July 14 - 17: Last days on the Fleuve St. Lawrence

July 14 - 100 km to St-Jean-Port-Joli
Today was a fantastic day of riding along the south shore of the St. Lawrence - with a nice flat road, clearing and getting sunny weather, and a (at times stiff) tailwind. And, I should add, that today was officially my arrival on the shore of the Atlantic Ocean, a pretty great milestone. I say this because after Ile d'Orleans the St Lawrence becomes tidal and brackish, so coming over the main hill after Beaumont (under the power lines) you get the first great view of the river opening out between Ile d'Orleans and the south shore, which is the first view of the "ocean", and then today we were cycling along the water and at our campsite, which is right on the water, I went down to the water and splashed in the ocean. Yay!

Today was also fantastic for meeting other touring cyclists : first and foremost, we met Don from Cranbrook who is cycling from Ottawa to Moncton. He is taking a great leisurely tour and we have been riding together all day and now we're camping together. Then we chatted with Pierre, riding from Montreal to who-knows-where, who passed us twice more during the day, who was riding with very little gear and staying at hotels. Then two pairs of tourists from Quebec who were about five minutes apart, Gilles and Rene and another couple we didn't get the names of, and finally I chatted with two great young guys named John and Luke, who are from Ottawa and riding from Vancouver to PEI. They left May 22 and took the Trans-Canada most of the way, and are now "slowing down a bit!" in their words.

Most of these towns along Highway 132 on the south shore are fantastic little towns with the usual 2-or-300-year-old church with fine little houses lining the road, and the views for much of the day of the river, hills inland, and mountains across the river are quite lovely. After our big breakfast at the B+B we only stopped for a light lunch at Montmagny, at a park next to the lovely waterfall there, and a few light snack stops, and otherwise just stopping at interesting spots (and to talk with the cyclists we see). We also stopped so Mike could check out the motorcycle museum in Saint-Jean-Port-Joli. The town is stuffed with artisans and shops of various stuff, and is very pretty (as the name implies).

Tomorrow we'll hopefully get past Riviere-du-Loup (River of the WOLF!!).

Mark

July 15: St-Jean-Port-Joli to Rivere du Loup (Mike and Mary), L'Isle Verte (Mark) 127 km 7 hrs on the bike

What a perfect morning -- fresh air, low humidity, a booming west wind to help us go east, sunny, but not hot, and a bike route along the shores of the St. Lawrence. It is hard to get better than this! It is great to be back alongside the sea -- it feels like home. Last night, as I was up for my nightly p&p (pee and perambulation) I was surprised to get my first smell of saltwater tang and see my first tide in over 69 days. Our campsite was right on the St. Lawrence shore, and the water was lapping up against the rocks just below the tent --reminded me of Sombrio Beach!

Today we kept as much as possible to the Route Verte, but it did disappear in a few place. After a fine 2nd breakfast we rode along an off-road path through the estuary of the Ouelle river. Fireweed, loosestrife, primrose, yellow buckwheat, and red elderberry bushes bent over with berries lined the route. Bird song of course -- our old friends the red-winged blackbird, and in the distance, in the forest, the white throated sparrow. Limestone outcroppings (at least I think that is what they were) made the afternoon landscape interesting and different.

We easily rode through the big town on our route - Riviere du Loup. But, on the way out, trouble struck. We were all travelling though the town of Cacouna, on a very bumpy section of the 132 highway. We were going downhill at a high speed. Mike and I were behind when Mike hit a pothole. At this point, his rear rack (it holds most of his gear) sheared off right at its attachment to the rear axle of the bike and lodged in the spokes of the rear wheel. Luckily none of the spokes broke -- but, Mike had to have a new rear rack. I took most of the heavy items from his bike and he jury-rigged the frame so we could limp back to Riviere du Loup.

Mike and I got a place at the Riviere du Loup muni campsite and set up. Then it was off to the far end of Riviere du Loup to the Canadian Tire to see if they had a rack. No joy there. We will have to wait until tomorrow morning at 10:00 to see what the bike store has.

Meanwhile .... Mark is wondering what the hell happened to us! Luckily we had the cell phone, Cathy in Victoria, and a very helpful campground in L'Isle Verte. The campground let Mark call Cathy long distance for free (I had called Cathy earlier and apprised her of the situation, so she could tell Mark). Also, Don (who was travelling with us on this day) was able to call and I let him know the situation. With everyone all squared away, Mike and I settled in for a good night's sleep.

Mary

Mark here: meanwhile Don and I stood around at the side of the highway for about an hour chatting until we figured something must be up, so, we being closer to the next town than Riviere du Loup, Don cycled on to L'Isle Verte to find camping and a phone while I sat by the side of the road. I was dolled up in rain gear so I put on my bug hat and sat while the mosquitoes vainly tried to find a way in to bite me - unsuccessfully, for once. Don came back in about 30 minutes, he found the camping and phoned Mary and came back and got me, and we, much relieved to find out M+M were OK, went on to L'Isle Verte to camp.

And boy did we get rained on at the camp! Holy schlamoley we got the hugest 10-minute blast of rain there ever was - Don was totally soaked, thank goodness we got our tents up in time, all it did was water down our dinner.

Mark

July 16: Riviere du Loup (Mike and Mary), L'Isle Verte (Mark) to Parc du Bic 72 km (Mark) 95 km (Mike and Mary)

I spent a nice morning eating breakfast on the quay in L'Isle Verte and exploring the town while awaiting Mike and Mary to show up - they successfully found a bike rack in Riviere du Loup and installed it, and then met me at L'Isle Verte at noon. Don meanwhile had taken off after breakfast so I bid him adieu - if you're reading this Don, hope you had a great trip!! I met another touring cyclist, Jeff, who I had exchanged greetings with in the camping at L'Isle Verte the night before - he was the only other camper along with Don and I. Jeff, who was from Montreal, was cycling from Riviere du Loup, up the north shore to Tadoussac, and then across the ferry and down again.

