Day 37 - Sault Ste Marie to Thessalon ON
Day 37 - Horseshoe Bay BC to Thessalon Ontario - 3,920 kms
"Antsy" Ken is ready, but waiting for Cam.... Our 9:30AM alarm gave us just enough time to head down for the famous Holiday Inn Express breakfast, which ended at 10:00AM. We returned to our room to get packed up and ready for the day.
As we have now spent 37 days together, we have definitely begun to understand each of our unique personality quirks and individual talents. One of the things we have noticed is that in the morning, Ken describes himself as feeling "antsy" to get moving. Cam on the other hand needs to start the day more slowly. In fact, in the mornings, Ken kind of acts as the project manager and ensures that we get things moving while Cam is a little slower to get going. For example, in 37 days, Cam has yet to set the alarm on his phone... Ken's phone alarm has gotten a very good workout on this trip (and Cam has threatened to throw it out the window on more that one occasion.) These tendencies also translate out onto the road, and Ken is typically more upbeat each morning as we set out...
As we have now spent 37 days together, we have definitely begun to understand each of our unique personality quirks and individual talents. One of the things we have noticed is that in the morning, Ken describes himself as feeling "antsy" to get moving. Cam on the other hand needs to start the day more slowly. In fact, in the mornings, Ken kind of acts as the project manager and ensures that we get things moving while Cam is a little slower to get going. For example, in 37 days, Cam has yet to set the alarm on his phone... Ken's phone alarm has gotten a very good workout on this trip (and Cam has threatened to throw it out the window on more that one occasion.) These tendencies also translate out onto the road, and Ken is typically more upbeat each morning as we set out...
Back on the TransCanada hwy. We left the hotel at 11:15AM for the 92 km trip that we expected would take about 4 to 5 hours of riding. Soon after we left "the Soo" we were back on the TransCanada highway, which in this part of the country is also known as Ontario provincial highway 17. Although the highway started out fine, the divided highway ended after about 30 kms, and we were left to ride on a narrow strip of paved shoulder varying in width from 1 to 2 feet with pretty heavy two way traffic. This was definitely the worst conditions we had experienced on the TransCanada highway.
Our newest cycling friends - Sophie and Gilles... After a fairly quick 55 kms, we met up with some cyclists heading West, and we felt embarrassed for the condition of the highway they were riding on. Gilles and Sophie were from Belgium, and were on their honeymoon trip, having started their ride in New York City three weeks ago. Their plan is to finish their 2 - 3 month trip in Seattle. As always, it was fun to share experiences with our fellow cyclists and we wished each other good luck and safety as we parted.
Shortly after we said goodbye to our new friends, we stopped at the historic Stobie's Family Restaurant in the town of Desbarats. We were told the name of the town is pronounced "Deborah", even though our waitress said it looks like "desperate bar rats". The one noticeable difference we've seen since returning to Canada is the cost of food - meals are definitely more expensive in Canada. Ken noticed for example that the cost of pie is double the cost of what we typically saw in the USA! The price difference also extends to motels based on our two nights in Ontario thus far...
Our progress was slow after lunch as the headwinds picked up, and we encountered a few more hills. Although the road followed the shoreline of Lake Huron, we were disappointed to only be able to catch occasional glimpses of the water.
Shortly after we said goodbye to our new friends, we stopped at the historic Stobie's Family Restaurant in the town of Desbarats. We were told the name of the town is pronounced "Deborah", even though our waitress said it looks like "desperate bar rats". The one noticeable difference we've seen since returning to Canada is the cost of food - meals are definitely more expensive in Canada. Ken noticed for example that the cost of pie is double the cost of what we typically saw in the USA! The price difference also extends to motels based on our two nights in Ontario thus far...
Our progress was slow after lunch as the headwinds picked up, and we encountered a few more hills. Although the road followed the shoreline of Lake Huron, we were disappointed to only be able to catch occasional glimpses of the water.
 Cam gets in line for the bicycle fence |  Two small guys in a big chair! |
The Carolyn Beach Motor Inn We arrived at our destination for the day, Thessalon, around 5:30PM and were amazed to see that the location of the only motel in the area was right on the shores of Lake Huron! Our hostess suggested we take a refreshing dip in the Lake, and soon after unpacking we did just that! We walked out to the point, following an Inukshuk-lined pathway, and dove into the refreshing waters of Lake Huron. Unfortunately, Ken's initial entry into the water was an uncontrolled slow motion slide on a slippery smooth rock surface onto some large submerged rocks. The result was just a scrape on his foot, and although painful, the injury is not trip-threatening!
Ken strikes a pose on the "point" before taking a swim. The Carolyn Beach Motor Inn is in the background.
Cam enjoying the waters of Lake Huron! After our dip, we rode into town and enjoyed a good meal at the Pepper Mill Restaurant, whose portions are very generous - Ken enjoyed a date square that we estimated was at least 8 times the size of the typical square (note that Cam helped him a bit, but he also ended up taking it with him in a doggy bag). Then it was back to the hotel to prepare for our 103 km ride to the interestingly-named town of "Spanish" tomorrow.
Ride Details:
- Distance: 90.0 kms
- Riding time: 4 hours, 15 minutes
- Avg speed: 21.2 kms/hour
- Wind: East (moderate)
- Temperature: 20 degrees Celcius
- Cumulative: 3,920.0 kms
Tomorrow's Destination: Spanish ON - 103 kms.
For more ride details, see Strava and for more photos from today, see our Photo Gallery.
- Distance: 90.0 kms
- Riding time: 4 hours, 15 minutes
- Avg speed: 21.2 kms/hour
- Wind: East (moderate)
- Temperature: 20 degrees Celcius
- Cumulative: 3,920.0 kms
Tomorrow's Destination: Spanish ON - 103 kms.
For more ride details, see Strava and for more photos from today, see our Photo Gallery.