Day 43: Kenora, Ont. to Prawda, Man.

Ontario, it's not you, it's me. Sorry I have to leave...

Distance: 109.2 kms
Riding Time: 4:58 hrs
Average Speed: 21.9 km/h
Max. Speed: 50.5 km/h

YAAAAYYY!!! Out of Ontario finally!! I arrived in the very small town of Prada, Manitoba today, which is about 100 kms east of Winnipeg.

The wind was very gusty today and from the Northwest, but it seemed to slow as the day went along. And it was much cooler than yesterday; I actually wore my sweater for part of the day.

I took a break at the border to get some info and met an older woman who was camped nearby. She offered to show me a nearby lake that she happened to admire, so I went. It was really very nice - only a few houses around it and no motor boats were allowed on it. It had apparently been formed from the crater of a meteorite strike eons ago! Pretty cool. The rock in this area is suppose to be some of the oldest exposed rock on Earth at several billions of years old. Above us in the sky there was a Bald Eagle soaring at about 500 meters. It was my first confirmed sighting of a Bald Eagle in the wild (I think I saw a couple in Cape Breton, but was driving by and didn't get a good view). I am very partial to any form of wildlife and seeing this amazing creature made my day, or week maybe.

When I left the lake, I was debating about whether I should take the Trans-Canada highway like I'd been doing, or go north on a sub-highway. I chose the sub-highway, but when I started riding on it the surface was in awful shape. When I saw a turnoff for the highway 1 (the Trans-Canada) I jumped on it and it was just fine. I was worried about the lack of a shoulder and the speed limit increase to 100 km/h, but after being on the 17 for what seemed like millenia, there seemed to be plenty of room for everyone to be happy. It's a 4-lane split highway, which sounds unfun, but the traffic is really not bad because everyone can go all the way over into the other lane to pass me with no need to worry about oncoming traffic.

When I was close to Prawda, my destination for the evening, a camper/bus pulled off the road just ahead of me. As I was driving by I hear a yell and guess who it was? Katie and Dylan, the people I'd met earlier in Nipigon who were also heading west to Victoria, BC. They had been offered a ride in Dryden earlier that day because apparently it was pouring and two kind retirees took pity on them. They let me come into the camper and it was like a house on wheels, with all the amenites. They offered me a beer and you know I can't refuse. Katie and Dylan were headed to the Peg that night and we are suppose to meet tomorrow when I get there. Hopefully I'll get some time to write my blog as I am quite far behind.

Now that I have finally left Ontario, I have a few short questions I would like to ask her:

1) Why don't you care about cyclists (Northern Ontario)? (sad face)
2) Why so many lakes?
3) Why are you so long?
4) Thank you for all the blueberries, raspberries and blackberries (not a question)
5) Will I see you again sometime?

Please take your time while answering these questions and email me your answers.

Thank you,

Ryan Hearn


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