Day 57: Upsala, ON -> Thunder Bay, ON

Date: Tuesday, July 11, 2023
Start: Upsala, ON (Upsala Campground)
End: Thunder Bay, ON (The Haven Hostel)
Distance: 151km

I woke once during the night as winds kicked up and were enough to make me stir.  Other than that it was fairly quiet, save for the odd train that barreled through town laying on the horn.  I don't know if they do that for safety reasons, possibly to warn animals off the tracks...but the fact that cars DON'T do that is a pretty good argument for why it shouldn't happen.  BUT THAT WOULD REQUIRE SOMEONE IN THIS COUNTRY TO STAND UP TO A FREIGHT RAIL COMPANY SO I GUESS IT'LL NEVER HAPPEN.

rant over

I had left one of the flaps of my tent open overnight.  I did this because it was supposed to go down to about 6C overnight and I've been noticing on those cold night that my rain fly is soaked on the inside.  I read that my body heat and breath keeps the inside of the tent slightly warmer than the outside, which causes the condensation on the inside of the fly.  Result of the experiment: the inside of the rain fly did not get wet!  It may have been colder in the tent, but my sleeping bag is rated to colder temperatures than that and it was plenty cozy!

I still had to dry out the base of the tent and the ground sheet (it goes under the tent to stop stuff from poking through).  I ate my oatmeal overlooking the little lake that the campground sat on.  Across the water I could see two large white birds and what looked like some little ones scooting around.  They were either swans, storks, or cranes of some variety because I could clearly see them from quite far away.

I finished eating, packed, and was ready to go by 8am.  This was a VERY early start for me but there were a few reasons for this:

1. I was trying to make it to Thunder Bay today and that was almost 150km.  I didn't want to be biking into the evening.
2. I was going to be crossing into a new timezone today and would be losing an hour.  It always seems to happen when I'm trying to push long distances!
3. I'm trying to get earlier starts so I have some time in the evenings, not just biking till almost sundown and scrambling to get setup and go to bed

I rolled out of the campground at just after 8am.  And I didn't make it far.  There was a gas station with a breakfast spot attached and I ducked in for some coffee.  I forgot to mention...it was still pretty cold.  It had started out cloudy, but was now just completely overcast with grey clouds that blocked the sun.  It couldn't have been much more than 10C.  I grabbed a cup of coffee because a little caffeine makes me go fast for the first few hours and I could use the boost and warmth today.  It was so cold that I opted to bike in pants and my jacket to start.  Eventually I lost the jacket, but not for a few hours.

It was also cold because it was very windy.  But once again, the Wind Gods were smiling upon me because it was a tailwind again today.  That's three strong tailwinds in a row.  I must be doing something right.  I sailed along, and for the first three hours of riding I averaged 26km/h.  Which is a WILD speed.  The road varied between wide and narrow shoulder and went back and forth all day.  I wish I knew why they do that...

After about 2 hours I reached the first milestone for the day.  I was crossing from the Central time zone to the Eastern time zone.  This felt like a serious achievement because a lot of friends and family live in this timezone and so I was finally reaching their turf!  I also think of the Eastern time zone as "central" Canada at least in terms of population and economy.  It meant Northern Ontario was melting away.

I saw goodbye to Central Standard Time and hello to Eastern Standard Time!

The highway was quite flat and I was making excellent time.  I also didn't have to work very hard for the gains I was making.  At some point there was line painting going on and I had to pass two slower moving painting trucks.  It wasn't a problem, I waited till there was no oncoming traffic.  I thought I was so clever doing so...and biked right through a fresh yellow line in the middle of the road.  A bit of yellow on my tire, I didn't make the same mistake merging back in!

I passed a place where an endless train moved in the opposite direction.  It was mesmerizing.

I also crossed a marker for a watershed!  This marks the spot where water starts flowing into the Atlantic Ocean!

Cell reception hasn't been a problem this entire stretch of Northern Ontario, and that's largely because there are some colossal cell towers out here.  At least I'm pretty sure that's what they are!  Here's an example.  I pass a couple of these every day, and they guarantee I can keep streaming podcasts!

