Cavan, Ontario Aug 10 2022

Next day, on the way to Cavan Monaghan, was a delight. This farming township, says Wikipedia, was known as Cavan-Millbrook-North Monaghan until 2007. It’s in Peterborough County in central-eastern Ontario, 20 kilometres (12 mi) southwest of the city of Peterborough.

About 10km west of Norwood I came upon a trestle bridge. Underneath flowed Indian River. Beside it was about a half acre of land, with a beach. An extended family was picnicing and swimming there. I pulled in, and asked if the land was public. It wasn’t, and wasn’t theirs. Soon the farmer who owned the land pulled up and gave us permission to stay. I had a great swim. That family sweetly offered me a sandwich and cold water. I wanted to go home with them.

On the way to my destination I met two women who were about to mountain bike the trails. You go, ladies!

That night I stayed in another farm bunkhouse, this one very small and basic, but atop gorgeous acres of farmland. It was situated up a series of hills, with the well-worn path running directly through the crops.

Google Maps sent me right past the property and up a big hill intially. Once I’d crested the ascent, I noticed I’d gone too far, except Google urged me onward. Instead I rode into a driveway where an older couple was doing some repairs. The wife, so nice, energetically jumped into her car, drove down the hill, and confirmed I’d gone too far. Then she asked for my Democracycle.ca website and made a big donation. How about that for country hospitality!

Oshawa, Ontario Aug 11 2022

Mixed emotions as my adventure wound down.

The ride from the farm bunke outside of Cavan to central Oshawa was about 62 km. Much of it was through rolling countryside. Most of the roads were paved and quieter. I won’t miss the dirt roads strewn with stones. On the way I passed a bunch of small towns like Tapley, Dranoen, Millbrook, Manvers, Glamorgan, Tyrone and the Enniskillen Conservation Area. Bethany and Pontypool too.

There was one enormous downhill in Ida, not far from Cavan, that had me holding on to my helmet. It went on for a full kilometer and I hit a top speed of 58.3 km/hr. Only thing marring the excitement was that my eyes started tearing from the wind. Although it made it kind of hard to see – adding to the sense of defyng gravity and reminding me of my motorcycling days – I clung to the handlebars to go straight as possible and feel the exhilaration. Immediately afterward my daughter called from Montreal. My heart was racing and she giggled as I related my tale of derring-do.

Seeing the sign for Durham made me accutely aware of how close to home I was getting.

By the time I hit Oshawa I was amazed by how much it had grown. Shopping plazas and big box stores everywhere. Tons of traffic on the main streets.

My Airbnb that night was a big two bedroom basement apartment complete with living room and kitchen, plus use of the deck outside. Total cost? $77. That is 25% less than I paid on average for a single room in an Airbnb in Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick or Nova Scotia. What with all the add-on fees Airbnb can have, there were few bargains to be found in peak summer travel season.

Madoc, Ontario Aug 6 2022

My ride the next day to Madoc was on the very thin shoulder of Highway 7 in cottage country. Didn’t see a fellow cyclist the entire ride.! (They were clearly smarter than me.) Had my rear light flashing on full, hence most traffic coming from behind gave me plenty of leeway. A few cars whizzed by me at less than arm’s length though. I did as I’ve done the whole nearly 2,000km of this trip: listen to a mixture of music and an Audible novel, tune out some of the rushing wind and motor vehicle sounds with my noise cancelling Bose earbuds, and hang on for dear life.

My host at the Airbnb in Madoc let me in via keycode a few hours before she came home. She has a really sweet, active dog, a Boxer mix. Five minutes after growling at me as I entered, that doggie was licking my face like I was ice cream. Aww. Must have been all the salt left over on my cheeks from sweating all day!

Later, the host and I sat and gabbed for a few hours. Nice to be meeting people from different backgrounds.

Tomorrow I’m set for a an overnight farm-stay in Norwood. Getting close to Peterborough, where I used to take my kids in our old pop-up camper. Fond memories!

