The Superior Trip Part 3

Posted on December 31, 2020

Seeking some inspiration, I found a spark (ahem ahem).

Going through all the videos I captured on my trip to Thunder Bay, I struggled to find a cohesive story to link them together. But they were pretty, and it would have been a waste to have them sitting somewhere remaining unseen. So here they are.

To prepare for the trip, I installed heated grips on my bike. The bolts that came with it weren’t long enough. I had to buy new bolts and cut them to size (above).

After staying the night outside Sudbury, I made my way to Elliot Lake and set off into the deep woods, where cars were far and few in between…

… until pavement disappeared and only dirt roads remained. Perfect.

I had set up more drone shots while riding through the forest, but feeling pressed for time (it took me four hours to go 100km), I didn’t set them up properly and wasn’t satisfied with them. Here’s one though that captured the gist of the day.

It was nice and sunny on the first day, but I woke up to rain on the third day. The humidity and frigidity did a number on the iPhone cables and I had to ride without onboard navigation for hours. I would end up replacing the cable six times through the trip.

On the return trip, I camped at Pukaskwa National Park. The exposed granite headlands and the lake’s moderating temperatures in the summer allowed plants that were otherwise found in higher latitudes to survive here, creating a landscape that is rarely seen elsewhere.

The next day, I hiked the 20km trail. I wore my motorcycle boots as I didn’t bring proper hiking boots and the trail was muddy. Though cold, it was sunny again. Here, moss had taken over the forest floor.

The sun was out most of time for the remainder of the trip. Sometimes, I would stow away the GoPro but forget to turn it off.

Couldn’t pass up the chance to ride on trails whenever possible.

Needing to catch the 11am ferry from Manitoulin Island to Tobermory, I set off early on the last day. A good decision, as the sunrise was warm and inviting — a perfect end to the trip.

So warm, mist formed wherever there were bodies of water. I stopped to shoot what I had been dreaming of capturing all trip.

Having made more stops than I had anticipated, I rushed to the ferry terminal and arrived just in time. However…

The docks had broken down the day before. They had called me about the cancellation but I was too busy riding and missed it. I ended up loitering on the island on the extra day.

Just loitering…

I didn’t have a deadline, so I took my time to setting up my shots.

The following morning, I learned two things: waters in Lake Superior can indeed be choppy enough to sink ships, and I can get seasick with big enough motions. I had to stay outside to get comfortable.

It was nightfall by the time I got to the outskirts of Toronto, after having unfruitfully hiked the partially closed Fathom Five National Marine Park.

And of course, we can’t finish the trip without a shot of a ride down the Gardiner back into Toronto.

Where my front tire decided to flatten out as soon as I exited the highway. Even machines have limits, it would seem.

For pictures of the trip, check out the Superior series.