Canada; Lynden, Ontario to Richmond, Quebec
Week 1:
My favourite part.. Getting to see old friends!
Total miles.. 607
Day 1: Lynden, ON to Oshawa, ON
102 miles
It's finally starting to feel real!! I said my goodbyes and left home at 9:30 this morning... Stomach full of butterflies and a huge grin plastered on my face. From Hamilton I headed into Toronto to meet my roommate from college for lunch. I just barely got seated in the restaurant when the torrential downpour started. We had a delicious lunch and had much to get caught up on; by the time we finished up the rain had cleared! Impeccable timing if I do say so myself. I still had a bit of time, so we went for a walk along the harbour front before I headed out for my cousins place in Oshawa. In my wisdom I thought I would avoid the highway, but that backfired on me in the form of closed roads and plenty of traffic. It took me a solid hour to get myself out of that mess, but I finally arrived in Oshawa shortly before 6. Enjoyed a wonderful evening with them, which would not have been complete without the traditional Wednesday night DQ ice cream..
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| Ready to start this adventure! |
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| Toronto, ON |
Day 2: Oshawa, ON to Ottawa, ON
244 miles
Today got off to a relatively early start to allow me to get to Brockville by lunchtime. After starting the day off with breakfast and some more catching up, I hit the road once more. It was a fairly uneventful morning ride, with a quick leg-stretch in Napanee. After Kingston, I took the Thousand Islands Parkway which was quite scenic... Reminded me a lot of Parry Sound. I got into Brockville just in time for a lovely lunch with another cousin. From there, I took the back roads up towards Kanata, stopping off in Merrickville to check out some really artistic glass blowing! I arrived at my good friends place shortly before 5 to spend the night with her and her husband; it was a treat to catch up and hang out now that we live so far apart! The evening involved a delicious BBQ, a bike ride (my first time on a real road pedal bike... Terrifying!) and some repairs and adjustments to my motorcycle box... A couple of the straps holding it on had broken. Also, my helmet gave me a blister on my ear... Ouch!
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| Thousand Islands Parkway, ON |
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| Merrickville, ON |
Day 3: Ottawa, ON
0 miles
Well, today is gonna be a rain day. Plan A was to have a relaxing morning and then head into Quebec... but, Plan B it is. After breakfast, I had a look at the weather radar which showed I would have a one hour window to get myself to the bike shop, pick up my new helmet, and get back again. It was drizzly on the way over, but definitely raining on the way home... At least I got to test out my rain gear, right?! I'm really excited about my new helmet.. it's a lot lighter and very comfortable! The rest of the day was spent getting caught up on emails and relaxing.. Not bad for a rainy day. My friends left for Quebec late afternoon, so I'll catch up with them tomorrow.
Day 4: Ottawa, ON to Richmond, QC
261 miles
I left ottawa around 9 this morning to continue my journey eastward. I arrived in Old Montréal around noon and enjoyed the sunshine by taking a walk around the old neighbourhood. There are plenty of intricate and interesting old buildings, including Notre Dame Basilica. There was lots going on and lots to take in. I finished off the stop with a delicious and still-warm chocolate croissant. From Montreal, it was about an hour and a half to Richmond. The last stretch was gravel roads which was not a lot of fun, but I survived it and arrived around 4. We had pea soup for dinner.. not my favourite, but I embraced it as part of the Québécois experience. The evening gospel meeting was very encouraging, followed by an early and restful night.
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| Old Montreal, QC |
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