Slow internet so hence the double day blog.
Day 33 had us leaving Thunder Bay heading to Wawa. On our way out we had some fog leaving Wawa….in fact we rode 100 kms of our 500 km day in the fog before we got in the clear. This time on our way back, we left Thunder Bay in the fog and outside of few “sun breaks” we literally rode 400 kms of the 500km day in the fog….so no pictures. The attached photo is a depiction only….not real fog but represents what we looked at all day. We got into Wawa just as the rain started…this was a preview of what we would be faced with today. That and Highway 17 was washed out AGAIN, which means we have a detour in the morning. The detour is a road that we rode back in 2016….not one of our choosing at this point.
Day 34 we double check to ensure Highway 17 is still closed….it is. So detour to 101 to 129 is our only route. We are up early, packed, breakfast in, gas at 7 a.m. (station opens) and we are off. We gassed up again in Chapleau as 129 is 180 kms and we have already travelled 130 kms. The road is a bit rough and very remote. There are some nice sweeping turns but the road travels along a beautiful river and some lakes, so still quite scenic. The bottom half of the 129 is both twisty for about 20 kms and then finally some nice smooth road. We made a stop at the store near the end of the 129 where we had stopped in 2016…it was a lifesaver as we had travelled that route in the rain with no bathroom stops..this time we were more prepared. So we get to the same store and note that it is the Canadian Tail of the Dragon (route 129 with a lot of twists and turns but in a longer run). We bought the tshirts and stickers so now Jerry has another American experience on the Canadian side. We had a lovely morning, the weather was great, the road was fun and we get to the end of the detour with only 2.5 hours of riding left…we pulled into a Tim’s for lunch just as the sky opens up with huge drops of rain. We ate our lunch as the skies opened up. Taking a break in the rain we jumped on the bikes and continued to our destination. Part way through, we catch the first bolt of lightning in the field to the left as we were riding. Two bolts that joined as one like a wishbone. The rain continued all the way to Sudbury with several bolts of lightning on the horizon and at least two emergency alerts coming through about a possible tornado (with warnings for us to take refuge in our basement?). The sky was breaking up behind us and the sun was coming through, so we continued forward, into the rain, warnings and lightning without any issues. We arrived just as the rain was slowing, although it came in downpours again and again throughout the evening. We were happy tor reach out destination for the evening, especially since we have a lot of drying out to do before we hit the road at 6 a.m. tomorrow morning. We have oil changes scheduled for the afternoon in Ottawa so we have to get there as early as possible. I also have to pick up my bag at the dealership. Our plan is for a down day in Ottawa on Saturday. Very much deserved I would say for these weary travellers. We met a group of riders staying at the same hotel tonight, one of them is currently living in Quispamsis. Great chat and gave them some recommended routes.
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