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Day 26: Sunday July 25, 1999 - Rest day in Kenora ON
This was a cloudy rest day with very strong winds from the east.
We got up at a leisurely pace and had an egg and toast for breakfast.
I did our one load of laundry (rather than the regular two) while
Gilbert cleaned and adjusted our bikes and sterilized our water
bottles. This should be done once a week in hot weather in water that
has some javel water added to it as disinfectant. Then we walked into
Kenora and bought a few personal items. When we exited the Zeller's
store, the rain started to pour so we decided to have lunch at the
nearest place which turned out to be a Subway (I didn't think the
sandwich was much to write home about).
The rain lessened and we were able to walk to the local museum,
which was founded in 1990 and was very interesting. I especially
liked learning about the local history. Kenora used to be called Rat
Portage and for years it citizens had asked for a change in name and
finally got it when a flour company stated that they didn't want to
set up shop in a place where they would have to print the word "rat"
on its bags. Kenora was named after Keewatin and Norman, neighbouring
towns and the first two letters of its own name, Rat Portage. There
were many beautiful examples of intricate beadwork done by the
Ojibway Indians on traditional clothing.
Husky the Muskie at the
entrance to Kenora
Two things struck me about this town: the fifteen to twenty
elaborate murals on the sides of many buildings that celebrated
Kenora's history and the lovely flowers here and there. A few of the
buildings were interesting architecturally, too. We walked back to
camp, then decided to join Vicky and a few others at Tim Horton's for
supper; this, too, was a very nondescript meal. Gilbert and I then
walked back to the city to photograph the murals in the fading
evening sunlight. Then it was early to bed but neither of us slept
very well.
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Two of the magnificent
murals in Kenora
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Day 27: Monday July 26, 1999 - Kenora to Caliper Lake Provincial
Park
Distance: 128 km; Climb: 836 m; Drop 824
m
Today was a sunny, windy day with cooler temperatures: 24 C. There
was a tail wind at first but then the gusts seemed to com from all
directions and we had to work hard to get up several of the hills.
The road surface was fairly good to excellent but some patches were
without a shoulder. We were riding through raspberry country and
stopped for a wonderful feed in a glorious patch.
After continuing our ride through uninhabited country filled with
lots of scrubby looking trees in rather typical northern Ontario
(Canadian Shield) country, we stopped at the town of Sioux Narrows
for lunch (the usual) and it was too cold for ice cream! Explored a
tourist souvenir shop but didn't purchase anything.
The tandem almost had three serious accidents this day. In the
last one, it hit a pothole which punctured a tire and bent the rim of
the front wheel making the brakes inoperable even when the tire was
fixed, so Caroline and Megan had to hitch. Later that afternoon, Dave
Foss performed a mechanical miracle and managed to fix it. He works
as a machinist and molder of plastics and is extremely patient until
he gets a bike repair just right.
Our campground was in the boonies but I found it had the best
showers yet and they were free! For our evening meal, we had pasta in
tomato sauce, salad, garlic toast and a special dessert consisting of
strawberry/kiwi shortcake, made by Jeff who was replacing Jen for two
days. She didn't wander off too far afield and ended up going fishing
with Jeff that evening. Camp was a very quiet place and we hit the
sack early.
Day 28: Tuesday July 27, 1999 - Caliper Lake Provincial Park to
Taylor's Cove
Distance: 148 km; Climb: 416 m; Drop 396
m
It was fine when we got up but as we cycled out, we could see
clouds in the distance; these clouds would get thicker and grayer as
the morning progressed. We headed straight south on Highway 71
against a fairly brisk headwind. We caught up to a French-speaking
couple from Quebec, carrying all their own goods, who were crossing
from Vancouver to Montreal in about the same time frame as we.
At the corner of highways 71 and 11, we stopped for drinks and
lunch at a convenience store. Highway 11, which actually started
several kilometers farther west, was the road which turned into Yonge
Street in Toronto and I believe that it is the longest road in
Ontario. The clouds had already thickened and it really looked like
rain. Fast Dave pulled up complete with bandaged elbows and knee. He
told us that when he had left campsite in the bright sunshine, he
hadn't seen the speed bump at the entrance. He had flown over his
handlebars and scraped his elbows and a knee on the pavement but
luckily hadn't broken anything. He left the picnic while Gilbert and
I were exchanging bike seats. Gilbert had such a painful backside
that he could no longer ride on his special seat; although the seat
did not incapacitate me as I used it only for that one afternoon, I
could understand why: there was a line of pressure caused by a
stitched seam on the bike seat. We then continued our ride with Eva
who had stopped to fix her second flat of the day.
Caroline had told us that her uncle had said that the
International Falls at Fort Frances were really spectacular; a second
Niagara Falls, in fact. When Eva asked a road construction worker on
the way to the town, she looked at us very quizzically and said that
there were no falls to speak of.
Forty-five kilometers later, we pulled into Fort Frances just as
the rain started. We hurried into the local McDonald's just as Fast
Dave was exiting but as it started to pour, he came back in with us.
We ate again and sipped on delicious cappucinos while we waited for
the rain to stop. We checked again by asking a McDonald's staff
member about the International Falls and she, too, laughingly told us
that the falls were inexistent. About half an hour later, Caroline,
Megan, Jonathan, Dave and Jacky arrived all decked out in garbage
bags and looking like Martians. The five of them had hitched a ride
in pickup truck and Dave and Jacky were frozen to the bone because
they had ridden in the open back.
A frozen Dave and Jackie arrive
at McDonald's
We kidded Caroline about the famous International Falls. At the
same time, we realized that the entire galley crew for that evening's
supper was seated in the McDonald's and that meant that none of us
would get in camp early to start meal preparations.
Finally the rain stopped and Dave took off with Eva and we left
after them. The road was bad and bumpy with no shoulder and lots of
big trucks. One dump truck pushed both Gilbert and I off the road. It
took us quite a long time to get into camp because we had a very
strong headwind at the end and Gilbert's backside was giving him a
lot of pain so that we had to stop fairly often to give it a break.
When we finally arrived, there was only a salad and garnishing left
to make because several of the riders who had got in much earlier had
put together the rest of the meal.
Our camping spot at Taylor's Cove was a very picturesque one right
beside the lake but there was no source of drinking water close at
hand and this was a real drag when you have to cook for 24 people and
provide clean water for cooking, drinks and washing up purposes both
for the evening and next morning meals. The quantities of water we
had to cart to the site meant several trips by strong-armed people. I
really believe that all the TDC sites should have access to a nearby
source of potable water. Moreover, the restrooms were also far from
our tents but this was less of a problem than not having drinking
water nearby.
The evening was slightly rainy and it was dark by the time we took
our showers and finally hit the sack.
Day 29: Wednesday July 28, 1999 - Taylor's Cove to Dawson Trail
Campground in Quetico Provincial Park
Distance: 153 km; Climb: 696 m; Drop 504
m
I got up at 5:20 a.m. to make rice pudding for breakfast and I was
pleased when it turned out well. The sun came up over the misty lake
- a very attractive scene.
Sunrise at Taylor's
Cove
After cleaning everything up, we left at 8:20 a.m. Jonathan and
Eva rode as sweeps. Gilbert borrowed an unusually shaped bike seat
from Dave Faingold because he, too, had experienced terrible seat
pain and had had his parents mail him his former seat.
