Travels with my Bike

Ice Wine Day … oh, and some pretty impressive falls

Today is Ice Wine day. We are in ice wine territory. It gets terribly cold here in winter, and that’s what you need to make ice wine. We must make the most of local specialties. Today is Ice Wine day. I might add that today, with an average temperature of 27ºC, is well beyond the conditions required to harvest grapes for ice wine. That is a job for winter; today’s job is to enjoy the fruits of other people’s labour. …

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Wine to water

I admit it. I am a little judgy at times. First impressions are strong and lasting. When somebody’s eccentricities get between me and my room and shower at the end of a day of cycling, it can be hard to come back from.

I didn’t mention our B&B in Jordan, largely because I was smarting from a less than satisfactory arrival experience. I will say that it is a lovely house in central Jordan (Jordan isn’t actually very large) with a beautiful bathroom and everything you might need in a B&B. Like a bed. A shower. And a lavish breakfast.

The owner, John, joins us at breakfast, regaling us and the other guests with stories of his exploits as an RAF pilot. It also turns out he was a bit of a cyclist, and travelled widely in Europe by bicycle.

It is toward the end of breakfast when he asks if somebody could google something for him that we get a real glimpse into the past of this man. …

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Water to Wine

Imagine this. You’ve just ridden over 1,000km from Quebec City, headed for Niagara Falls. And then you see …

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I could ride 1,000km

“Turn left up here instead of right. I’ll explain when we get there.”

Get where? Why is Neil taking us off course, and where is “there”?

He swings his bike to the left, and I don’t have much choice to follow. When I reach where he is stopped he is looking very pleased with himself, standing outside a water treatment plant …

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Wrong way! Go Back!

“Which way are you going?”

He’s a nice older man, who approached as we rested under a tree, eating the lunch thoughtfully packed by Carolyn, our host at Grove Cottage in Bloomfield. The conversation has gone the normal kind of way … where have you come from … where are you going …

I point up the road we’ve just turned into. “That way.”

He smiles, a kind gentle smile and says “No you’re not.” …

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Farewell and Au Revior St Lawrence River … we’ve had a fine time … hello Lake Ontario

Kingston was the original capital of the united Canadas. It served that role for just three years, from 1841 to 1844. During that time, the city of Kingston built an elaborate town hall building, that seemed to destined as the Parliament building. However, the role of capital was moved away as Kingston’s location near the border made it vulnerable to American attack. The capital moved to Montreal, then alternated between Quebec City and Toronto until Ottawa was permanently selected as capital by Queen Victoria.

So Kingston was left with a grand building …

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Prettiest day on tour … so far …

Why?

Why cycle tour? There’s all the pain of hills, the discomfort of sweaty humid days and rainy wet days and of course there’s the head winds. There’s fa-ti-gay, and the sinking feeling when you think there is no way you are going to get another pedal turn out of your legs. There’s the raging thirst on a hot day that cannot be satisfied by the lukewarm water in your bottle.

It doesn’t sound like much fun.

But …

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Butter tarts and bikes and annoying virtual people

I have an imaginary friend. She lives inside my Garmin 820. My Garmin is a navigational device that sits on my handlebars. I upload pre-plotted courses to it, and it guides me through the day, giving turn-by-turn directions. It is when I press start on a course for the day that “she” (also known as “the bitch”) makes herself known.

When I start pedalling, getting my 30kg barge of a bike rolling, she, who calls herself my “vitual training partner” shoots off …

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Gorgeous day riding the Rideau

We wrench ourselves from the bosom of little India, after two delightful days of rest and relaxation with Mak’s family, and hurl ourselves back onto the road. After a few days of rest, the bikes feel lighter, and the legs more enthused about pushing the pedals. It’s nice to stop a while, but the road beckons, and we are soon cruising along …

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We made it to Niagara Falls!

On this trip we took the bikes Canada. We started at Saint Albans, Vermont and made our way by bike and train to Quebec City, then pointed south-westish and rode all the way to Niagara Falls along some of Canada’s iconic and historic waterways.

The map below shows our journey. On this trip we: …

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