I've got four days off this weekend so trying to figure out what to do. Should be able to squeeze in the Lake Superior loop no problem. I'm worried about bugs though. How bad are the black flys around this time of year? Anything else that would dampen the trip?
Lake Superior loop for Canada Day long weekend, are the bugs going to be bad?
- Thread starter regder
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Just drove up to Thunder Bay yesterday, and I would say the bugs are not to bad right now. The front of my van was only partially covered. When I came up here a month ago it was fully caked so they are definately on the decline.
Make sure you have a visor, and something to clean it with and i don't think you will make out to badly.
Make sure you have a visor, and something to clean it with and i don't think you will make out to badly.
Yup, decent trip overall. Bugs were an absolute non-factor up north. In fact, I don't remember the last time I went on a long ride and had so few bugs on my helmet. I stopped riding around 9 most days though.
Day one I went from Toronto to Sault Ste marie. Pretty boring ride, not much to see, stopped off in Sudbury to see the big nickel, not too impressed.
Day two started off pretty eventful. Left my tank bag with over $1k in camera stuff on my top box after filling up on my way out of town. Got two blocks before a nice driver pulled beside me and let me know I dropped my bag at the lights two blocks away. Fly back over, of course bag is gone. Someone working nearby tells me a silver Civic picked up the bag. Riding all over trying to find this silver Civic, of course I can't. Check with the police and OPP stations nearby if anyone dropped it off, nothing. I've given up at this point and decide to keep going, pull out my phone to plug in my earphones and see I have a missed call from CAA. Rush over to the CAA store and the guy was nice enough to drop it off there, good thing I left my CAA card in the bag. Bad news is a car ran over the bag, $400 Tamron lens is smashed, amazingly my Canon 40D is in perfect shape except for a small dent in the body. Bag is ok too, minus a lot of new character. Took 17 straight to Thunder bay. Don't know if it was me being ****** off at what I did, but didn't really enjoy the ride that day. Ran out of gas about 20km away from Thunder Bay too. My fault, kept on pushing it off thinking there would be a gas station at Pass Lake, for which there were many signs. Of course it was closed for renovation. CAA saved me here too.
iPhone was dead by the time I got to Thunder Bay, all the chain motels were booked up. Ended up staying at the Shoreline hotel. Unless you want to stay at the seediest place imaginable, don't stay there.
Day three, I decided just to double back on 17 to Sault Ste Marie. I enjoyed this a lot more. Followed a rider on a V-Strom for a good bit that was riding "briskly", enjoyed the views a lot more going this way. About ten minutes east of Wawa came across a Corolla turned 90 degrees and a U-Haul trailer jackknifed and flipped on it's side. Must of just happened a second before as I was first on the scene followed by another rider, tires were still spinning on the trailer. Called cops and a tow truck. While we're waiting for the cops, the driver goes into a seizure, looked like he was ok after five or ten minutes though. Got him an ambulance just in case. Left once they got him on a stretcher and the cop took down my info. Stopped in Sault Ste Marie, MI that night. Stayed at the Plaza Motor Motel, highly recommended, cheap prices and nice place.
Day four took Hwy 23 through northern Michigan on the way back, pretty boring, not much to see, doubled back to the I75 after a bit and crossed in Sarnia.
Total for the trip was about 3300km. Would have been about 2900km if I went back on the Canadian side. Very easy ride, about 700km every day except for the last one. Weather was gorgeous, zero rain the whole trip. On the Trans Canada, temps were in the low twenties with a cool wind, had to put the liners in my jacket and pants. Worst was coming back through Michigan which had the same heat as Ontario, hit 36C at one point.
Decent trip, don't think I'm going to rush to do it again anytime soon. Too far of a distance without enough reward. I'll take Skyline Dr/BRP over it any day. Far more views per km, and definitely more turns.
Day one I went from Toronto to Sault Ste marie. Pretty boring ride, not much to see, stopped off in Sudbury to see the big nickel, not too impressed.
Day two started off pretty eventful. Left my tank bag with over $1k in camera stuff on my top box after filling up on my way out of town. Got two blocks before a nice driver pulled beside me and let me know I dropped my bag at the lights two blocks away. Fly back over, of course bag is gone. Someone working nearby tells me a silver Civic picked up the bag. Riding all over trying to find this silver Civic, of course I can't. Check with the police and OPP stations nearby if anyone dropped it off, nothing. I've given up at this point and decide to keep going, pull out my phone to plug in my earphones and see I have a missed call from CAA. Rush over to the CAA store and the guy was nice enough to drop it off there, good thing I left my CAA card in the bag. Bad news is a car ran over the bag, $400 Tamron lens is smashed, amazingly my Canon 40D is in perfect shape except for a small dent in the body. Bag is ok too, minus a lot of new character. Took 17 straight to Thunder bay. Don't know if it was me being ****** off at what I did, but didn't really enjoy the ride that day. Ran out of gas about 20km away from Thunder Bay too. My fault, kept on pushing it off thinking there would be a gas station at Pass Lake, for which there were many signs. Of course it was closed for renovation. CAA saved me here too.
iPhone was dead by the time I got to Thunder Bay, all the chain motels were booked up. Ended up staying at the Shoreline hotel. Unless you want to stay at the seediest place imaginable, don't stay there.
Day three, I decided just to double back on 17 to Sault Ste Marie. I enjoyed this a lot more. Followed a rider on a V-Strom for a good bit that was riding "briskly", enjoyed the views a lot more going this way. About ten minutes east of Wawa came across a Corolla turned 90 degrees and a U-Haul trailer jackknifed and flipped on it's side. Must of just happened a second before as I was first on the scene followed by another rider, tires were still spinning on the trailer. Called cops and a tow truck. While we're waiting for the cops, the driver goes into a seizure, looked like he was ok after five or ten minutes though. Got him an ambulance just in case. Left once they got him on a stretcher and the cop took down my info. Stopped in Sault Ste Marie, MI that night. Stayed at the Plaza Motor Motel, highly recommended, cheap prices and nice place.
Day four took Hwy 23 through northern Michigan on the way back, pretty boring, not much to see, doubled back to the I75 after a bit and crossed in Sarnia.
Total for the trip was about 3300km. Would have been about 2900km if I went back on the Canadian side. Very easy ride, about 700km every day except for the last one. Weather was gorgeous, zero rain the whole trip. On the Trans Canada, temps were in the low twenties with a cool wind, had to put the liners in my jacket and pants. Worst was coming back through Michigan which had the same heat as Ontario, hit 36C at one point.
Decent trip, don't think I'm going to rush to do it again anytime soon. Too far of a distance without enough reward. I'll take Skyline Dr/BRP over it any day. Far more views per km, and definitely more turns.
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(I'm the only one with my car in the city lol)
