Day 36 Thunder Bay to Nipigon, Ontario

 68.2 miles, 2,370 ft ascent

Air temperature this morning in Thunder Bay was in the low 50sF.  Lake Superior is a very cold lake, and it moderated the temperature of the surrounding land.  At Grand Marais, Minnesota, the temperature was 40F, the coldest of the entire lake.  Such temperatures are insufficient for swimming even in the warmest areas of the lake, so the swimming season is very short, if there is one.

Today's ride was a beauty!  We had a tailwind and NO rain.  Although there was rain in the forecast, it held off until we rode into camp.  This morning I wore an extra layer, a compression shirt, under my jersey for protection in the event of cold rain.  I dressed like the Canadians, and I will continue to do so, having learned a lesson from near hypothermia as we rode into Thunder Bay.  

Below is a view of the harbor in Thunder Bay as we were departing.

 

This is one river flowing into Lake Superior.

 

And one of the innumerable and beautiful bays belonging to Lake Superior.

 

The Tour du Canada passed by the Terry Fox Monument, located in the outskirts of Thunder Bay.  This public monument commemorates  the "Marathon of Hope", a tribute to Terry Fox, a Cancer survivor, who attempted to run across Canada. a distance of 5,300 miles, with a prosthetic leg to increase awareness of and raise funds for Cancer research.  He ran 26 miles a day, and he had covered over 5 provinces before ending his "Marathon of Hope" because his own Cancer had returned.  The disease finally took his life on June 28, 1981.  This statue marks the place where Fox was forced to abandon his effort on August 31, 1980.  Apologies for the quality of the photos.  The engraving on the granite tablets was difficult to capture, and hardly legible in the pictures below.

 

 

 

 

 

Along the route today, we saw at least a half dozen advertisements for mines.  Lake Superior is a rock hunter's paradise where one can pick up agates along the shore.  The sign below touts amethyst among specimens available for purchase at the Diamond Willow Mine. 

Amethyst, according to Wikipedia, is a violet variety of quartz.  Amethyst, a semiprecious stone, is often used in jewelry and is the traditional birthstone for February. It owes its violet color to irradiation, impurities of iron and in some cases other transition metals, and the presence of other trace elements.  The hardness of the mineral is the same as quartz, thus making it suitable for use in jewelry. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amethyst

 

 

 

                                                  

We pedaled by this nice stone outcropping of the Canadian Shield.

On galley crew tonight, our group served burritos with real ground round, and red kidney beans, rather than the traditional pinto beans.  For dessert we prepared sponge cake covered with canned peaches and whipping cream.  The very filling meal was greatly appreciated.  Up early tomorrow to fix breakfast for everyone and clean up the kitchen before I start riding. Come by again for an update on our saga!