Ottawa to Hamilton Bike Trip

PICTURE	DESCRIPTION
Medium (800 x 600) Large (2272 x 1704)	DAY 1 I had been meaning to do a long bike trip for quite some time. In July 2003, I finally had a perfect opportunity for it. I was unemployed, it was summer, and I told my parents that I was going to come visit them sometime soon anyway. Might as well go by bike! On Monday morning, July 7th, I packed my gear up onto my trusty mountain bike and got ready to embark on my ride to Hamilton. Isha took this picture of me before I headed out. Once I got going, I was so full of energy and excitement. However, in my rush to leave, I had a bit of a false start! I was already at the corner of 5th Ave. and Bronson when I realized I had forgot my cycling gloves. So I turned around, rode home, grabbed my gloves, and continued my ride.
Medium (800 x 600) Large (2272 x 1704)	My first stop was near Manotick, at the end of Rideau St. by the river. Just had a quick drink of water here then was on my way again.
Medium (800 x 600) Large (2272 x 1704)	I stopped at a convenience store in Kars to grab a snack and drink of orange juice. One of the many too-frequent stops on my first day!
Medium (600 x 800) Large (1704 x 2202)	Riding out of Kars down Rideau Valley Dr. #13. I had my map conveniently placed in the top of my handlebar bag, although this didn't always prevent me from going off-course, as we'll see later!
Medium (800 x 600) Large (2272 x 1704)	My next stop was at Baxter Conservation Area on the Ottawa River near Reevecraig, just past Kars. After a quick washroom break, I went over to their main building to fill up my water bottles. While I was filling my water bottles in their kitchen (there was nobody in the building!) one of the people who worked there walked in. We chatted for a bit, and he mentioned he had seen me riding up near Kars. He wished me luck, and I headed back out. Outside of this building is this large array of solar panels, which they use for powering things at the conservation area, and storing the electricity in batteries when possible.
Medium (800 x 600) Large (2272 x 1704)	Between Kemptville and Merrickville on River Rd. is Burrit's Rapids, where they have put some locks in place to help boats navigate the Rideau River / Canal. I briefly looked around the park here, and also chatted with a family from Arizona who were doing a boat trip up the Rideau River. They were also into bike touring. The section of River Rd. that I was riding along between Kemptville and Merrickville was wonderful. Very few cars, a smooth road, and nice country scenery of farms and the Rideau River. I stopped in Merrickville at the Food Town to buy some fruit, and then bought some lunch at the Downtowne Ice Cream Shoppe. Very tasty chili and turkey sandwich.
Medium (600 x 800) Large (1704 x 2202)	I ran a little off-course riding out of Merrickville and had to do some back-tracking. I accidentally took the #15 down to Carly's Corners. I had to head back a little and then use Armstrong Road (one of those semi-paved country roads) to get back towards Easton's Corners. Eastons Corners is like a little hick-town from a movie. Just a few buildings clustered together in the middle of nowhere. I wonder what people do for fun? From Eastons Corners, I decided to take a shortcut along Crystal-Bates Rd. instead of going through Jasper. This was another one of those semi-paved country roads, and it took me through some nice forest and farm land. There were no cars here, and it wasn't too bad to ride on, as long as I avoided the potholes. I'm not sure if this shortcut saved me time, but it was definitely a fun ride through here. Sometimes I'm a little surprised that some of the places I rode through actually show up on maps.
Medium (800 x 600) Large (2272 x 1704)	Somewhere before reaching Athens, I had run out of water so I stopped at a golf course. They were kind enough to fill up my water bottles for me, and I also bought some Powerade, mainly to use as a third water bottle, because there were stretches of road where I had been conservative with my water intake because there didn't seem to be many places around to fill up. When I reached Athens, I stopped at the LCBO to buy a beer for later, and to rest for a little bit. Athens is a nice little town, known for the large murals painted on the sides of buildings.
Medium (800 x 600) Large (2272 x 1704)	Here's another one of the murals in Athens.
Medium (800 x 600) Large (2272 x 1704)	And another mural. After briefly looking around Athens (it doesn't take long!), I was hoping that my next stop would be a campground around Mallorytown Landing on the St. Lawrence River. In Athens, I finally got hit with the first real rain, after being teased with a few drops and cloudy skies earlier on.
