Day 52, Wednesday, July 16, Sault Ste. Marie, 122 kms.

The thought of a ‘day off’ obviously spurred the group on, as we didn’t have our first serious stop for some 45 km. We were told there would be some hills, especially ‘Blueberry Hill’. After we climbed that one, Pat remarked that we should take note of any hill with the name “Blueberry" in it. The last one was the Blueberry-Paulson pass and it was a real climb.

There was a long gentle slope down into Sault Ste. Marie, which made the last 20 km very easy. We all settled into a Hotel to get a break from the bugs. This will be the last we see of Lake Superior. Regrettably there is no Starbuck's to be found in Sault Ste. Marie ;(

The next day will be a rest day.

Some personal observations to this point in the trip. Parts of BC are doing very well as is southern Alberta. Saskatchewan is just starting to boom with the discovery of oil and gas in the Weyburn area. Northern Ontario is really struggling. It seems like every second camping spot and restaurant is for sale. Also, the traffic seems extremely light on the Trans Canada Highway likely due to the large reduction in tourists this year.

It is great when people honk and wave to us as they go by. The happy honks seem out way the mad honks by about 10 to 1.

Dave 3