Week 5

**

Sept 19
Dist: 101 Avg: 19  Time: 5:02
Beaverton to Stayner

After an amazing breakfast of Eggs Benedict and an omelet at the Grant B&B we packed the bikes and prepared for the days ride of another 100 klicks. Before we left, John and Lore wanted pics of the three amigos to place in their guest book. We noticed there were other guests from Thunder Bay in the guestbook.

Our first 10 k or so was on this wonderfully quiet coastal road running along the east side of Lake Simcoe. All the roads going into Orillia were fairly flat. The northern section had the wind pushing us north, but the minute we turned west it became a cross wind.

We stopped just on the other side of Orillia at Prices Corner, for a bite to eat. Getting back on the bike was easy after the meal, but the legs refused to work properly for the next hour or so. During that hour we encountered hills galore similar to what we had in New Brunswick going into McAdem. Not a good route when the legs are like fence posts. After a little break at the top of Horseshoe Valley Hill the legs came back to life and we quickly worked our way to Craighurst where we refilled our water bottles and purchased some Gatorade for the rest of the days route.

Luckily there were only a few more smaller hills, then the rest of our trip into Stayner was relatively flat. Now we only had that cross wind to contend with. The highway (26) wasn't the best either, as there was only a very small shoulder to ride on and the traffic was bumper to bumper right into Stayner.

We booked into the only motel in Stayner, showered then went for a nice supper just across the street. After eating we strolled down to Tim Hortons to use their wi-fi, as our motel didn't have any. Hopefully we might be able to get the blog online tomorrow morning before heading out of town. By the way, we're supposed to be getting rain tomorrow.... we're not looking forward to this.

Gene

**

Sep 20th, Day 29
Dist:82.37 Avg:17.5kph  Time:4 hours 43 minutes
Stayner to Owen Sound

Woke up to the alarm at 7:30 am, it was overcast but relatively warm. We ate breakfast at Friends B and G across the road from the motel. Before we had finished our meal it had come onto rain. Our rain gear was put on again and by 9:15 we were back on highway 28 headed for Collingwood. Highway 28 was extremely busy again and had the same next to nothing paved shoulder as the day before. Once we got to the junction to Wasaga beach we found a brand new four lane divided road all the way to Collingwood. Soon the sun came out and the raingear came off. The wind was picking up but at least it was behind us. The highway was very busy and not much of a shoulder. We stopped at Craigleith for a break at a beautiful roadside park overlooking Georgeon Bay. Once we move on the road got busier and busier. Unbeknownst to us a nice trail ran beside the highway. A fellow stopped us on the road and pointed this out to us. So we took that all the way to Meaford. It was not paved but well packed with crusher fines. The trail was beautiful and the trees formed a canopy in many places. We stopped in Meaford for lunch at a little place on the main street. To our suprise they served Grandville Island IPA on tap, what a treat.

Once we left Meaford the day turned ugly, the road turned west so now the wind was almost in our face and uphill most of the way to Owen Sound. It would take us over two hours to do the 28k. We were glad to see Owen Sound. Tonight we would stay with my father who lives here. My sister was visiting him and they were both excited to see us when we rolled in. My sister and cousin had been following our progress on our blog and knew we would arrive today. After happy hour (I made my sister go out and purchase beverages before our arrival) we went out and purchased groceries and Fabio with Gene's help cooked us a mighty fine pasta supper. It was a short visit but I'm sure my Dad enjoyed us stopping in on our cycling adventure.

It would be sad to be leaving in the morning but I knew my Dad would understand. My Mother had passed away this spring and Dad was now on his own but he was coping very well as I knew he would.

Cheers Jim

**

Sept. 21/13   Day 30
Dist:  Avg:   Time:
Owen Sound to Tobermory
Highway of Dead Frogs or Headwind Highway

Question of the day:  What direction was the wind blowing today?
(A) a headwind
(B) a crosswind
(C) a cross-headwind
(D) all of the above
See end of this section for the correct answer.

