Atikokan, ON >>> Obatanga Provincial Park, ON 390 miles ridden/7.5 hours
I’m sitting in the laundry room at Obatanga Provincial Park just south of White River – the birthplace of Winnie the Pooh and at one point the coldest place in Canada with a recorded temp of -72(!) – feeling very relaxed despite not having made anywhere near the mileage I’d hoped to today. Originally, my plan was to bolt to Quebec, but by the time I made it to Terrace Bay, a dense fog had settled and traffic had slowed to a crawl. The library was one of the first buildings in town I passed, so I stopped and checked emails, sent an update; forgot to write that the good thing about the week-long delay in Minot was that I sat out the thunder storms that had been hovering over Ontario, thus avoiding the whole “Will I get electrocuted?” debate.
Despite not making the mileage I’d hoped to, I was so beat by 5p, it was either this park or one 1.5 hours east. Since this one had laundry and showers, I decided not to press my luck… Wasn’t sure if I stepped in poison ivy last night, so hopefully this wash will bring some peace of mind. (Note to self: Never take campsite #13 to prove a point again!)
Although I had originally planned to take Route 11 past Thunder Bay into the northern lakes region, everyone I met at the lakeside bar the other night insisted coastal Route 17 would be the more scenic ride to the Quebec border. Despite their good intentions, the weather refused to cooperate, so there wasn’t much of a view thanks to the pea soup fog that limited my vision to about 15’. After lunch, I waited a few hours for the low-hanging cloud cover to burn off. Not an ideal situation, but certainly the safer option.
Email:
Hey everyone –
Some pretty interesting developments since Sturgis, the foremost being the fact that once I got my new tire and the oil leak fixed in Minot Wednesday afternoon, I didn’t even make it 60 miles out of town when the bike just up and died on me again. Pretty awesome.
> Towed the bike back to Minot and knew I was looking at no fewer than two more days there while they diagnosed the issue and waited for parts to come in. Now, I’m not going to say Minot isn’t an interesting place to visit, but without any means of getting around town, the KOA Campground only holds so many charms…
> Finally, when the parts came in and everything was all set, the service guy said: “We’re not 100% sure this is the fix,” then refused to send someone out on the bike for an hour to test it out (and ensure I wouldn’t be footing the bill for yet ANOTHER tow…). But the real clincher was when he said “Cross-country trips are hard on bikes; people don’t keep up with the required service.” THAT’S when I wanted to punch him in the face. After all, I had just replaced my oil, fuel and air filter; and otherwise take meticulous care of the inner workings of the bike. Admittedly, the cleaning and shining of the outside, not so much… I’d rather be riding than polishing chrome, you know?
> About Winnipeg, I have to say: Boston’s cow path-created streets are a Manhattan grid compared to the mess that miraculously gets people into and around downtown. After managing to find the Visitor Information Centre (spelled the Olde English way, naturally), I discovered the campsite I’d hoped to stay at was booked, but there was another an hour north on the shore of Lake Winnipeg, which supposedly has one of the Top 20 beaches in North America. That seemed like a pretty good second bet, and it was indeed a relaxing night, except for the super creepy guy in the campsite next door who I thought had plans to carve me up while I slept. Rest assured I fell asleep with a firm grip on my bear spray that night.
> Today is unexpectedly foggy along Lake Superior – I altered my route based on the advice of the non-spooky Manitobans I’d met at the lake – and I suppose it would be the more scenic road, if only I could see anything! I left Atikokan (home to one of the Boston Bruins, which is surprising because the population is only ~1,000) this morning and had hoped to make it to Quebec (~10 hours away), but it’s 2p now and I’ll be lucky to make it to Timmins, ON, before nightfall.
> One last thing: People always talk about the quantity, ferocity and tenacity of the mosquitos in Alaska, but Ontario has them beat hands down. Before I’d even set up my tent last night, I easily got bitten two dozen times (no exaggeration), a gang of mosquitos stormed my tent every time I opened the flap, and I picked up another dozen fresh nibbles this morning. Surprising when you consider the bug-free, beach-side Manitoba park cost $13, and this one: $31.50. They must charge extra for each bug bite.
> Estimating only four more days ’til Baie-Comeau!
-GK