Rockets
down the road!!!!
Greeting
and salutations:
The weather has finally returned to sunny and warm and today we are feeling very much like summer has arrived.
We made our way into Winnipeg a couple of days ago and, after a little trouble trying to contact a friend of Doug's, we finally managed to confirm our resting place for the night. (Thanks to Kerri of Sandspit and the Taylors of Winnipeg who offered us alternate accommodations.) Yesterday morning I woke up from the best night sleep I've had on the trip and we got a decently early start. (We had been sleeping later and later each day. I think the constant work is starting to wear us down a bit.) For the first time on the trip we got strong tail winds all day. Yee haw! The unfortunate part is that since we were already in Winnipeg the winds blew us almost completely off of the prairies. We had our first 100 mile day and wound up camping about 20 minutes ride from the Ontario border. It's not fair! I wanted 2 or 3 days like that between Calgary and Ontario.
Once again our travel was off of the TCH and we took Hwy 15 through Whiteshell Provincial Park. In the park you start to climb into The Shield and it has the distinct feeling of Ontario already.
At our last stop before camping we tried to buy a half dozen eggs but they would only sell us dozens. We took them and, in the evening, boiled 8 and kept 4 fresh for breakfast. This morning I awoke to a racket and when I looked out of the tent saw a fox eating our fresh eggs, Styrofoam carton and all. I tried making some noise to scare him off but I guess he was too used to people because my yells, whistles and arm waving had no effect at all. He kept eating. Damn, "Now I'll have to get out of bed." But Doug was quicker out the tent flap and the fox took off. Carton in jaws. Doug then asked if I had picked up the boiled eggs from where he had left them to cool the night before.
"Nope." Guess he got 'em all.
So now, early that same afternoon, we're in the library in Kenora and started in earnest into The Shield. The plan will have to be to raise our stuff into trees every time we camp. It will probably take us 11 or 12 days to cross this huge geological feature and it's the last place I know of where people and animals are on an even footing. This is really their home turf. I'd be surprised if we don't see a lot of wild life up close and personal. I'm really only worried about badgers, bears and skunks.
There are little abandon bits of the old Trans Canada Highway that snake off of the main highway every now and then. I remember when I was kid coming through on the way to visit eastern relatives how I wondered what was down those old, overgrown roads. I think that at some point on our way we'll likely head up one of those abandon bits and just camp right in the middle. It would be some odd-ball way of saying.....? Well I'm not sure what I'd be saying. I just think it would a neat thing to do.
Today as we entered Kenora we passed a cyclist going the other way. He's the first one we've seen heading west. He was out of Montreal but we didn't find out how long he's been on the road. We just shouted information to each other as we passed in opposite directions on the highway. I think we'll start seeing more folks heading west in the next few weeks.
Now that we're into northern Ontario our choice of roads is highly restricted. It looks like we'll be following the TCH Lake Route as far as Perry Sound. The first leg to Thunder Bay looks like it will take about 5 days and there may not be towns on some of those days so I don't know if I'll be able to write. I will if I can.
Now everybody, turn off your computer and go out and get some exercise.
Love to all, Brent
The weather has finally returned to sunny and warm and today we are feeling very much like summer has arrived.
We made our way into Winnipeg a couple of days ago and, after a little trouble trying to contact a friend of Doug's, we finally managed to confirm our resting place for the night. (Thanks to Kerri of Sandspit and the Taylors of Winnipeg who offered us alternate accommodations.) Yesterday morning I woke up from the best night sleep I've had on the trip and we got a decently early start. (We had been sleeping later and later each day. I think the constant work is starting to wear us down a bit.) For the first time on the trip we got strong tail winds all day. Yee haw! The unfortunate part is that since we were already in Winnipeg the winds blew us almost completely off of the prairies. We had our first 100 mile day and wound up camping about 20 minutes ride from the Ontario border. It's not fair! I wanted 2 or 3 days like that between Calgary and Ontario.
Once again our travel was off of the TCH and we took Hwy 15 through Whiteshell Provincial Park. In the park you start to climb into The Shield and it has the distinct feeling of Ontario already.
At our last stop before camping we tried to buy a half dozen eggs but they would only sell us dozens. We took them and, in the evening, boiled 8 and kept 4 fresh for breakfast. This morning I awoke to a racket and when I looked out of the tent saw a fox eating our fresh eggs, Styrofoam carton and all. I tried making some noise to scare him off but I guess he was too used to people because my yells, whistles and arm waving had no effect at all. He kept eating. Damn, "Now I'll have to get out of bed." But Doug was quicker out the tent flap and the fox took off. Carton in jaws. Doug then asked if I had picked up the boiled eggs from where he had left them to cool the night before.
"Nope." Guess he got 'em all.
So now, early that same afternoon, we're in the library in Kenora and started in earnest into The Shield. The plan will have to be to raise our stuff into trees every time we camp. It will probably take us 11 or 12 days to cross this huge geological feature and it's the last place I know of where people and animals are on an even footing. This is really their home turf. I'd be surprised if we don't see a lot of wild life up close and personal. I'm really only worried about badgers, bears and skunks.
There are little abandon bits of the old Trans Canada Highway that snake off of the main highway every now and then. I remember when I was kid coming through on the way to visit eastern relatives how I wondered what was down those old, overgrown roads. I think that at some point on our way we'll likely head up one of those abandon bits and just camp right in the middle. It would be some odd-ball way of saying.....? Well I'm not sure what I'd be saying. I just think it would a neat thing to do.
Today as we entered Kenora we passed a cyclist going the other way. He's the first one we've seen heading west. He was out of Montreal but we didn't find out how long he's been on the road. We just shouted information to each other as we passed in opposite directions on the highway. I think we'll start seeing more folks heading west in the next few weeks.
Now that we're into northern Ontario our choice of roads is highly restricted. It looks like we'll be following the TCH Lake Route as far as Perry Sound. The first leg to Thunder Bay looks like it will take about 5 days and there may not be towns on some of those days so I don't know if I'll be able to write. I will if I can.
Now everybody, turn off your computer and go out and get some exercise.
Love to all, Brent
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