Lisa Stokes

Circumnavigate Lake Simcoe – Day 2

Day Two started with an unsatisfactory bagged hotel breakfast consisting of a poorly reheated egg and bacon English muffin, a croissant, a juice box, and a banana. Why was it bagged you ask? It is apparently a covid precaution. However, we were still allowed to make our own tea or coffee, but only powdered coffee creamer was available, so I passed in the hope of finding a Tim Horton’s before leaving town.

We wanted to do some sightseeing along the Orillia waterfront and find a Gordon Lightfoot sculpture before leaving town so we were ready to go by 8am. There was a minor chance of thunderstorms after 2pm.

Early last week the forecast for the weekend looked lovely. But on Thursday, the day of the tornado in Barrie, it changed to a high probability of 10-20mm of rain on each of Saturday and Sunday. I considered postponing, but we weren’t sure the hotel dates were moveable, and I hate changing plans based on a forecast, because they seem so unreliable these days. A few hours later, after the tornado had touched down in Barrie, the forecast changed to a favourable one, and in the event we didn’t have a drop of rain while riding on any of the three days. So it reinforced my conviction that it is rarely worth rescheduling a ride.

Before heading out I deflated and re-seated my tire to try to get rid of a bump I had yesterday following the flat tire. I felt it every time the wheel rotated. It was like riding on the sidewalk. We found a repair station on the waterfront and I was able to inflate the tire to a higher pressure than I had been able to do with the mini pump on the road, or in the room. Unfortunately, while I was successful for about the first 20km, the bump came back. I tolerated it for the rest of the trip because I didn’t want to deflate again and have an underinflated tire due to using the mini pump.

It was a nice descent to the waterfront on almost empty early Sunday morning streets. We had a bike lane for a while, but it wasn’t even wide enough to fit the stencilled bike symbol.

Orillia sits between Lake Couchiching and Lake Simcoe. We explored Lake Couchiching Park which had a cycling trail and boardwalk.

There is also a mini steam train run by the Rotary Club. We saw the tracks and station, but not the train.

There was a beautiful shelter with the park and lake’s name on it.

When we reached the north end of the park we turned and headed back south and east, passing The Island Princess, which didn’t operate last year due to the pandemic, and is apparently moving to Midland this year.

The trail along the waterfront was wide and paved with a centre dividing line. It passed through shaded sections where the trees met overhead, playgrounds, beaches, more park benches than I have ever seen lining a path before, and to the Gordon Lightfoot sculpture with a maple leaf with a sculpted scene for each of the songs from his “Gord’s Gold” album.

We made a final stop before heading to Highway 12, the Trans Canada Highway in this area, and the only road that runs between the two lakes. The area is know as “The Narrows”. Cindy’s former colleague lives in an old log cabin with a delightful addition and beautiful property. Since it was early Sunday and no one appeared Cindy decided not to risk disturbing her friend and we moved on.

Wayne was concerned about fast heavy traffic crossing The Narrows, but it turned out not to be a problem as there is a bike lane and traffic was light. It was a bit challenging making a left onto Highway 12 and off again at uncontrolled intersections, but each of us went as we felt comfortable and all was well. We even found a Tim Horton’s just east of the crossing.

We were on Highway 12 for a couple kilometres after Tim’s and then quiet rural roads, before another 8km on Highway 12 coming into Brechin. The shoulder was narrow and repaired with tar snakes – tar filled cracks that get soft in the sun on a hot day. It was hard to completely avoid them and felt like fishtailing in a car on an icy road when our back tires dropped into them. However, the drivers all gave us the legally required one metre passing distance, it was relatively flat, and we had a tailwind, so it wasn’t too bad.

The town of Brechin on Highway 12 in Ramara Township was decorated with these blue bikes all over town.

After leaving Brechin we headed west to the lake and continued on lovely cottage roads. Given that we were circumnavigating the lake we actually saw very little of it. Even when near the lakeshore on cottage roads we only caught glimpses through the cottages. Each town we visited with a waterfront did have parks along the waterfront and that is where we had the most exposure to the water on the first two days.

