Ride: Days 87 – 103 total          Dates: 6/28/82 – 7/13/02

From: Cabin Days

Via: SSM, MI = 27 miles, SSM, Ontario = 30 miles, Brimley = 7 miles

State/County:Chippewa/MI, Algoma/Ontario

Mileage:                                              

Start     2938                                        

Finish  64 miles                                   

Total    3002                                        

Road Surface/Terrain/Traffic: Flat, paved, low to medium traffic

Map(s)/Guide: [None Needed]

Weather: Sunny and warm, wind from the southwest

Flora/Fauna: [None Recorded]

Others in Group: Sarah, Barb and Janet on first trip; Cabin people; Cathy, Pat & Otto McNaughton; Anna Raeburn

Points of Interest/Mileage: The Cabin, what else do I need to say!

Comments:Anne & Bill’s wedding is great, though I find it almost as nervous to be a bridesmaid as a bride.  A little bicycle maintenance gets done, a lot of talking, beaching, cabining.  The trip to Agawa is scenic, but the early start and the train ride and the hiking has us sleeping on the way home.  I make a stuffed snake’s nest for Mark and Gina.  We go strawberry picking at a U-pick-em and get seven quarts.  Lots of freezer-jelly, one pie, strawberry daiquiris!  As usual the stay is too short.

Expenses: Total: $350.00, Trip Total: $3565.43

 [The log of the Great Adventure now goes on hiatus until Bastille Day, July 14^th]

Ride: Day 64 bikes, Day 86 total            Date: 6/27/82, Sunday

From: Iron Bridge to Sault Ste. Marie, MI

Via: Kings Highway 17, 176, 3 Mile, 6 Mile, Business 75, Birch Point, Green Tunnel Rd.

State/County: Algoma, Ontario / Chippewa, MI

Mileage:                  Time:

Start     2853                8:00 AM

Finish  85 miles           8:00 PM

Total    2938                 12 hours [corrected a 60 mile discrepancy] 

Road Surface/Terrain/Traffic: 17 was trafficked, the road was better surfaced, with paved shoulders

Map(s)/Guide: Ontario Provincial Map, Chippewa County [as if]

Weather: Sunny and warm, wind from the southwest

Flora/Fauna: Porcupine, Iris, Seagulls, Downy Woodpecker

Others in Group: Hugh Wright, Arlington, MA and Scott Shepard, Arlington, MA

Points of Interest/Mileage:Bruce Mines Museum, Soo, Ontario, International Bridge, Soo Locks, The CABIN!

Comments:We get an early start from camp.  Then ride all the way to Thessalon before getting breakfast (It’s Sunday in Ontario).  We have a flat tire right outside of Thessalon.  When we get to Bruce River we meet a solo bicyclist headed east.  While we’re talking with him, Scott and Hugh ride in.  We decide to ride together and set quite a fast pace, since we don’t know how fast the other guys go.  We get to Sault, Ontario and take a brake before assaulting the bridge.  We “dine” at A&W, then head out.  A beach fire with wine, beer and talk ends the day.

Expenses: Breakfast $10.00, Coke $1.19, Toll $1.50, Snacks $5.31, Dinner $6.00, Total: $24.00, Trip Total: $3215.43

Ride: Day 63 bikes, Day 85 total            Date: 6/26/82, Saturday

From: Massey to Iron Bridge

Via: Road from Chutes, Kings Highway 17

State/County: Ontario / Sudbury, Algoma Counties

Mileage:                                               Time:

Start     2793                                         11:00 AM

Finish  97 km = 60 miles                       8:00 PM

Total    2853                                         8 ½ hours

Road Surface/Terrain/Traffic: Paved, (first mile on 17 had gravel sections), Hilly at first then flatter, Moderately heavy traffic

Map(s)/Guide: Ontario Provincial Map

Weather: Sunny and warm all day!! Some headwinds

Flora/Fauna: Grouse??, wild strawberries, wild roses, hawks, aspen/birch, cedars, pine trees, wild flowers

Others in Group: Lots of bicyclists! Three guys headed to Newfoundland, Two guys to New Brunswick, One guy, Don, going west, An older man and younger women headed to Connecticut, Pictures there at the Chutes

Points of Interest/Mileage: Scenic lookout – rapids on Serpent River (Just west of Cutler)

Comments: Well Rick left long before we even got up.  We slept in late, showered and had breakfast by the falls.  We go through the last of the gravel and then press on.  The traffic, especially the trucks is annoying, but not too bad.  We stop for pictures at scenic turnout near Cutler and talk to three bicyclists there.  After Spranque it becomes a P.O.R. day, although there are lots of bicyclists going by.  It’s P.O.R. because we got a late start and want to reach Iron Bridge or Thessalon tonight.  After a big dinner in Iron Bridge the choice is Iron Bridge.  More miles tomorrow, I guess.

