We were born before the wind
Also younger than the sun
Ere the bonnie boat was won as we sailed into the mystic
Hark, now hear the sailors cry
Smell the sea and feel the sky
Let your soul and spirit fly into the mystic
Also younger than the sun
Ere the bonnie boat was won as we sailed into the mystic
Hark, now hear the sailors cry
Smell the sea and feel the sky
Let your soul and spirit fly into the mystic
- Van Morrison - "Into the Mystic"
Massey to Manitowaning – Day 42
111 kms / 69 miles
A heavy dew had settled over the campground overnight but the sky was relatively clear with some tufts of clouds dotted over the blue sky. Today was the day we cycled to Manitoulan Island, the largest island in th
e world surrounded by fresh water. I was very much looking forward to the ride in spite of those ominous words on the cue sheets, ‘…but terrain is hilly past Espanola and it will not be an easy ride.’ In spite of this I did manage to enjoy a fantastic breakfast of pancakes served by Galley Crew 5 and got my tent and bike ready in record time. I was ready by 7:15 and cycled out with Andrew and Ian with the mission of heading straight to the Tim Hortons rumoured to be in Espanola. The sun was burning the fog which was lifting from the lake outside of Massey and it was incredibly picturesque. Fortunately Peter had his GPS handy and saved us from veering into the wrong direction..!
The road into Espanola was not busy as we avoided Route 17 – I think 3 cars passed us over the course of the 29kms into Espanola. It was easy riding, smooth terrain which led us past several farms and giant rolls of hay. Very relaxing and a nice start to the day.!
The rumour of a Tim Hortons proved to be true and we pulled up to meet up with Dave and Brendan who had also just arrived (they’d taken several wrong turns along the way as well in spite of an attempt at an early start). Ned and Dennis were already there and over the course of the following 15 minutes about 30 lycra-clad cyclists had pretty much taken over the restaurant and were eating up a storm even though it was only about an hour after our breakfast. I am now officially addicted to the Timmy’s bacon breakfast sandwich with a honey cruller donut and a medium vanilla coffee.
It did not take long for the terrain to change outside of Espanola – about .5kms to be exact..! I am learning that many towns and cities strategically locate themselves either at the top of a hill or at the bottom of one and in this case, Espanola is at the bottom of a very steep hill. The following 40 kms between Espanola and the bridge to Manitoulan Island were hilly but the hills were actually enjoyable. I do approach a ‘hills’ day with some caution but am learning to ‘enjoy’ them and see the more difficult terrain as an opportunity to work on building up my strength and keep a consistent pace. Cycling with Brendan, Andrew and Ian definitely helps as they are stronger than I am but I can feel myself slowly keeping pace by spinning and, more importantly, working on my gear shifting. It seems so much easier now than it did back in British Columbia..! The scenery also changed and the steep granite cliffs were
replaced by limestone and the dense forests became more ‘scrubby’ the closer we got to Manitoulan Island. It was a great ride, very enjoyable made even better by the great weather.
The bridge to Manitoulan Island was open when we arrived which was interesting to see. It looked like quite an old bridge which had been surfaced with wood. When it’s open the cars all have to stop but the bicycles can go ahead to the very front and see the mechanics of the bridge as well as the boats coming through the channel which appears to be about 50 feet below. It takes about 15 minutes for the bridge cycle from open (to boats) to close. Given we’d made some excellent time between Espanola and the Bridge the rest was a blessing i
n disguise..!
On the other side of the bridge was a fantastic icecream shop which sold about 50 different flavours of icecream. Manitoulan Island was certainly looking good so far..! Needless to say we all filled our stomachs trying desperately to forget that we had another 30kms left to cycle and one humungous hill to climb. We were like kids in a candy store with our waffle cones, triple scoops, mixed flavours of Tiger Tail, Moosetracks, Caramel, Black Cherry, Mint chocolate chip, Cookies ‘n Cream, Heavenly Hash, Brownie…. Just to name a few..!
Break over, Brendan, Dave and I continued on into camp as it was our Galley Duty and I was keen to get a swim and shower in prior to my dinner duties. Andrew and the French Connection headed into town to have lunch and chill for an extra hour or so. The ride to camp was a smooth one but a very hilly one – particularly one hill which was called the ‘5 mile hill’ and it felt about 5 miles in the sun..! These are the days when I am thankful to have 2 bottles of spare Gatoraid handy on my bike. The highlight of the climb however was a spectacular view from a cliff on the north edge of the island and overlooking Lake Huron. It was a clear day and you could see for what seemed like miles and miles. It reminded me a bit of the Caribbean..!
