Day 81: (July 24) Nepean to Montebello 95.7km

This morning we said goodbye to Nina's parents, and their dog Maya.

We were having Nina join us for a few more days of cycling and were excited to hit the road with her! As well we had Julie's relative Philippe join us for the morning as we cycled from Nepean, to Rockland, where he lives. Ottawa has great bike lanes and bike paths and so it was an enjoyable morning. After Rockland we said goodbye to Philippe and took the ferry across the river to Quebec! 

Once in Quebec, for the next week or so we would enjoy the Route Verte, a network of bike paths in the province. There are roads that follow the river very closely. These roads have taken us on some of the most enjoyable rides of our whole trip. The roads are relatively flat with wide, have paved shoulders, and very few (if any) trucks. There are many casse-croûte (outdoor snack bars) and beautiful towns with old buildings and churches along the way. These roads also give incredible views of the St. Lawrence River. Highly recommended. Our first of these roads was highway 148, which we took to Montebello for the night.

Day 80: (July 23) Nepean Rest Day

Today we were pooped and felt so at home with Bahra and Dragan, so we took the day to rest. We got a few things sorted out at MEC and met some friends for lunch!

Day 79: (July 22) Silver Lake Provincial Park to Nepean 104.1km

We went for a swim at the campground on Silver Lake before heading out. Today was another scorcher! 

Once again, along the 7 we rode. We cycled to Perth where we would be saying our goodbyes to Emma, after one last ice cream break. We were very impressed and proud of Emma as she kept up really well and cycled 200km in the time that she was with us! 

After our goodbyes we changed onto the 10 to avoid the Ottawa traffic. We took the 10 until Richmond where the road turned into Old Richmond Road and took us into Ottawa. There was a black rainclud following us after Richmond, that struck with a torrential downpour just after we arrived inside Nina's parents house in Nepean.

That night, we had dinner with Nina's parents, Bahra and Dragan, who fed us nonstop for 2 days! Nina came that night to join us for a few days of cycling.

That night Julie slept at her cousin Nathalie's house. Nathalie is a very special person. She anonymously donated her kidney. She currently works at the Kidney Foundation, the organization that Julie is fundraising for.

Day 78: (July 21) Marmora KOA to Silver Lake Provincial Park 101km

We continued on the 7 all day today. It was hot again, but the road conditions were great! For a nice break from the heat, we enjoyed a swim. In Between Toronto and Ottawa there is a restaurant that the Greyhound bus usually stops at called the Log Cabin Restaurant. There was a stream right beside the restaurant at a public rest place where we could jump in.

We continued to the campground and were treated to a breathtaking sunset. Once at the campground we had a nice dinner and fire.

Day 77: (July 20) Peterborough to Marmora KOA 72.2km

In the morning we met Julie's mom, Monique, for breakfast. This morning we joined up with Julie's friend Emma, who would be joining us for the next few days! We were excited to show someone what our trip was like on a daily basis. We cycled with Emma along the 7 until arriving at the Marmora KOA. It was a hot day, and traffic was busy, but there were only a few hills. Once at the campground we enjoyed a swim and some hotdogs (and veggie dogs!) by the fire.

Day 76: (July 19) Cannington to Peterborough 76.9km

We spent a bit of time with Paulette in the morning before hitting the road. We headed down to the 7 and made our way to Lindsay. In Lindsay we met Claire's mom, Leslie, for a lovely lunch!

After lunch we continued on the 7 to Peterborough, where we stayed with Claire's cousins, Matt and Larissa, and their cat, Tuco! They made us Tacos and we had a great time catching up! 

Day 75: (July 18) Orillia to Cannington 51.5km

We had such a great time in the morning with Thamara! The boys had been asleep the night before so we got to spend some time. We didn't really want to go, so we took most of the day before leaving the house. We also made a stop at their bookstore in downtown Orillia, Manticore Books. The bookstore was gearing up for a Harry Potter event and had some incredible decorations.

