Day 6: Brockville - Cornwall (65 mi)


Good progress terminated early by rain.

At 4:00, I'd ridden 65 miles and could have kept on going, but the skies darkened, thunder roared and it started raining just as I reached the end of the bike path into Cornwall. There were several motels in sight, so I called it a day.

Despite riding along the St Lawrence all day, I didn't really see any ships go by. I heard three, but couldn't see them and I only saw glimpses of one through the woods.

At Prescott, the river was quite wide.

It wouldn't be Canada without Canada geese. I saw hundreds.

This flock was apparently awaiting the dedication of the painting.


When I wrote yesterday of the need for paved shoulders, this is what I envisioned.

The shoulder here is about 1.5 meters wide.

Grand Trunk had a big influence in Ontario and Michigan. It's sad to see them mostly gone from Michigan.

Seeing the Grand Trunk train, I realized that I'd missed the turnoff from County Route 2 for the St Lawrence Recreational Trail, so I turned back. The non-rail trail winds through the woods – conifer and deciduous – and across marshland and islands. Initially, I was unhappy with the trail because it's crushed gravel surface wasn't suitable for my little 20" tires. For riding point to point, trails are generally inadvisable. They're too slow and there are typically incompatible uses that necessitate constant attention.

I stopped at the Interpretive Center to ask how to get back to the road. The young clerk did not speak English, and my French is too rusty, but the clerk did manage to tell me that Route 2 was "ugly," so I relented and headed off on the trail again. I was pleasantly surprised only about 200 meters later, however, to come to an intersection where the trail was paved and very nice. For about 20 miles into Cornwall, I rode on the trail.

I'm fuming mad at Verizon Wireless, my cellular phone provider. A couple of days ago, I was riding on a busy road when my phone rang briefly. Since I don't give out my cell number to many people, I thought it might be an emergency, so came to an abrupt halt on the stony shoulder. It was a text message from Verizon trying to sell me new services. I was furious that the cell phone provider was spamming me. Then it happened again today. When I get home, I'll be sure to lodge a complaint.

It appears that Montreal is about 80 bike miles away. I don't know if I can do that tomorrow. Thunderstorms are forecast for the afternoon, and even if I did manage the distance, I wouldn't want to reach such a big city exhausted.

Posted: Sun - June 29, 2003 at 05:33 PM      

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