Where Ramara Road 47 crosses the Talbot River, there is a swing bridge. It is part of the Trent-Severn waterway. We just finished crossing it when a boat came through so we stayed to watch. I was surprised how quickly it rotated.

We had lunch in Beaverton, down at the harbour at Barney’s Restaurant, as recommended by a local when we stopped to discuss where to eat. The food was good, and prices reasonable, although the waitress seemed to lose interest in us when the lunch crowd thinned.

After Beaverton we were along the lake again for a while then headed inland. We passed an incredibly huge field of solar panels seen to the right behind this barn, and on the opposite side of the road.

We headed north back to the waterfront past Sibbald Point Provincial Park and passed a beautiful old Church – St. George’s Anglican, on Hedge Road, where Stephen Leacock is buried. The road was lined with beautiful old hedges.

Shortly thereafter we arrived at our destination, the Ramada at Jackson’s Point. We checked in with some confusion. We had requested ground floor near each other, but were on the second floor with no elevator. David didn’t realize this when accepting the room so just went with it. Wayne and Cindy requested a change. Wayne’s worked out, but Cindy and I ended up in an unmade room and then had to go back and arrange another. The next room was nice, but the cell service and wifi were terrible – not everywhere – but certainly in our room. We made a dinner reservation for the patio at the hotel and then went swimming in the lake. It was refreshing and possibly warmer than the pool at the Quality Inn in Orillia last night.

The meal was good in a pleasant location. Another satisfying day of cycle touring came to a close.

July 17, 2024 Update: A friend just did a one day circumnavigation of Lake Simcoe and one made a video blog of the experience. Check it out here.

Circumnavigate Lake Simcoe – Day 1

Left: Lisa, David, Dayle and Cindy ready to leave Brampton. Right: the whole gang ready to leave the carpool lot

Inspired by our BikeBrampton friends who completed a one day circumnativation of Lake Simcoe on the solstice, but without their endurance, we planned a three day circumnavigation. The four of us who live in Brampton piled into one vehicle and met Wayne who lives in Simcoe County, at the Innisfil Beach Road and Highway 400 Carpool lot, where one can park a vehicle for up to 120 hours. We were all very grateful to be fully vaccinated against Covid and felt comfortable travelling together.

We left Brampton at 7am to ensure we didn’t run into cottage traffic on the 400. It was a quick drive and we were ready to ride by 830. Innisfil Beach Road is very busy, but we were able to head north from the carpool lot paralleling the 400, to 9th Line which was a relatively low traffic volume road with a downhill ride of about 13km to the lake.

At the beach in Innisfil, and many of the municipal beaches we saw around the lake, they had beach access mats for those who would have difficulty walking or rolling a wheelchair or stroller on the sand.

They also had a cute bike rack. Unfortunately, like many bike racks, it didn’t really work very well except for the two highest slots.

On Monday, prior to the trip, I was riding in Toronto on my cross bike and got a nail in my tire very near the end of the ride. It became hard to ride, but I thought maybe I was just tired, so I continued the last few hundred metres. Tuesday morning when I went out to ride my front tire was completely flat. I didn’t have time to change the tube then, so I rode a different bike. Tuesday evening I found a snakebite flat, repaired it, reassembled it, but it still wouldn’t hold the air. I took it apart again, and found the nail, which caused two holes. I had no patches left. I ordered patches on Amazon and put a new tube in. Wednesday morning after a short trip to the grocery store, the seam blew on the new tube. I put in another new tube Wednesday evening and the seam blew on it as soon as I finished reassembling the tire. I could find no problem in the tire causing the blowouts. At that point I was out of tubes, as well as patches, and I needed my cross bike for the trip for its carrying capacity. The next morning a friend provided me with patches and I repaired an old tube of a different brand from the blown ones. It seemed to hold. That afternoon I also bought new tubes.

