Day 43 – Canadian Bacon (Wiarton, ON – Owen Sound, ON)

Rain and the bay from Indoors :) 

What a pleasure it was this morning to wake up at 7:50 in a queen sized bed to the sound of pouring rain outside. Jack was considering buying 20 feet of zipper to zip and unzip at 5AM so I wouldn’t feel too out of my element, but thankfully decided against it.

Jack & Breakfast

After a nice warm shower, and a great breakfast (2 eggs over easy, homemade bread/toast, Canadian pea-meal bacon, and Starbuck’s coffee) I had the luxury of updating my blog and checking out the weather radar so I could see if the rain would pass before I had to head out to Owen Sound. I did manage to get in a nice swim in the bay before Serge and Pierre-Alain arrived.

Anybody want a peanut?

Between dinner last night and breakfast this morning, I felt as well fed as the chipmunk out on the deck!!! Many thanks again to Jack for the wonderful hospitality over the past 48 hours.

The route today was a shortened version of the regularly planned route since I rode the first 45 miles yesterday under clear warm skies. Serge and Pierre-Alain arrived around noon as planned, and had a cup of coffee with Jack on the deck before we continued on our way eastward (well actually today more south than east.)

Serge and PA on the Mount Kemble "Nose Scraper"

Since the weather was clearing up, Jack suggested a route which rode up and over the tip of the Niagara escarpment, as opposed to around the shoreline as the cue sheet suggested. This involved a pretty healthy climb of 18% grade for a few hundred feet – by far the steepest terrain we have climbed since the start. It is good to know that our hearts and lungs are in fine working order, and were put to the test.

While at Jack’s I got to weigh myself for the first time since leaving NJ – to date I have lost 12 pounds, and converted a whole lot of fat to muscle. This puts me on a weight loss of about 2 pounds per week, despite eating like locusts, and on track for my predicted weight loss of 20 lbs over the entire vacation – it certainly makes hill climbing a lot easier!!!

At the far end of the climb we had a great descent with great views of Georgian Bay to our left.

Anyone for tea?

One of these views was a lookout commemorating “The Kemble Women’s Institute” the oldest active women’s institute in the world. It is a great view but that does not tell the whole story.

Nose plugs optional!

Across the road is a horse/cattle farm and the owner (obviously not a big fan of Women’s Lib) has built up a large manure composting pile upwind of the site. The wafting odors from across the road did not make one want to stay long to enjoy the view!!!

Tomorrow we are off to Alliston for our next rest day, and a visit with my sister Sue!!!