Saturday night we had a kick-off dinner with our friend Paul. He helped get Barry’s things into the Bronco for the next morning. We got started on the road mid Sunday morning as it took me a while to get my own things organized and packed in the car. I think we were both a little nervous getting started on our adventure.
Our first night we planned for Cornwall, Ontario which is only 4 1/2 hours from Toronto. We planned to take our time and make some stops along the way. It had been over a decade since Barry had been this way cycling in the Friends for Life Bike Rally and he was hoping to revisit a bit of it along the old Highway 2/Lake Shore Rd.
Our first stop was on the road entering Port Hope. This stop was meant to bring some closure: he wanted to find the spot where our dear friend Jeff sadly passed away two years ago. I had not found the exact spot but Barry figured it out from others’ photos. There was not a good place for him to get out of the car with his rollator so I took the photo of him still in the car.
Heading down the road Barry was becoming increasingly uncomfortable in the Bronco’s bucket seat. So a stop at Canadian Tire in Kingston had the solution: a Dr. Scholl’s seat pad. It gives more support so far and we are crossing fingers it works for the whole trip.
Back on the 401 we detoured down to Brockville, driving downtown to a favourite bike rally break stop at the railway tunnel along the waterfront, a popular tourist attraction. We were hoping to find lunch somewhere along Highway 2. It took a while before we finally came to a cute chip wagon flipping their last burgers of the season.
We made it to our motel in Cornwall around 6 pm. It was basic accommodation but the clerk Shah made us feel very welcome. We stopped in at East Side Mario’s for some pasta, and then settled in for an early and uneventful evening.
Somewhere along the way we heard about the horrible storm damage in Cape Breton on Saturday. We are heading to the ferry in North Sydney, a route that would be taking us right through the destroyed highways. After watching travel advisories we’ve been able to determine an alternative route that should work. We also have alerts set to notify us if the ferry is not running for our booked trip.
Our first Word of the Day: Pivot!
Today (our second day) we got on the road at about 8 am after a quick breakfast stop. Barry quickly decided the second Word of the Day which cannot not be shared with civilized company. In unrelated news, we’ve decided to start a swear jar for the car.
It was a gorgeous day driving through Quebec to New Brunswick. We had lunch at a lovely restaurant/fromagerie called Victoria.
We then drove directly through to Edmundston stopping for gas and subs to take to our B&B outside of town.
Our B&B, hosted by the lovely Carole, is on the side of a little mountain beside a stream. It is a guesthouse on her property. For dinner we ate with our special guest, “Flat Paul”. Because our friend Paul could not come along we brought him along as a cardboard cut-out.
We then went to look around outside. We met Carole and her little dog Suki. The property contains a lovely fairy garden beside the stream. The flower season is over but it was still quite charming.
Now we are tucking in for the night. Good night Barry. Good night Flat Paul. See you tomorrow!