Then we set off for another gorgeous day cycling along the St Lawrence - despite a small spatter of rain it was mostly excellent, with the road away from the coast at times in a lovely valley near the river. The scenery was lumpy limestone hills - Cathy they were much like the mogotes near Vinales in Cuba - and pleasant farms, and we passed lots of walkers on the road. We learned later in Trois Pistoles that this is a pilgrimage route that lots of people walk, from somewhere I can't remember to somewhere else I can't remember.

We camped at the "National" Park of Bic (Quebec calls all its provincial parks "national") and I had time to do a nice hike around a couple of the bays, where I saw some seals.

Mark

July 17 - 117km to Val-Brillant on Lac Matapedia

This morning I met Byron from Magog, who is cycling from Halifax to Montreal, where he will work for a month, and then go on to Vancouver - go Byron! Byron was carrying the most gear of anyone I've seen so far - he must have 150 pounds of stuff.

And then, later in the day, we met Felix on the road, who is doing a very cool bike tour: from Montreal up the south shore, then a ferry to the north shore, and then he will ride north to the very end of the road, near Labrador - very studly. We met him fixing a flat, and then later on we saw him fixing another flat with help from our friend Don, who we'd last seen yesterday morning. But we left Don behind again as he wasn't going as far as us today.

As for the riding, another gorgeous day, our last in fact, along the St Lawrence - Rimouski has an excellent bike path along the downtown waterfront, and then north of town the bike route follows a lovely coastal road, all old mills and old farms, along the water past Pointe-au-Pere where the pilots for the St Lawrence were stationed, and where the tallest lighthouse in Eastern Canada is (pay admission, didn't go in). Finally we left the river (now ocean) behind at Saint Flavie and climbed up to Mont Joli into the Gaspesie region proper- a few more climbs, a few more small towns, and we were cruising down towards the Matapedia Valley region, which we'll follow all day tomorrow to THE NEXT PROVINCE!!! namely New Brunswick.

We are camping at Val-Brillant, right between the lake and the lovely twin-spired gothic church, and the camping lady is very nice and practised her English a lot on us. Also they have an unsecured wireless network so we'll hopefully upload all this in the morning. Great sunset too!

Later

Mark

July 10 - 13: Chemin du Roy -- Travels on the King`s Highway

July 10: Montreal (Verdun) to Lanoraie (Chemin du Roy)
78.7 km
15.7 km/hr average
5 hrs on the bike

(Sorry - no images, I am on a machine that won`t allow me to spell check or add pics!).

Another great night to be inside! Around 9:30 pm the skies opened and it poured. Thank you again Corrine and Jean-Francois. Morning found us all well rested, and after some strong coffee and a good breakfast (thank you Corrine), we rode along the Lachine Canal bike route into downtown Montreal for some sightseeing before heading east.

We rode up to Place des Armes and saw the basilica. Mark had never been before so he paid the 5.00 and went inside for a view. He reported it as being very ornate. The design was inspired by Sainte Chapelle in Paris and, having recently been in Sainte Chapelle Mark said he could see the similarities. It is certainly one of Canada's finest cathedrals.

From the basilica we went through the old town -- cobblestones and all! We had a quick look at Beausecours and then headed down to the bike route. We got on La Route Verte #5 and travelled north east up the Island of Montreal until we crossed the river on a small bridge south of Charlemange. The Route was quite circuitous here and we travelled a few kilometres out of our way through back streets, along railway and power corridors, through parks, to the small town of L'Assomption. Here we saw the first of the area's Roman Catholic church spires. They are sheathed in some type of silvery metal that gleams on even the greyest day. They rise above the towns and can be seen for miles around from the flat valley of the St. Lawrence River. La Route Verte here travels on the Chemin du Roy (Route 138). This road was developed in 1737 and was the first road in Canada that could take vehicles.

We travelled by Saint-Sulpice with its magnificant church (built in 1832). Then it was on to Lavaltrie, and into camping outside of Lanoraie. It is such a different experience to be in Canadian towns and villages that are so old -- some started in the early 1700s.

Our camping for the night was at Chez Daniel -- a bit noisy for Mike and I, but Mark didn't have trouble falling off to sleep. The campground was right on the banks of the St. Lawrence. This river, which goes so deeply into the heart of central Canada has played a big role in developing my personal idea of the country -- from early geography and social studies classes right through to this trip, where we will spend almost two weeks on its banks. When I was looking at maps of Canada in grade school, I never thought I would one day be camping on the banks of this great river.
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Mary

July 11: Lavaltrie to Champlain
114 km;
17.1 km/hr;
6:40 on the bike;

Another beautiful day on the Chemin du Roy. Today I was thinking of my good friend Lisa Spellacy -- the culture, the food, the historic importance of the area, combined with great cycling and friendly people make it a place she would LOVE to ride through.

Today we followed La Route Verte through some of the most picturesque villages and farms I have seen on the trip thus far. We meandered all around the highway 138 through Lanoraie, Bertieville, Saint-Cuthert and Barthelemy, Maskinonge, Louiseville, and Yamachiche. Each of these towns has houses that are several hundred years old, and each is punctuated with a silver-roofed church. Yamachiche featured a row of old red brick buildings (1850s -- just youngsters, but very typical of the town none the less). A 10 year old boy I was talking to told me the story of how the bricks were made in the area, how they were fired, and how the houses were built -- at leat that's what I think he was saying, as he was speaking French, and mine is not so hot!

We breakfasted at Bertierville at Chez Elaine's Resto Bistro in the town square. It is not on the main tourist track, so was full of locals. An excellent breakfast, not expensive, and our first taste of a local terriene (pate). I highly recommend the place if you are travelling along the Chemin.

With the day getting warmer we passed through Trois Riveres, doing our best to stay to La Route. We had a few miss-steps, but nothing major. When following a signed route it is very easy to stray when other bike paths cross your path, as happened here. However, it wasn't a major setback and we were soon over the bridge at Trois Rivers and back on La Route.

