To Rutherglen, ON

By Ben |

Turns out that storm last night was more severe than I thought, and I might have been wise to take more precautions.  Oh, well!

Today was cooler but so windy that I made very slow progress into Mattawa, where I parted ways with the Ottawa River and ran some errands.  I decided I couldn't make it all the way into North Bay as I had planned and stopped near Talon Lake.  The campground has no showers, but I scrubbed myself off in the lake.

To Deux-Rivières

By Ben |

I had a leisurely breakfast with Norma & Kit this morning and didn't hit the road until 11:00.  It was another hot day, with lots of steep hills to climb, and I ran out of water about an hour before reaching my destination, but all was well.

After dinner a humdinger of a thunderstorm went over: hail and very close lightning.  I thought I had chosen a campsite on high ground, but when I opened my door, I found a lake!  Fortunately the rain only lasted a few minutes, and I was able to move my tent to higher ground.

43.1 mi

to Deep River, ON

By Ben |

I should have gone farther yesterday... as it was I had to ride 13 hours today, some 105 kilometers instead of my target 80.  And it was a really hot, humid day.  I went through 5 liters of water plus a liter of other drinks -- that's more than I drank in a day while hiking the Grand Canyon in the peak of the summer!  At least the roads were flat; I hear tomorrow I won't be so lucky in that regard.

I stopped for lunch (poutine!) and ate it outdoors so I could dry my camping gear, so that i wouldn't have to worry about it tonight.

To Fitzroy Provincial Park, ON

By Ben |

I took my time leaving Leela's place this morning, waiting for rush hour to end.  I followed bike trails all the way out of the city and was able to stay off main highways most of the way to Fitzroy Provincial Park.  I could have gone farther, but I would have had to rest and refill my water bottles, and the park was the closest place to do either, so I just stopped for the night.  It'll mean a long day tomorrow.

29.2 mi

Museum of Nature

By Ben |

This afternoon I biked out to the Museum of Civilization, but I forgot my wallet and so had to come back to Leela's.  I walked to the nearby Museum of Nature instead.

The Canadian Museum of Nature is under reconstruction right now, so more than half the exhibits are closed, but I enjoyed what I got to see; it's like a museum of natural history that focuses on Canada.  They had a few exotic species in the "creepy crawlers" exhibit, but everything else was native.  I particularly enjoyed the exhibit on medicinal plants.

To Ottawa

By admin |

I got up at dusk this morning and braved the morning fog to make it to church on time.  I thought I was going to make it when I reached the Ottawa River Parkway trail, but it was longer than it looked on the map, and Leela's church was on the far side of town.  I was exactly half an hour late for the start of the service, but just in time for the sermon.

Montreal - Biodôme

By Ben |

I had a lot of trouble getting out of bed this morning, as if I were reacting to something in yesterday's lunch.  When I started carrying my gear downstairs, I slipped and fell down the stairs on my back, scraping it painfully.  I decided I was in no condition to travel... e-mailed Leela to say I'd be late, paid for another night, and went back to bed.