Day 56 - Sturgeon Falls, Ont. to Mattawa, Ont.

July 8, 2026  (Wednesday)

Start Time: 6:00 am 

Stop Time: 2:45 pm 

KM Travelled: 119.2 km 

Elevation: +1,101/ - 1,157 m 

Special Stuff: Communities with trails, Endurance 

As much as I think I ‘should’ start at 5:00 am or 5:30 am this morning, I decide not to ‘should’ on myself and do what a typical person might do...I start at 6:00 am. The campsite is way off course, so Brian gives me a ride back to the Tim Hortons across from the place I had breakfast yesterday. 

I’m feeling hopeful about today’s ride given my reasonable (and sometimes, very pleasant) experiences with the backroads up to now.  

The ride out of Sturgeon Falls takes me to a road construction zone. I’m stopped by the traffic control person, an older man who is having a smoke. We have a nice chat. While waiting for the okay to proceed into the zone, I hear an engine rev up beside me, and the first vehicle in line, a truck, blasts past me and the stop sign and into the construction zone. I can’t believe what I have just witnessed! Not only is this unsafe for the workers and for him, but it’s also legal. I instantly want to judge the person as being an arrogant jerk, but I am learning on this trip that there are so many other things going on in people’s lives (I mean who wants to be held up in a construction zone line-up when your life is falling apart - like nobody ever). (BTW this person's life circumstances does not make what he has done "right" (and he should get a ticket and pay a fine for his poor decision)). 

The traffic control person lets me know that this morning it was quite foggy (information that confirms that my later departure was the right decision). Travelling through the construction zone, it is a mix of thick dust and bits of fog here and there – mental note to self to pull my Buff out of my pannier and put it in my front pouch for easier access in times like these. 

The ride today takes me along the tiny little Highway 17 shoulder for about 33 km to North Bay, and then I turn off and follow a backroad route (that I later learn is part of the ‘Voyageur Cycling Route’. Going off Highway 17 always feels like I am going ‘off-piste’ - which is a term that refers to ski resort areas that are not patrolled. 

North Bay feels like a nice city with character homes – many with a brick exterior. I stop to pick up a bottle of water at a Circle K. The store front is COVERED with bugs – they look like the 'snap, crackle, pop' bugs I drove over on the bridge several days ago. The storekeeper says they just live for 24 hours.  

The city has an amazing, paved trail called the Kate Pace Way – that creates a great place for walking and biking – and likely cross-country skiing in the winter. Outdoor spaces like this are essential for health and well-being in communities. I exchange “good morning” greetings with the people I pass. 

A short while later, I come across a lake-front park and am gifted with a public washroom. Coming down the ramp to the washroom, I feel foolishly confident that I can slowly maneuver a hairpin corner. As I put down my foot to pivot around the corner – DOWN SHE GOES! Augh! And, of course, there are witnesses – a couple walking their dog hung around to make sure I was okay. I tell them I am fine and we have a good laugh together. I come away from the incident with only a bruised ego. 

At about the halfway point (in Bonfield) I take a bit of a lunch break at the edge of a lake. I texted a friend and let them know that it was a warm day and that I was on some backroads, "just enjoying the ride".

From this point on, the ride takes an interesting twist. Mother Nature, who usually has my back, decides that today she’s going to test my endurance a bit. She turns up the heat to 28 degrees, introduces me to hills (lots and lots of big ass hills) and sends the grader ahead to make sure the gravel nice and soft. 

These conditions have uncovered what may be a thrilling new sport called – bike skiing. With the earlier reminder of what it feels like to hit the ground, I am HIGHLY motivated to keep my bike upright. I pulled out every trick I know to maneuver ‘my rig’. Speed must be used with good judgement. In a few situations, it is pure luck that I don’t bite it. I feel like I am not alone, and there is a higher power ensuring my safety in these difficult conditions. 

A game that I like to play on the bike is - ‘How could things get worse?” Sounds horrible, but it’s more of a gratitude game. I’ve learned along this journey that no matter what the conditions, it can always get worse. Today I identify that even though things are tough, things could get worse with more bugs, rain and washboards (the gravel road equivalent of a rumple strip). I am grateful that there are not more bugs and that there is no rain. I acknowledge that the loose gravel exists because the washboards were scraped away by the grader.

One thing that I really dislike is having to get off my bike to get up a hill. I love a hill challenge and take pride in tackling big hills with tenacity and sheer grit. Today, I had my ass whooped by the loose gravel and ended up pushing my bike up many, many hills. 

Safety today is my primary focus. The heat and exertion mean that I’m at risk for heat exhaustion (over heating) and bonking (where I deplete my energy stores). I make sure that I drink water (and electrolyte enhanced water) and eat carbs often. I take advantage of the shaded areas when I stop for breaks. I made sure to start the ride well hydrated and topped up with electrolytes. 

Endurance is the name of the game today.  

Endurance requires the body to stay healthy, but it also requires a good mental state. Fortunately (or unfortunately) I am naturally wired to be fiercely independent. This quality has helped me to persevere through some very difficult times in my life. There is a certain mindset that comes with endurance – like knowing that I am capable. About 20 km out from my end destination, I’m hot, I’m tired, and I’m about to get into water bottle #5 (the emergency bottle). When I stop for rests, I can’t tell if the heat is coming off the road, or from my body. I start to think about plans in case I run out of water or start feeling unwell (this needs to be done – and I had options). I’ve noticed along this cross-Canada journey that there is an indicator for when a ride starts to get demanding, and that is - when I am no longer concerned with bears or bed bugs (two things I never want to come across). I've only gotten to this place a couple of times, and today, the last 20 km of the ride, I’m at that point.

I see on my Garmin Edge that I have missed a call from Brian (he must be checking on me). I ignore the call for about a kilometer and then I get a feeling of panic...if I don’t at least text him that I’m okay, he’s going to come out and check on me (which I absolutely don’t want). I stop and send a text letting him know “I’m okay”. I know that my husband cares about me and wants to support me (and I appreciate very much that he’s thinking about me), but to be honest, an SOS call to Brian would be my absolute last resort. 

On the final approach into Mattawa, I come across a massive big dip in the gravel road (steep downhill and steep uphill) that I can’t believe is allowed to exist (I wish I had taken a picture, it was crazy). The local residents must have heard my explosive foul language as I see and contemplate the ride through it. Today, I drop the “F-bomb” many, many, many times. I use it to cuss out the Ontario highway, the gravel, and the hills that I need to walk up. In some strange way, there is wellness in just letting the foul language rip.

As much as I am looking forward to getting out of Ontario, I consider today’s ride and the forecasted rain tomorrow, I will take a day to recover and re-think my strategy of how to get out of this province. There are 300 km to go to Ottawa. I see “trail”, not “road” describing the alternate route for tomorrow’s ride – and that - is just not happening. I may need to travel directly along Highway #17 – which I only want to ride early in the mornings before all the recreational vehicles and big rigs wake up and start moving around. I need to be well rested to take on Highway #17 again.