We started in foggy and muggy conditions along 638, which helped avoid the TCH to Sault Ste Marie. Although it was hilly, it was nice not to have to deal with the traffic in the misty weather. There was basically no services the whole way. We stopped in Ophir, population 12, for a quick snack. We then headed to Echo Bay to hit up the grocery store for lunch. In Echo Bay we had an exciting incident with a local unleashed dog. As he started to chase us we did our usual routine of stopping to yell at the dog. Except Katherine ended up running into one of my panniers, causing us to both crash! It’s funny how both crashes on our trip were self-inflicted rear-ending from Katherine (last time I stopped too soon for a bakery in Shediac, NB). Katherine landed gently on the nearby lawn and I managed to get by with a very small cut as I was already stopping. As we got up to put a couple of our panniers back on, the dog just watched us wagging his tail..
We eventually made it to the local grocery store. As we had lunch a fellow touring cyclist rode by headed South. Within 5 min a group of 3 touring cyclist rode by as well. We had a quick exchange of waves but didn’t get to chat to them. Pretty much all the cross country cyclists are riding through this road so it makes sense that we are all starting to see them now.
We rode in Sault Ste Marie on the old TCH, 17B, which had a huge shoulder pretty much the whole way into the city. Unfortunately, once it met up with the TCH, the shoulder disappeared completely on the 4 lane road. The motorists were curious except for one truck driver (without a trailer) who gave us no room and squeezed us right to the edge. We were just coming to a stop light so we were very displeased about this guy, especially since this was the only way into Sault Ste Marie.
As we got off the TCH we managed to find the new bike path that took us all the way to the local bike shop, Velorution. We had been hearing about Velorution from almost every touring cyclist we met along the way, and we can see why. They provide showers, camping, wifi, and even firewood for touring cyclists all for free. The owner, Andre, runs the bike shop as a hobby and we were lucky to meet him at the end of the day after we set up camp. There was even a Walmart a 5 min walk away where we were able to re-stock on our supplies.
What is also fantastic about Velorution is that all the other campers are touring cyclists! It definitely feels like an oasis or a touring cyclist hostel. After we arrived we met Mark and his dad Steve from Guelph (Mark is riding from Vancouver to St John’s and his dad met up with him a few days ago with his car – Mark’s blog is here), Amy and Chris from Toronto (they were taking a rest day and they are riding from Vancouver to Toronto), and Amanda and Erin from Philadelphia who are finishing up their cycle around Lake Superior. We had a great time hanging out and sharing our experiences, and everyone had some fantastic stories! We were up until 1AM talking over the fire. Only if a place like Velorution existed across the country!
Trip Around The World 
Looks like the oasis of northern Ontario!
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