We had a really nice day, riding on good roads and with warm,
sunny weather although the places to stop were few and very far
between. Just after Mine Centre where we had stopped to buy some
orange juice and to fill our water bottles, we scared a deer in the
side ditch and it made about five graceful leaps parallel to the
road. A little later, about seven kilometers before Atikokan, we
spotted two bears at the side of the road and we stopped as the
larger one ambled out onto the pavement followed by the smaller one.
We didn't have time to get the camera out.
At Atikokan, we stopped in the Tourist Information centre where we
met two Québecois couples from Laval. It was fun to talk with
them and they were disappointed not to have seen any bears
themselves. We got into camp at about 5 p.m. after traveling what
seemed like ages along a bumpy four km gravel road from the entrance.
The sites under tall trees were very pretty and we were nice and
close to all the facilities. There were more rabbits, here, too. A
couple of cyclists decided on a swim in the nearby lake but
discouraged the rest of us when they told us about the leeches they
encountered.
Gilbert noted that he had had a much more comfortable day using
Dave's seat. I noted that my rear tire was flat for the fifth time
during the trip and I finally realized that I had to discard the
damaged tire which was no longer protecting the tube adequately
because of a deep slit in it. After patching the tube, Gilbert was
pumping it up when it exploded with a loud sharp bang that made
everyone jump. The next day, Jen was scheduled for a live radio
interview so we all had to be out of camp by 7:30 a.m.
Day 30: Thursday July 29, 1999 - Quetico to Thunder Bay
Distance: 166 km (though Bud's map
indicated 175 km); Climb: 728 m; Drop: 340 m
We heard thunder when we got up at 5:30 a.m. but the day turned
out bright, sunny and a hot 30 C+. We managed to leave early but it
took awhile to get back to the main road because of the long gravel
stretch in the campground. I loathe riding on gravel on n aluminum
road bike because it jangles your brain. At the entrance to the
campground, a solitary fox stood like a lone sentinel.
About midmorning, we made a stop for orange juice and shared some
chocolate with Martin. A while later, we stopped again for a
chocolate ice cream cone. The ride was a quiet and enjoyable one for
the first 100 kilometers until we hit Shabaqua Corners when we turned
from Highway 11 onto Highway 17, the northern TransCanada route. At
least twenty huge rumbling vans converged on this four-lane stretch
at the same time and the noise was deafening. Our stress levels
immediately shot up as we had to make our way along the narrow
shoulder but the trucks seemed to spread out when the four lanes
merged into two further on.
We stopped for a chocolate milkshake in a mom-and-pop '50's style
restaurant about 10 km after the intersection and ate our sandwiches
seated on a small portion of shady lawn outside. Wally, Burt, Dave
Foss and Eva stopped, too. The afternoon was gorgeous with some good
tailwinds at times making some of the descents wonderful.
Kakabeka Falls
At Kakabeka Falls, the road was under construction for a 2-km
stretch and we had to walk part of the way. We turned into the
provincial park and stopped to admire the very picturesque falls that
look like a smaller version of Niagara Falls. The white water
cascaded down onto a multitude of steps. After leaving the falls and
the construction behind, we turned along Oliver Road which we road
along for another final 30 km before finally reaching Lakehead
University.
With several members of the group, we relaxed over a beer in a
common room on the second floor, and then a second one, while we
waited for Jen to bring in the truck so we could get our clothes and
have a much-needed shower. Then at around 8:15 p.m., ten of us went
to an Italian restaurant, Calabria, which turned out to be a bit of a
disappointment. We did have a nice walk back to the campus,
though.
Day 31: Friday, July 30, 1999 - Rest Day in Thunder Bay
Distance: 20 km
We slept poorly because of the extreme heat - it was the end of a
two week hot spell in Thunder Bay where temperatures were
consistently over 30 C. I woke up several times during the night
literally dripping with sweat. We had a good breakfast, did our
washing and spent an hour and a half on the Internet in the library.
Here's the message we sent.
Date: Fri, 30 Jul 1999 11:03:28 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: Bonjour de Thunder Bay
Hi everyone,
Here we are in Thunder Bay and the last few days were less
difficult than I had imagined. The Canadian Shield has been very
beautiful so far: there are so many lakes that it is amazing. We
really enjoyed the town of Kenora and took quite a few pictures
because they have some murals on their buildings.
Our biking days have been under sunny skies except for one
afternoon when we had to take shelter from a thunder storm. We
retreated to a nearby McDonalds (luckily we were in one of the
only towns we crossed when the rain started) and spent over an
hour sipping Cappucino coffees and talking to other cyclists. The
roads have really been through the Canadian Shield and there are
very few towns or settlements along them so you have to take lots
of water with you. We have been using our camelback water carriers
that you carry on your back and that have a long tube from which
you can sip the water. They are great for long distances. Whenever
there is a gas station with a restaurant or a little store, we
often stop and have orange juice, a chocolate bar, ice cream,
milkshake or pop. Everyone in the group appreciates a stop where
you can by yourself a treat to compensate for all the work you are
doing and to keep you going. If you stop too long, you get what I
call "spaghetti legs" when you get back on your bike and have to
go up a hill. Your legs feel rubbery like cooked spaghetti but
luckily the feeling soon passes and you become strong again.
With the heat and the distances, many people have been
developing other physical aches and pains (and sores) on their
"butts" as everyone calls that special place. There are all sorts
of remedies suggested by the seasoned cyclists but some people
have had to change their bike seats to find one that doesn't take
the weight on the same places. These are undocumented features of
the trip (that apparently occur every year if it is hot). Luckily
there are pharmacies in every town, so we have been trying zinc
ointment for diaper rash.
There are lots of hazards and challenges that you have to look
out for as you cycle. One of our best cyclists didn't see a speed
bump the other day when he was leaving camp and went right over
the handlebars landing on the asphalt where he scraped his elbows,
knees and ripped part of his cycling shirt. A dumb accident. then
there are what I call the rubber snakes in the pavement; you know
the cracks that are filled with black smooth asphalt. If your tire
goes into one of them on a hot day, they are super slippery and
dangerous. Potholes too have caused people problems; the tandem
went into one, the other day and luckily they didn't fall, but
they burst a tire and bent the rim of the other wheel so they had
to hitchhike to camp.
Group life is great and it is a real plus to have other people
around. They are what are keeping us going and doing the long
distances, because 170 km (and even more on one or two days) is
hard to face and if we were on our own, we would certainly find an
excuse not to do them. There is a really positive synergy in the
group that keeps a lot of us going. The trip is really an
extraordinary one as well as being a difficult challenge.
The day before yesterday we saw a deer that leaped beside us
for several metres; it was quite thrilling. Then a little later, a
mother bear and her cub crossed the road just in front of us.
Yesterday we saw a fox at the entrance to the campground. Every
night we hear the haunting call of loons which inhabit every lake
in Northern Ontario, I expect.
So, it has been quite an adventure up til now and we are going
to try to continue as long as we can. Hope you are all enjoying a
good summer and I look forward to seeing you again soon.
