August 28, 2013

August 28, 2013 Trenton --> Kingston, ON - 68 miles

Randy and I had decided to get off to an earlier 7:30 am start since we calculated approximately 75 miles to Kingston. What we hadn't counted on was the dense fog that greeted us. With blinking red tail lights and wearing my bright yellow bike jacket, we took off towards Belleville, which was 8 miles away. Then, another of those "parting of the sea experiences." A fire had broken out in a small shopping center and the police closed down the road to traffic - that is, motor vehicle traffic. We were waved right through and essentially had the entire highway to ourselves. A broad, smoothly paved highway along which we fairly cruised.




Within 15 minutes we arrived at a very nice breakfast cafe in Belleville and had a wonderful breakfast. Not quite up to Dimitri's standards, but very good none-the-less. I told Randy that I was considering returning to the US from Kingston and getting back on the Adventure Cycling northern tier route through the Adirondacks in NY and continuing through Vermont as we originally planned. I knew he had decided that he wanted to go through both Montreal and Quebec City, but the thought of negotiating the traffic through two more congested big cities was not appealing to me. Plus, the reality is that when you take a "rest day" in a big city, what you usually end up doing is laundry; spending a significant amount of time planning the next phase of the ride; trying to actually rest some, and; trying to see what you can of the city in what is left of the day and with limited transportation since we usually stay in hotels on the outskirts of the city. We do the best to see as much as we can within the limitations, but more often than not it is more like an overview. Or, maybe we will focus on one thing to see. But, for me, I prefer biking through the charming towns and talking with the people you encounter along the way. Just taking in the scenery. Randy's point was well-taken - he did not know when he would have the opportunity to be in the area and visit these cities. Plus, he doesn't like biking in mountains, and the AC route does go through the NY Adirondacks - not exactly flat. But, I realized the same reasoning applied to me - I don't know when I will have the opportunity to bike this portion of the country along the northern tier route during the fall season. I like mountains. And I have always been interested in biking Vermont this time of year. Randy and I like and respect one another, and support each other's choices. As we discussed the possibility that we would continue on separate routes, we both had tears in our eyes. Because it is rare to find really compatible travel companions and friends that seem to bring out the best in you. That is what I have always liked about riding with Randy - I think we seem to bring out the best in each other. And I know we want the best for each other.

We continued on for approximately 30 miles to Picton, where we again resumed riding the Waterfront Trail towards the Glenora Ferry. There were quite a few rather steep inclines on the way to the ferry, and my legs were feeling a little tired. Along the way, we greeted several other people out for rides on their bikes, and I received a number of good wishes for our trip. You can often see the longing in the eyes of these folks - we are living their dream.

The Glenora Ferry was a 15 minute boat ride across the upper end of Picton Bay. A delightful interlude.










We resumed riding along a beautiful two lane paved road along the shores of Lake Ontario that was somewhat similar to yesterday's ride. There was the scenic farmland and countryside interspersed with occasional shoreline views. It was quite humid, and that took its toll. But we made really good time and arrived in Kingston by mid-afternoon. I realized that we had miscalculated the mileage by probably 10 miles, and the ride was more along the lines of 65 miles or so rather than 75 miles. All in all, another very enjoyable ride.










We found a motel on the north side of town and plan to meet for breakfast. For me the Tour of the Leaves journey takes on a whole different direction tomorrow.

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.