I packed, had breakfast and was on my bike by 7:45am and took the most direct route possible along highway 8 from Hamilton to Kitchener.  Not pretty but I didn’t much care. I arrived at home by 10:45am and was happy to have completed the trip.

The morning was mostly overcast with intermittent rain.

The trip along the canal was like a trip through history. It is hard to imagine the enormous investment and vision that men had to build the canal in the 1800s.  ‎Now, although it is well maintained, it is used only sparingly by cyclist and some boaters.

Interestingly everyone I saw on the Erie Canal was relaxed and noticeably friendly.   The stillness of the canal and the surrounding beauty seemed to have a positive effect.

The route departed from the canal at Lockport and took a more less direct route to the Queenston Bridge to Canada.

The view of the gorge from the Queenston Bridge was as always, gorgeous. I had thoughts of taking a picture in the middle but the traffic was distracting and there wasn’t any shoulder for my bicycle. Canada is wonderful and familiar.

I did not like the route I took through St. Catharines.    The trail beside the Twelve Mile Creek was quite muddy from the recent rains and it was not well maintained.  In retrospect the trip through Niagara on the Lake and skirting the shores through Port Dalhousie would have been better.

The Hamilton Beach trail is especially inviting after the long ride along roads sandwiched between the QEW and the lake shore.

I am staying at Sim’s house again for the night.

Lift lock on the Erie Canal.

Erie Canal.

Erie Canal near Medina.

OakView of the Orchard Creak falls at Medina. This is the view looking down from the Erie Canal.

Medina.

Oak Orchard River at Medina from the Erie Canal.

Paddle boat at Medina.

Lockport.

Lockport.

A lift bridge at the Welland Canal

Twelve Mile Creek in St Catharines looking South.

Lake Ontario west of St Catharines.

Walkway crossing the QEW south of Hamilton.

The trip from Selkirk to ‎Brockport (apart from the Erie Canal) was the least remarkable of all the legs of the trip.   The route follows roads where the cars seem to be driving too fast with too little shoulder.

I had originally planned to stay in Rochester but the accommodation with warmshowers fell through and I was left to fend for myself.  When I arrived there was nowhere I felt comfortable staying.  As a result I continued cycling.

Just west of Greece I linked up with the Erie Canal.   The Erie Canal is a gem in an otherwise dreary place.   As nice as the canal was I was becoming anxious about accommodation as I cycled passed town after town without finding a place to stay.    There was a beautiful picturesque bed and breakfast right beside the canal but no one answered the bell or the phone.

I felt uneasy doing guerrilla camping beside the canal so eventually I gave in staying at a hotel in Brockport.

It rained heavily in the night but I slept well.

There was an active rail trestle about 200 yards from the spot where I had pitched my tent. By my reckoning a long freight train passed over every hour or so. The sound was deafening and it seemed to go on for a long time.  Passenger trains ran even more frequently but I don’t recall hearing any during the night. As usual I slept with ear plugs and although they did nothing to silence the roar of the trains I slept very well. Strangely the sound was almost soothing.

In the morning the skies were overcast and the temperature was cool. I packed, took some additional pictures of the locks and rode back through the city to find the ferry to Wolfe Island. On the way I had a breakfast at Tim Horton’s.

I arrived about 45 minutes early for the 9:30am ferry and spent the time trying to catch up on the blog.‎  And right at 9:30 a bunch of cars, one pedestrian with a toddler stroller, and man with a bike boarded the ferry and crossed over to Wolfe Island.

I wish I could say Wolfe Island was uniquely interesting but the route from the Canadian ferry to the US ferry was made up of farmland similar to what you would see anywhere in rural Ontario.

In keeping with noticeably high water on Lake Ontario, the concrete ferry wharf  was under 6 inches of water.   Cars and SUVs (and bikes) managed to board the little ferry through the water nonetheless.  After boarding I crossed over on the ferry and reported to the customs people on the American shore in Cape Vincent by 11:45am.

It started to rain very hard while I ate lunch not far from the ferry station. Fortunately, by the time I resumed cycling the worst of it had passed.

The route from the ferry to Selkirk followed all rural roads through rolling hills. When I arrived at Selkirk I had two danishes for  supper (there were no restaurants), set up the tent and called it a night.

