Today was a rest day, or more appropriately a beach day. Despite having overshot yesterday’s destination by 50%, I decided to stick with my plan for where to end up every night. That made today a short ride. So short I didn’t even bother wearing shoes. Contrary to what these reports may make me sound like, I am pretty good at doing nothing every once in a while.
My morning started at around sunrise due to raccoons trying to get into my panniers. They actually succeeded in unbuckling one, but I scared it away before it made off with my cookies again. Went back to sleep and then had a lazy morning that included a swim.
It was a very short ride to the ferry, and, sadly, the end of the bike highway :(. On the 10 minute ferry crossing I spoke to a local man, perhaps late 70s, who was on an e-bike doing a 50 km loop that included both the local ferries. I think I wrote about this when in Europe last summer, but e-bikes seem to have given a lot of seniors a second chance at (or extension of) cycling. I’d say at least 75% of the other cyclists I’ve seen in the last 10 days have been a decade or more older than me.
On the other side of the Ottawa River the riding was a side road through a pretty ritzy area. There were some very nice homes and a quaint little village called Hudson. I had a sit down breakfast there and pretended like I wasn’t a filthy bike traveler.
Shortly after breakfast, I was back in Ontario. To be honest, I only know that because I’m camped at an Ontario park. There was no sign or anything, no ticker tape parade or even a welcome back Chad banner, nada.
Arriving at camp by 2 was very nice for a change! I did some housekeeping, bikekeeping, swimming and not much else.
I’ll make up for today’s ease tomorrow. Until then.
Good for you. A day of rest. Food looks good although there aren’t near enough potatoes on your plate! Your Europe bikers comment, I have a good friend who grew up in Germany. Her brother still lives there. Every summer he and his buddies do a biking trip (he’s 75). The trip involves being dropped off at the start of the day then being picked up at the end of the day, taken to a hotel for the night. Not so much roughing it but at least they are out there. Gabriele says a lot of people do it that way. Tracking didn’t work today except for the first hour. It didn’t update at the end of the day either. Rest up for your long day tomorrow. Bike safe. Love you.
I know some people who do trips like that. I think it’s great.
I wonder why the tracking stopped working. So much glitchy tech 🙁
The tracking has had glitches but normally are end of the day it updates. Today is the first day it didn’t.
Your hilarious.. 49km is a rest day(?)- that would be the trip for me. Glad to hear the raccoons are keeping you company (you’re a legend at their gatherings – oh the stories they tell). If I’m lucky in thirty years when I’m a senior I will still have your blogs to keep me company in the summer. Enjoy your ride through cottage country.
Again the little bastards ate my lunch last night. I had even hung my bag in a tree. Grrrr
They did that to me on my first trip – opened the tent (fortunately by the zipper) and stole two sandwiches I’d just bought outside the park. They apparently don’t like mustard, as they wiped it off on the grass.
My camping neighbours saw it all and thought it was hilarious. I was off on a 2km ride to get drinkable water at the time and was less amused.
I have camped all over Ontario and elsewhere and raccoons only got my food once in California. 3 nights in a row on this trip. I think it’s that the ortlieb fork pack pannier don’t close as tightly as the rollers
I’m glad you stopped to smell the roses and take a dip. And yes, Hudson is pretty fancy! Be safe off the bike highway, what a cool idea. I highly doubt you’ll see any of that in Thug Ford’s Ontario. Shame.
Not only do we have the most raccoons in North America, clearly, we have the smartest ones, too!
I’m glad you are having a good and, yes, relaxing ride back this side of the border, Chad.
BTW, do you think that switching your leaderboard stats to anonymous will actually hide the fact that those stats belong to you???? That was my laugh of the week!
Don’t rush the fun, keep enjoying the kms and critters!
There is no denying those beasts are smart and very cute. I didn’t mean to anonymize myself! No big secret whose stats are extreme 😇