Medium (800 x 600) Large (2272 x 1704)	After leaving Athens, the terrain started to get hillier, starting with a great downhill.
Medium (600 x 800) Large (1704 x 2202)	The rolling hills were fun to ride on, and there wasn't anything too steep or long to tire me out too much. At this hill, I stopped to "run to the bushes" before carrying on. After all these hills, I was expecting the majority of the ride to Hamilton, along the St. Lawrence and Lake Ontario, to be relatively flat.
Medium (800 x 600) Large (2272 x 1704)	Being on what (I thought) was the final stretch for the day had me really psyched as I rode through Mallorytown, across highway 401, and down into Mallorytown Landing.
Medium (800 x 600) Large (2272 x 1704)	The St. Lawrence River at Mallorytown Landing!
Medium (800 x 600) Large (2272 x 1704)	I stopped here to gaze out at the river for a little bit, before trying to find a camp site for the night. I was getting a little tired by this time of the day! Unfortunately, the St. Lawrence Islands National Park at Mallorytown Landing seems to only be for group camping, and the whole place seemed like it was shut down (the staff leaves at 4:30). Oh well...I continued on my way.
Medium (800 x 600) Large (2272 x 1704)	The Thousand Islands Parkway has a bike path going alongside of it, completely separated from the road. I chugged along here as it started to rain a little heavier again.
Medium (800 x 600) Large (2272 x 1704)	The Thousand Islands Bridge, which takes you to the USA. There was a huge lineup of trucks here, as far as the eye could see, waiting to cross. I guess I didn't read my map right, but for some reason I though there were campgrounds on Hill Island, which is the half-way point across the river.
Medium (800 x 600) Large (2272 x 1704)	So I decided to take the Thousand Islands Bridge over to Hill Island in search of non-existent camping. Definitely a mistake, but not a complete loss, as the view from this bridge is fantastic.
Medium (800 x 600) Large (2272 x 1704)	No wonder they call it the Thousand Islands...
Medium (600 x 800) Large (1704 x 2202)	This bridge has a pedestrian sidewalk across it, that the tollbooth guy told me to use. It started off OK, but then it got very narrow at certain points. So narrow that I had to walk my bike, and at some points I couldn't even fit my bike through without twisting it around in various ways. When I finally got to Hill Island, I stopped at the Duty Free store / restaurant to see if I could buy some food for dinner. Nope, they only sold cheesy souvenirs. But the very nice ladies there sold me a big bag of Doritos from the restaurant, and informed me that there are no actual campgrounds on the island, as it's all private property! Damn! After wasting time struggling over the bridge, I had to turn around and go back, or cross the border and camp there (no thanks!).
Medium (800 x 600) Large (2272 x 1704)	If I had just rode my bike a few metres past the bridge in the first place, I would have come to the Ivy Lea campground. Part of the campground literally goes under a section of the bridge. I had been so close! I could have been relaxing at least an hour sooner. Being a rainy Monday, this place wasn't too busy. They set me up with a small, relatively secluded spot right near some water. Very nice for this kind of campground! I set up my campsite, had a shower, and then called mom to tell her I survived my first day.
Medium (800 x 600) Large (2272 x 1704)	Then I ate dinner (hunter's sausage, beer, Doritos, and an apple!), wrote more into my journal, and then I was ready to crash hard. Although I look tired, sunburnt, and sad in this picture, I was actually really happy to be here! My only complaint about this campsite was that I could hear all of those trucks that were crossing the bridge.
Medium (800 x 600) Large (2272 x 1704)	DAY 2 After a much needed night of sleep, I woke up early, before 7:00. Although I was still a little tired, I had slept well and was relieved that it hardly rained at all overnight. It was nice and cool, perfect riding temperature, but I had a feeling that it would get hot and humid later on. The weather was still very overcast this morning. I went for a walk around the campsite before heading out. Everyone else still seemed to be sleeping at this hour, but I ended up seeing various birds, chipmunks, and a rabbit.