After passing by the huge pilgrimage church at Notre-Dame-Du-Cap, we travelled another 15 or so km to our camping outside of Champlain. Again, we were right on the banks of the Fleuve St. Laurent at Royal Camping. When he determined that I was interested in the river, he took me on a quick riverside tour. This is not just a pleasant tourist river, the St. Lawrence is a working river with thousands of tons of tanker, container, and barge traffic every day. Right across the river from the campground, perched in the trees, was Quebec's only nuclear power generating facility. According to my host the reactor on the right cost a billion dollars, doesn't work, and will never work -- but that is far preferrable to the reactor on the left, which cost millions to build, and millions more every year just to keep running. Just upstream from the nuclear station was an aluminum smelter, and even further upstream, a magnesium production facility.

I wonder what Sammuel Champlain would say if he could see the river today? He must have thought it was a wonder when he first sailed up it. I also wonder what the First Nations people from that time would say!

After a beautiful sunset it was off to bed -- hopefully a bit quieter than last night!
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Mary

July 12: Champlain to Sainte Augstine de Desmaures
100.4 km
16.5 km/hr
6:05 on the bike

What a beautiful day (still thinking of you Lisa)! We started the day with some local strawberries that Mark provided. Then it was off through some of the most lovely towns and villages we have encountered yet. The old houses, some stone, some mansard style, some classic cottage, popped up around almost every corner. Just down the road was the town of Batiscan, with a huge church right on the river. Further on, the huge church at Grondine had an art exhibit paintd by a 92 year local woman, showing her remembrance of the area when she was a young woman. Here I met the brother of my friend Tuna Onur's PhD supervisor (or at least colleague).

The cycling here was very easy -- we passed through "the most beautiful street in Canada" (according to the Globe and Mail -- but I amm inclined to agree) in the village of Cap Sante. The village of Deschambault had us sitting down at a fairly upscale establishment for our 2nd breakfast (1st breakfast is in camp around 6:30 am, 2nd comes around 10:30 - 11:00 -- very civilized if you ask me!). Mark got nailed two or three dollars that he wasn't expecting on a not very good meat substitution, but for the carnivors amongst us, namely Mike and me, it was a chance to try a 5 meat local pate.

The afternoon finished with a flourish when Mike's brother Steve, and his wife Carolle found us in the campground just outside of St.Augustine de Desmaures. We had a spot of route-finding trouble, but we righted ourselves and got into a campground just outside of Ste. Augustine. Luckey we did because Steve and Carolle found us easily. They were returning to their home in Chicoutimi after a visit with family in the US and the timing to meet up with us was perfect. Steve and Carolle are the parents of Emily and Corrine, so we saw the entire Quebec branch of the Whitneys on our tour. Carolle suggested that we drive out for dinner to the Huron Village of Wendake, outside of Quebec City. We drove up and stopped at the Kabir Khouba falls. We ended up at a fantastic buffet (perfect for the touring cyclist) where the three of us topped up the cycling gas tanks. I know I could hardly waddle back to the car, certainly I barely fit inside the tent! Thank you Carolle and Steve! A fine end to a fine day.
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Mary

July 13: Champlain to Levis (outside Quebec City)
47.5 km
12.3 km / hr average
3:52 on the bike

Rain and more rain: from a climatic point of view, today was quite a let-down. I must say, when it rains here in the east of Canada, it really rains. None of this Victoria "mist" that we are so used to. It started to rain about 1:00 am and continued in fits and starts throughout the night. Steve and Carolle camped at the spot next to ours and we were lucky to have the rain hold off as we breakfasted together. However, once we got on the road the skies opened. To add to the joy, I got a flat under the Lappoint bridge that took a very long time to fix (flat 25 for all three of us for the trip). Then, with a warm rain streaming down around us, we missed our turn for La Route Verte #5 and ended up heading quite a ways inland and off our planned route.

On the way into Quebe City we stopped under a highway bridge for me to pour the water out of my boots, wring out my socks, and put on my rain pants, then it was on to the bike route through Laval University. We didn't plan on heading through Laval, indeed, our route called for us to stay on the St. Lawrence River, under the Plains of Abraham, circling into the Vieux Port of Quebec City. Instead we rode OVER the Plains of Abraham and DOWN to the Old Port.

Just outside the Citadel we decided to explore the city each on our own. The agreed upon plan was to meet at 3:00 pm for the ferry to the town of Levis. Mark took off for the Chateau Frontenac (he later pronounced it the most opulent hotel he had ever seen). Mike and I had been to Quebec City fairly recently, so we wanted to see the things we didn't see -- for example, the quays of the port itself, and the basilica. Mark also paid a visit to the basilica. Mike and I, after much discussion with many Quebec city residents, were able to make our way to MEC where another 6.00 Korean tire and three tubes were purchased.

Luckily, the rain held off for both Mark's tour and ours of Quebec City. But, as we came over on the ferry to Levis the rain started up again in earnest. Mike and I opted for a B&B, and Mark thought he would check out the camping options. However, things around Quebec City are VERY pricey (even camping), so Mark joined us at our comfortable B&B. Frankly, given how hard it was raining, and the fact that our hostess would dry all our clothes, I think it was a sound decision!

As far as history and culture goes, Quebec City is truly a world-class destination. It is just a shame that the weather didn't cooperate with us today. However, tomorrow will be better (or at least so goes the "meteo" report).
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Mary

As far as my side of the day goes, I spent a very enjoyable few hours wandering around the old city, after walking around the city walls - city walls being not a very common thing to see in North America, in fact Quebec is the only walled city north of Mexico. (my bike was parked at the Chateau Frontenac all locked up and safe for a few hours) After taking the promenade from the Plains of Abraham down back to the Chateau I walked around the old town and visited the two cathedrals (Anglican and Catholic, the latter being of course much more opulent) and perused the environs of the Chateau Frontenac.

