Bugless In Sudbury, Ontario

There was a frost warning last night. I didn’t see any frost this morning but it was cold. The bike was very wet with dew and I had to mop up the seat. The forecast was clear with a high of 63 F. I was all geared up and plugged in. I didn’t put the thermal liner in the over pants but should have. It is the first time I have moved the grip warmers from low.

It was also clear again. The shores of Lake Michigan were very pretty. There were plenty of houses on huge lots right on the water. There were large undeveloped areas too and a scattering of parks and picnic areas. The ride was more scenic than I expected and I stopped in a park to snap a pic. I wound up following a logging truck, taking in the nice aroma of the pine logs. The logs were cut to size, and then loaded sideways on the trailer. In BC, the logs are very long and loaded lengthwise. I wonder why it is different in Michigan. In the Black Hills I saw some log houses where the logs were vertical instead of horizontal. That was very different. A few times there were fully loaded logging trucks going in both directions. How can that be?

I think now that I should have kept count but I have smelled several hundred skunks along the trip. At least half of those were in Michigan. There was a dead skunk every ten minutes! Maybe it is a pass time there. Maybe they don’t clean up their road kill very often. Michigan is the skunk capital of America.

I stopped at the Soo Locks to see the lift lock system. Lift locks are a fascinating way of moving ships from one water level to another. There is a nice park adjacent to the locks but you must first submit to a Homeland Security check before entering. I stopped and took a few photos and then moved on. As I rolled down the street, a ship was entering the lock so I snapped a few more. It was a little strange to see a large ship at street level.

I filled up with the most expensive US gas so far at $4.18 per gallon. I didn’t see a duty free nearby. A short tolled ($2) bridge ride later and I was lining up at Canadian Customs in Sault Saint Marie, Ontario. The line-up was pretty short and it took about 10 minutes to cross. The van full of people in front of me from Illinois showed no ID and went straight through. I had to remove my helmet and glasses and show a passport. Go figure. Maybe the bugs tipped him off.

Some of the trees have noticed the shorter days and have begun changing colour. It makes for a pretty landscape but it is still early. Soon the forests will be painted with vibrant reds, oranges and yellows. Riding along the shores of Lake Huron was very nice. There were lots of rivers and bays along the road. I wanted to take a photo but an opportunity did not present itself.

I noticed that the OPP cruisers are still black and white but sometimes all white. There was lots of enforcement along the way in Ontario – none in Michigan.

I finally made it to Sudbury, where my parents grew up. I checked in to a motel right away. There were only 4 rooms left at 4:30 pm so I was glad to get one. I have been staying at the Super 8 most of the time so far. The rooms have been reasonably priced and pretty good so far. This is the exception to both. It is by far the most expensive room and not very well kept. I had to call tech support to get the internet going. Too bad - I was hoping to find the McDonalds of the motel industry.

I had very good luck getting around this afternoon and evening. I plunked in the address of the cemetery and the GPS took me right there. I found my Grandparents’ head stone right away and spent some quiet time there. I so wish my Mom had known my boys and they had known her. I still don’t know for sure where my Mom is. I am pretty sure she is right there with her folks. I am riding to North Bay tomorrow to visit my 90+ year old Aunt and ask if she has any information. Then it was off to Kathleen Street to search for my Grandparent’s house. I recognized it right away – just up the hill from the railway tracks. I used to love watching the railway cars as they clicked and clattered by.

The next stop was Copper Cliff to find my Uncle Tom and Aunt Muriel’s old house. I found it right away too. I spoke with a neighbour while taking a picture but they did not remember my Aunt and Uncle. They built a new house elsewhere and moved several years ago. My Uncle worked for INCO for many years and we would visit annually. I remember hearing and feeling the explosions as they blasted in the mines. There used to be three smoke stacks there. I think they were the tallest in the world. Now there is one tall and two short stacks. The landscape has changed greatly in and around Sudbury. There is even grass growing on the slag piles. That is an agricultural feat! Slag is what is left over from the smelting process. It is hauled away on trains, still molten and dumped along the rail lines. It lights up the sky at night and is quite a sight.

Tomorrow is my son Sean’s 12th birthday. He is a gregarious kid with an artistic streak. He does well in school and loves to play hockey and baseball. He likes to tend goal and pitch. You can reach him at seandotsimmsatshawdotca – just swap in the punctuation to get the real address. He would love to hear from you. I hope he gets simultaneous MLB and an NHL contracts and takes good care of his folks. I also hope he stays in touch with his family and friends and travels early in his life.

A positive side effect of the cold weather was a lack of bugs. I did not need to clean my gear this evening. There was so much dew on the windshield that the bugs came right off.

My apologies for the detour from the trip today. While not necessarily part of the 4 Corners Tour, it was important to me. Tomorrow is North Bay, then Parry Sound and possibly Alliston.

Sep 18, 2008

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