CCCT 2012 - July 23/12 - Day 65

Cross Canada Cycling Tour - Monday, July 23, 2012 - Day 65
Montreal River Harbour to Sault Ste. Marie
Trip 129.70 kms Time 8 hrs 16 mins Avg 15.69 kph Max 60.70 kph
I heard it start raining at 4:30 AM so got up to close the windows and get a drink of water. I was also up twice before during the night to pee and drink water. For some reason I was extra thirsty. We got up at 5:30 AM when my watch alarm went off. It was still raining and very windy. We went back to bed. The storm let up at 6:30 AM so I got up and put our bikes out on the deck. It started raining again. Bev had to go out and get her bike computer. We had yogurt and a muffin, warmed up in the microwave, for breakfast. Rain stopped at 7:00 AM so we loaded our gear on our bikes and set off for SAULT STE. MARIE at 7:30 AM under black stormy looking clouds. By 8:00 AM it was beginning to look clearer and by 8:30 the sun had come out. There was a paved shoulder most of the way except for some sections where we had to ride on the highway. I counted 19 hills between Montreal River Harbour and Sault Ste. Marie with the last hill at 20 kms before arriving at "The Soo" as it is commonly referred to. This particular hill is knows as "The Mile". It was a killer!!! We had to stop several times for breaks and cold drinks. At one restaurant/convenience store we bought cold drinks and 2 small bottles of water. The owner offered us 2 more small bottles of water for FREE. We arrived in Sault Ste. Marie at 5:00 PM. We were very thirsty so we stopped at the first gas station we came to for a cold drink and asked for direction to the bike shop where we could get free camping. The attendant sent us off in the wrong direction. After cycling about 3 kms we realized we were going in the wrong direction and after again asking for directions ended up cycling back to the gas station where we discovered that Velorution Bike Shop/Campground was just a block away on Hwy 17. Needless to say we were not amused by the attendant's directions or lack thereof!!! Fortunately, we arrived at 5:50 PM just before the bike shop was about to close for the day at 6:00 PM. Jan, one of the bike mechanics, showed us where to camp and gave us the code so we could use the washroom and shower. We set up our tent and then cycled to a Chinese Restaurant near Staples for a buffet dinner. I, of course, pigged out. I could hardly make it back to the campsite on my bike. We both enjoyed a very refreshing shower and saw a beautiful "red ball of fire" as the sun set. It was quite windy and there were a lot of gulls squawking in the nearby parking lots. I had forgotten to get the "access code" for the wi-fi so it was off to bed at 9:30 PM.
Bev and Roly