7/14/09: Parts of Segment 51 and then off segment for a change of route http://www.4thehealthofit.net/segment_htmls/Segment51.html Blind River, Ontario to South Baymouth, Ontario; 80 miles.
Woke up this morning, pretty early at 6am, and got it going asap for the big day of sailing and riding. And our buddy Rob was going with us. He mozied on into Blind River and asked the owner of the hotel that Neil and Cheryl were staying in, and the one we were tenting behind, if he could “squat” on hotel property. He was given the go-ahead and then the owner mentioned that two other cyclists were camping there. And lo and behold he saw our calling cards……..the Hotel Hillebergs, bright and shiny red. So we had told Rob about the sailing option last night and he was in.
We woke Rob, readied our small amount of gear – still riding sans yaks and gear – and headed off to the marina. Neil and Cheryl were going to drive to Espanola, and then south on Rt 6 to South Baymouth to meet us later in the evening – around 6 pm was our meeting time. So the three of us rode down to the Blind River marina and were introduced to Bill, owner and skipper of the Exploration Sailing Charters. His boat was a nice 30-some foot sailing boat. We a smoke in one hand and a coffee in the other, he greeted us, and had us load our bikes onto the windward side of the boat. We were about to take a quite memorable 3-hour sailing trip on a picture perfect day.
Our new route would entail sailing from Blind River to Meldrum Bay on the Manitoulin Island, and then cycling all the way across the island from west to east to end up at South Baymouth. A stellar option compared to cycling another 100k down Rt 17 and deal with semis and a slew of car traffic. And then another 100k down Rt 6 from Espanola to South Baymouth. So I was stoked to have the opportunity to cycle the whole island compared to just the north to south portion as we had planned.
And off we went, bikes stowed on deck, and Ryan and Rob helping captain Bill as deck hands. Me, oh……I’m the picture guy. Bill motored out of the harbor, and off into the beautiful North Channel we went. The water and wind was perfect, with no choppy waters to deal with and nothing but pure blue sky above. About 30 min later Bill shut down the engine and had Ryan and Rob get the sails ready. Now Ryan had done this before so the Greek that Bill was speaking to my ears was understandable to Ryan. Rob…..Greek to him to, so Bill had to reiterate a lot more for him to understand how to do the knots and what the nomenclature was with respect to the equipment on the boat. Me…….I’m the photo guy, so I just hung with Bill and took pics. I tried to look like Mr. Photo Pro so I didn’t get recruited. Now I did manage to get hit in the head by the main mast as they were getting things rolling, and I felt like a total idiot as Bill had warned the guys about the mast swinging around and knocking them into the water. No getting knocked into the water for me, but I did get a good knot in the head.
Within 15 minutes we were sailing, cutting through the North Channel with the boat rocked over to the left hand side and the water just rifling along the side, not more than 3 feet from the deck. It was invigorating to feel the wind and the warm sun as we were cruising south across the channel. Bill was telling us some of his sailing stories and keeping us totally dialed into the sailing life. Yup, he has a great gig going, living on his boat, chartering groups to all corners of the North Channel, and living that “wish it were me” life of a sailor. He had some great stories of the days he was involved in racing boats in the ocean, sailing the seas, and sailing parts of the Great Lakes. He loved his sailing lifestyle as much as we did our cycling lifestyle. And what a perfect union today – sailing and cycling. Utopia!
Though the Manitoulin Island was only about 20 miles off shore, it’s a good 3 hour sail at 6 knots from Blind River. Yet with a day as perfect as today, 3 hours of sailing was just a taster, a teaser. I could have loved a whole day on the boat sailing the North Channel. Ryan was in heaven, and Rob, who had never sailed before, was truly enjoying himself. Two hours in and we could begin to make out the island much better. Now and then Bill would ask us to help adjust the mast and the jib to better keep us on course. He had a high tech depth finder and GPS devise mounted in front of the wheel, and could set the boat on auto if needed when he sails by himself and has to do all the mast and jib work alone.
Another hour and we were slowing down, and pulling the sails down so as to go on the motor again for docking. It was a fantastic trip that ended far too early. We pulled into Meldrum Bay, a bit bummed that the sail was over, but kind of pumped that we had the rest of the day to cycle across the island. Meldrum Bay is a very small, but very quaint little village, with a cool little hotel/ restaurant and a nice little grocery store that Ryan and I visited to get our coke and sugar fix for the day. Rob was behind fixing a flat and getting all of his gear in order. We would not be able to stick together due to the fact that Ryan and I were light, and Rob was in full Trans Can mode with full gear. So by 12:45pm we were ready to do our 80-90 miles of riding across the island. Bill had pointed out some roads where we could peel off a few miles here and there, so we went with his advice and chose to shorten the ride from 90 down to 80 miles.