The early morning view of the Rideau Canal at Kingston Mills.

The flooded south ferry wharf on Wolfe Island.

Inside the small ferry between Wolfe Island and the New York shore.

Approaching New York from the ferry.

The store at Selkirk State Park in New York.

Because it was only supposed to be 74km to Kingston I had intended to stay and enjoy the beach until about 11am.   When I woke however the weather was cold and overcast. Instead of soaking up the sun I decided to take a tour of the park and see the dunes. As luck would have it the roads on th far west side of the park where the dunes were was flooded.   So I returned to have my breakfast at the camp restaurant and packed up.

The Waterfront Trail was inconsistent.    Sometime it followed roads and sometimes trails but it was not as nice as the trail system from Hamilton to Darlington.

I couldn’t find a host with Warmshowers so I decided to camp at the Rideau Canal.  Because I was not familiar with the route I interrupted a girl listening to her mp3 and asked where the Rideau Canal in Kingston was.   Unfortunately she had no idea what I was taking about.

On my way through Kingston I passed by the same old locomotive we saw on a family outing about 15 years ago.

Before long I had arrived in downtown Kingston standing by a Holiday Inn, 200 meters from the Wolfe Island Ferry, still not knowing where the Rideau Canal Locks was. ‎  I was really tempted to get out my wallet and stay the night.  But after mulling things over, remembering how much I hated hotels, and how much I liked the canal, I decided to reject the easy, comfortable and convenient ‎place to stay and set off to the find the canal.  It was a 5 km ride north.  If I wanted to be comfortable I would have stayed at home.

The canal is part of the Canada Park system.   The cost of setting up a tent for the night for cyclists, which includes access to a washroom, is $4.90.

The flooded road at Sandbanks PP near the dunes.

The flooded road at Sandbanks PP near the dunes.

Walkway on the shores of Lake on the Mountain.

Walkway on the shores of Lake on the Mountain.

The shores of Lake on the Mountain.

The ferry from Prince Edward County.

Stopping for the ferry from Prince Edward County.

Heritage Martello Tower – Murney

Heritage Martello Tower – Murney

Locomotive at Kingston.

The Rideau Canal at Kingston Mills.

The Rideau Canal at Kingston Mills.

Tent camping Rideau Canal at Kingston Mills.

Locks on the Rideau Canal at Kingston Mills.

‎
I left Darlington pretty early. Today is the longest day on the itinerary.

It was a down to business day. Not many pictures.   Not much to write about. I had favorable (not perfect) winds from the south by south west.

One interesting note… I had breakfast at a great neighbourhood Basil’s Market and Deli in Port Hope. It was the same deli I ate at when I crossed Canada. The food was great and the service outstanding!

When I first arrived my impression of Sandbanks was it was too busy.   But the camp site is pretty cool.   100′ from the beach!  The wind is pretty strong still.   I likely won’t hear any cars because of the sound of the waves.‎

Darlington Nuclear Power Plant generating 3,524 megawatts. It is the second largest nuclear power plan in Ontario next to Bruce.

The marina at the Port of Newcastle.

Restored church from the past.

Wild turkeys.

My favourite deli in Port Hope.

Port Hope deli.

The mouth of a creek in Sandbanks Provincial Park.

My campsite at Sandbanks Provincial Park.

Beach at Sandbanks.

John made the three of us great omelets for breakfast and we sat and chatted. I was on the bike by about 11am.

Bluffer’s Park is a real treasure and is not too far east from the Hunter’s. I ended up climbing part of the bluffs walking my bike just before the trail joined up with Brimley Road. It’s amazing that there is such a wild area on the edge of Toronto.   Give credit to whoever decided to leave it that way.

The Waterfront Trail between Toronto and Darlington was a mixture of roads and well maintained trails.

Because it was Sunday the trails were especially busy with people strolling and bikers getting their long exercise of the week.  I kept my own with other cyclists and when I couldn’t I told myself that it was because of the extra weight on my bike.

For lunch I bought hot dog and fries  from a group of three boys about 12-14 who were tending a kiosk.  It wasn’t the healthiest lunch.  They were impressed that I had traveled so far… all the way from Kitchener and asked if I raced. Ha Ha — that is one way to make a 61 year old feel good.

