Day 7: back to Carlton Place (and home)

We are home!

I’ll be brief because it’s 2:30 am.

Rowdy start to the day as we rode some mountain bikey trails in the park. It was pretty fun riding but you know what the issue was.

We then rode on pavement over some small mountains with all the Lycra clad speed demons from town. Had lunch at a bike shop/cafe in downtown Ottawa and then some rail trail to a campsite.

We had a pretty short debate about whether to camp or ride 2 more hours and just drive home. Obviously we opted for the latter.

The most remarkable thing about today is we shared the road with cars for under 5 km out of almost 120. This is unbelievable. I had no idea Ottawa and the surrounding area had so much infrastructure. It was like Europe.

I’ll post a trip summary tomorrow as well as anything Chris has to add.

Chris’s version

In order to enjoy breakfast without the ever present buzzing we made a quick exit from our campsite. The ride back took us past quiet lakes as the sun was rising and the deer were frolicking.

Once at the comfort station we had coffee, oatmeal, and took advantage of the power outlets and indoor facilities. We waited out some early rain before we pushed on through Gatineau park.

Our first 20 km or so were a mixture of lakeside single track, forest roads and some hike a bike thrown in to keep us on our toes. There was even one section that included a rope climb down a rock. 

The Gatineau trails were great. The weather was warm and the forest was damp. By the time we emerged from the forest I was soaked with sweat. We stopped in the parking lot for a bit of a break before continuing. 

We stuck to pavement for the remainder of the park. We climbed the Gatineau parkway, which was closed to car traffic. This brought out all the Lycra clad roadies who looked at us filthy bike packers with sideways glances. They kept their distance to avoid any residual dirt from our rigs getting on their matching white socks and shoes.

What goes up must come down. We had several kilometres of screaming paved descent back to civilization. The route brought us onto multi use path along side the Ottawa river. We rode past the Museum of history, stopped for a pic with Manan outside the National Gallery. Next stop was the Ottawa bicycle cafe for some food and an iced latte.

The skies turned dark and threatened rain while we discussed our options. It was early in the day and camp was only 20 kilometres away. Do we head to camp or push to the car only another 40 km after that. We postponed the decision a little longer and made our way along the Rideau canal as the sun returned.

We crossed a lock and passed through the experimental farm which ended at a fence. Not a problem if you’re running fast and light, we were not. After some grunting and swearing the bikes and us were over the fence. 

Back on the trail we got to our decision point. Do we set up camp and finish up the remaining 40 kilometres the next day or make a final push and finish up today. The thought of getting home to partners, pets and a bed we didn’t have to inflate proved to be too strong and the wheels were turning once again.

The weather was great and we made quick work of the last couple hours of riding. We arrived back at the beginning just before 8pm. The bikes were stripped of bags, disassembled where necessary, strapped to the back of my car and we hit the road for one last push. 

It was after 1 am when we got back to Toronto. After dropping Chad off I made it home, parked to car and left the gear to deal with in the morning. 

The Log Drivers Waltz was a tough route with a few challenges along the way. The most important thing on these adventures is a compatible riding partner. Flexibility and willingness to change plans as we went saved our sanity from the bugs where possible and we still got to experience some of the great riding in the Ottawa valley.

Another great trip in the books and an extra day or two to relax before heading back to work. Chad will post the full stats of the ride I imagine.