Unfortunately, 17km into our trip I had another flat tire. Fortunately, Wayne has eagle eyes and found a very small piece of metal that had caused a slow leak. We repaired the tube using my remaining patches, but damaged the stem pumping it up! Thank goodness I had the new tubes. In went the tube, everything was reassembled, and it held the rest of the trip, but it took me until about half way through day two before I felt confident that my spate of flats had ended.

By then it was getting quite warm, and we had wasted a lot of time, but it’s all part of the adventure. Everyone was patient and helpful.

We continued along the lake to Friday Harbour, a resort near Barrie, and out to Big Bay Point where we enjoyed looking at the cottages generally, and specifically looking for a family cottage in the area that David used to visit decades ago. Dayle also had family with a cottage in the area.

As we rode towards Barrie’s waterfront along Hurst Drive, I started thinking that it look very familiar. I asked Dayle about it and she felt the same. Later I determined that on our four day trip to Meaford in 2019 we stayed in an AirBnB just off Hurst Drive on our first night. The next morning on that trip it was raining, so our exploration of the Barrie waterfront was very brief. We were able to explore it more fully this time.

We ate lunch in Memorial Square which is at the foot of Owen Street, and just north of Meridian Place, where there were many anti-lockdown protests in the spring. There were still a few protesters there who wanted to talk to us, but we gave them short shrift.

After lunch we continued along the waterfront on a limestone screenings trail, which was reasonably smooth, for a few kilometres, and then onto Shanty Bay Road, which turns into Ridge Road, for 23km. It was absolutely lovely. Good quality pavement, beautiful homes, lots of trees and farms, not much traffic. Cindy had a peek in a small art gallery in Shanty Bay, but couldn’t fit anything in her panniers!

Once we left Barrie there was little in the way of restaurants or coffee shops so I became very excited when I saw the Carthew Bay Pub & Scoops shop. It was a lovely setting and hit the spot perfectly. Wayne had a different idea about what would be refreshing and thanks to new pandemic liquor laws was able to indulge.

The beautiful scenery continued as we left Carthew Bay.

We could have spent much of the afternoon on the Lake Country Oro Medante Rail Trail, but I prefer low volume traffic, paved, rural roads to trails, as they are generally smoother, have less rolling resistance, and more varied scenery. We did get on the trail for the last 3km into Orillia which meant we were able to go under Highway 12 and cut off a few kilometres of Orillia streets. The section we used was of reasonable quality.

After a brief foray off the trail to the wrong hotel (the Best Western which was perfectly located with trail access to its back parking lot, but not where we booked) we headed up (literally) Westmount Drive North which was a steady climb for almost 2km ending in a hill that was worse than it looked from a distance with a 16% grade! I stopped to take a picture of the sign and rest my legs for a minute before attacking the hill and just barely making it up. It was much worse than it looks in the picture. A left turn and a similar descent and we arrived at our accommodation.

We checked in, had a quick swim, which turned out to be quite chilling, warmed up with a hot shower, and then determined we needed to go back down the hill for dinner. A 5km round trip walk in my cycling shoes, with the cleats crunching on the unswept sidewalks, finished me off for the day, and convinced me to make room for walking shoes on my next trip. We had a good meal, on a patio set up on a parking lot, at Theo’s Eatery. The food and service was great. I really hope that one of the lasting effects of the pandemic is continued outdoor dining.

It was a very enjoyable, stress free route, which I would highly recommend.

July 17, 2024 Update: A friend just did a one day circumnavigation of Lake Simcoe and one made a video blog of the experience. Check it out here.

Manitoulin Cycling Odyssey – Travelling Home

The weather turned cold and windy on the island today, our day for travelling home. We were so fortunate to have seven great days of cycling. There were two rainstorms, but we managed to miss them both, by consulting radar and heading out at the ideal time.

My wrist continues to improve with the bruising diminishing and swelling almost gone.

