Day 38 – Wellington (Prince Edward County), Ontario (Saturday, June 13, 2015)

After breakfast I left Quito Inn and took a route along a well maintained, paved trail following a river which wound it’s way south toward the lake.  It would have put anything in Kitchener around the Grand to shame. Perhaps I was too hasty in judging Oshawa’s treatment of the bicycle.

The trail eventually follows the shore of the lake and leads to Darlington Provincial Park. (This would be a good destination for future rides if they allow overnight camping.) Not far from the park I came to the outskirts of Clarington and the massive Darlington Nuclear Power Station (supplies about 20% of Ontario’s electrical power.).

The eastern border of the Darlington plant the road was fenced preventing entry into the adjacent St Mary’s Cement plant which was equally impressive. (I have to look up why large cement plants are often located next electrical power plants.).   This was one of the few times on my trip that I was forced to retrace my progress for nearly 2km and follow an 6km alternate route.

Throughout the day I was never far from the lake travelling through a number of quaint towns via trails and roads with generally good shoulders and marked bicycle routes.  I had lunch at a small deli that served a good tuna panini in or close to Port Hope. I traveled through Colbourg where they had cordoned off the downtown for a street market.

I arrived in Prince Edward County (PEC) about 5pm and got something to eat at Emm’s restaurant just outside of Consecon along Loyalist’s Parkway.    My plan indicated a trail which wound through PEC but it appeared to be rough, wet from the recent rain, and poorly maintained.

What is unique about PEC is that the main road through the county is the Loyalist Parkway and the traffic, especially before the summer, is very light and is essentially used only for tourists and PEC residents.  The road has perfect shoulders, light traffic and the community is receptive to bicycles.  Perhaps it helps that the ferry to the east is the only route to Kingston and beyond forcing trucks and cars travelling between cities to find more direct highways.

Needless to say it made no sense for me to take difficult trails when the roads were ideal.  So I biked 20km further than I intended and stayed in a B+B in Wellington called Magnolia Meadows. Before closing out the day I had a milk shake and a chicken salad at the adjacent Dari Bar and Grill.

Day 37 – Oshawa, Ontario (Friday, June 12, 2015)

A number of things didn’t work out today.

1. My breakfasts and all my mixed nuts (3 pounds) were eaten by a raccoon. They had carefully un-buckled my  front pannier which is not so easily done.
2. It started to rain when I was packing up after my tent was down.
3. I lost one of my water bottles.
4. I had to take immodium for the very first time on the trip.
5. It rained.
6. The rides through the city were especially unpleasant with heavy traffic.

And… it was one of the most enjoyable days on the trip.

There are waterfront trails running from Oakville all the way to Pickering that are about the best bicycle riding that I have seen anywhere.   Each of the cities (Oakville, Mississauga, Port Credit, Toronto, Pickering)  have done a great job with their trails. In almost every case they are paved with a center line.

I met Lois for lunch at 11:30am at one of the beaches by Leuty Street. After the beaches the route took me through part of the city before the trail picked up again.    Although ride trails is slower and you have to give more attention to the route, the beauty and the frequent curves make the time passes quickly.

After a while on a trail for a while I stopped to take stock of my surroundings and was surprise to find myself at Frenchman’s bay beside Auntie Ida’s cottage. The panorama of the bay was taken from that vantage point.

I was reminded again how close the bay is to Pickering Nuclear Power Station.   Somehow, as big as it is, it remains hidden from view from the bay.

Because it was overcast and raining all day it kept the ambiance of an early dewy morning even into the late afternoon. Even the birds seemed tricked. It made riding tranquil.

The approach to Oshawa was not pleasant. I rode past the Oshawa assembly plant at a shift change.   There were no provisions for bicycles either on the roads or in people’s minds.

I stayed at the Quinto Inn in downtown Oshawa.

Day 36 – Mississauga, Ontario (Thursday, June 11, 2015)

I had a lazy morning. I got up late compared to other biking days. I made breakfast at a leisurely pace and went about replenishing my food supplies, and did a few things with my bike (replaced the pedals which I started to suspect were wearing and topped up the tires).

Ann, Michelle and I biked together for about 8 km to a point a little beyond the Butterfly Conservatory.

The route took me through quiet interesting trails in Guelph. It was nice to be off the road for a change even though it was much slower.

I had a good wind today and arrived at Bronte Provincial Park in good time in spite of the late start. It was good it was only 75 km today. I am not really in the rhythm yet.

I spent time in Kitchener and Toronto between late Friday, June 5th and Thursday morning, June 11th with family. I saw Ann and all the kids, visited Dad, Lois and John in Toronto.