There are plenty of turns and tangential trails and I had to watch my GPS carefully. I missed a turn just as I was passing a cyclist. By the time I had discovered my error I was behind almost a kilometer.

I arrived at Darlington PP around two. At the store I bumped into a fellow cyclist with a trailer traveling from Michigan to Vermont.

It’s 4:32pm now and I have just set up my tent at  (see the picture). I can clearly see the lake from the camps site. Not bad.   It couldn’t have been a better day.  Not too hot, not too cloudy and I had a great wind (north-by-north-west I think).

Harrison Estates Park at the end of Lakehurst Cresent south of Kingston Road.

Harrison Estates Park.

A view from the bluffs.

A view from the bluffs.

An aggravation.

A view of the Pickering Nuclear Power station from Petticoat Creek Conservation Area trail.

Frenchman’s Bay looking south east from the north marshes.

Frenchman’s Bay.

Frenchman’s Bay looking toward Aunt Ida’s old cottage in the distance.

Darlington PP in the late afternoon.

Darlington PP in the early morning.

I had breakfast at Simeon’s; frosted mini wheats and toast and said my goodbyes. He still had to go to work.

I rode through the city to the west side of the bay. There was a beautiful park. It looked tranquil in the morning mist and light rain. Unfortunately the waterfront trail was closed on the lake side of the railway track.  Had it been open I would have enjoyed the edge of Hamilton bay and missed the busy streets. Still the route wasn’t too bad will wide shoulders and paved trails.

Once past the Burlington Bridge the Waterfront Trail was easy.  The bike trail was almost all paved with center green and blue line lines dividing the traffic.  It couldn’t have been better; winding through residential areas, parks beside the lake, and the busy downtown.

It rained most of the day; sometimes the rain was quite heavy. I found my Gortex rain jacket was no longer waterproof in the sleeves. I’ll have to remember to treat it when I get home.

I arrived at Lois and John’s empty house at about 3:30pm and crashed for a nap before John got home.   When John got home he treated me to a dinner at Ashbridge’s Bay Yacht Club. Afterward we walked up and down the piers as John educated me about sail boats.   For an additional diversion we drove to his club a short distance west.   It is a wild place without electricity in thick forested area in Leslie Spit. It is hard to believe that there is such a place in the middle of Toronto.

I spent the night in the Hunter’s bright Air B & B guest room.

The entrance to Bayfront Park in Hamilton.

Hamilton’s Bayfront Park.

Hamilton’s Bayfront Park.

Lasalle Park in Burlington

Discovery Landing in Burlington. The Burlington Skyway is faintly visible in the morning mist.

Discovery Landing looking east.

Rattray Marsh.

Rattray Marsh.

Brueckner Rhododendron Park in Mississauga.

Brueckner Rhododendron Park.

Port Credit.

Beginning of the trail in Toronto.

Toronto skyline from the west.

Toronto lakefront.

Through the heart of the city.

A beach house on the east end.

John and Lois duh!

In the house.

The guest room.

Lois and John in their backyar

I left home around 2pm. It took a little longer to get going than I had planned. Josh, Katie and Asher arrived not long before I left. It was good to see them.

The weather was great; partly cloudy with the temperature was in the low twenties.

The trails were familiar all the way to Dundas and then I had to cope with roads into Hamilton. There didn’t seem to be any good bike friendly routes from Dundas to downtown Hamilton. Or I may have missed them.

I arrived at my host, Simeon Hunter’s house just about 7pm. We had supper at a downtown pub and chatted about stuff. He was gracious and let me crash on his couch which was more than I had expected. Sim is a great host and true adventurer.

I’ve talked about cycling around Lake Ontario for a few years.  I’m taking off tomorrow.

Almost ready!   I have the itinerary.  This will be a relaxed excursion; I will be traveling light without panniers or cooking gear.

The route will take me through the following cities … Kitchener, Brantford, Hamilton, Toronto, Kingston, Rouchester, Lockport, St. Catherines, Hamilton, Kitchener.

List of things to take… Continue reading “(Day 0 – June 22) Kitchener Preparation” →