I am drawn to round things; there is a sense of generosity to them. Bicycle wheels are beautiful, as is the sun.
Yesterday’s ride was infused with roundness. That is not to say there weren’t moments with a strong wind blowing at me, and moments of grumping and lamenting the wind’s tugging at my handlebars, but the blue skies above and apples in the orchards seemed to be enough to balance the forces working against my forward progress.
In the name of honesty, I will disclose that the day began with a challenging coursing of a bridge on which no pedestrians or bicycles were allowed. Unfortunately the signage indicating the restriction was halfway down the ramp, and by then I was sailing along and could not go back, so I gritted my teeth and rode across the Irondequoit Bay on the 104, and then got on the Irondequoit bike trail that took me along the lakeshore.
From there I rode on the Lake Ontario State Parkway, which is a four lane divided highway that sounds like it should be busy, but which was all but empty. It was beautiful. I stopped at Hamlin State Park, which was huge, and also empty but for a few people walking their dogs on the beach.
With the wind rising off the lake, I decided to cut south to Route 18, which I stayed on for the rest of the day. The road had very little traffic and a much lower speed limit, so it was quite peaceful but for the winds gusting across the open fields. Still the orchards, of which there were many, were very cheering, and I confess I stopped and picked one apple.
I guess Adam and Eve could give me an earful on the dangers of picking just one apple, but I am glad I did, as it fuelled me through the final hour to Wilson, where I stopped to get groceries and met two wonderful women running the charming Cookie Cottage. The front of the long narrow store was filled with kitsch trinkets, so I entered with some trepidation, but at the back of the store was an industrial sized kitchen and shelves upon shelves of cookies. I was in knots trying to decide what to choose. I narrowed it down to three, selecting molasses, peanut butter, and hot cocoa (one of the women’s favourite). I barely made it out of the store before biting into the molasses cookie which, at 4 in the afternoon, was still warm. How glorious.
It was just what I needed to finish the last half hour to Lakeview motel and cabins, where I had rented what turned out to be a very charming cabin complete with a wee kitchen and bathroom. What are the chances the owner would be from Canada, and a competitive cyclist back in the early 70s? He was originally from Germany, I believe, but came to Canada in the 60s. Clearly he passed on his athletic genes to his children, as he told me his daughter played volleyball for an American college, and his son played football for Edmonton Elks for 8 years. I learned all this while he checked me in and walked me over to my cabin, in which he had generously turned the heater earlier in the day. A little too generously.
As you can see in the photo, the door is wide open. That’s because the cabin was about 100 degrees. However, with the door and windows open and strong wind blowing off the lake, it cooled off quickly enough, and I had a great night with a cider I had saved from the night before and a salad and pasta from Wilson. Oh and two more cookies.
I went to bed listening to the wind gusting away, relieved to know that it was coming out of the north and that I will have it at my back as I head to the border this morning.
My destination tonight is Port Dover. Yes it is west of Guelph, but I wanted to stay somewhere charming on my last night of the trip, and I plan to have a delicious perch dinner. Fish and chips may not be round, per se, but there is something round about all comfort foods, isn’t there?
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