Winding along Lake Superior's hills and plateaus to Marathon

I have to apologize for the last few days. I've been a bit lax in posting, having been sick for a few days and having gone out Saturday night once we got to Marathon. So, here's two days' worth for you.

Part 1: Dorion to Rossport

We had been told by people we'd met that the stretch between Thunder Bay and Sault Ste-Marie would be one of the most scenic on the trip. At the same time, however, the continuous up and down on the hills would pose a challenge. We didn't really encounter any tough terrain on our way to Dorion, but the effort level certainly ramped up on our 110km ride to Rossport.

It was the mountains all over again, for sure. The hills in Ontario might be smaller than BC's mountains, but they're just as much work, steep and winding. An initial tough climb is followed by long rolling stretches up on the plateaus, before descending back down to the level of Lake Superior, usually to a new town. In the sun, the climbs are hot, but the cool air coming off of Lake Superior makes the descents absolutely frigid. It makes it tough to decide what to wear during the rides.

Our first stop was lunch in Nipigon. Nipigon is at the crossroads of Canada, as all highway and railway traffic has to pass through it going east-west. We were sitting down to lunch when were approached by Levina Collins. She was pretty excited to see five young cyclists making a stop in her town, and brought some Nipigon pins before inviting us to a barbeque for a new business opening. Their mill burned down a few years ago, nearby Red Rock's closed, and a lot of people have been leaving the area, particularly young people, so this was an exciting event. We were more than happy to meet some new people and have a few burgers, so we took her up on the invite.

The grand opening of Epic Adventures was a fun affair. There were plenty of burgers, pop, and cake and people were dropping in and out wishing the owner, Mike, good luck with his venture. Levina is known as Mrs. Nipigon, and we got to meet the man known as Mr. Nipigon, both of whom act as ambassadors for the area. The mayor came by as did their head of economic development. Epic Adventures will provide guided outdoor adventure tours of all kinds, and you can learn more at their website, www.epicadventures.ca. We wish them the best of luck!

After the usual up and down throughout the day, we arrived in Rossport and set up camp at a playground. There were loads of kayakers and we got to talk to a number of them. There was a basketball net and a ball, so we shot some hoops before getting some rest before the next day.

Part 2: Rossport to Marathon

The coffee drinkers finally have gotten a percolator and some joe for the mornings, and they've started a rotation for making it. Saturday morning was Brian's turn. It makes 9 'cups' according to the box it came in, but realistically only makes enough for three, perfect for Mike, Pat, and Brian, and definitely helps with getting up in the morning. Jon and I are not java fanatics, but the option is always there if we need an extra lift to get going!

The 110km stretch to Marathon was more of the same, with a chilly breeze coming off of the Lake. It was cold enough to see your breath in the middle of a perfectly sunny day on some stretches, and there was some fog just off the shore in places. People here must be used to it, because they were walking around in shorts and t-shirts while we ate lunch in jackets, arm warmers, and leg warmers.

Once we got to Marathon, we were picked up by Larry and Joe at the road into town, which is completely gravel due to repaving work. They brought us to Pearl's place in town, where various people from the area had gathered. We enjoyed a few burgers and some beers before getting settled at Larry and his wife Carol's place down ths street.

As we were taking a day off today, we wanted to head out. Some local bands, Six Pak and Wooly and the Mammoths, were playing at the Canadian Legion branch, so we headed there to have some drinks. We definitely stood out in the small town bar, but we met a few people and played some pool and darts before calling it a night. On our day off, we took it easy after sleeping in, taking care of what we needed to before settling into the hot tub and enjoying a nice dinner.

Tomorrow we'll continue on as we head towards Sault Ste-Marie over the next few days. It should be fairly flat for us to Wawa, so that will be a nice change.
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