CCCT 2012 - July 21/12 - Day 63

Cross Canada Cycling Tour - Saturday, July 21, 2012 - Day 63
White River to Wawa, ON - Trip 97.32 kms Time 5 hrs 44 mins Avg 16.95 kph Max 52.7 kph
We got up at 5:30 AM and went across the highway to Robbins Donuts for breakfast. I had a decaf coffee and a breakfast sandwich with sausage. Bev had hers with ham and tea. We bought an egg salad sandwich and bran/cranberry muffins to take away with us. We returned to our motel room and finished packing before setting off for WAWA at 7:20 AM. After cycling 22 kms we made a pit stop at a roadside shop and had a snack of cookies and chocolate milk. There were also a number of very primitive looking holiday cabins. I wondered how much it would cost to spend a night in one of them? Later on we found a "shady spot" down a dirt road where we stopped at 12:00 PM to have our lunch and a pit stop . We saw a strange looking reddish brown bird about 3 feet tall with a short beak walking in the reeds along the side of the highway. Later we were told that it was a Sand Crane when we asked at the Visitor's Centre. Also, while cycling along, a bright blue bird swooped down in front of me narrowly missing my front wheel. I think it was after the grass hoppers which were all along the highway. Still not sure what species of bird it was?
We were doing really well until about 10 kms from Wawa when we had to struggle up several more hills on rough pavement and against a nasty head wind to boot. We arrived in Wawa at 2:00 PM and stopped at the Visitor's Centre. Our original plan had been to camp but dark cloudy skies put us off. Besides the camp ground was several Ks out of town and we needed groceries which would have meant cycling up a hill into town and back and repeating it all over again in the morning. We checked into the Beaver Motel and afterwards I went next door to the Beer Store to get a couple beers. We sat outside our room on a park bench and while enjoying a cold beverage I checked out the motel wi-fi. After leaving the Visitor's Centre we stopped at the "General Store" for an ice cream. Great place with a very generous serving which we thoroughly enjoyed after our hot day of cycling. While Bev went for groceries I lay down for a nap. When she returned she also lay down for a short nap. We decided to walk into town and find the North Of 17 Restaurant that Jim Rogers had recommended for it's pizza. We were not disappointed. It was very tasty.  On the walk back to our motel we found the streets of Wawa very quiet for a Saturday night. We bought some Gatorade at a Mac's and did some packing. I worked on my blog while Bev watched TV.
Bev and Roly