Medium (800 x 600) Large (2272 x 1704)	This bus was parked in the the campground parking lot. The Minty Tabernacle Choir and Wrestling Team. What the?? Seeing this gave me strange visions of kids singing church songs, then body slamming each other and breaking chairs over their heads. But somehow I doubt that was the case! After packing up my campsite and eating a quick breakfast, I headed back out onto the Thousand Islands parkway bike path. It was a bit of a nasty start to the day: I was riding into a headwind through a very fine, mist-like rain. I was still feeling pretty sluggish, not fully recovered from the previous day. I felt like I needed to loosen up. The Thousand Islands Parkway ends just before Gananoque, where I hopped on to Highway #2 towards Kingston. As I entered the town of Gananoque, all of the hotels and restaurants with their Breakfast Special signs lured me right in. I ended up stopping at the Provincial Inn for a second breakfast of coffee, eggs, bacon, sausages, toast, and pancakes. I was somewhat surprised that I could still ride after eating all of that. But I convinced myself that I needed the energy!
Medium (800 x 600) Large (2272 x 1704)	Just outside of Gananoque I stopped to check on two cyclists (Bill and Brenda) who were at the side of the road repairing a flat. They were OK and ready to hit the road again. We chatted for a bit, and they invited me to draft along behind them for about 15km! This was great, because it gave me a break from all the wind, and riding with a group of people really motivated me to go faster! When we arrived at their destination (Brenda's sister's place), they invited me up for a rest break. We talked for a while in the backyard and I filled up on some cold water, then headed back out. It was a pleasure to meet them, I was hoping to meet more nice people like this along the way.
Medium (800 x 600) Large (2272 x 1704)	I had the song Funky Kingston in my head all morning in anticipation of getting there. And my mood had improved significantly since the morning, because the weather cleared up into a perfect, sunny day. I'm glad I took the time to ride through there slowly and check out some of the sights. I hadn't actually been to Kingston in a long time. I found it to be charming, old-fashioned, and somewhat touristy. I stopped to check out the market and bought some fresh strawberries to eat while riding.
Medium (800 x 600) Large (2272 x 1704)	I ate lunch at the Prince George Hotel in Kingston, on the shaded patio looking out at the old train station and lake. Great food, and hot waitreses! ;-) I had a tasty fish & chips meal with a Guinness.
Medium (800 x 600) Large (2272 x 1704)	The Murney Tower, in Kingston. To quote from the Kingston Historical Society website, "The Murney Redoubt was built in 1846 on the shores of Lake Ontario as part of the defences of Kingston. By 1890 it was regarded as obsolete by the militia and it was allowed to deteriorate." Basically, this tower was built to help defend Kingston from an American naval attack on Lake Ontario. The tower has thick, stone walls, a moving cannon on its uppermost floor, an exterior wall and moat, holes for people to shoot guns out of, and enough supplies inside for soldiers to sustain several weeks of attack. I had a great time touring through the whole building, climbing its narrow staircases, and reading all about its history. Definitely an interesting place to check out if you're in Kingston. The picture is of the cannon on the top floor. The start of Highway #33 out of Kingston was a little unpleasant due to all the traffic, but as I got further out of town it gradually cleared up. Overall, riding Highway 33 was one of the best parts of my trip. Throughout this trip, I would see the occasional other cyclist. As I was riding through Amherstview, I saw someone on a recumbent riding in the opposite direction and we waved at each other. Someday I'd like to try a recumbent for trips like this, as I'm sure it would be more comfortable. As I approached Millhaven, things started to get a little stinky. That's mainly due to their huge oil refinery. I stopped at a convenience store / restaurant to buy a freezie, fill up on water (obviously well water, it was stinky too!), and get a can of chili for tonight's dinner. The people working at the store were very friendly. The man is a cyclist too. He rides long distances, but doesn't go camping. He often rides to Brockville and back (5 hours each way) to do geneology research at the library. He told me about the Adolphustown campground, which I didn't know existed! The town of bath was another interesting place to ride through on this stretch of Highway 33. The town history dates back to 1794 when a group of United Empire Loyalists settled there. It's a beautiful little town, and I wished I had stayed there longer (and gone to the beach!) but I wanted to keep going to the campground.
