Day 37: Ignace (0km)

Today we awoke first to screaming ravens and then to a thunderstorm. At that point we assumed we were in for a different sort of water day than anticipated. Because we had already paid for two nights at Davy Lake we decided we may as well rest here anyway. Plus the pouring rain gave us an excuse to go out for a diner breakfast. We've discovered that gas station restaurants are one of the best sources of cheap and hearty meals of the egg and hash brown variety so we headed straight for the Shell station once we were rain suited up.

The storm cleared off as we were eating and after some grocery shopping we were back in the heat we've been feeling the past few days. Our afternoon was spent with me in the water and Alex soaking up the sun. We didn't put a dent in our seemingly permanent bike-suit tans but Alex decided to clean himself up a little by shaving off the beard (and the food particles that went with it ;-). We're pretty relaxed after enjoying some lake time and getting to skip riding a twelve-inch shoulder through a thunderstorm.

While I'm onto the topic of shoulders... We know most of our friends likely have little to no interest in ever riding these roads but we also hope the blog can help other people plan their bike trips. This means it's time for a shoulder report. We already commented quite a bit on the routes through BC but we stopped reporting in Alberta as the shoulder was generally pretty good. From Canmore through to Regina highway 1 has large paved shoulders that feel basically as though cyclists have their own lane. After Qu'Appelle there are a few rough sections but it holds up well enough until Manitoba. Around Brandon, again heading into Portage La Prairie, and from Ste. Anne toward Prawda the shoulder turns to unrideable gravel and cyclists must take the road. Most of these sections have two lanes so cyclists can get by without too much trouble. North Ontario starts off smoothly but after Dryden the shoulder shrinks down to a one foot width, occasionally widening out to two feet, all alongside one traffic lane. It's a tight squeeze with the trucks passing constantly but so far we've managed with just a few instances of having to ditch. With no alternative road, there's nothing else to recommend other than try to ride straight and stay alert to what's coming up behind you. Otherwise enjoy the view and try to take a dip in a few of the lakes!