Claudia
We ran into several young Québecois at the university who
were learning English in the summer bursary program sponsored by the
federal government. After a tasty vegetarian Thai-style lunch at the
cafeteria, we headed downtown to Fort William where we stopped to
shop at three bike shops. At Petrie's, the second one, we bought a
new seat for Gilbert from a very knowledgeable salesman who talked
our ears off about various aspects of biking. He told us that our
bikes had very high quality components on them and estimated their
worth at $1600 - we felt good about this because we had paid a basic
$1200 before adding the accessories.
Later that evening, Jen had both groups of rider over (to the
house she rented as a student) for a pizza party. It was a sociable
get together and the second group entertained us with limericks they
had written for each other. It had been a very hot and humid day with
a temperature of 35 C. The sky was dark and cloudy all day but it
didn't rain. Once again our room was rather stifling and we both
slept fitfully.
Day 32: Saturday, July 31, 1999 - Thunder Bay to Stillwater Park
(5 km west of Nipigon)
Distance: 110 km; Climb: 656 m; Drop 396
m
We left the university at about 8:15 or so and headed downtown to
Hoito, a special Finnish restaurant, for a breakfast of their special
pancakes. They were, indeed, delicious and reminded me of Gilbert's
mother's pancakes which are less fluffy and more "eggy" than
traditional North American fare. Then we rode out of town along a
picturesque route before turning northwards to meet up with some of
the other riders at the Terry Fox Memorial, a very moving place.
Rendezvous at the Terry Fox
Memorial not far from the halfway point in our ride
We continued our ride on this section of Highway 17 known as the
Terry Fox Highway of Courage with Jonathan, for whom this whole area
was especially significant due to own previous battle with cancer. It
proved to be a great morning ride on a glorious day. Late morning, we
found a bicycle pump on the shoulder and picked it up, thinking that
it belonged to one of our riders.
We rendezvoused at the Pearl Rest Area where Jen awaited with the
makings of a delicious lunch to celebrate our arrival at the halfway
point in the trip. We feasted on fresh bread rolls, cheese, veggie
salami, real ham, salad stuffs and two pots of ice cream. It was
truly a special moment for us all. After we had told everyone about
the pump, Burt checked and realized it was his. Then we all left to
complete the remaining 50 kilometers.
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More wonderful murals
at an Esso gas station
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The ride that afternoon got progressively more difficult as the
wind picked up and started gusting from different directions,
including, of course, the one we were headed for. The going ended up
getting really tough but we ended up in a very nice campground. That
evening three of us dyed our hair outdoors and lots of people took
pictures. The temperature actually got quite cold as the sun went
down.
Day 33: Sunday, August 1, 1999 - Nipigon to Terrace Bay
Distance: 108 km; Climb: 988 m; Drop 320
m
It was a cold morning and we couldn't find Gilbert's mirror. We
looked everywhere and ended up leaving late at 8:20 a.m. not having
found it. Clouds rolled in but no rain fell. Gilbert saw a moose with
two calves cross the road far up ahead. The day's ride was a
relatively short one but there were three challenging hills with good
descents. We were surprised to find that the road was in very good to
excellent condition with small to wide shoulders because the Warning
on our Bud map for that day read as follows:
"From Nipigon to Sault Ste. Marie there are lots of long,
lonely stretches between towns. Carry lots of water on warm days
and have a stock of quick energy food items in your kit. Road
shoulders often are narrow to non-existent so be extra-cautious in
watching for other vehicles."
This warning caused me to feel apprehensive for the next several
days because I kept wondering when the conditions were actually going
to deteriorate and just how bad they would be. However, the ride that
particular day was very enjoyable. During one descent Gilbert clocked
up 64 km per hour without even pedaling. From time to time, we had
excellent views of the turquoise blue waters of Lake Superior
contrasted against the pink rocks on the shores. We stopped at
Rossport marina for French fries, drinks and dessert.
We had a lovely ride into Terrace Bay with a tailwind and we
arrived at 2:20 p.m., the earliest we'd ever come in up til that
point. We set up the tent and continued our search for the mirror -
through all our panniers, baskets, bags, etc. Just when we had given
it up for lost, I looked down beside the tent, and lo and behold,
found it there on the ground. I supposed that it must have been
caught in a sleeping bag and fallen when I had draped it over the
tent to dry. We then showered and walked to the Aguasabon Falls about
a kilometre from the camp. The falls fell in three narrow cascades
into a pool. On our way back, we picked some raspberries.
After supper, we walked three to four kilometers into town and
back.
Day 34: Monday, August 2, 1999 - Terrace Bay to "Hemlo" Mines
(wrong name) and the Golden Giant Mine
Distance: 126 km; Climb: 560 m; Drop 352
m
We left Terrace Bay at about 7:30 a.m. under a sunny sky and on
excellent roads with medium hills. As we came to the top of one hill
at around 11:30 a.m., the clouds started to thicken. We stopped at a
lookout which gave a spectacular view of Lake Superior and then it
started to rain. We took shelter under a tree during the downpour and
then discovered a wonderful blueberry patch where we had a great
feed. Then we continued the ride and noticed other clouds coming
towards us. We rode hard and tried to beat the rain at Marathon but
we got caught in the downpour about two miles outside of the
town.
We stopped at the Petrocan in Marathon for our sandwiches and a
yummy cappucino. Then we took off under a clear patch of sky. But
more showers were in the offing and we got caught by another shower
before getting into camp. During the rain, we managed 30 km per hour
on a straight stretch of road with a tailwind.
When we got into the mining country, we looked for Hemlo Mines on
each entrance sign we passed but none proved to be that particular
mine. Since it was supposed to be at the junction of CR 614, we
continued on to that road only to find out that there was only an
abandoned store and motel and a desolate old cement factory at the
junction. We retraced our tracks and discovered that Battle Mountain
Mines on the Yellow Brick Road was the location we were looking for.
We were quite annoyed by the wrong information on the map, especially
since the mine had changed its name more than three years
previously.
The wind was blowing really hard as we set up camp and huge black
clouds looked very menacing as they covered the sky off to one
side.
Amazing sky as we set up
camp at Battle Mountain Mines
On our actual camp site, we had dry outhouses, an electrical
outlet and a water stand with bottles set up as facilities. We were
able to go for showers, however, at the mine itself. Stu took
shuttled us in groups back and forth and we went to a room called the
"Dry" reputed to have the best showers of the entire trip. These
showers had so much water pressure that it felt as though you were
being hit by pins and needles. The floors were warm and in the men's
shower, there was a place to dry clothing and a well-planned system
for cleaning. It was the general consensus of TDC99 riders that these
were not the best showers of our trip.
After the shower, we participated in a tour of the gold mine that
I found informative and interesting. We had to wear hard hats and
clear goggles for protection against any debris and ear plugs to
counter the extremely noisy conditions.
That evening after supper, I made the basic chili we would be
having for dinner the next day since I knew that the next day's ride
of 144 km could possibly take a long time. I slept fitfully because
even with earplugs, the never ending noise of the rock crushers
disturbed by sleep as did the lights that illuminated one side of our
tent. At one point, I got up to pee and saw the stars and moon.
Day 35: Tuesday, August 3, 1999 - Golden Giant Mine to Wawa
Distance: 144 km; Climb: 672 m; Drop 280
m
We got up to very foggy conditions. I took a picture of our
outdoor bathroom facilities.
