Thunder Bay to Nipigon, Ontario

Today I rode the just over 100 kilometres from Thunder Bay to Nipigon.  There was a bad storm forecast for the afternoon, so I left early in hopes of beating it. 

I rolled onto the road at 7:18 and was out of Thunder Bay quickly, following Lakeshore Drive along Lake Superior for the first 30 kilometres or so.  It was a beautiful, quiet Sunday morning, and I enjoyed the peaceful cycling as the day dawned.

For the rest of my day I was on Highway 17--dubbed the "Terry Fox Courage Highway" between Nipigon and Thunder Bay.  This was the last stretch Terry Fox was able to run before lung cancer put him into the hospital in Thunder Bay.  Interestingly, it is exactly 40 years this month since he had to quit.

For most of my 70 kilometres on the highway the route was pretty good, although in a few spots I got a taste of what I am sure is coming--single lane highway with virtually no hardtop shoulder, heavily trafficked by semi-trucks.  Certainly that does not make for pleasant riding, although I am fairly well prepared with 38 mm wide tires (previously I was riding on 28 mm wides) and a reflective flag--neither of which I have used before.  I am also using a rear view mirror for the third time, which is very useful generally and especially on the narrow places.

I made good time and reached Nipigon just after noon.  I had beat the rain, although the sky was clouding.  I checked in at the Northland Motel, which conveniently already had a room ready.  The bathtub situation was less convenient, although big enough to do "laundry," if not for me to bathe.  The picture does not quite make clear just how short and shallow the tub is, but I would describe it as "child-sized."  Also, yes those are window blinds on the floor--fell off the window frame when I touched them; what can I say, I do not always stay in classy places.

The wind was moving pretty good and the sky was dark, but I needed lunch, so I headed down the hill from the highway to Front Street (what would surely be "Main Street" in a prairie town) to dine at the "China Garden" restaurant.  After lunch I rode around a little, touring the marina . . .

. . . some old buildings, including this church . . .

. . . and this impressive lookout tower up above the town, with views of the town, cemetery, Nipigon River, and the beautiful and important Nipigon River Bridge.

The bridge is important because it is the only Canadian road link between east and west (if the bridge fails for any reason, which it did for 24 hours or so a few years ago, the only detour is through the United States--and that would be a long detour).

The storm--technically a "squall," apparently--hit around 14:00 and was something else in terms of the wind and rainfall and how dark it got.  I was really happy I had made quick time and was not cycling when it hit, because it would have been dangerous.  Frustratingly, I was caught walking back along the highway from Tim Horton's, so ended up pretty wet anyway!

Thunder Bay, Ontario

In 2017 I finished my cycle trip from Winnipeg at the Thunder Bay airport, and today I started out for Sault Ste. Marie from the same spot.

I flew into Thunder Bay early yesterday evening on WestJet via YYZ.  Originally I was to fly via YWG on Saturday, not Friday, but in these COVID-19 times airlines are canceling flights constantly, I guess, and two or three weeks ago I was told my original flights were victims.  It meant an extra day off work and a longer travel day, but I suppose it all worked out fine.

Actually, COVID-19 made me worried I would not get in a cycling trip at all this year, but as summer wound down it seemed there would be a chance and, so, here I am.

After picking up a rental car at the airport I checked in at my motel on the northeast side of the city, the old Port Arthur (at one time Thunder Bay was two towns, Fort William [where I stayed in 2017] and Port Arthur]).  The Old Country Motel is more or less in the opposite end of the city from the airport and in the corner of the city closest to my way towards the Soo.  From my motel I walked downtown for dinner, and made my way back along the lovely Prince Arthur's Landing waterfront area.

I was up at 8:00 this morning for a breakfast of Finnish pancakes at Niva's restaurant.  The server at the bar the night before had recommended I check it out, and indeed it was delicious and a good experience! 

Who knew, but apparently Thunder Bay is the largest "Finnish city" outside of Finland (put me down as skeptical, but that's what I've read).

After breakfast I headed into Fort William's downtown to Petrie's cycle shop for a tune up.  They were kind enough to prioritize me and actually my bike was all done in less than an hour! 

With the bike all done, I had the rest of the morning and afternoon to enjoy Thunder Bay.  Three years ago I had enjoyed the natural area on Mission Island, so I went out there again straight from Petrie's for a little walk and to see the lake.

Then it was time to check out another recommendation from last night's server--"The Persian Man." "You need to get a 'Persian.' It's as Thunder Bay as it gets," he told me.  Again, who knew? 