The forecast included rain as well as wind, so we put David, Dayle and my bikes inside the van, and packed the luggage around them. It was quite cozy in the middle row where I was sitting.

The drive to ferry was uneventful. We were required to verify we had a reservation and prove we had masks, which were required “shore to shore”. It was very well organized. Before boarding we used the bathroom on shore. Social bubbles lined up with two metres between bubbles. Each bubble was required to prove we had a reservation and then when a bathroom became available (either the men’s or women’s) the entire group entered at once.

The water was rough in the harbour.

We had about an hour to kill from arrival to loading. The Pierside, where we ate lunch yesterday, is right by the dock. There is also a shop, coffee shop and ice cream store. Many people visited the shop or restaurants while waiting.

The ferry arrived, unloaded and then it was out turn to load.

The ferry has a very large open deck with three lanes that can fit transport trucks and recreational vehicles, as well as cars. It also has an upper level for cars, vans and SUVs that is just a hallway full of cars on either side of the boat.

We found places to sit, out of the wind, up on deck. I stayed outside for the whole passage sitting at the stern.

Here we are leaving right on time at 11:10.

It was quite cool and we had warm and windproof clothes that allowed us to stay outside for the whole passage. Hard to believe I was wearing shorts yesterday.

The trip passed quickly. The whole experience was efficient and felt as safe as it could given the large number of people and the pandemic. I think it’s the most people I have been around since March.

There was a traffic jam getting out of town.

Wayne suggested a restaurant south of Owen Sound that has home cooking and would potentially be less crowded than one in Tobermory. Once again we ate on the patio. The weather was considerably warmer there and the sun had come out. Once again, we missed the rain.

It was a great trip with good weather, good riding, beautiful landscapes and great friends. I look forward to doing it again next June for the Manitoulin Passage Ride.

Manitoulin Cycling Odyssey – Day 7

Rain was forecast all day today, with more in the afternoon than in the morning, for our final day on the island, so we decided to get an earlier start. We chose South Baymouth as our destination, an 86 km round trip ride from the cottage. Dayle and I decided to drive to Providence Bay to start to decrease our distance to 64 km.

We parked and unloaded the bikes . The guys weren’t in sight yet, but the mosquitoes were so bad we decided to ride toward them just as they came around the corner. Perfect timing.

The sky was threatening and the guys had a bad headwind heading south. We had a 21 km ride east, but the road was closely enclosed by woods most of the way and the strong crosswind was only noticeable when we crossed an occasional open farm field.

Many communities and individuals make great autumn displays. This one even included pandemic masks on their mannequins. Even though there haven’t been any cases of Covid19 on the island, everywhere we have been we have seen good compliance. Restaurants whose patios we used requested our contact information in case it was needed for contact tracing.

When we reached Tehkummah, where we planned to head south to South Baymouth, we discovered another new tar and chip road. Wayne talked to a local to discover it runs all the way to the port so we decided to take a longer, but smoother route, part of which was on Highway 6 with it’s excellent paved shoulders. The headwind on Highway 6 was relentless, but manageable and made for an amazing tailwind on the way back.

I remember gas stations that looked like this were ubiquitous when I was young. I haven’t seen one for decades. This one was on Highway 6 in South Baymouth.

We found a restaurant called The Pierside with a patio, right opposite the where the Chi-Cheemaun Ferry docks. I had the whitefish fish and chips, for I think, the fifth time. It was delicious.

As we ate the sky became more threatening. We had to put on an extra layer to stay warm while eating. We headed off hoping to stay ahead of the rain. Wayne checked radar and there were bands of rain north of us and south of us. At one point we heard thunder. But as we rode north we warmed up and had to remove layers again.

We stopped briefly at a lookout over South Bay where we discovered the water levels are very high this year.

Eventually the sun came out and we started to think/hope that we would avoid the rain, not only for the day, but for the entire week.

At one point we came across a lovely autumn scene that we stopped to photograph to discover a very curious group of cattle who wanted to observe us. We saw many herds over the week. Some we startled into flight, some were indifferent and a few were curious.