A morning visit to the bathroom
at Battle Mountain Mines
Because the fog was so thick, we took our time in leaving and
finally set off well after 9 a.m. with a headlight and flashing
taillights. The fog lifted in about an hour's time. That day, we rode
mainly with Jonathan as we didn't want to leave him to ride in
dangerous conditions so it was a slower pace than usual since his
hybrid had trouble keeping up to road bikes. The road was still quite
good except for about 30 kilometers under construction. I wondered
why new stretches of road in Ontario still had such narrow shoulders
- or none at all in some places. We passed more than 30 kilometers of
blackened trees and stumps that had burned in last spring's forest
fires.
We stopped in White River, the home of the bear cub called Winnie
(the Pooh). A regiment from the Canadian army had adopted a bear cub
in 1914 as its mascot and named him Winnie after Winnipeg, the
commander's home town. The bear cub was later left in the London Zoo
where A. A. Milne brought his son, Robin, one day. While they were
looking at the bear, a feather fell on he nose and he made a "pooh"
sound to try to blow it off - thus Winnie the Pooh came into being.
We bought two souvenir night shirts for Natasha and Madeleine. White
River is also known as having held the record for the coldest place
in Canada for many years - minus 52 C.
The hometown of a bear cub
named Winnie
As we started out from White River, we heard the screeching of
brakes but thought it was young drivers doing motocross or something
similar off to the right. A minute or two later as we rode round the
hill we were ascending, we came upon a pickup truck which had rolled
into the ditch on our side and which was presently on its side. Two
young children sat on the banks as a woman called for help from
inside the totally wrecked truck. We happened to be the first people
to arrive at the scene. We dropped our bikes to the ground and ran
down to the truck to try to help. The woman couldn't get her seat
belt off but got the window down. I tried to open the door but had no
luck. Gilbert tried to free the woman through the window and then
tried to reach a child crouched at her feet, but couldn't do either,
so he ran up the hill and flagged down a passerby. Then a camper
pulled up and the driver, who said he was trained in first aid, took
charge. His wife told us that they had witnessed the accident and
gone directly to the police. When the police arrived, we figured that
we could no longer be of any help so we left, rather shaken, I might
add, because she could have totalled us if we'd arrived at that spot
one minute earlier. Tire marks on the pavement showed that she'd been
coming down the hill on the other side of the road, tried to brake,
skidded over to our side across two lanes and then rolled into the
ditch. We couldn't figure out what had happened because it was a fine
day and there were no other cars involved. Scary.
We rode with Jonathan again and managed to stay mainly behind a
black cloud for the most part. We did get caught by a brief shower,
though. At one point, we passed the rank smelling carcass of a dead
moose on the side of the road. For the final 20 km, we battled very
strong headwinds. Upon our arrival, I was delighted to see that
supper was almost ready. Caroline had pitched in with Eva and a
couple of others to put the final touches on the chili, make a salad
and cook rice so all Gilbert, Jonathan and I had left to do was wash
everything up afterwards. Jen made a nice campfire later and we tried
to solve riddles. We went to bed without finding the solution for one
of them (and we never did find it out, ever!)
Day 36: Wednesday, August 4, 1999 - Rest day in Wawa
It rained a bit during the night but it wasn't cold. The following
day, our rest day, the weather was changeable for the most part. Jen
cooked us all a lovely breakfast that morning - omelette, bacon,
fried onions and mushrooms - as was the TDC tradition. We did our
washing and tried to figure out what we were doing for the planned
stopovers in Toronto and Ottawa. We decided that we wouldn't stop
over in Ottawa but would ride ahead to Montreal instead. Then we
tried to rest a little in the tent but it was too hot. We had lunch
and learned that Barbara Deutscher from the other group had left for
home from thunder Bay. This was both a surprise and not a surprise.
We had met her in Vancouver and she had expressed serious misgivings
about the trip before even starting it but the evening, before she
left, we had chatted with her at Jen's party and she had said
everything was going well.
We walked to Wawa, the home of the giant goose, after lunch and
visited Young's General Store, a treasure trove for all sorts of
things and modelled after an old-fashioned general store. A stuffed
moose stood on guard outside. Then we found a place to use the
Internet at $8.50 an hour, which was quite a futile experience for me
as Yahoo was not working properly. I did manage to send off a short
message, though, after losing a much longer one that I had
written.
Date: Wed, 04 Aug 1999 13:13:55 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: Wawa, Ontario
Hi everyone/Bonjour tout le monde,
Hope everything is going well. I'm having a lot of trouble with
Yahoo this afternoon so this will be a short letter - we are also
paying for the connection to Internet this time and my time is
almost up. the last four riding days having been quite good and
much better than expected; the views of Lake Superior and its
islands are rather fantastic and the road has been good for the
most part. The truck drivers in particular have been pretty
courteous. The weather hasn't been too hot but we've had to try to
dodge some spotty showers and have not succeeded at times. Some of
the hills have been pretty long but the descents have been great.
In general it has been a good ride.
Two days ago we camped at a gold mine and even got a guided
tour of the mine (very interesting). But the rock crushers
continued to operate all through the night making it hard to sleep
even with ear plugs and lights shone on our tents too so it wasn't
the best of nights. Gilbert saw a moose and two calves the other
day but they were gone before I really got a look.
Yesterday, a pickup trip lost control and rolled into the ditch
just before we passed coming out of White River (the home of the
original Winnie the Pooh bear and holder of the coldest
temperature in Canada -52C) and we were first to arrive at the
scene of the accident which we had only heard (squealing tires and
breaks around a corner). Luckily the woman and three kids seemed
OK but the truck was totalled.
Got to leave, this Internet connection keeps cutting off. Back
again soon,
Claudia
We bought some smoked summer sausage that you didn't have to
refrigerate to make a welcome change in our lunch menu. Then we went
to the Viking Restaurant to join the rest of the group for supper but
there were so many people, we left and went to Pizza Hut Express
instead where we had a vegetarian pizza - a totally boring place to
eat with very mediocre pizza. We walked home and went to bed early
after trying to call Tracey with no success. I did get Vam, though,
and said I would call back the next morning at 9 a.m.
Day 37: Thursday, August 5, 1999 - Wawa to Pancake Bay
Distance: 152 km; Climb: 1,196 m; Drop
1244 m
It was a very cold night. We got up at 6 a.m. because we were the
breakfast crew and it must have only been 2 or 3 C - everything
outside was soaked with dew. Our fingers froze as we got the pancakes
started. The cold temperatures seem to make everything and everyone
slow. Gilbert and I were the sweeps. Gilbert and I were the sweeps
and we managed to make it to the telephones by 9:10 a.m. but both
were occupied. By the time one was free, it was already 9:30 and
Tracey was gone. Vam told me that Aunt Bea had had two heart attacks
and been in the hospital most of the year; he added that she was in
pretty bad shape. This conversation triggered childhood memories and
during the day's ride, I spent a lot of time reflecting about life
and death, commitment and the meaning of life.
The first part of the highway was under construction and we had a
very smooth surface to ride on. We caught up with Jonathan, who
wasn't feeling well that day, at Old Woman River, a picturesque stop
looking out over Lake Superior.
