After a nice breakfast this morning we did a bit of bike maintenance and packed up our gear and headed out. With the rains of the last two days and the onslaught of winged biting creatures we decided once again to forego any backroad travel and stick once again to paved roads on our way to Lake Superior. Highway #1 out of Ely had a minimal shoulder and quite a bit of traffic for the first 20 kms but after that a better shoulder and much less traffic. Lots of winding and rolling scenery with lots of rock outcrops and only occasional vehicles which all passed very courteously. We turned off onto highway 2 which would take us to McNair and another Warmshowers host who by their profile sounded very interesting indeed. Almost immediately we entered an extended burn area which extended for 15 to 20 kms.