must have had a throttle lock) both hands waving embellished with a full grin. Kept me smiling for a mile or two and I smile now remembering.

Very often, it's the little things people do to share their good thoughts and energy with another human that are meaningful.

Sambuca in White River

I really hate to start off talking about the weather again so I will try to refrain for bit. Our night in Blind River was quiet and relaxing. In the morning while loading up we had a nice chat with a couple from Minnesota doing a bit of a circle tour and with our neighbors from Niagara who were heading to Edmonton. Everyone was in good spirits and ready to ride, but were in agreement. It was a rain gear day.

We are familiar with this neck of the woods and recalled liking a nice spot at Iron Bridge where we had breakfast on the way out. So we headed about 26 kms down the road and found our memories to be in pretty solid state. The peaceful atmosphere with wonderful background music and the moist climate outside was just as we had experienced before.

Our journey on from there took us by a gently flowing river working it's way to Lake Huron. Shortly thereafter we were catching occasional glimpses of Lake Huron. The water was very calm perhaps the rain was filling the holes between the waves. This notion relates to a navy story that Bill had told me back in Halifax. We were making pretty good time as we rode along and within the hour, about 60 kms from Sault St. Marie the highway became this beautiful four lane divided highway. That made it a bit more pleasant as the rain was reducing visibility. This stretch of the road must be very new because the GPS didn't know where we were.

We fueled up in Sault St. Marie eventually. At the gas station with one pump out of order the kid parked at the pump was inside talking on the phone. After a long conversation he decided to buy a few things and then finally came out to move his car. I suppose the fog made it hard for him to see that someone else was waiting to use the pump.

Finally we got on our way again. I was getting a little worried that our intentions of enjoying the sights of Superior would be spoiled by the reduced visibility. On the other hand I was happy to see that the rework on the wiring of Jill's highway lights I had done last night kept her well lit up on the road. It's always good to have lots of lights on the highway. It is surprising to see how many cars were without any headlights out on a foggy, misty day.

The road from Sault St. Marie up to the north end of Superior is one of our favorite stretches of road to drive. Smooth as a baby's bottom, frequent passing lanes and gently sweeping curves make for relaxed riding.

After about 75 kms, we made a return visit to Pancake Bay. This a stop on #17 that is very much like Coombs on Vancouver Island but without the goats on the roof. Besides a gas stop there are a few unique stores, a liquor outlet, ice cream, wood carvings, animal pelts, propane tanks, trailer tires, tee pees, old army gas cans and a whole variety of things. This is where the bottle of Sambuca came from. During our stop there the showers reduced to a mist and within five minutes, the roads started to dry and the sky worked at being blue again. It seemed as though the vacation gods were smiling at us because this stretch from Pancake Bay to Wawa is the most spectacular road we have ridden so far. All the way to Wawa the sun shone and Lake Superior gave us it's best views. What a wonderful day it turned out to be!

We put on another 100 km from Wawa on dry roads often in sunlight which gave our clothes a chance to dry out. The northern landscape is dotted with hundreds of lakes and pink granite rock faces bordering the highway. One of the joys of the tour is the expectation of beauty around every turn.

We passed again, Dad, Mom and Baby Lakes, all in descending size. The lakes that dot the north are the colour of strong tea. Out in the centre where they are free from the shade of the pines, the refection of the sun dapples the surface in the colour of the sky. It's peak water lily season and they spread the sunniest edge of the lakes with white and dark green.

We had the road to ourselves. There were some very heavy, black clouds gathering so we made the prudent decision to ride until it rained. It just takes too much time and effort to get dry again.

We called it a day in White River where we got the senior's price at the motel. The forecast is calling for rain overnight and part of tomorrow, but it looks good around Thunder Bay for tomorrow night. Hopefully we will camp around there. For now, the Sambuca is washing away all memory of rain.

The "Near North"

Well, I am having a FANTASTIC holiday!

We’re “primitive” camping again and were fortunate on the August long weekend to have found a spot right by the lake in a far corner of this very old camping ground. It’s so old the shower building is made from logs cut short and laid on their sides with the ends exposed. Cement surrounds the logs to hold it all together and everything’s a weathered grey.

It might be a day or two before we get access to internet again. We’ll have to backtrack on the blog abit.

