July 19: Thessalon to Massey (126.98km)
The ride today was mostly uneventful, which means it was good:)
I found the provincial campground in Massey around 4PM and found out there was another group of cyclists staying there. I went over to introduce myself and they were a group of around 10 bikers from Victoria, BC all between the ages of 50 and 60 I'd say. Ironically, they left Victoria a day before I left Vancouver and this is the first time that our paths crossed – mind you, for much of the prairie provinces, we took different routes.
A really friendly group of people that gave me good suggestions on the roads to take leading up to Ottawa.
By the way, if you ever find yourself in Massey with a burning desire to sleep on the ground, I recommend the campground. Very pretty and dead quiet. I slept like a baby.
July 20: Massey to Sudbury (108.41km)
All the circumstances were working against me today. I was riding into a head wind all day, there were a few hills that weren't big, but annoying. The worst part however was the traffic. I wanted to get past Sudbury over the weekend in order to miss the traffic. Well apparently it didn't work, because I got the most traffic I've seen since Winnipeg. I was talking to a policeman when I stopped for lunch (no I wasn't speeding:) and he was telling me that there was a lot of cars, because there was a drag race in Elliot Lake which was drawing a lot of people – why a drag race in Elliot Lake would attract people is a mystery that someone will have to explain to me. Moreover, all these drag racing fans were jacked up on octane and driving way to fast on the road. Since the province is exceptionally stingy with the shoulders in these parts, cars were wizzing past me all day. Another irksome circumstance was my butt. Don't worry, I won't get to graphic, but this is one of the first times on my trip that sitting on my saddle was a chore. Maybe it's because I haven't taken a day off since Thunder Bay, but zowie, it was tender. I may be wearing two pairs of bike shorts until Ottawa.
The day wasn't all negative however. I stopped at a Tim's at around 10 and met up with a cyclist from Australia who is biking in the other direction. A super nice guy that gave me a lot of tips and we ended up talking for about an hour.
When I left the Tim's I started talking with this guy coming in. He was asking the regular stuff about where I've been and how far I go every day. Anyways, we spoke for a few minutes and then we both went on our way. Four hours later as I was getting closer to Sudbury this car pulls up ahead of me and out comes the man from Tim's with a bottle of Powerade for me. He figured I would need it at this point in a long days ride. A very nice gesture.
According to my calculation, I'm about 500km from Ottawa. If all goes well and the conditions aren't too bad, I hope to be sleeping in my bed Thursday or Friday evening (knock on wood). I'll stay two or three nights and then I'll be off to the sunny eastern provinces. Hope to see a lot of you Ottawans while I'm there.
Only one photo this time of the biker I met at Tim's.
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10 comments:
You're on the stretch of highway that I know better than just about any road in Ottawa. I've driven that stretch more times than I can count. I'll be going the opposite way next Saturday for a week of camping on Manitoulin Island
I always find the longest stretch is from North Bay to Ottawa. And, you'll be huffing and puffing outside of Mattawa. Be prepared for a few good-sized hills. Especially east of Mattawa.
Allo Roland, Looking good, you are doing good time . Take care.
Mom
Roland, looks like you've now mastered most of the continent. Congrats! Joan send her best wishes. (She had problems posting comment)
All the best leading up to Ottawa and beyond.
Pics are great.
Dave C
Just one quick question... Tim's is Tim Horton's, right? Took a couple of beats before I made that connection. Hmmmm... a Tim Horton coffee sounds good right about now... but are you drinking coffee these days? That's out of character. :-)
TTF... Monique
Hey Roland!!
Wo...you are almost here...Do you think you will have time to meet up when you are in town...? Give me a shout if you do have a minute...or post something about a location where your Ottawa fans could meet you for lunch and some biking stories...;-)
Sarah P.
819-455-2345
Hi Roland,
I will second Sarah's comment about getting together when you are in town. But no pressure at all, I am free for a beer and a chat if you want, if not, I'll see you when you finish!!
On a somewhat related note, Paula and I just got back from Maine on a short holiday and the inn keeper there shared a story about a cyclist who stayed at his inn several years ago who used the good bed linen in his room to clean his bike! Needless to say the guy was not happy. It is too bad there are cyclists out there who give all a bad rap.
Ride safe.
Darcy
Roland,
Yay! You're almost here!
And it's Thursday already, so maybe you are here!
Give us yogi's a shout, we'd love to meet with you if you have time!
Woo! hoo!
Sara
Bonjour Roland,
Bienvenue à la maison! Tu comptes faire une pause de combien de jours? Ça va te faire tout drôle de retrouver ta maison et ton lit après toutes ces semaines. Tes plantes ont peut-être même survécue. J'espère que ce ne sera pas trop difficile de repartir. En espérant que tu auras une petite minute pour venir nous dire bonjour au cours des prochains jours. Si tu n'as plus assez d'énergie pour traverser le pont Champlain, fait nous signe on pédalera jusque chez toi!
Et si finalement tu décides d'aller en Saint-John's en avion et de revenir à vélo je peux toujours allez te reconduire à l'aéroport!
Ginette & Denis
Hey Roland! Just a quick hello to say hi and hope your ride is going well... I finally found your blog link and it seems like you're in ottawa! Good luck with the rest of the trip and we look forward to hearing your adventures when you get back! tracy sutela
Gooday everyone,
Sorry for my tardiness, but this is the first stable internet connection I've had since Sudbury. Even in Ottawa, I tried to go online a number of times with no success.
I won't answer all of you as I was lucky to talk to some of you when I was in Ottawa. To those that I didn't see, I wish I had, but I was extremely busy while I was there (I know it sounds like a lame excuse, but it is absolutely true).
Mike,
Actually I didn't mind the road between North Bay and Ottawa. OK there are sections that I didn't like, but there are others that were quite pretty. My day going into Sudbury was a lot worst if for no other reason than the amount of traffic.
Sara,
Sorry, I missed you. An after yoga breakfast with the gang would have been really nice. Let's do it in September:)
Monique,
You have clearly living in the States for way too long. Not knowing what Tim's is!!! There are some names that don't need a surname like Madonna or Prince. Well Tim is one of them.
And no, I still don't drink coffee, but they do serve herbal teas and some food other than donuts.
Tracy,
Good to hear from you. My God, it has been ages since we spoke. I hope all is well and that you are enjoying your summer.
Dave,
Good to hear from you as well. While I was in Ottawa I was keeping an eye open when walking on Wellington, but never did see you. Oh well, we'll cross paths soon enough:)
I submit a new posting in a couple of hours. Thanks again for reading everyone.
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