It feels like home

Lakes, hills, rain and thunderstorms. Welcome to Ontario.
Since our last post, our four legs have got us through Manitoba, across a border into familiar territory, and into Thunder Bay, where we are now taking a much needed rest day. My hips, quads, back, chest and arms have been telling me to get off the bike, and I finally surrender. Ontario has been a rollercoaster of emotions, due to extreme weather conditions - the good, the bad, and the very, very bad. But before I go into that, here's a breakdown of our past 2 weeks on the bike:
Dauphin to Neepawa, 150km - rode through Riding Mountain National Park; stunning, with more hills than I ever imagined there could be in Manitoba.
Neepawa to Portage la Prairie, 102km Portage to Winnipeg, 75km (cool city)
Winnipeg to Elma, 96km
Elma to Kenora, 130km (crossed into Ontario, and lakes and hills became more prominent)
Kenora to Vermillion Bay, 92km
Vermillion Bay to Ignace, 153km
Ignace to Upsala, 102km
Upsala to Thunder Bay, 143km. Thunder Bay is a fairly large town of 120,000 situated on North Superior, and has a high Native population.
I'll admit, there were various occasions during this past leg when I felt like getting off my bike and catching the next flight home to Toronto. Thunderstorms and near-tornadoes have been slowing us down, both physically and mentally. But spirits are never low for longer than a day, for once the sun comes out, our stuff dries, and the winds change their course, riding becomes enjoyable again. We have also been passing other bikers daily, as there is only one route to take across Northern Ontario. It is an uplifting reminder that we are not alone in this journey; there are others who are equally determined to get across the country. Their conviction strengthens our own, especially if they're doing it for a cause (like Mitch and Matt, who are riding west to east for cancer research).
While camping in Vermillion Bay, at a deserted site by the water, we were woken at 7am by strong winds and rain. Having gotten used to such conditions in Ontario, Rob and I tried to tune it out and go back to sleep. Within minutes, the wind had reached an angry howl, and our tent was pushed down over our faces, rain spraying through the tough fabric and soaking ourselves and everything else inside. Realizing that this was more than just a minor downpour, we began to hold the tent up against crazy winds like I've never seen before. Cold and terrified, we sat for over 20 minutes in puddles, our tent seeming close to being blown into pieces. We feared for our lives - tornadoes can kill, and this was definitely something close. As the wind and rain died down, so did our hearts. We gradually emerged from our tents to find that, miraculously, our panniers and bikes had not blown away. Besides a tree that had fallen a few meters away from our site, everything seemed to have survived. All our gear was wet, and we had to carry it for the day, but it didn't matter. We were happy just to be alive.
A few days later, in Ignace, we read in the newspaper that the storm was as close to a tornado as you can get without a funnel hitting the ground, with winds reaching up to 150km/hr. We no longer take a calm, warm and dry night for granted. Sleeping under a roof has become a luxury, and often a necessary precaution to avoid the storms that seem to be characteristic of Ontario. But the past couple days have been sunny, and Northern Ontario, with its bounty of lakes and trees, is beautiful. It's good to be home.
It continues to amaze me how vulnerable we are to nature. Spending all our days on the bike and at a campsite, we are constantly victim to its unpredictable whims. It makes one feel powerless, but adds apprehension and excitement to every day. I wonder which direction the winds will be going tomorrow? Here's to praying that it may be at our backs. Peace out, y'all!


Amazing clouds riding into Winnipeg.

Every town seems to have its over sized mascot to greet you, things like prairie chickens, dinosaurs, muskies, but Upsala, Ontario had this mosquito to greet us. It was actually the black flies that were really bad though.

The four of us enjoying our almost rest day in Winnipeg.

Finally home! Our salute to the mountains and prairies, a huge chunk of the trip behind us.
Kakabeka Falls outside of Thunder Bay.