Day 47 Alliston to Nestleton – 70 miles

Having been dropped off at camp by Chris lake I got back into the swing of things sorting bottles and bags and then forcing some breakfast down.

I had a great surprise though as my long awaiting missing cards and sweets from Jenny, Matt and the Stokes family arrived. The bad news was that it cost me $17 in redirection fees, but at least tonight I have some chocolate buttons and sweet bananas to eat in bed and a lolly for tomorrows trip.

Today dawned misty but warm and we set off east again with a refreshed feeling. I travelled with quite a large group for the first 30km or so and then was tempted to stop by the $3.99 breakfast special just outside Bradford.

After a super breakfast, Randy, Simo and I just sauntered along in the now sunny conditions knocking off the distance chatting and taking in the scenery. We passed north of Toronto across the Market Garden area that looks very similar to the fens and then into cottage country where the rich have bought cottages just outside the big town

We rolled into Port Perry and pulled into a lakeside café for a snack and then finished the last few km hitting camp at about 2.30pm.

When we arrived there was a sign telling us the truck was going to be late, it had got stuck in the soft soil in Alliston and had to be pulled out by a recovery truck. It eventually pulled in at about 4pm which has put dinner back a couple of hours. The campsite is OK,we are in light woods on the edge of a chemically induced bright blue swimming lake.

I have got the tent up and the last of my bedding airing and am hoping for a pleasant night back under canvas.

Tomorrow ride is about 80 miles long and we are on cooking duty.

Onwards and Upwards!

Day 46 Rest Day Alliston

Larry arrived at the camp site shortly after 6pm and to my relief told me there was room at the Inn for the next couple of nights. I grabbed all I could carry and we headed out of camp and to the family cottage on the Nottawasaga River.

At the cottage was Gwen, Chris, DJ (Chris's wife) Sam and Jack (Kids) Jacqui and Roberta.

Although I've seen Larry and Gwen a couple of times relatively recently it's been 30 years since we kids had seen each other but it was if it was yesterday only a few more wrinkles.

The cottage is idyllic, set on the banks of the river with tumbling water rushing past, a deck and the ultimate batchelor pad with open plan rooms and a huge fire place.

A few beers and a good gossip later we headed into town for dinner and I had my first decent steak since arriving in Canada.

Back to the cottage and a real bed; it was so hot and humid after the storms though that I just slept on top of the sheets.

I awoke at about 6am and enjoyed stretching out and not touching anything damp and not having to pack up the tent. When everyone was up we nipped into town for breakfast and then I took them to the camp site to show them the squaller I have to put up with during this trip and introduced them to a few of the cyclists.

Chris and I then headed into town to get washing done, swap the mattress, a haircut and other bits and pieces before we made our way back tot he cottage where the weather was glorious and I spent the afternoon day sipping beer and alternating sitting on the deck or paddling in the river and catching up with the various family members.

Larry Gwen and the two girls left at about 5pm and then super-chef DJ started to work her magic in the kitchen turning out a marvelous steak dinner whilst chatting and watching the sun disappear over the trees.

Sadly the time will come when I have to go back to camp, Chris will drop me off in the morning and I will have to get cracking to sort water bottles food etc for the day. I would think with so many people being absent over the rest day I wont be the only one scrabbling around first thing though and I think we have a relatively easy day at about 70 miles to complete.

So now to bed, I have had a fantastic time, thanks must go to the Lake family for such great hospitality, I promise it wont be 30 years before we meet again!


Onwards and Upwards!

Day 45 Owen Sound to Alliston – 80 miles

Another frustrating night! Following the heavy rain the sun came out and helped dry everything out but in doing so the humidity levels just rocketed and by the time we got to bed it was very close and muggy.

I had opted to try out the Thermal mattress again, a decision I was to regret as it was so small compared to the previous mattress. I settled down well but soon the tent was like a sauna inside and I was drenched with sweat as the humidity just didn't reduce. I slept on top of my sleeping bag until about 3am and at that point the temperature dropped and I ended up cold and clamy ( no jokes about this being normal here!) and then when I tried to get warm I found my blankets were all damp.

I finally gave up trying to sleep at about 5.45 and got up, packed the tent and got ready for a long 105 mile ride to Alliston. However over breakfast a number of alternative routes were being discussed and once Tom and Randy had returned from their night in a motel we opted for a shorter route hoping we would get in early and avoid the bigger climbs of the day.

