A Ride Around the Park

[Rocer]

 

The weather (or so I thought) and the availability to take a couple days away aligned Monday Sept. 14. I've been all around Algonquin Park here in Ontario but never across the top. So, I kissed my sweetie bye and headed out just after work to get a head start.

 

Here's my route running clockwise from Minden Ontario here in Canada.

 

 

 

This is how the day began on our lake and in my excitement forgot the old addage: Red sky at night, sailor's delight

Red sky in morning, sailor take warning

 

But hey, I wasn't sailing, I was motoing!

 

 

Now, remember I was late in the day getting away so I'll drop a few pictures taken on previous rides as I leave the neighbourhood starting with one of our neighbours who had a great imagination for rural mailboxes and how to deal with junk mail

 

 

 

And then past an unusual type of tree that grows only in the Highlands

 

 

 

Around Minden Lake

 

 

 

Which is the site of the water water competition for the

2015 Pan Am games

 

 

Just a couple more curves and I'll be on open road...

 

 

...to arrive in Dorset where two of my favourite items are: The Fiery Grill, a favourite bike destination, and berth of the Bigwin which was relaunched this past spring.

 

 

 

While you've been casually looking at these pics I've been beetling up the highway to make Corbeil before nighfall and also to beat the rain as storm clouds were menacing. No pictures from this portion of the trip but next day I got a good start and headed for Kiosk a lumbermill town deep in the heart of Algonquin Park. As it turned out in my last minute reading I learned that the mill burned down in the 70's and the lease was never renewed and the town buildings subsequently dismantled. That wasn't going to stop me - but maybe lack of roads might.

 

Now, the overburden in this country was fine sand. Get stuck with your moto sand. But I figured, if I stay on the packed ruts I might make it as far as the abandoned town site. So I ventured forth and was pleased to find the original ranger's log cabin and a beautiful lake. The third picture is the remnant of the rail bed.

 

 

 

 

So, I've been dodging rain clouds all day. I rode onto wet roads, back tracked a few times and found roads that were dry when I had just past, were now wet, so I pressed on. I passed through the communities of Deep River and Chalk River which are the sites of an experimental nuclear reactor that produced uranium for the Manhattan Project. Next I crossed the Ottawa River into Quebec to see the hydro dam at Rapides des Joachims (pronounced de Swisha - don't ask me why).

 

 

I had another skirmish with that fine sand issue when I pulled off the hard pack road to park and register before going to the "chutes". I took me a while to work my way out, and frustrated and clouds menacing I decided to make my way back to Ontariario.

 

By this time I had pushed so far into my plan of two days that I thought I was in striking distance of home before dark (about another 4 hrs. ride) and the weather forecast was for continued rain for 3 days. So, I beetled up again. But I couldn't avoid temptation and headed down one of my favourite roads Old Barry's Bay Road.

 

 

along which I've always wanted to stop and explore this

 

 

 

Well, I've used up all my grace time, it's raining and I was still 2 hours out. It was a no nonsense run in steady cold rain and unfortunately in the dark on sparsely traveled roads. It's times like that when you start praying to the gods that reign over HES components - don't fail me now. But I'm glad to say (guess it's obvious with me at the keyboard now) that I made it home safe and sound, glad at the performance of the RT and the great wet performance of the Michelins. Total run 775 km/ 482 miles.

 

Now, I don't want to scare you, but I got the itch. My short foray into Quebec seduced me into a return trip the following weekend. If this post turns out okay I'll bore you with that one too. AND this time my sweetie came along.

 

A special thanks to Ken H for patiently helping me with map posting.

[RT_Jim]

Paul -

Great write up! I think I recognize a couple of those roads.....

 

Jim

 

 

[EddyQ]

If this post turns out okay I'll bore you with that one too. AND this time my sweetie came along.

 

Please bore me.

Sounds like a great ride. Thanks for sharing.

[Twisties]

 

Looks interesting. Part 2:

 

Now when are you and Kath gonna get out here?

 

 

[Rocer]

Kath rarely asks where we're heading when we go out for a ride. I'm just going to quietly make the circles ever wider until we cross the UT border.

[Twisties]

Kath rarely asks where we're heading when we go out for a ride. I'm just going to quietly make the circles ever wider until we cross the UT border.

 

Now we're talkin'!