Medium (600 x 800) Large (1704 x 2202)	At the Lennox Generating Station (a fossil fuel power plant) outside of Bath, I stopped to take some pictures of a huge bird's nest on top of this power line.
Medium (800 x 600) Large (2272 x 1704)	I'm not sure what kind of bird this was, but it flew away when I got there and just circled around until I left. I think there may have been some young'uns in the nest.
Medium (600 x 800) Large (1704 x 2202)	I wonder how much water this power plant uses? It was just pouring out of the plant in to the lake.
Medium (800 x 600) Large (2272 x 1704)	Further down Highway 33, following along the edge of the bay of Quinte (part of Lake Ontario), I finally reached Adolphustown. This is where the United Empire Loyalist Heritage Centre and Park is, the campground that the guy in Millhaven told me about.
Medium (800 x 600) Large (2272 x 1704)	They gave me a huge campsite. In fact, all of the campsites at this park are huge. I guess they're normally used by car-campers and people with trailers. And since there aren't many trees between the sites, it's probably good that everyone can be separated so much. Also, my site was right next to the water, so that was a nice bonus. My strawberries (what was left of them) made it all the way from Kingston. They were a little squishy, but still a tasty snack.
Medium (800 x 600) Large (2272 x 1704)	After setting up my camp site, I went for a walk around part of the campground, and headed for the beach.
Medium (600 x 800) Large (1704 x 2202)	I took a very quick dip in the lake, but it was way too cold to stay in for long, especially with all the wind.
Medium (800 x 600) Large (2272 x 1704)	I saw this big old turtle in the parking lot.
Medium (800 x 600) Large (2272 x 1704)	It wasn't too happy that I approached it, so it started to hide.
Medium (800 x 600) Large (2272 x 1704)	I went back to the campground's main gate to get some firewood. I can't believe how much wood she gave me for just a few dollars. A whole recycling box full, plus a couple of bags of bark and smaller pieces for kindling. I creatively brought the wood back to my site using my bike's panniers, rack, handlebars, etc. After getting the fire going, I ate dinner while enjoying the scenery around me. They gave me so much wood that I ended up giving away most of it to the family from Peterborough, two campsites over.
Medium (800 x 600) Large (2272 x 1704)	The United Empire Loyalist campground is located in a significant historical area. This is where the first group of loyalists landed in Canada, back in 1784. There's even an old cemetary right in the campground site.
Medium (800 x 600) Large (2272 x 1704)	Day 2 of my trip had been wonderful. Although it started off a little rough back around Gananoque, things definitely improved over the course of the day.
Medium (800 x 600) Large (2272 x 1704)	As I sat at my campsite reflecting on the day and writing in my journal, I was entertained by a beautiful sunset.
Medium (800 x 600) Large (2272 x 1704)	The colours in the sky were awesome...
Medium (800 x 600) Large (2272 x 1704)	I felt like I was perfectly relaxed here. Just me and the sunset, and the sound of the wind rushing through.
Medium (800 x 600) Large (2272 x 1704)	The U.E.L. campground was mostly empty, and definitely quieter than Ivy Lea, where I heard trucks all night. Here, I could barely hear the occasional car on Highway 33.
Medium (600 x 800) Large (1704 x 2202)	DAY 3 I heard it rain lightly over night, but not enough to soak everything. In fact, the morning was very calm, and the wind had died right down. After having a bite to eat and packing up my campsite, I took the short ride down Highway 33 to my first stop, the Glenora Ferry. As I waited for the ferry, a large group of bikers (the leather-clad Harley Davidson kind of biker) arrived. I chatted with some of them for a little while, and it turns out they are from Hamilton too, and have been travelling Ontario together. One of them even had kids that went to the same high school as I did. One of the bikers offered to take my picture for me with my camera, so here I am! On the other side of the ferry, in Prince Edward County, I continued along Highway 33 towards Picton. I spotted a deer running across the road infront of me, but it quickly disappeared into the woods and I couldn't get a picture.
Medium (600 x 800) Large (1704 x 2202)	When I got to Picton, I stopped at the A&P to pick up some essentials: soap, canned food, and pastries. I ate some of the pastries outside, rejuvenating my sugar and fat levels. I also stopped at the LCBO again to buy a beer for tonight. Bloomfield, just down the road from Picton, is another one of the many "nice small towns" along the way. In this picture, you can see the Bloomfield Bicycle Company, a fantastic bike shop that caught my eye with their display of recumbents, trikes, folders, fixed-up old bikes, and other neat vehicles along with their "regular" bicycles.
