The Slog to the Capital

We arrived in Sault Ste. Marie tired, but pleased to have conquered the much feared hills around Lake Superior. The plan was to take a full rest day in Ottawa to see the sights, in only five riding days time, so after a morning at the bike shop, we pushed on East. This leg of the trip felt very different to previous legs: it had been a long time since our last rest day in Winnipeg, there was no particular feature on route, and for the first time it felt like the objective was simply our destination and not the journey itself.

Perhaps we'd been spoiled by the grandeur of the mountains, praries and lakes we'd passed through thus far, but the scenery seemed a little drab: mostly flat with abundant desolate forest and the occasional stretch of farm land. The exception was the Ottawa River valley east of Mattawa, where the rolling hills provided a fun challenge and grand views down to the water that reminded us of our time around Lake Superior.

Sadly, for much of this section, riding conditions weren't great either. The condition of the road was often poor, with endless miles of cracked asphalt and pot-holes. Most of it was without a shoulder too: the edge of the road simply crumbled into the gravel or dirt, often even before the full width of the lane. We were thankful for the relative lack of trucks, but we were now closer to urban centres than we had been for a long time, bringing with it local car traffic and impatient city drivers. The wind continued to play a huge part in determining our progress and mood. It continued to blow strongly almost every day and although we only had a full-on head wind for one day, we often faced a blustery cross-wind that made holding a steady course through the pot-holes a difficult task indeed. After hours in the saddle, the incessant roar in your ears is enough to drive you crazy and there has been much debate over whether Canada is always so windy at this time of year or whether we'd picked an unusually windy autumn.

This stretch of the trip spanned the long weekend of Canadian Thanksgiving, which we witnessed most vividly through the holiday traffic leaving and then returning to Ottawa, and in particular the many pickup trucks returning to the city with the profits of a weekend's hunting in the back. Heads, legs and antlers spilled out with perhaps intentional showmanship, and the moose count from the stokers seat, if allowed to include dead animals, shot upward. While the hunters, we assume, dined on their prize catch, we found ourselves at Samuel de Champlain Provincial Park in the dark, with no food for dinner, just after the camp store had closed. Thankfully, the Thanksgiving spirit at the campground was strong, and we feasted on left-over hot dogs and beers provided by our friendly neighbours.

Our last night was in Petawawa, a small town dominated by a huge armed forces base and as we cycled through town we passed miltary buildings, squadies on the march and local stores displaying their support for the deployed troops. For the first time on the trip, Canada felt like a country at war and it sruck us as odd that it should take a visit to a town like this to be reminded of this. Our campfire at the deserted campground that night attracted a visit from a very bored Military Police patrol, and while the Sargeant was very interested in our trip, he was meticulous in taking our names and addresses and left us with strict instructions to find the campground owner in the morning.

We arrived in Ottawa elated but exhausted. Given the struggle of the last few days it was somehow fitting that we punctured as we crossed the bridge to the Parliament Buildings and the 3000 mile mark of the trip. Our rest day was spent with Stephanie's parents, who supplied welcome company, warm clothes and good food, as we spent the day taking in the sights and running errands. The highlight was a tour of Canada at the national museum, which followed our route from the west coast and brought fond memories and new inspiration to complete the journey.

We depart today well rested, with the final leg of the trip mapped out and with renewed excitement. We expect to arrive in Halifax in 10 days (!). We hope to post an update on-route from Saint John, NB next Friday.