Friday, Day 7
Sleeping in tent is not particularly conducive to a good nights sleep, but I managed some sleep. Was up before 6 am though.
The campground had a shed in which My bike was able to be secured for the night, which was one less worry for me, but I couldn't get it till 7 am when the next employee came in for their shift. But it was nice having time to sit by the water, eat a light breakfast and do a bit of journaling.
It was a lovely morning. So peaceful. I even heard a loon out on the river.
It didn't take long to pack up camp, although it bothers me to pack up a wet dewy tent...(extra weight and the need to get in dried in near future).
Was on the road not long after 7 am.
I love riding in the morning, when the day is fresh and young.
I was pleasantly surprised to find a good shoulder of road, which turned into something even better, the Thousand Island Parkway Bike path! Felt a bit like Europe, being on a separate bike path away from the main road.
It went along the St.Lawrence River, very picturesque seeing all the water, marsh reeds and cute little islands. I was fascinated by the homes built on these islands, perhaps more so because the water level this year is so high.
The path rolled gently up and down.
I tried to abate the hunger by snacking. Kept looking for a place where I could stop and get a proper bite to eat and wifi.
In some ways I am a bit dependant on Internet...
It wasn't till I reached the bustling town of Ganaoque that I stopped at a Tim Hortons (favourite Canadian place to stop). Love toasted bagels, especially with timbits smushed inside ;)
I got caught up on the "business" aspect of bike touring; posting blog, Instagram, emailing potential hosts, leaving feedback for past hosts and plotting routes on Google maps. So handy having my mini iPad!
Hard getting back on the bike. I was just having another tired day, where if I was honest, all I wanted to do was eat and lie around. It wasn't a super long ride but still...
Once I got into Kingston (past the military base/college) the stimulus of being in a large city made me feel less tired.
I made my way up to a place my host up in Quebec had suggested, The Yellow Deli.
Run by a unique group of hardcore Biblical followers, it was like stepping into a different world.
I met the people who ran the establishment and stayed to eat the perfect cycling snack, a "honey bun", quite literally a warm fresh bun slathered with honey and sprinkled with nuts, raisins and coconut!
Justice is a value they hold to, so out back they also ran a whole foods market with products you'd find in the health food section of grocery store, as well as fair trade and locally grown/baked products.
From there I rolled down through the main shopping street down to the (free) ferry to Wolfe Island.
Didn't have long to wait.
Turns out there's a hot happening music festival on the island this weekend, so it was a busy place. It reminded me of Pelee Island, just bigger.
It was just past 2:30 pm, which I was worried was a bit early, but I went on over to my hosts place, eager to get out of my bike shorts and slather on some diaper rash cream on my chafed bottom.
Paul and Judith welcomed me and made me feel at home. Their house smelled reminiscent of my grandparents house, a homey smell of dried lavender and clean sheets.
I had a good balance of interaction and time to do things like upload pictures and continue planning ahead my next few days.
Really great food and enjoyable conversation with the most lovely view out over the marshes and water. Who knew red lentil pasta could be so good?!
Fortunately the pending thunderstorms waited till night to appear.
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