CCCT 2012 - August 3/12 - Day 76

Cross Canada Cycling Tour - Friday, August 3, 2012 - Day 76
Arnprior to Ottawa (home), ON - Trip 80.39 kms Time 3 hrs 57 mins Avg 20.32 kph Max 39.0 kph

Landon, Parker, Jasper and Proud Papa Philip

We got up at 6:30 AM. Bev was feeling OK thank goodness. After packing and loading our gear on our bikes we cycled to Timmy's for breakfast.. We met a couple of guys on Harleys who asked about our trip. We told them we were cycling to Ottawa via Ashton along the Upper Dwyer Hill (UDH) Road. We set off for OTTAWA (home) at 8:00 AM. We turned to soon and had to go back to the main road and continued on to CR29 where we stopped and asked a passing motorist how to get to U.D.H. Road. He told us it was just a bit further down CR29. The Harley guys, we had met at Timmy's, passed us very slowly and waved at us. They were very impressed that we had cycled all the way from the West Coast. While we were stopped at March Road for a break a motorist asked us for directions to Almonte. Usually we were the ones asking for directions!!! We continued on past Ashton along Flewellyn, stopped again for a snack and discovered a very mushy banana in one of my banana holders. We turned onto Eagleson Road, to Hope Side Road to Old Richmond Road and stopped at an Esso/McDonalds for lunch, etc. I called Philip to let him know we were almost home. He seemed surprised that I was calling him. I guess Stephanie forgot to tell him that she had asked me to call him when we arrived in Ottawa. We then took Hunt Club to Benlea and arrived home at 1:00 PM. I noticed there were several branches missing from the tree in our front yard and a pile of dead branches on the front lawn. My first thought was that there had been a terrific storm and several branches had been knocked down. I just hoped that they hadn't fallen on my neighbours car. I later found out that my neighbour had gotten his friend to come over with his chain saw and that they had "trimmed" my tree as per our discussion several months ago. My cousin Lori, her husband Frank and son Andrew, who were visiting from Windsor, were out. We found their e-bike in the garage and their two dogs, Mickey and Bella,  in the living room behind a child gate. Although we were strangers to them they were quite happy to see us. We had a cold beer before unpacking our gear and sorting out laundry. We decided to use one of the spare rooms upstairs and let Lori and Frank use the Master Bedroom. Andrew was sleeping in the basement when he wasn't hooked up to the TV playing on-line video games. We ordered a large pizza for dinner. Philip called to say he was on his way over with the grandchildren. I hadn't yet seen my latest grandson, Parker, who was born while we were away and they were planning to leave on Saturday to go camping. It was lovely to see my grandchildren, Jasper and Landon, again and to meet Parker for the first time. Philip, et al, left at 9:00 PM as there was still a lot to do before leaving on their camping trip. We were off to bed at 10:30 PM.
Bev and Roly



Bella, Mickey,  Lori and Andrew