I moved the van around the back of the hotel, before the others had to unload last night, to a door near our rooms. So there should have been no more hallway bike riding, but I let the outside door close while my things were still inside, and no one had a key. So Nelson cycled around the front and back through the hotel to let me in. There is something about cycling that keeps you young in spirit as well as body.
Wayne took the first shift driving saying good-bye to Nelson, who would be heading north to Guelph 12 km into the trip, before heading out.
David planned a perfect route out of Cambridge. The roads were picturesque and very lightly travelled. The weather couldn’t have been better: blue sky, some puffy white clouds, cool temperature and a tailwind. It seemed like no time at all before we had to separate from Nelson.
Even the dirt road we ended up on for a few kilometres was well packed and not too bad as long as we stayed in the tire tracks.
Steve and George, from the Brampton Cycling Club, had been tracking Rani’s progress on google maps all week. For those who are unaware, there is a feature in the google maps application that allows you to share your location and phone battery level with others. You share your location by email or text, etc and then the person you have shared with can see your location in real time, and how far they are from your you. This was very useful for us on the trip, to see where the driver of the van was, or where the other group of cyclists were, when we were separated. It also allowed Steve to meet us west of Acton and ride with us.
Shortly thereafter we caught up to Wayne and I took over driving. Then George and Ted also joined us and we all met at Tim’s for a snack in Acton.
The plan had been to stop at the Tea Room at Terre Blue Lavender Farm, but they were closed.
David, Dayle, Wayne and I stopped at the newly renovated Copper Kettle for lunch. Rani was anxious to get home so continued on with her cycling club escort.
Dayle drove from Acton to Glen Williams where I had just passed my goal of 350km for the seven day trip, so I drove to David and Dayle’s house from Glen Williams.
We started and finished the day with an usie (group selfie). Michael, my husband, picked my bike and me up in our van. I felt like I could keep cycling for another week. It was a bittersweet return. I love cycle tourism. It is something I have wanted to do since my teens, but first tried only last year. I hope to do trips like this every year from now on. I’ll post a numbers summary and perhaps some final thoughts in one more post after this one.
• Moving Time – 2:09:25
• Elapsed Time – 3:26:00
• Distance – 41.8km
• Elevation Gain – 245m
• Average Speed – 19.4 kmh
• Maximum Speed – 48.2 kph
• Calories Burned – 1341
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