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Sat Jun 26 - 105 km - Kenora to Sioux Narrows
Well it thunder stormed until 0300h. The tent was flooded, everything was
flooded. At one point the wind was so strong the top of the tent was blowing
down on top of us. A tree next to us was uprooted,
and several others were
blown down around the area. Got going around 1030h because we slept in a bit
due to being awake most the night. We biked into Kenora and stopped at the
grocery store. Every person that walked by was commenting how bad the storm
was and that they hoped we were not out in it. Well, we were. We learned
that it had rained a total of 5.5 inches. Saw more destruction
as we passed
through Kenora. Massive erosion down roads and driveways, and parked cars
which were flooded over the hood. Took some pictures before leaving. Stopped
for lunch alongside the road at the 17/71 junction. Took 71 south, which was
a really nice highway. Very smooth and little to no traffic. Stopped in
Sioux Narrows for a few more supplies and then biked out of town until we
found a place in the woods to camp. The mosquitos were pretty bad so we
cooked quickly and got in the tent where I patched a tube, which Wendy had
blown in Kenora. I also picked three ticks off of my ankles. Rain is not
allowed tonight!
Sun Jun 27 - 99 km - Sioux Narrows to Emo
Fixed Wendy's front brakes while cooking breakfast. A few miles down the road
we saw two black bears, mother and cub, scamper across the road. Stopped in
Nestor Falls for some groceries. The cashier talked to me about the storm in
Kenora. Asked at the tourism office about camping ahead because Wendy wanted
a shower. He was pretty clueless however and could only suggest two places.
One was 4 km down the road and the other 20 km. It was only 1100h so we
chose to ignore both. Saw a few herons and even two turtles which were alive!
(ten squashed turtles today) Traffic was a little heavier with herds of pickup
trucks pulling boats with 100+ hp motors on them. Do you really need that
much power to fish? Stopped for lunch on some rocks alongside the road.
Ended the day in a town called Emo, where we visited a church
which must have
been sinful because God had burnt it down with a bolt of lightning. All that was
left was the steeple, which someone had built into a mini chapel. Stayed at
the Emo Inn which is way overpriced. I guess we are back in tourist land
again. At least the groceries are cheap. There is a liquor store next door,
so we picked up a couple things to put us to sleep. Wendy bought dinner in
the hotel restaurant, our standard grilled cheese entree.
Mon Jun 28 - 108 km - Emo to Mine Center
Ate breakfast in the hotel restaurant and got going around 0830h. Traffic was
pretty bad along hwy 11 going towards Fort Francis. Got groceries and stopped
at the bank before leaving. The traffic situation improved and continued to
get better the further away we got. Stopped for lunch on some rocks along a
highway cut. It started raining pretty hard at one point, so we donned our
rain gear and rode it out. It did not last too long but it cooled everything
down enough so we left our suits on to keep warm. It was good that we did,
because it rained again after a little while. Later in the day I was feeling
really sluggish. I guess I was just dehydrated or low on sugar, because eating
a Powerbar and chugging a bunch of water fixed me right up. Passed through
the tiny town of Mine Center at which point we started looking for a place to
stay. After a couple of tries, we found a logged out area that is grassy and
open, but hidden from the road. Unfortunately the bugs are really bad. Found
another tick on my foot while getting ready for bed.
Tue Jun 29 - 104 km - Mine Center to some place east of Atikokan
Last night when we got up for a nature call, I heard a large animal moving
through the bushes. Did not see it though. Maybe it was a bear or a deer.
Got going around 0930h. Decided to keep pushing to Atikokan for lunch about
75 km away. The day was beautiful. Warm and sunny, but not too hot. We had
a gentle tailwind which pushed us along. The terrain got a little hillier,
but this was nothing compared to BC! After taking a couple of breaks, we
finally got to the Atikokan turnoff. There was a tourism center, so we
stopped to fill the water bottles. The man inside was very friendly. Went
5 km off the highway to get to the town. On our way in, a pickup truck had to
slow down to wait for an oncoming car before passing. The driver honked and
his redneck passenger turned around and mouthed the bad word for rectal
sphincter at us. Guess they were late for an appointment or something.
Stopped at a pizza place and ordered a greek pizza which was very good. The
whole town was bustling with activity as they were having a week long
celebration for the town's 100th birthday. Stopped at the grocery store on
the way out of town to pick up a few things. Headed east for another hour
until we decided to stop. Pulled off into a recently
devastated area of land
by logging operations. It rained a little before we retired. Hopefully it
will not rain much more as this place will turn into a muddy quagmire. At
least we were able to ride into the area on the logging road, which was dug up
at the highway to prevent vehicles form entering. I also saw a wolf today
which darted into the woods as we rode past.