We set off towards Collingwood and after a few miles pulled in for Coffee, then we went onto the Georgian Trail, an old railway track that runs along the northern coast for about 40km and is very similar to the Nene Valley Way back home. The trail took us away from all the traffic and through the swanky golf courses and posh houses that look across Georgian Bay. There were the normal middle aged women joggers who seemed to have certain appendages that probably weren't present at birth and a quota of stereotypical middle aged men all dressed in posh gear but puffing like a knackered horse.

After a quick bike shop stop in Collingwood, (I resisted spending any money), we headed for the local McDonald's and downed a gourmet meal accompanied by the Dollar drink (free refills) and then continued on our way.

Heading south we were soon overtaken by the weather and it started to rain. When I say it started to rain it was more like someone had emptied a bath onto us, it was almost as bad as the day into Kenora the only thing missing was the thunder and lightening.

We cycled on for about 2 hours and were absolutely soaked before we got to the site in Alliston. Tom and Randy headed for a hotel to meet their wives and I headed to camp to get sorted and await the Lakes.

As I write this the weather is still foul, we have had thunder and lightening but fortunately there is quite a large outdoor preparation centre we are using so we are at least able to get our kit out of the wet.

Tonight I am out to dinner and maybe out to sleep as well, tomorrow is a rest day but I expect it will be spent cleaning and sorting clothes and meeting the rest of the Lakes: it has been 7 days since my last washing day and most of my gear is either wet or dirty.


Onwards and Upwards!

Day 44 Tobermorey to Owen Sound– 66 miles

After a very pleasant evening I retired to bed early at about 8pm, read my book for a half hour or so and was just drifting off to a peaceful sleep when the fireworks started; on and on they went followed by groups of noisy youths with load music and cars rumbling up and down the drives.

The noise went on until the early hours and to add to my frustration as I tossed and turned I slowly got the feeling that I was getting closer to the ground. I was, there was a leak in my blow up mattress and at midnight I had to pump it up again, which isn't easy to do silently. Sadly at about 3am I was back to semi inflated and felt as if I was at sea. I managed to cobble together some covers to make sure I wasn't sleeping on rock and get a couple of hours sleep but at 5am despite heavy rain and a short day ahead people started getting up so any chance of sleep was gone.

I finally got up at 6am, still in the dark and sorted tent mattress etc away. It had been raining quite hard overnight but it was only really drizzle now so I packed my waterproofs and headed out at about 7.30am leaving Randy to do his breakfast duties and joined by an ailing Taso.

There are a few people suffering from bugs in camp at present, no one has missed a ride yet but some are suffering quite badly and with long days ahead that can't be much fun, I just hope I don't get any of it.

Quite soon after we left camp the heavens opened again and we stopped to kit up. Waterproofs are a bit of a mixed blessing at they do keep the worst of the rain off you but you still get soaked from perspiration as you are working so hard, but, as with the thunder storms at Kenora, the temperature was high so at least we weren't getting cold.

We stopped for a quick bacon sandwich and a dry off after about 30km and then hit the road again during a lull in precipitation joined by Don.

About 20km down the road we could see another heavy downpour approaching so we pulled off the road to hide under tree and see out the worst of it. A couple of minutes later the owner of the tree appeared on his porch and invited us in for coffee. We accepted and within a couple of minutes we were resting in the White families dining room whilst our riding gear was in the dryer sipping steaming hot coffee. We were of course extremely grateful for this act of generosity and it was quite a difficult decision to then leave the warm house and head out into the rain again.

Some 20km further down the road we caught up with Randy, who had passed us whilst we were warming ourselves, in Tim Horton's at Wiarton. We had a bite to eat and a drink by which time the rain has stopped and although it was overcast and very humid looked as if it was not going to start again soon. We seized our chance and got back on the road only to find our route blocked due to a tipple fatal accident. We were re-routed and stopped moaning about the weather in light of what we had just been told!

We soon knocked off the remaining 40kmand although managed to stay dry for most of it just got caught as we hit the campsite and gently doused again.

After setting up a still wet tent I hit the shower and the dryer and dried my gear ready for tomorrows longer 105mile ride into Alliston and, at last, a rest day. On the way back from the showers the so called 5 Star Girls ( Randy and Toms wives named so as they refuse to camp under any circumstances) were on the site and they had brought me a huge pile of fresh fruit and other treats which were greatly appreciated.

