It felt like a Sunday morning and after an amazing breakfast of crepes, freshly baked zucchini muffins and tea I was struggling to get going!! I am so glad I spent the night in Meaford as Blair and I had not really had a proper good-bye as we had separated on the road to Sault Ste Marie. We had shared a tough few days together on the road and I had appreciated his company.
I followed the road east to Thornbury with the Georgian Bay on my left and the Niagara escarpment to my right. Blair's Dad had suggested an inland route to get me off the busier Hwy 26 but I must have missed the junction. I knew there was an off road trail close to Hwy 26 today but often they have quite coarse gravel and are not really suitable for skinny road tires and trailers!! However this one looked nice so I popped onto it and spun along at 20km/hr. There were lots of people out on a leisurely Sunday bike ride as it was another warm sunny day. I followed the trail into Collingwood, got a little turned around and then noticed an old rail trail extension out to Stayner, the direction I was headed. It would be slower going but it made me think of my parents (they like to ride on these kind of trails), was a mini adventure for Bob and way more fun than the road!!
Old rail trail to Stayner.
I was stopped by the side of the trail sitting on a rock to eat some lunch when a couple of women stopped to take layers off. We exchanged comments about the weather and then they asked where I was going with my trailer. They were fascinated, asked quite a few questions and seemed particulary impressed I was doing such a journey alone. Jacqui was also on a road bike with skinny tires and Marilyn said Jacqui was trying to get her fit! They both looked in very good shape and I certainly didn't believe Jacqui when she said she was going to be 70 next month!! Somehow the blog came up and so I suggested we take a photo, I hope you gals remembered the address and are reading this!! It was awesome to meet you both.
Me, Jacqui and Marilyn.
From Stayner I took back roads into the Canadian Forces Base at Borden where I was going to stay for the night with Claude. I was so excited to see him, he had been the chaplain at the military base I had worked at during my job with National Defence. His office had been in the same building and I remember some wonderful conversations we had had. He is well travelled, also has a PhD and is one of the most down to earth and humble people I met during my time with the military. When I contacted him to say I would be passing through Borden and would love to say hello he suggested I stay for a night and I am so glad I did!! He had left before me and was interested to hear about my adventures over the last year. This bike ride has become such an amazing trip and talking it through with Claude reinforced what a special once in a lifetime journey it has been. We sat in his back yard enjoying the late summer sun, he BBQ'd and as has become the pattern we talked until late whilst eating ice cream for desert and drinking tea.
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