Again we awoke to overcast skies and knew the rain from last night was still a major threat if the forecast was to be believed.  After a quick breakfast we bid our farewells to Jim's father Ted and sister Joanne, posed for the mandatory photos and high-tailed it out of town before the weather broke. I had to make a quick stop at the local grocery store to return some bad chicken I had purchased for supper the night before. I told the clerk 'this chicken is fowl' - not even a smile.  She told me there were no returns on reduced items - period.  I explained that the 'best before ' date was several days ahead and I wanted my money back.  No deal.  The manager happened to walk by and overheard the conversation whereupon she laced into the clerk.  'Would you eat rotten meat?' she asked the cashier.  'Give this man his money back!'  The clerk did so all the while glaring daggers at me.  I thanked her and told her to have a nice day but I could feel her eyes burning holes in my back as I walked out with my $8.11 jingling in my pocket.  It was sweet.  Anyway, we proceeded out of town at a good pace, but soon had to don our rain gear as the drizzle intensified.  We got soaked from the inside out anyway.  Soon we overheated and off came the gear as the rain stopped.  A few kms ahead, same scenario - rain gear on, rain gear off.  When the drizzle came for the third time, we refused to change into the raincoats again but took refuge in a small store at Shallow Lake until the rain stopped. This time for good.

At precisely 1:37 the clouds finally parted a bit and we saw the sun for the first time.  Great.  No more miserable rain ... but at a price.  As the sun came out, the wind came up.  Big time.  It was fierce.  It was as if Mother Nature was punishing us for some misdeeds in a previous life.  We got hit from every direction except from the rear - it was very, very tough going.

Finally we rolled into Wiarton where we took refuge in a Tim Hortons for a coffee and snack, then Subway for sandwiches to go, then lots of jibber-jabber with the locals asking us all the usual questions - 'Where ya' going?  Where ya' from?  How old are you guys anyway?'  It was great.  Away we went after one more stop at the ATM for some cash and into the terrible headwinds again.  These winds out here have no conscience.  No soul.  no mercy.  We got ripped to shreds within a few kilometers but had no recourse but to continue in our low gears until we found a sheltered spot for a quick roadside lunch.  A concrete culvert box made a dandy dining room where we devoured our subs from Wiarton and rested a bit.  Soon it was time to reluctantly depart and again the wind awaited us like a smiling assassin laying in ambush.

Again we got pounded without mercy as the wind was now even more directly in our snouts.  Then came the hills.  Lots of them.  Jim had told us earlier that this area, to the best of his recollection was flat.  As we laboured up hill after hill, Gene and I wanted to lay a good beating on him - much like the beating the angry mob laid on Prof. von Schiffer when he announced his invention of the no-bounce sports bra.

On and on we went until we finally limped into the town of Tobermorie at 6:10.  This is a very touristy area, unlike the farmland we had left behind. We were totally snockered so we checked into the first motel we came to - quite a nice place called the Coach House Inn and we were set - only a 3 km ride in the morning to the ferry landing.  After a good clean-up, we sauntered across the road to the golf course cafe and had a decent supper with a few wobbly pops to take the edge off.  Afterward, retiring back to our room, we laughed our heads off watching a dumb Mel Brooks movie Robin Hood - Men in Tights.  After setting the alarm for 6:30 AM, we turned off the lights and drifted into the arms of Morpheus.  It had been a long, hard day but the amigos survived - and are still smiling.

Notes of the day:  Our pass-through towns today included Hepworth, Shallow Lake, Wiarton and Ferndale.
We noticed an extraordinary number of dead young frogs on the side of the road, probably killed by passing traffic.  We couldn't see what could possibly be so interesting on the other side of the road but obviously the frogs could.  Advice to young frogs contemplating running away from home - don't do it.  It's a big, tough world out there.  Stay at home - finish your education - get a job then go seek your fame and fortune.  And ... don't start making tadpoles until you can support them.  Just sayin ......

This blog posted by Fabio

Answer: D

**

Sept 21  (Additional)
Tobermory

Sorry, but our blog is going to be hit and miss from this point on. Our laptop is refusing to charge th battery, so if our overnight stay doesn't have a computer available we won't be able to do any blogging.

As a quick update.... we stayed at Jim's fathers house last night in Owen Sound. Today we made it to Tobermory into a bugger of a headwind. We were pretty tired by the time we reached the first motel we came across. Jim completed yesterday's blog in Notepad and Fabiola started doing today's, but when the battery got low and we plugged it in, the darn thing didn't want to charge, so that's why this is being written on my iPod.


Sept 22
Mornin in Tobermory

I've heard many of you are having trouble leaving comments... sorry I don't know what the problem is. I use Google Chrome which is totally compatible with this Google blog site. I can only think it has something to do with Internet Explorer.

We're waiting for the ferry as I write.