Wed Jun 30 - 98 km - Some place east of Atikokan to Shebandowan
Well it rained. It rained most of the night and poured while we had breakfast
and packed up. Everything got muddy. The tent weighed about 15 pounds
because of all the water. In our hurry to leave, I forgot my U-lock. This is
rather unfortunate as it was a $100 lock. I would have gone back for it if we
had not have gotten 60 km down the road when I noticed. Oh well, what can you
do? We met a group of three touring cyclists going the opposite direction and
stopped to talk. They were going from Toronto to Vancouver. After talking
for a while, we parted ways. Stopped at the main center in Quetico Provincial
Park for some water. Shortly after, we met an elderly man along the side of
the road who flagged us down. He had locked his keys in his car with the
engine running. He wanted us to tell some people, who were waiting for him at
the corner on some road a few miles up, about his predicament. We found the
road about 45 minutes later, but there was no one there. Tire tracks told of
a stopped car, which had driven off. We started down the road to see if there
was a house or something, but the road got too treacherous to travel on, and
there was no telling how far we may have had to go. We decided to let the
man fend for himself and continued. We saw a moose which ran into the woods.
About 200m down the road a large black bear strolled across the road not 50m
in front of us. We stopped quickly and watched as it lumbered into the woods.
We rode by singing and glancing fearfully at where it had disappeared.
After looking, to no avail, for somewhere indoors to eat lunch and get out of
the rain (there is nothing out here) we passed a picnic
area. We ate a lunch of bagels and cheese in the rain. A car pulled in and a
woman came and talked to us. She was from some cycling club in Calgary. She
told us that one of the senior members had ridden across Canada in an
organized tour two years ago. We collectively wondered if it was the one that
Felicia had organized. After lunch, the rain stopped. We happily got out of
our rain gear and began to dry off. We decided to stay at the same commercial
campground which Bob and Felicia stayed at, near Shebandowan. This place is
full of trailers turned into cottage like creatures and lots of barking dogs.
It also cost $15. Hopefully we can sleep.
Thu Jul 1 - 93 km - Shebandowan to Thunder Bay
Well I got three hours of sleep.
The kids stayed up untill 0200h and dogs started barking at 0300h. What a
place! Changed our watches before we left because we knew the time zone
boundary was just up the road. While cooking breakfast, a
chipmunk kept
coming up and taking spilled food. He also sat and begged and would take food
out of our hands. Obviously it was used to feeding off of the people. It
turned out to be a bit of a nuisance while packing up, as it climbed over
everything and into our bags. Finally we got going. Was nice riding until we
had to join with hwy 17. This was hell. A narrow winding road with lots of
trucks, RVs, and other bad drivers. Luckily it was only 20 km to the Thunder
Bay bypass which diverted most of the traffic. We continued on 11/17 to
Kakebeka falls.
We stopped and ate lunch on a bench and looked at the
waterfalls. We then turned onto a secondary road which took us all the way to
Thunder Bay. We got stopped by a long train crossing the road. Travelled
through the city without too much difficulty. Got a little lost because the
tourism map was bad, but we found the motel area and got a cheap one that even
has a kitchen. We put our bikes inside and a little while later got a call
from the front desk saying that they would bring us some bags to put under
them. The lady handed me a bunch of garbage bags and told me not to lean the
bikes against the walls. I put the garbage bags aside. Maybe if it rains
tomorrow we can use them. Walked around trying to find food and beer. Went
to one restaurant and when we ordered beer, they told us that their licence
had expired and could not serve. We left. Went to another Chinese
restaurant. Their bar was closed for Canada day, but we decided to eat
anyway. Ordered egg foo young off of the vegetarian menu, but it came with
beef gravy on it. Sent it back and got one without the gravy. Walked around
for a while trying to find beer, but to absolutely no avail. There are no
pubs at all in this area of town! I guess this will be my first dry Canada
day in six years.
Fri Jul 2 - 23 km - Rest Day
Rode around town to pick up a new lock and some supplies. Wendy found a
laundromat to do some laundry. Bought a pack of beer which we consumed over
the afternoon and evening. The kitchenette in the motel room turned out to be
really handy as I was able to cook up some good meals. The motel has a
cat
that hangs around the parking lot that looks and acts just like my cat.
