Day Forty Nine - Ottawa

The crickets were so loud while I was trying to sleep last night that the noise cancelling headphones barely cut out the noise. Despite the noise I slept pretty solid as there was hardly any highway noise and no train whistle blowing either.

Sam and I left with others after the truck was packed. It was a bit of an odd day because quite a few people left late on a day that we would ride 100 miles plus. We rode along the 1000 islands parkway for the first 40 km or so. The houses and cabins that line that road have a very nice view. Some islands only have one house that fills the whole island. 

The first stop of the day was in Merrikville. My legs felt pretty good and we averaged 27 kmph over the three hours. The group had lunch at a cafe. We  Bill Hamilton who is 91 years old who bikes 20 km each day to the coffee shop.  Arlen and Viki got a picture with him. Amazing. 

We stopped a couple more times for a quick drink. The terrain most mostly flat with some small rolling hills. Quite a bit of the road was adjacent to the Rideau Canal. We were suprised to read that we had to get off our bikes and maneuver through the fence that surrounds the airport. The road away from the airport and to Carelton University is dangerously busy. The shoulder is wide but is poor condition. We had to cross many busy on ramps and off ramps. 

Once at the University I was suprised at how nice it was. We checked in and found that our rooms had been recently renovated. The only catch was that we weren't warned in the morning that the truck would remain loaded at the uni. People had to climb over bags and the stove to get access to their personal items they needed during the day off. 

The century ride felt a little longer than I expected and after a pizza dinner served in the common area I went to sleep at 8. 

St Lawrence river just past Ivy Lea, ON

Cyclist, 91 year old Bill Hamilton. Amazing!

Matty have a problem getting over the fence at the Ottawa airport.

Day Forty Eight - Ivy Lea

Last night I was woke up by the gusting wind blowing on the tarp that covers my bike. I was surprised to make up and find the wind to be calm. Breakfast was pancakes and I added fresh sliced peaches, raspberries, and powdered sugar. John wanted to go to the bike shop in Bloomfield so Sam and Arlen joined us and we headed out at 7:30.

We made good time to the bike shop. We had to wait a half hour before they opened up. John wanted to get a chain but needed up with a new cassette too. His repairs took an hour so when we got to the ferry at Glenora we were not surprised to see the people on breakfast duty there before us. 

On the ferry Sam and I talked to three people from Quebec that were camping at Presquile Park. He speaks French fluently so if they didn't understand me then Sam said it in French. The ferry had to travel only a short distance and seemed to make the crossing very quickly. 

During the ride to Kingston it started to rain a little. We stopped in Bath for a quick bite. After lunch John and Arlen went ahead as it was John's day to cook. 

Sam and I opted not to follow the cue sheets as I have lived in Kingston. I was suprised to see all the new development over the past 16 years. Even the subdivision where I lived was difficult to determine without the landmark of the Swiss Chalet. 

We rode on Princesses street and then down to Queens to go to the bookstore which was closed. We continued down the Main Street and over the bridge which is adjacent to Royal Military College. 

The ride to Gananoque is through farmland. I have been in the road in a car but by bike it is much different. Gananoque has a very nice part of town by the Gananoque River. The city hall pic is below. Before leaving the town I went to the bike shop to have my handle bar tape re-wrapped and to buy a chain - 20% off. 

With only 8 km to the campground I thought that the cue sheet that warned us about rude drivers was unwarranted. A black 4 X 4 came super close to me without there being any other cars around. He also looked bake and gave me the finger. Further up the road he drive off the road and on to the gravel. Jerk!

I was happy to get to camp and eat diner that was pork chops and corn. 

City hall at Gananoque, ON

Ferry from Glenora ON to Adolphustown, ON

Waiting for the bike shop to open at a cafe in Bloomfield, ON.

Princess Street in Kingston, ON

Day Forty Seven - Carrying Place

Paul and Rodney visited me last night for a hour. It was nice to catch up with them after not seeing them for a number of years.

