Dan Burkhart 

It was great to meet up, ride a few km and visit yesterday.



I could have listened to stories of your adventure for hours.
I will be following the rest of your tour with great interest. Stay safe out there.

Snuts

This was my bike from last year's touring. It has mechanical brakes, a great bike. I'm sure it will get upgraded to hydraulic brakes when I get to it. Also drop the bottom gear/inches.
Therefore, I would recommend the Marin if you are starting fresh. The modulation of brakes is so smooth, especially when walking, or pushing the bike around to park it etc. Two finger control, effortless with only one hand on the bars. As for your location, ignore that. I feel these will be dead nuts reliable. I had concerns in respect to roadside serviceability. Should one system fail, I am not stopped, but limited to a single brake for a bit down the road. The comfort, and feel are well worth the upgrade. Hydraulic brakes will probably become quite common in India before you need parts/work.
My other bike is a Norco Indie 4. The Indie 3 has hydraulic brakes, yet I would recommend the Marin over new Indie 3, simply for the stock gearing. It makes a terrific butterfly touring bike conversion.

That's funny, my "Butterfly Touring" bike.

-Snuts-

Snuts

Thank-you Dan, nice to ride and chat. A great day cycling around the west end of Lake Ontario. Great advice on the local car traffic, paths etc. Bike friendly roads when I am on them. Good bicycle infrastructure to this point. Soon at the CN Tower and area where I want to do some shopping, tourist stuff, etc.
I have batteries now in my point and shoot camera. I exhausted them the other day, the day I spent travelling the Niagara river, all of it, ha-ha. So a few photos later today or this evening.



-Snuts-

Snuts

Be darned if a guy locks his bike up against mine. Comes into McDonald's, offers to buy me a coffee. He crossed Canada last summer.
Going to be a good conversation.


-Snuts-

Snuts

I have read on the forum before, check for sprinkler heads.
In my leggings I'm out redirecting heads at midnight!
Tail winds this morning, looking good.

-Snuts-

Dan Burkhart 

Stealth camping in a golf course?
Where are you now?

Snuts

The locals know , he-he. (#2, 401)
As for the sprinklers, I actually asked the shift manager at the Wal-Mart in Bowmanville about setting up on the boulevard next to the garden center overstock. I pictured her giggling as she left after her shift, as the performance was about midnight.
Finally found a McDonald's with some charging, hour break and post a few photo's.

-Snuts-

Snuts

Real funny, as I passed through a Butterfly watching park with-in an hour of that statement.

(another photo op)


-Snuts-

Snuts

Catch up a bit.
As I left my Warm Showers host' place.
The sort of thing you find along the way as a cycle tourist.
The head waters of the Niagara river, good flow out of Lake Erie.
Good signage, and cycling infrastructure.
I love some of the signage along the way.
Stumbled across a bit of the underground railway.
Lots of history in this area of Canada.
Well, I made it to the Falls.
This is the beginning of my next tour/trip. Make the Atlantic by May 31st.



-Snuts-

zebkedic

Amazing adventure. Thanks for sharing!

- Cpt. Bob

Snuts

Welcome to the forum. I see you are fairly new.
The warm comments are encouraging, thank-you.

More photo evidence to help promote touring by bicycle.

Niagara, the road cyclist chat with you. (not like Oakville, another story).
I stop to boil my kettle for some breakfast, etc. The Pastor arrives, invites me inside. Great visit, it was the first Mennonite church in Canada. The origin, 1786 wow.
Water front MUP along lake Ontario, nice.
Getting closer to Toronto.
Some sights you never stop at when in a car.
Not necessarily a Blue Jay's fan, but I'm this close, have-to.
Ode, the young cyclist that traversed Canada last year.
Toronto, ehh.
Wall art. The detail in the second one was amazing.

-Snuts-

Snuts

Not much to add this side of Toronto.

Nice open low traffic count roads Old Kingston hiway #2
Where I dipped my tires in Lake Ontario.
Lots of flat stones to skip on the lake. We never had this many growing up in Alberta, had to pitch a dozen.
I couldn't think of a better name for this young lady, looks like an Ingrid to me (nice).

Poor forecast today, I'm going to get wet. Bag up the electronics, head to a host this eve. Bike maintenance in the a.m.



Hope everyone is getting excited about their own tour this season.

-Snuts-

Dan Burkhart 

Before the 401, hwy 2 was the Toronto to Montreal corridor. I have traveled parts of it.
You are in for some really nice countryside. Prince Edward County, Bay of Quinte etc.

Snuts

Well, I did get wet. Real wet! All worth it, my host a friend of a close friend had time to tour me around Kingston some, etc.

