Day 121 Gananoque, ON - Two Far 2019 - Coasting Along to the Maritimes - CycleBlaze

August 23, 2019

Day 121 Gananoque, ON

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Jacques rode with us again today and we had another very good ride. Lise carried out panniers and met us at every stop with a cooler and our snacks.  It is so nice touring unloaded . 

Jacques
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The first place we stopped this morning was the "Blue Church".  Kerry found it on Ride with GPS as a place for photos.

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Keith A. SpanglerVery cool! Love your image too; stones in foreground rustic looking!
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4 years ago
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Then we rode on to Brockville.  It is a town which has worked hard on building tourism since industry has declined in the town.  They have made a great tourist draw out of the old railroad tunnel which runs under downtown streets.  It was the first railroad tunnel constructed in Canada, opening in 1860.  It carried trains until 1970.  It is now a 1/3 mile cool walk under the city streets.

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Bikes must be walked through
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There are LED lights which change color as you go along
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The blue was cool. Near the end, the lights turned red and a loud train whistle was heard. It made all three of us turn and look to be sure no train was coming!
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Kathleen JonesHa! That's a nastry trick!
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4 years ago
Keith A. SpanglerThat is creative; train whistle!
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After our walk through the tunnel, we visited the Brockville museum.  In addition to the usual old local items, they had two things we'd never seen before.

In a exhibit about immigrants in Brockville was this map which asked you to show from what country your family arrived in Canada and for what reason. I found it thought provoking and a great thing for teaching children about immigration.
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In another room, there was a photography exhibition that was new to me, but we may be seeing more of in the future.

The photographer pictured the tattooed subjects along with their explanations of the significance of their tattoos to them.
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The photographs were beautifully done and the stories with them were interesting to read.
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Keith A. SpanglerI think that exhibit is cool; how many times do you get to enjoy someone's tattoo?
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There was a nice park along the riverfront with some large chairs from which to enjoy the view.

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Past Brockville, we got on the bike trail adjacent to the 1000 Island Parkway.  We had more than twenty miles of almost perfect trail.

We did have this vehicle on the trail early on, but he soon moved over for us.
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Another ship on the St. Lawrence
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A view of the 1000 Island National Park
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The bike enjoying at break at the 1000 Islands National Park Visitor Center
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We also enjoyed a little break there.
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Among the 1000 islands are many tiny ones with a single house
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Near the end of our ride, we met Tim, from the UK, who is biking from San Francisco to Halifax.  He's been on the road since June and full of joy about his trip.

Smiling Tim
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Susan CarpenterTim was my Warmshowers guest during his ride across Iowa in early July. He is a delightful man, so glad your paths crossed. Great pic!
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4 years ago

We enjoyed our visit with Lise and Jacques very much.  They're headed home to Ottawa now and we're on our own again.  

It's going to be tough to go back to "real" touring tomorrow. 

Today's ride: 45 miles (72 km)
Total: 4,533 miles (7,295 km)

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Lou HarminGreat comments about good friends

lou
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Keith A. SpanglerVery interesting day you had; loved your write up so very much. Be safe travelers!
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4 years ago
Jacques CharronHi Kerry and Jeanna,
It’s was a great 3 days of fun and friendship we had between Cornwall and Gananoque this week!
You are two amazing bike riders and hope to do it again!
Cheers!
Jacques and Lise
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4 years ago