Day 26, Thursday, July 27, 2006
Nipigon to Marathon 190.45 k. We have covered 3,346 km in 23 days of riding!
We went to bed last night at 9:15 and got the giggles as it was so early and there were sleeping bodies all over, and it was so light out. Obviously we were tired as we fell asleep shortly after our heads hit the pillow. I woke up and once again tried to check my watch..again the same time as last evening...it was 11:30 but I couldn't tell if it was 5:00 or 11:30. I opted for the later and proceeded to doze off and on, but felt rested. I felt good when we got up at 4:30 and we had breakfast at the church and were on the road by 6. I love that time of day...everthing is so still and peaceful. The air has a crispness which is pleasant. The sun is beginning to dawn....it seems late but we are further north than home. Bob and I have been riding with Bern (and I know that is not how to spell his name), Uli and Betty. We cycle along enjoying the beginnings of the day and it is so pleasant. The roads are 100% better than yesterday. We get in to lovely scenery soon out of Nipigon.
We are challenged almost immediately with a steep climb and we know there are more to come as our itinery shows that we will climb 61.3% of today's ride!! It isn't long before we hit our first look off and AT LAST LAKE SUPERIOR!! And Superior it is. Splendid. What a wonderful view. It reminds me of the ocean. At this point we are high above but during our ride we descend down to be level with it. It is amazing. Sandy bottom, with beach rock...like the ocean minus the salt and the salty smell. We hear birds singing and I am sure that I saw bear prints beside the road. I do know that I saw dung on the side of the road! We didn't have any mandatory breaks but stopped when I needed water or granola. I did ask for bread and peanut butter at one stop though.
Today's ride was probablly the most challenging for me, but I was feeling really good and strong. We climbed at least 5 hills that would be similar to North Mountain along the Cabot Trail and two like Cape Smokey. Riding today feels comfortable..the saddle sores aren't too bad as they are turning into calluses. I overheard Bill A, one of the senior riders, say that the only way his saddle sores will heal is when his Dr. surgically removes it at the end of the trip! We climbed some roads that were carved through rock, just like being in a tunnel. I did notice lots of debris along the road...why do pople throw garbage out of their cars to litter?? One of the most disturbing things is the amount of discarded plastic pop bottles that are filled with a yellow substance that isn't pop!.. I am assuming that these come from truckers not wanting to make a pit stop!! Disgusting...and let me tell you that I spotted several hundred!!! Amazing the things you see on bike that you wouldn't see by car.
We stopped in Terrace Bay at St. Martin's Catholic church for lunch. Scenery lovely. It got hot after lunch, but we had bit of headwind to cool us, and later some fog from Lake Superior. We arrived around 4:30 in Marathon...feeling quite proud. We still have two long days ahead and I look forward to Saturday and a day off in Sault St. Marie.
We went to bed last night at 9:15 and got the giggles as it was so early and there were sleeping bodies all over, and it was so light out. Obviously we were tired as we fell asleep shortly after our heads hit the pillow. I woke up and once again tried to check my watch..again the same time as last evening...it was 11:30 but I couldn't tell if it was 5:00 or 11:30. I opted for the later and proceeded to doze off and on, but felt rested. I felt good when we got up at 4:30 and we had breakfast at the church and were on the road by 6. I love that time of day...everthing is so still and peaceful. The air has a crispness which is pleasant. The sun is beginning to dawn....it seems late but we are further north than home. Bob and I have been riding with Bern (and I know that is not how to spell his name), Uli and Betty. We cycle along enjoying the beginnings of the day and it is so pleasant. The roads are 100% better than yesterday. We get in to lovely scenery soon out of Nipigon.
We are challenged almost immediately with a steep climb and we know there are more to come as our itinery shows that we will climb 61.3% of today's ride!! It isn't long before we hit our first look off and AT LAST LAKE SUPERIOR!! And Superior it is. Splendid. What a wonderful view. It reminds me of the ocean. At this point we are high above but during our ride we descend down to be level with it. It is amazing. Sandy bottom, with beach rock...like the ocean minus the salt and the salty smell. We hear birds singing and I am sure that I saw bear prints beside the road. I do know that I saw dung on the side of the road! We didn't have any mandatory breaks but stopped when I needed water or granola. I did ask for bread and peanut butter at one stop though.
Today's ride was probablly the most challenging for me, but I was feeling really good and strong. We climbed at least 5 hills that would be similar to North Mountain along the Cabot Trail and two like Cape Smokey. Riding today feels comfortable..the saddle sores aren't too bad as they are turning into calluses. I overheard Bill A, one of the senior riders, say that the only way his saddle sores will heal is when his Dr. surgically removes it at the end of the trip! We climbed some roads that were carved through rock, just like being in a tunnel. I did notice lots of debris along the road...why do pople throw garbage out of their cars to litter?? One of the most disturbing things is the amount of discarded plastic pop bottles that are filled with a yellow substance that isn't pop!.. I am assuming that these come from truckers not wanting to make a pit stop!! Disgusting...and let me tell you that I spotted several hundred!!! Amazing the things you see on bike that you wouldn't see by car.
We stopped in Terrace Bay at St. Martin's Catholic church for lunch. Scenery lovely. It got hot after lunch, but we had bit of headwind to cool us, and later some fog from Lake Superior. We arrived around 4:30 in Marathon...feeling quite proud. We still have two long days ahead and I look forward to Saturday and a day off in Sault St. Marie.
posted by Unknown at 12:53 PM
1 Comments:
Hello, Jill and Bob-
Thank you for the email! We were discussing you as we crossed the Ferry on Wed night, and we are just amazed at the cycling you are doing, plus the blogging. We're enjoying following you via computer.
Mary and I went to Sussex yesterday, and came back thru Milstream. It was the most perfect day you can imagine. Hope all your riding is as good as the one we had yesterday.
Stay safe-those highways are treacherous. Why don't they pull over so you can get by? Don't they know who you are?
Love,
Carole
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