Part two of my trek across Canada!
Reached a town called Atikokan (Apparently the canoe capital of Canada, don't you know)
Found a beautiful lake to camp by.
Heard some loud splashing that freaked me out at first, but, turned out to be fish jumping. Big fish! Lots of them.
Got a fire going.
Ahh dinner!
Just in time. Here comes the rain. Good thing I set up camp.
Woke up in the morning, and, it seemed to be past.
That's was the problem. The storm is traveling EAST. So am I.
This is how it went for a couple days. I would take a break, It would pass over, then, I would have to ride right back into it. Pass it, then have to stop while it caught up to me. (Not that I was waiting for it.)
About this time I discovered the miracle that is my rain suit! DUH!
The good thing about it is that it DOESN'T breathe all that well. Which makes it quite warm!
Boy! That information would have been nice to know during those cold mornings!!
I'm an idiot.
BTW Chris, those thin gloves you gave me in Seattle have been awesome!! I wear them as a liner inside my riding gloves and also just alone when I'm off my bike. Almost haven't taken them off! Thanks! Lifesaver!
It was nice enough to stop for a while to let a bunch of FOG in.
Great. Wind, rain and fog. Any one is excuse enough not to ride. But it's not that kinda party!!! Slow and steady I go!
First stop I come across is Kakabeka Falls. Stunning.
Apparently, they were even more stunning before they diverted some of the flow to a hydro powerplant nearby.
Wash and repeat.
My next stop was Eagle Canyon. Home of Canada's longest foot suspension bridge.
However the sign said nothing about the 4 kilometers of red mud you had to go through to get there.....
Very cool! A little hike then, the bridges. There are actually two. The longest being 600 ft. across. 150 feet up.
The "Canyon" is actually just the small tail end. The big part is several kilometers off the main road.
I took a shot from the smaller bridge. For perspective, you can see two people off to the right.
I'm not really the video type, but here you go!
I do another couple stacks of rocks. Why? I'm not sure........they just...ask for it.
Yeah!
Moving along, the storm took enough of a break to let me see what's beyond the guard rail.
Whoa!
I've never seen the great lakes! They are massive, and that isn't even the big one!
At some points you would swear you were looking at the Pacific Ocean. Very impressive!
On the side of the road I see a hand painted sign that says "Dave's smoked fish".
Oh yes I am! I rarely can pass up any guy that's randomly cooks on the side of the road! I'm always hunting those type of things down. It's this guys house and I out the door this greasy paper wrapped fish!
In Florida, they smoke mullet. This is whitefish. Very similar.
I can't help it. It's childhood comfort food.
I sit on a beach and eat my fish. What an awesome experience!
Like two worlds at the same time.
Fish, beach, seagulls.
Fresh water, maple trees, 50 deg. F.
Ok, here's the problem, smoked fish smells like, well, fish.
Washing your hands and face doesn't help. It's now a part of me.
So, until I get to laundry, which is, um, HALF OF CANADA, the memory of this moment (Read: smell) will remain with me. Seemed like a good idea at the time. But, now I get to smell fish for a few more days...
Wash and repeat.
Big wash! The rain was coming down really hard now. And getting dark.
Near Wawa, Ontario.
I was alright while I was moving, but as soon as I slowed down to look around for a campsite I got drenched!!
I was still warm, but now I'm a heated swimming pool.
I break down and get the first motel of the trip.
Luckily, from touring I'm and expert operating hotel clothes driers....er, radiators.
Not totally clear in the morning, but, the show must go on!
Around noon, I saw something I remembered from my past.
BLUE SKY!!
Could it be true?
I got pretty clear of it and stopped at a park (.....of course it was open.....I would never sneak my bike around a simple bar gate, now would I?)
Cresent lake. So named because.......
Oh wait, that's not Cresent lake at all. Cresent lake was closed.......um, that's some totally different lake,,,,come to think of it, that's not a lake at all!!
Got a moment to sprawl out, but not for long. I'm being followed. That sun was so nice though!
You again!
Luckily, It continued east and I headed south!
I camped in a picnic area on the shore of lake Nipissing.
The sky cleared, and, I was close to my destination, Burlington, Vermont. I stopped outside of Ottawa, for a break and saw a black squirrel. never seen one like that before.
Leaving Canada soon.
*Sniff*
Oh hey! That looks a lot like New York doesn't it?
Before I head across, I go along the St. Lawrence River. Nice ride!
I got to hand it to the St. Lawrence parks! They're pretty awesome!
No trouble at the border, just a "Really?!"
Back in the USA!
If anyone can anyone tell me why this picture is SO awesome please press your buzzer now!
(Maria, you don't count. I already showed you)
Had to follow him a bit, and, get a stoplight to get that shot, and I'm pretty sure it illegal to snap photos while riding your bike.
Kids, don't do it.
Took a ferry to get into Burlington!
Made it in alright to my sister's in Vermont!!
Whew! Did I just do that???
I just rode across Canada.............
Took 7 Days.
.....Yup, that'll happen.
Got another tuque.