Day 50 - Sault Ste. Marie, Ont. to Bruce Mines, Ont.

Start Time: 5:45 am 

Stop Time: 9:30 am 

KM Travelled: 61.3 km 

Elevation: +414/ -411 m 

Special Stuff: Countryside riding, Amish 

I wake up in the motel room feeling well prepared (theoretically) for the ride ahead, but I also feel anxious about what the ACTUAL ride will involve. Am I going to end up on some forest, swamp or muddy road. Is the ride more suited for mountain bike tires? Do I have enough time to get to Bruce Mines before the heat hits? (The high temperatures alert is still on all the weather apps).

So many unknowns, but, I’ve committed to do the ride – so I’m ‘all in’. 

As much as I'd like to leave earlier, I wait until the “sunrise” (5:45 am) before my departure. There is no actual sun - it’s overcast - but at least it's reasonably light. I double check to make sure my flashing helmet light is on.

Because it's early, the traffic is light. It gets even lighter when highway 17 splits off to into 17 and 17B (which I take). Highway 17B takes me through Garden River First Nations land which is situated right on the lakefront. I am thankful to be able to travel through their community – it feels comfortable. 

A short while later, I come over a bridge and am surprised by a ‘snap, crackle, pop’ noise. I look down and realize the noise is coming from my tires as I drive over thousands of bugs that may be dead, but may be alive. I stop to take a quick photo and high tail it outta there – I still don’t know whether they were dead or alive (it feels like it was a mix of both). 

My route leads back to highway 17, but crosses over it and takes me out to the country-side. I instantly feel relief. The roads are paved, with only an odd vehicle passing by (the drivers wave at me). Along the ride, there are fields, cute country homes, barns, horses, baby geese, gardens and farmers working on equipment. It smells like wet grass clippings (the grass along the side of the road has recently been cut back). I went a little ways down the wrong road and discovered a pioneer cemetery.

The biking is amazing! I breathe a deep sigh of relief and freedom as I hear the highway traffic off in the distance. 

When I think it can’t get much better, I come across a horse and carriage sign that lets me know that this is Amish country! Simply stated, the Amish are a conservative (non-worldly) religious group that branched off from Mennonites. I have always admired Amish people and how they hold fast to traditional ways of doing things. I have never been to a place where Amish people live and I am surprised and excited to find myself here amongst them. I try not to be touristy and take their pictures (well, close up pictures anyways). I see several horses with buggies and watch as some men cut down grass with horses and non-electric equipment.  

The gravel sections of the road are well packed and easy to navigate with my bike and tires. On one section of gravel, I get excited about a set of thin marks that look like bike tires. I think that maybe I am not alone on the road today. After continued examination, I see some horseshoes and realize that the two tire marks are from the carriage behind the horse. I start to see more horse and buggy markings on the gravel road and quickly learn that I need to be on the alert for horse poop too. 

After hundreds of kilometers of a skinny shoulder along the highway, my enthusiasm for riding all the way to Newfoundland was getting pretty beat down. Today’s ride gives me an amazing, renewed energy. I think this is probably my favourite riding day so far. I really hope there are more riding days like this – for me, this is epic bike riding!  

Facing my fears and trying something new has brought such a richness to this bike ride. 

I am now really excited to see what tomorrow will bring (it continues to follows the Great Lakes Waterfront Trail)!