Day 41 - Sudbury to North Bay ON
Day 41 Progress to North Bay ON - 4,280.0 kms
Free breakfast at the Best Western! You have heard us say before that there are no easy days - well we are now ready to admit that...yes, there are some easy days! Today was easy, but not because the riding was easy - it was a long day at 131 kms, it was hot, there were a lot of rolling hills, and the wind was often in our face. Rather, there are now easy days because we have ridden over 4,000 kms and we are much better conditioned than we were at the beginning of the trip. These days still take a lot of work and energy, but it feels great that we can now complete a day like this and feel good at the end of the day. The hard work is paying off!
Nasty Ontario shoulders We left the hotel at 10:18AM knowing that we had a long ride to North Bay. Sudbury's roads aren't too cycle-friendly, but it is interesting that they have paved the space between the sidewalk and the curb along many of the major roads, providing a pretty good place for riding - although not always well maintained. Once we reached the TransCanada/Ontario 17, we were disappointed to see that the divided highway was gone and we were back to the small-shouldered, 2 lane road. It continued this way all the way to North Bay, and we had to ride on some of the worst shoulders yet, with deep cracks that could swallow our tires if we slipped into them. Through these sections, we rode more slowly.
Once we were out of Sudbury, we made great time in spite of the bad shoulders, pushing pretty hard through the rolling roads, targeting lunch around 65 kms. Little did we know what was in store for us shortly....
As we passed through the small town of Hagar, we heard a call from the South side of the road. Ken, about 50 metres ahead, thought it was Cam calling him, but Cam saw that a man in his yard had called to Ken from his front porch. As Cam road past the house, the same man called to him. Cam turned to look and saw the man wave his hand, saying "Come here!". Cam hesitantly turned around thinking that the man was probably going to tell us that we weren't supposed to be riding bicycles on Highway 17.
As we passed through the small town of Hagar, we heard a call from the South side of the road. Ken, about 50 metres ahead, thought it was Cam calling him, but Cam saw that a man in his yard had called to Ken from his front porch. As Cam road past the house, the same man called to him. Cam turned to look and saw the man wave his hand, saying "Come here!". Cam hesitantly turned around thinking that the man was probably going to tell us that we weren't supposed to be riding bicycles on Highway 17.
Roly and Theresa Roy - note the license plate... As Cam tentatively rode up the driveway, the man asked "Where are you going?" to which he replied "Prince Edward Island - are we close?". The man laughed and replied "I'll tell you that it's not over that hill" pointing East! We laughed, and he then asked if there was anything that he could get for Cam - water, ice, anything? Cam said he would love if he could have his water bottle filled with ice and the woman took it inside. They then began a long conversation including some past cyclists he had hosted in his garage, which he called the "Ramada Inn" and how he later received many letters of thanks. Cam learned that their names were Roly and Theresa Roy, they had grown up in the area, and that Roly had run the dance hall in Hagar and then had a business in Sturgeon Falls. Theresa returned with ice and Roly then ran in and quickly returned with 2 bottles of water, 3 bananas, a box of Maple Leaf cookies and a box of Creme Pie cookies! Cam couldn't believe it!
A donation for El Jordan...plus some peanuts for the road! Ken then rode up and joined the conversation. He had been patiently waiting, but got concerned Cam was taking so long. Roly welcomed him and gave him a bottle of water and a banana. We then talked some more and we explained that we were riding for a charity in Bolivia. They were very interested in this, and Roly then turned and ran back into the house saying he would be right back. He came out again, this time with two jars of Planters Peanuts and 2 twenty dollar bills, saying that we could use it for El Jordan or for our supplies if we needed!!! We were blown away and told him that we would make a donation to El Jordan in his name. We shared our business cards, although Roly explained that they didn't have the internet to look at our website. However, he said that his daughter could look at that thing called Facebook or whatever...! As we began to say goodbye, he ran inside one last time and came back with 2 Cokes and said we should have a break in 15 or 20 minutes to enjoy them!
It goes without saying that Roly and Theresa are our Angels of the Day! This was not just simple acts of kindness. This was an awesome example to us of human goodness at its best. We truly believe that we will never forget this 15 minute encounter and hope that it will inspire us to similarly express kindness so freely and without inhibition. Wow!
It goes without saying that Roly and Theresa are our Angels of the Day! This was not just simple acts of kindness. This was an awesome example to us of human goodness at its best. We truly believe that we will never forget this 15 minute encounter and hope that it will inspire us to similarly express kindness so freely and without inhibition. Wow!
A Northern Ontario farm
North Bay is on the shores of Lake Nipissing We got back on our bikes and began to ride with big smiles on our faces - what an amazing experience! This charged us up for another 15 kms to the town of Warren where we grabbed a quick lunch at an "Indoor Chip Truck". We have noticed Chip Trucks becoming more and more common and learned that they serve french fries, along with hamburgers, hot dogs, etc... Apparently, we should expect to see more and more of them.
Lori's Facebook post showing our welcome sign! During lunch, Cam learned via Facebook that we had a welcome waiting for us in North Bay. His cousin Lori had arranged for her in-laws to set up a sign and balloons to welcome us into North Bay (Lori's husband Ernie is from North Bay). Lori told us to look for the sign by the Colonel Hoagies along Highway 17 in North Bay. We were excited to have a warm welcome into a city so far from home, so we hurried through the afternoon. With the hot sun, however, we needed a rest stop in Sturgeon Falls for cold drinks at Tim's and then again at McD's so that we could fill our bottles with ice.
Our North Bay welcoming committee! Unfortunately, by the time that we reached the appropriate corner in North Bay at about 6PM, the owner of the Hoagie shop had asked them to move the sign, so we missed it. However, Lori was on the job and had her co-horts, Mel and Troy, deliver it to us at our hotel! What a thoughtful thing to do! We can't believe the things that people will do for us on this crazy adventure! Thanks so much! It was also great to chat with Mel and Troy who gave us some great intelligence that will help us in the coming days of our trip!
We are going to sleep tonight with big smiles on our faces having seen the best of people today! Thank you so much!
We are going to sleep tonight with big smiles on our faces having seen the best of people today! Thank you so much!
Ride Details:
- Distance: 131.1 kms
- Riding time: 5 hours, 24 minutes
- Average speed: 24.3 kms/hour
- Wind: Swirling
- Temperature: 25 degrees Celcius
- Cumulative: 4,280 kms
Tomorrow's Destination: Mattawa, Ontario - 63.3 kms
See more ride details on Strava and more ride photos from today on our Photo Gallery.
- Distance: 131.1 kms
- Riding time: 5 hours, 24 minutes
- Average speed: 24.3 kms/hour
- Wind: Swirling
- Temperature: 25 degrees Celcius
- Cumulative: 4,280 kms
Tomorrow's Destination: Mattawa, Ontario - 63.3 kms
See more ride details on Strava and more ride photos from today on our Photo Gallery.