Day 47 - Montreal River Harbour, Ont. to Sault Ste. Marie, Ont

June 29, 2026 

Start Time: 6:20 am 

Stop Time: 1:30 pm 

KM Travelled: 112.8 km 

Elevation: +993/ - 912 m 

Special Stuff: That the ride for today is done 

I was up through the night listening to the wind and looking at the weather reports about the wind and weather conditions. Today the wind will be a strong headwind with gusts up to 40-50 km/ hour. The highway will likely have a narrow shoulder, leaving a small margin for error. At 2:30 am, Brian gets up and goes outside to take the awning down because it's getting blown around alot.

I spend my personal time between 4:00 am to 5:00 am (when I usually reflect and document my journey) thinking about today's ride and researching wind riding strategies. I am trying to 'pump myself up' for the ride. Here are some notes: 

• Thunderstorms may be starting in Sault Ste. Marie around 2:00 pm 

• There will be rain on the ride 

• Tomorrow the temperature starts to go up to the high 20’s/ low 30’s (Celsius)  

• I need to get my bike in for servicing tomorrow (or I am set back to Friday to depart from Sault Ste. Marie)  

• An upside is that the ride will be mostly overcast

• An upside is that there are not alot of hills 

• An upside is that I am still on the low truck volume route 

• An upside is that many people are at their holiday destination enjoying an extra-long weekend on account of Canada Day 

• An upside is that I have alot of experience with the narrow shoulder now – and I have a good sense of how to be safe on the road 

• There will be a gas station around the 100 km mark 

• Brian will be passing me at some point 

• I learn about riding low and less rigid  

• I also learn about having someone on speed dial to come pick me up, because sometimes, you just can’t beat the wind. 

I decide to leave at 6:15 am with the hopes that I will get to the KOA campground for 1:00 pm – maybe 2:00 pm – just before the thunderstorms.

Shortly into my ride, I make a ‘two hands on the handle bars’ safety rule because the gusts are unpredictable. I also decide to stop every 5 km or so to eat, drink and blow my nose. I manage the headwind surprisingly well. 

I am so busy worrying about the wind this morning that I hardly notice the change in temperature. I did not have my blanket wrapped around me in the morning while I had coffee (I only noticed this when I went to put it away) and my fingers and toes are not cold on the bike this morning. This is a new development.

I have some insights today about the amazing power of air. We often take it for granted...it is always there. Air is the reason I can do this trip - a tire with no air is going nowhere. Air is needed for alot of sports (sailing, wind surfing, kite skiing, parachuting, etc., etc.) Fresh air gives us oxygen to move our bodies and to feel good. Moving air (wind) cools us off and keeps the bugs away. Moving air can make things easier (like a tailwind) or more difficult (like tornados). Its power can be harnessed to create electricity (like in wind turbines) or to create comfort (like in an air mattress) or to support celebrations (like in balloons). I have learned that moving air on a really hot day (reasonable headwind or tailwind) is better than air that does not move at all. 

Brian stops a couple of times concerned that I don’t have enough to eat (he can be a bit overzealous - which is not a bad thing). The second time he stopped in front of a store that has delicious ‘world famous’ apple fritters. I chomp down 4 big bites and keep going...I’m racing a thunderstorm. 

About 30 km out from Sault St. Marie, I come across a rider on a reclined e-tricycle. He has crossed into my lane and stood up to talk to me – the stop was not optional. He says he has a camp set up in this area (I’m not sure what that means) and he is a Warm Showers host (an international organization of bicyclers that provide accommodation for free to other bikers). He tells me the shoulder gets bigger 2 km down the road at the rest stop – this makes me feel better, but then he tells me about the upcoming construction on 'the big hill' before Sault Ste. Marie. He suggests I take an alternate route to avoid it – but it looks like an additional 10 km at least (augh). He also tells me of a better way to get to Sudbury instead of going on Highway #17 (I take note and will look into this some more). Before we part ways, he says that I’m going to get rained on soon (which I already know). 

2 km down the road is the point of interest that identifies that I am at the halfway point on the Trans Canada Highway. I am now officially half way! Oh yeah! Just beside the plaque, I have a nice chat with a middle-aged french woman who is travelling for 2 months with her partner to the Yukon in their sprinter van. I love meeting and having these chats with people. She offers to take my picture with the plaque...I'm decline because I know I'm already over half-way for my trip - this is just a plaque.

The shoulder, thankfully does get wider, and, it starts to rain. I am now worrying about the upcoming road construction. It would have been better not to know about it. I keep wondering, "Should I take the alternate route or should I stay on the highway?" It festers and is now messing with my head – so much so that I don’t even really enjoy the wide shoulder. So annoying.

I get to the turn off to the suggested alternate route (Old Post Office Road), but then I think – f**k it, I’ll take my chances going the direct route through the construction zone. I don’t want to be caught in a thunderstorm out in the sticks. I get to the bottom of the construction zone and look up the enormous hill with two-way single lane traffic going each way with a very small shoulder that drops off about a foot. I make the only reasonable choice...I get off my bike and start walking.  

About 200 meters in, a construction crew worker pulls over with his truck and tells me he’ll take me up through the construction zone (it wasn't presented as an option). We perch my bike (in a way that I would never dream of securing my bike) to the back of his truck and he drives me up as I wait for the truck following us to honk because the bike, and/ or my luggage has fallen off. I feel somewhat shell-shocked - and disappointed. I am capable of doing this hill – if only there was a safe space to ride. After I am dropped off, I continue on through several more kilometers of precarious sections of construction. I'm so tired of Ontario highways. 

Brian is waiting for me at the campground on the outskirts of Sault Ste. Marie – working away and taking calls.

At the end of today’s ride, I feel so done.  

The weather forecast shows high temperatures are coming up this week. A friend of mine, an avid outdoorsman who lives in Ontario, has reached out to flag this week’s forecast. If he's concerned enough to reach out, I sit up and pay attention. I realize that I need to put some more thought into what my rides will look like this week! I am grateful for the heads up, because I am unfamiliar with what ‘hot and humid’ in Ontario actually means.