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.