Thunder Bay Bound

We finally made our way out of the lovely town of Upsala and were able to get on the road to Thunder Bay, where we had arranged for a roof over our heads. The morning was freezing cold, as we woke up to a nice frost covered ground and stiff northern wind. So, we bundled up and hopped on the bikes, happy to get moving once again.

The ride to Thunder Bay was quite uneventful, with a quick stop in Shabaqua providing the only excitement. As we approached Thunder Bay, we parted ways with the trusty TCH in favour of an alternate route into the city. In what seemed like no time at all, we reached the city limits, and several kilometres later we pulled into the driveway of our most generous hosts.

The first question we were asked by Sara, the daughter of the family providing the shelter was whether or not we were interested in going to their friend's house for dinner. Not being ones to turn down free food, we happily obliged, and following a couple of much needed showers, we headed out to their friend John's house for what was to be his birthday dinner. So it came to be that I was having supper at a friend's-girlfriend's-mother's-friend's-friend's house!

Upon arrival, John politely introduced himself, asked our age and then handed out a couple of cold Black Ice beers to Dave and I. We then got to talking with Lloyd (the person we were staying with), John (birthday boy) and John's friends Leo and Manny. A little later, John showed me his latest hobby - building canoes. Together, he and Lloyd have built 271 canoes which are of the highest quality I have ever seen - they really are a work of art!

Then, time for dinner rolled around and I sat down to a feast fit for a king. We had BBQ spare ribs, potatoes, salad, corn, rolls and beets. By the time I had gorged myself on all of that, we were given the choice of three desserts. I started with the apple pie, and as I was finishing that up, I was told to try the Angel hair fruit cake... so I did. Finally, once I finished the cake I was encouraged to go for the trifecta and have a slice of the chocolate date cake... so I did! Once done, I graciously thanked my hosts for an amazing meal and then headed back outside to talk to the guys.

I continued to drink the Black Ice until John made me an offer I couldn't refuse - a glass of his Bushmills Irish Whiskey, which he had just gotten for his birthday. As we drank that, John presented me with several neat camping items that could come in handy while Dave and I rough it in the bush. Finally, it was time to say goodbye to the fantastic company and head home for the night. I once again thanked everybody for the wonderful time, and then focused (that's not exactly the best word since focus was not an ability I possessed at that time!) on getting to bed for the night.

Once we returned to the house, we watched a bit of TV with our hosts, Elsie, John and Sara, then headed to bed with a smile on my face. It had been a good day!