Conditions we awoke to had not improved when it came time to ride or not. The van was filled to capacity with those not riding. Six hardy souls including myself hit the road, soon to be jostled by gusty wind and 7 degree C (45 degree F) rain. Ugh. Maybe it’s just as well, we didn’t know what the wind chill was. My body heat generator does a pretty darn good job, yet the mostly downhill start was a tough test. For ten or so miles it felt like November; a journey back to the story of the Edmund Fitzgerald talking about “when the gales of November came early” – unfortunate as the scenery was stunning. We were riding through dense boreal forest punctuated with waterfalls, streams, lakes and frequent rock outcroppings of the Canadian Shield. The Canadian Shield is the largest visible piece of exposed bedrock on the planet. It is often covered with a thin layer of soil that supports forests, yet does not support agriculture. It is known for extensive mineral deposits, such as the various mineral mines we have seen. Sad to say: no photography yet today, but here is yesterday’s gold mine.
We were spared having to answer what to do if the cold rain persisted. Our good fortune had the sun come out and views down to Lake Superior emerge. We still had to deal with strong winds from all directions, thankfully from the rear for a good chunk into Terrace Bay.
After all that we arrived by 12:30. It was a relatively short ride, sadly lacking comfortable opportunity to hang out enroute. One piece of bad news at the end of the day. My faithful little Garmin Forerunner seems to have developed a bad case of pneumonia, i.e. too much water in the vital organs from all the rain. I like gathering lots of stats from the riding, but that may now be over.
The group was split tonight between two almost adjacent motels. That hasn’t happened often, yet is the nature of traveling more remote areas. It all works out, like the rest of the many logistics of a tour like this. We never know what each place will be like, nor do most of us know who we will be rooming with. All except the guides and a couple of folks doing single supplements, are sharing two bedded rooms. We rotate roommates every night, which I think is a marvelous arrangement, allowing us to spend some one on one time with everyone. Perhaps by the nature of a solid bike tour in a place not known for glamour, everyone here is down to earth and good company.
The cold downpour returned before supper, and poor Sue did yet another yeoman’s job cooking out of the trailer. We used adjacent motel rooms for dining, our evening briefing and cleanup. It always works out, and each adventure adds to at least my fun!
Today’s ride: Base ride: 48 miles. My ride: 49 miles
My Epic Bike Tour Around Lake Superior 