Day 43 - Mattawa to Deep River ON - 104.8 kms
Day 43 - Progress to Deep River ON - 4,450.3 kms
Breakfast at the Valois... We both got a good night's sleep although the air conditioner in the room was the most effective of any we have seen so far and the room was like a meat locker when we woke up! After a leisurely breakfast in the motel's restaurant, we hit the road by about 10:30AM - a little later than we had hoped, but it always seems to take us longer than we expect to get ready to go.
This was representative of the first half of the day... As expected, the sun was shining and the sky was blue when we set out for Deep River. The forecast called for 31 degrees and we knew there were a lot of hills ahead of us, so we were a little nervous as we headed out not knowing how tough the day would be.
A much needed shady rest stop The warnings were warranted and we were quickly warmed up by climbing a couple of large hills shortly out of Mattawa, with the second having a grade as steep as 8%. A pattern quickly emerged of descending to a stream feeding the Ottawa River, then climbing a large hill after we crossed the stream. We repeated this descending and climbing pattern many times and by noon we were very ready for a shady rest stop in the forest just off the highway. It is very important on these hot days to consistently drink fluids to replenish water lost to sweating.
Ken snacks at the Yates General Store We neglected to check the map for lunch spots while back at the hotel, however, Apple Maps showed the town of Bissett Creek about 10 kms ahead, so we set off planning to stop there for lunch. Unfortunately, Bissett Creek is a creek, but not a town, and so we set our sites on Stonecliffe - another 10 kms down the highway. Unfortunately, this stretch of highway is very unpopulated and undeveloped and all we found in Stonecliffe was the Yates General Store. The proprietor told us the next diner was another 20 kms down the road. We snacked on cherries, peanuts, and beef jerky that we were carrying, and Cam bought a couple of Freezies to tide us over until we could get lunch. We also bought a large bag of ice, and filled our water bottles with ice cubes. This turned out to be a great technique as we had cold water the rest of the way to Deep River, so we will probably be repeating this again in coming days.
After a short break, we started to prepare to hit the road again. As we were pulling away from the store, a woman drove up and asked us which way we were going. When we said "East" she said "Lucky!" She said it was really hilly to the West, and when we questioned her a little further, she said that although there were a couple more hills, it was generally flat and by far the worst was to the West. This was great timing and lifted our spirits as we hit the road. Although we didn't get her name, this woman is our Angel of the Day!
After a short break, we started to prepare to hit the road again. As we were pulling away from the store, a woman drove up and asked us which way we were going. When we said "East" she said "Lucky!" She said it was really hilly to the West, and when we questioned her a little further, she said that although there were a couple more hills, it was generally flat and by far the worst was to the West. This was great timing and lifted our spirits as we hit the road. Although we didn't get her name, this woman is our Angel of the Day!
Cam's was bit twice today... You may be surprised that we haven't talked about bugs even though we are riding through Northern Ontario. So are we! We rode through Western Canada and into North Dakota and Minnesota without really being bothered by insects to any great extent. In Michigan, the horseflies started swarming us and we would often be circled by 10 - 15 horseflies as we rode. They would threaten to land, however, they rarely did, and we could pretty easily ignore them. Surprisingly, when we stopped, the horseflies would disappear - and we sustained no bites or stings through that stretch.
Over the last few days, the horseflies have started to swarm again, however, we have found that Ontario horseflies are far more aggressive than their Michigan relatives. This strain of horseflies are landing and both Ken and Cam have been bitten several times. Ken was bitten yesterday (through his jersey!) and has a trail of 3 large welts in a straight line on his side - presumably from one bug that made it's way along. Today, Cam was bit twice through his riding glove on his right hand. When we arrived in Deep River, he took the glove off and his hand had started to swell. It is now quite painful to close his fist. We are hopeful that this won't be a chronic problem.
Over the last few days, the horseflies have started to swarm again, however, we have found that Ontario horseflies are far more aggressive than their Michigan relatives. This strain of horseflies are landing and both Ken and Cam have been bitten several times. Ken was bitten yesterday (through his jersey!) and has a trail of 3 large welts in a straight line on his side - presumably from one bug that made it's way along. Today, Cam was bit twice through his riding glove on his right hand. When we arrived in Deep River, he took the glove off and his hand had started to swell. It is now quite painful to close his fist. We are hopeful that this won't be a chronic problem.
We arrived in Deep River around 4:30PM and cooled down with ice cream from the Cold Stone Creamery before checking into the Bear's Den Motel. In spite of the many hills today, we were happy to achieve an average speed of 22 kms/hour. We are definitely much better at hill climbing than earlier in the trip!
Ride Details:
- Distance: 104.8 kms
- Riding time: 4 hours, 48 minutes
- Average speed: 21.8 kms/hour
- Wind: East (very light - a nice cooling breeze in the heat!)
- Temperature: 31 degrees Celcius
- Cumulative: 4,450.3 kms
Tomorrow's Destination: Renfrew ON (104 kms) or Shawville QC (119 kms). We have been advised to stay off the 17, which becomes the 417 closer to Ottawa. Apparently, the 148 on the Quebec side of the Ottawa River is a much better route for bicycles.
For more ride details see Strava and for more ride photos see the Photo Gallery.
Ride Details:
- Distance: 104.8 kms
- Riding time: 4 hours, 48 minutes
- Average speed: 21.8 kms/hour
- Wind: East (very light - a nice cooling breeze in the heat!)
- Temperature: 31 degrees Celcius
- Cumulative: 4,450.3 kms
Tomorrow's Destination: Renfrew ON (104 kms) or Shawville QC (119 kms). We have been advised to stay off the 17, which becomes the 417 closer to Ottawa. Apparently, the 148 on the Quebec side of the Ottawa River is a much better route for bicycles.
For more ride details see Strava and for more ride photos see the Photo Gallery.