Medium (800 x 600) Large (2272 x 1704)	I took a wrong turn coming out of Bloomfield, so I ended up heading northwest along Highway 62 for a little bit. But that's OK. Once I figured out my mistake, I cut through Gilead Rd., Townline Rd., and Swamp College. This put me back on track through Niles Corners. These were some fun country roads, and a bit of a break from the busier Highway 33. Somewhere along Gilead Rd., I stopped to drink some water by this Jim Morrison Ave. fake road sign. Didn't stick around there long, as someone's unleashed dog didn't like me hanging out there, so he starting barking and coming at me. Back on Highway 33 between Hillier and Gardenville, there was no paved shoulder and a little more raffic. This was one of the less pleasant parts of Highway 33 to ride on.
Medium (800 x 600) Large (2272 x 1704)	My next stop was by the Murray Canal Bridge at Lovett. I pulled in to the park beside the canal and ate my lunch at a picnic table. It's a rather busy canal: I watched quite a few boats go through the swing bridge. It seems like the people on all of these boats are exactly the same: As the boat goes through, the man steers it and the woman is down on the deck paying the toll. I briefly had a chat with another cyclist here, after he had stopped to take a swim in the canal (he got yelled at over the loudspeakers by the lockmaster for swimming there). Between the Murray Canal and Brighton, I kept seeing a huge military plane circling around. It must have been from CFB Trenton. As I rode into Brighton, I snapped my rear derailleur cable! This left me with very little gear selection, and what I had was too high! I stopped at a convenience store to ask if there's a local bike shop (and to buy a freezee!), but there was nothing in the area except the one way back in Bloomfield, or all the way in Cobourg. That's a bit further than I wanted to ride today, but it would also make my fourth day much easier, so I pushed on.
Medium (800 x 600) Large (2272 x 1704)	The Haldimand Baptist Church (Wicklow Church), on Lakeport Road between Colborne and Grafton. It's a tiny place that's been there since 1798. This whole stretch of the ride between Brighton and Cobourg, along Highway 2 and Lakeport / Lakeshore Rd., had more hills than I expected. It wasn't really that bad, actually, but due to my screwed up gearing I had to walk up some of them.
Medium (800 x 600) Large (2272 x 1704)	Cobourg! I made it, even with my busted bike. Cobourg is a small city, and seems very busy for its size. It appears to attract many tourists in the summer. I found the sports / bike shop down on the main road and got my cables. I also found out that there's a campground right there in downtown Cobourg on the beach. Great! Only a couple of blocks away. This campsite was the worst one that I stayed at. Basically, it's a small trailer park. It looked like there were many long-term RV "campers" parked here, with satellite dishes on their RVs, etc. The "tent section" that I stayed in sucks. The whole tent section is smaller than my previous site at Adolphustown, and there were three other tents already set up. It was also quite loud because there were so many people around, and I was right beside the entrance to the pier/beach. On the positive side, I was close to everything, and it made exploring Cobourg's waterfront area convenient. After setting up my tent, I went for a swim. Actually, I just got my feet wet and didn't go any further because the lake was so cold! In this picture you can see Cobourg's lighthouse, as seen from the beach.
Medium (800 x 600) Large (2272 x 1704)	Looking out at Lake Ontario from the beach in Cobourg. The seagull didn't seem to mind the cold water. After hanging out at the beach for a while, I went to take a shower.
Medium (800 x 600) Large (2272 x 1704)	In the early evening, I went for a brief walk through the town. I stopped to buy a couple of beers and a Pita to supplement the rest of my dinner, and called mom from a payphone. After eating my Pita, I went for a walk down the pier towards the lighthouse.
Medium (800 x 600) Large (2272 x 1704)	Although there are many cars and trucks driving out onto the pier and parking, as well as thousands of little dead fish and more seagull crap than I've ever seen, the pier was offering a great view of the sunset this evening. In this picture, I was looking back towards the town and the marina.