The final section of the route past Little Current was relatively flat but the pavement had a giant ‘ripple crack’ in it about every 3 feet which made for a ‘vibrating’ ride. It was made even more challenging thanks to a headwind that certainly kept me feeling my legs. I was definitely happy to see the sign which marked the entrance into our lovely campsite.
The truck was unloaded and I went through the usual setting up ritual which ended with a swim in the lake. The water was warm and refreshing as the afternoon was getting hot – ah, how I have missed Canadian (particularly Ontario!) summers..! The heat is draining when you are on your bicycle but it is incredibly comforting post ride when you are sat relaxed with a cold drink in hand. I am always relieved when I have this moment and I must admit I do need this moment to fully appreciate the day. Unfortunately I am not yet sure how far 750meters is yet so while I did splash around in the water for about 15 minutes wearing goggles I still have no idea how I should pace myself for the Triathalon which is now only 2 days away. Yikes..!
We had some subs to help out with the Galley Crew and made a wonderful chicken stir fry – Dave is a fantastic and inventive chef and a master in the camp kitchen. We made tonnes of food and it was actually finished – everyone was full and happy which is always a huge achievement as the ability to fill 40 hungry cyclists’ stomachs is never an easy task. I enjoy Galley Duty but am always happy when it is over and everything is cleaned up and organized for the next group. I claimed the honour of being the eager volunteer to lick the chocolate bowl clean.
Tomorrow morning we are boarding the ferry to Tobermory which leaves at 9:10am and we have about 40 kms to cycle beforehand which means that our crew won’t be serving a hot breakfast in the morning and everyone has to be up and organized with the truck completely packed by 7am. I am curious to see how it will go and hope that everyone is able to make it in time. 2 hours to cover 40kms is doable as long as the traffic isn’t too bad and as long as there are no major breakdowns etc. I am keeping my fingers crossed that my tires do not use tomorrow as the day to decide to spring a leak..! The ferry is only 1 hour and 45 minutes.
Under ‘normal’ conditions tomorrow would be a ‘half rest day’ (40kms) but as our Triathalon is in Owen Sound, another 100 kms, we are continuing on and will use Sunday (the day of the Triathalon) as our rest day. It’s a bit crazy and I am 100% positive that tomorrow will be a long and knackering day but hopefully it will all run smoothly and we’ll arrive safe and sound and ready for the big event on Sunday.
111 kms / 69 miles
A heavy dew had settled over the campground overnight but the sky was relatively clear with some tufts of clouds dotted over the blue sky. Today was the day we cycled to Manitoulan Island, the largest island in th
e world surrounded by fresh water. I was very much looking forward to the ride in spite of those ominous words on the cue sheets, ‘…but terrain is hilly past Espanola and it will not be an easy ride.’ In spite of this I did manage to enjoy a fantastic breakfast of pancakes served by Galley Crew 5 and got my tent and bike ready in record time. I was ready by 7:15 and cycled out with Andrew and Ian with the mission of heading straight to the Tim Hortons rumoured to be in Espanola. The sun was burning the fog which was lifting from the lake outside of Massey and it was incredibly picturesque. Fortunately Peter had his GPS handy and saved us from veering into the wrong direction..!The road into Espanola was not busy as we avoided Route 17 – I think 3 cars passed us over the course of the 29kms into Espanola. It was easy riding, smooth terrain which led us past several farms and giant rolls of hay. Very relaxing and a nice start to the day.!
The rumour of a Tim Hortons proved to be true and we pulled up to meet up with Dave and Brendan who had also just arrived (they’d taken several wrong turns along the way as well in spite of an attempt at an early start). Ned and Dennis were already there and over the course of the following 15 minutes about 30 lycra-clad cyclists had pretty much taken over the restaurant and were eating up a storm even though it was only about an hour after our breakfast. I am now officially addicted to the Timmy’s bacon breakfast sandwich with a honey cruller donut and a medium vanilla coffee.