Sat Jul 3 - 100 km - Thunder Bay to Nipigon
Set the smoke detector off in our room while cooking breakfast. Had to
disconnect it to shut it up. Rode out of town and got onto 11/17 which we
stayed on all day. Traffic was pretty hairy. Came close to being sideswiped
by a couple jerks, one of them driving a huge RV. Got run off the road by
head on traffic three times, one of those being a big transport truck. The
wind was also blowing against us, but it was not too strong. We will be glad
to get off of this highway. Unfortunately we will be taking it for at least
another 600 km. Hopefully it gets better at the hwy 11 turnoff. Stopped for
lunch at a picnic area alongside the highway where several other groups of
motorists were also stopped. Stopped for the day just before Nipigon in the
woods. This area is really nice. Lots of rock and a soft mossy area to pitch
the tent. Around the area we chose to cook, we noticed a couple of trees with
the bark scratched off of them. It looks pretty old, so hopefully there are no
bears around.
Sun Jul 4 - 100 km - Nipigon to Schreiber
Got up to a heavy fog. It had started to clear when we got going, but we
biked through some heavy patches. Stopped in Nipigon for a loaf of bread and
cheese, and to fill up with water. While I was in the store, a van pulled up
with a bike on top and the driver talked to Wendy. Him and another guy were
riding from Vancouver to Charlettown in 40 days. I think they were tag
teaming it, as the van was all marked up for a breast cancer charity. Stopped
at a telephone on the way out of town so Wendy could call her mom. The fog
never really cleared. It was sunny, but there was always fog haze in the
distance. Lake Superior was just a blanket of fog, and sometimes it looked
like we were riding alongside a dream world. At the bottom of one hill, we
saw an overturned transport truck
which was carrying lumber. Boards were
flung everywhere like matchsticks and the truck was a twisted mess. There was
no one around, so I got some good close-up photos of the wreck. The map said
that there was a picnic area around where we wanted to stop for lunch, so we
tried to find it. We biked for a long ways without seeing it, so finally
hunger overcame us and we stopped alongside the road. After lunch, we found it
only another 2 km down the road. Then the hills began. We climbed one for 5
km which was followed by a 55 km/h descent. It almost felt like we were back
in BC! Over the day, tons of motorcyclists passed us which were all members
of the Satan's Choice gang. One of the groups had fourteen riders in
formation. While we were stopped at the side of the road, three others passed
us. We started riding again, and upon rounding a corner we saw the three of
them stopped on the side of the road, getting off of their bikes. At first we
were a little nervous as we approached, but they were just taking some
pictures of the scenery. As we approached Schreiber it started to rain, hard.
We put on our rain suits and continued. The rain storm quickly became a
thunderstorm. We did not want to go through another Kenora, so we decided to
get a motel room. Went to dinner at the motel restaurant and then retired for
the evening.
Mon Jul 5 - 99 km - Schreiber to Heron Bay
It was a good thing we got the room, as another thunderstorm struck early this
morning. It continued to pour until 0900h when it stopped, just in time for
us to leave. That is odd. The weather usually does not cooperate! Once on
the road we quickly discovered that we had a headwind though. I guess you
cannot have everything. We stopped in Terrace Bay for some groceries. I went
to Home Hardware to buy a wrench so I could fix our squealing brakes, but they
had a very poor selection in tools, so I walked away empty handed. A few km
down the road we hit 40 km of road work. This was not so bad, as they had
just finished resurfacing the road so it was nice and smooth. Workers every
so often would be slowing traffic down and this was also to our benefit.
Stopped for lunch on some rocks at the side of the road. Got going again and
not 2 km down the road we passed a picnic area. Figures! The construction
finally ended and the road went back to cracks and holes. Many hills today
again. I am starting to get really annoyed at people's insistence on spray
painting every rock cut of the highway. Every where you look it says 'John
Doe was here 98' or 'Jane loves Dick'. It is worse than the beer can litter
along the highways of Alberta. We stopped for the night in some woods just
east of the Heron Bay turnoff. We are camped really close to the road, so we
can really hear the trucks go by.
Tue Jul 6 - 124 km - Heron Bay to Obatanga Provincial Park
Was awoken very suddenly at around 0200h by something crashing into the tent.
After a few minutes of tense confusion, we heard hoof beats and assumed that
a deer had either leapt over our tent, or tripped on one of the guy wires. We
heard more hoof beats several other times through the night. Morning arrived
with the wind howling, but it was blowing the right direction! We flew along
and climbed hills easily. Descents were lightning fast. It was great. The
sun shone for most of the day except for a few brief stints of light rain.
