I would really like to get to Thunder Bay in three days but it is 390 km. That means I need to average 130 km each day. Therefore, my destination today should be Ignace.
The sky is completely covered in thick Grey clouds. It looks like it could rain any minute and if it started and lasted all day I wouldn’t be surprised. Remarkably I peddle all day and it never rains.
When Paul flew home from Calgary he left his Kona bicycle with us and today I thought I would give it a try. After cleaning the bike and oiling the chain I suggest to Deb that she should only go a few miles up the road just in case I have issues with the bike.
It took me a couple of minutes to figure out how to adjust the gears. At one point, I clicked the shifter on the left grip and the seat collapsed. The shock of the seat collapsing sent my Garmin computer into Emergency Response Mode. By the time I canceled the emergency on my phone it was within 7 seconds of sending a distress message to my contacts. Good thing I could cancel in time as I’m not sure how I would let my contacts know I was not in distress. In fact, I’m not even sure who is listed in my phone/Garmin as my emergency contacts. Guess that is something I should figure out.
Paul’s bike has a steel frame and much wider tires, designed to handle off road, gravel conditions. It also has a great granny gear for climbing. I’m expecting the bike to be sluggish due in part to the weight of the bike and the size of the tires. Actually I’m impressed overall with the bike, how comfortable it is and how well it handles. While yes, it is a little more sluggish than the carbon fibre bike I’ve been riding it isn’t much slower. I end up riding the bike for the entire day, all 138 km to Ignace. By the end if the day I’m thinking Paul made a great decision in his bike purchase something I hadn’t thought prior to today’s ride.
When we arrive in Ignace we check.into Davy Lake Campground which is right in the centre of town. It is a very nice site located on Davy Lake and run by a mother and son team. We are both tired and decide we will go into town for dinner. The only two choices are Subway and Clooch’s Tavern. We pick Clooch’s. Friday night in Ignace it is the place to be. The tavern has about 20 tables, most are occupied or fill shortly after we arrive. There are two pool tables, both being used, half a dozen TVs all playing the Blue Jay game and several stools at the bar. The staff seem to know everyone in the place other than us. The fare is burgers, pizza, wraps and wings. Because everyone seemed to arrive around the same time it takes quite a while to get our food which of course means they sell more beverages.
By the time we get back to our campsite site it is getting dark. We watch a bit of TV and exhausted head to bed not much later.
The Rotary Ride for Kids 
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