Although we have our tents close together mostly every night it is quite different to have everyone in one room especially if the person beside you is snoring like a chainsaw. 

Today is the day that most people get lost according to a vet if the tour. It has many turns in the cue sheet and some of them aren't exactly at the correct kilometre. We did not get lost but I did tJe some wrong turns and had to be corrected by another rider. 

Today we made our way out of the long up and down hills and south to the shores of Lake Ontario. It was a nice day was a lot of sunshine but not too hot. 

Befote Port Hope we stopped at a sports store so that John could buy a chain but they did not have what he wanted. We headed to Port Hope for lunch. I was planning to meet my parents at Tim Hortons and John had plans with the group at a cafe in downtown. 

After lunch we continued East to our destination. The weather continued to be good but there was a bit of a head wind. We got to camp early enough to get out tents set up and have a shower. 

My parents dropped by and I gave them a tour of the camp and truck. They dropped off bottles of wine, oranges, and grapefruit. It was appreciated by the group. They headed home before dinner was served. 

At dinner there we lots of hornets lying around. They are attracted to the sugar in the PPP and the fruit. Even though we were on a lake I did not get a chance to see it. 

I got the bed early as tomorrow is a long day. 

Rod and Paul driving home after coming to visit me the previous day.  Thanks guys!

Treed country road close to Newcastle, ON

Day Forty Six - Nestleton

This morning was a bit of a late start because we only had to go 118 kms. Quite a few people were arriving from being away for their rest day mostly visiting their families and some exploring Niagara Falls and Toronto. 

By 8 everyone was back and the truck had been loaded up. Sam, John, and I started out together but in less than a hour we were joined by the fast four. The terrain was country roads and rolling hills. Our elevation gain was far less than the previous ride day from Owen Sound but my legs were still a little sore. 

We were in Uxbridge at lunch time and stopped at the Tin Cup Caffe for bite. I had a cheese and ham pretzel bun that was toasted. Everyone enjoyed their lunch. We were asked by the owner for a picture of all of us outside after lunch so she could post it on Facebook. We did so. 

After lunch I dropped from the rest of the group as their pace was a little too fast for me with a full belly. John and I rode together for the rest of the afternoon. About 15 km from camp we stopped at a small town called Blackstock for a break. The rain started. 

By the time we made it too camp we were soaked. Most people were at camp already except for four riders. Everyone was under the tent shelters staying dry. Ben let us know that we could sleep inside the hall instead of our tents. 

We set up our sleeping bags on the concrete floors in large hall. Dinner was a meal that was prepared by Laura's parents of brisket and salad. It was delicious. 

Friends of mine might stop by as we are the closest we will be to Peterborough this trip. Tomorrow's ride should be flatter terrain as we are on highway 2 by lake Ontario. 

Jr and Matt having a break at the Tin Cup Caffe in Uxbridge, ON

Metal sculpture outside of Bill Lishman's workshop near Blackstock, ON

Enjoying a delicious meal prepared by Laura's family.  Thank You!

Unscheduled indoor accomodation at campground in Nestleton, ON

Day Forty Five - Rest Day Tottenham

After waking up late because of my steak induced coma, I prepared for going to my brothers place for lunch. Breakfast was scheduled for 10 so I had to eat a couple of eggs and toast to hold me over.

While waiting for breakfast I played with my five year old nephew, Pauly. He has lots of energy and always seems to have smile on his face. He slept over the night before so we could spend more time together. 

At 10 we arrived and ate a second breakfast of bacon, eggs, hash browns, and toast. My brother Paul cooked the bacon in the oven and his wife Erin expertly cooked the eggs. We made plans after breakfast to go back to the resort and go swimming. 

Both nephews went for a swim in the covered pool at the resort. My brother was in too and he was launching Pauly out of the pool and he would splash down 10 feet away with a smile on his face. 

After swimming I had a nap before we had a late lunch/ early dinner. Dinner was at my parents house.  I watched Erin feed Liam canned peaches that had been ground up. Liam really enjoyed them. He must certainly be the cutest baby in the whole world. 

