Saturday, July 16, 2011

Day 49: Pancake Bay to Ojibway Park (99.01km)

This is the kind of day that we were dreaming about back in February when we decided to do this trip. We woke up across from one of the most beautiful beaches we've ever seen and started the day eating breakfast at the shore. We followed that up with a hefty second breakfast at Voyageur Lodge Cookhouse about ten kilometers down the road. By the time we were fueled it made for a late start but we kept a good pace despite the stickiness of the humidity.

The road between Pancake Bay and Sault offered mostly rolling hills and picturesque views but with a few steep rises to keep us alert. All day locals warned about the 'mile long hill' standing between us and the Sault. It turned out to be pretty tame but it always helps to have a legendary climb that doesn't live up to the hype. The worst thing about this hill is that it could be seen from more than a mile away. The best part is that it ended after a mile.

When we rolled into Sault Ste. Marie, we stopped by Velorution, a bike store well known among bike tourists because it offers free onsite camping for cyclists. Because we had arrived early and only 73km into our ride we had already decided to keep going for another 30km once the heat broke after dinner. We did take a look at the store and stopped to use the bathroom facilities, after which we spoke with staff for a few minutes. It was during this conversation that I noticed a stream of (clean) toilet paper hanging out of Alex's shorts. I tried to discreetly wait to alert him privately but totally lost it and burst into hysterics. The cover was blown but I'm pretty sure that the workers at Velorution have seen it all before.

After groceries and waiting for pizzas that we quickly devoured, we made our way out of the city and into Ojibway Park. We've already met some friends at the trailer sites, who offered us cold beverages and good conversation. Now we're settled into our quiet tenting area across from yet another pink hued sunset over the water. Good Night!

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