Thursday 30th May - Down to Lake Superior

Up and out this morning before sun up – not that there was any sun to get up all day – well until about 5pm when a very weak one broke through.

Reason for early start was 2 fold, i) I wanted to try and see some wild life and ii) the room at the motel was not one to hang around in.

It rained on and off most of the day and the cloud base was so low that I drifted in and out of fog and mist.  I was happy enough though – disappointed that I wouldn’t get the best of views perhaps but at least the rain was washing the flies of my teeth. By dinner time though I thought I would be trying to make some positives about the “misty views” etc.

But hey, the day turned out to be filled with all kinds of surprises.

This is the town – all of it – that I’d stayed in last night – they all read well in the blurb but somehow miss the spot.

 

I was heading first of all for a place called Thunder Bay and setting off early, as I did, I promised myself a Canadian breakfast there of eggs – over hard – see getting all the jargon – ham and home-fries.  I got that and it was good.

After riding for a little while the dual carriageway changed to an ordinary 2 way road and remained like that, except for a few passing places for the rest of the journey. In some places you could see where the original road had gone before any upgrades and those are always interesting routes to take – even if most meant doubling back eventually.

 

 But I was in  no hurry and keen to spot some kind of critter.  I accept it was early but I was still mostly on my own and this is a main cross country link!

 

I was fascinated by the lichen. Yes, we’ve all seen it but this stuff was so thick and scaly, no it wasn’t moss – I’d ask Roger again but if I carry on he’ll want paying as an advisor.

 

I got excited by the signs – I know sad – and slowed down even more to peer into the undergrowth, which was silly really as moose are the size of, well moose.

 

I was intrigued by this church but it was at the other side of a railway track with no obvious crossing. Wasn’t too far from these abandoned stores so wonder if there was an old town here once - now long gone. Real cowboy town buildings aren’t they.

Then – a time zone change! Why can’t they all be like this and then everyone will be clear. There was this plaque there too about Sir  Sandford Fleming – no I hadn’t heard of him either – but he was born on Scotland and responsible for “inventing” the Standard Time Zones – probably fed up of making a prat of himself in hotels!

 

Met a policeman at this stop whose father came from Bradford but he, the policeman, had never been to England to visit, probably for the best!

The road was going on and on and up and down and my eyes were going from side to side like an ”Eagle Eyes” Action Man. 

 

 It paid off though because I saw this chap in time to stop. No idea what he is – looks like a black fox but they don’t seem to exist. He was obviously rare though and had few friends as he came closer and closer and if I’d opened my pannier I think he would have jumped in.

 

Thunder Bay was another disappointment – perhaps the gloom again taking the shine off any attraction it had.

Just before Thunder Bay the 2 divided North and South routes re-joined and ran along the northern shore of Lake Superior. I was excitedly anticipating my first view of this vast lake but when it came it was snatched through trees and partially hidden by the cloud. What I could see though was beautiful – not any great impression of size because at that pint there was “The Sleeping Giant” peninsular running across the view and then various small islands just off-shore.

I liked this sign, twee as it may be...

 

As a rode along the trees suddenly changed colure to a really spring-like light green, the photo probably doesn’t show it but the colour change was spectacular.

 

 I carried on enjoying the ride but wary when the cloud got a bit thick especially as the road got narrower and began to hug the cliff side more.

Even the coffee stops were lonely affairs...

                  except the lady owner here told me a lovely story about a book called Paddle to the Sea which I'll explain tomorrow.

 

 

 

On I went with Assistant Lookout Frog on duty – he lost his Navigator status when he got us lost on the way to Steinbach.

Got stripes back though when he spotted this chap (or chappess – how do you sex a moose?) 

 

Watched it for quite a while and was fascinated when it knelt down to eat – which answers that earlier question about knees.

 

The excitement builds up too about Winnie-the-Pooh and Lyndsay makes a good point – where did his second name come from?

 

Maybe we’ll find out tomorrow – hang on in there with me.