Weds 10 August 2005
9.00 - 2.45
108.5 km
4 hrs 10 mins cycling
25.9 kph
These Northern Ontario towns on Highway 17 are desolate. Only the truck stops are thriving - though there is industry, logging, gas.
The towns were surveyed with an optimistic eye 100 years ago. They have no centre and sprawl out over miles. Ignace has a new medical centre on the far edge of town facing the wilderness - why not in the middle of town?
Upsala is sprawled with things so far apart it is hardly a town at all. Police in splendid isolation at one end, school far from anything with no prospect of children walking, and our motel is miles the other way. 3 km to dinner and 3 km back again.
Beautiful riding again today, though the shoulder disappeared altogether in spots. The only thing worse than 18″ shoulder is no shoulder at all. Again flat riding, very few hills, tail wind, we moved pretty quickly. We have not seen many other cyclists though we hear of them. 3 are in the area but with a support vehicle they have passed us by. Also a recumbent bike has people talking. We haven’t seen any of them except 2 people going west the other day.
The proprietor of the restaurant at English River was a bit grumpy - a cyclist came in to ask for water and spent not a cent. These businesses are not doing well.
Olin has a great bear baiting story to go with this picture.