The colours continue to improve day by day, with more and more pockets of red, yellow and orange in the green.

We avoided the rain all day, as well as the strong winds. It was a great final day to a great week. I would highly recommend cycling on Manitoulin Island.

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.

Manitoulin Cycling Odyssey – Day 5

It seemed like we had so much time to explore when we arrived on Saturday, but it’s already Day 5 which leaves us with only two more cycling days.

Today, as we were preparing to leave, it started thundering and pouring rain, so we stopped getting ready, and enjoyed the cottage, chat and our devices, while we waited for the weather to clear. We had a quick lunch when the rain stopped and headed out.

We had a headwind for the first few kilometres and I found it tough going. I was happy to stop to have a look at the War Memorial.

As we were leaving Wayne pointed out that I had a flat. It wasn’t completely flat so it must have been slowly losing air and might have been part of the reason the headwind seemed so bothersome. Before I could act Wayne had the wheel off the bike. Before I had my repair kit out David had his out. Off they went to a picnic table and began fixing it. We couldn’t find a hole in the tube, but I had a new one with me. It took three of us to find the two small pieces of glass embedded in the tire. Once that was done we felt confident putting it all back together again and we were off.

Today we rode from the cottage to do a circumnavigation around Lake Mindemoya. I think it was my favourite ride so far. On the way into Mindemoya to go to the hospital on Sunday I spotted a great fence made out of bikes, but we didn’t stop. Today we rode past it.

We passed pastoral scenes, and autumn colours that are improving each day, as well as some lovely lake facing cottages.

The cottages were separated from a small strip of land and the water, by a road that was perfect for cycling.

The roads mostly had good surfaces today, few cars and beautiful autumn scenes.

There were places we were able to ride right by the water, but others where we had to ride away from the water because of First Nation Reserves or private campgrounds. I was constantly amazed at how large Lake Mindemoya is. It was 34.5km to ride around it.

We had to ride on Highway 551 for a while, but it has a nice paved shoulder and the traffic was light.

We had a couple kilometres of rough tar and chip, but after 30km yesterday, it felt like nothing.

There was one road with an ascent that we barely had to pedal because the tailwind was perfect, followed by a gentle, but delightful descent. The routes and the conditions were perfect.

I am a sucker for a farm gate bracketed by trees, especially in the autumn

The light was really lovely today despite the overcast sky and really complimentary to the emerging autumn colours and farm buildings. This one, right across the street from our cottage, hadn’t caught my eye until today.

My wrist continues to improve. I wore the tensor bandage today and was able to put my full weight on the bars and even wrap my thumb underneath rather than holding it close to my fingers. I’m happy with the improvement and am looking forward to two more days of cycling.

Manitoulin Cycling Odyssey – Day 4

We decided to ride to the Westernmost settlement on the island today, Meldrum Bay. It was too far to ride there and back from the cottage – the guys decided to do a gran fondo, and Dayle and I, decided on 60km. They headed out earlier than us, in Wayne’s car, and started riding while we drove to a point 20km further on. We passed them, parked the car on a quiet road off Highway 540, next to a field of cows, unloaded the bikes, and set off to discover that the road surface was new tar and chip which meant a very rough ride.

We stopped 2km into the ride in Silver Lake and asked a man mowing his lawn if the road improved. He replied that it improved in 7 or 8km, so we decided to carry on. David caught up and then passed us. Wayne was lagging behind taking pictures., but also caught up. Shortly thereafter he needed a water and cool down break. Unfortunately, when removing his helmet he lost his earbud, something he did on our last trip, but found. He wasn’t so lucky today. David waited for us where the road finally improved to settled tar and chip 15km into the ride. The autumn colours are improving day by day and there was quite a bit more colour today than on Saturday when we arrived.

The rest of the ride into Meldrum Bay was much less bumpy. As we turned toward the water a couple kilometres out of Meldrum Bay the air temperature dropped five degrees.

