Hey everyone, bonjour! I appreciate all the messages checking in! Please read this if you’re concerned. As mentioned in my last post, I’m still alive and well — just been grinding away at Northern Ontario, where it’s been a great and exhausting challenge all around.
Towns are rare, dine-ins aren’t allowed because of Covid, and as a result I’ve been conserving my battery life as much as possible. My cellular data has run out for the second time this month, and small businesses seem very reluctant to share their wifi passwords (only in Ontario, not sure why!)
Sooo all that to say, this will likely be my last update until I reach Toronto, on July 18th.
Alright, back to the story!
Canada Day
And just like that, June had come to an end, much to my surprise, as I had totally been losing track of time.
I went to step out of my tent, to the sight of a pick up truck parked in the campsite that I had sneakily slept in.
Oh man, well this is awkward.
It turned out RJ and Manon had already talked to the driver while I was sleeping, to let him know about my situation. And there was no issue.
After a good chat with the two, talking about the road that awaited me ahead, their fishing plans, and the Habs Stanley Cup Finals run (sadness), I made my way to take a much-needed shower.
On my way back, I ran into Emilie and Scott, who invited me to come by their campsite for breakfast.
We exchanged stories, and once again felt like long time family friends. I also checked out their amazing camper, that totally felt like walking into a high end Yaletown apartment. Where am I??
They also stocked me up on ice cold water, and snacks, heading into what would be another long and tough stretch of nothing.
This was an especially hot day, hitting 40 degrees at the highest.
Back to the Grind
Hitting the road once again, I had the advantage of knowing what to expect… Or knowing what NOT to expect.
No gas stations for at least 70km. Or in other words, I needed to be careful with my water, while still drinking just enough to be hydrated.
The environment was a lot more challenging than the prairies, as the hills are constant, much more intense, and the humidity and heat really wipes you out.
The Lakes
Well one thing that there’s no shortage of in Northern Ontario is water. There are lakes everywhere, and they’re all so unique. Huge, tiny, calm, turbulent, clear, murky…
I knew that if it really came down to it, I would drink right out of them.
And that’s exactly what I did.
I was low on water, and stopped at the next lake right off the highway to crush a few litres of water. It gave me a chance to test out the ol’ water treatment tablets, which I originally bought with this exact stretch of Ontario in mind.
You know what, it tasted totally fine. I’d even say better than the water out in the prairies!
After I had finished drinking lake water like a savage, a nearby trucker, Kurt, who was taking a quick stretching break, hilariously offered me a huge bottle of ice cold water. And an apple. Don’t worry, I also drank that water.
Such a nice gesture!
West-Bound
As I was about to re-embark on my journey, I was shocked as another cyclist, bike loaded with a couple paniers, emerged from around the corner.
He pulled over and we were both excited to hear about each other’s journeys. His name was Tom, and he was heading for Vancouver, from Toronto.
A young dude, fresh out of high school, doing the trip by himself. Clearly very on top of it all, and I was extremely impressed with his light set-up.
He gave me some great tips on some spots to check out and camp at, including “Old Woman Bay” and “Pancake Bay” (yes, those are real names), as well as the massive apple fritters at the Voyageur Lodge some days out.
Best of luck with your journey good sir!
Vermillion Bay
Made it to a campground in Vermillion Bay, washed away the layer of sweat with an amazing shower, took full advantage of having wifi (what a luxury), and called it a day!
Another tough one in the books. Better get used to it, as there’s still a lonnnng way to go to get through Ontario.
Daily Stats
- Route: Clearwater Bay, ON —> Vermillion Bay, ON
- Distance: 120km
- Elevation gain: 1,016m
15 Responses
ah ! enfin des nouvelles ! super ! ok on te laisse garder de la batterie pour des choses nécessaires, plus nécessaire que de nous faire voyager par ton biais !
Encore des rencontres sympas et généreuses !
Et pas trop de moustiques dans cette humidité ?
Bon courage encore pour les km restant !
Merci Anne!! Haha pour être honnête, je n’ai jamais vu tant de moustiques dans ma vie. 😅 Ils sont partout!
Je suis très contente d’entendre parler de ton voyage . En effet à regarder cette dernière carte que tu nous envoyer tu es vraiment au milieu de plein plein de lacs
Phew! I was wondering where you were. Look forward to seeing you in Toronto 🙂
You as well good sir!
“Que d’eau que d’eau” comme disait le Président de Mac Mahon. Oui, mais lui il n’avait pas les pastilles pour traiter l’eau des lacs!
Tu as été bien avisé de t’en munir.
Et toujours de belles rencontres, quel que soit l’endroit où tu es! C’est formidable.
Et puisque tu es en ce moment sur les grands lacs, tu dois savoir que mon papa y a navigué dessus, pour transporter des containers depuis l’Europe jusqu’à Chicago en passant par le fleuve St Laurent puis les grands lacs.
Et donc quand nous étions jeunes (soupir), Philippe, Béatrice et moi nous connaissions par coeur la carte de cette région des lacs car nous avions la carte affichée dans les toilettes 😁
Hello parrain! Hahah woww quelle histoire, je n’avais aucune idée! Ils sont quand même impressionnant, ces grands lacs. On se croirait vraiment devant l’océan.
Pour une raison très mystérieuse le correcteur automatique de Google a transformé “c’est formidable” en “c’est redoutable”… Va comprendre !
De même que “soupir” est devenu “soupe”, donc je crains que mon message ne veuille plus rien dire….
It was great meeting you! I hope you enjoyed those spots I gave you!
So good to hear where you are and still meeting great people. Your adventures continue and I’m sure you don’t write all the details I can only imagine.
Have a great rest of your trek to Toronto. We keep thinking if you every day and praying all continues to go well.
Thanks Cheryl! Hahah that was exactly what I was thinking a few days ago… So many little interactions and stories that are equally fun, but just can’t fit ‘em all in sadly.
What a choice when you’re biking, rain or 30+ temps. You must have someone watching over you to bring you water when you need it. Wish I could give you a hug but it’s tooooo hot. Stay strong.
Aw thanks Carol! 🤗
Hello Alexis ! Tu dois probablement être arrivé à Toronto (pour bosser si j’ai bien suivi). On attend la suite avec impatience ! On connaît un peu cette portion de ton trajet : Toronto et Ottawa, Québec et Montréal. On s’y replongera avec plaisir. On te conseille de goûter les “beaver tails” :-), et de passer par le parc de la Gatineau près d’Ottawa si tu as le temps. C’est magnifique !
Tant qu’à être en Ontario essaie un poulet rôti de Swiss Chalet qui est comme le cousin de la chaîne de restaurant St-Hubert au Québec. Tu pourras comparer et donner ton vote sur celui qui est à ton avis le plus goûteux. J’ai trouvé 18 restaurants Swiss Chalet à Toronto. Il devrait y en avoir un près de où tu vis.!
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