Day 59 Craigleith Provincial Park to Barrie, ON Wednesday September 2, 2009

Day 59 Craigleith Provincial Park to Barrie, ON
Wednesday September 2, 2009
49 Miles
2801 total miles

Instead of taking a complete rest day in one place, I decided to take 2 easier riding days with some leisure time mixed in. I rode the easy grade along the Georgian Trail to Collingwood where I had a little maintenance done on my bike at Little Ed's bike shop. From there I rode to Wasaga Beach, Ontario's Gold Coast, where I spent a couple of hours on the beach at what is claimed to be the world's longest fresh-water beach at 14km long. This is a very touristed area, with lots of summer cottages as well as day visitors-- about a 2 hour drive from Toronto. I enjoyed the time on the beach and avoided visiting any of the tourist trap shops, then rode my way out of town in the direction of Barrie, or at least so I thought! I took route 92 out of Wasaga Beach, but missed my turn-off so ended up probably 20 km off of my planned route which delayed me in arriving at my destination, warm showers host, William Sulivan's home. After cleaning up, William, who is a cooking instructor for the Canadian military, suggested we go out to dinner and we spent some time looking around in downtown Barrie for something suitable. We ended up at Manhattan's which served up a very respectable pasta dish, although the total ticket was a little pricey. I saw a little more of Barrie this morning as I retraced some of the previous night's steps down to the waterfront of Lake Simcoe and Kempenfelt Bay. The people of Barrie have a beautiful town with parks, marinas , sculptures and bike paths all along the waterfront. William told me the night before that many people who live here commute the hour + into Toronto every day and enjoy living here due to it's lower congestion and amenities, such as the lake. If I were a Canadian, Barrie would be on my list of places worth living!

Day 58 Owen Sound to Craigleith Provincial Park, ON

Day 58 Owen Sound to Craigleith Provincial Park, ON
34 Miles
2752 total miles

Took the easy way out today as I found the library in Owen Sound to post some photos up to the blog. Made it as far as Craigleith Provincial Park where I set up my tent on the shale shores of Lake Huron in the shadows of the Blue Mountains. On my way to the campground I passed the wreckage of what was apparently a tornado, immediately next to the section of the Georgian Trail that I was riding on, just next to the Blue Mountain ski resort. Trees were snapped off half-way up their trunks , roofs torn up, and debris everywhere. It happened a couple of weeks ago on August 20 when I was back in Michigan and tornadoes were reported in Ontario and Quebec during that time. Explored the shale shoreline for a little and observed many fossils-- trilobites, etc. That are part of the fossil record there. One may look, but it is forbidden to keep any of the specimens. The sunset was spectacular as it set over Cape Rich to the west of the campgroaund. Made friends with my neighbors at the campsite, Brigette, her 2 doughters Vanessa and Amelia and Vanessa's boyfriend Chad and little dog Tanika. They invited me over for some of Amelia's guitar music by the campfire, some originals and some old stand-bys. Very enjoyable and capped off with a cup of hot cocoa and Bailey's Cream!

Happy Birthday # 15 Arthur

You are the bomb. I love you, Man!

Day 57 Monday 8-31-09 South Baymouth to Owen Sound, ON68

Day 57 Monday 8-31-09
South Baymouth to Owen Sound, ON
68 Miles
2718 total miles

I earned my breakfast last night by cracking Earl's back. Earl, you will remember, is the co-proprietor of Carol and Earl's restaurant, location of home-made, Manitoulin island soul-food. Earl was feeling bunch better this morning after the wrenching I gave him and prepared me his "kitchen sink" omelet in recompense for the adjustment. Leaving there very fortified, I made my way to the ferry terminal, bought my passage to the other side and waited for the boat to arrive for the 28 mile crossing. Met some motorcyclists on the boat who related a tale of near disaster from the day before, when one of them was run off the road onto the soft shoulder while he attempted to pass a transport at 80 mph. People's summer clothes have returned along with the summer weather and everyone is smiling again to enjoy what remains of the summer which many here say "never came". After disembarking the ferry in Tobermory, I stopped for a cup of coffee at the Secret Mermaid café and met several kind people who shared some stories and soul wanderings and recommended some more books to read. I think I have enough in the stack now to last a couple of years-- well , if that's what it takes... Among them was singer-songwriter, Lianne Cranfield, who invited me to a performance to be held Tuesday night. Alas, I will be in Barrie, by then 150 miles away! The ride down ON Route 6 was wrist-jarring and finger-tip numbing, with poor road margins and mostly no shoulders. Mostly a straight shot, and I would have preferred to take the more scenic shoreline route, but feeling pressed for time a little and wanting to make up for some of the dreary days on the north shore decided to roll as fast and straight as possible, weather permitting. I made it to Owen Sound around dinner time to find, to my great satisfaction a Chinese buffet, and this was a good one! While there I asked the waitress for directions to any nearby camping sites and when she was unable to give me any solid information, a lady at a neighboring table, "Mother" Theresa, joined the conversation and gave me some alternatives. She asked me to join her and we proceeded to have a conversation about life, love, marriage, Edgar Cayce, and her life experiences. We agreed that I should call her "Mother" for M. Theresa, and she would call me "General" for G. Lee! She is semi-retired now and has some rental properties, boundless energy and a positive outlook on things. Bellies full and ideas spinning, we parted with her leaving me a phone # in case of emergency while here in Ontario, and her best-wishes for a successful journey. I got to the "Harrison" municipal campground in Owen Sound late, around 9 p.m., set up tent, showered and crashed. No one was there to receive me, and to my dismay the next morning I discovered that my stay had just cost me $32, the most I have paid for camping, to date, on this trip. I had heard that Ontario camping could be ridiculous, but this was over the top. I quickly realized why in the morning, as campground personnel swarmed around doing not much of anything in the morning. This campground, by all appearances, is something of a local jobs program and the fees show it!