Expenses: C&C&J $1.12, $1.22, Lunch $5.51, Dinner $21.66 (MC), Camp $4.00, Shower $1.25 Total: $34.76, Trip Total: $3191.43

Ride: Day 62 bikes, Day 84 total            Date: 6/25/82, Friday

From: Sheguiandah to Massey

Via: Kings Highway 6, 17, Road to Chutes (½ km)

State/County: Ontario / Manitoulian, Sudbury Counties

Mileage:                                               Time:

Start     2737                                         9:00 AM

Finish  90 km = 56 miles                       6:30 PM

Total    2793                                         9 ½ hours

Road Surface/Terrain/Traffic: Paved, except 17 was gravel from outside Webbwood to Massey because of construction, some hills on Manitoulian, but quite hilly to Espanola, then flat to Massey, Low traffic to 17 then high

Map(s)/Guide: Ontario Provincial Map, Manitoulian map

Weather: Cool and Cloudy and in the AM then warmer with spots of sun

Flora/Fauna: warbler ? black with orange, chipmunk, great blue herons, beaver lodge, wild strawberries, white-throated sparrow, daises

Others in Group: Pictures of Whitefish Falls, 2 bikers on island going to Boston, Rick Peterson in the Chutes

Points of Interest/Mileage: Sheguiandah Museum, Little Current, Whitefish Falls, Chutes Provincial Park

Comments: We stop for yogurt (+) at a store in Sheguiandah then head to Little Current for banking and a craft shop.  The swing bridge from Manitoulian to Great Cloche Island is wooden with railroad tracks down the middle.  There is a free camp ground on Great Cloche.  The scenery from Little Current to Espanola is really beautiful – wild and rugged with lots of lakes and rivers.  We eat lunch at Whitefish Falls at the Holiday Lodge.  Lots of wooden furniture plus a huge fireplace, but no menu;  Very friendly people – Bill and Fran Raven run the restaurant, lodge, campground and a brand new hostel.  When we get to the Chutes (finally) we share a site with another biker.  He is doing 150 miles/day.

Expenses: Breakfast $2.50, C&C $0.95, $0.40, $2.73, Lunch $11.00, Dinner $8.44, Camp $6.50 Total: $31.52, Trip Total: $3156.67

Ride: Day 61 bikes, Day 83 total            Date: 6/24/82, Thursday

From: South Baymouth to Sheguiandah

Via: Kings Highway 6

State/County: Ontario / Manitoulian Island

Mileage:                                               Time:

Start     2704                                         11:00 AM ?

Finish  54 km = 33 miles                       6:00 PM

Total    2737                                         7 hours

Road Surface/Terrain/Traffic: Paved, hillier, but still mostly long grades, very low traffic

Map(s)/Guide: Ontario Provincial Map, Manitoulian map

Weather: Beautiful in the AM – warm and sunny, tailwind; Cloudier and colder in the PM; Rain showers in camp

Flora/Fauna: seagulls – including one trying to get our bread, blue spiky flowers, day lilies, daisies, clover

Others in Group: Postcards to EB & PB, Anita, Axes and Dave & Jill; Phone call to Axes

Points of Interest/Mileage: Assiginack Museum, S.S. Norisle, Burns Mill – all in Manitowaning, High Falls – along 6 Rainbow Gardens, Fruits & Vegetables – South of Manitowaning

Comments: A nice motel (the first one off the ferry) with great beds for sleeping in late.  Finally, we get up and have breakfast at the Family Brown Restaurant.  Very good food, but a seagull tries to get our bread.  Excellent riding – sunny, warm, no traffic and lots of flowers; we stop at Rainbow Gardens – a produce stand and buy fruit and call Mark’s folks.  When we get to Manitowaning we play tourist and talk to the lady at the Museum and buy Indian turtles.  It’s getting cloudy there but it’s not until after we stop at High Falls that the sky is really gray.  It rains while we set up camp ( at Batman’s T&T – fairly nice but too many RVs, but that stops after supper).

Expenses: Breakfast $11.93, fruit $4.44, museum tickets $3.50, turtles & basket $4.50, juice & chips $4.15, camp $8.00, C&C $2.60, Total: $39.12, Trip Total: $3124.15

Start     2614                                         9:00 AM

Finish  142 km = 90 miles                     7:00 PM

Total    2704                                         10 hours

Road Surface/Terrain/Traffic: Paved except for about 1 km, mostly flat but some grades near Tobermory, low traffic

Map(s)/Guide: Bruce County, Ontario Provincial Map

Weather: Partly cold & foggy in AM; warm and sunny later with moderate head winds

Flora/Fauna: Yellow Lady Slippers, Flickers, Blue Jays, Groundhog, Rabbit, Swamp Iris, Cedars, Pine

Others in Group: Pictures of Marl Bog, Chi-chi-monks, Tobermory, We didn’t stop!

Points of Interest/Mileage: Bruce County Museum – South Hampton, Sauble Falls, Tobermory, Natural foods store and bakery in Manitoulian

Comments: We make a break for it today and get on the road early, but we stop in Port Elgin for breakfast because it is so cold.  Lunch is at Sauble Falls.  Mark remembers it from our honeymoon.  I don’t really.  We Press On Regardless in the afternoon to try to make the 8:00 PM ferry, with stops in Mar, Ferndale & Miller Lake.  We also have an unscheduled stop when Mark runs into Pooh’s back tire.  The ferry ride is relaxing and we look forward to a motel!

Expenses: Breakfast $9.80, Lunch 4.50, Natural food $3.05, Postage $1.40, C&C $0.48, $0.54, $2.02, ferry $20.00, game $0.25, dinner $11.07, Motel $29.40 (MC) Total: $82.51, Trip Total: $3,085.03