The morning of my departure from Manitoulin was colder and overcast.
I had seen a food truck serving waffles on the way to town the night before but was bummed out to see it was still closed.
As I sat around waiting for the ferry to Bruce Peninsula, someone informed me that it wouldn't open the next day.
Luckily, I soon discovered that the ferry itself served waffles. And at a fairly reasonable price! I sat around the cafeteria lounge, drinking coffee and watched as the quaint little harbour of South Baymouth rolled by as we entered Lake Huron.
The ride was short, but pleasant. The Owen Sound Transportation Company even hires live music for the hour and a half crossing. BC ferries take note, this is how you run a ferry.
I had a warmshowers host waiting in Tobermory, my first since Fernie, BC.
Caroline welcomed me in the driveway and directed me to drop my bags so I could appreciate an impromptu rest day in Tobermory.
I hit up the bakery, then the local brewpub, which actually had some decent beers, and then decided to bike over to Mermaid Cove to check out the lake.
Upon arriving at Mermaid Cove, the sub had come out and the turquiose waters of Huron invited me. I had no swim trunks, no towel, but I stripped down to my bike shorts and spent two hours swimming aound the bays and nearby islands.
All the swimming built up an appetite, so I swung by an all you can eat fish and chips place. God bless the server, she just kept it coming with a smile on her face as I put away 5 baskets of fish and chips. I was ready to tap out when she carted out basket #6, so she even packed it up to go.
Back at the warmshowers stay, I met Caroline's dad, and her cousin's children, Holden and Phoebe (get the reference?).
I was already stuffed but managed to find room for a small serving of lasagna and salad.
After dinner, I rotated the tires again, as the back one was already wearing out. Holden and Phoebe assisted.
Caroline, who works for Parks Canada, got called out to rescue three hikers, so I hung out with the kids for the rest of the night, reading on the deck, and taking another short dip in Huron. Yeah, the warmshowers stay had frontage onto Lake Huron. Pretty sweet.
Unfortunately, it was another rainy night, but Caroline's dad made the morning right by making coffee and breakfast. All in all, a great stay in Tobermory.
Eventually, it was back on the road to Owen Sound, 110 km away at the base of Bruce Peninsula. The highway shoulder started out alright, but quickly conformed to typical Ontario standards, not helped by the constant stream of vacation traffic from Toronto. Still, I managed not to get run over and made it to Owen Sound with enough time to get a campsite, and hit up the two breweries. Owen Sound (and the area around Huron in general) is a gorgeous place. All the buildings and houses are nice brick or stone constructions with white wash trim and ivy vines climbing the walls.
Side note: I'm spending too much lately. I am going to try limiting myself to one brewery a day.
While registering for camping I met a lovely woman. I believe her name was Norma, but I am really embarassed to stay that I forgot to write it down. Especially since she graciously invited me to come eat around the campfire with her family and friends. After a wonderful evening, with lots of food, it was getting dark so I brushed my teeth, set up camp and went to sleep among the sounds of partying campers.
The next morning I woke up to rain. Again. Come on Ontario, I'm trying to like you. I used the bathroom and struggled between my budget side that wanted to cook oatmeal on my stove and the lazy side that wanted Tim Hortons. The rain didn't stop until 8 am, so Team Tims won out and I packed up my wet tent again and hit off in search of a sausage biscuit combo.
As I didn't have to get into London for a few days, I planned to do a short day to Hanover, only 60 km.
It was a nice and cool day following the rain, perfect for cycling up some hills. I continued out of Owen Sound through a progression of quaint little towns, each of which seemed to be blessed with a bakery. Warming up to Southern Ontario.
A ways along the highway, I suddenly noticed that I had gained 6 inches of highway shoulder and traffic had slowed to a dribble. After some thought, I realized that I had passed the intersection splitting off to Toronto.
I further reduced my traffic companionship by taking a chance on a country road towarda Hanover. Another good route gamble, as traffic was light and scenery was wonderful. Only complaint was the amouny of hills.
I had reserved a campsite in Hanover, but enroute, I was messaged by a Warmshowers host who had just seen my message and offered me a place to pitch my tent a little ways to the south. I decided that it would be worth the cancellation fee at Saugeen Riverside Campground to do warmshowers for the night. Upon biking 5 km in a drizzle to cancel my reservation (too honest for my own good), the lovely campground manager waived it entirely and wished me a nice day.
After cycling back into Hanover, I checked out Maclean Ales for some pints and then headed south to Brian and Sharilyn's lovely farm property (at the top of a hill, as per warmshowers guidelines). What a lovely night too. Brian is keen on homebrewing so we talked about his set up, beer and shared perspectives on the Yukon, food, and the habits of "cityiots" (city + idiots). I even got a night in without any rain on the tent for a change. Only sour note was when I discovered a broken spoke on my rear wheel. Oh well, London is only 170 km distant and I can definitely get it fixed there. Some duct tape splinting and it was good enough.
No comments:
Post a Comment