The traffic today was worse. Lots of trucks. At one point a car started
passing a truck as we were going the other way. I moved to the center of the
lane and gave the universal salute and actually got the guy to back off. We
passed one area of forest that had been completely
demolished by fire. For
about 20 km all we saw along the sides of the road were charred sticks
pointing straight up. The wind would occasionally blow some down. Since the
wind was blowing really hard and would make eating alongside the road
difficult, we decided to push on to White River and get lunch there. Picked
up some groceries and got the wrench I needed from the Home Hardware. Got
some water as well from a leaky faucet at the tourist center. Ate lunch at
the only restaurant we could find, other than A&W. While eating, I saw the
breast cancer van drive by. They are moving pretty slow since we saw them two
days ago. After leaving we began to see tons of trees blown down. All over
there were uprooted trees on their sides. We finally got to the campground
(Obatanga Provincial Park) where we payed for a site. We rode into the
camping area and saw tons of trees blown down and swarms of people with
chainsaws clearing them. We got stopped by a worker as a tree near the road
was being felled, who talked to us and told us that a massive windstorm had
struck the night before. We found a
really nice spot, probably the only one
in the campground. It was vacant because there was no way to get a car down.
It is on the water and very secluded as you have to climb down a steep hill
to get to it. Maybe we will get a good rest tonight.
Wed Jul 7 - 95 km - Obatanga Provincial Park to Lake Superior Provincial Park
Got up this morning to find someone else camping in our site as well. They
arrived during the night and I guess they thought the site empty, because
there was no car. The guy apologized and was gone before we were. They did
have the courtesy to leave behind a pile of trash, which we cleaned up. Got
going to a clear sky and yet another tailwind. Rode to Wawa and took the
customary picture of the big goose.
Obtained a pamphlet on Sault-Ste-Marie
which I threw out later after seeing how useless it was. Why do they publish
useless crap like this? Ate lunch at the tourist center and then went into
town to pick up some groceries. Headed into Lake Superior Provincial Park
where we encountered more construction. This was a bit of a pain, as the road
was extra narrow, but the truckers will still zoom by within inches when there
is oncoming traffic. We got rained on with a brief, hard shower which lasted
just long enough to ensure that our shoes were good and wet. (Dry feet is a
rarity on this tour.) Got to Rabbit Blanket Campground which we stayed in.
This place is not very nice compared to Obatanga. Some lady with a 65' RV was
bitching about how their vehicle would not fit. I cannot imagine that
something that large would fit many places!
Thu Jul 8 - 105 km - Lake Superior Provincial Park to Montreal River
Slept in a little, so we got going a little later than usual. They were
putting down a layer of asphalt right outside the campground and traffic was
down to one lane. Luckily the construction zone ended a few km later.
Biked down a steep side street to see the Indian rock paintings, but then
never bothered to actually see them because we would have had to hike there.
Tried to find a picnic area in the park, but were unsuccessful, so we ended up
eating on some rocks at the side of the road. Finally we left the park land
and got into some really large hills. Probably the biggest in Ontario so far.
Rode through Montreal River, which was no more than a campground and a gas
station, where we had hoped to pick up some food for dinner. Did not bother
stopping and we made due with what odd things we had lying in the bottom of
the food bag. (A can of beans and some ramen noodles) Found a really nice
place to camp on the shore of Lake Superior.
We have a beach! Put the tent
just inside the tree line because the beach was pretty rocky. Hung the food
up in a tree which was
designed perfectly for that purpose. A nice huge
thick branch sticking straight out from the trunk, just like the pictures you
will see in a book on bear country camping. There are very few insects here
as well, which is a nice change. It started to rain a little as we got ready
for bed.
Fri Jul 9 - 90 km - Montreal River to Sault Ste Marie
It rained on and off over the night. At about 0400h it started pouring.
Rained all through breakfast and as we packed up. Got on the road at 0920h
with the rain pouring and the wind whipping. Fortunately, the wind was not
impeding our progress too severely. Then we turned east to get around
Batchawana Bay. We had the wind directly in our face then. Battled the wind
and rain for a bit, then stopped under a shelter at a convenience store while
we pigged out on some chocolate bars. Continued on, and around noon the rain
let up a bit to a simple shower instead of a torrential downpour. It sure
felt good to be able to see again for lack of water running down our faces.
Found a restaurant in a trailer park alongside the highway where we went in
to eat and dry out a bit. A man inside warned us of a really big hill coming
up that is known as 'the mile hill'. We figured that if it was only one mile,
it could not be too bad. The hill turned out to be a mile and a half. It was
pretty steep, but again, the hills here are nothing compared to BC! The nice
thing was, that once we were over it, it was downhill all the way to Sault Ste
Marie. Rode into town and found a motel which I rented for two nights. The
place is tiny though. We have barely enough room to breath. Went for dinner
at Mr. Sub and then for a pitcher of Northern Superior Red Maple Lager. This
was really good beer. Very similar in character and flavour to a maple brown
ale which I brewed last year.
