Today I said goodbye to Lake Superior. You really are inferior only to the ocean.
I got an early start again, getting up before dawn so I’d have time to do some sightseeing in Sault Ste. Marie. It was quite hilly at the beginning of the ride, but it flattened out near Pancake Bay. I had a nice long lunch stop at Pancake Bay Campground, where I went for a swim and cooked a hot lunch while writing a blog post. Normally I just graze all day or stop at a restaurant, but there places to buy food are scarce in Lake Superior Provincial Park, so this seemed the better option.
I grew up within a few hours’ drive of three great lakes, so their vastness always seemed normal to me. Now that I’ve lived near the ocean for a decade, it’s strange to see an inland ocean without it being salty.
Later I passed through Chippewa Falls, roughly the halfway point of the Trans-Canada Highway.
Shortly afterwards I reached Whitefish Bay where I said goodbye to Lake Superior. We’d spent five days together, and I enjoyed its grandeur and rugged beauty. The swimming was great, too.
I followed the route suggested by my guide at Agawa Bay campground, turning off the Trans-Canada onto a quiet secondary road for the climb out of the Goulais River valley, and doing the same for the descent into the Soo.
After dropping my stuff off at Velorution bike shop, which offers a free campsite for bicycle tourists, I headed downtown, and made it to Outspoken Brewery just before the closed. Their beers are in such demand that they only had one choice on tap. All their other beers were sold out. It was a good IPA, and the bartender gave me a free drink when she found out about my trip.
Then I was off to the train station to buy tickets for tomorrow’s journey into the Agawa Canyon, followed by a walk along the waterfront, then a ride bike to Velorution for a short sleep before another early morning so I can catch my train.
Today’s Distance: 142 km (+ 13 km riding around town)
Cumulative Distance: 4425 km
