We're finally off.

Day 1. Leaving home

Km travelled - 290

Friday night we did our packing and went thru our packing list repeatedly. Had to make 2 seperate runs to Walmart. Just when you think you have everything and you are ready, you remember something else.

Went to bed late, and then we couldn't sleep. Too excited and nervous. Eventually slept, and were up at 5am. So with the bikes packed, we greeted Konstanz and were on our way.

This is the obligatory first picture of the trip that you just have to take. Luckily Konstanz was there to take the picture, since I haven't figured out the self timer on the camera and I'm not taking a tripod with.

Once we hit the road the initial fear subsided and the excitement that we are actually on our way took over. We headed for Guelph and the ride there was great. In Guelph there were roadworks everywhere. Everytime you deviate from the GPS route, the unit has to calculate. So I have to stop next to the road and wait for it.

Then we started hitting the dreaded Toronto trafic. We stayed of the 400 series highways and took the back roads. The back roads are more interesting and also a lot safer. However, back roads are also very slow. On the open road you can do round 100km/h but in every little town you have to slow down to 60 or 50. We stopped for coffee at Timmies in Acton, and I was getting worried that we are not doing enough distance for the time we are on the road. Obviously I don't have the vacation feeling yet. I need to calm down, and enjoy the ride. I think it will come with time on the road. I will let you know when that happens.

With me trying to make up time and pushing hard whenever I get the opportunity, we were starting to get really tired.

We saw the White Feather Country Store next to the road and decided to stop and just take a rest. What a great find. It was a country/farmer store that sold fresh produce and cakes and Canadiana. We ordered food at their deli, and sat down to wait for it and just people watch. That's when my hurriedness kicked in again. They were taking too long. What is wrong with them? What is so difficult? Customer service, Hellooo!! I had to tell myself to calm down. You are on vacation. Relax. If I have this attitude, Nova Scotia is going to be hard for me. As I said before, the relaxed vacation feeling will come, hopefully.

Round 5pm I realized we are not going to make it to Gananoque. We were only about halfway.

I started to look for a place to stay. Preferably a camp site to keep cost down. Then I saw the sign for Presqu'ile Provincial Park, 4km. I turned off and headed for the park. In no time we were at the front gate of the park, with a big sign "Camp grounds Full". I decided to take a chance and ask if they have something available. Lucky us. They told me to go to the camp office, they keep a few sites open for walk-ins. In no time we had a site and our tent set up. We got the stuff sorted fast because it was threatening rain.

Once we were settled in, we had to make a plan to get food. We were not sure how far it was to the closest town, and we did not feel like riding anymore. We went to the Camp Store to see what they have. Let me just say, the selection was limited. We ended up with a tin of baked beans (Denise paid the price in the tent later), a bottle of Mountain Dew and a bag of chips. But it did the job.

After dinner we went for a walk around the area, and I enjoyed my pipe.

By 10:30pm we turned in to sleep, and had no problem falling asleep. It rained most of the night.

Denise's thought of the day: When Konstanz was little, we played a game about adventure. Wherever we walked we pretended to have to avoid hazards such as crocodiles, sharks and giant tarantulas. On the bike ride, I was thinking this is like the adventures we had together sans the wildlife; only now it's a real adventure and so much fun!

Day 2. Still in Ontario.

Km Travelled - 160

When we woke up, it was overcast and threatening rain. We packed, and dressed in all our rain gear. We set off and after about 30min we stopped for breakfast at Timmies. I was starting to boil in my rain suit, so I took it off and decided to take a gamble that the rain will hold off.

With our bellies full and the bikes filled up, we hit the road full of enthusiasm to cover a lot of ground.

We reached Gananoque round 1pm and stopped for lunch at McDonalds. We took a look at the weather forcast, and it called for rain the whole day but with better weather tomorrow. We decided to get a Motel room and sit the rain out. We booked into a motel, and 30mins later, the heavens opened up. We took a nap for 2 hours, and then the rain eased off enough to get on the bikes and go check out the place.

Here are some pictures.

Gananoque historic village. A bit of a tourist trap. If you are into shopping, this is the place for you. Not realy what we want to do, but it is still a great town, and the sceenery is absolutely fantastic.

Another picture of the village and some of the shops.

If you've got it, flaunt it !!!

Denise just loving IT.

After our site seeing trip we went to a grocery store and bought food for supper. This is where we are right now. Chilling in our motel room in Gananoque.

Tomorrow we cross into the US, and hopefully we will not be subjected to cavity searches at the border.