Sat Jul 10 - 0 km - Rest Day
Spent most of the day sitting in the motel room reading. Finished my book, so
I went out and bought another which I started to read. Bought some groceries
and the last wave of post cards. Walked down to the mini putt course with
Wendy, but it looked pretty boring so we decided to go bowling instead. After
supper we went down to a cheap bar for a few beers. Tried the Northern
Superior Lager which was good, but nothing special.
Sun Jul 11 - 96 km - Sault Ste Marie to Thessalon
It was raining when I got up. Cooked breakfast in the motel parking lot in
the rain. It stopped and the sun came out just before we left. The ride out
of Sault Ste Marie was nice. We took low traffic roads and finally followed
a road for quite a while which ran parallel to hwy 17. It finally ended and
we had to ride on 17, but it was not too bad as there was a full paved
shoulder, which lasted all the way to Echo Bay where we turned off onto
secondary 638. Echo Bay is home to the designer of the one dollar coin so
they have a monument of a giant loonie.
Since we are not going to see the big
nickel in Sudbury, this will have to do! 638 was very pretty. It wound
through hardwood forests and small farms. For the first while the road was
paved with some sort of red stone which reminded me of the roads in Prince
Edward Island. Traffic was very light which was a nice change. Stopped at
the general store in Leeburn where Wendy phoned her mom and I chatted with a
man about our trip. Shortly down the road we encountered 3 km of
construction, which had the road all dug up. The sandy gravel surface was
difficult to ride on so, luckily it did not last long. Stopped for lunch along
a rock cut. Finally we rejoined hwy 17. Rode for another 20 km as the trucks
zoomed by until we got to Thessalon, where we decided to stay in the
campground that Bob and Felicia stayed in, which is a junky trailer park. Oh
well, accommodation for only $10.
Mon Jul 12 - 101 km - Thessalon to Spanish
Slept well last night except for a half hour period when someone left their
big diesel truck idling near our tent. Stopped at the grocery store on our
way out of town to pick up a few things. Got back onto hwy 17. Yay! A whole
day of traffic from hell to look forward to. With very few exceptions though,
people were actually passing us carefully. Today was probably the nicest day
ever, weather wise. Nice and sunny, warm but not to hot, and a gentle
tailwind which blew for the entire day and got stronger near the end. We also
saw the most cyclists ever. All were going west. We first passed a couple,
fully loaded. Shortly after we passed two guys riding recumbents. They did
not have any gear so I assume they were locals. Stopped for lunch at a picnic
table in Blind River next to a river with a fountain in the middle. We then
passed another touring cyclist riding solo. He was only loaded with two rolls
on the back, (I assume a sleeping bag and a tent) and two small front
panniers. I guess he likes to travel light! At Algoma Mills we got a brief
relief from the traffic, as a secondary road parallelled the highway and snaked
alongside Lake Huron. We did not encounter a single car for the entire 6 km.
If only the whole day could be like that. At the turnoff to Elliott Lake we
stopped at a tourist center. I asked the woman about campgrounds east on 17.
I got the usual Ontario response 'I do not know'. Why is it that no one
knows? What is the point of these info centres if they do not know anything?
We continued on, and soon saw ads for two campgrounds in the town of Spanish.
Before we got there however, we saw a nice place in the woods. Just before
stopping we saw another couple on fully loaded bikes. We have heard hoof
beats since we arrived, so hopefully no deers will trip over our tent again.
Tue Jul 13 - 105 km - Spanish to Little Current
Had a pretty rough sleep. Was awoken at 2340h to some large animal romping
around in the woods. We got out of tent and investigated with flashlights,
but found nothing. Went back to bed but still heard animals making noises all
around. I think that the majority of them were squirrels, but we heard hoof
beats of deer occasionally. Finally fell asleep later until 0630h. Rode out to
another clear sunny day. We had a tailwind as well. Rode to Massey to get
groceries, but the store was closed while it changed ownership. Got some
brown coloured water from the tourist place (it tasted OK) and Wendy went to
the bank. As we were leaving, two children on bikes approached us and asked
where we were going. They were quite impressed. Finally we got off of hwy 17
and onto hwy 6. We high fived as we hoped the last ten days of traffic hell
were over. Well, not quite. 6 is almost as bad. The traffic is quite heavy
and no one seems to know how to drive safely. At least there are fewer
trucks. Stopped for lunch at a broken picnic table in a school yard in
Espanola. Got groceries here and some more water which was actually clear.