We also had a visit from a couple of people who did the trip last year, it was really interesting to hear about their trip and how many of the themes seem to be repeating themselves this year

Dinner tonight was chicken curry which has gone down very well with some corn on the cob donated by last years tourists. Hopefully I can catch up on my sleep and be ready for an early start to ensure I get to Alliston in time for the Lakes to pick me up.

Onwards and Upwards!

Day 43 Manitowaning to Tobermorey – 40 miles

Today was the first of our ferry days and so it is very short but we had to get up at the crack of dawn. I got dressed in the dark in my tent because I had left my torch in the truck and then I had to pack up another soaking wet tent, complete with a frog.

Breakfast was cold and we were on the road by 6.30 and blasted the 36km tot he ferry terminal where we had another proper breakfast before boarding.

The ferry was quite busy and Tom found himself parked amongst all the Harley Davidson guys. I think he's contemplating growing a small goatie and buying some leathers

The ferry ride lasted about one and a half hours during which I spent most of the time sunning myself or sleeping in a nice wooden chair I found next to Pierre. On arrival in Tobermorey we had fish and chips before heading to the camp site.

Tonights site is in a wood but no Mozzy's, the owner is very nice and has let me use the Internet as “ I am a long way from home” so I can get my blog up to date.

Tomorrow is a longer day, 66 miles or so to Owen Sound.

Onwards and Upwards!

Day 42 Spanish Marina to Manitowaning – 80 miles

We were sweeping today so we had a late departure and took it fairly easy during the first part of the day. We soon came upon Don and teamed up, but Don wasn't feeling too good and we only took it easy. There were some awful roads in the first section but we got through ti and arrived fro Coffee at Espanola where I was able to catch up with Z and get a few bits for the laptop at a store.

The middle section was tougher with a few hills and a head wind in places but not too challenging.

About two thirds through the day we arrived at Little Current where we had to wait a few minutes for a huge swing bridge to close for us and then we headed for a highly recommended Ice Cream Shop just across the other side.

The remaining 30km was relatively flat but with a strong side wind that meant we had to concentrate quite hard to avoid being blown into the traffic.

We rolled into camp quite early and I was able to get set up and sort dinner before doing some more laptop work.

So far I have managed to get onto the web giving me access to email and the blog but Skype is still difficult as none of my sound drivers are working, hopefully things will improve but in the short term I can always use another Laptop to Skype on.

Tomorrow is a very early start, about 5am as we have 40km to do before a 9.10am ferry. There is very little distance to cover post ferry so I should be able to spend some time getting the blog and emails etc up to date and also backing up some files onto a new memory stick.

Onwards and Upwards!

Day 41 Thessalon to Spanish Marina 66 miles

After another rainy night we had a lazy start as we knew we only had about 66 miles to do today and we were banking on a tail wind.

Randy, Tom and I moved off together but it only lasted 3km before Tom got sidetracked and we didn't see him again until camp.

Randy and I battled on along what I understand as a rolling road and with a stiff tail wind we were cruising at about 33km/h. We had a brief coffee stop and then stopped for a snack at Blind River, where it would appear every aged person in Canada had turned up and tried to get into Timmy's, so Randy and I headed into town. I had an Omelette and Coke and then we were back on the saddle to complete the remaining 50km.

We soon knocked off the distance and hit camp at about 2pm.

This is where my problems started. As usual I get off the bike, grab the laptop and plug it in to charge the GPS whilst I put up the tent. As I switched it on to allow the GPS charging to start a strange screen appeared and then it refused to start up or load Windows.

I gave Matt a shout, he's techy, and got on with putting my tent up and sorting washing etc, thanks to Randy, hoping he could reboot it in the mean time. Sadly it appears not and despite the best efforts of both Matt and Kelly we cannot reboot to the point where XP works.

At some point it was suggested by Dell that I need to restore my settings but that means I will loose all my data, photos etc which is an absolute pig. Thankfully Kelly, also a computer expert has whizz bang kit that plugs into my USB and provides me with the ability to run the computer on another operating system ( no I don't understand either) but the upshot is I can access my files and Internet etc and hopefully as time goes by we can either sort the original problem or I can copy all my files onto a back up disk and then restore my laptop.

Dinner was very stressful as I was whittling about my laptop but I am hopefully now at least able to save my files and keep updating my blog etc, even if without as many photos.

Tomorrow is 88 miles with some hills, The weather looks Ok and a tail wind is forecast so hopefully things will be fine.

Onwards and Upwards