Lake Superior
We also ran into a Québecois couple, named
Tétreault, from Ste. Foy. André Tétreault had
worked at the Quebec Ministry of Education and knew many of the same
people as Gilbert. He had been involved in program evaluation. Small
world, n'est-ce pas? Jonathan hitched a ride with Jen in the truck
until he caught up with Jackie and Dave.
Once we entered Lake Superior Park, the road deteriorated and
there was no paved shoulder to ride on. We all got run off the road a
couple of times by nasty truckers. Then the wind picked up and we had
to fight headwinds and the weather turned cloudy. I felt like giving
up in this very desolate and forlorn looking place but then the roads
improved and we had some great hills to ride down accompanied by
magnificent views of Lake Superior. We saw some gorgeous sandy
beaches with turquoise water, such as Catherine's Cove, that I felt
were just as picturesque as the beaches in southern climbs - mind
you, the water temperature was not so appealing!
With 60 km still left to ride, we caught up with Jonathan, Jackie,
Dave, Caroline and Megan, and the riding became super slow and
boring. Although they told us not to wait for them, we were trying to
perform our sweep duties properly so we stopped every time they
stopped. Finally with 40 km left at 5:40 p.m., they told us that they
were planning on hitchhiking so we left them at a restaurant.
When we reached Pancake Bay at 7:30 p.m., it started to pour. Our
campsite was located in the group section on bare ground rather than
grass and no electricity. Long faced Wally and Burt told us that Jen
had gone to the hospital in Sault Ste. Marie with one of the riders
after he had had an epileptic seizure while riding. Wally and Burt
had found him sitting confused by a ditch at the side of the road.
People in a camper stopped to help and had driven him to the campsite
- the woman was a nurse and they'd unloaded the camper into their car
to accommodate both the rider and his bicycle which was longer than
the average bike; they had been most helpful. Then he had had four
other seizures and become pretty incoherent so Jen had taken him to
the hospital. It was a sad sack sort of evening for us all. We ate a
simple supper of vegetable soup and grilled cheese sandwiches,
showered and then went to bed at 9 p.m. after a tough day of very
hilly, poor roads and an annoying headwind.
Day 38: Friday, August 6, 1999 - Pancake Bay to Thessalon via
Sault Ste Marie
Distance: 162 km; Climb: 608 m; Drop 304
m
We got off to an early start and the day looked much better with
sunshine to get up to. Pancake Beach was a beautiful beach but we
could only give it a quick look as we had a long day ahead of us. We
breakfasted on pancakes (how appropriate!) which were proving to be
the group's favourite breakfast fare. I was able to talk to Tracey at
8:15 a.m. and she said that she would call our cousin Bob Smith so
that we could get together on August 12, our day off in Toronto. She
sounded in good spirits and I was to call her to confirm the
following day.
The roads were much improved and we had a tailwind for a good part
of the ride enabling us to make good time. We stopped at an A&W
in Sault Ste. Marie and bought a chocolate milkshake to accompany our
peanut butter sandwiches. then we continued into town and rode out
along Queen St. East which proved a nice, quiet ride along the St.
Mary's River. After joining Highway 17, there was a lot of noisy
traffic but at least we had good shoulders to ride on. Gilbert was
still experiencing pain in his backside but it wasn't excessive and
we made good time, getting into camp by 5 p.m.
We set up our tent to dry and welcomed the missing rider back into
the group. Tests had shown that his medication was not strong enough
for the exertion that was demanded during this part of the ride so
all he had to do was take a stronger dose of medication. Supper -
Chinese stirfries of meat or tofu with rice and peas - was excellent.
Early to bed.
Day 39: Saturday, August 7, 1999 - Thessalon to Chutes Provincial
Park in Massey
Distance: 129 km; Climb: 416 m; Drop 280
m
There were many disgruntled riders this morning because some heavy
partying had gone on til 3:30 a.m. with loud music and incessant
talking close to our tents. Jackie had gotten up twice to ask them to
quieten down but they didn't. I volunteered as official complainer
but Jen said she would speak to the park management as the official
TDC representative and did.
The sky was unstable - fast moving light cloud - and several of us
suspected rain later on. It was cool and we left riding into a
headwind. For quite a while, we rode along a very bad stretch of road
with either a broken or no shoulder. In my rearview mirror, I watched
the clouds thickening behind us and the thicker they got, the worse
my mood got. I was both discouraged and pissed off because of the
lousy conditions: a headwind, a bad road, disgusting trucks and then
rain to top it all off.
We did have an interesting occurrence, though, during the
morning's ride. We passed a very personable fellow named Kevin
McDougall (I think) who was running from Vancouver to St. John's
inside a three-wheel homemade contraption at the rate of 50 km per
day.
Kevin McDougall running across
Canada for the millennium
He had started out on his cross Canada journey on March 17 and
planned to arrive in St. John's on New Year's Eve. In this, his
millennium project, he was carrying greetings from Canadians to other
Canadians in all parts of the country. He told us that the CBC was
scheduled to meet him in two days time at Massey to do a program
about his run. We took his photo, wished him well and left.
As we rode into the town of Blind River, I was feeling very
discouraged and disgruntled and would have gone home if it had been
easy to do so. The sky looked pretty ominous but we were able to eat
our lunch at a picnic table before it started to rain. At first it
was light but 30 km later just as we stopped at Serpent River to
attend the annual Indian powwow, the skies opened and it poured for
at least an hour, soaking us to the skin. What a shame! We were able
to see the end of one Indian dance and eat a plate of wild rice and
vegetables as we talked to a couple of Indian youths.
Powwow at Serpent
River
It was too wet for the Powwow to continue and we knew that we
would have to keep going to make it into camp. Because I was cold, we
stopped in a dingy, smoky tavern in the town of Spanish to drink a
coffee and to try to warm up a little. Afterwards, we picked up the
cadence and that helped me stay warm. The rain let up a bit and the
road got better. I was amused by the name of road crossing the
highway: Seldom Seen Road! A delicious meal awaited us in camp
consisting of a Waldorf salad and vegetable pasta. We laughed a lot
during the evening and then retired into our tent at 9 p.m. after
another tough day.
Day 40: Sunday, August 8, 1999 - Massey to Manitowaning on
Manitoulin Island
Distance: 110 km; Climb: 572 m; Drop 336
m
We got up to a scene of many fallen bikes. Raccoons had visited
the panniers of many cyclists, opened the zippers and fished out
apples, gorp and candybars. Apparently there had been quite a dispute
over the best goodies and several cyclists had heard the ruckus and
gotten up to chase them away with shouts of "Shoo! Shoo!" We were
surprised that they hadn't tried to get to the chocolate bars in
Gilbert's pannier and also that we had slept through all the noise.
Must have been our trusty earplugs which we had been wearing every
night.
This day proved to be a great ride because we had tailwinds as
soon as we turned off Highway 17 after the first 28 km. I was most
happy to leave awful Highway 17 and its rumbling trucks and bad
surface. We stopped in Espanola for a cappucino and muffin and then
rode through some very hilly and picturesque countryside with the
wind at our back. We accompanied Ngaire who, on her hybrid bicycle,
was faster downhill but slower uphill than we were on our road bikes.
