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Day 6 - 7/24/18

Gordon and I left Marathon separately.  He is riding for a charity and is behind because he stayed a few days in the Soo to do radio and TV interviews.  I don't want to slow him any further, so I opt for a long breakfast before taking off. My starting point, Marathon, has only one redeeming quality - it is on Lake Superior. Otherwise, nothing going on here. I'm happy to have Superior on my left again. From Wawa to Marathon, a distance of 120 miles, the Trans Canada moves inland. The scenery is wild, but blindingly monotonous after 14 hours of peddling.

The day was short, only 38 miles to Neya Provincial Park.  The park may be the most beautiful campground I have ever seen. I secured a site situated about a 9 iron from the water. The park also lays claim to being a German POW camp during WWII. I scoped out the relics which were largely just deteriorating foundations. The visitors center has a miniature scale model of the prison as it existed in the 40's as well as some local lore. One account was an escape attempt by a soldier who fashioned skates out of pieces of his bed. He set off across Superior clueless to the fact that lake rarely freezes over. He returned the next day and turned himself in to the camp commandant.

I made one logistics error today. I was counting on eating Two meals at Ney's lunch across the road from the park entrance. I first went to Ney's in the early afternoon with hopes of scoring a BLT or something similar. That were not open and I had no internet service so I called my travel advisor for advice. She found out that they did not open until 5pm. Odd but oookay. Lunch became a Klondike bar and a bag of chips from the camp store. Riding back to Ney's - a 3 mile uphill trek - I have visions of burgers, fries and all sorts of other healthy treats. I'm greeted by an old codger and the most pathetic selection of goods ever seen. My dinner is a bag of Muncho's, a package of Honey Roasted Peanuts two cans is V8 and a Smirnoff Ice because the dude only has warm beer in stock. I am really hungry and facing a 35 mile ride until my next meal still a day away.

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