July 18, 2015
Finding the Sweet Corn: Day 46 - Blind River to Espanola Ont.
A few years ago at one of our management retreats, I sat through an uninspiring after dinner talk. I can't remember what it was about but I vividly remember the conversation I had afterwards about it with my good friend and colleague, Aberdonian Allan Murray.
We were having a nightcap cleansing ale when I asked him what he thought about the talk. Allan put down his beer, thought for a moment, turned my way and in his thick Aberdonian Scots said " Ma' uncle used to say to me, Laddie, if ye' loook harrrd, in every turrd y'caen always find a few kerrrnals o' sweet corn."
I just about spit out my mouthful of beer and pissed myself laughing.
So last night Kirsten and I poured over the various maps we had looking for the sweet corn, aka alternatives to highway 17.
Turns out we found a few and we managed 40 of today's 100 km's on nice paved side roads.
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Our first piece of sweet corn happened as we were sitting on a bench outside our motel room, delaying the decision to get on the bike and start pedalling. As we're siting there, who comes pedalling by, Claude and Martin! We have a good chat and laugh and then say our final goodbyes, .... again!
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Today is also going to be a momentous day for us. First we are more or less at the half way point of our trip. We're going to take about 4 days off and go sea kayaking in Georgian bay with our friend Brent who lives in Sudbury. Brent comes out west to go skiing with us every year and he want to show us what the east has to offer. We're pretty excited about that. The second momentous thing for the day is that this is a bit of a homecoming for me. Both my sister and I were born in Sudbury! We moved away when I was still an infant, but every time I look at my birth certificate I think about this place, and we are getting close.
A few minutes after the boys pedalled off, we threw our legs over the bar and set off east on the dreaded hwy 17. The next piece of sweet corn came a few km's down the road at Algoma Mills. Secondary hwy 538 went through the town and along the lake for 6 km. Bliss.
There was also a Parks Canada display on the history of Algoma Mills. It was a CP rail town and was pegged as the place where they were going to put one of their main tourist hotels. A few months later they discovered the hot springs at Banff 3000 km's west. Guess where the hotel got built.
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Another few km's down the road we looked for our next piece of corn. Our maps showed a side road that went about 10 km's, but we weren't sure if it was paved. It wasn't. We stayed on the Turd. One out of two so far isn't bad. Next chance was in another few km's, bingo. Three km's of nice riding along serpent river.
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We had lunch in Spanish and anticipated hitting the mother load. Our maps showed a ~ 25 km road from Massey all the way to our destination Espanloa. It was only 20 km away! We peddled off and were soon approaching the town of Massey. We were also approaching another biker, Matt Gillis from Charlottetown. He was pedalling to Vancouver and was going through the U.S. Like we did. We had a great chat, gave each other route tips, and he confirmed that the road from Massey to Espanloa was very paved and very rural.
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We turned south onto the Lee Valley Road and were immediately transported to cycle touring nirvana. A winding tree lined road through a rural landscape, farms and slow moving local traffic. Bliss. The roar of The Turd quickly faded away. When we got to Espanola Brent was waiting for us, with cold beer!
We loaded up the Prairie Slayer on his trailer and headed north to his place in Sudbury. Round two of the trip over. Over 3000 km on the tandem, one split rim and lots of good times!
We were about halfway to Sudbury when we came across another cyclist. Martin! A quick roadside chat and it was arranged that he and Claude would also be staying with us at Brent and Troy's place tonight! Some things are just not meant to end!
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Song of the day:
No question, Sudbury Saturday Night by the Canadian ledgend Stompin Tom Connors
"And the girls are out to bingo, and the boys are getting stinko,
we'll think no more of Inco on a Sudbury Saturday night"
Close call with Two Bottles of Wine by The Reverend Payton and his Big Damned Band!
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Historical monument of the day:
Algoma Mills
Today's ride: 100 km (62 miles)
Total: 4,754 km (2,952 miles)
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