Not one huge tractor trailer passed us on this road. The weather
cleared up but it was very cool.
We got to Little Current just before noon and only five minutes
before the swing bridge swung to let boats through the channel. We
stopped at the "fabulous" ice cream shop to eat our sandwiches and to
sample one of the renowned ice cream cones but these did not meet our
expectations. After continuing our ride a little farther, we stopped
again at an Indian handicraft store but once again, I didn't purchase
anything. Then we rode into camp where we had a real smorgasbord
spread for supper with leftovers and hamburgers grilled over a fire.
We managed to do our laundry and get everything dry. I found Holiday
Haven to be a good campground with nice showers and facilities. In
separate phone calls, I confirmed our arrangements to meet on
Thursday with both Tracey and Bob. We also tried to call Gilbert's
mother and our daughter, Natasha, but without success.
Day 41: Monday, August 9, 1999 - Manitowaning to Tobermory
Distance: 42 km; Climb: 148 m; Drop 276
m
Besides having eaten too much for supper the previous evening, we
were disturbed by two men carrying on a conversation far into the
night although we were wearing our earplugs. We all arose very early
at 5:30 a.m. - earlier than usual during this portion of the trip -
in order to ride to the ferry that would cross Lake Huron to
Tobermory. It was a cold morning with lots of dew on the tents. We
were scheduled to meet the truck at 8:10 a.m. in order to load our
bikes onto it. There was no group breakfast so Gilbert and I each ate
a banana before leaving at 6 a.m., our earliest departure ever. As we
left the campground, we saw the sunrise and experienced the charm of
an early morning ride. At one point our shadows were reflected
clearly on the hillside to our right. There was no wind but some
hills and we averaged about 25 km per hour. Most people had very cold
feet because it was only about 6 C.
Ferry from Manitoulin Island to
Tobermory
Upon arriving at the ferry terminal, Gilbert and I ate the peanut
butter and jam sandwiches I had made the night before and we drank an
insipid cup of coffee. The very modern ferry had a bow that swung up
like giant jaws to let the cars off and soon it was time for us to
board. The weather was fine and we had an uneventful 1h 45 min.
crossing during which we relaxed and read a newspaper.
Cars disembarking from ferry's
giant jaws
We all hung around in the tourist town of Tobermory which reminded
me of a poor version of Kennebunk. Some of the group decided to take
a $15 tour on a glass-bottom boat to view the underwater wrecks but
they hardly saw anything at all and considered it to have been a
rip-off. The whole region is an underwater national park that is
famous as an interesting spot for scuba divers because of the number
of wrecks - including modern, planned ones! - on view. We sampled
some local fried whitefish and French fries for lunch but the meal
was rather bland. We did find some good ice cream in town though.
Mid-afternoon, we rode the remaining 6 km to camp where we took
our showers, set up the tent and then our galley crew prepared an
improvised supper using various leftovers: tomato pasta, reheated
chili, corn and bean salad, green salad and tuna fish. Wally's wife,
Ellie, treated us to her version of "poires belle
Hélène" for dessert. Then we spent a quiet evening
hoping that the prediction of rain for the following day would not
materialize.
Day 42: Tuesday, August 10, 1999 - Tobermory to Craigleith via
Owen Sound
Distance: 155 km; Climb: 592 m; Drop 476
m
Once again I didn't sleep well. It rained during the night but the
tent was relatively dry in the morning because we had pitched it
under a tree. We got up early because we had to cook breakfast,
consisting of eggs, bacon, hash browns and toast, in the light rain
because no one had put up the canopy the previous night. The same
people that were always in a rush every morning hovered around the
stove and it seemed that the food was never ready quickly enough for
them. Gilbert and I were stuck as sweeps for the second time in a row
because Eva was off to Toronto and Jonathan couldn't ride alone.
A while later, we set off with Jonathan and the rain began to fall
more heavily. It was a miserable, cold day and Jonathan rode at a
slow pace. At Ferndale, we stopped at the local tourist centre for
Jonathan to pee and we decided to put on warmer clothes. Jonathan
left and we ran into a person named Bob Smale who turned out to be
the partner of Roger Chiasson's wife's sister; Roger was the rider
who had left our group. What a small world!
The road was very bad from Tobermory to just past Wiarton; the
surface was very cracked and eroded and there was no paved shoulder
to ride on. I was becoming more and more conscious of the danger that
we were exposing ourselves to on a daily basis, especially in
Ontario. We stopped in a really run down, smoky restaurant for lunch
in Wiarton where Jonathan was eating with Dave Foss. Gilbert was
feeling really discouraged by the unpleasant conditions that morning.
Then we continued on to see the statue of Wiarton Willie, the albino
groundhog.
Wiarton Willie, the famous
albino groundhog
and decided to stop at the library for an hour of Internet for
only $ 2. Here's the message I sent.
Date: Tue, 10 Aug 1999 11:37:08 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: Wiarton, Ont.
Hi everyone,
Today, we are in Wiarton, a small town north of Toronto near
Lake Huron (south of Tobermory and northwest of Owen Sound). We
finally found a library in Ontario that was open on the day that
we were passing through the town so we can catch up on our mail
and mailings. For the past several days, except yesterday, we have
had scattered showers and we were able to avoid being wet except
on a ride through Blind River to Massey when it rained all
afternoon and for today - it started to rain in the middle of the
night and rained constantly (like a mist) for most of the morning,
soaking quite through even though we are wearing several layers.
I'm drying off right now but Gilbert is still pretty wet. We have
ridden about 70 km and have about 85 more to go and it is already
2:30 p.m. I forgot to mention that we had a headwind this morning
too, which never helps things. So we both wish we were back home
at the moment enjoying a relaxing day with a nice book or with
friends. I think that everyone in the group probably feels this
way.
Yesterday, we had quite an easy day because we took the ferry
from Manitoulin Island to Tobermory and the weather was beautiful.
we only rode a total of 42 km all day so we had a bit of a rest
before the ride today to Craigleith and then the one into Toronto
tomorrow which hits 183 km. Thursday is a day off and we are
expecting to spend a little time with two of my cousins, Tracey
Ellis and Bob Smith. So we will get caught up on the news from
that side of the family.
After Wawa, highway 17 was good only at times but often had no
paved shoulders to ride on and I found it a real drag to be on
such a major highway in such conditions, especially when it
started to rain, making things even worse. However, some of the
views of Lake Superior were really spectacular: it is clear and
has turquoise-blue water and beautiful sandy beaches in spots. You
would almost think you were in the south seas minus the palms and
the warm water.
Something a bit funny: raccoons got into several people's bike
bags the other night making a ruckus and knocking several of the
bikes over. They actually opened the zippers very carefully and
stole all sorts of edible loot such as apples, candy bars,
sandwiches (made ahead of time) etc. and apparently fought over
the best goodies. Gilbert and I were both wearing earplugs so we
didn't hear the noise.
Well we are sticking it out at the moment and hoping the
weather will improve. We actually appreciate the cooler
temperatures but could certainly do without the rain! We expect to
be arriving in Montreal the evening of Aug. 16th and then spending
our rest day there on the 17th (instead of in Ottawa). Then it
will be off to the Maritimes for the last three weeks. The time
has really flown by but we seem to be into quite the same routine
most days and have trouble remembering which day it is and even
where we are!
