Chapleau on Highway 129 heading South

Before heading out we drove into Chapleau to gas up, get a few groceries, and we were getting low on wine.  They say it is medicinal and we certainly didn’t want to run out in the middle of nowhere.  The trip into town also gave me a chance to ask about the roads, as we had a few options.  The one I wanted to take was the most direct but the map legend showed a change part way and I was concerned it would turn to gravel. 

After chatting with an OPP officer, we eliminated that as one of the three possible routes.  As suspected the road did turn to gravel and she added with a lot of logging trucks.  The two remaining options highway 101 up to Timmins or highway 129 down towards Thessalon.  We opted for south to Thessalon and hopefully warmer weather. 

Initially the road was great with a paved designated shoulder about 4 feet wide and was surprisingly, fairly flat with only the occasional section of rolling hills.  Little traffic on the road made the ride enjoyable. 

Everything changed 40 km down the road when the shoulder disappeared and the condition of the asphalted deteriorated, with the side of the road crumbling away.  I learned that the road had been completely closed just three weeks ago due to flooding.  Just to make things a bit more challenging the height of the hills started to increase.  Those hills where you think you can see the top only to discover that it just flattens out briefly and then starts climbing again. 

At one point on highway 129 to Thessalon you come across the point there the rivers flow in two different directions.  Those on the one side flowing to the Atlantic while the other side flowing to the Arctic.  This is something I learned in grade 7 or 8 geography but haven’t thought about since. 

It turned out to be a better day of cycling.  The weather was milder and I only needed two layer of clothing rather than the three I had worn yesterday.  I still had two sets of gloves on and a hat under my bike helmet with earflaps.  At times the wind gusts were still strong but overall the wind had diminished.  I was moving from feeling slightly defeated to somewhat optimistic.