Day 39 - Spanish to Sudbury ON - 121.4 kms
Day 39 Progress - 4,148.9 kms
We wanted to start today's blog by saying that we really appreciate the many comments that have been made on our blogs. It is a real encouragement to us and we always look forward to receiving them - they make our day. Thank You, and keep them coming!
Our Fishing Suite at Vance's Resort
We had our own rooms at Vance's Resort and we both had some trouble falling asleep. Ken fell asleep sooner than Cam as he didn't hear the intense rainstorm that passed through the area in the night. However, when we both awoke at about 9:00AM, we had the same reaction to the sound of intense wind that we heard... "Oh no, please don't be coming out of the East!". We hurried out of bed and looked out the front window. To our extreme relief, the whitecaps on the water were blowing to the East...! Good for us, bad for all the fisherman at the resort!
The best of the shoulder since the Soo After a not so quick breakfast at the Spanish River Inn (Cam had some administrative activities that he had to take care of), we hit the road at about 11:00AM. We were very happy that the wind from the West was still blowing strong. You may recall that we had an extreme tailwind that blew us from Brooks Alberta to Swift Current Saskatchewan on Days 12 - 14. However, since then, we have not had the benefit of strong tailwinds, but have more often been fighting cross or headwinds. We felt we were due for some wind assistance - and we definitely got it today.
While the wind was a great help, the paved portion of the shoulders on the highway remained very disappointing. The picture to the left shows a "good" shoulder, much of the time the shoulder is even narrower than this and covered with cracks and rocks that make it difficult to ride. Note there is plenty of additional graveled space beside the pavement, but it is only useful for horse and buggies! The shoulders from BC to Manitoba were almost always around 6 feet wide. Fortunately, most car and truck drivers are very courteous and move over to give us a wide berth.
While the wind was a great help, the paved portion of the shoulders on the highway remained very disappointing. The picture to the left shows a "good" shoulder, much of the time the shoulder is even narrower than this and covered with cracks and rocks that make it difficult to ride. Note there is plenty of additional graveled space beside the pavement, but it is only useful for horse and buggies! The shoulders from BC to Manitoba were almost always around 6 feet wide. Fortunately, most car and truck drivers are very courteous and move over to give us a wide berth.
Dave Smith from Blackpool England! We made a very quick 50 kms to the intersection of Highway 6, which leads to the town of Espanola and the ferry to the island of Manitoulin. We arrived there at an average speed of about 29 kms/hour! In addition to the wind assistance, we find that we can ride much harder and for longer than earlier in the trip.
At the intersection, we were very happy to take a lunch break at the Tim Hortons which turned out to be a mecca for cycle tourists. By the time that we left, we had actually met three new cross-country cycling friends!
The first was a yellow-clad cyclist named Dave Smith from England who is traveling from Victoria to St John's Newfoundland. Gilles and Sophie from Belgium (Day 37) had told us of a cyclist in yellow that was not far in front of us. Dave has been riding since April and is in his 11th week. He was turning south on Highway 6 and would be going through Toronto, so we caught up with him at the last possible opportunity. Good luck in finishing your trip Dave!
Dave told us of another cyclist who he had met on the highway pulling a trailer and crossing the country heading West. Ken ran into this young fellow in front of Tim's and learned that he had come North on Highway 6, and started West towards Sault Ste Marie on the TransCanada but couldn't believe how narrow the shoulders were. Inside his bike trailer, he was hauling his dog on his cross-country trip! When large trucks were passing him, he was afraid because of the width of his trailer and had to pull off into the gravel. After a short time, he turned around, came back to the Tim Hortons, and rented a full-size U-Haul cargo van to haul his bike, trailer and dog to the Soo, and bypass this highly un-cyclist-friendly highway (we assume this was the only vehicle available...). He is planning to go below Lake Superior through Michigan/Wisconsin where the traffic will be much lighter and should be better riding.
Finally, we met a young fellow who is taking a couple of rest days in Espanola in the middle of his cross country trip that started in Victoria and will end in Saint John's. Tim Hortons is truly a great Canadian meeting place!
At the intersection, we were very happy to take a lunch break at the Tim Hortons which turned out to be a mecca for cycle tourists. By the time that we left, we had actually met three new cross-country cycling friends!
