Oh Canada =)

We made it through the UP and are now in the middle of Ontario, specifically we find ourselves on Manitoulin Island.

But lets rewind. The last I spoke with you we were in Norway Michigan, a lot has happened since then, abandoned fire towers have been climbed, massive airstrips have been found in the wilderness, and friends have been made. The UP was very kind to us. Every night we found good people to stay with, or rather good people found us =) One of the first nights we stayed on a beautiful lake right outside of Gould City along Rt. 2 with a great couple, Steve and Gail. We met them at a gas station and they were gracious enough to invite us to their lake front property to spend the night in their spare bedroom (the Slipstream, or Airstream I forget what it's called, one of those shiny silver camping trailers). We greatly enjoyed the conversation, food and a warm place to sleep!! (Thank you both!!).

After that we had a ride up to Brimley (right near the border crossing). In Brimley we had the good fortune to meet Cindy and her husband Dan. They let us stay on their church property and gave us a great breakfast. We spent much of the day eating big hamburgers, watching big boats, and debating how to get across a rather large bridge. We did end up crossing into Canada with ease and have been enjoying the easy going nature of the Canadians since Thursday afternoon.

Today we stopped heading East and started heading South on Rt. 6!! This is big, mentally I was just tired of heading North and East. We both are ready to get home =) but first we're going to stop off in Stratford to catch a play and then check out Niagara Falls. After that we will be making for home with all possible haste. We are on schedule to make it back before our deadline of August 20th. I have no real major thoughts or reflections to add, except that I think I've grown to appreciate the need for a home. I've been gone for awhile now. Before this trip I was in Brazil, which I absolutely loved, and before that I was working in Ohio, which I enjoyed, and before that I was in school, which I finished =) but right about now I'm just ready to be sitting in front of the fireplace at home on the big couch away from all the mosquitoes and rain, and be reading a good book or playing games with my sibs.

Side note. Today is a very auspicious day indeed for more than the obvious reason of us reaching Manitoulin Island. Today is the day that two very dear friends of mine will be joined in Holy Matrimony (that is, they've decided to go off and get themselves married) actually it's happening right now. Nate and Jess, you know I wish I could be there, I wish you both the very best. I miss you both very much and can't wait to see you in September. I expect to have little nieces and nephews to spoil at your earliest convenience =)

Well now that I all done being sentimental, enjoy the pictures, we've enjoyed taking them and sharing them with you!

This is in the UP going down the driveway to the lake lot where we got to hang out with Gail and Steve. The lake you can barely make out at the end (I was a big dummy and didn't get a pic of the lake but it was really nice) We got to wash off, after which we actually felt almost human =)

Ok, this was me climbing up the fire tower. I recently asked Andrew what my biggest weaknesses are, he told me I thought too much and was a pansy...I disagree on both accounts. I would say my ability to think has often led me to avoid dangerous situations and I think being considered a pansy is often confused with being risk averse, but in this instance I put aside my fears of rickety, rusty, precarious fire towers and climbed (after all my little brother had just called me a pansy).

 And...this is the view we were rewarded with for risking life and limb. Trees. Lots of them. You couldn't even see the lakes (this was on the UP still).

 

This was a picture taken at the giant airstrip we found. It was comprised of 3 very long and very wide sections of concrete intersecting each other in a triangle. It was right outside of Raco MI if you care to look it up. It was really eerie to think of all the activity that must have surrounded such a huge piece of infrastructure that is no longer in use. 

This boat took a solid hour getting itself into the Locke at Sault Ste Marie. It was cool though to see how simple engineering could get such massive vessels across what previously had been an impassable stretch of water.

This was at a little restaurant beneath the bridge called West Pier. Andrew's pretty excited about eating a 1 lb. bacon cheese burger, I took the more conservative route of enjoying a 1/2 lb bacon cheese burger with a side of fries. We really have had good luck with finding these little hole in the wall type places. Last night we discovered the Canadian delicacy called Poutine. It's fries covered in gravy and cheese (sooo good).

This is the bridge into Canada. It's two lanes, one going and one coming, no shoulder, and yet they still let bikes go on it. It's like a joke to them I suppose. They don't let bikes across on the bus, but they get some sort of enjoyment out of seeing if bikers can make it across the bridge without getting hit. In all fairness the drivers were really courteous and we did cross uneventfully.

Oh my I am looking forward to being on a ferry tomorrow morning heading to Bruce Peninsula. We ran into a Canadian gentleman who insisted that we were cheating by taking the ferry....if biking over 3 thousand miles to take a ferry 50 kilometers is cheating we are guilty, but since we get to make the rules of our own adventure we've decided that it's not =) I definitely won't be losing any sleep over it.

Riding on,
Nate

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