Only four more days of riding to go!

Norwood, Ontario Aug 7 2022

The Madoc to Norwood jaunt was close to 60 km west and north. Nice day, not as much headwind. Most of the ride was on that thin shoulder of Highway 7.

Oddly there were few gas stations or food joints, despite considerable traffic. Stopped at a gas station, bought liquids galore, asked if they had sandwiches or muffins, was told no. Turns out the building had a chip truck out back, with burgers, fries, and other gloriously greasy digestibles. Stumbled on it by dumb luck. Anyway the final 10km or so was on mostly paved, quiet country road. Hilly in some parts. Passed a tractor or two. Oh so fragrant, that manure!

My Airbnb that eve was on a huge farm. It had wooly Alpacas, some boarded horses, a few piggies.

I stayed in a bunkhouse so far from the farmhouse that the owner kindly drove me and my bike there. What a spread. The bunkhouse was big for one person, with a bbq, gazebo, lots of yard (and a firepit), a compostable outhouse toilet, and trails out back.

The host picked me up with his truck again in the morning, and drove me to where his achingly long driveway met the street. Great stay.

Perth, Ontario Aug 6 2022

My Perth host, Marcel, is a good example of how nice people have been.

This was when a heat wave hit. I told him I’d booked a cab for the next morning, to shave about 30km of riding off an 85km ride. Dehydration was a real concern: I’d be biking the TransCanada Trail, where it sometimes strays pretty far from populated areas. When I woke up, he informed me that he’d found a local family that was traveling in my direction that morning, they had a van, and would drop me off at Sharbot Lake. Perfect! Saved me money and preserved my health.

Kaladar, Ontario Aug 7 2022

My destination was in Kaladar. There I’d booked a kind of low scale “glamping” tent (glamorous camping), a few km in the woods. No wifi or electricity. I was bushed there in the bush. Loved the privacy. Practiced a bit of ‘clothing optional’ prancing about the remote campsite before the bugs got hungry.

To get to Kaladar, I’d taken the TransCanada Trail from Sharbot Lake. Ugh! Mostly loosely packed dirt and stones, rocks and tire-swallowing ruts.

About 45km of tense riding. Had to keep alert the entire time, else risk being tossed and torn. Due to the heat, I began running out of water (I carry about 3.5 litres at the start each morning). So I stopped at a farm around 2:30 pm. asked for a tap, and was kindly shown to one. Doused myself with the refreshing liquid and thanked the man profusely. Began daydreaming of the mini-rapids in Perth.It rained fairly heavily that night. Ever heard the noise hard rain makes on a taut tent? Even with earplugs it sounded like I was sleeping under Niagara Falls!

Perth, says Wikepedia, is a town in Eastern Ontario, Canada, over 200 years old. It’s on the Tay River, 83 kilometres (52 mi) southwest of Ottawa, and is the seat of Lanark County. Population is around 6,500.

I stayed at an Airbnb hosted by a jaunty fellow named Marcel. Originally from a place outside of Sudbury called Azilda, he has lived in a series of small towns. In his living room hangs a caricature of him done up like Marcel Marceau, the famour mime. But the Perth-based Marcel is not silent. He has a lot to say about Canadian democracy. He also comments on the February 2022 Ottawa convoy. An expressive guy holds forth on his views.

Was in Rockland, Ontario, about 45 km east of Ottawa. Just before I checked into the Airbnb for that evening, a townhouse in a pretty new neighbourhood, these two young men approached me. They were fundraisers for Plan Canada.

I told them that I too was fundraising, in my case for @TheMosaicInstitute and @antihateca, and offered to make a donation. When they heard I was riding in part for anti-racism, each of these pleasant fellows opened up. One is First Nations, the other is Egyptian (and has lived in Saudi Arabia).

The stories they told of raw discrimination against them when they were younger, in smaller towns, made us all bristle. They do feel that things have improved overall, and are thrilled to be living in Canada.