Day 33 - Falcon Lake, MB to Kenora, Ont

Day 33 – June 15, 2026

Falcon Lake, MB to Kenora, Ont.

Start Time: 6:30 am

Stop Time: 10:45 am

KM Travelled: 70 km

Elevation: +525/ -523 m

Special Stuff: Apps, Flexibility

I had a pretty good sleep. In the middle of the night, I woke up thinking about the next stretch of the journey - checking the weather, wind, listening to the highway traffic (stuff like that). Like with the prairies, I’m really not sure what to expect.

As I putter around and have my morning coffee, I enjoy the birds chirping and the distant tremolo (I had to look that word up) of loons on the lake.

Breaking down camp goes smoothly, but it takes a little longer because I’m rusty – it’s been a while since I last full-on tented.

One ‘job’ I have to do this morning is retrieve my pannier from across the field. When tenting, I need to be bear and rodent aware - I don’t want bears or critters in or around my tent. I put food and smelly toiletries into one pannier and put it in a bear cache or hang it in a tree. It surprises me how any people and campgrounds don’t know this safety precaution. This campground does not have a bear cache, but they do have wire cages for garbage, so last night I hung one of my panniers in the garbage cage with a note on it indicating that it belongs to campsite “P3” and that it is “NOT Garbage”. Thankfully, it did not get tossed or stolen.

I’m on the road at 6:30 am. I’d like to get to Vermilion Bay, about 160 km away - I’m thinking about the forecasted thunderstorms.

One of my biggest concerns about today’s ride is that the highway went back to a single lane highway (2-way traffic). Much of my middle of the night awake time was trying to psych myself up for this type of riding again. I’ve gotten so used to the amazing twinned prairie highway. It turns out my worry was for naught! The generous shoulder continues on, and there are a good number of passing lanes.

An hour into my ride, I come upon the “Welcome to Ontario” signs (there seem to be two of them for some reason).

4 Provinces done ✅.

The terrain is quickly changing - I was so busy observing that I not take pictures. There’s a lot more rock and forest. It reminds me of BC – more specifically, the BC interior. There are hills – and lots of them. The tailwind does not give the same advantage as it did on the open prairies. I think my 30 km/ hour+ days are behind me. The hills feel like a bit more work than I remember. I am a little suspicious that my new tire tread (more rugged) gives some resistance. This is fine, it’s just an adjustment. (Better than a tire change on the side of the road.) It’s either that or I need to get used to climbing hills again. AND, it could easily be a bit of both.

About 25 km out from Kenora, I’m feeling sluggish. My usual vigour for the ride just isn’t with me today. I stop at the side of the road to have a snack and I check out the new landscape. I’m chomping on a granola bar (no social graces on the ride) when a fellow biker pulls up beside me from the other direction. The new biker is a 65-year-old man (with no helmet) from Quebec. He (The Frenchman) is travelling from Quebec to the Yukon! In his younger years, he biked tens of thousands of kilometers all over the world. One of his favourite places to bike was in India. I really enjoyed the chat and thanked him for stopping – I could easily have missed him while looking the other way.

I stop in Kenora at the Tim Hortons on the far end of town. Over a cup of coffee and a doughnut I consider the weather and how I’m feeling. The next town, Vermilion Bay is 94 km away and there are still thunderstorms forecasted on the road ahead. For the first time since starting this adventure, I’m really not feeling the ride. I could push through, but it would be work.

I decide to pull the plug on going to Vermilion Bay today and choose to get a motel room here in a Kenora for the night. There are a bunch of motels on this side of town, which will work perfect for starting off in the morning. The first motel I check is full, the second one I check is full, and the third, fourth and fifth motels are also full! Construction workers have booked up most rooms in town! I wonder what they could possibly be building with that many workers! I continue to call around and get lucky with a hotel room down by the waterfront. I book it and start biking over. I realize that I forgot to ask how much it costs. Before I get to the hotel, I decide what I would like to pay, what I’m willing to pay, and my walk away price. If I have to walk away, my only alternative is to find a place to camp (which I’m not feeling like doing tonight).

I get to the hotel and the price (with a 5% discount and taxes included) is much more than I’d like to pay, but just under my walk away price. Given how I am feeling today (and now with a headache started up), I’m willing to pay the price and I take the room. They waive the $20.00 early check-in fee (I must of looked a mess) and they give me to room straight away at 12:15 pm.

Here is a screenshot from my Lightening app (1: 10 pm) - the red area is where I was planning to ride. I think I made the right choice.

The sheets smell so good and the pillows are so soft. I immediately have a nap and then lay around all afternoon, venturing out only to get food for dinner and for tomorrow’s ride. Before settling for the night, I do some TLC care for my tight muscles by stretching, applying pressure (using my road hockey ball) and rolling (using my foam roller).

Tomorrow I plan to have a slow start to my day with a plan to head off to Vermilion Bay, but more likely Dryden.