It did not take long for the terrain to change outside of Espanola – about .5kms to be exact..! I am learning that many towns and cities strategically locate themselves either at the top of a hill or at the bottom of one and in this case, Espanola is at the bottom of a very steep hill. The following 40 kms between Espanola and the bridge to Manitoulan Island were hilly but the hills were actually enjoyable. I do approach a ‘hills’ day with some caution but am learning to ‘enjoy’ them and see the more difficult terrain as an opportunity to work on building up my strength and keep a consistent pace. Cycling with Brendan, Andrew and Ian definitely helps as they are stronger than I am but I can feel myself slowly keeping pace by spinning and, more importantly, working on my gear shifting. It seems so much easier now than it did back in British Columbia..! The scenery also changed and the steep granite cliffs were
replaced by limestone and the dense forests became more ‘scrubby’ the closer we got to Manitoulan Island. It was a great ride, very enjoyable made even better by the great weather.The bridge to Manitoulan Island was open when we arrived which was interesting to see. It looked like quite an old bridge which had been surfaced with wood. When it’s open the cars all have to stop but the bicycles can go ahead to the very front and see the mechanics of the bridge as well as the boats coming through the channel which appears to be about 50 feet below. It takes about 15 minutes for the bridge cycle from open (to boats) to close. Given we’d made some excellent time between Espanola and the Bridge the rest was a blessing i
n disguise..!On the other side of the bridge was a fantastic icecream shop which sold about 50 different flavours of icecream. Manitoulan Island was certainly looking good so far..! Needless to say we all filled our stomachs trying desperately to forget that we had another 30kms left to cycle and one humungous hill to climb. We were like kids in a candy store with our waffle cones, triple scoops, mixed flavours of Tiger Tail, Moosetracks, Caramel, Black Cherry, Mint chocolate chip, Cookies ‘n Cream, Heavenly Hash, Brownie…. Just to name a few..!
Break over, Brendan, Dave and I continued on into camp as it was our Galley Duty and I was keen to get a swim and shower in prior to my dinner duties. Andrew and the French Connection headed into town to have lunch and chill for an extra hour or so. The ride to camp was a smooth one but a very hilly one – particularly one hill which was called the ‘5 mile hill’ and it felt about 5 miles in the sun..! These are the days when I am thankful to have 2 bottles of spare Gatoraid handy on my bike. The highlight of the climb however was a spectacular view from a cliff on the north edge of the island and overlooking Lake Huron. It was a clear day and you could see for what seemed like miles and miles. It reminded me a bit of the Caribbean..!
The final section of the route past Little Current was relatively flat but the pavement had a giant ‘ripple crack’ in it about every 3 feet which made for a ‘vibrating’ ride. It was made even more challenging thanks to a headwind that certainly kept me feeling my legs. I was definitely happy to see the sign which marked the entrance into our lovely campsite.
The truck was unloaded and I went through the usual setting up ritual which ended with a swim in the lake. The water was warm and refreshing as the afternoon was getting hot – ah, how I have missed Canadian (particularly Ontario!) summers..! The heat is draining when you are on your bicycle but it is incredibly comforting post ride when you are sat relaxed with a cold drink in hand. I am always relieved when I have this moment and I must admit I do need this moment to fully appreciate the day. Unfortunately I am not yet sure how far 750meters is yet so while I did splash around in the water for about 15 minutes wearing goggles I still have no idea how I should pace myself for the Triathalon which is now only 2 days away. Yikes..!
We had some subs to help out with the Galley Crew and made a wonderful chicken stir fry – Dave is a fantastic and inventive chef and a master in the camp kitchen. We made tonnes of food and it was actually finished – everyone was full and happy which is always a huge achievement as the ability to fill 40 hungry cyclists’ stomachs is never an easy task. I enjoy Galley Duty but am always happy when it is over and everything is cleaned up and organized for the next group. I claimed the honour of being the eager volunteer to lick the chocolate bowl clean.
Tomorrow morning we are boarding the ferry to Tobermory which leaves at 9:10am and we have about 40 kms to cycle beforehand which means that our crew won’t be serving a hot breakfast in the morning and everyone has to be up and organized with the truck completely packed by 7am. I am curious to see how it will go and hope that everyone is able to make it in time. 2 hours to cover 40kms is doable as long as the traffic isn’t too bad and as long as there are no major breakdowns etc. I am keeping my fingers crossed that my tires do not use tomorrow as the day to decide to spring a leak..! The ferry is only 1 hour and 45 minutes.
Under ‘normal’ conditions tomorrow would be a ‘half rest day’ (40kms) but as our Triathalon is in Owen Sound, another 100 kms, we are continuing on and will use Sunday (the day of the Triathalon) as our rest day. It’s a bit crazy and I am 100% positive that tomorrow will be a long and knackering day but hopefully it will all run smoothly and we’ll arrive safe and sound and ready for the big event on Sunday.
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