Cyclostravaganza 2008: Owen Sound to Shelburne

I cycled from Owen Sound to Shelburne. I met 3 cyclists on the road who were biking coast to coast to raise money for Alzheimer's - but they weren't carrying their bags, so I couldn't quite keep up with them.

It was another windy day, with a cross-wind to try to blow me into the traffic. In Flesherton (or thereabouts), I caught up with the Alzheimer cyclists, who had stopped to shake hands and kiss babies. (Well, there weren't actually babies...) There I met a kind local cyclist who suggested a side-road I could take from Dundalk to Shelburne. That made all the difference to my day. On highway 6, I had had to spend most of my attention on the poor quality of the shoulder and on the motorists speeding home from their cottages who really didn't want to be where they were at that moment and just wanted to get elsewhere fast... and the poor shoulder quality and proximity to traffic meant I couldn't really cycle that fast myself. The sideroad, however, was so nice and quiet, the road was actually better, and somehow the wind turned into a mostly-tailwind. It was smooth sailing as I roared past a fantastic windmill-farm (new to me, hadn't seen that when I was last in these parts) and into the town of Shelburne.

The reason for cycling to Shelburne was to visit my uncle and aunt A. & S. who live just outside the town. For supper, mean old A. & S. force-fed me wine, roast chicken, squash, potatoes, special broccoli, condiments galore (chutneys and hot sauces and relishes), strawberries with cream, rhubarb crisp, and brownies with pecans. The 5000-calorie life is really tough, eh? S.'s grandson Z. was also visiting (but not S.'s other boys). It was fun to see Z. - it had been a very long time.

Cyclostravaganza 2008: Tobermory to Owen Sound

I cycled from Tobermory to Owen Sound. The traffic on highway 6 was very unpleasant, so I took a sideroad as soon as I could. This had the bonus of taking me along the coast instead of inland, so I had better views. I also had several climbs... including one descent past a freshly-killed skunk. (What would smell worse, a freshly-killed skunk or a not-so-freshly-skilled skunk?) If you were to ask, "Why did the animal (hare, skunk, raccoon, snake, turtle...) cross the road in southern Ontario?", sadly, the answer would have to be, "To get run over."

It was a 4H kind of day: hot, humid, hilly, headwind. One of my calorie-boosting treats was in Wiarton, when I needed sugar, something cold, and something caffeinated, so I had a double espresso over vanilla ice cream. Yummy! All said, I was exhausted by the time I got to Owen Sound (and frustrated with myself for missing a turn for the regular route, and thereby adding an extra 10km or so of detour). I camped at the campground of Owen Sound's municipal park. It's located in a beautiful ravine setting. The sites were a bit crowded and the facilities could use a bit more attention, but on the whole it was nice enough - and they gave me a special cyclists'/backpacker's rate. Wahoo again!