Continued south on 6. Now the wind was being a pain. Just before Little
Current there is a swinging bridge. We stopped and took photos and read a
sign which said that the bridge would be closed for fifteen minutes every hour
on the hour. We looked at our watches, 1702h. 'Well it is not closed yet!'
is what I said. We rode up, and just as we got there, the guard rails
dropped. We waited as two sail boats
motored through the channel. We rode
across the bridge on the sidewalk because it was only a single lane and did
not feel like dealing with irate drivers behind us, or head on traffic if we
did not make it across before the signals changed. There were no campgrounds
in Little Current so we got a motel room. Ate dinner at a local restaurant
and had some locally made ice-cream for dessert. We are going to try to get
up early tomorrow, as we want to catch the 1330h ferry which is 80 km away.
Wed Jul 14 - 115 km - Little Current to Miller Lake
Got up at 0600h, went out for breakfast and got on the road at 0730h. Of
course, since we were pressed for time to make the ferry, we had a good strong
south wind in our face. We took the longer way down on the secondary
highways. This was nice as there was little traffic. The route was very
scenic as well, with lots of lakes, trees, and small farms. Stopped briefly
several times to snack on fruit, granola bars, and mixed nuts, since we did not
have time to diddle around with a large meal. Arrived at the ferry at 1245h,
bought our tickets, ($32.10 for the two of us with the bikes) and ate a quick
lunch while waiting for the boat to arrive.
A guy pulling a big camping
trailer in front of us had to pay $160! I guess it pays to travel light!
The boat came, and we got to board first along with the motorcycles. Parked
along the wall where we tied the bikes so they would not fall over, and went
up to the deck. The ride was pleasant as the day was nice and clear. I got
some photos of leaving,
and a lighthouse on the opposite shore.
The trip was
just a little under 2 hours, where we got to unload at the front, again with
the motorcycles. Waited for some of the traffic to pass and then continued
south on hwy 6. For the first while, there was heavy traffic as people were
still trickling out of the ferry town, but it died off as we went. We thought
about stopping at the national park, but it was six km off the road and we
felt that our effort would be better spent continuing south. Stopped at a
campground at Miller Lake. They wanted $20 for a site in a trailer park!
There was another campground down the road, so we checked it out, but they
wanted $23! Went back to the first and reluctantly forked over the money.
This was the most expensive night of camping on the entire trip. There are
only three tent sites at the back. They are sort of secluded from the rows
of RVs, but they put some sand on the ground to make it feel like you are
camping on a beach I guess. I find that it just makes it a pain to walk.
After today though, I should be able to sleep through anything.
Thu Jul 15 - 94 km - Miller Lake to Owen Sound
Awoke to another nice day. Rode out on hwy 6 to oodles of traffic. We got
off of it though onto some nice quiet county roads, where we managed to remain
for most of the day. Saw a few other recreational cyclists out riding,
obviously taking advantage of the good weather. The scenery now reminds me of
home. In fact I feel just like I am riding along on a weekend ride, over
small hills, past farms, and wooded areas. Got back onto hwy 6 just before
lunch time and rode into Wiarton. Here we had some problems with the
motorists, and I had to knock on one window to get the drivers attention, as
it was obviously not on the obstacles (us) in the road. Stopped at the
hospital and ate lunch on the lawn in the shade of a big tree. Got back on
the highway for a couple more km, before we were able to turn off onto another
county road. A small garter snake was sunning itself on the road, which
startled as I approached and I had to swerve around it. We jumped off our
bikes, and Wendy caught it just before a car came along. Took a couple
photos
of it before freeing it in the grass. Continued into Owen Sound, which turned
out to be the nicest approach to a city ever. Stopped at the tourist info
center to get a free map of the city, and find where the motels were. Found a
cheap one, after a little shopping around. Everything in the room is broken
or in some state of disrepair. Went to dinner at Pizza Hut, then to some bar.
They were out of Algonquin Honey Brown and all the other beers were
Labolson, so we left and went to another bar. They also had Honey Brown on
tap, so we ordered a pitcher, but the keg ran dry. Drank Rickards Red and
Guinness instead.
Fri Jul 16 - 0 km - Rest Day
Went out for breakfast at Smittys, which was not very good. Bought
groceries. Wendy went to do laundry while I read my book. Walked downtown in
the afternoon and shopped a little. Went to the marine and rail museum, which
was 98% marine, (at least it was free) and I was not too interested. Cooked
supper in the microwave in our room. The city is nice. It is very hilly
though, but this makes for some great views. Too bad everything was covered
in a blanket of smog, due to the humidity. The pedestrian facilities here,
however, are very poor. Most streets have a sidewalk on only one side, which
changes sides every few blocks. The crossing signals do not work very well
either. After supper, we went back to the pub for a couple beers. I won a
Molson Canadian indy car racing hat in some promotional draw.