I've been seeing a LOT of these metal things on the side of the road.  I've been assuming they're from blown tires from semi-trucks, but I realized today that I don't actually know what they are...and I see at least a half dozen of them each day.  Usually two pieces broken apart.  Anyone know or any theories?

I biked on and reached Shabaqua.  Then continued on towards Thunder Bay.  At some point I reached a crossroads where I could go directly to Thunder Bay (40km) or take the long way in and pass by Kakabeka Falls (60km).  I opted for Kakabeka as I was going really quick and people had told me they were worth seeing!

On and on I biked.  It remained cloudy all day.

At some point, about 6km from Kakabeka Falls, I came across a rest area and stopped to eat.  I probably could have gone to the Falls and ate there....but I was 106km into the day and was STARVING.  I took my time eating crackers, pepperoni, and cheese.  It was a relaxing 45 minutes.

I started off again...and it was completely downhill to Kakabeka Falls.  I was there in about 10 minutes.  I wandered down to the viewing platform and spent a good 20 minutes regarding the waterfall and admiring it.

I decided not to tarry however.  I had to get to Thunder Bay!  It was still 30km and navigating cities takes a long time.  I jumped back on my bike and continued on...

There are a LOT of trucks with wide loads out here.  Lots of equipment and buildings being moved.  But as I was reaching Thunder Bay I kept seeing these trucks going in the opposite direction, and all of them with the same giant concrete thing on the back.  I wonder what it is...

The ride into town was notable because I passed by farms!  FARMS!  I haven't seen a farm since Manitoba some 500km again.  I watched a farmer bailing hay, silos in the distance, and cows in the fields.  It was a good sight!

I got into Thunder Bay and was immediately on a stroad.  I rode on the sidewalk until I could manage to get to a side street.  Once there, I navigated to my first stop: The Holland Bakery.  It's one of the best rated in the city...but it was closing in 20 minutes and so pickings were slim.  I grabbed a strawberry tart and cinnamon twirl.  I didn't manage to grab a photo.  I ate them before I got out the door!  The bakery was solid though, highly recommend!

My next stop was a grocery store and I found a Real Canadian Superstore.  It was massive.  I haven't been in a grocery store of that size for a LONG time and was slightly overwhelmed.  I stocked up on cheese, potatoes, mackerel, and toothpaste.  I was about to jump into the most remote portion of Northern Ontario and needed the supplies!

From there I went to my hostel.  It's located in downtown Thunder Bay which looks like it's seen better days.  But the hostel has a 4.9/5 rating on Google with over 200 reviews.  That's not easy to get!  I'd booked it earlier in the day as it would allow me to start in the city (and thus eat baked goods!) and it was only marginally more than the campgrounds I'd been staying in.

The Haven Hostel is wonderful.  I have a pod in a dorm style room, and they keep the place spotless.  You have to take your shoes off at the entrance and so I've been walking around in socks and realized that...I haven't walked around without shoes on in almost a week.  They also have wonderful couches and as I sat down and relaxed I realized I also haven't sat in a comfy chair in almost a week.  Relaxing is such a luxury.

I showered and went down to the common area to make dinner.  I decided not to eat out and opted for my usual instant mashed potatoes and mackerel.  Except I was trying one of the flavoured mackerels!  I'd refused to do so this entire trip, but it's time to test it out.  This one was peppercorn and lemon, and sure enough it was great!  The lemon didn't taste artificial and the peppercorns provided a nice little pop.

I spent the rest of the evening typing up this blog post.  I had my laundry done at the hostel and it felt nice to be in fresh clothes again.  When I finished this post, I went to bed.

I've been trying to pace myself in this section of the trip.  This has meant some lower distance days, and I've been feeling antsy to do longer days.  But I think the fact that I could do longer days doesn't meant that I should do longer days.  I'm antsy because I'm not exhausted.  And the entire point is not to get to the place I was when I reached Erickson and couldn't bike anymore!

I'm about to start the Lake Superior portion of the trip.  From Thunder Bay I go to Nipigon and then there is very little for a long time.  It will take me more than a week to reach Manitoulin Island based on my plan and at that point I head into Southern Ontario.  This portion is known for it's narrow roads, constant hills, bugs, and distance between small towns.  People coming West have been warning me about the hills especially.  It's a lot of terrain.  I hope to keep posting, but no guarantees again!