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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.

Two of the magnificent murals in Kenora

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.

More wonderful murals at an Esso gas station

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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