Newberry Michigan to Sault Ste Marie Ontario
Day 36 - Progress to Sault Ste Marie Ontario - Back to Canada!
Our very own lane of fresh pavement! Knowing we had 110 kms to ride today, we set an 8:30AM alarm to get an early start. After packing up and heading to a very busy McDonalds along the highway for breakfast, we started out around 10:30AM under overcast skies. As they rode, Ken commented that the lack of sunshine made riding conditions "perfect". The humidity was noticeably high today and had Cam and Ken sporting a healthy glow, but the kilometers flew by and before we knew it we had covered 47 kms and stopped at a small store to buy a cold drink. Unfortunately we had used up all our American cash, and the store's minimum credit card purchase was $10, so we filled our bottles with ice and carried on. It was during this stretch that we came upon an unexpected treat - a road construction project had completed the pavement for a widened section of road, but the lane had not opened to vehicular traffic yet. It made a perfect bike lane however, and we were smiling all the way to a small store and gas station near Brimley, which was another quick 31 kms.
An improvised lunch in Brimley There we picked up some food and beverages, since there wasn't another option for lunch. We felt a few drops of rain while we stood outside and ate, so we finished up and hit the road again, hoping to stay ahead of the rain which appeared to be coming from the West and prompted two biker couples to don rain gear while fueling their bikes. We continued to make good progress, re-entering the Hiawatha National Forest and passing through an area considered the "Black Bear Capital of Michigan". Ken was hoping to actually see a bear, but more on that later.
A sad end for this black bear Soon we reached the I-75 freeway and after 13 days riding East through the United States, we turned North back towards Canada! We hadn't gone more than a few kilometers when a Michigan Conservation Officer pulled over ahead of us with his pickup truck lights flashing. When we pulled along side him he informed us that we were not allowed to be riding on the Interstate. This was a bit of a surprise as we hadn't noticed any signs when we entered the freeway, and we had ridden at least 100 kilometers on the Interstate in North Dakota. While Cam was conversing with the officer, Ken noticed something unusual in the back of the officer's truck. It was the carcass of a young black bear laying beside the ATV... Ken's preference would have been to see a live bear as opposed to this poor little guy! The officer drove off before we could find out the story behind the bear. We then had to cross the Interstate and backtrack to the parallel Mackinaw Trail until we reached Sault Ste Marie Michigan, and then the International Bridge that would take us over the St. Mary River and back into Canada. We were both surprised that there was also a Sault Ste Marie in Michigan and assume that this causes a great deal of confusion.
 Canada - dead ahead! |  The approach to the International Bridge |
We paid the $1.50 toll per bike and rode over the impressive 4.5 km structure, taking pictures and video of the locks and rapids below. Traffic was very light, which was fortunate as this bridge is only one lane in each direction. (This seemed very strange to us for a structure of this size!) At the Canadian side we rode right up to Canada Customs, and had no problem re-entering our home and native land.
As we rode across the bridge, we had noticed a long stretch of rapids on the North side of the St Mary River. Later, we learned that the French word "sault" means "rapids", and therefore the name means "the rapids on the St Mary River". We point this out as this will likely be useful for those of you into crossword puzzles or other trivia games.... The rest of you can skip over this.
As we rode across the bridge, we had noticed a long stretch of rapids on the North side of the St Mary River. Later, we learned that the French word "sault" means "rapids", and therefore the name means "the rapids on the St Mary River". We point this out as this will likely be useful for those of you into crossword puzzles or other trivia games.... The rest of you can skip over this.
The International Bridge connecting Sault Ste Marie Michigan with Sault Ste Marie Ontario
And so ends Leg 3 of our adventure - The United States. It is great to be home, but we really enjoyed our two weeks down under (down under Lake Superior that is!).
Ride Details:
- Distance: 116.0 kms (including the backtracking on I-75)
- Riding time: 5 hours, 1 minute
- Average speed: 23.1 kms/hour
- Wind: Variable and negligible
- Temperature: 27 early, but dropped through the day
- Cumulative: 3,830.2 kms
Tomorrow's Destination: Thessalon, ON - 91.9 kms
For more ride details see Strava and for more ride pictures from today see our Photo Gallery.
Ride Details:
- Distance: 116.0 kms (including the backtracking on I-75)
- Riding time: 5 hours, 1 minute
- Average speed: 23.1 kms/hour
- Wind: Variable and negligible
- Temperature: 27 early, but dropped through the day
- Cumulative: 3,830.2 kms
Tomorrow's Destination: Thessalon, ON - 91.9 kms
For more ride details see Strava and for more ride pictures from today see our Photo Gallery.