August 23, 2013

On a building we rode by today..

August 23, 2013 Burlington --> Toronto - 36 miles

A magical day - one of the best biking days I have ever had.

What made this day special was that every single thing that happened seemed special - there was a certain positive "flow" to every aspect of the day. It started with a brilliant blue cloudless sky and comfortably cool temperatures. We had the breakfast special at a local cafe that was wonderful. Eggs, bacon, potatoes and toast all perfectly cooked, and good strong coffee.

Most of the ride to Toronto was on the Waterfront Trail, which was nothing short of magical in places. The trail itself was a flat smoothly paved path running through various parks and neighborhoods beautifully landscaped with bright happy flowers that were often accompanied by equally happy wildflowers. At other times, the trail ran right alongside Lake Ontario, offering stunning views. At one point approximately 25 miles from Toronto we were able to see and take pictures of the city skyline in the distance.







There were also little coves where swans swam and dove for fish, their butts prominently pointed to the sky. Canadian geese flew in formation over the water. Geese and ducks strutted alongside the trail. They were unaffected by the passersby, and allowed me to walk right up to them. However, they did still shy away from having their picture taken.




We stopped at a bike shop in one of the small towns to get advice and maps. I had been looking for a pair of bike socks that would stay up for weeks, and here I found the perfect pair of socks. Not only do they stay up and are the most comfortable socks I have ever owned, they came with a Canadian flag and the logo on the side "NICE SOCK, EH" makes me want to run around saying "EH" to everything and everyone like many of the Canadians we have met.




In Oakville, we stopped to talk to a woman coming from the other direction on a fully loaded touring bike. She was a German lady named Ursula who was riding solo and had just started from Toronto. Turns out her bike had been lost in transit from Germany to Toronto and she had bought a bike she was less than happy with to make the ride. Ursula's planned route would take her south to Niagara Falls; west along the north side of Lake Erie into Michigan; north to take the ferry to Mackinaw Island on Lake Huron; then north back into Canada, I think eventually ending up in Toronto . I asked Ursula about biking in Germany, and she gave a very positive review. She also told us that she had biked solo in Siberia and Mongolia, and told a story of having lost her compass which was a near disaster. She now rides with 2 compasses, one of which is on a cord around her neck. Ursula was very cheerful and seemed like an interesting person. I wish we could have had more time to visit and get to know her better.




Eventually, we reached the place near Toronto where we needed to leave the Waterfront Trail and head north toward the Toronto airport, where our hotel was located. We started on another beautiful bike trail running alongside a stream that actually somewhat resembled mountain streams. Black squirrels ran across the trail. One stopped nearby and actually posed for me to take his picture. Eventually, however, the trail took a turn and ended in a dirt and rock strewn path under a tunnel-like bridge. We were forced to get off the bikes and push. Randy kept on undeterred despite my repeatedly saying "uh..this doesn't look or feel quite right..don't you think we should...?" From there, it only got worse until the narrow path barely existed and we were hiking through these weeds with yellow flowers. As we slogged along pushing our bikes, I kept yelling to Randy that this just could not be right. He pulled out his google map and suggested we had missed a turn somewhere back in the weeds and wanted to backtrack. After checking my own google map, I vetoed that suggestion and strongly suggested we forge on as it appeared that the real road we were looking for was ahead if we kept on through the weeds. I was right. After hiking up a steep dirt hill pushing loaded touring bikes (mine weighed in at 81 pounds last summer at Adventure Cycling headquarters in Montana), we finally came out on a real road which actually happened to be the road we were looking for. I told Randy that after meeting the challenge of hiking through the weeds and finding our way, Amazing Race would be a piece of cake. Randy remained unimpressed or interested in the adventures offered by the Amazing Race.







Another 5-6 miles through neighborhoods and traffic, and we gratefully arrived at our hotel. We found a great deal on a hotel near the Toronto airport where we will spend 2 nights, taking a rest day tomorrow to see Toronto and regroup for the next leg of the ride. At this point, we are over half way to the final destination, wherever that ends up in Maine. We have several route options and are assessing. At any rate, the hotel is fantastic, and a fitting end to a fabulous day. We truly did "Live the Dream" today, and are fortunate enough to realize and appreciate that fact.