Renousse, stress and cool people

July 6: Kenora to Dryden (138.29km)
Thankfully, today I had a tailwind for most of the day that helped me along, because the terrain was rolling hills which can really become tiring after a while because you can never get into a rhythm. Unfortunately, the wind seems to have brought inclement weather. The day became colder as it went along and it looked like it might rain at any time. Given this weather I got a motel in Dryden and checked the weather network and the next few days don't look good with a strong likelihood of rain on Tuesday. At that point I should be on my way to Thunder Bay and according to the map, it is the middle of nowhere with very little before the big city of the north.

Before starting on my trip, one of my big concerns was the loneliness aspect of doing such a journey. Traveling for so long with Tony averted this problem of course, but even since we have been separated, I'm amazed how loneliness is not really a problem. Being a biker, a lot of people are curious as too what I'm doing and approach me which helps a lot. And I think doing this blog is a great aid as well, because it allows me to keep some semblance of normality by keeping in contact with people. I guess what I'm trying to say is thanks for reading and for leaving some posts:)

July 7: Dryden to Ignace (105.94km)
As I was loading up my bike this morning at the motel, I talked to these three native guys who were also staying at the motel. They were asking about my trip and I found a bit about them. They live about 600km north of Dryden and even though I don't know too much about their story, it sounded pretty grim. They talked about the alcoholism on their reserve and one of them was a kind of youth outreach person. They were in Dryden to take a break from the issues in their reserve. Anyways, they impressed me so much because even though things sounded pretty bad for them, they were quite pleasant and they insisted on giving me money. Again, I don't know their story, but I'm pretty sure I'm materially better off than they are, but their generosity was remarkable. Of all the people I've met on this trip, I hope to remember those three the most.

The ride today was difficult. They were calling for cold and rain in the afternoon. Thankfully, the rain only started moments after I reached my destination. It was cold and I had a healthy headwind the whole day. I was pooped by the time I arrived in Ignace and just wanted to relax. Tomorrow promises to be challenging as well, because it is supposed to be cold and rainy once again. Moreover, I hope to make it too Upsala which from the sounds of it doesn't offer many services. So I will likely have to camp in the rain. The following day is supposed to be better however.

As you may have noticed from the tone of my postings, the last few weeks have been difficult for me. Getting sick, the road quality and the mid-trip blues are challenging my motivation. Don't get me wrong, I'm going to complete my trip, I simply want this journal to be a true reflection of my trip and this is what I'm experiencing at the moment. In fact, I fully anticipate that this segment of the trip will be the part which I will be the most proud of when all is said and done. I will have to make sure not to stay in Ottawa too long when I pass through so that the temptation to stay won't be too great:)

July 8: Ignace to Upsala (116.00km)
I noticed this morning that I was very tired - not physically, but rather psychologically. I then realized that the stress of the past couple of weeks were tiring me out. In Manitoba, I was constantly on my guard while I was on the Trans Canada and in Ontario, while there are shoulders, I'm stressed by the trucks that are passing me - especially when there is on-coming traffic as the trucks don't have a lot of room to maneuver. I'm constantly keeping an eye on my rear view mirror and when I see a situation that may be tight I move onto the gravel shoulder. I'll probably get a few flats from this and may even fall down a couple of times, but I figure it's better than the alternative.

In any case, this vigilance is tiring because I am constantly mindful about what is coming behind me and about the on-coming traffic. Realizing that I have been on edge, I decided to try to relax more while on the bike - all the while keeping vigilant when need be. Otherwise, I will essentially burn myself out.

The ride today was ok if wet, cold and windy (thankfully, the wind was generally in my favour). For those familiar with the New Brunswick roads, I've been essentially riding on the Renousse for the past two days and tomorrow promises to be the same.

Since it was cold and wet, I decided to stay at a motel in Upsala and I met a supremely cool guy. My neighbour is walking across Canada. Yeah, you read right. He started his journey in Vancouver in early April and he hopes to reach Newfoundland in November. Joseph heads a non-profit organization in southern Ontario that promotes non-violence and eliminating violence in our lives in all forms. Even though this walk isn't directly linked to the organization, it is a kind of demonstration of his philosophy. A super nice guy and quite inspirational. Makes my quixotic journey look pretty wimpy:)

July 9: Upsala to Thunder Bay (130.28km)
The ride was cold and rainy today again, but the wind was generally in my favour. As I was getting closer to Thunder Bay, the roads were getting hillier. This was a bit of foreshadowing I believe for the coming weeks as I'm told the roads are very hilly between Thunder Bay and Wawa (probably a good 10 days away). Contrary to the Rockies, these hills are short, steep and frequent, but I'm told that the landscape will be quite beautiful.

Once in Thunder Bay I checked into the Backpackers Hostel and met a number of cool people. Dan is from England and has walked a good chunk of the Appalachian trail and is now going west to do some more adventures. Jean-Raphael is from France and is hitchhiking across North America and Marie-Chantal is from Montreal moving to Kamloops. All very nice people that we went to a concert in a park together. When we saw that the concert was of polka music, we promptly turned around and went to a pub instead:)

July 10: Thunder Bay to Thunder Bay (0km)
I'm taking today off to do a bit of laundry and relax. I was told about a spa not far away that is apparently nice that I may check out to pamper myself.

Oops, I forgot to post my pictures. Here they are.