July 11 - Weds - Thunder Bay ON to Sault Ste Marie - 437 miles

Slept all night so felling caught up. The hotel was crappy looking on the outside, but the inside rooms (mine anyway) was actually clean, well maintained, fresh towels. So I can appear to be roughing it, but so soft inside..
Today's job was to get to Sault St. Marie, which is a ways, but if I just stick to it and plod along at 55mph (90kph), then it actually goes isn't bad.

I was inside my head most of the day but Rt 17 over Lake Superior is really pretty with lots of pin trees (or Spruce or Fir or ??) and a lot of lakes with little rock islands in the middle, kinda like Maine. Deceiving few towns and I almost ran out of gas near the end because i was off in a daydream and missed a couple gas stops, and my odometer is kilometers so who knows how far I'v been. But he reserve light was blinking away..
The motel office was closed this morning and the room did not have a key, but rather a combo lock (Rm 15, combo = 7805 if you are ever in Thunder Bay and need a room..), so I just left. Complementary coffee was not an option. So up the street to a coffe shop with lots of work truck out front (those are the best). The place was packed and the old farts club meeting was in full swing with about 8 guys solving the mornings problems in soft chairs in front of a fake roaring fire. I didn't bother them (like I usually do), but I did spend an hour talking to a 72 year old guy driving a diesel (1992 or 7) Smart Car. He grew up on the Gaspe' and "worked in the bush" all his life, first with horses and then driving truck. He and his sons now work in Thunder Bay in the only remaining pulp mill. Good stories but I had to cut him off politely when he told me it was 8 hours to SSM. Another guy was waiting to talk to me who had a nice old 1000 Honda 4 cylinder, but I cut him short as well when we got into all the gear on my bike. I like Canadians, good people.

Rt 11 took me a good ways until Rt 17 took over and then I realized I was up against another long stretch of Indian Reservation, but very scenic and good road with lots of passing lanes (good for us slow pokes).
So ride, ride, ride, then ride more, then gass, then ride ride ride, then, "crap reserve tank" then slight panic, then plan to get the orange duct tape out and write "Gas" on my motorcycle jacket and look sad, but then a sign for gas in 15 km.
This gas stop was a place that, yes sold gas, but it sold everything under the sun that could pass as Indian some how. And I think the hired half the college kids in the province to work there for the summer and thos kids were having a blast.
I pulled up to the pump and there were three university (don't say colleg, it means something else), and the the kid explained he was supposed to fill the tank for you, but bikers could fill their own. He was a chemical engineering student with a minor in Computer Science. I wanted to tell him to savor this summer because when he gets my age, these will be the good memories. Fun stop with all the "college" kids in the grocery store, gift shop, gas station.

So Google girl dumped me after the first construction detour (typical) so I drove around and then started her up again and got to the motel, which is sort of seedy and it is attached to a Greyhound bus station. But a great, busy restaurant next door with coconut cream pie and beer on tap.
odometer = 29,104 - 18,289 = 10,815 so far this trip.