Dist: 69  Avg: 17.4  Time: 3:58
Tobermory to Little Current

Up at 6 a.m. this morning... (the wind was still howling out of the north) we wanted to make sure we got to and on the ferry on time. We ate the rest of the bagels and peanut butter we had left, packed then headed 3.5 km into Tobermory. Arriving there around 7:30 we purchased our tickets then went across the lot to the restaurant and had coffee, tea, toast and a bagel. At 8:30 we mounted the bikes and drove onto the ferry.

It took about two hours to get to South Baymouth, so we just relaxed and discussed how far we were going to go today. After landing, we were the second ones of the boat. As we didn't know how many locations would have food, we decided to get a sub sandwich to bring with us, for lunch (wherever).

It didn't take long to figure out we weren't going to get that far today... the wind was in our face as usual, so we just cruised along at a slower pace so the wind wouldn't really bother us. We also had a fair bit of  gradual climbing, as we found out when we reached a lookout picnic area a few kilometers after Manitowaning. I talked to a lady who was doing some sketching there with pastels.

From there it was downhill into Shegulandah, then (you guessed it) back uphill towards Little Current. There last 5 km seemed to take forever... we thought we were never going to get there. We booked into a hotel just across from the gas station we stopped at, but had to wait a bit until they finished cleaning the room.... the reason being the the power was shut off on the whole of Manitoulin Island, from early morning until 4 p.m. We found out this happens once a year as a maintenance program. That's why absolutely everything on the island was not open. Has this got something to do with Murphy's Law again?

After a brewski and a great supper, we retired to the motel room to finish and catch up on our blog.

Gene


**

Sept 23
Dist: 80. Avg: 19.1  Time:
Little Current to Massey

Purchased a new Nexus tablet today, so it might take a bit of getting used to. We'll see how far we get tonight :)

Gene

A beautiful sunny but cold morning greeted us as we walked to the restaurant for breakfast. Even the winds were light but not really in our favour. Setting off on the bikes around 9:40 w headed towards Espanola n our usual warm-up pace. The shoulders were very wide and smooth, something we didn't have too often. All of us were thoroughly enjoying this morning.

On our way to Espanola we passed two other cyclists, one who we think was a local (no luggage) and the other an oriental fellow on a high end racing bike using deep dish wheels pulling a B.O.B. It's not often travelers use racing type bikes to tour on.

About 15 kms from town we encountered a fairly long and steep grade just after Whitefish River, a beautiful little spot with a beautiful waterfall, which ran under the train trestle and the roadway. Once over this climb we were continually going up and down until we reached Espanola. Our first stop was Dollarama to get ourselves some chocolate bars and Dr. Peppers.

While in the mall I inquired about the Walmart I did a search for the night before only to find out there was none. When I also asked about a Future Shop the fellow told me all they had was a Source which was almost beside me. I did a little research on the new tablets and decided I would try a Nexus 7, as the reviews on it were top notch. I chose the 7" over the 10 because it would be a little more portable. I also purchased a case and bluetooth keyboard, both for half price. These units are amazing faster than a laptop.

After having lunch, we headed for Highway 17 and on to Massey our stop for the night. We by-passed the first motel as it didn't really look all that appealing and motored on down to the next one at the end of the street. Luckily we got the last room available due to the rest being used by construction workers that were doing repairs to the highway, something we encounter tomorrow on our way to Iron Bridge.

After showers we walked down to a little cafe around the corner from the motel. We all had a bowl of homemade soup and a sandwich made with fresh homemade bread, followed by a bowl of soft ice cream and caramel syrup. Once back in the room the boys layed back and watched a football game on the TV while I tried to figure out more about this new tablet.

Using the wi-fi in the motel office I downloaded a few apps, one which I'm writing on to do tonight's blog. Then it took me a few minutes to figure out how the get the blue tooth keyboard working. But as you can see, it's so far so good :)

Gene

**

Sept 24

Dist: 99 Avg: 18  Time: 5:16

Massey to Iron Bridge

Non of us had gotten a descent sleep at night. The highway outside our motel was under construction and a large bump where the existing pavement met the torn up section was just 100 meters from our door. Every time a large transport hit that bump the whole building shook. If that wasn't bad enough Fabio was up all night with a bout of food poisoning. He had not got any sleep and in the morning he looked like sh__. However he said he would give it a go. We had to backtrack to the same cafe where we had dinner last evening. This was not your average cafe. The owner did not fry or deep fry anything so the usual bacon and eggs we were accustomed to was not to be had. The owner made Gene some boiled eggs and I had a soufle. Fabio tried to eat some toast but it wouldn't go down so he ended up taking it with him.