Well that's about it for now. REgards to all and looking
forward to seeing you again soon.
Claudia
The ride was a bit more enjoyable from Wiarton to Owen Sound and
there was a very good stretch of 20 km coming into Meaford on
attractive Georgian Bay with a tailwind. We finally arrived at
Craigleith just before 8 p.m. - almost dark - and Ali was waiting for
us with a delicious bean and cheese burrito as a wonderful welcome.
Leo's wife and daughter had made some excellent desserts, too
(muffins, fruit squares, cream cheese icing).
I put up the tent as Gilbert showered and Vicky and Ngaire talked
about how Burt had wanted to stop the truck but Jen couldn't see him
because she was carrying four people in the cabin. We concluded that
a few of the cyclists in our group were now riding so often in the
truck that they were not building up their strength as riders. The
two riders said that they were putting together a group for the
following day's ride since the instructions on the map seemed so
complicated and that we were welcome to ride with them. The weather
prediction for our long ride into Toronto was good so the prospect
for the next day looked bright.
Day 43: Wednesday, August 11, 1999 - Craigleith to Toronto (Glen
Rouge Park, Scarborough/Pickering)
Distance: 183 km but we rode 216; Climb:
1,100 m; Drop 848 m (estimates)
The next morning got up early to get a quick start and I was
disappointed to see how cloudy and rainy looking it was. As we
breakfasted, I looked out over the shores of Georgian Bay and
realized in what a beautiful location Craigleith campground was
situated. The group riding together assembled, waiting for various
participants to join. Then it took off without us because some
cyclists could not wait just another two minutes for Gilbert to
finish in the restroom. I felt disappointed and angry. Fast Dave was
riding sweep alone and kindly said that he would ride with us. He
assured us that he had studied the map carefully the evening before
so we set off quite happily after all.
Unfortunately, we missed a turn onto one of the highways and rode
up and up into the Blue Mountains behind the camp. Because it was
misty and rainy up in the hills, we couldn't get a sense of the
direction we were riding and had gone at least 15 km before I noticed
a sign that said Ravenna. My stomach sank because I remembered that
we had passed a sign to Ravenna on our way into camp the evening
before and that meant that we were going in exactly the opposite
direction to what we should have been. We stopped to consult a real
map and decided that the easiest thing to do was to back track. The
hill we had just gone up was a great one to come down but I was angry
that we had lost an hour on a 183 km day, especially since I wanted
to stop off in Schomberg to see my 83 year-old aunt Hazel. If the
other group had waited only two minutes for us, this wouldn't have
happened!
We rode to Stayner with Dave and then let him go on ahead. He told
us later that he got lost five more times that day. We were glad to
have a provincial map with us but even some of the information on it
was wrong, too! It did show us, thought, that we could ride all the
way down to Schomberg on CR #10 and that it wouldn't lengthen our
route in terms of distance. After riding 140 km, we finally arrived
at Aunt Hazel's at about 3:10 p.m.
Inspecting Aunt Hazel's
garden
She greeted us with tea and cookies and I thought she looked very
well. We chatted with her for about an hour and ten minutes and took
pictures of her in front of her garden. She is still very sharp and
on the ball and I appreciated having spent a little time with
her.
We headed east on Highway 9 for Newmarket and the traffic was very
heavy. At one point, I got honked at loud and long by a huge tractor
trailer when I kept my right of way as he was merging. This was a
little unnerving but I just kept on going. The rest of the ride was a
long one into camp - another 76 km - but luckily there was a light
tailwind and it was downhill a good part of the way on quiet Ninth
Line Road when we finally got past the gravel section and onto
asphalt. We rode into camp just as the night became dark and I was
amazed at the last turn off the line road onto Hwy 2 where it runs
parallel to the multi-laned 401; so much traffic and background
noise!
Once in camp, we learned that Leda had visited and left delicious
brownies and lemon squares for dessert and there were also some
cookies from Jackie's mom. Since we didn't fancy heating up the two
cold hotdogs left over from supper, we had banana yogurt and some of
the desserts for supper, showered and went to bed. We were both
amazed to have ridden 216 km with so few ill effects - Gilbert does
have a sore backside, though; we rode for more than 9 hours! Once
again we noted that the maps furnished by Bud and Margot were full of
inaccuracies and lacked important information.
Day 44: Thursday, August 12, 1999 - Rest day in Toronto
We woke up to a beautiful sunny morning and got up at 7:30 for a
leisurely breakfast. Dave Foss's parents live about four minutes from
the campground and Dave arrived to pick up people to drive into
Toronto and to take loads of dirty laundry to his mom from those who
hadn't arrived early enough the previous day when she did the same.
We all appreciated this very much because there were no laundry
facilities in the campground. Many of us had a discussion as to what
needed to be improved on the TDC tour and after several different
ideas were thrown out, the only one that was unanimous concerned
improving the maps.
My cousin Bob was scheduled to pick us up at 10 a.m. and then we
were going to drive to a public transit stop and take the train and
subway into town where we would go shopping at MEC with him, and then
meet Tracey at Mount Sinai hospital. Bob arrived at 11 and we offered
him some juice. He told me that he wasn't the same person as the last
time I had seen him because of his heart problem. during the day he
talked a lot about it and we could see that it was of great concern
to him. We called Tracey to give her an approximate meeting time - it
would be lunch first and then shopping for us. Then in Bob's pickup,
we drove to the train run by magnetic energy (I don't remember the
name) which then took us to a subway station. It took us quite a long
time to get to St. Patrick station at the corner of Dundas and
University where Tracey had been waiting for quite a while.
We lunched in a nearby restaurant and engaged an interesting
conversation about our respective life experiences and families, and
more particularly, about our three tough and stubborn mothers
(sisters). Tracey went back to Mount Sinai hospital to check on the
geriatric psychiatrist's report on her mother while Bob, Gilbert and
I walked several blocks to the section of town containing the
Mountain Equipment Coop and other similar stores. Gilbert found a
cycling jersey that he wanted but not a good, waterproof jacket. One
of the salesclerks told us about a store called Velotique that might
have what we wanted and Tracey later offered to drive us there.
Gilbert found a good quality orange cycling jacket that matches his
bike. Then we drove Bob to his pickup because he had an hour and a
half's drive to Waterloo and Tracey and the two of us had a relaxed
and very enjoyable supper in a pub close to the campground. I felt
happy that we had reestablished contact and we exchanged e-mail
addresses.
Day 45: Friday, August 12, 1999 - Glen Rouge Park to
Campbellford
Distance: 162 km; Climb: 384 m; Drop 136
m
We got up to a muggy morning with grey skies and a prediction of
rain. No group was on breakfast duty. The maps were complicated once
again. We were the last to leave the campground and there were five
Torontonians who were still absent from the group; they were still
enjoying a stopover with their families. In Port Hope, 80 km away,
Celia and Tim Hope, who had met during TDC97 and then married in
1998, were hosting lunch for us. It started to rain intermittently
early on in the ride but at least it was warm. We stopped several
times to put on and take of our rain jackets and gaiters.
It took a long time to ride through the suburbs east of Toronto
and we passed the nuclear plant at Pickering and the huge GM plants
at Oshawa. By midmorning, the rain had started to fall quite heavily.