Day 56 Sunday 8-30-09 Webbwood to South Baymouth, ON

Day 56 Sunday 8-30-09
Webbwood to South Baymouth, ON
78 Miles
2650 total miles

Today was one of those days that is made for cycling. Temps maybe a little cool at around 58-62 but high lofty cumulus puffs scattered across the sky, the sun shining brightly, and a tail-wind pushing me from the N/NW. Some incredible overlooks here on Manitoulin Island which has some heights at least 500 ft above lake Huron's level which is at 580 ft. above sea level. The island is the world's largest freshwater island and is home to 4 "First Nation" settlements, one of which, Shequiandah, claims to be the oldest settlement on Manitoulin at 9,500 years old. The landscape here is rolling, with a lot of limestone outcroppings. There are also large freshwater lakes scattered across the island. The island is a sacred place for the Anishinaabeg who have lived here and traveled to and from here for thousands of years. Dinner was at Carol and Earl's Restaurant and filled me to the gills, topped off with some of the highly recommended home-made pies. Blueberry for me! Tomorrow morning I sail for Tobermory on the M.S. Chi-Cheemaun (the Big Canoe). The crossing will take me to the tip of the Bruce Peninsula where I will ride towards Barrie.

Day 55 Saturday 8-29-09 Lake Lauzon to Webbwood, ON

Day 55 Saturday 8-29-09
Lake Lauzon to Webbwood, ON
47 Miles
2572 total miles

The winds did not abate, the rain did not let up all day. After sitting in the campsite until around noon, waiting for the weather to break, which was in the forecast, I decided to get on the bike and start riding again. Very unseasonably cold weather, wind blowing out of the NE and driving rain into my face. Very challenging conditions, on top of which is the unrelenting traffic of the Transcanadian #17. The backblast from the wake of a couple of transports (that's what they call big trucks here in Canada) pushed me off the narrow paved shoulder onto the soft shoulder. Fortunately, I chose a straight line and slowed down enough to regain the highway pavement. When I reached Massey around 6 p.m., soaked like a drowned rat, I found both of the motels in town to be completely full due to the once-annual-last-weekend-in-August fair. Don't ask me what the people were doing at the fair in the downpour and cold-- enjoying themselves, I suppose. I got back onto the bike and sloshed my way towards the promise of a fabled motel in Webbwood, 16 km down the road. Upon reaching Webbwood, I found the last motel room in town, as the fair overflow had come their way as well. Mine was a special room, with a broken heater which I fixed( I stripped and reconnected the burnt wire with exposed hanging wire) and a standing lamp with bare bulb in the bathroom. Hey, I was grateful to have any (heated!) room at all and shelter from the storm to dry my things out. An added bonus: the lady at the motel let me use her dryer to speed up the process. I think by morning I had eliminated at least 5 pounds of water weight! I watched some Quebecois TV station, which I found practically incomprehensible, the accent is so strong. I guess I will need to get used to it and train my ear to the sounds. There was , however, a very good reportage of a legendary "horse-man", Jean-Baptiste Beland 1904-1996, who lived a charmed life and was a man who acted like a horse, pulled a carriage, neighed, whinnied, stamped his feet, ran everywhere, slept in stables, and made his living in carnivals and by transporting passengers in his "charette." He was something of a legend among his Quebec brethren and was genuinely accepted and included for who he was and what he did in society. I wish that we could find more places for people with differences in our society.

Day 54 Friday 8-28-09 Bruce Mines to Lake Lauzon, ON

Day 54 Friday 8-28-09
Bruce Mines to Lake Lauzon, ON
52 Miles
2527 total miles

Headwinds blowing out of the E-SE slowed me down as a change in weather is coming off Lake Huron. Passed along the "north channel" and through the Mississauga First Nation,Blind River and to the small RV resort at Lake Lauzon where the neighboring "Pelletier" clan of Sudbury and S.S.M. took me into their family reunion and feasted me with a delicious dinner of BBQ chicken and other goodies. I was relieved to not be eating noodles tonight, which was my plan, if I wasn't able to find a Friday night fish fry, which seem to abound in Great Lakes country. No such thing going on in Lake Lauzon-- something better instead! They told me a little bit about their family-- this was a reunion of 4 sisters, their children and spouses, totaling only 17 members. I say "only", because in relation to overall size of their family, this is a small gathering. They told me about their grandmother, matriarch of the family, and mother of 18 children who recently passed away at the age of 92. Well over 200 descendants were at the funeral, including some great-grandchildren. Got to bed at a reasonable time, and the rain finally came. It rained pretty hard all night and still into morning, as of this writing. I will need to get back on the bike and start riding again, but want to wait for the weather to break a bit more before heading eastward. The next 4 days forecast shows improving weather-- sunny days-- and I will try and make up for lost time today in the upcoming ride, but for the present moment, the mizzerale drizzable continual.