Posted by Les Faber in There’s nothing like a good night’s sleep! Unfortunately we did not get one as there were people outside our room talking most of the night. Oh well…..
Day 2 (June 29, 2008) of our 3 day trek along the St. Lawrence Seaway saw us waking up in Clayton, New York. It’s actually a pretty little town an the US side of the St. Lawrence Seaway. In retrospect I would have liked to spend a bit more time there exploring the Main Street and environs.
Helen & I had a superb breakfast at a small place called Bela’s (not sure of the spelling). No matter – If you are in Clayton, skip over there for some fresh food that will put a smile on your face.
This is the life!
And then we were off!
The balance of our ride on the US side of the border took us along pristine roads.
I think the ride to Cape Vincent was the best part of the US side of our journey.
Note the rolly polly roads. At this point there was no paved shoulder. It didn’t really matter as motorized traffic was sparse.
Okay there were a few cars. But we weren’t bothered. Plus it was sunny!
An (above) you can see proof that we were actually where we said we would be!
Cape Vincent is an awesome town at the junction of the St. Lawrence River & Lake Ontario. I recommend it whole-heartedly!
The end of the US portion of our trek was upon us. Soon we would be on the ferry crossing a small channel to Wolf Island, Ontario
Here you can see the gang loading up for the short Ferry Ride to Wolfe Island.
Do you think we had any fun?
It was a pretty short ride across – maybe 15 minutes.
Things became a bit stressful as we realized that we had to get back into Canada – NOT!
After we got through Canada Customs, we had a leisurely ride across Wolfe Island on some very quiet country roads. The roads were not great. But the ride was. Traffic was limited to the spurts of vehicles going to and from the ferries on either side of the island. Apart from the cars, I think we saw one cow. A very nice place to visit – Wolfe Island Ontario. I think we’ll go back for a complete tour one day.
What followed was lunch at the bakery (there is only one – you’ll find it) on the Kingston side of the Island. They make great bread there. I recommend the Red River – Wholewheat combo!
And then we were off to the other ferry which would take us across to Kingston. Unlike the ferry from the US, this one is free as it forms part of the Ontario Highway network. What a massive line-up to get on the ferry! Luckily, our trusty guide Barrie had made some inquiries and discovered that we (bicyclists) had priority for getting on the ferry. Oh happy days!
What followed was a leisurely ride from Wolfe Island to downtown Kingston.
Back on dry land (Kingston, Ontario) – we decided to take a small break. We split up into groups and headed out for an hour or so to “explore” this beautiful city (large town?). The group I was with went to a very trendy cafe not too far from the ferry.
I am not too sure what my buddy Barry was doing in this photo. But Helen & I both thought it worth posting. I think it had something to do with the quadruple mocha frapacino he just had.
And then we we were off on the last leg of our trip to historic Ganonoque, Ontario. I must say that this part of trip was not all that great. we were back in Ontario and had to take Highway 2 from Kingston to Ganonoque. The highway was fine. Bu there were simply way too many cars, going way too fast — way too close to us. We spread out over the highway. I got to ride sweep (oh goodie!).
Our accomodations were at a similiar Motel to the one we stayed at in Clayton, New York (not all that great and highly over-priced). Note to self: Spend the time to check out all accomodations options prior to taking a bike trip. This will alleviate the situation whereby one of your cycling peers shows up at dinner (and breakfast) touting the virtues of the B&B they secured at a lesser price then you paid for a 3rd rate motel…. Okay I have vented!
We made it to the “motel” just in time. What followed was a spectacular Thunder Storm.
Our day ended after a meer 64 kilometers on our bikes.
Stay tuned for Day 3!