Just before noon, Gilbert and I experienced some difficulty riding
through some bumpy, muddy construction on Highway 2 because we hadn't
realized that it was west of Port Hope and not east as Jen had
indicated on a posted note.
The entrance into Port Hope was festooned with signs welcoming
TDC99 riders and we felt cheered. By the time we got to the park
where lunch was being served my arms and legs were wet through. Then
I noticed that the other riders had eaten all the good sandwiches,
leaving us only half a one to share and this really put me off
because they knew that we were behind them. They had left us an empty
donut box too and I felt that they were very inconsiderate - however,
there was an abundance of vegetables and fruit and we filled up on
these. We talked for quite a long time with Tim and Celia who told us
about the cycling trip they were organizing for the month of November
which would travel from tip to tip in New Zealand. There were also
two other former TDC participants who proved interesting to talk to.
Finally it was time to leave and we made one last stop before leaving
Port Hope to call Carolyn and Leo and to treat ourselves to a "loony"
chocolate milkshake.
The route soon became very hilly and we both were quite fed up by
the time we had completed the remaining 82 km or so into camp. The
campground was a very nice one, however, with a lovely view towards
the west. The showers were excellent, too, and our evening proved a
happier one than the day had been.
Day 46: Saturday, August 13, 1999 - Campbellford to Canoe Lake
Park near Fermoy
Distance: 147 km; Climb: 696 m; Drop 240
m
No rain fell overnight but we got up to a cloudy, grey sky. It was
not a very inspiring day and I found the countryside rather bleak:
real backwoods Ontario. The farms looked very poor and the land was
studded with rocks. The terrain was generally quite hilly. We must
have passed fifteen barking dogs, a few of which chased us for short
distances. I didn't enjoy this.
In Tweed, we stopped for a milkshake and a muffin (me) and brownie
(Gilbert) and then later in Marlbank, we ate our picnic lunch. We
noticed that once again the maps didn't show where the real towns
were (some of the names on them were mere crossroads with not even
one general store open for business). We met up with Ray and Martin,
the sweeps that day, who were waiting for Jonathan. As we realized
there were more wrong indications on the Bud map, we decided to ride
with the three of them. Gilbert became really annoyed when we didn't
stop at all to relax and he couldn't take a few minutes to enjoy his
chocolate bar. The two sweeps didn't even get off their bikes to eat
their sandwiches or snack on other goodies. I rode with Jonathan for
a while and we complained to each other.
Later that afternoon, as we reached the end of the day's ride,
Gilbert announced that he was having such a miserable time that he
was calling it quits in Montreal. I felt a bit shocked at first and
then sad but decided that I would quit too because I didn't really
care if we completed the entire ride or not.
Mark Bazerman kindly provided us with delicious cookies and told
us about his participation in the New Zealand ride in November
organized by Celia and Tim Hope. That evening, I found out that Burt,
Wally and company had not waited for Dave Foss that morning when he
had had to use the restroom facilities before departure and that he
had then ridden with Fast Dave who had led him astray! His story
paralleled ours on the day we rode into Toronto. I felt sad that the
many of the members of the group were so eager to depart exactly at
the moment that they themselves were ready that they couldn't wait an
extra minute or two for someone else who wanted to ride with them
that day.
Day 47: Sunday, August 14, 1999 - Canoe Lake Park to Carleton
University in Ottawa
Distance: 134 km; Climb: 384 m; Drop 488
m
The sun was shining as we left canoe Lake. The route was a bit
hilly at first with one really steep one leaving Westport but then it
turned into a very pleasant ride through pretty countryside. We found
town of Perth which we reached mid morning to be the most attractive
town we had yet seen in Ontario: well-designed stone buildings,
lovely flowers and interesting historical background on the Rideau
Canal. We rode with Leo along a dirt and gravel road and then
continued along a section of Tennyson Road on what I call "imitation
gravel" which is a very bumpy paved surface. We kept looking for the
Mississippi Lake that we were supposedly rambling alongside of
according to the Bud map but we couldn't see a lake of any
description. The road surface soon became much improved but once
again the indications on the map were very misleading and we were
glad to have a provincial map to consult. We stopped at Black's
Corners for lunch at a picnic table and made a phone call to
Gilbert's mom. We also tried to call our daughters but had no luck.
Sweeps Vicky and Ngaire stood around the corner of the garage for
lunch and we didn't realized they were waiting for us to finish
because they never said anything to us. Then, Jonathan, Jackie and
Dave arrived as we were leaving and we mentioned to Vicky and Ngaire
that they didn't need to "sweep" us.
After this point we had a lovely afternoon's ride into Ottawa. We
took the alternative route via Old Stittsville and then through busy
Kanata. The well worn bike path in Ottawa proved to be rather bumpy
and I was very glad that Gilbert knew where we were going so that we
were able to take a short cut to the university. I didn't know how
anyone could make head nor tail out of the proposed bike path routes
on our maps. We made it into Carleton before most of the others
including the sweeps who arrived only an hour and a half later after
having map difficulties.
Peace Tower and Parliament
Buildings in Ottawa
We showered and managed to get our washing done and I liked our
accommodations on the first floor of the residence. That night, we
had a pizza party for the group and we sat outside enjoying the sight
of several hot air balloons that floated into view. Then Gilbert and
I went for a most pleasant walk along the Ottawa River and the Rideau
Canal and stopped for a lemonade along the way. It had been a very
pleasant day. We phoned our daughter Madeleine and made arrangements
for her to pick us up the following day in Hawkesbury so that we
could arrive in Montreal without being completely exhausted.
Day 48: Monday, August 15, 1999 - Carleton University to
Hawkesbury
Distance: 120 km; Climb: 696 m; Drop 580
m
While the rest of our group rested in Ottawa, Gilbert and I
departed after eating breakfast at the university cafeteria and
packing a lunch that consisted of a bagel sandwich. The route out of
Ottawa along the green belt was wonderful and we enjoyed a smooth
road surface and wide paved shoulder as well as a most enjoyable
tailwind. The good conditions deteriorated somewhat as we continued
along the Old Montreal Road and at one point, we tired of trying to
follow the Bud map along back roads so we embarked upon Highway 17
between Canaan Road and Plantagenet. The sky clouded over but it
didn't rain and we stopped to picnic on the grass by a service
station. We called Madeleine to say that we expected to arrive in
Hawkesbury around 3 p.m. and then we continued our ride on CR 24
along the Outaouais River. With literally no traffic, a freshly-paved
road, pleasant natural scenery and picturesque towns, Gilbert became
reconciled with our bike trip and said he was thinking of
continuing.
Picturesque town of Orignal
near Hawkesbury
We made good time and arrived at Hawkesbury at 2:15 p.m., earlier
than we had expected, and went to the local Tim Horton's to wait for
Madeleine, who finally arrived at 3:25 p.m. Our second daughter,
Natasha, had not been able to come along because she had a job
interview. Upon our arrival in Montreal, we stopped at Costco to get
our photos developed and then I made a few phone calls. We took the
girls for a vegetarian supper at a Thai restaurant close to home and
then they started calling all our friends to invite them to an open
house dinner party the following day. It was great to be back home in
Montreal.
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