Day 56: Ignace, ON -> Upsala, ON

Date: Monday, July 10, 2023
Start: Ignace, ON (Davy Lake Campground)
End: Upsala, ON (Upsala Campground)
Distance: 105km

I woke at 6am to the sunshine!  This was unexpected, because it the forecast had called for rain until 7am but I was treated instead to sun.  It was also suspiciously cold, and it turns out it had gone down to 6 degrees overnight.  This meant that I also got about 9 hours of sleep, which would help me catch up from the previous two nights of meager sleep.

There had been two other storms that had passed over the previous afternoon/evening and so the tent fly was soaked.  This meant a slow morning as I put the fly out in the sun to dry.  This usually takes until at least 9am when the sun is a bit higher at stronger.  So I had some time this morning.

I opted to pack slowly, let some other things dry, and oil my chain.  Breakfast was my usual oatmeal with a bagel.  That's right, I'm making an effort to increase my calorie intake!  And bagels are easy to carry and quick to eat.  The morning went slowly though, as everything around was also soaking wet and the humidity hung in the air.

I noticed the golf cart that the campground owner was driving, and it made me feel justified in feeling that $40 to tent here might have been too much.

At 9am I set off from Ignace.  I stopped pretty soon after leaving and put my jacket on.  Despite the bright sun it was VERY cloudy and the wind was cold.  But it quickly became apparent that it was going to be a quick day because the wind was blowing hard and it was all a tailwind.  I only went under 20km/h when going uphill and the ride was surprisingly flat.

My goal for the day was Upsala, Ontario.  Only 104km away, it was going to be a fairly easy day.  Just after leaving town I glanced back at the sign for distances to places going West, and it was a little morale boost to see how far I'd come!

Again, there weren't many "highlights" or notable landmarks on this stretch of highway.  The boreal forests are a different creature from anything else I've seen so far.  Definitely distinct from the coniferous forests of British Columbia.  But there's so much more water here.  The landscape is just dotted with lakes, and I was constantly riding past them with their names marked on signs by the highway.  Almost every one of them seems to have an island with a few trees sitting in the middle of it.

I stopped at about 45km into the day at 11:30am for lunch.  There was a rest stop and the ability to walk around and put food out on a picnic table is not to be passed up!  The rest stops are few and far between in this part of the country, but they're nicely situated when you find them.  I ate pepperoni, cheese, and crackers.  Someone came up and asked about the trip and was struck dumb when I answered "St. John's, Newfoundland" to her first question.

I snapped a few pictures for the memories.

Back on the road I snapped a few more pictures as I rode.

I listened to a few podcasts this day.  I finished Sapiens (audio book) a few days ago and neither of my current checkouts - jPod by Douglas Copland and Gravity's Rainbow by Thomas Pynchon - are keeping my attention.  Feeling unmotivated in the cool temperatures of the day, I tossed on the 'ol Coast To Coast playlist for a pick-me-up.  I love all the music in that list because it makes me think of you folks, and a lot of it is new music.  It always puts a smile on my face.  The winner for tune of the day goes to Don with his addition of TELL THE TRUTH by Jon Batiste.  If you can't light a fire with this song, your wood is wet.

I listened to it over and over as I pumped across the flat expanses of muskeg and forest.

At some point I saw a bike on the other side of the road in the distance.  We stopped and chatted for a bit.  He's traveling with his dog in Kola in the trailer.  He left Toronto and went to Nova Scotia, then down the East Coast to Philadelphia.  Then across New York to Niagara and up to Sault Ste. Marie and now is crossing Northern Ontario to head to Vancouver.  His goal is 10,000km on this trip and I have no doubt he'll hit it!  He was a great guy with tons of enthusiasm.

And that's how I met Morgan!

Shortly after leaving Morgan I saw my first moose of the trip.  It was standing beside the road and stared at me.  When I grabbed my phone it turned and ran and this was all I got:

Not far down the road I reached my goal of Upsala.  I went to the general store and grabbed a chocolate milk, which I might turn into my go to drink.  It has all the sugar of the sodas I've been drinking, but also some nutritional value!  I walked out and realized I recognized the store.  I'd driven this stretch of highway when I helped my friend Emily move to Montreal back in March and remember seeing it as we drove by.  Now I was here again and stopping in.  This is part of what I enjoy about the biking, is that I get to visit all of those places I'd only driven by when I was through in a car.

The campground was next door.  I checked in, winced at the $40 cost of a campsite, and then setup my tent and showered.  I'd only gone 105km and felt like I could have easily done another 40km but I'm trying to pace myself across Northern Ontario and not push too far.  But the prices of the campgrounds is making me think I should just try wild camping and save my money while going the distances I WANT to go.  This is either useful experience for the next time I bike across Canada or something I will eventually build up the gumption to try!

At that point I watched a cyclist with all the kit roll into the campground.  I walked over and talked to him.  He'd started in Quebec City and was bound for Vancouver.  He was only about two weeks into the trip, which meant is was moving pretty quick!  He told me he had a deadline to get back to Quebec City because he had to start school in September, and when I asked him which school he went to he revealed he's starting Grade 11.  He'd also done Highway 11 across Ontario....which is the Northern most highway you can take.  It's technically shorter, but there's very few towns on it and it's a remote stretch of road!  I can't tell you how much respect I have for him!  A bolt on his rack had broken off and he'd re-attached it using zip ties.  He needs a bike shop!  I gave him a couple of the zip ties I have with me that are industrial strength just in case he needs them.

And that's how I met Ethan!

I jumped into my tent and started typing this blog post, but was nodding off and so closed the laptop and thought I'd get 15 minutes of rest.  Almost an hour later I was snapped awake by the sound of rain.  I shot up and closed up the tent (I'd left the fly open) and then jumped out and made sure all my gear was stowed away.

I walked around the campsite and checked out the little lake that it sits on.  The water was surprisingly warm, and if it wasn't so windy I would have considered jumping in.

Then some special visitors arrived.  Remember that first 200km day I did back in Alberta to meet Lorne?  Well he'd been vacationing in Wawa, Ontario (which I'll eventually get to) and was on his way back to Alberta.  He and his wife Nadya - who is a whole human being in her own right - had been coordinating with me and were staying in Ignace for the night so they could cross paths with me.  They'd picked up some Indian food and brought it to the campsite to share with me.

We ate and caught up for about 45 minutes, and it was so wonderful to see some familiar faces.  They were the first familiar faces I've seen since Humboldt, Saskatchewan and it was a real morale boost!  That was tempered by the fact that I don't know when I'll see Lorne again.  When they drove off I had a sad moment wondering what stars are going to have to align to have another such meeting.

Thank you to Lorne and Nadya for stopping and for dinner!  Safe trip back to Calgary!

I jumped back into my tent and typed this blog post.  It's going to get pretty cold tonight and I'm hoping it doesn't rain at any point.  No reason to add insult to injury!

Tomorrow is Thunder Bay.  I haven't heard back from any of the Warm Showers folks I contacted, so I might go with an Airbnb or hotel.  If I make good time I'll grab some groceries and then bike to a campground just out of town (a municipal park I think).  After Thunder Bay comes about 8 days of biking around Lake Superior.  It's going to be a long stretch until I get to Manitoulin Island and start the Southern Ontario portion of the trip where I'll be visiting so many friends and family!