Sat Jul 17 - 105 km - Owen Sound to Orr Lake
Slept in a little, partly because of going to bed late, and partly because of
the beers. Cooked scrambled eggs in the microwave, which did not work out so
well and then hit the road at about 0930h. Headed out of town on hwy 26.
Traffic was pretty bad. At least there were no trucks. Stopped in Thornbury
for a snack at the fish locks.
This is a dam with a system for getting fish
over the falls, similar to boat locks. As we left town, we noticed a bike
path which ran parallel to the highway. We got on it, which had a nice
crushed stone surface, (smoother than the pavement) and the only traffic we
had to deal with, were cyclists every few minutes. We followed this path all
the way to Collingwood. As we got closer to the town, there was a triathlon
going on and the runners were using the path. One of the refreshment stations
offered us some sports drink, which we greedily accepted and then even filled a
couple of out water bottles for us. We found a picnic table to eat lunch, but
then spied a Mr. Sub across a parking lot, so we ate there instead. Got back
on the highway, and left town. Now the traffic was even worse, pretty much
constant. It was worse than riding a downtown city street. As we approached
Wasaga Beach, we got stuck in a traffic jam. This lasted for about 30 minutes
of stop and go. We could not get around because the shoulder was too sandy
to ride on. After we passed the two sets of traffic lights in town, we could
move again. This was nice, but it also meant hordes of cars passing. Stopped
for another snack in Elmvale, after which we got on a secondary road. Ahh!
Quiet at last. Found some Christian campground and inquired about staying.
There were no tent sites left, (lots of trailer ones) so we could not stay.
I guess the lord did not want us there so we left. Found another campground
down the road a little ways. They said it was for trailers only, as they
did not have washroom facilities. As we left, we decided to head further down
the dead end road we were on and find a spot in the woods. A man came out
of the campground office and started yelling that we were going the wrong way,
and that the 'cops are going to get us' if we tried to ride on hwy 400. I
asked who owned the woods around this area, and he replied 'the government,
but the cops will get you if you camp in there!'. He continued ranting and
yelling about the cops getting us, so we just rode back
to the main road, eager to get out of there.
Rode a little further and camped in the same woods. So far, the cops have not
gotten us.
Sun Jul 18 - 100 km - Orr Lake to Head Lake
Got up early and got going. Rode into Craighurst where we saw a garden
railroad called the Craighurst Pacific Railway (CPR!).
The property it was
on was located next to the real CPR tracks. Too bad the owners did not seem
to be around, because I would have liked to talk to them, or see the railway
in operation. Got onto county road 22 which was quieter than 93, but the
terrain was quite hilly. Followed this road all the way to the end, but ended
up getting lost. Stopped for a break at a boat launch before back tracking
for a while and then trying a different road. This lead to hwy 11, which is
just under the freeway class, so we battled ultra high speed traffic for a bit
before getting off onto a road to take us into Orillia. Got groceries and
water and went down to the lake where we ate lunch. Rode out of town on the
highway through some construction where more than one motorist felt the need
to yell at us. Turned off onto 44 as soon as possible, but this road was not
much better. A few km further we turned onto 45 which was much quieter, but
still pretty busy. The weekend is over tomorrow, so hopefully the traffic
will let up, as it seems to be mostly weekend travellers. It was really hot
and we were beginning to think about taking a break when out of the blue, in
the middle of nowhere, popped a little shop selling ice cream. We got some
and some really fresh cheese curds and chatted with many other customers as we
ate. Got a refill of our water bottles as well. We were warned by the woman
serving the ice cream that the town of Uphill 'is not called that for nothing'
and told us that she rode a bike up there once and found it really difficult.
Rode to Uphill which turned out to be one of the smaller hills of the day. A
few more km down the road we came across a trailer park with the owners
sitting outside. They were really friendly and we decided to stay the night.
We went for a quick swim in a very muddy lake before cooking supper. It felt
very good to cool off.
Mon Jul 19 - 112 km - Head Lake to Birds Creek
Started out with overcast skies. At least it was cooler, but still pretty
warm. It was not long before it started raining lightly. We ignored it because we
were warm anyway. Rode into Kinmount and got some groceries. Put on our rain
jackets and ate the best cheese bread sticks I have ever had, purchased at the
grocery store. Rode on down 503. Traffic was light today which was a nice change.