We didn’t include much about our ride from the French campground up and over the Gaspé peninsula on our way to Quebec City. The sun was out and that revived our spirits.

The road surface was in terrible shape and required a rider’s full attention, but every now and then one could steal a glance at the surrounding countryside with some very old farmsteads. Villages were few and far between and all of them seemed to be named after saints. There must be a great many saints. Everything again, very lush and overgrown after all the rain. The towns are set in valleys and when the road followed the hillside, the white spires of the churches stood out against the green of the fields and surrounding stands of maple and pine.

We followed the road north until it met the Gulf of the St. Lawrence, so wide at this point we were unable to see the far shore. Feels good to finally turn west finally headed towards home. The highway follows the shoreline and it was a lovely ride.

Again, more Ste.’s. We stopped in Ste. Simon for lunch at the mouth of a secondary river on it’s way to join the mighty St. Lawrence. There was a house nearby that had been built in the 1700’s by a wealthy business man. There was a huge cross about 20’ high erected in the yard outside. It was wonderful to see the house occupied by what seemed like a young family, it’s yard strewn with toys and the family’s clothing hung outside to dry in the sunshine.

Ste. Simon provided some informational signage about it’s heritage and I was interested to learn that there was a huge cottage industry flourishing in the early 1900’s based around the harvest of sea moss. Huge sailing ships would come up from the states to collect the product which was used to stuff the seats of the early motor cars. A large mattress company also existed in the town that made use of the sea moss. The plant was devistated by disease and the industry died leaving behind many farmers who missed the extra income the harvest provided.

I have a few other memories about the French people. Some of them were stand-offish, but they may have shared my shyness about attempting conversation. Many were warm and friendly and made every attempt to be of assistance.

The French women truly are quite stylish, some managing to maintain an “air” whilst camping with a twist of a scarf or cleverly casual hairstyle.

Generally, very generally, speaking the French people seem more boisterous. They shout to one another and their conversational tone is louder than we’re used to in the west.

They often have a bottle of wine with lunch, even at picnic tables. Certainly wine or something stronger with supper. Perhaps that’s why we could hear singing around evening campfires.

Our wonderful day in Old Quebec was described in our last post. It is amazing to think the French had large and established businesses in eastern Canada during the 1700’s. In Old Quebec the many hotels of that era, built from stone, still function as hotels today.

Today’s city includes many museums and galleries including world-class work by Quebec craftspeople. They have a modern take of the traditional crafts of weaving and woodworking and we saw some wonderful innovative jewellery and paintings. It is an old and very rich culture.

One of the large museums offered the Bodyworks exhibit which uses human bodies set up in tableaux. Not for me.

It was a wonderful day I’ll always remember evidenced by the bandages on my feet.

In some ways we were looking forward to a return to Ontario where functioning in a strange place is easier without the language barrier.

We got an early start from the hotel and Grant did an amazing job of getting us through the rush hour maze of overpasses and interchanges within Old Quebec. Did I mention the French can be aggressive drivers?

We took the LaPorte Bridge over the St. Lawrence and headed for Ontari-ari-o.

Yesterday’s (Friday) ride was under partly cloudy skies. We followed Hwy.. #40 which enabled us to by-pass Montreal. I’ve often heard that Montreal is a cosmopolitan, exciting city, but cities aren’t so easy on a bike, especially with a trailer in tow. There’s no doubt any time spent there would be expensive so we decided to press on. Besides, I have no makeup and would stand out in an unbecoming way amongst the French women.

We followed the river, taking a small open ferry across to the south side and before long were in Ontario. The roads improved dramatically. The forecast called for a fair night, but we kept our eyes on the accumulating black clouds. Grant was adamant that he did not want to have to go through another rainy miserable night and wet pack up the next morning. He thought it best we stop in Hawesbury just shy of Ottawa and find a motel.

We soon learned that ottawa was hosting a world class piper’s competition and we had some difficulty finding a room.

