After spending nearly the last month in Ontario, I’m now in Ottawa and spending what will be my final night in this province, until I fly home anyway. Unfortunately I’m strongly feeling the effects of a few too many birthday drinks last night and haven’t felt the ambition to get out and see the sights. Now, with a bottle of Powerade and some potato chips in my belly, I’m feeling much better and am looking forward to meeting up with an old roommate for dinner.
The past four days of riding have taken us from Tottenham to Ottawa. Compared with many of the places we’ve ridden, the terrain really hasn’t been too difficult – many rolling hills, but relatively flat. We had one day of rain, but not with the biting cold and wind that we’ve had a few times before. For our ride to Kingston, we had a beautiful tailwind and cruised along at 35-37 km/h for much of the day, slowing down a bit after a massive lunch of wings and beer (delicious, but not the wisest choice for a mid-cycling-day meal!). Otherwise, the weather has been just comfortable and pleasant. With the sun coming out, my amazing farmer’s tan continues to improve!
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| Ready for the rain (that never came...) |
Scenery over the past few days has not been quite as stunning as the mountains out West, or the lakes up North, but it has still been pretty. Certainly more quaint. Lots of farmland, views of Lake Ontario from Cobourg onwards, and the Thousand Islands region, which was just beautiful. I remember driving by it when I was younger, and it was nice to be able to really check it out while riding the bicycle.
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| Glenora Ferry |
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| View of shore from the ferry |
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| Lake Ontario at Kingston |
My bad luck with flats seems to have passed, fortunately not yet occurring beyond that one brutal morning last week. Mechanically my bike has been working incredibly well. Had a bit of a scare going through Cobourg, when I looked down at my chain and noticed one of the links was about to break off. I never look at my chain and really don’t know what possessed me to do it just then, but thank goodness I did there and - $5 and 5 minutes later – was able to have it fixed at a local bike shop. My chain still hasn’t stretched to the point of needing to change it, even though I’ve been using it for nearly 7000 km now. It’s my understanding that chains need to be switched every 5000 km or so, so I’m wondering if it’s a sign that I should be putting more effort into my riding!
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| More flats... thankfully not me this time! |
Nights in camp are still really enjoyable. The night we stayed in Nestleton, we had a swimmin’ hole at the camp, which was a treat after a hot ride. What made it even better was the water trampoline floating in the middle, allowing us to lounge and drink beer on the water throughout the afternoon. The campsite also had a litter of four baby kittens and a very friendly mother – incredibly adorable! I’m playing a lot of chess in the evenings, and am enjoying it more and more as I suck less and less at it! And of course, I’m still really liking socializing in the evenings, and getting to know more and more about the riders who I’m spending so much time with.
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| Swimmin' hole in Nestleton with superhero! |
It’s hard to believe we’re down to just three weeks left of the tour. Coming so close to the end is bittersweet – I love what I’m studying and am looking forward to getting back to it in the fall, but it’s impossible to wish away the time when all I’m doing every day is cycling, sightseeing, eating and hanging out!
Yesterday was my 27th birthday and everyone gave me wonderful wishes throughout the day. Many of us went out to the campus pub, where I was given many shots and beers to drink, including some very manly Sex on the Beaches. We were joined by my friend Devin and a few of us made it downtown later in the evening. I had such a great night and am very happy to be in the company of such amazing people. This past year has probably been the best of my life so far, and I’m looking forward to making this next one even better!
Back on the road tomorrow, heading into Quebec, and getting ready to ride through the last 5 provinces over the next 3 weeks!
Hope you’re all having a great summer!
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