Another early morning, up at 7:30, with a steady drizzle falling! But then it would stop . . . but then start again! Predictions were not favorable, a 70% chance of rain, so Jerry was convinced we would ride in at least some rain today. And he had me reluctantly convinced as well. So after what turned out to be a pretty bad "free" breakfast at the Econo Lodge, we suited up for the worst. Jerry almost pulled out the rain pants but relented and settled on tights. Of course, he gets cold easily, and it was only 63°F out. But that gave me pause for thought, so I went with the leg warmers. I packed 'em; why not use 'em? That, and a long-sleeved jersey, and my rain jacket, and I was good to go. And shorts, of course.
All suited up for today's ride, expecting the worst.
So all of that, and when we emerged from the hotel's front door, no rain. Not that we were complaining. But maybe the lingering paid off as we pushed off a little after 10:00 AM.
We meandered out of town, passed through the lock structures, and turned onto Ontario Highway 15. We were curious how busy it would be on a Sunday, and yes, it was busy. We also, given the pending rain, didn't have much confidence in the trail conditions, so wanted to know what our alternative might be. Unfortunately, on both counts we were about right. Highway 15 was a busy road, and upon landing on the trail, our first sight was not encouraging.
The start of the trail did not look promising . . . it looked like white gravel stones in a flower garden!
The first three miles or so were doable but not looking as nice as yesterday's stretch to Carlton Place. This section was a bit heavier on the gravel, which usually is not a good sign, as the more generous the gravel, the greater the risk of a spill.
And that's exactly what happened, just not to us! As we entered the trailhead, there was, what appeared to be, a volunteer emergency response person conversing with a trail user. He related how a cyclist had taken a bad spill and an ambulance had already arrived to treat him. So we continued on our way and soon happened onto the scene. They were just lifting Josh (as we later learned) into the ambulance. We kept our distance, but I discussed with Jerry that maybe we should offer to stow the bike off the trail. So we approached and offered to help, even spying his lock and offering to lock the bike up to prevent someone from biking off on it. Josh was seriously injured and headed for Ottawa for treatment. So we did our best, returned the key to Josh, and watched as the ambulance backed up to the trailhead (not an easy task). Wow! I hope Josh recovers and recovers his bike!
The actual trail was wider and more heavily graveled. The ambulance attending to Josh.
So on we pedaled, gently. The cyclist we had met at the trailhead told us the trail was only improved and/or maintained for the first three miles or so, as far as Gulf Club Road. This was true, and we assessed conditions at that point and decided to give it a try as far as the next crossing. That one sort of passed the test, and I was able to convince Jerry to try one more segment, which he indulged me on, but that was it. And I had to agree, the going was not easy, not particularly fun, and very technical, as you needed to keep a constant eye on the trail conditions. It might be great for a young lad on a mountain bike, but not for a much older lad on a fully loaded touring bike!
The trail ahead was passable but slow going. I'm not surprised there was an accident.
So we turned right on Anglican Church Road (we are seeing fewer and fewer Catholic churches in Ontario) and made for Highway 15. Not something we looked forward to, but a necessity given the trail conditions. We were barely doing 10 mph on the trail. On Highway 15, we were flying along at 20 mph with a full tailwind. So in that respect, life was good.
So enough of that; on to hard pavement. Jerry cresting the hill on the road to Highway 15.
The downside was the traffic and the shoulder width, which was minimal. But we covered the 17 miles relatively quickly without incident. At that point we decided to revisit the TCT to see if conditions had improved any. They had not, but we saw an opportunity to ride County Road 9, Chaffey's Lock Road, down to Chaffey's Lock, a road that, for the most part, runs parallel to the TCT. It also connected with County Road 10, Perth Road, our way into Kingston, so we jumped at the opportunity. Plus, we get to visit another lock!
Putting our heads together for the next course of action. It's Chaffey's Lock Road, Jerry.
The ride to Chaffey's Lock was a pleasure, especially after Highway 15. No shoulder here either, but also a lot less traffic. And it was winding, making it more interesting to ride. At Chaffey's Lock we took a snack break and enjoyed the serene setting. Across the way was the Opinicon Resort, where I had wanted to spend the night . . . thwarted by the reservations of others!
We lingered there for 30 minutes, maybe, and still no rain. I had doffed the rain jacket much earlier as it warmed but still wore my leg warmers. The sun was fighting to emerge, and there were moments of serious warmth, but then the clouds would return, threatening rain and cooling things off.
That swing span was also the path forward. Jerry, making the crossing.
At the lock, the road becomes Opinicon Road, and the County Road 9 designation is dropped as well. It also becomes hillier. Hillier than I expected. But beautiful and relaxing as well.
The road south from Chaffey's Lock was very different than the stretch from Highway 15, quieter and more rural.
I wasn't sure what to expect of Perth Road, but, leading directly into Kingston, I assumed it would be busy. I just hoped for a shoulder. Well, that was a disappointment as well. Yes, there was a shoulder, and no, it wasn't paved. But we made it to Kingston nonetheless, arriving close to 4:30, and dry as a bone except for the sweat of exertion! The ride to Toronto along the shoreline should be pleasant, as it will be bike trail the whole way. We'll see how tomorrow goes.