Medium (600 x 800) Large (1704 x 2202)	On the lighthouse, someone has written a poem. Obviously fed up with some of the stuff he or she has seen around Cobourg. More interesting than the usual grafitti, that's for sure.
Medium (800 x 600) Large (2272 x 1704)	There's a second, smaller lighthouse just past the large one. I guess they help boat captains find the marina entrance. After my walk, I went back to my tent and went to sleep. My location right next to the beach and pier entrance made it pretty noisy, especially with all the young people making noise and loud cars zooming around on the pier. Somehow I felt like I was back home in Ottawa on a loud Elgin Street Saturday night.
Medium (800 x 600) Large (2272 x 1704)	DAY 4 I was feeling really tired this morning. But on a positive note, I knew that I had a very short ride today, only about 60km to Darlington Provincial Park in Oshawa. After scraping myself off the floor of my tent, I walked a few blocks up to the main street in Cobourg and had breakfast at the Buttermilk Cafe. I wasn't looking forward to fixing my rear derailleur cable this morning, and I probably shouldn't have put it off for so long. But my repair went quickly, and I had the new one installed and adjusted in no time at all. Usually repairs like this take me annoyingly long amounts of frustrating fiddling! As I was packing up my stuff to leave the campsite, I talked to the other cyclist who was camping in the crappy tent camping area. He had rode into town for a while from somewhere not too far away to look for knifemaking work. He's a former machinist. Highway #2 out of Cobourg seemed really fast, like it was all downhill with the wind in my back. The day was starting off great! The next town that I hit was Port Hope. I breezed right through, only stopping once to quickly consult my map. This is a great town to cycle through. Basically, you ride over two big hills as you cross town on the #2 Highway. Coming out of Port Hope, I got onto Lakeshore Road, which took me right to Bond Head. This picture shows some typical scenery for this section of Lakeshore Road: Farmland with Lake Ontario in the backgroud.
Medium (800 x 600) Large (2272 x 1704)	The stretch of Lakeshore Road between Port Hope and Bond Head was definitely one of the highlights of my trip. I had expected this Lakeshore to be similar to the Lakeshore Road stretch in the Burlington to Missisauga area that I was used to, but it was totally different. It was much more of a "country road" than I had anticipated.
Medium (800 x 600) Large (2272 x 1704)	There was very little traffic along here, and no real towns. Just several clusters of houses along the way. The road was full of twists and turns, ups and downs, and little bridges, as you can see in this picture.
Medium (800 x 600) Large (2272 x 1704)	This old bridge over the train tracks near Bond Head looked like it had been here for a hundred years.
Medium (800 x 600) Large (2272 x 1704)	The neat thing about the view from the top of this little old bridge was the view of the farmland. This picture doesn't capture it very well, but the wind was blowing the grass into very beautiful patterns.
Medium (600 x 800) Large (1704 x 2202)	A view of the tracks below this bridge. Lake Ontario off in the background. For most of the way along Lakeshore, I either had a great view of the lake, or I was surrounded by forests or famland. Because the road follows the tracks and twists around so much, there were several places where I had to cross over the tracks too. I saw quite a few trains go by as well.
Medium (600 x 800) Large (1704 x 2202)	I think this picture is from Mill St. in Bond Head. At Bond Head, Lakeshore Road ends. It was a fun downhill coming in to town, with a nice view of the beach, with very green looking water.
Medium (800 x 600) Large (2272 x 1704)	Between Bond Head and Port Darlington, the Waterfront Trail is a bit confusing as it twists around though many different streets. Highway 401 seems to get in the way all the time! The roads took me through some really beautiful places, like under these neat old tunnels under railway tracks, but I could tell I was getting close to Oshawa and urban sprawl as well.
Medium (600 x 800) Large (1704 x 2202)	Somewhere around Port Darlington, I think, I seemed to hit a dead-end in the road. It looked like the road just turned into a driveway leading up to a house. I continued to follow it right up to the house, and then around back. This was actually still the road, and after I turned the corner around the house, I was presented with this great view of some cliffs along Lake Ontario. Just after Port Darlington somewhere, the Waterfront Trail seemed to disappear into thin air. I headed up to Baseline Rd. and followed that to Courtice Rd to Darlington Provincial Park.