Meldrum Bay consists of a marina, a closed general store and an inn closed for the season. We knew that before we headed out so had food with us for our lunch.

Everyone that passed us as we sat on the steps of the general store greeted us and wanted to know how far we were riding and where we were from. It was a very friendly place.

I stopped to straddle the place where the road surface changed. Once I got back onto the new tar and chip I just wanted to get back to the car as quickly as I could.

Wayne and Dayle got tired of the jarring about 5km from the car. David and I were ahead. David was determined to get his first gran fondo of the year so he carried on to Wayne’s car and I drove the van back to Dayle and Wayne. I didn’t have to go far.

We loaded the bikes and headed to Wayne’s car, passing David with about 11km to go. He got his gran fondo and possibly his fastest ever to boot.

We went to GG’s in Evansville for takeout fish and chips which we ate in a local park

Back at the cottage in Spring Bay David, Dayle and I have collapsed on the couch and tended to our aches and for me to write the blog. Wayne went out to catch the sunset.

My wrist did alright today considering the road surface. The swelling is mostly gone, but the bruising has gone into my thumb. I was able to put about 70% of my normal weight on the bars today, which was good because otherwise I could not have managed the ride with only one hand.

Manitoulin Cycling Odyssey – Day 3

My wrist continued to improve today, but still required me to ride one handed most of the day. We decided to ride to Gore Bay. The Manitoulin Island Cycling Association has 14 routes published on their website. We decided to do the Gore Bay-Lake Wolsey Circuit. It was about the distance I felt I could tackle, but allowed for longer rides from the cottage to the start for those who wanted. David and Wayne cycled the 16km to the start and Dayle and I drove. We encountered a new chip and tar surface where we expected to start cycling, which I thought would be too hard on my wrist. Most of the roads up here have not been recorded by Google on Streetview. We flagged down a passing motorist and asked how long the rough road lasted. The answer was, about a mile. So Dayle and I drove until the surface improved, and parked. Here we are ready to ride.

It was a perfect day to ride today. The temperature, the light, the lightly travelled roads. In the first 10km that I rode, we were passed by only one car! We passed forests and fields and a few farm houses and farm buildings.

Wayne joked that a Conservative must live in this house.

We had a tailwind all the way to Gore Bay.

Gore Bay has a lovely waterfront with a boardwalk, splash pad, playground, and tennis and basketball courts.

After exploring the park we found Codfather’s, a good local restaurant with a rooftop patio, where we all chose to have the local whitefish and chips lunch. It was delicious.

We toured the rest of the waterfront and a few streets of the town of 900, which is the home of Manitoulin Transport, whose trucks I often see on the highway.

After lunch I decided to try riding with a tensor bandage for support rather than the splint I have been wearing. It make it easier for me to hold the bars, but I still had too much discomfort to hold them for more than a few minutes. There was a great piece of street art that is quite different than many I have seen before.

This farm was at the corner where we started to head back south.

From this point on we were riding into the wind, but it was fairly gentle, as is the landscape. The picture below show a ubiquitous split rail fence running perpendicular to the road.

As we headed south we were in between Lake Wolsey and the North Bay Channel, eventually on a manmade causeway with boat access in the centre. Lake Wolsey would apparently be more accurately called a bay of the North Channel as it separated only by the manmade causeway, and not completely so, due to the opening in the centre under the bridge.

We encountered some more new tar and chip road south of here, which I cycled, and it wasn’t as bad as I feared. There was also another beautifully deserted and sometimes canopied section that we cycled through.

When we got back to the beginning of the circuit David and Dayle retrieved the car so I didn’t have to ride the tar and chip section . Then Dayle and Wayne cycled back to the cottage, while David and I fetched groceries. We tried the small grocer in the small town where we are staying, but it was more of a convenience store so we drove into Mindemoya to the FoodMart. We all arrived back at the cottage about the same time. It was warm enough this afternoon that we barbecued and ate dinner outside.

