I departed on a Sunday of August 2020. The night before I got nervous and somehow scare of this trip. I've been preparing for it for the last few weeks buying gear and whatever contraption I got recommended by the ever so helpful YouTube bloggers. In a way I feel my obsession for making a trip like this was fueled by the cabin fever created during the Lockdown months. I was able to ignore the nervousness by keeping busy but the night before departure all these feels came a float. It was too late to backdown.
Getting off the bed in the early morning was the hardest. Leaving the comfort of my pillow in order to start a journey that will involve days of discomfort and pain on the backroads of Ontario. All in all I left around 6:30 am.
It was a great Idea leaving early on a Sunday. The streets where deserted, only a few cars here and there made quiet noises as the calmly drove down the streets of Mississauga. The route for the day was easy almost a straight shoot all the way to the first stop, Orangeville.
Getting out of the city took me around an hour and made my first stop at a gas station at the middle point of the days trip. The first half was easy, good back road with almost no cars but there is a point where the road merges with the Highway. Few things in my life have been more scary than having to cross that 8 lane monster Canadians call highway. I did and after some cathartic 15km of trouble I was back on the backroads. The only thing is this backroads where more like gravel roads which my road bike ain't that great. Have in mind I was carrying a lot pounds of extra weight with me (camping and cooking gear etc..).
The worst of all hills on that hell of a backroad was the last one just before reach Orangeville. Only comparable to the hills I will find on Collinwood and Blue Mountain a few days later. I had to dismount the bike in order to make this hill. The walk of shame started as I dismounted my bike and yielded to the might of the mountain in front of me. Going uphill carrying an overweight bike with the sun blazing on your back (It looks like I chose the last hot week of the year in Canada to do my trip. When I was about to reach the top of the hill this guy that was just walking by tells me "They don't make gears small enough for this hill, eh" - I chuckled.
As I reached the top I stopped and snap a shot of the road behind me.
A few minutes later I reach Orangeville and my first resting spot.
It was a great day.