Medium (600 x 800) Large (1704 x 2202)	I arrived at Darlington Provincial Park, just on the East side of Oshawa at around 2:30pm. I started to get a few drops of rain as I rode in. The girl at the booth said that the forecast was for thunderstorms today and rain all day tomorrow. Just great! At this point, all I could think about was how crappy and leaky my tent is! After checking in, I stopped at the park store to buy some food before heading down to my campsite. I bought a few canned items, chocolate milk, and of course some Doritos! I had originally planned to have a nice BBQ feast dinner tonight, but with all the rain I decided not to. As I looked for my camp site, I noticed that there were very few people at this park either. Again, I'm sure it was a combination of being the middle of the week, the crappy weather, etc. I set up my campsite quickly, before everything got too wet. I was hoping that all the big trees around my site would also add a little bit of protection from the rain. After setting up my site, I went for a very short walk to the end of the park road I was on to look out at the lake off the cliffs. Nice view, but it was windy and rainy, so I went back to my tent to settle in for a while. In this picture, you can see that the bruise I got from falling off of Mike Watson's tall-bike at Brittania Beach in Ottawa last weekend was still looking very ugly. At least it didn't hurt or affect my riding at all.
Medium (800 x 600) Large (2272 x 1704)	With all the rain and nothing to do in the park, I basically spent the rest of the day in my tent. In this picture you can see the map of my whole trip. The pen is pointing at my current location (Darlington Provincial Park, Oshawa). I started out in Ottawa (top-right) and tomorrow I will be arriving in Hamilton (bottom-left). At this point I was pretty impressed with myself, and excited to finish the trip. I actually felt like I should have gone a little further today, instead of just 60km. Perhaps Toronto? I was still feeling so strong and energetic, and it was still early. But where would I have stayed? Besides, I'm glad that I got my camp set up before it really started to rain hard. After looking at my map and updating my journal, I napped for a couple of hours.
Medium (800 x 600) Large (2272 x 1704)	After my nap, it was still raining. There still wasn't very much to do either, except read the book I had brought with me (Crypto, by Steven Levy), read the Darlington Provincial Park newsletter, and play the silly kids games in that newsletter. You may also notice that the newspaper is somewhat wet from all the leaks in my tent! I will definitely be upgrading my bike camping equipment in the near future! This evening, I ventured out a bit just to use the bathroom and have a shower. I also ate some food in my tent, then went right back to sleep for the night.
Medium (800 x 600) Large (2272 x 1704)	DAY 5 I got plenty of sleep last night. There wasn't much to do in this park because of the rain so I just rested. I woke up before 5:00am and got myself ready to ride for the final long stretch to Hamilton. I just took this blurry photo of a moth in the window of the Darlington Prov. Park store to make a timestamp of when I was finally ready to leave the park in the morning (6:16am). As I rode through Oshawa, I started to get into the urban/suburban/industrial areas that I would expect to see from here all the way to Hamilton. No more countryside from here on! The light morning rain turned into a very heavy downpour for a while. I got completely soaked, but at least I wasn't too cold. At one point I even pulled over to take out my reflective vest to make myself more visible because the traffic was starting to scare me a little. One of the highlights of my morning was stopping for breakfast in some little diner in an industrial area in Whitby. This whole place is certainly quite forgettable from a cycling point of view, but I'm sure glad I could get a hot diner breakfast! After riding through Pickering (again, no really memorable moments), I arrived at the Rouge River, which separates Pickering from Scarborough. I got a little confused here because I had to go through some unpaved trails and across a pedestrian bridge over the river. Riding along a quiet residential street I tried to ask a lady for directions, but she ignored me, put her head down, and walked right past! Yup, must be getting close to Toronto now! Maybe it's because I looked like a dirty homeless guy on a stolen bike with all my possessions strapped to the back in a garbage bag... A mailman and a man walking his dog were a little more helpful and pointed me in the right direction. I wish I took some pictures at the mouth of the Rouge River. It was quite scenic, and there were people out enjoying the fishing, etc. I'll have to go back sometime. Cycling through Scarborough I had to deal with the worst traffic of the tour. I basically followed Lawrence Ave. out of the Rouge Marsh, then down Kingston Road right into Toronto. At least it was clearing up a bit now, and getting warmer.
