Day 34 - Kenora to Dryden

140.4 km - Total so far 3,165.73 km - http://ridewithgps.com/trips/5274772

With a distance of 140 km to cycle today, we left Kenora bright and early. The ride to our first major stop, Vermilion Bay, was pretty straight forward and I am happy to report uneventful. The terrain continues to be rolling hills and lakes all along the route. We took a few pictures as the best shots always seem to appear when we were on the downhill side of a climb and enjoying the ride too much to stop. 

"Mom," as nice as the one outside the museum in Ottawa and a whole lot cheaper

How many 'Last Spikes' are there anyway!

With 'miles' on the sign it felt like the Prairies again

Notice the clandestine passenger (left side of mesh pocket)

Halfway to Vermilion Bay, we ran into Kyle who is now sporting a much thicker beard. Interestingly enough, Kyle also experienced rear tire issues and had to get a new tire in Edmonton. We hope his tire issues are now behind him and he can proceede on his way without any more flats.

We also cycled by the road that would have taken us SOUTH and to the United States. We did stop for a bit and reviewed whether or not staying in Canada was the best idea. We considered that the biggest advantage of going through the US was the fact that there are a lot more people there and a lot more villages and small towns. Not nearly as many of either on the Canada side. We are confident that we made the right choice.

There was quite a bit of action at the truck stop in Vermilion Bay. The OPP, fire services and paramedic were there attending to a gentleman. Things were not as serious as we intially thought as the paramedic left without their patient. At the gas pump,there was one of the biggest recreational vehicle we have seen on this entire trip. The whole thing looked like a small train. It is interesting to see how much stuff some people need to have when on holidays. We have 4 panniers each and a couple of bags and we have not used all of what we brought.

These guys are getting bigger as we move EAST. This one in Vermilion

We bought ourselves some fudge while in Vermilion Bay. It is really nice to expend all those calories everyday. You can eat as much as you want and not worry about it going straight to your thighs. We left Vermilion with 40 km to go.

Moose whispering. Marcel, we can just talk the moose into climbing in the back of your truck

The calming effects of moose whispering. That moose is sporting a shy smile 

Right after Vermilion Bay, there was a noticeable change in the terrain. There are a lot less trees and more open agricultural fields. We are now starting to see 'silos' and not 'grain bins' as we saw in the Prairies. Everything is starting to look like home, well except for the many lakes.

'We are out of the bush...at least for now'

We finally made it to Dryden at 5:15 and made it straight to the tourist information office. We got tips on what to expect the next few days in terms of services along our route. We were also directed to use the pedestrian bridge to get over the railway tracks. It was the first time on this trip that we got to use an elevator with our fully loaded bikes. Because it was such a long day and again no campgrounds near the town, we settled in for the night in a motel. We forgot this was a weekend before a holiday and most of the motels had no vacancy. The motel we are in would not have been our first choice but it was that or set up a tent in the parking lot at Walmart.  We like Walmart parking lots when we are in 'GereMene' our VW Wesfalia bus but not in a tent!

Latest addition to junk from the road, 12 x 3/4 in. adjustable wrench. First item this week so its a keeper

The next big town is Thunder Bay almost 350 km away, We have decided to cover the distance in 4 vice 3 days so that we can spend each night in a small village rather than by the side of the road. We will most likely take another rest day in Thunder Bay.

 Yes we use "Vermilion Bay" a lot in the blog, as it rolls nicely off the tongue.  Try it, say "Verrrrrmilllllllllllliiiiiiiion Bayyyyyyy"! 

Well done to those of you that figured out what was above the front door of the old Winnipeg police station.  As a follow on question "Do we know why?" 

87.24 miles - Total so far 1,967.09 miles