Day 49 – South Baymouth to Wiarton (T.D.: 90.7km + 44.1km on a ferry; S.T.: 4h46min.)

Some light rain in the morning put a little spring in our step as we packed up quickly and headed down to the ferry dock in South Baymouth. We’d be taking a 45km ferry ride from Manitoulin Island to the Bruce Peninsula through the heart of Lake Huron. Some might call this cheating on an endeavour such as ours, but those people probably couldn’t bike from one end of town to the other, much less across the country, so we don’t pay them any heed. Anyway, we really love ferries. They are a chance to relax, eat some delectable ferry food, read your book, and still make significant measurable progress! This ferry ride also signified the passage from the middle section of this trip – the wild unknown of Western Ontario and northern America – into the final leg through the civilized and familiar grounds of Eastern Canada. It’s good to be home.

The Bruce Peninsula is also renowned for its great beauty, so we were very excited to step off the boat in Tobermory, and head Southeast towards Wiarton, our destination for the day.

The ride was beautiful. We kept to quiet country roads when we could, and Highway 6 when we couldn’t.

We had lunch at a picturesque old church that was being restored by the local community. I think I might have broken the pump organ inside.

A short riding day meant that we got to Wiarton, home of the famous groundhog Willie (a mystic seer of great power, some say), in time to enjoy the beautiful waterfront municipal campground they have there. Apparently, this campground is going to be replaced by some high-rise condos next year, so we were lucky to enjoy it while it’s still around.

Supper tonight was another fantastic campground concoction: pasta, cheese, beans, corn, avocado and salsa, all mixed up in a pot. Cookies for dessert. We consulted Willie before bed to see what we’d be up against in terms of weather tomorrow. A perfect day, he said, clear skies with a cool North-westerly. A perfect day.

Stats:

Av. Spd.: 18.9km/h

Mx. Spd.: 46.8km/h

Is that more pie you see on our ferry-cafeteria trays?: Yes

Pie for breakfast?: Yes!