I must say that the Chateau itself deserves everything that has ever been written and said about it; it is a fantastic colossal pile of orange and grey brick that lords it over Quebec's old city like a fat opulent queen bee. Every angle you view it from, and there are many, presents the building in a different light and shows another cluster of towers and minarets.

After the Chateau everything is a letdown; however the lower town is very nice and I wandered around the Rue de Petit Champlain before we took the ferry over to Levis. The two women in the tourist info in Levis were amazing and knew everything we asked them; after taking the fantastic bike route up out of the port to the B+B I checked out the camping option. So, which would you go for: $26 for camping in a lame site in the pouring rain, or $40 for a B+B and enormous breakfast? Yes, the latter option.

Mark

July 7 - 9: Five down, five to go!!

July 7 - 105km to Montebello

Bienvenue a Quebec!

Well, five down, five to go: today we are finally out of Ontario and into the next province. We left Nepean soon after 8 on a gorgeous morning and Andrew escorted us all the way into town on the Ottawa River Parkway trail, which was a beautiful ride past the beaches and through the forest along the river. We then came out on Wellington Avenue and came up the hill to see Parliament and take the obligatory pictures in front of it. Probably there are half a dozen touring cyclists coming past that spot every day, especially in July when most cross-country cyclists will be in this area.

I must say that spending such a great time with Andy made me a bit homesick again, but the novelty of getting into the next province cheered me up immensely and I am quite excited about seeing the rest of the country. Since I have been no further east than Ottawa before, every day puts me into completely unexplored territory, and so the rest of the trip is definitely going to be more exciting for me, just for the novelty. Mike and Mary have trodden this ground before, as they have family (that we'll be visiting!) in Quebec.

Andrew, again many thanks for putting us up and escorting us around - it was really fantastic to have such a great host, with such great cats.

Anyways, after parting ways with Andrew (he went off to cycle 20+ back to Kanata to work) and taking pictures at the parliament buildings we went down past the National Gallery and across Alexandra Bridge into Quebec. How exciting! First we visited a tourist info for some Route Verte (Quebec's cycle route system) information and then a bike shop for parts, and went down to the waterfront in Gatineau looking across the water to the Parliament buildings, which now seemed so far away, in another province no less... we got onto the Route Verte Route #1, which goes from Gatineau all the way to Montreal, and more or less followed it all day to Montebello. We stopped at Walmart, which we passed outside of town, so Mike could get a new digital camera, Mary a new watch, and all of us some lunch food. The Route Verte #1 was quite nice, a paved offroad path until well outside of Gatineau, and then it mostly followed the highway 148, which has gloriously enormous shoulders, in good condition, which is a fantastic contrast from any Ontario road we've been on. We stopped at just about every town we passed for slushies, as it was quite hot and humid all day - there may be thunderstorms tonight. We got to Montebello by 5 and checked out the tourist info before they closed, and went down to the municipal park/marina/campground/sports field area, and registered to camp at the Auberge on the corner. Happily the Auberge has a pool which we could, and did, use!

I saw a drive-in movie theatre today, still operational. Really!!

Oh yes and we had our first taste of that European officiousness that Quebeckers tend to share with the French. We registered and paid for a non-serviced campsite, but the lady told us to just set up anywhere, as there weren't that many people around. So we set up in the (nicer) serviced sites (the ones with electricity and water, for the RVs), next to the water. But of course at 7:30 some official dude came around and told us to move to the unserviced sites, all of 50 feet away, even though there was lots of space in the serviced sites and it was quite clear we weren't going to be an issue. But we should have been in the unserviced sites, so we had to move! Very amusing. We are almost still on the waterfront, but the grass is longer over here. And I think it's buggier.

Mark

July 8: Montebello to Ste. Agathe des Monts
119 km
17 km/hr averge
7:05 on the bike
This morning we checked out the Chateau Montebello on our way out of town, which is apparently the largest log house in the world. Now it is a fancy resort hotel, but it is quite handsome with black and red logs all over the outside. We then headed away from the Ottawa River on Highway 323. It was a great ride all day, with some nice windy parts along rivers, interesting little resort-y towns to pass through, and nice hills and farming scenery.

We stopped at Notre-Dame-de-la-Paix for second breakfast and at Lac des Plages for a quick swim. It was super humid all day and fairly warm so being sweaty was the order of the day! At St Jovite, a bustling town which is part of the bustling Mont Tremblant resort area, we visited the tourist information centre and found out about the P'tit Train du Nord, which is the fantastic rail-trail that travels for 200km north-west from Montreal. We followed this trail for 30km down to St Agathe, including climbing from 212m elevation at St Jovite to 424m, and then along to St Agathe.

This rail trail is everything the Galloping Goose in Victoria could be: it has excellent facilities and signage and it certainly appears that there is a regional commitment to continuously funding and maintaining the trail. This route is Route Verte #2 and we will be following it tomorrow down to the end and then following the bike route into Montreal, which will be a long day.

At Ste Agathe we are staying with Emily, Mike's niece, and Francis, who are being wonderful hosts in their apartment south of St Agathe. Pizza and beer, excellent cycling food! So many many thanks to Emily and Francis for their great hospitality.

Mark

July 9: Ste. Agathe to Montreal
127.2 km 17.5 km/hr ave.
7:15 on the bike
We had a wonderful evening with Emily and Francis. We even slept in and didn't get on the road until 9:30 am. Once again, we were lucky to be under a roof -- it poured in the night. Indeed, the morning was overcast and it rained on us for the first hour or so of our ride. However, it was warm and Mike and I didn't both to put on rain jackets. Mark put his on, but took it off fairly soon. It was very humid today, but we are slowly getting used to it.