We were fortunate. “Stephanie’s” turned out to be a wonderful motel with attached restaurant. We enjoyed meeting our neighbours, a young couple from Massachusetts travelling with their three month old son, then splurged on some drinks and a wonderful meal on an upstairs terrace. We had a great breakfast “on the house”,

Just to be fair, we also passed on Ottawa. The highway cuts through the heart of the city, but the eight lane system made it an easy passage. We tried to stay in a centre lane, but sometimes the two lanes to the right or to the left would split off. We stayed alert, but even so were forced into some sudden lane changes allowed by the gracious locals who must have seen our license plates and taken pity.

We have elected to break with our tradition of secondary highways and are staying with the Trans Canada. The travel is through rural countryside and very pretty and we can make excellent time. Some of our highway travel has been tedious and boring, but not so here. We’ve been treated to more green fields and the road itself is smooth and in good repair. Biking is much easier. We covered alot of distance today, but it was not tiring and I have been spared some of the fatigue, sore arm and back issues brought on at times travelling the rough roads during my unsuccessful attempt to dodge potholes.

Last night (Saturday) we rode good old Hwy.. 17. It feels like an old friend and I had to buy the obligatory T-shirt which I wore today. We drove through Arnprior and Carleton Place part of the “Easter Townships”.

We stopped at Stonecliffe at a campground on the Ottawa River. We’d found in the camping brochure and it sounded like it had all the bells and whistles. Silly us had forgotten it was the long weekend, their “busiest weekend of the year”. They were full, but pointed down the road. We were unable to get an unserviced lot, but it was absolutely beautiful.

That was where the beginning of this entry was written.

We had a refreshing swim in the river and a great supper, experimenting quite successfully with adding orange to our pork chops.

While the wet weather in the East has had it’s drawbacks, the upside is that campfires are still permitted. The irony is the wood is damp, but we managed to get a nice fire going.

As the sky darkened groups of campers passed by headed into the woods beside us. They were headed to the next bay for fireworks. We joined them and found about a hundred people gathered in the dark, oohhing and aaahing over the display. It was nothing like you’d see in English Bay during the International fireworks competition, but it was better in it’s way. Lovely to see the families gathered, the kids shouting out, everyone having fun in a simple way in a beautiful setting. Missed the kids tonight and wished they were here camping with us.

Seems Grant, Boy scout leader, was the only one from our campground who’d thought to bring a flashlight. A fairly large group of campers huddled together with Grant in the lead. There was lots of laughter and occasional shouts of “log”.

Well, now it is Sunday, Aug. 2. I got up before Jill and started coffee feeling so relieved that it had not rained overnight. There were some clouds in the sky but we were sure that we would be heading away from the threat of rain. As we finished our breakfast clouds started to move overhead and a few drops of rain fell. We made record time in getting everything packed and the tent stowed away. So we had an early start to the day.

With a great deal of luck we missed any falling rain and only encountered some wet roads. Hwy. 17 still treating us well. Our first stop to refuel was Mattawa. We met a couple from Ottawa heading west on a Gold Wing with a trailer with ‘Reborn Teenagers’ painted on the back. Their timing was a little worse than ours cause they had been in and out of rain.

At Tim Horton’s in North Bay a group of riders were suiting up for the worst. They were heading to Ottawa and were sure to be riding into it. Every stop had a similar flavor to it, ‘which way are you coming from?’, ‘did you get any rain’?

It does sound like the same old thing over again, does’t it? North Bay was the now or never point whether we take Hwy. 11, the northern route or stay on #17 and retrace much of the roads we came on. The truth of it is we enjoyed the views around Lake Superior so much we chose to see it again rather than mostly trees and rocks of the north. Camp spots are somewhat sparse on #11 too.

Temperatures were a bit cooler so we kept our liners under our jackets but we had mostly clear skies. The highway is good and there is a lot to enjoy looking at. Every now and then we would get a gorgeous view of Georgian Bay. We did a pretty good ride today, covering about 420 Km’s. For the last hour we are now on a part of the road that we have been on before. At our stop for fuel in Blind River we were told that rain was expected overnight and thunder showers tomorrow. So here we are at an Inn in Blind River. Next door to us is a couple from Niagara area. They are riding a Harley Deluxe and heading to visit their daughter in Edmonton. Dark clouds have kept moving around but still no rain yet. For the next couple of days we will be riding on the same roads that we came on. Much of this route is really nice and we can visit and stay in places we missed on our way out.