Barrie and Algonquin Highlands – Day 1

David and Dayle invited me to their cottage for a few days. I wasn’t able to drive because Michael needs the car at home. David said as long as I could get myself and my bike to Barrie, they would pick me up. I asked Michael to drive me to Rutherford GO Station, the closest station on the Barrie line to our house. It took over 40 minutes to get there. While having him drive me saved me time, it was long time for Michael. If I’m doing it again, I would consider starting at Bramalea GO, taking the train to Union Station, and then north to Barrie. 

We were stopped for several minutes at the level crossing on Rutherford just west of 27.

I was surprised at the size of the Rutherford GO Station. It has a massive parking garage. In the garage are two very large bike rooms.

There’s a bike lane through the parking lot to the bike rooms.

The platform was very crowded when I arrived on it. After a couple minutes, a train came from the north, heading for Toronto, and almost everyone boarded. There were only a few of us going north.

I boarded the first coach because I saw that there was a spot available for a bike. I know they sometimes have bike coaches, but I didn’t want to have to walk the length of the train looking for it. I was glad that I chose the first car because the doors closed almost immediately.

My train got into Barrie at 11:40 AM. It was a very short ride to my friend Gail‘s, where I had arranged to go for lunch. I locked my bike up out front, and took my panniers, weighing 11.1 kg, up to her condo.

Right across the street from the Allandale Station is an extensive park around Kempenfelt Bay. There are separated biking and walking facilities.

I passed a couple bike share stands. The bikes didn’t have to be docked, but it does seem that it is either encouraged, or required, to park in a designated area. I think this is a good idea. It addresses one of the concerns (abandoned vehicles on sidewalks) that the public often has about bike share and scooter share programs. 

We had a short, but good visit. Gail made a delicious quiche and coleslaw salad for lunch.

The weather was beautiful when I left Brampton, and much of the way to Barrie on the train. Unfortunately, the forecast for the afternoon was for rain, and it was looking threatening when I got off the train. There was also some moisture in the air. The current condition for Barrie and Orillia showed rain as we finished our visit, but it was still dry, and I have some rain gear with me, so I decided to start riding.

Last year, the gang did the Simcoe Loop Trail, and I couldn’t go. Part of that trail runs from Barrie to Orillia. So I suggested to David that I ride to Orillia, which would shave 82 km off their round-trip to pick me up, and take me north to the Algonquin Highlands. 

Spirit Catcher by sculptor Ron Baird, was designed for Expo 1986 in Vancouver.  The Helen McCrea Peacock Foundation purchased the Spirit Catcher and donated it to the Barrie Gallery Project. It was erected on the Barrie Waterfront in 1987. 

Ron Baird is the artist of The Ghost Train in Mount Pleasant Square in Brampton. I wrote an entry for Atlas Obscura about it.  CAA Magazine has a feature called Where in the World. They found my Atlas Obscura entry, and contacted me through Instagram to purchase a license for the image for the magazine. 

This is Meridian Place, an outdoor amphitheatre and gathering spot.

This is the Barrie North Shore Trail. It is a multi-use recreational trail running the entire length of Barrie’s north shore of Kempenfelt Bay. The former rail corridor provides great views of the bay.

There were some condos and some lovely single family homes backing on the trail. 

This led to the Oro-Medonte Rail Trail.  It is a 28km recreational trail running the entire length of the township. The Rail Trail connects Barrie and Orillia. 

There was a short section on the road.

It was a green corridor without many views, but pleasant nevertheless.

I was planning to ride 41 km to just north of Orillia. About 12 or 13 km into the ride it started looking threatening. At 14 km it started spitting, and then got quite misty.

At 19 km it was getting heavy enough that I stopped to put on a rain jacket and helmet cover. I also started sharing my location with David and Dayle, who were driving to meet me north of Orillia.

At 25 km the rain stopped. Then the sun came out.

David and Dayle passed the point we had planned to meet, before I got there. When Dayle saw that we were very close together, she told me to stop at Highway 12. There was no way for me to get up to the road. So, I replied that I would ride to the next street. It had a level crossing.

There was also small spot there for a few cars to park, and public art. This is Sugar Maple Deer by Monica Wickeler Moment later, they pulled up and loaded up my bike and me. It started raining as we drove away, and continued while we shopped at Costco in Orillia. I would have gotten quite wet again if they hadn’t picked me up six kilometres early. 

I washed my bike, and cleaned and oiled the chain yesterday. It had gotten very dusty from my recent rides on the Caledon Trailway. Now it’s filthy again having ridden on the limestone screenings trail today in the rain. We drove about an hour to the government dock which David and Dayle use to get to their water access only cottage. They store the bikes in a locked shed at the cottage, rather than leaving them in their van at the government dock, where they might tempt someone to break in.

Dinner was salmon and fried rice. I forgot to take a picture! Tomorrow will be a local ride.

It was a multi modal day. Car, train, bike, car, and boat. When the Ontario Northlander train starts again, currently projected for 2026, it will be possible to get to Timmins by train again. There will be stops in cottage country at Bracebridge and Huntsville. That would make the car trip for much shorter for David and Dayle to pick up guests coming by public transit.