So back on the road, weather forecast was/is iffy. In reality a great day to ride yesterday. The evening was calm, warm and a very smooth surface. Clocked up my first century this year (177km). I will post a few photo's later when I not working from my tablet. I did not do a very "stealth" job of camping last night. At the intersection of the bike path, the road I was on and a park entrance was a portable can, and such a nice big area of grass.
I don't see why I can't make it into greater Montreal later today.

Hope everyone gets out on a tour of their own soon.




-Snuts-

Snuts

No significance, simply the kind of stuff you see on tour.
Now remember I grew up in Alberta, not much "old" history.

Old Church,
Old Post office
Old Church
Old Rail Bridge
We never had Turtles, I thought it was neat.
My first ferry ride on this trip, there must be 10lbs of water soaked up, did I get rained on!
Day off as a tourist. Brian's Record Options. Do you think it has been there forever, look at the open sign.
That is not the back, no the left side isle.
Camp this morning. I stopped on the bike path next to the park entrance, hell looked quiet enough in the dark.
I made it to Quebec this afternoon, I'm excited.

-Snuts-

rickyk76

Great pics! And I love record stores like that. I'd spend way too long in there.

Snuts

Not much to show lately.
Nice quiet secondary (old) hiways, some right next to the 401 inter-provincial route.
You can see where the old truck stops were at the provincial border, all gone.
But, I made it out of Ontario (that means more than getting to Quebec), ask anyone that has traversed Ontario.
I am realizing how it feels to be somewhere that English is a second language (which is cool). We don't realize how much we depend on, or use signage as we travel, wow.
Lost a day to the rain, try again tomorrow, 20km today.

-Snuts-

Dan Burkhart 

That is the site of the former Real's Truck Stop. Stopped there many times over the years, and on occasion, pulled my bike out of the truck and went for a ride on La Route Vert.

cdnguy

Very cool, thanks for sharing!

Snuts

Thank-you for the encouragement.
I first read that this morning before pulling out for another wet day.

Today, I add to fellow tourist, this.
Poor days, yes in relation to "good" days they exist. Today is not over, it will be good (er).
9km into my ride, I discovered I had left my 10" Tablet behind (Dumbass). that's a re-do. But, not there, shift change at 7 and it's gone. Trek past my 9km mark, at say 25km I receive a text my dear friend lost his wife to Cancer yesterday. I cry, and ride in the rain when grieving. By noon I'm warming/drying out with 78km done, the rain is stopped for now, and the forecast is improving for the rest of the week.

No pictures, batteries are flat. I'm not happy with my chest camera for still photo's, and it sucks being strapped around the chest when you are sweating, or wet. I will snap a few for my next up-date.

Real life advice, if you are training for an upcoming trip/tour train in a rainy day before you start on that 2-3 week trek. You may discover something that might help comfort you though a beatdown/rainy day. Today, I stopped for a coffee, and return a text or two, soaked. Remembered I had a dry riding cap in my little pocket. Not much but felt a lot better than putting on a totally soaked one then my helmet.

Keep dreaming, training, and touring my friends.

I should start a thought for the day from the saddle.
(sample) "Gear inches mean nothing unless you are about to jump off, and walk."

-Snuts-

Dan Burkhart 

I was thinking about you when the reports of flooding in Quebec were reported. We had a lot of rain here over the last few days, but I think you probably saw at least as much or more.
Sorry about your friend's wife.

king_boru

Might see you in Alberta. Let me know when you cross into the prairies. Hit me up if you need anything.

Snuts

Thank-you for the kind comments.
After the News of Carol, I racked up a 182km day. My bicycle is a comfortable spot for me to grieve.

So, a few photo's. Nothing fancy, just inspiration to tour on your bike.

My first blast through a tunnel, just going hard near the end. No traffic it was fun (a few days ago).
The old shore hiway has become a real Bike route, nice signage promoting that bikes have preference.
So, odd things you see when cycling far far away.
More picture signage, tractor jumping, 10% grade on the bike path. must have been the only sign in the shop that day, Truck?
Snow still in the ditches around here (Quebec city), must have been a deep drift.
More great infrastructure training cyclist's and traffic.

-Snuts-

Dan Burkhart 

Is that tunnel on rt 132 at Beauharnois?

Snuts

It sure is Dan.
You know this route (#132) well I see.
Well it was cold last eve, frost warnings. I rode till (near) dark with a good tail wind. I love it when that works! I have ground into head winds for days before, less fun. Well warm again after my morning coffee. Not much access to free internet along this route. Starting to see blue skies. I realised it has been more than a week with no sun, or moon!

The text's and messages from friends and family are very encouraging, all are watching the weather/news reports for the St Lawrence area.

Cycle touring has sure brought out a mellow me. I peddle along knowing that the sunny warm days are coming, mix in all the negatives if you like, bugs, heat, sunburn wind, etc. Every day has positives, I am finding them easier each day.

Yesterday was another Century, loaded (169km). I could never train to do a Century on a given date in the future. But when they happen, I smile it was another good day

-Snuts-