The rain stopped about noon and the sun came out. Stopped for lunch at a little
restaurant in Gooderham where the woman serving talked to us about our trip. An
unusual sight occurred several times today. We saw several
trees which were
completely covered with shoes. The first time we saw it there were three trees
together with shoes nailed to them. Along the road, we saw several other trees
with a similar adornment. From Tory Hill we took secondary 648 and then county
road 5. Stopped at a cottage-campground in Baptiste, as it was getting late.
After waiting fifteen minutes for the woman to get off of the phone, she told me
where there were some free sites, and that it would cost $21.50. We looked at the
sites, which were cramped and crowded, as the place was almost full, and we decided
to keep going. Got to Birds Creek and went down a very soft gravel road to the
Bancroft Campground where Bob and Felicia stayed. This place is very nice with
secluded sites in the woods, very few people, friendly attendant, and a somewhat
more reasonable price of $18, tax included. We are glad that we decided to push
on instead of staying at the other hole. My rear tire
wore right through the tread
today. The yellow rubber of the casing shows through as a ring all the way around.
As we are only three days from home, I am going to keep riding on it.
Tue Jul 20 - 111 km - Birds Creek to Black Donald Lake
Got up sharp at 0600h to chase a couple squirrels away from the food bag. We
decided to get breakfast in Bancroft, 5 km down the road, so got on the road at
0730h. Ate a mediocre meal, (I cannot wait to get home to good restaurants) picked
up some stove fuel from Canadian Tire, and got some groceries before actually
getting going at 0900h. Rode hwy 28 all the way to Denbigh which was a pleasant
ride as the traffic was light. It was sunny, but not too hot, and a gentle west
wind helped a little. It was very hilly however. One hill was extremely steep and
very tall which left us both panting very hard by the time we reached the top.
Stopped in Denbigh under a tree for lunch and then headed north on hwy 41 to
Griffith. This was mostly downhill which was nice and fast. We turned onto a
county road following the Matawaska river and followed this to Black Donald lake.
I used to camp out by this lake quite a bit when I was in high school. We found a
nice place to camp, right down by the water.
One of the nicest spots on the entire
trip. Went for a swim before cooking supper.
Tomorrow will be the last long day
of riding.
Wed Jul 21 - 100 km - Black Donald Lake to Carp
Got up to another nice day. Replaced Wendy's front brake pads while breakfast was
cooking, as they were badly worn and making lots of noise. Got on the road early
as we were both anxious to get 'home'. We had a tailwind for the entire day which
was happily accepted. Riding through Calabogie brought back many memories of
camping trips with my buddies in high school. Went into White River where we
looked for a place for lunch. Found a nice little restaurant, where we parked and
went in. The woman had told us that we had to sit outside for lunch, so we did,
even though we really wanted to get out of the heat. After receiving the menus, we
realized that it was a yuppie place, as there were no vegetarian choices and the
sandwiches were ridiculously priced. No wonder there was no one else there. We
got up and left before the waitress returned to take our order. Found another
place which was more our style. Ordered the standard grilled cheese and fries and
talked to the owner and several other people who were hanging out. They also
served the best pie I have eaten the entire trip. Rode out of town on county
roads. We began to feel really anxious now as the territory was becoming familiar.
Went through Pakenham and crossed the stone bridge there. Wendy broke two spokes
which I replaced on the side of the road. Figures that something would go wrong
on the last day. When we crossed over hwy
17, I made a point of spitting on it. Thank goodness we do not have to ride that
anymore. The last 10 km seemed to last an eternity, as it was on a road on which
we have ridden many times. Finally we got to Carp and rode up to
Wendy's Aunt's
house. While riding through Carp, I got stung by a wasp. It flew into my mouth
and it stung my toungue while I spit it out.
Ouch! No one was home so we sat outside on
the back porch until Melinda arrived. Wendy's parents drove up and brought the
developed photographs of the trip until Winnipeg, so we all looked at them. Most
turned out really well. Ate supper and stayed up chatting till pretty late.
Finally went to sleep on a couple of couches in the family room.
Thu Jul 22 - 39 km - Carp to Ottawa
Ate breakfast at Melinda's and then got going
as we were anxious to get home. It
was very hot, but we had a tailwind so we were travelling pretty fast. A motorist
in Kanata got extremely angry about our existence on the road, but this just made
us feel at home! Since it was early on a weekday, we took the bike path from Bells
Corners to save some time. It was not too bad. Saw our new roommate riding to work
as we biked up our street. He stopped to talk for a second and then continued on
his way. We pulled into our driveway and cheered.
We were done!
5992 km total.
Just 8 km short of 6 Mm. Went down to the Oak (our friendly local pub)
after having lunch, where we were
joined by several friends. Stayed up late and consumed a few too many drinks.
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