The ride today was wonderful-- La Route Verte did not disappoint. We were on Le P'tit Train du Nord from St. Agatha to St. Jerome (49 km). This is a rails-to-trails conversion over 200 km long. The highest point on the grade is 427 metres (we hit that yesterday). The route is in top condition and we were able to travel at a fairly high rate of speed. After P'tit Train we were on a bike route to Blainville (18 km -- where they make Polaris beer), and then on roads until we came to Laval. Here we hopped back on the Route Verte and crossed Laval. We rode on to the Ile de Montreal over a railway bridge over the Riviere des Prairies.

Riding into Montreal was spectacular. We were on dedicated bike lanes on some of the most famous streets in Montreal -- Brebeuf, St.Urbaine, Jean Talon, Cristoph Colomb, Rene Levesque, etc. We rode with all of the Montreal communters and they must have thought we were three crazy anglos because we were ohhing and awhing and looking at our maps. Several people asked where we were from. We were riding through right at rush hour, and it was so much fun to whizz through the city as everyone in cars sat and fumed. Bikes are king in Montreal -- at least on these laid out bike routes. This may have been the most fun I have ever had riding into a big city.

We went right down to the Old Port and continued along to the Lachine Canal bike path. We crossed into Verdun and rode right to Corrine (Mike's niece and Emilie's sister) and Jean-Francoise's house. They were ready for us with great conversation, a shower, fine wine, a lasagna dinner, and a place to sleep for the night. A big thank you to both -- and to little Liam too for letting us use your room!
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Mary

July 4 - 5: Ottawa and Andrew

July 4: Bancroft to Calabogie (Moran's Cabins, Tent, and Trailer Park) 128.6 km 17.6 km/hr average 7:17 on the bike

Our night at Brancroft Tent and Trailer Park was very pleasant. The temp dropped down a bit and the humidity was lowish (or we are getting used to it), so sleeping was not too warm and sticky. The morning weather was clear and sunny, and we knew today would be a big day so we made an early start -- 7:20 am for Mark, 7:45 for Mike and me. Mike and I are always a bit slower getting packed up, probably because we have more junk, either that or we just spread out. I like to think it is because I am older and can't move as quickly as the whipper-snappers.

Our route today was on smaller back roads. These were far less travelled and made for some enjoyable time on the bike. However, these less travelled routes are often longer and more hilly than the highways, certainly that was the case today -- but it was worth the extra effort. From the campsite on Highway 62 we went south a few kilometres and joined up with Detlor road, which we followed to Highway 28 (not a busy road as it is a highway to nowhere in particular on the east side). From here we went through McArthur Mills, Hardwood Lake, Denbigh, and Griffith. The road got VERY hilly around Hardwood Lake, in fact, we had a Horseshoe Valley "surprise" hill just outside of the the town. To make matters worse, there was a blackfly hatch and I was going so slowly up the hill the little blighters attacked me. I had to wear my bug hat over the bike helmet so I could breath, see, and keep both hands on the bike.

The highlight roads of the day were two: Detlor first thing in the morning and Matawachan road, south of Griffith in the afternoon. Detlor is in Ontario "Cottage Country", in the southern reaches of the Canadian Shield. The countryside here is not as rugged as the classic Northern Ontario Shield area. The last glaciation was a bit kinder to Cottage Country than to Northern Ontario. Instead of being scraped down to bedrock with only a thin layer of soil on top, this landscape has little pockets of soil deposits that now host small farm holdings. A new one pops into view with every turn in the road.

The Matawachan road was much more Shield-like, with the road curving around lakes and huge rock outcroppings. We stopped for a bite of lunch on the shores of Black Donald lake. The lake is named for an abandoned graphite mine that is now lies underneath it. It was a hot day and the area was full of short, sharp hills that I found tiring, but, as they say, "pay your dues, get the views".

We ended the day at Moran's Cabins, Tenting, and Trailer Park on Constant Creek, just a few kilometres from the town of Calabogie. For $10.00 we got a primo spot right on the creek. Everyone was hot and sweaty after a warm day, so as soon as we got settled we jumped in and floated down towards Calabogie Lake. Showers, dinner, and an early night ended a hard, but beautiful day.
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Mary


July 5: Calabogie to Ottawa (Andrew's house in Nepean) 101.9 km 18.6 km/hr average 5:28 on the bike

I'm writing this happily ensconced at Andrew Weston's dining room table. We had a wonderful ride from Calabogie to Ottawa. We stopped at Burnstown for coffee and some shopping. We then stopped for a second breakfast at Sweet Stop Cafe, 8 km down the road in White Lake (excellent, by the way). We met two Swiss-Germans outside the cafe, and exchanged a few travel tips.

We left the sharp hills and dips behind us after leaving the Shield country by following the beautiful Matawaska River. The wind was with us -- Ontario winds have been very kind! We continued on to Pakenham where we met a woman whose son lives in Victoria and is a triathlete (Adrian Walton). Pakenham has a lovely bridge over the Mississippi river (the Canadian Mississippi), and an elegant Roman Catholic church.

From Pakenham we followed Highway 20 through Kinburn. We stopped at a garage sale here and, if you can believe it, bought another book (Sunshine Sketches of Small Town) and a lamp shade. Don't worry, we have a plan to get it home. The folks at the garage sale filled our water bottles and we continued down to Second Line Road. We followed this road into Kanata where we met Andrew right outside of his Alcatel-Lucent office building. Andrew guided us in 13 km to his house. We toured by the golf course, through the greenbelt, and along the Trans Canada Trail.

We pulled in to Andrew's house around 4:00 pm. We are so happy to be here!!! We'll take a rest day tomorrow, visit with Andrew, other friends and family, and get some chores (like the laundry) done.

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Mary

July 1 - 3: Leaving the Great Lakes

July 1: Canada Day - Wasaga Beach to Orillia 82 km 16.9 km/hr

Just a quick report from Orillia. We left Wasaga after checking out the biggest freshwater beach in Canada (Wasaga Beach on Georgian Bay, Lake Huron). Here we said goodbye to the Great Lakes, it was our last view of them.

