Friday, July 29, 2005
Day 32 – Distance: 165.79 km
Beausejour, MB to Kenora, ON
Another century day, and again, not a particularly easy one. However, it felt SO GOOD to cross the Ontario border. I found myself with tears in my eyes several times.
The day started with my trying out the old trans Canada highway, which ran alongside Hwy 44, which was the one I was on. I gave up fairly quickly, but then was flagged down by a trucker who was stopped at a cross road. He said he wanted to apologize for honking at us, and didn’t want to frighten us etc. but wanted to warn us when he was coming. He also suggested I try the old trans Canada, as I wouldn’t have to worry about traffic. I thanked him for his concern, and explained why we couldn’t just go onto the shoulder every time a truck came along, and off I went. Of course, I soon thought of all the things I should have and wanted to say to him, about bikes being vehicles too, and if he couldn’t safely pass us, he should slow down until he could etc etc. I also thought I had better try out the old road again, since he had suggested it. I managed for about 10 km, but it was horrible. There would be pavement, which would suddenly run into gravel, or potholes etc. I had to keep my eyes on the road at all times to avoid skidding out, and my arms and neck ached. So, I abandoned that idea, and carried on down the highway. Fortunately, traffic was light, and things went well. I stopped at a bakery in Whitemouth, which had been highly recommended by several people for some cinnamon buns and a cup of coffee. Next stop was meeting Adele and Cassie (who couldn’t bike because her one pair of shorts were wet and her other ones lost) in Rennie, near Whiteshell Park, for lunch. The ride through the park was not so pleasant; the scenery was good, but the road again was terrible. I had to keep looking out for potholes and road cracks. It reminded me of the road to Swift Rapids! However, I persevered, again because I was so anxious to get to the border. There were a couple of highlights in the park; first, I saw a fox, coincidentally near a sign for “Municipality of Reynolds”, and a little later, I saw a young buck standing up to his knees in the grass of a ditch beside me. I also saw some eagles - huge wingspan.
Finally, Ontario! Wide paved shoulders, and smooth roads. Of course, this won’t last forever, but it sure was a treat. I rested for a bit at the information building, then carried on to Kenora. I met Cassie and Adele about 6:30, and we had supper, then headed to a campground for a shower. We were fortunate in that Erika had invited us to meet her at her cottage about 30 km west of Kenora; she and her son Anthony arrived there about 8:30 so we headed back (by car, of course). Erika has a lovely cottage on Rice Lake, and we had a wonderful time. I even got a bed to sleep on – what a treat! I slept like a log.
Beausejour, MB to Kenora, ON
Another century day, and again, not a particularly easy one. However, it felt SO GOOD to cross the Ontario border. I found myself with tears in my eyes several times.
The day started with my trying out the old trans Canada highway, which ran alongside Hwy 44, which was the one I was on. I gave up fairly quickly, but then was flagged down by a trucker who was stopped at a cross road. He said he wanted to apologize for honking at us, and didn’t want to frighten us etc. but wanted to warn us when he was coming. He also suggested I try the old trans Canada, as I wouldn’t have to worry about traffic. I thanked him for his concern, and explained why we couldn’t just go onto the shoulder every time a truck came along, and off I went. Of course, I soon thought of all the things I should have and wanted to say to him, about bikes being vehicles too, and if he couldn’t safely pass us, he should slow down until he could etc etc. I also thought I had better try out the old road again, since he had suggested it. I managed for about 10 km, but it was horrible. There would be pavement, which would suddenly run into gravel, or potholes etc. I had to keep my eyes on the road at all times to avoid skidding out, and my arms and neck ached. So, I abandoned that idea, and carried on down the highway. Fortunately, traffic was light, and things went well. I stopped at a bakery in Whitemouth, which had been highly recommended by several people for some cinnamon buns and a cup of coffee. Next stop was meeting Adele and Cassie (who couldn’t bike because her one pair of shorts were wet and her other ones lost) in Rennie, near Whiteshell Park, for lunch. The ride through the park was not so pleasant; the scenery was good, but the road again was terrible. I had to keep looking out for potholes and road cracks. It reminded me of the road to Swift Rapids! However, I persevered, again because I was so anxious to get to the border. There were a couple of highlights in the park; first, I saw a fox, coincidentally near a sign for “Municipality of Reynolds”, and a little later, I saw a young buck standing up to his knees in the grass of a ditch beside me. I also saw some eagles - huge wingspan.
Finally, Ontario! Wide paved shoulders, and smooth roads. Of course, this won’t last forever, but it sure was a treat. I rested for a bit at the information building, then carried on to Kenora. I met Cassie and Adele about 6:30, and we had supper, then headed to a campground for a shower. We were fortunate in that Erika had invited us to meet her at her cottage about 30 km west of Kenora; she and her son Anthony arrived there about 8:30 so we headed back (by car, of course). Erika has a lovely cottage on Rice Lake, and we had a wonderful time. I even got a bed to sleep on – what a treat! I slept like a log.
posted by BikingBabe at 5:05 PM
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