Superior Tour, Day 1, Thunder Bay to Grand Marais

by James Allen and Maureen Hamb, independent consulting arborists from
Santa Cruz, CA

After riding three previous Tours we waited with anticipation for the beginning of this years “Superior Tour”.   The excitement increased with the arrival of riders from across the US and Canada. Grizzled veterans, “hammerheads” and backpackers along with first time riders congregated at Lakehead University in Thunder Bay, Ontario for the “kick-off” dinner the evening before Day 1.

Monday morning 62 riders converged in front of the dorms for departure. A ceremonial tree planting/mulching took place with a City Counselor and the City Forester.

Riders were escorted by two cycling City Police Officers out of Thunder Bay through the extensive network of bike trails. We wound through the trails that eventually developed into back roads; we skirted the escarpment that guards the city on our way to Route 61, our link to the US/Canada border.

Reaching Hiway 61 the Tour riders began to separate into groups. Team Canada had increased their numbers adding two riders, Frank Bombardier and John Wilson to replace Susan Mentis, a longtime rider whose spirit is sorely missed. Chris and Jim Edson, brothers from Pennsylvania had recruited their younger brother Mike to strengthen Team Edson. Their sisters are on the list for recruitment.

Al Gilens is back after taking a year off to assume the role of Tour Photographer. We are happy to have him in our ranks both as a rider and to capture the events of this Superior Tour.

The riders continued south down Hiway 61 through the beautiful mountains, conifer and birch forest systems. Support crews, led by Danny Sapp (our luggage guru), were on task and ready for riders to arrive at the first official break location at the Can-Op service station. We are fortunate to have a strong support team consisting of Tom Kraak, Kathy Gilmore, and Linda Nanni. We are always thankful to see them on the road attending to the riders’ needs.

Mechanical problems are well attended to by our Tour mechanics, Bubba and Brian. Between them they keep everyone running smoothly and perform their work graciously.

The border crossing was smooth and uneventful as the Border Patrol agent warned us of the upcoming climb. As we began the four-mile long ascent many of the riders were questioning whether they had trained enough for this event.

Just as the climb began to seem endless and the black flies found our lycra apparel, an easy target we were rewarded with a spectacular view of what would be our constant companion,
Lake Superior.

The summit was finally reached with a rewarding descent to follow. Riders became reacquainted with old friends and began making new ones as our destination of Grand Marais drew closer.Groups of Hammerheads passed us with regularity, sometimes two and three times during the day. Those that possess a higher level of cycling skill than others always offered a friendly greeting and words of support. Constant reminders of our purpose — support for tree research and a passion for our work with trees — was expressed throughout the day. Lunch awaited our arrival at the Grand Portage where we could all meet and exchange tails of our travels on the road to Grand Marais.
After refueling it was back on the road for the remaining 35 miles of our day. Our final rest stop was a public beach where riders lounged in the sun and the warmth of the rocks. Some took off their shoes for a refreshing dip to soothe their tired soles.

The final 12 miles of our day offered splendid views of Lake Superior and the surrounding countryside. Upon our arrival in Grand Marais, 84 miles from Thunder Bay, we were greeted by a wonderful lakeside setting, again offering opportunities for cooling off with a dip in the lake.

This was a great day to cover these miles, solidify our team and support tree research as we begin our journey toward Minneapolis.

Day One, Thunder Bay to Grand Marais, or “A trip down memory lane” – Phil Graham

It was a dark and stormy day, or at least Sunday had been.  While the bulk of the crew arrived from Minneapolis late on Sunday, Team Canada and a couple of other riders who had flown in were treated to a tour of Thunder Bay.  We rode, and met Shelley Vescio at a variety of sites where she was able to showcase some of her many accomplishments in the Thunder Bay urban forest.  We also had some press coverage, with a great article and picture in the Chronicle Journal.

Now, on to memory lane…  Twenty eight years ago I stayed in the same residence building at Lakehead University, setting out on an adventure that has lasted the rest of my life.  Today I stood in front of around 60 riders dedicated to raising money for tree research, in the same cafeteria I’d frequented many times before.  So now I’ve had two adventures start from LU. 

A few memorable things happened during my time at LU.  Mount St. Helens blew its top, John Lennon was murdered, and most significantly to Thunder Bay, a young man dipped his foot in the Atlantic Ocean and started to run across Canada.  Actually, he dipped his artificial leg in the ocean, because Terry Fox had lost his leg to cancer and felt that if everyone in Canada contributed a dollar to the cause, he could raise over twenty million dollars for cancer research. When he neared Thunder Bay that fall, he announced that the cancer had returned and was in his lungs and that he would have to end his run to fight the disease. Terry lost his fight with cancer, but his legacy lives on in annual runs all over Canada, hundreds of millions of dollars raised, and in a memorial site just outside of Thunder Bay.  When our ride gets a little tough, I just think back to how tough Terry Fox had to be to do his run.

But I digress.  Monday dawned clear with a good weather forecast, and we were eager to hit the road. After a breakfast sponsored by BC Hydro, dedication of a tree planting on campus, and the group picture on the front steps of the university, most of the group headed out with a police bicycle escort.  About a dozen of us stayed behind to watch Tim Womick work his magic in a Trail of Trees presentation to the kids at the campus daycare.  As usual, he was awesome, and the kids were thrilled with his presentation and with a visit from Professor Arboretum.  Then for us the cycling began, as we put the hammer down to catch up with the pack.  At our first rest stop we learned that the ride out for the rest of the group had been a little rough, with Elaine going down pretty hard. Bruised and scraped, she was back on the road later on. 

After eighty five miles, lots of headwinds, and lunch at the Grand Portage Casino, we rolled into the pretty town of Grand Marais to relax (or recover) and to relive the day’s adventures.  All in all, an awesome day.