As we travelled up a busy road we discovered that Mike had two splits in his back wheel. Although it made for a short day, we decided to stay in Orillia to catch a bike shop first thing in the morning as they were all closed for Canada Day. We ended up staying at Mara Provincial Park. The campsite was a bit buggy, but the beach on Lake Simcoe was lovely. We had dinner the beach and went back to camp, hung our food, and jumped in the tents.

Our route today took us over Highways 10, 26, 22, and 11. All were fairly busy with holiday traffic, and only 22 and 11 had shoulders. But, the riding was pleasant as the day was clear and sunny, but not humid or too hot. The big surprise of the day was the huge hill in the Horseshoe Valley on Highway 22. What a honker it was --a big dip down and then up. I know the Southern Ontario grid roads are supposed to be, ... well ... grids, but just a switchback or two would have been pleasant!

Animals of note for the day: Turkey buzzards. We did a small ride on one of the concession roads (north-south side roads) and came across several of them squabbling over an egg. We noticed how these birds seem to be much bigger here than those on Vancouver Island. As well, the ones here seem to flap a lot more, rather than glide and soar like the ones back home. Perhaps it is because there is so much for them to eat. In Northern Ontario these birds get lots of moose from road kill. We also got a good close-up look at a muskrat in the water by Lake Couchiching as we rode along the bike path.

The bike path came out right in front of the little community of Atherley where Mike's Grandad, Ralph Whitney, was born. Back then, in the late 1800s, it would have been a thriving farming community on the old settlement road north. Today there is still some farming -- we came across the Whitney Black Angus farm across from the United Church in Atherley (probably a long-lost relative) -- but mostly the community is residential and lakeshore property.
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Mary


July 2 - 90km to Kinmount
This morning we headed back into Orillia to get a new wheel for Mike's bike, and thankfully we were successful, at the second bike shop we tried. But before the bike shop opened we had time to explore the town a little bit, so I saw the Samuel Champlain monument on the waterfront, and explored some of the residential areas and downtown, filled with lovely brick civic buildings and mansions. After working on the bikes we were out of town by about 11 in the morning, and made good time eastwards as we had a nice following wind for the whole day. Unlike those grid roads we have been on the last few days, the road eastwards from Orillia is an old settlement road and it follows the contours of the land, so it avoids those steep steep inclines that the grid roads tend to have on occasion. Going east on Highway 45 all day we passed through Norland and ended up in Kinmount where Mike and Mary stayed at a B+B, whose owner Patrick very kindly let me camp in his yard!

But the real treat of the day was meeting up with our friend Al and his wife Pat from Burlington - remember Al who cycled with us in BC? Well, we hooked up with him by phone and the two of them drove up from Burlington, met us on the road with ice tea and watermelon, and once we were established in Kinmount they took us out for dinner -- not by bike, we all drove in their car. Faced with a long wait at the good restaurant in Minden we went down to Moore Falls and ate at the very pleasant Sunkiss Restaurant, which had excellent, and plentiful, food and drink. We were there until after dark, catching up with Al and telling him tales from the road, and we finally got back to Kinmount around 10ish to dive into bed. Thanks for coming out Al and Pat! It was really neat to see his photos from the remainder of his trip, reminisce about BC, and think about how far we had come since then.

Due to our delay in Orillia we may have a tough time making Ottawa by Saturday, so we will see how much distance we can put under the tires in the next few days.

Mark

July 3 - 88km to Bancroft.
I got a mega rainstorm overnight while camped behind Patrick's B+B but thankfully it cleared by the morning and I just had to pack up the flysheet wet. Do you realize that by the end of this trip I will have unpacked, set up, and packed up my tent close to 100 times? I have a nice little routine for packing up the tent that is super efficient, with variations for each eventuality: tent and flysheet dry, tent dry but fly wet, tent and fly both wet - each variation means they have to be packed up differently.

Anyway, today was a nice rolling and somewhat hilly ride through the Ontario Highlands region from Bancroft, stopping at Gooderham for a snack, through Tory Hill, and on to Cardiff and then Bancroft, where we are camped 4km southeast of town at the Bancroft Tent and Trailer Park. At Tory Hill we pulled into the rest stop and met up with a group of teens with three dads doing a Duke of Edinburgh expedition - a three-day bike ride, totalling 160km, and none of them had done any bike touring before! A great challenge for them, especially with the somewhat hilly terrain (I'm sure they'll find it fairly tough), and they are each carrying all their camping gear. They have a support vehicle that goes behind to deal with bike problems, and a vehicle which goes ahead to the stops to arrange a place for them to camp. They all thought we were totally nuts to be doing our trip, which is difficult to disagree with.

We also met Jeff and John, from Salt Lake City, who were also riding to Bancroft but much faster than us so we didn't ride together - addendum: we met them the next day also - and chatted with them a bit. They are riding around the US, via Ontario, in chunks: they can only get a few weeks off each year, so they do a few weeks of the full circumnavigation, then go home, and next year return to where they left off and continue, etc. And finally, also at Tory Hill we met three guys whose names I didn't get who were riding ridiculously fast on racing bikes and going on some huge rides in the area over several days.

Very odd, you don't see any other cyclists for days and then at one lunch spot you run into three different groups of them. Passing cars must have thought it was some kind of bike rally.

Our campsite in Bancroft is very pleasant and on a nice swimming lake which we have all enjoyed. We also found a big mean-looking toad wandering around, who was kind enough to sit still while I took his picture. What a big froggie he was!

Mark

June 28 - 30: Walkerton Adventures

June 28: Outside Wiarton, through Owen Sound, to Walkerton

95.5 km
15.9 km/hr average
6:00 on the bike

Were we ever lucky to be inside last night, we had a thunderstorm and lots of rain that didn't stop until around 10:00 am. We had a fine breakfast with Pam and Reg, and their friends Sharon and Jim -- much discussion of routes, roads, and places to stay. All four get to Victoria fairly regularly, so we will try to get together for a bike ride or hike.