The swelling in my hand continues to diminish, but I had a colourful surprise when I removed the tensor bandage. I guess I am on to the next stage of healing.

The night is still warm, and very quiet in the little village where we are staying. Even with the lights of the village the night sky is impressive.

Manitoulin Cycling Odyssey- Day 2

My wrist was less painful this morning, but more swollen, and became even more so as I ate and dressed. I was unable to get the prescribed thumb splint in Mindemoya yesterday, and was told by the pharmacist that I would need to go to Little Current which is 41km away from where we are staying. The pain this morning was more in the wrist than in the thumb, though, so I decided to stick with the wrist splint Dayle has loaned me.

We decided to ride from the cottage this morning so that I could turn back if I needed to and the others could continue. We decided on Providence Bay to begin, a 20km round trip, but Wayne spotted flocks of Sandhill Cranes last night and wanted to show us, which meant we headed away from Providence Bay to begin.

From the fields of cranes we cycled roads devoid of traffic lined with split rail fences and exposed rocks. It was very pastoral.

There isn’t much autumn colour here yet, but we spotted this beautifully coloured, tenacious maple growing out of the rocks.

The hills we encountered were fairly gentle and the constant south wind wasn’t too bothersome.

We rode along the southern edge of Lake Mindemoya. It doesn’t feel like we are on an island.

We had lunch in Providence Bay at the motel. They had set up an order window and tables outside in the parking lot. No entering the building due to the pandemic.

There was a great mural on one of the buildings near the Waterfront and a nice beach and boardwalk.

We rode along the Waterfront and over to the lighthouse. From there Dayle and I returned to the cottage for a 35km long day. Wayne and David explored a little further. I rode one handed all day which turned out to be rather tough on my neck, back and shoulders. I was happy to be out on the bike exploring, though, and hope to do more tomorrow.

Manitoulin Cycling Odyssey – Day 1

I wore the wrist brace while I slept, iced from time to time, and took ibuprofen. When I finally dragged myself out of bed after 8am, I was still unsure whether or not my wrist was broken.

By the time I came downstairs Dayle already knew the hours and location of the local hospital, and that they could xray my wrist. That helped me make up my mind that it made sense to determine whether I had sprained or broken my wrist.

We decided that the guys would ride the 16km into Mindemoya, and Dayle would drive me. The hospital was small and quiet. I had to answer covid19 questions, then go to triage, and then to the waiting room where I was alone. Before I was able to finish connecting to the free wifi, I was called into an examination room. A nurse asked for details, examined my wrist, and ordered X-rays. It wasn’t long before the X-ray technician introduced herself and led me to that room. Four X-rays later and I went back to the examination room. A few minutes later, the ER doctor examined my wrist and told me she couldn’t see a break on the X-rays, but that they would call me if anything was found when the radiologist reviewed the scans. She wrote me a prescription for the pain and for a thumb splint that might be easier to use on my bike than the wrist splint I was wearing. I was cleared for riding, but told that it will probably lengthen the healing time.

What a different experience from Brampton Civic ER. I was in and out in one hour.

The guys arrived while I was inside, and we decided to have lunch together before they continued on, and Dayle and I picked up a few groceries. I was able to get the painkiller, but not the splint. I need to go to the big town, Little Current, for that – 41km away.

Manitoulin Island is the world’s largest freshwater island.

Dayle and I then returned to the cottage for coffee. When the guys returned from their circumnavigation of Lake Mindemoya, we all went out for a ride. I was not able to put any weight on my wrist. I did 4km.

They carried on for a while and I turned back. It’s fun taking panoramas with moving objects/people. Here David appears twice.

The porch was lovely and warm when I returned so I sat and had a little snooze.

David and Dayle made us a great stir fried vegetable, tomato sauce and pasta dinner and I have spent the evening catching up on yesterday’s and today’s blogs. My wrist feels better this evening than yesterday and I was able to close a ziplock bag tonight, unlike yesterday. I am hoping for lots of healing while I sleep tonight.