Manitoulin Cycling Odyssey – Day 6

We had a long day today with a drive to a hike, and then a loop ride to Little Current and back to the car. We didn’t get out of the cottage until about 10.

We hiked at the Cup and Saucer starting just before 11. The information board said the hike was 4km, but it took us two hours and twenty minutes. We all felt it must be more. It was worthwhile for the hike itself and the views at the top.

It’s amazing how tenacious some trees are.

Just beyond this beautiful tree was a gum tree. I had read about a gum wall in Seattle. I guess someone decided to start a tree here and others followed suit. Gross!

There were a couple places where stairs were required to ascend rocky faces.

Then there was a lovely flat area with thousands of small maples and a high canopy above.

This is the reason for the hike. The colours are beginning to change here, but are still far from peak. We were fortunate that the sky cleared and the sun appeared in the time between leaving the car and arriving at the summit.

We descended, and got ready to ride a 50km loop north to Little Current on Highway 540, where we crossed to the island by bridge last Saturday, and back down to Cup and Saucer via Highway 6. Both had good paved shoulders. Traffic was fairly sparse on 540; 6 was busier, but drivers were generally courteous.

We saw many more pastoral scenes, cattle in fields, farm buildings, lake and channel views, and autumn colours.

It was a rolling route with some fairly long hills. There are six First Nations on Manitoulin Island. They are very concerned about covid19 getting onto the reserves so no one is allowed to visit the reserves right now. These signs were at all the roads leading into First Nation land. This particular one seemed to be referring to Highway 540, but there was traffic on it and we had come south on Saturday so the sign appeared to refer to the side road, and not the highway upon which it was posted.

Little Current was at the halfway point so we had a late lunch at The Anchor in a sunny, sheltered makeshift space between the corner building and the road.

Little Current is almost twice the population of Gore Bay, but seems to have a similarly sized downtown.

This is the swing bridge we crossed to get on the island.

We turned off of Highway 6 (the one that runs through Guelph, as well) onto Townline Road at the town of Sheguiandah, home of two little white churches.

The afternoon was waning and the light was lovely. The road climbed steeply and then descending thrillingly. There was some traffic, but everyone gave us a wide berth.

It was 630 by the time we got back to the car. The sun was setting over the church in Spring Bay by the time we pulled in at the cottage.


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