Our first order of business was to head down to Owen Sound to visit the end of the "Underground Railway". Slaves escaping from the US knew they were safe if they made it to Owen Sound. Of course, a specific railway was not involved, but I was surprised to see that patterns on quilts played a big part in helping slaves on the run know where to go and what was coming up. The patterned quilts would be hung from windows, cloths lines, and porches where they could be easily seen. Our interest in the Underground Railway came because Mindy is riding the Underground Railway route down from Owen Sound toward Philadelphia.

From Owen Sound we visited Inglis Falls. From here it was across the rolling countryside of Grey county. The going was slow because we were beating into a headwind. But, the forecasted rain and thundershowers held off and the sun came out. The humidity was high (at least for me), so we were all sucking back lots of water. Our trip to Walkerton had us cross the Saugeen River so there were a few short but steep hills thrown into the mix. However, any hard riding was well worth it when we pulled into La Sabliere. This lovely 240 acre farm is owned by my Uncle Richard and Aunt Patty and we were invited to rest our weary selves at their house.

Lots of people were on hand to see us ride up the long front drive -- especially because Richard led us in with his car, honking the horn to alert everyone to our arrival. My cousins Vicky and Andrew were there, as well as Curt (Vicky's husband) and their bubbly daughter Olivia. We were all treated to a huge barbecue, and I got a chance to catch up with my relatives. Curt was convinced to bring his Olympic cycling medals (Curt Harnett: bronze, silver, gold -- over four different Olympic Games). Given the number of keen cyclists in the group, these were of distinct interest.

As we ate and drank and talked the skies darkened and a huge thunderstorm blew in -- once again I was very thankful we were under a roof. Thunderstorms out here in the rolling farmland of southern Ontario can be very intense. It was, however, a fine thing to view from the picture windows of the farmhouse.

My family in Walkerton pulled out all the stops -- but I put my highest stamp of approval on the steaks that Curt barbecued and the butter tarts that Patty made. The tarts hardly made it to the table. We could all barely waddle off to bed later that evening.
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Mary

June 29: Rest day in Walkerton

Our first day with no riding! We said goodbye to Charlie today. He headed into Burlington, his hometown, right after breakfast. I hope we see him again in the Atlantic Provinces. After a pancake breakfast -- thank you Victoria! -- Richard took us on a tour of the farm and gardens. Although most of the 240 acres is under wheat and corn, Richard maintains a huge set of gardens and special trees throughout the property. He knows every one of them and can tell the story about how, when, and why they were placed. The place really belongs in Home and Garden magazine.

After the tour more of my relatives came for a visit and Richard and Patty treated us all to a fantastic lunch buffet at the Dunkeld Hotel. Of course, a buffet is just the thing for a touring cyclist and Mike and Mark did a very good job working through most of what was on offer. The Dunkeld has been an inn for over 150 years and in that time they have certainly learned to prepare a fine meal. As an extra treat for me, my Aunt Dolly, cousin Bonnie, and her husband Don all came up for the afternoon. It was great to catch up, but all too quick -- I have to get out here more often.

Mark, Mike, and Mindy did a bit of bike repair, aired tents, and did laundry. We also relaxed and read the paper, did a bit of writing, and generally had a restful day.

Curt and Victoria made a fine dinner and we capped off the day with some conversation and last minute trip planning. Mark was pleased to have so many knowledgeable people around (thank you Don and Curt) to ask road advice of. We expect to be in Ottawa visiting Mark's brother Andrew by next Saturday and have a good route planned to get us there.

A huge thank you to Richard, Patty, Curt, Victoria, and Andrew. Little Olivia was also a star. What a wonderful visit -- they really know how to treat the touring cyclist! Being in Walkerton, my Mom's hometown, made this a real highlight of the trip for me. We even visited the old family home. It was exactly as I remembered it.
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Mary


June 30 - 124km to Wasaga Beach.
Still in Ontario. It just keeps going on and on and on. Today we left Walkerton after yet another big breakfast and we said goodbye to our wonderful hosts Richard and Patty and Curt and Victoria and of course let's not forget Olivia for adding the cuteness factor. They all went super overboard in generosity and we had a great time there. Thanks!

turned south to head towards Guelph today - hope you made it OK, MindyWe went through downtown Walkerton and said goodbye to Mindy, as she, and good luck on the Underground Railway Trail and the mountains and Philly and everything else! We had a great time with Mindy and we were sad to see her go - she was lots of fun and great company to travel with. I'm still trying to convince her to try grad school in Comp Sci at UVic as she would love it I'm sure. So now we are back to just the Three Musketeers.

So we continued on eastwards this morning on Highway 4. We got a bit of rain and it was a misty but then after a lunch stop at Durham it got a bit sunny and we had sun and cloud the rest of the day. The wind was picking up and almost entirely from the north, so that was annoying when we turned northwards and went towards Eugenia and visited Eugenia Falls, which is a wonderful lacy waterfall that tumbles over the Escarpment in a stupendous green valley. Then we continued northwards into the wind down into the Beaver Valley, which is a nice and quiet valley heading northwards towards Georgian Bay.

We turned East and climbed up out of the valley to the little town of Ravenna and had a beautiful, if hilly, ride along the top of the Blue Mountains. Then right at the Blue Mountains Resort the road plummets down the side of the escarpment, right past the ski runs, and with the huge hill and the wind behind us I hit a new speed record: 78 km/h!!! And right after I got to the bottom a cop came down the hill, so I definitely could have gotten a speeding ticket if he'd seen me.

