Summer 2013 days 2 and 3

Yesterday I rode from Val D'Or to Kapuskasing, I started off at about 8:00 under cloudy skies and light showers and ended up 472 K later under a hot mid-afternoon sun.  The trip was uneventful, trees, more trees, the occasional lake and headframe. There is hoever something amazingly beautiful to the millions of wildflowers that line the highway up here. There are long ribbons of ornage, whitê and blue; and sometimes they're all jumbled together like in an impressionists painting. 




In Kirkland Lake I visited a monument to miners who died underground in what was one of the most dangerous occupations many years ago.  One has to remind oneself that the northern part of Ontario is still a huge centre for forestry and mining and that many earn their livelyhood in these two sectors, and in relaed industries and businesses.

This morning, after an unimpressive continental breakfast at the Comfort Inn, I hit the road in terra incognita, a part of Ontario I had been wanting to see forever,for my next destination, Nipigon. While much of the day's ride was unimpressive, the last 80 K from Beardmore to Kenora more than made up for it. For many kilometres Highway 11 runs along a series of craggy rockfaces that tower above the road, a sometimes narrow strip of level ground between the base of the cliffs and the sparkling lakes on the right. It's hard to keep your eyes on the road when such wondrous sights are all around you. I arrived at the Birchville Motel, a small establishment on the outskirts of Nipigon in late afternoon, and after unpacking and checking in with home base I had dinner, fresh pickerel, at the Esso station restaurant,

This morning, after an unimpressive continental breakfast at the Comfort Inn, I hit the road in terra incognita, a part of Ontario I had been wanting to see forever,for my next destination, Nipigon. While much of the day's ride was unimpressive, the last 80 K from Beardmore to Kenora more than made up for it. For many kilometres Highway 11 runs along a series of craggy rockfaces that tower above the road, a sometimes narrow strip of level ground between the base of the cliffs and the sparkling lakes on the right. It's hard to keep your eyes on the road when such wondrous sights are all around you. I arrived at the Birchville Motel, a small establishment on the outskirts of Nipigon in late afternoon, and after unpacking and checking in with home base I had dinner, fresh pickerel, at the Esso station restaurant,

Summer 2013: Edition IV

Well, hello everyone; another year and another motorcycle adventure begins today. It's nice to be on the road again.

I had hoped to leave early enough and get out of Ottawa before the forecast rain started, but saying goodby to Jane at 6:45 wasn't early enough. As I rode out in the ever increasing rain, I could see clearer skies north of the Ottawa river and I hoped that I might catch up to a blue patch in the distance.Sure enough at some point on Highway 5 just past Gatineau (Hull for most of us) the rain let up and, while the sky remained overcast for the rest of the days ride, the raindrops ended and the road was dry.

Roadwork continues again this summer and soon Highway 5 will be four lanes all the way to Wakefield. 

I'm pretty sure that the guy in boxing shorts that I saw jogging along the road before I stopped for breakfast in Maniwaki was not a certain senator whose principal residence is nearby. Anyway fortified by bacon, eggs, toast and coffee I rode north to Grand Remous, the intersection of Highways 105 and 117. Had I turned right I could have, in about as much time as it took me to get there, been at the condo in Tremblant; instead I turned left, filled my bike with gas, and continued northwest to Val d'Or.

Though there's a lot of there there, it's not much more than trees, rivers and lakes, logging roads and black flies; the two former are interesting enough, the latter two, not so much.  La réserve faunique Lavérendrie is a bit like Algonquin Park, except that it's about three times wider and there aren't as many hills; a lot of muskeg and sandy soil.

Val-d'Or is a (the name is a clue) mining town where you can visit the deepest (300 feet) gold mine in Canada accessible to tourists. Kinda makes you want to google 'gold mines in Canada accessible to tourists', doesn't it? Don't you think that the chamber of commerce of any other small town with a gold mine nearby woould want to wrest the title away from from them?  Anyway, je digress.

I had lunch, a turkey breast with honey mustard panini and a green bean salad - "it's our best" - at a very nice, and quite busy bakery on the main street of Val-d'Or. The panini was huge and delicious, the green been salad, well let's just describe it as colourful and very al dente.

The Quality Inn and Suites where I'm staying tonight is new and comfortable. I'm looking forward to a good night's sleep. I'll talk to you all later.