And pulling out of Meldrum Bay…….we had the road to ourselves. Nothing for 20-30 min. We were riding in the middle of the road just in total utopia. It was basically a flat island, but there were little power climbs here and there just to keep you honest. I remarked to Ryan that the road resembled a mountaintop road in the Black Forest, where you’re just out there alone, on the top of the mountain with nothing but this wonderful thick forest surrounding you. Then every once in a blue moon a car would come by. But by and large we could ride two abreast in the middle of the road and just totally enjoy the scenery. This was one of the finest rides I’ve ever done. Period. We were pedaling through forest, and then occasionally we’d go by these farms where the farmers were bailing fresh hay, and you could just take a deep breath and smell that freshly cut hay hanging in the air. Combine that with the scent of pine – wonderful.
Now Ryan had a bad case of the doldrums post sail, as he just could not get it clicking after sailing for 3 hours. Me, on the other hand, I was just in my own little world loving and savoring each and every minute of riding through this fantastic little island that we seemingly had all to ourselves. And I said to Ryan to try to take his mind off of the bonk he was experiencing, “Door number one is Rt 17 to Espanola complete with semi traffic and speeding cars, and Door number two is this little chip and seal road in the Manitoulin Islands with one car per quarter hour and nothing but forest and farmlands. Which door do you choose?”
The island is composed of limestone, and Bill had told us that there are some quite beautiful fossils to be found in this area and all along the North Channel. But what was interesting to me was that the bedrock limestone was exposed in areas where it resembled a lava field that had dried and then cracked into these massive blocks, the cracks several feet wide and radiating in all directions. Within this were trees growing up through these big cracked blocks. It was a very incredible and intimidating landscape. Then you would ride through areas where the sand dunes dominated, and where there was sandy soil and ancient beach areas as far as the eye could see.
We kept it moving down Rt 540, through Silver Water, Evansville, and onto an unmarked road that went from chip seal to gravel to chip seal. We rejoined marked road with the junction of Rt 542 and on to Spring Bay. Again, the feeling of just having the whole road to yourself was just fantastic. Every now and then we’d get a peak of the waters of the North Channel off to the left. From Spring Bay we headed south on Rt 551 to Providence Bay. Providence Bay was our introduction to Lake Huron, and you could feel a marked difference in the temps as we got down to Providence Bay. The winds off of Huron had to be a good 5-10 degrees cooler, and the waves had a bit more height to them. Providence Bay was a wonderful little beach community and I stopped there for a coke and a fresh whitefish sandwich while Ryan went straight to the beach and took a dip in the lake. Out of Providence Bay we got on another unmarked road we later found out to be called Government Road, this from the help of a couple walking along the marina road we were mistakenly heading down. Again, another wonderful, lonely stretch of forest/farmlands road. And it went on for what seemed like forever. We were told by the couple on the marina road that we had 18 miles to South Baymouth from providence Bay, and I had clocked this stretch for about 30 min of riding at our 16-17 mph average. Once we got 36 min in I was beginning to wonder if we missed a turn somewhere.
Then out of the blue is the man and lady who were walking on the marina road. She was flagging me down to show me the right way to go, the shorter way to go, to get to South Baymouth. We chatted for a minute, and then her husband came out of the cab and offered me a beer. And I looked at that beer in his hand, and asked him, “how much further to South Baymouth?” “Ten K,” he replied. That’s all I needed to know. I gladly accepted the beer, and it was ICE cold. Gone in 30 sec. And he got another, as Ryan was coming up the road and he was going to offer Ryan a beer to. And I told him that Ryan did not drink alcohol, but I’d be happy to have another. And he just got a great big smile and handed me that second beer. They gave Ryan an ice cold Pepsi and we all talked for about 5 more min.
Then it was off for the final stretch to South Baymouth. I went in a flash despite the crosswind. There we were, right on time to meet Neil and Cheryl at the ferry depot. We hit a local fish and chips place right next to the ferry dock, and we, Ryan and I, just destroyed a 3-piece fish and chip dinner. I even got a small order of Pountine and some slaw. Then, about 20 min later I got a coffee, muffin, and a triple scoop of vanilla ice cream. We’re camping at a nice little park about 3 blocks north of the ferry docks. I’m in hotel Hille right now finishing the blog.
And super news today – as Jerry, our good friend and webmaster is joining us tomorrow in Owen Sound. Then on Thursday night…….Tim and Judy will join us for several days of riding and camping. I’m totally stoked about the three of them coming up, especially getting Judy up here for a couple of days. It’s been nearly 2 months since she dropped us off at the Clev. Airport. With Ryan’s parents, and Judy, Jerry and Tim……..this is going to be a wonderful week indeed!
Well, 9:10 am ferry to Tobermory tomorrow. Then a 67 mile ride to Owen Sound. Can’t wait. Late…………Pete
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