Back into the Hills

So I last wrote when I was in Winnipeg. I only spent one night there as I was held up in Portage an extra day because of the weather.

Leaving Winnipeg I was headed for Prawda, Manitoba. I don't recall anything overly significant about that day; it was a bit windy. I also moved from grassy fields in to trees although the land was still very flat and the road very straight. I rode the whole day by myself, but just after I pulled into the campground so did Dave (cyclist from Vancouver). Luckily there was a little restaurant on the grounds because the bugs were bad there. In the morning we had breakfast there too. I ordered a veggie omelette, and when it arrived it was made with frozen peas and carrots hahaha. I was still thankful for having a cooked meal.

So we took off that day and experience a very quick change in terrain that day. We not only crossed the Manitoba/Ontario border but there was a sudden change from flat prairies to the hills of the Canadian Shield. We made it to Kenora that day and went our separate ways as we both had places to stay. I thought Kenora was quite beautiful- its right on a lake that has many little islands.

I spent only one night there, and headed out again on Canada Day. I was supposed to make it to Dryden that day but I was feeling really tired; maybe the hills were getting to me. I made it about 100km to Vermillion Bay and decided that was all I could take, unfortunately I couldn't see any campgrounds around. I did however find Fort Vermillion- a large, gated-in courtyard type thing which also had a coffee shop in it. It seemed like a fairly comfortable and safe place to pitch a tent to I went in and asked if I could camp there if I promised to have dinner at the coffeeshop. The owner said that would work, so I sat down with a cup of tea and a veggie wrap. After a while the owner said, "you know there's another room next door with a couch in it. I think its supposed to be cold tonight, would you rather sleep in there?" So, I got to sleep on a couch that night! She came back in the morning to unlock the gate for me, and even gave me a free muffin and cookies for on the road. So, if you ever pass through Vermillion Bay, please visit Fort Vermillion :)

That night I got an excellent sleep, and woke up extra early so I could make up for the lack of distance the day before. I was on the road by 7am and rode 155km that day! I met up with Dave again part way through that day, and we finished off in Ignace. This is where I discovered what "black flies" are- little tiny bugs that you can hardly see, but when they bite they pull out a chunk of skin causing you too bleed, and I guess I'm slightly allergic to them because they swell up. Its kind of gruesome :S When we arrived at the campgrounds we discovered that Pierre-Paul (cyclist from Quebec) was also there.

The next day Pierre-Paul was up and gone before I even woke up, but Dave and I took our time and hit the road together. We rode the 110km to Upsala, but realized that there was still another 150km to Thunderbay and we would pass through a time zone the next day, and so after dinner we carried on for another 20km and stopped at a campground in Savanne.

The last day to Thunderbay was great! The sky was finally clear, there was a tailwind, and although there were some pretty steep uphills, there were also some good downhills to make up for it.

After arriving in Thunderbay I made it to my brother's place here. I am now taking a much needed rest day today. I've had my bike into the shop, we walked down to the park on Lake Superior and simply relaxing.

I'm still amazed at how big this province is. Its going to take more than three weeks to get through, but I've heard there's some great scenery :)