Medium (800 x 600) Large (2272 x 1704)	Toronto! I left Kingston Road by scooting down Fallingbrook Road down to Queen St. This is "The Beaches" neighbourhood of Toronto, appropriately name for its proximity to a bunch of beaches along Lake Ontario. It seems to be a busy old neighbourhood with plenty of charm. I only rode a few blocks down Queen St. before turning south to the Martin Goodman Trail, which follows the waterfront right across Toronto. I got my first glimpse of the CN Tower from here (see picture). The Martin Goodman Trail is nice because you can basically ride right across Toronto without having to ride on any streets, except for a short section of the Queen's Quay bike lane.
Medium (800 x 600) Large (2272 x 1704)	As I approached downtown Toronto, there were some serious storm clouds in the distance, and they appeared to be getting closer. When I made it down to Queen's Quay, it started to pour rain like some kind of dam had burst. I decided this was a good time to stop for lunch under a hotel/restaurant awning. I don't remember exactly what I ate here, but I think it was a can of beans, fruit, and probably a chocolate bar.
Medium (600 x 800) Large (1704 x 2202)	The rain passed very quickly, and then it was sunny again for a while. Probably the nicest weather of the whole trip. Gave me a good opportunity to take this pic of the CN Tower. I also stopped at a payphone to call my mom to tell her I expected to be home around 5:30. There was about 70km to go still, I had been on the road since just after 6am, and it was already 12:30, so I kept riding. The Martin Goodman Trail ended at Mississauga, so from here on, I was basically riding on Lakeshore Road. It's a good road for cycling, although it seemed like there were too many stoplights for the first section through Mississauga. I stopped in Clarkson (West end of Mississauga) for a second lunch at Dairy Queen. It started to rain again, but not too hard. I saw some bike cops riding on the sidewalk on Lake Shore Road. I wonder if that's legal in Mississauga? Did they give each other tickets? It was strange to see that after all the no-sidewalk-cycling signs in Toronto just a few kilometres back.
Medium (800 x 600) Large (2272 x 1704)	In Oakville, Lakeshore Road winds through more residential areas. The traffic was a bit calmer through this stretch too, which was a nice change. As you can see in these two pictures, I had some techincal difficulties in the first part of Oakville. Suddenly, I had a loud rubbing sound that was slowing me down. My rack had shifted towards the right side of my bike because the bolt holding it in place had somehow fallen out!
Medium (600 x 800) Large (1704 x 2202)	I ended up MacGyvering it with a bolt from my headlight which was too long and narrow, and held it in place with patch glue, a patch and a zip tie because I had no nut for it! This was a really crappy hack, but it appeared to work and it thankfully lasted all the way to Hamilton. Unfortunately, the long bolt interfered with the chain if it was in the smallest cog, so again I was left with less gears. As I continued to push along Lakeshore, I rode out of Oakville and through Burlington. I was getting really tired now, and I just wanted to finish the ride. As I approached Hamilton, I left Lakeshore / North Shore and took King Road to Plains Road towards York Boulevard and into.....
Medium (800 x 600) Large (2272 x 1704)	Hamilton! My energy level picked up significantly when I saw the sign riding into the city on York Blvd. I rode straight into downtown, then turned right on James St. and rode up the escarpment.
Medium (600 x 800) Large (1704 x 2202)	I had to walk my bike up James Mountain Road because it's so steep, I had all my gear with me, and I was dead tired.
Medium (800 x 600) Large (2272 x 1704)	I turned onto Claremont Dr. and made it home! Here's Mom and Dad's house as I approached it.
Medium (800 x 600) Large (2272 x 1704)	Here's me and my Mom. Both my parents were happy to see that I made it home safely! And right on time too...5:30. Wow, what a trip. After such a long day I was very glad that it was over, but the whole experience was amazing. It was my first bike tour that was more than just a short overnight loop. I certainly learned alot by doing it, and the few negative or difficult experiences didn't turn me off from doing more bike tours. I've been bitten by the bike touring bug!
All photographs ©2003 Victor Gedris

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