The highway was under construction and was scarified for the next 8 1/2 kilometers. That 8 1/2 k was scary, the whole bike trailer and all the gear shook. The line markers were non existent and the 70 kph speed limit was not adhered to by the vehicles. Things improved once back on the normal pavement. The weather was perfect, sunny with very little wind and warm for a late September day. We passed a few loaded cyclists heading east and one stopped to chat. His name was Ted and he was from Kananaskis. He had started in Victoria and was on his way to Newfoundland. He was in his early twenties and full of enthusiasm unlike us who had been on the road for five weeks. He had hoped to make his destination by late October, good luck with that.

The highlight of our day was meeting Jim and Dale from Huntsville. They were travelling in the area for a funeral. They were close friends of my cousin Norm. Norm had given them the address of our blog and they had been following along every day and had hoped to see us somewhere near Blind River. The only problem they had was identifying which Amigo was Jim. 

Cousin Norm had told them Jim was the only one with a beard but by now all three had beards. The mystery was soon cleared up. This chance meeting made our day. Just ten minutes before we were in a restaurant in Spragge and they would have driven right by. 


By now Fabio was finished, he hadn't had any appetite all day and was still pale looking. We had hoped to make Iron Bridge today but that was in doubt. Fabio dug in and squeaked out another 24k and we made it to Iron Bridge before the sun went down. He must be feeling better as he joined us for happy hour as the sun set. He is now asleep in bed as I write today's blog. Hope he feels better tomorrow.

Cheers Jim

**

Sept 25
Dist: 117 Avg: 21.1 Time: 5:32
Iron Bridge to Sault Ste. Marie

We awoke to a beautiful, cool, clear day - perfect for biking.  At long last we had the kind of weather we were praying for.  A quick breakfast at the DelMar Restaurant and we were flying down the highway towards our destination of Sault Ste. Marie by 9:20.  Our overnight town of Iron Bridge has 6 motels - only 3 of which are still in operation.  I guess this place has fallen on hard times, just like many other small towns we traveled through. A quick stop in Bruce Mines for a snack and regrouping then off to Desbarats at the 60 km mark where we had lunch at Stobie's Restaurant - very much a bikers' hang-out.  Not the pedaling kind either.

As I cycled along merrily after lunch,I contemplated how things had changed in just 24 hrs. Yesterday as I fought through a stomach ailment (food poisoning I think) every kilometer pedaled was a struggle. Today, feeling much better, life was beautiful again and the kilometers flew by. What a difference a day makes! There's a life lesson in there somewhere, I think.

The countryside is beautiful, however the full-on fall colours are probably 1 to 2 weeks away.  We see scattered flashes of maple trees in their autumn colours here and there - just a sneak preview of what's to come.

We finally rolled into SSM in very good shape considering the distance we had covered - and the lack of major hills - with decent roads and a bit of tailwind. Bonus!

While Gene checked out the local Staples store to diagnose a computer problem, I checked out the motel situation. (Note:  Gene got his troubles sorted out - faulty charger cable - back on line.) First motel - no room.  Second motel - no room.  What's up?  Agawa Canyon fall colours tour that's what. People flock here like flies to cow pies at this time of year. We hit pay dirt at motel #3 - the Norlander, but just barely.  It was booked solid an hour later.

After booking in, a nice happy hour break and showers, we headed out to the nearby laundromat then Swiss Chalet.  The laundromat was a much better experience than the restaurant as it turned out. All-in-all, it had been a great day on the road.  I did have one incident however where I had to hit the grass as a truck came way too close for my comfort.  Welcome to SSMarie, I guess.

Well, that's my story for the day and I'm sticking to it.  The forecast for the next 4 or 5 days is really nice so we should be able to make good progress towards home.

Our pass-through towns, for those that follow this kind of stuff were: Sowerby,  Thessalon, Bruce Mines, Desbarats (Debra to locals) and Echo Bay.

This blog posted by Fabio

**
We were supposed to get some photos up tonight but because we were so late with one thing and another we ran out of time.

We're not sure if we'll have any internet access until we get to Wawa.

The delay in the last two days was poor or no internet, even though we were told there was :(