Upsala to Ignace, ON
Traditional territory of the Algonquin, Anishinabek, Haudenosaunee, Ojibway, Odawa and Cree
115 km
Cloud, sun, lil' bit of wind, 22 ºC
Every now and then you meet people on the road that you somehow wish you weren’t spending more time than necessary with. We met someone like that yesterday. People like these are a minority but their actions often have consequences for the wonderful community at large. They’re the same ones who yell about their rights without realizing their responsibilities. That is all I’ll write about this.
I stopped for a cup of coffee (and one of the best pieces of pie I’ve ever had) and when I went to settle my bill, the owners of the restaurant let me know that one of their regulars had covered it all for me. Jonathon was (temporarily) relieved at finding a phone charger. Hurray for the small victories in life, though they may be short-lived.
Good things seem to come in threes. We ran into Amy, Stephen, and Matthew. I talked to them for a while, comparing notes and their set-up, and eventually realized why they looked familiar. I’d seen them in an Instagram photo with my friend Hasan. Their project is called the Narrow Shoulder and I sure wished we were headed in the same direction to share a few meals, more stories, and some miles. Some other time perhaps.
Little did I know that there was a little eavesdropper in our midst.
Well, two actually.
I was having a very serious conversation on the phone, I’ve been on the phone too much lately. It is all very responsible with headphones, a rearview mirror, blah blah blah. But there are definitely moments and stretches when I don’t want to meet anyone else aside from myself. When I saw three silhouettes in the distance, I assumed it was Jonathon talking to two other cyclists. I took my time wandering over, only to realize it was three Quebecois musicians (and a pet rat) who were hitchhiking across the country. They were starving and I was happy to lighten my load and hand them some CLIF bars.
Jonathon was harvesting blueberries and instead of cooking a dinner we rushed and ate at the local Subway and returned with an extra cookie for our new Irish friend Andy. You can follow her project at The Cycle Across Canada: 7,500km Solo Bike Trip.
Blueberries.
We found a place thanks to these fine folks, nestled behind the emergency response team headquarters.