After dinner my brother drove me back to the campground in Tottenham. My mother and her friends had previously baked hundreds of cookies and squares for the group that I brought back to camp. 

The drive was about 2 hours and the traffic wasn't too bad. When we got to camp I introduced Paul to the few people that were at camp as some were still away until the next morning. The cookies were very well received and quite a few were eaten immediately.  Overall a very good rest day. 

Mom and Dad outside their place in Peterborough, ON

Pauly my smart and energetic nephew and me.  Not enough time spent together.

My newest nephew, Liam.  Extremely cute!

Day Forty Four - Tottenham

This morning I got up a little early so I could get to Tottenham as my father was picking me up to go to Peterborough. My regular riding partner joined me and Arlen did too as he had people to see too.

In the first half a km there was a steep hill. Soon after that it was another set of steep hills. It was a taste of what we would be getting today. The hills today surprised most people and really put people's fitness to the test. 

The first stop was 30 km in when we, well Arlen, spotted an ice cream cone sign that indicated a restaurant was close. When we stopped Arlen was disappointed that they only had Freezies. We had so cold drinks and kept going. 

Did I mention that terrain was hilly?  Today we had a gain of 1100 meters. The terrain was hilly with some very steep descents that were fun because I probably was doing over 80 kmph. Contrasting the downhills were the steep uphills in which I rode some of them in a zig zag pattern to reduce the slope. 

Once in Creemore we visited the brewery and was surprised to receive three free samples in which I enjoyed the original lager the most a lot 9 came in second. We headed to the bakery after our samples to get some lunch before moving on. 

Kerry joined us and the four of us ride together for the rest of the day. It was more of the same types of terrain and I stopped a couple of times to take pictures of some beautiful farmland views.  

We got into camp a little later than hoped because of the headwind that we had in the afternoon. The campground was nice but I only got to enjoy it for a couple of minutes before my father picked me up. Other people that lived nearby were also preparing to leave. 

Once at my parents place my brother, sister in law, and two adorably cute nephews had steak dinner together. Good times. 

Ski runs at Blue Mountain, ON

Hay field with a view just outside of Creemore, ON.  An unexpected extremely hill day.

Arlen, the legend, focused on the road ahead while on his bike

Day Forty Three - Owen Sound

This morning my father and I went for a nice breakfast in downtown Tobermoy. Last night he was able to rent a cabin in the campground that we were staying at. After breakfast we headed back to the campground for 7:45 to get ready to ride the 135 kms.

It was a very rare occurrence today that mostly all riders started at the same time. It is nice to share the experience of the day together. Before we had our first stop Viki rubbed tires and went down on the pavement. I didn't see it happen but the group I was riding with stopped to assist.  She was lucky to scrape her hip and bruise her hand a little. 

We stopped at Rachel's Bakery and 50's diner in Lion's Head. The tables and pictures on the walls were from the 50's. They had many kinds of squares and pies. We bought a whole raspberry pie as it was cheaper than buying 6 individual pieces. 

Later on while we were in Wiarton we stopped by the Wiarton Willy statue which is in a very nice park on the shores of Georgian Bay. Other visitors to the statue saw our jerseys and asked us about the tour. They were nice enough to take a picture of the three of us. 

Past Wiarton we saw the Niagara escarpment for the first time.  The road was very smooth and the traffic was light. Houses on the left side were on the water and some were very nice. At Big Bay we stopped for an ice cream that was the best we've had on this tour. 

Just past the ice cream shop Sam and I formed pace line with Duncan and Laura.  We made really good time the rest of the way into Owen Sound. We were second ones to make it to camp. Arlen beat us all there. 

Dinner was chicken curry that was very good. Tomorrow my father is picking me up after our ride and I will spend the rest day in Peterborough. 

Kerry outside of Rachel's Bakery in Lion's Head, ON

John at his favorite ice cream place on the trip so far, Big Bay general store, Big Bay, ON

Duncan having tea at a roadside tribute to women