Once out of town we cycled along the 12 all the way until Cannington. This road had a narrow shoulder and fast traffic, but was relatively flat. Once in Cannington we had no place to stay, so we knocked on the door of a kind couple named Paulette and Geoff, who let us camp on their lawn.

Day 74: (July 17) Blue Mountain to Orillia 93.4km

Today we had started along the Georgian trail, taking the trail past Collingwood. The gravel was really slowing us down, so we decided to switch into the 26, followed by the 22. We ignored Google Maps in this decision, and were severely punished. The 22 goes directly through the Horeshoe Valley Ski Resort and had a long steep hill with a narrow shoulder and heavy traffic. After this experience we dropped down to the 11 into Orillia, which was a nice ride. We finally got to Orillia, where we stayed with Claire's cousins, Mike and Thamara, their 2 boys, two dogs, and one cat! 

Day 73: (July 16) Owen Sound to Blue Mountain 69.2km

We spent some time in the morning with Nina enjoying our complimentary continental breakfast. Continental breakfast has never been so appealing as when the alternative is taking out your gas stove to make oatmeal. We said our goodbyes and headed out. To get out of town, we avoided a big hill in the middle of the city by taking Inglis Falls Road to the 18. We took the 18 until hooking up with the 26 to Meaford. On the route to Meaford, Julie's aunt, uncle, and cousin (Celine, Bruce, and Steven) brought us a roadside picnic! 

After lunch, we got to Meaford, where we connected onto the Georgian Trail. The Georgian Trail is a beautiful, long trail that spans all the way to Collingwood. Because it is gravel it did slow us down a bit, but we enjoyed the ride. We spent the night in Blue Mountain at Julie's mom's best friend's house, Annette and Dave, where they spoiled us with beer, laundry, and a hot tub!

Day 72: (July 15) Tobermory to Owen Sound 102km

Today we were treated to our very own helper car! Nina was spending one more night with us, and so she carried out gear in her car while we enjoyed the day cycling on empty bikes! We continued all day on highway 6 through the Bruce Peninsula. Once in Owen Sound we stayed at the Knights Inn Motel and had pizza and beer, and caught up.

Day 71: (July 14) Batman's Campground to Tobermory Village Campground 54.5km

This morning we woke up early as we had the ferry to catch! There is a ferry that travels from South Baymouth, on the South end of Manitoulin Island, to Tobermory on the Bruce Peninsula. We were considering this trip to be our voyage into Southern Ontario, so we were very excited!

The ferry was approximately 50km from our campsite, and we gave ourselves hours of extra time to make the ferry. Unfortunately the wind was blowing very strongly against us. It feels like swimming upstream, and could be compared to the winds in the prairies. We battled the winds for hours before making it to the ferry just before it took off. A couple we met on the ferry that had spotted us on the road confessed to us "We didn't think that you two were going to make it!"

The ferry was large with a viewing deck and cafeteria, which was good because we were hungry! The waves on Lake Huron were massive and reminded us of the ocean.

Once we landed in Tobermory, we were greeted by our friend Rebecca, and her mom, Penny! They were our first familiar faces in a long time and we were so happy to see them. We spent some time in the Tobermory Harbour and had a meal together before saying goodbye. 

We spent the night in Tobermory Village campground, a family campground with pedal boats, a pool, and a little farm.

We had a special guest join us for camping tonight who we had missed very much, our third musketeer, Nina! 

Day 70: (July 13) Mitchells' Camp to Batman's Campground 118.8km

This morning Don and Mary invited us to have breakfast with them in their home. They had homemade jalapeño jam and local fruit, and just kept feeding us. They showed us old pictures and their boat (named Don's Office). 

After this lovely morning it got very hot and there were some challenging climbs. We took the 17 until Espanola, where we turned south on highway 6 for Manitoulin Island. We had been told that the traffic into Sudbury was the worst of the trip and very dangerous. So instead we took the scenic route! After an exhausting day we stopped for dinner in the beautiful town of Little Current on Manitoulin Island. We continued a short distance after dinner to Batman's Campground, a popular spot on the water.