With the wind now behind us we shot into Collingwood, a very bustling resort town if I've ever seen one, and as we passed into town somebody flagged us down from their van and gave us a map into town, as they'd seen us pass the tourist info (which was closed)! Then we went down Nottawasaga Bay to Wasaga Beach, where we are camped in a huge bustling campground called Cedar Groves. There was a very yappy dog locked in a camper right across from us but he seems to have quieted down now (thank goodness). Tomorrow we are headed for Orillia and then eastwards across the Canadian Shield towards Ottawa, where we should be on Saturday.

Southern Ontario really seems like a difference province from northern - there is different architecture, different economies, different attitudes, different roads, and this campground really is a multicultural mix, which we didn't see that much in northern Ontario at all - there seem to beSpanish, Portuguese, Russians, and Jamaican families, all having fun on the beach.

And one other thing: today at the wonderfully-named town of Flesherton I crossed 5000km for the trip!

Mark

June 25 - 27: Leaving Northern Ontario

June 25: Algoma Mills (Lauzon Lake) to Whitefish Falls 108 km 5:50 on the bike 18.5 km/hr

We woke up to a cloudy sky and heavy dew, but low bugs (well, relatively), and a slightly cool morning -- perfect for riding. We got back on the Trans Canada and carried a very high speed until we hit construction outside of Spanish. Like other construction on the TCH this one was quite beneficial to us because it stops the traffic entirely, but we are usually allowed to go through on the shoulder.

After a stop for 2nd breakfast in Spanish (Vance's Moter Inn -- excellent wall-eye fish) we rocketed along to the town of Massey. The tourist info and museum in Massey had internet service as well as the most helpful staff we have come across in Ontario, so we took a bit of time here. Lucky we did because Charlie caught up with us in Massey. What a surprise it was to see him riding down the TCH. Massey was a turning point in another way as well. It was here that we said good-bye to the Trans Canada. We turned down a secondary road (Lee Valley Road) and took it to Espanola. Unfortunately, this was the road of many flats. Mindy got a rear flat, Mike got a front flat, and then Mindy got another flat.

After a long stop at Canadian Tire to buy a new tire and patch flats, we set off south towards Whitefish Falls. Although we did have some traffic on the road south from Espanola, it was pleasant to be off the TCH and away from the heavy truck traffic. Also, I saw a very interesting snake on the side of the road. I think it might have been a rattlesnake, I'll have to check.

We stopped for the evening and camped on the shores of the North Channel of Lake Huron. Everyone went for a swim off the huge, glacier-rounded boulders at the end of the campground. The water was warm and the evening air was soft and bug free. We had dinner in camp and went to bed just as the bugs were starting to come up and make themselves known.
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Mary

June 26: Whitefish Falls to South Baymouth (Manitoulin Island) 110 km 6:18 on the bike 17.4 km / hr average

Three of us had a bit of a night -- some "good ol' boys" in the next spot to us got into the booze and started an all-night euchre game that went on and on. We heard comments about every hand! It made for a somewhat long night, but we banged a few pots early in the morning, just to give them a wake-up call.

The day was hazy until late afternoon, but this didn't stop us from taking a spin around Manitoulin Island. We got off the main highway and headed west to see a few of the big lakes Manitoulin is famous for. Manitou Lake is the biggest lake on an island in a lake in the world. Mark did a bit of juggling on the shore. We passed through several Native reservations and towns, and saw some interesting geology. Mark got a great view of a beaver working away on cutting down a tree. But, the hightlight of the day for me was viewing some sandhill cranes. Mike spotted them off in the tall grass as we rode between Big Lake and Manitu Lake. What elegant creatures -- I got a few pictures, but nothing that did them justice. I would have gotten closer, but didn't want to disturb the birds. We also had a profusion of ladyslipper orchids growing along the side of the road. These orchids produce fat-bottomed pink blooms. I didn't think I'd see any on this trip, but there were thick clusters of them in the damp road-side seeps and marshes.

Four of us spent the night in a B&B in South Baymouth, and Mark camped at the local campground. Both places were pleasant, and put us in a good location for catching the ferry to Tobermory in the morning.
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Mary

June 27: South Baymouth to southeast of Wiarton 99.2 km 5:21 on the bike 18.5 km/hr

We got up to a blue sky and mist off Lake Huron. All of us were well positioned to get on the Chi-Cheemaun ferry from South Baymouth to Tobermory on the Bruce Peninsula. We had fine views from the ferry as islands and coastlines emerged from the lake mist. Bicycles and riders don't need a reservation for the boat -- just ride up to the ticket booth and buy your tickets. It was 14.50 per person and 6.20 for each bike.

After sailing through Fathom Five Park, we pulled into Tobermory (the Tub) and caught a view of the famous blue-green waters of Georgian Bay. We stopped for a bite and headed out of town on Highway 9. It was a warm and muggy day so we stopped again for a drink and ice cream around the town of Miller Lake where we came across an Ojibwa carver working on an intricate piece -- faces held together by carved braids and hair strands. He introduced himself as Wilbur and told us he had exhibited at Expo 86 in Vancouver. He had worked with some Vancouver Island carvers and had spent time carving at Cedar on the Island.

We continued on, moving over to Highway 9 down into Wiarton. Here we were able to catch a glimpse of the famous Niagra Escarpment before we had to ride up a few hills to get up on top of it. We got views of white cedars growing out of the limestone of the escarpment. These trees can get to be quite old, but due to the relatively poor nutrients in the limestone, don't get anywhere near as big as the cedars on the West Coast.

Tonight we were staying with friends of Charlie's -- Pam and Reg from outside of Wiarton. Reg met us just outside of Wiarton and guided us through town and on to his home on Bass Lake. Pam rode out to join us for the last five kilometres too. We all arrived at their lovely home on Bass Lake, got ourselves sorted, and jumped into the lake for an evening dip. After a long hot and muggy day in the saddle it was heavenly.

We were treated to dinner, hot showers, great conversation, and comfortable beds for the night, you can't ask for better than that!! Thank you so much Pam and Reg, we really appreciated your wonderful hospitality.
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Mary