Progress to date - Day 31 (ignore the detour before Calgary - Google Maps is confused due to floods...) 
Dick's place. It was another "sleep in" morning today, as the ride to Kenton will be another short day. Our host Dick had come through on his promise to prepare fresh baked cinnamon buns for breakfast, and we enjoyed hearing all about Dick and the history of his very charming country inn. We commented as we rode away about how it's these types of accommodation that are the most memorable - after a while all the chain motel rooms look the same. Dick humoured us and let us take some video so that we never forget the "Regal Country Inn". We've used it to create a short commercial for Dick's fine establishment....
We stopped on our way through Wakefield to take some pictures of the "Olson Street" sign. Cam checked the map of Wakefield hoping to find an intersecting "Schultz Avenue", but to no avail.... As we rode through the streets heading out of this small town, we reflected on a few things about small town life that we learned from Dick. He has lived in Wakefield for 20+ years, but will never be considered a local as he was not born here!?! He is a proponent of growth and diversity and heads the tourism bureau, however, he has found that two things generally contribute to the decay of small towns (which we have observed in our travels): (1) petty jealousies, and (2) personal interest ahead of community interest. In spite of this, he is very happy that he left the corporate rat race behind in Minneapolis and now runs his country inn...
Blue sky and sun - we like it (with a breeze) As we headed East out of town, it was another beautiful blue sky day with a slight breeze in our faces resulting in very pleasant riding conditions! Soon we passed a sign indicating that we were heading into the Eastern time zone. It is interesting that this will be our final time zone for the trip. We passed through three time zones over the first half of the trip, but will now be in the Eastern time zone for the last half?! It will be nice that the two hour time difference will make it more convenient for connecting with our families back home.
With two good night's sleeps behind us, we felt great and rode hard making great time over the first 30 kms, reaching the town of Bergland with an average speed of 25 kms/hour - even though we were riding into a slight headwind. We stopped for lunch at Antonio's Restaurant, another classic small town road-side diner experience. The atmosphere, people and food always make for an interesting and enjoyable time. When we told the grandmotherly waitress that we were staying at a motel in Trout Creek or Kenton, she canvassed the restaurant and none of the many locals were aware of a motel in that area. She suggested that we were probably staying at the Bates Motel (from the horrror movie Psycho) and as Cam left the restaurant, she asked where we were from. When Cam replied "Calgary", she said that she would know what happened to us if she heard of 2 Canadians killed in the shower near Trout Creek!
 Ottawa National Forest | Back on the road again the great conditions continued. We stopped at a small roadside park in the Ottawa National Forest for an afternoon rest in the shade of some beautiful large trees. Ken had an interesting conversation with another traveler, an American hockey fan, who asked him if the Flames would be playing in Saskatoon this season!?! (We leave town for a few weeks and the whole place comes apart at the seams!) |  Nap time! |
Around 5:30 we arrived at our destination, the Two Rivers Motel and Cabins. This farm/business is set in the country and has provided us with our most peaceful and tranquil accommodations so far!
And at just $45 a night it's also our cheapest! Our hosts moved from Key West Florida to raise their children here in rural Michigan and it worked out well for them as one is in Grad School and the other is completing a degree at the University of Michigan. We learned that we are being very fortunate with the weather as she has had many cyclists already this year, and most of the time they have been waiting out lightning and thunderstorms. Apparently, the weather has been very bad this year and this is one of the first nice stretches!
Unit #5 is small, but cozy, with just 4 channels to watch on the monitor sized flat-screen TV. After riding 3 kms to Kenton for supper and back we enjoyed a beautiful evening in the country. The only downside as we sat outside working on the blog was the racket the song birds were making in the woods around us! (OK, just joking about that - it was a treat!)
And at just $45 a night it's also our cheapest! Our hosts moved from Key West Florida to raise their children here in rural Michigan and it worked out well for them as one is in Grad School and the other is completing a degree at the University of Michigan. We learned that we are being very fortunate with the weather as she has had many cyclists already this year, and most of the time they have been waiting out lightning and thunderstorms. Apparently, the weather has been very bad this year and this is one of the first nice stretches!
Unit #5 is small, but cozy, with just 4 channels to watch on the monitor sized flat-screen TV. After riding 3 kms to Kenton for supper and back we enjoyed a beautiful evening in the country. The only downside as we sat outside working on the blog was the racket the song birds were making in the woods around us! (OK, just joking about that - it was a treat!)
 Two Rivers Motel and Cabins |  Blogging in a serene setting. |
Tomorrow is a longer ride at 123 kms, but the prize will be a July the 4th rest day in Marquette, Michigan a town located on Lake Superior. We are getting to bed early so that we can make an early start to a long day tomorrow. We were advised by the locals in the U.P.Chuck bar in Kenton that there is very little between Kenton and Marquette, so are hoping to make some good miles before the sun gets too hot as it may be a challenge to get water later in the afternoon.
Ride Details:
- Distance: 89.9 kms
- Riding time: 3 hours, 53 minutes
- Average speed: 23.2 kms/hour
- Wind: East (light to moderate)
- Cumulative: 3,407.3 kms
Tomorrow's Destination: Marquette, Michigan - 123 kms
For more ride details, see Strava and for more ride photos, please see our Photo Gallery.
Ride Details:
- Distance: 89.9 kms
- Riding time: 3 hours, 53 minutes
- Average speed: 23.2 kms/hour
- Wind: East (light to moderate)
- Cumulative: 3,407.3 kms
Tomorrow's Destination: Marquette, Michigan - 123 kms
For more ride details, see Strava and for more ride photos, please see our Photo Gallery.