Tobermory, ON to Roebuck Family Campground in Meaford, ON


Today granted highs and lows. After using the washrooms I discovered my normal crew to have already headed out. They assumed I was ahead because my bike was gone (with me to the washroom). I biked casually alone, stopping at two mountain bike parks but only riding in one. The joy of going into the park seemed to restore my enthusiasm for bicycling on this trip. I held a few kilometeres faster yet this only lasted for about 15kilometres.
I knew a lunch stop was coming up at 115km so I restrained from eating much at rest stops. At about 105km the bonking effect (similar to "hitting the wall," a lack of energy) hit me. I snacked on my bread and butter to slug myself into lunch. Lunch provided a great relaxation time. I can't recall the name but it was a wonderful array of food by a CRC church. I was the 3rd from last rider and they still had plenty of all kinds of sandwiches.
From lunch there was roughly 27km to go. I didn't realize the hills to come as we needed to get out of the bay valley. After three sets of steep grades I made my way back into the hill top. With 10km to go I was ready to get the ride over with so I picked up pace significantly, likely holding about 36km/hr with the wind nicely at my back.
I ate a good dinner of a burrito without a shell. Ice cream and many pies were for dessert which I decided not to resist.

Trip: 142km ish
Time: 7:20am to 3:45pm




Beautiful waterside views with more to come tomorrow!


Bruce Peninsula Mountain Bike Adventure Park. As the bottom reads, "one of the toughest places to ride." I took a beating on just the yellow trail because of all the roots and rocks. Even on a mountain bike I would have had to be very technical about wheel placement and work out from the chatter, a road bike stood no chance for having genuine fun. 


A small, pleasant stop just before a hill. This home had no one outside to thank but there was water and cookies. Only the rare few bikers stopped due to its unexpected location. 

Final view of the Georgian Bay before camp. 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Amqui, QC to Sugarloaf Provincial Park in Atholville, NB

Image
A day to savour. Riders are more relaxed now that your days are winding down and the ride distances are shortening even by just a few kilometres. It's strange how 20km less per day, about an hour of riding lessons per day, makes us feel like the day's are so much shorter. My group stayed ahead of me all day which was quite alright as I took it easy. The morning fog made for a cool by special morning. I rode primarily with no hands for the first 45km so I could sit up and take it easy. The parrelling of the Saumon River ensured a pleasant sight and a slight downhill over the day. In camp tonight we are at the foot of a ski hill. Sugarloaf Provincial Park sounds awesome as it has camping, skiing, mountain biking, hiking, snow shoeing, cross country skiing, tennis, and day use areas. It's truly a year round park and the staff I have met are friendly. We entered New Brunswick today and it's a radically quick change to see mostly English once again. It almost feels too ba
Read more

Bathurst, NB to Daigle Daigle Park Campground in Saint-Louis, NB

Image
I made many stops today. There were numerous unmaintained of completely abandoned homes and buildings to be seen today. My first spark for looking into abandoned places was on the south side of Bathurst. I didn't know it's name at the time but I saw the left over concrete from the power and paper mill. I began to notice homes along the secondary road 134 that had been abandoned. In the pictures you'll hear more of their stories. Besides the buildings I took interest in, the day faired well. The hills and bumps of the road were worse in the morning and smoothed out after Miramichi, roughly half way. Tomorrow is our longer day of the week but I really don't have much of worries. I pray for favorable wind and good sights. I plan on handing out many many Sea to Sea cards and stickers tomorrow. Only four more riding days left! Trip: 127.5km Time: 7:16am to 3:30ish pm Remains of the Bathurst Power and Paper company. After some research its name and that it ju
Read more
Image
Today began with a good breakfast but the drive was long. The Stehouwer family was tired and grumpy but resolved their issues when it came time to enjoy Theodore Roosevelt National Park. The park offered scenic views at the Painted Canyon Rest stop and 36mile scenic loop packed with prairie dogs, wild horses, bison, and hiking trails. From the national park we drove a long hour to Glendive, Montana. Without a pool for entertainment, the family got Pizza Hut for dinner and watched John skateboard and the local skatepark. John was quite thrilled and even made a friend who let him borrow a full size skateboard.  All in all, the day turned out to be a good one for the books!
Read more