The Persian Man is something of a coffee shop and bakery, but clearly these "Persians" are the highlight--in essence a donut with raspberry icing.

I drove down to the Prince Arthur's Landing waterfront area to enjoy my "Persian" and coffee by the marina.

It was now around noon, but after a large breakfast and the Persian, I was certainly not hungry for lunch, so I wandered a little bit and found myself at a neighbourhood known as Bay & Algoma.  More of Thunder Bay's Finnish heritage was evident here.

That Hoito restaurant is interesting--a co-op restaurant that is more than 100 years old.  Unfortunately, COVID-19 has shut it down, hopefully just temporarily.

My last tourist stop of the day was the Terry Fox statue just a few kilometres outside of Thunder Bay.  I had visited here in 2017, too, but in preparation for this trip--part of which will be on the "Terry Fox Courage Highway"--I had read some and watched a documentary about Terry Fox, so visiting the statue this time was more meaningful.

I was now ready for lunch, so it was back to Prince Arthur's Landing to a restaurant called Bight, where I was able to enjoy pickerel, a couple of local beers, and the patio.

After lunch, I headed out to the airport and dropped the car off, then cycled across Thunder Bay to the motel, mostly sticking on multi-use trails that made for a lovely ride, along the Neebing River, through the Lakehead Univesity Campus, and so on.  I also cycled past the infamous Dennis Cromarty High School, which has sadly lost many students over the last few years.  I read Seven Fallen Feathers by Tanya Talaga a few months ago about these students, so I pulled over as I came by to see the school.

I have stayed at some real dives of motels on my cycling trips, but the Old Country Motel really is the diviest.  At $60/night, it is also probably the cheapest, and I suppose it is adequate; in some ways the motels are all part of the experience!

Upsala to Thunder Bay, Ontario

I'm done! I reached Thunder Bay yesterday afternoon, around 15:00 Eastern Time.

I had great weather, and a surprisingly quiet highway.

My first stop was the airport, where I picked up a rental car to use for the next 24 hours.  Interestingly, there was a (once world's largest airplane) Antonov AN-124 at the airport, which I later found out had been transporting parts for Bombardier.  I could see it through the fence, but not well enough to photograph.  I sure heard it this morning, as well, when it woke me up taking off!

From the airport I went to check in at my hotel.  Since my ride was now complete, I decided to splurge on some real luxury! 😉

After showering and changing, I drove northeast of Thunder Bay, where the Terry Fox National Historic Site is, as well as a tourist information booth where I could get a Thunder Bay map.  The site is interesting not only because of the Terry Fox statue, but also because it gives you a great view of Lake Superior.

Once I had my map, I drove back into Thunder Bay.  I bought some new clothes at Winners, went for dinner in downtown Port Arthur, and drove around exploring.  I also went to Canadian Tire to see if they had a pedal wrench I could buy.  They didn't, but the young man working in the bike shop took my pedals off for me, so I would not have to worry about it today.

This morning after breakfast I drove to the Greyhound station to get a bike box.  They didn't have any new, but they did have a used once which the man sold me for half price, so it was a pretty good deal.  I packed my bike in it, but unfortunately it was a bit shorter than boxes I have used in the past, so it required me to lower my seat.  The problem was I actually had not brought a complete Allen key set, and did not have the right sized key.  So, I checked out of my hotel, and drove to the airport.  I wanted to figure a few things out before my flight this afternoon, but also asked WestJet if they had an Allen key set.  Remarkably, all they could come up with was a single Allen key as well, but it too was the wrong size.  Back to Canadian Tire, then, where the only Allen key set was incredibly fancy, and almost $20!  I bought it, lowered my seat, and returned it.

With the bike now fully in the box, I could continue enjoying Thunder Bay.  I drove south to the Fort William First Nation, where Mt McKay towers over the southern half of the city.  At one spot there is a scenic lookout and the First Nation's pow wow grounds (where a birch bark canoe is under construction).

There's also a spot to park and hike up to the very top.  

It ended up being a more serious hike than I expected!  It wasn't necessarily ideal just a few hours before I get on an airplane, but it certainly was enjoyable none the less.

My last tourist stop was Mission Island, and a spot called Mission March Conservation Area.  I came down here to get close to the lake, and it proved to be another very lovely spot.

From there I came back to the airport, returned the car, and am waiting for my flight home.  (I assume the Thunder Bay airport is usually not so interesting, but even though the AN-124 is gone, the Snowbirds are here practicing, and Bob Rae is sitting here quietly reading a book!)