The first was a yellow-clad cyclist named Dave Smith from England who is traveling from Victoria to St John's Newfoundland. Gilles and Sophie from Belgium (Day 37) had told us of a cyclist in yellow that was not far in front of us. Dave has been riding since April and is in his 11th week. He was turning south on Highway 6 and would be going through Toronto, so we caught up with him at the last possible opportunity. Good luck in finishing your trip Dave!
Dave told us of another cyclist who he had met on the highway pulling a trailer and crossing the country heading West. Ken ran into this young fellow in front of Tim's and learned that he had come North on Highway 6, and started West towards Sault Ste Marie on the TransCanada but couldn't believe how narrow the shoulders were. Inside his bike trailer, he was hauling his dog on his cross-country trip! When large trucks were passing him, he was afraid because of the width of his trailer and had to pull off into the gravel. After a short time, he turned around, came back to the Tim Hortons, and rented a full-size U-Haul cargo van to haul his bike, trailer and dog to the Soo, and bypass this highly un-cyclist-friendly highway (we assume this was the only vehicle available...). He is planning to go below Lake Superior through Michigan/Wisconsin where the traffic will be much lighter and should be better riding.
Finally, we met a young fellow who is taking a couple of rest days in Espanola in the middle of his cross country trip that started in Victoria and will end in Saint John's. Tim Hortons is truly a great Canadian meeting place!
Ken celebrates the parting of the TransCanada With 65 kms to go, we headed out at about 2:00PM. With some hard riding and wind assistance we were again able to make great time. During this stretch, Cam and Ken heard a pop from the rear tire on Cam's bike. Cam thought it was a stone shot out from his tire, but Ken thought it was a spoke breaking, which unfortunately was the correct answer. The good news was that it only resulted in a tire wobble and can be fixed at a Sudbury bike shop tomorrow during our rest day.
After 30 kms from Sudbury, we suddenly saw the road part before us. We looked at each other in wonder... could this be the return of a divided TransCanada highway?!?!? After another kilometre, we could see the divided highway stretching into the distance, and we each did an internal happy dance for the end of the very poor riding conditions that we'd seen since Sault Ste Marie. (Wives/Moms - you can stop worring about us!)
After 30 kms from Sudbury, we suddenly saw the road part before us. We looked at each other in wonder... could this be the return of a divided TransCanada highway?!?!? After another kilometre, we could see the divided highway stretching into the distance, and we each did an internal happy dance for the end of the very poor riding conditions that we'd seen since Sault Ste Marie. (Wives/Moms - you can stop worring about us!)
 That's so cute! | We reached the edge of Sudbury by about 4:15 PM and were heading into town when we saw a vision rising above the crest of a hill to our left - the Big Nickel! We stopped and debated whether we had it in us to ride up another steep hill after 120 kms. We agreed that we would regret not seeing the Big Nickel, so we headed up the hill. We are not sure that we would have made the same decision earlier in the trip! |  This is funny....right?!? |
We weren't quite sure where to stay in Sudbury, and after some research in a local Tim's (assisted by cool icy refreshing drinks) we decided to head downtown to find a hotel. We chose the Best Western right in the middle of downtown and are enjoying a very comfortable room. It was Ken's turn to choose the dinner spot, and he had a hankering for some Indian food. Fortunately, Little India was located downstairs in the hotel - and it turned out to be an excellent choice! After dinner, we walked to a Shopper's Drug Mart for some snacks and supplies. On the way back to our hotel we heard live music coming from the patio of a local club, and stopped in to listen to an excellent duo before returning for a great night's sleep - with no alarm! Good Night!!!
Enjoying some local Sudbury talent
Ride Details:
- Distance: 120.4 kms
- Riding time: 4 hours, 38 minutes
- Average speed: 26.6 kms/hour
- Wind: West (moderate to strong)
- Temperature: 26 degrees Celcius
- Cumulative: 4,148.9 kms
Tomorrow: We Rest!
For more ride details see Strava and for more ride photos, see the Photo Gallery.
- Distance: 120.4 kms
- Riding time: 4 hours, 38 minutes
- Average speed: 26.6 kms/hour
- Wind: West (moderate to strong)
- Temperature: 26 degrees Celcius
- Cumulative: 4,148.9 kms
Tomorrow: We Rest!
For more ride details see Strava and for more ride photos, see the Photo Gallery.