"this is delicious mulch"

-Dave, contemplating the taste and texture of a Cliff bar

Newsflash: I have now been on the road over two months and cycled over 5500km, although I've lost my bike computer, so that total is not exactly accurate. Annnnnnd, I only have two flat tires to show for it all (I won't mention the host of other bike problems I've had though). Things are lookin' pretty good; if I keep it up I'll be in Newfoundland by September with a few shillings left in my pocket.

This past week has been a blast. Cycling with Toby and his buddy Dave has been a hilarious adventure of good eats, random stealth camping, and ridiculous commentary. Sometimes I wonder what this journey would be like if I was pedaling alone. Then I realize that one could never know the infinite possibilities that travel and life experience presents to us, and I give up contemplating the unknowable.

So a run down on our route and camp spots: we left T dot amidst long weekend traffic on Friday afternoon. It sucked; the entire experience of leaving the city reminded me of why I like small towns so much better than chaotic city life. I longed for the days of riding Northern Ontario when we only had to stay on the pavement to know we were following the right route. We tried to stay off the main roads, instead opting for the zigzagging Waterfront Path, which leads all the way into Montreal. Unfortunately, this route was poorly marked and also pretty off course at times. But, by the end of our first day out of Toronto we ended up somewhere around Pickering, camping in a meadow overlooking the shores of Lake Ontario and watching in awe and amazement as the red red moon rise over a nuclear power plant.

The next night we continued to pedal down the Waterfront Trail, finding ourselves frustrated at times by the poor condition of the trail and the lack of signage. We stopped in the historic town of Port Hope to buy mangoes, bananas, avocados and tortillas. All staples of our diet. For those of you who grew up in the 90s, you might remember Port Hope as the town in Degrassi Jr. High that Wheels runs off to in search of his deadbeat dad. Dave got a couple flats on his skinny tires, I lost my bike computer, and we wound up camping at a boat launch somewhere around Lakeport. We cooked a simple meal of veggie curry and TVP (texturized veggie protein-highly recommended) with lentil and passed a bottle of whisky around the little fire we built on the rocky shore of the lake. Toby pointed out constellations to Dave and I after the radiant colours of the sunset disappeared from the horizon and the night sky unfolded above.

Hmmm, then we ate an awesome meal at a little diner in Colborne. I remember this because the waitress kept giving me top ups on my coffee, and the three of us used up all of their power outlets to charge up our electronics. Dave is taking a bunch of video footage, hoping to edit it and create a film that has nothing to do with this trip. We rode through the beautiful Prince Edward County, stopping at a garage/bake sale to pick up some delectables. Instead of the five minute stop that I had envisioned, we wound up staying for over an hour and being treated to a BBQ spectacular, with juice and coleslaw to boot. We chilled out with the ladies round their picnic table under their swamp willows, savouring the shade, the food, and the conversation.

That night we pedaled right through the golden hour, stopping to camp in an abandoned crab apple orchard near a coal power plant, again cooking dinner on the shore of Lake Ontario by the light of the stars and our headlamps. You should see, or rather taste the incredible meals we've been cooking! That night we made a Neapolitan wonder: a triforce of steamed veggies, spiced lentils, and a warmed up prepackaged Indian curry dish with TVP added for extra protein. Ooooh, and pudding for dessert!

The following day we rode through Kingston, stopping to admire the grand construction of the penitentiary and eat hot dogs in on the ledge of a fountain by the waterfront. The buildings are getting older around here; more and more brick construction and cobbled streets are appearing as we move further east. After Kingston we headed north, sticking to the secondary roads and stopping to swim when we got the chance. I experimented with alternate methods of drying my laundry, and found that hanging my undies on the back of my BC flag worked rather well. We camped on a hill overlooking the town of Westport, and woke up to find thunderclouds lurking above us and enormous millipedes in our shoes.

Then came OTTAWA! Ahhhhhhhh, so exciting! We spent the day dodging flash rainstorms and thinking about the glories of witnessing Parliament with our own eyes. Plagued with mechanical difficulties, we didn't arrive in the city until sunset. The three of us rode in along the Ottawa River pathway, soaking up views of the gently flowing water, lush greenery, and balancing rocks along the shoreline. It was a surreal experience-riding up past the locks and towering brick buildings, on the the front lawn of Parliament just as the sun was fading. Really, I am proud to be a Canadian.