Lake Superior Circle Tour, part 2 of 4: Days 4 & 5

[Strelnikov]

Following up on Part 1. Parts 3 & 4 to come in the next day or so. Cross posted at Freewheeler Forum.

Day Four: Haviland Bay to Terrace Bay, Ont. (278 miles)

This day began our mountain riding.

Imperial Highway 17, aka TransCanadian Highway, is a two lane road that is very well kept. Nice feature: Intermittent passing lanes so you cannot get stuck for miles behind a semi or RV. Riding was generally up and down, with near constant curves in both directions. Hairy stuff, sometimes. If you’re prone to such things, some sphincter tightening may occur. Average speed from 45 to 60 mph. Of course, you have to calculate the speed limits off of KM signs.

Not long after leaving HB, we saw a sign that said “last gas for 100 miles”. Not being equipped for that, we stopped, only to find that the place didn’t open for an hour yet. We found an older man on the premises who took mercy on us, opening the pumps so we could fill up. The lack of facilities on the CA side was persistent, so we filled up our tanks and emptied our bladders at every opportunity, including behind some buildings at places without functioning toilets.

Just outside of Wawa, the next village of any size, we both saw a long-legged animal crossing in front of us at a distance and both shouted, “Moose! Moose!” (this road is lined with “beware of moose” signs). When we got closer, we realized it was a large predator, which we thought was a huge coyote. Kevin honked at him, and he stood by the side of the road, staring at us as we went by. Later at lunch, an older man approached to ask if we had seen the timber wolf. (He must have been driving behind us at the time.) So, cool. Lunched in Wawa after a stop at the General Store, one of several we visited on the ride.

Stopped in White River only to discover that is the birth place of the real bear on which Winnie the Pooh is based. Worth reading about. (For instance, his real name was “Winnipeg”.)

We detoured through Marathon just to see the town, which has an extensive waterfront under construction.

We arrived in Terrace Bay late afternoon only to discover a persistent stink throughout the town. I felt it was like cooking Brussel sprouts, which I hate, but was probably a paper or pulp plant nearby. The Red Dog Inn is a decaying property, being let go to pot by an absentee owner according to a local baker. Rooms were neat and clean but…non-English speaking desk, dirty hallways and carpets, mildew, etc. This, in conjunction with the next morning’s problems, lead us to advise against using this place.

Slate Island Brewery is right behind the hotel, so we stopped for a couple of cold ones before dinner. Very good Kolsch. We ate at the far more prosperous hotel next door called The Drifters. For some reason, probably alcohol related, we ordered four appetizers and made a meal of them. Then, back to Slate for a night cap.



Day Five: Terrace Bay to Tofte, MN (240 miles)

Loading up early, I realized I had locked myself out of my room with only half my stuff. We then discovered there was no onsite management. Two “emergency” numbers were on the door. No answer to repeated calls, only voicemail in, again, broken English. We repaired to a bakery nearby and the baker opened up an hour early to let us have a place to sit. Coffee was already on and it was good with some chocolate chip cookies. While preparing his bakes, the owner, something of a weirdo, told us in mumbled Canadian that the RDI was going to rot due to the owner having a more successful place in Thunder Bay. After about an hour, Kevin got a responsive text saying, “Be there now.” A few minutes later, a woman showed up and advised us she was still in bed when we called. Made us wonder how long we would have had to wait. Our advice: Avoid the Red Dog Inn.

First section of riding, to Nipigon (“nye pigeon”) was again mountainous; up, down and around. We broke for breakfast there in late morning at Duckey’s Diner. Good coffee, food, and friendly young people running it. (Aside: We had decided after a couple of days that we did not want to continue eating three heavy meals each day, so had cut down to brunch and dinner only.)

As we left Nipigon, the road turned into a four laner and relatively flat. They are currently working to expand this all the way to Thunder Bay. Easier going.

Outside TB we stopped at the Terry Fox Memorial, set high on a hillside with a panoramic view of the lake and TB. Nice small park.

Our next TB stop was Thunder Bay Harley Davidson, the only Canadian dealer on this route. Small dealership with good people. Got the shirts.

We then rode about 15 miles north of town to see the second highest falls in CA, Kakabeka Falls. (It’s a great deal shorter than #1.) Saw it from both sides of the river, and we felt the best view was actually down river from the falls itself, which was impressive. Good side trip.

We were then off to the border and US customs. Again, a few perfunctory questions and we were through (We both noted that the guy seems to expect us based on license plate numbers. In my case, he said to another guy, “Is this (number)?” He was right. Hope I imagined that.)



Tofte MN was a short ride to our overnight stay at Chateau LeMieux, a small condo development I had found on ABnB. Fantastic place right on the lake, with a private balcony overlooking it. Fully equipped. Three bedrooms. Two full baths. Laundry (which we needed badly), pool, sauna. Outstanding property and highly recommended. Since we were tired and did not want to leave the balcony, Kevin went to a local general store and picked up sandwiches and beer. Went to bed with the sound of the waves coming in the window