August 27, 2013

August 27, 2013 Port Hope --> Trenton, ON - 56 miles

This was one of my favorite days of the ride to date!

It was quite foggy and overcast as we pedaled the 3 miles into Port Hope, but fortunately no rain and none forecast. Port Hope, like many of the towns along the Waterfront Trail, is a quaint and very interesting looking town. Lots of interesting stores and cafes. The Main Street is a long fairly steep downhill that ends at a bridge over a stream. Very picturesque.

We stopped at a cafe called Dimitri's and had the best breakfast of the trip. Dimitri's had a breakfast special for $7.95 that included a pancake, eggs, sausage, bacon, ham, potatoes and toast. The food was exceptional and just what we needed after the rain day and exile in the middle of nowhere at the Budget Inn. Really good coffee too. The restaurant itself had a very European feel to it. All in all, a great way to start the day, and we left in high spirits to continue our ride along the WT.




The ride along the WT was along varied paths again, similar to yesterday's ride except no rain and no dirt trails. In a word, delightful. Some of the ride was along the shore of Lake Ontario itself, some wove through neighborhoods, some along Hwy 2 (with very well marked bike lanes), and much of the ride was through picturesque countryside along farms. The constant turns to follow the WT necessitated periodic stops to check the "WT bible" as we called it - a terrific book that Randy found in Toronto that has maps and descriptions of the WT. The ride was mostly flat, and often a slight tailwind. What I loved about the ride was you never ever got bored as you were constantly engaged with following the WT signs and enjoying the changing scenery. Most of the day we felt exhilarated. I have to say that the Waterfront Trail has far exceeded my expectations. And I am particularly impressed with the signage that keeps you on track. We have had very little trouble with getting lost since we started riding the WT.







As we were riding through the town of Cobourg, a group of bicyclists passed us. They appeared to be a local bike club out for a ride. A woman came alongside and enthusiastically started asking about our ride. She said that she did long distance touring. At the next interaction, we parted ways as our map indicated the WT went straight. After a couple of blocks, a man from the bike club group rode up behind us and yelled that he thought we might have missed the turn. He was trying to help. We showed him that we were, in fact, still on the route and he shook his head as he realized the WT actually went that way. Turns out his name was Bryan and he was a local. He said he never realized the trail went that way and he had learned something. We chatted a while and Bryan talked about a drive he had made from Mississippi to Texas and New Mexico, and especially recalled the heat. An interesting man and yet one more example of a kind stranger who went out of his way to track us down and try to help. Amazingly, we were actually on track and able to "help" him learn something new about the bike route in his town.



I had told Randy that morning that if we passed one of those fruit stands along the road during the day, I wanted to stop and get some apples for snacks. Low and behold, on one of the isolated country roads we came upon an orchard full of beautiful apples ready for the picking. The orchard was huge and literally extended as far as the eye could see. Looked like millions of trees densely packed and loaded with fully formed and healthy apples. I yelled "hooray" and leapt off my bike to go pick some apples. They looked so good and inviting that we decided to test eat one - they were delightfully crisp and juicy. Not sure what type of apples those were, but the apple experience itself was magic.




I had also been wanting to get a picture of Canadian geese flying in formation, as they would often fly close by overhead while we were riding. Or sometimes you would see them flying out low over the water. The problem I ran into was that by the time I saw them, stopped and got the camera out, it was too late and they had flown by. Well, today I started seeing the V formations with some regularity. I happened to see one in the distance that appeared to be flying my way so I just stopped and waited. I was not disappointed and was able to get a few shots as the flew overhead. The only glitch was that they changed direction slightly just as they got to me and I had to twist around backwards to get the shot. It made me so happy to finally get that shot - the simple joys really are the best.




By now, the sun had come out, just adding to the festive feel of the day. We stopped for a snack at a little roadside store beside a canal. There, with a For Sale sign was a large red boat named "Georgia Peach II". Must have been owned by a misplaced Georgia bulldog fan. Made me laugh.
We finally ended up in Trenton around 3 p.m. and found the Bayside Motel, a delightful locally owned motel right on the water with gorgeous views of the harbor. After cleaning up, I walked down to the water's edge and spent almost an hour watching the Canadian geese and gulls congregating on the huge lawn. Their interactions and antics were fascinating and entertaining. Out on the water, groups of swans paddled by. It was the perfect way to end what was, for the most part, a magical day.








Tomorrow we head for Kingston, some 75 miles away. I started looking at the maps again and am beginning to have second thoughts about Montreal. Another big city - ugh. Hate big city riding on bikes. Plus, I have been to Montreal on trips with my family. I am contemplating crossing down into New York and getting back on the Adventure Cycling northern tier route over to Maine. This would take me through many national forests and a different type of scenery. The Adirondacks - which implies more mountains and some climbs. A change at this point would also mean parting with Randy - who really wants to go to Montreal and Quebec City. I would prefer to keep riding with Randy - we are proven good traveling companions - but I also am having this feeling that the New York / Vermont route is the way I want to go. I will discuss with Randy and we'll see.