80.6 miles, 1,960 ft ascent
Today we cycled to Kingston, located at the east end of Lake Ontario where the St. Lawrence River begins and connects the Great Lakes to the Atlantic Ocean. Just to the east of Kingston is the Thousand Islands tourist region (in the river itself), and to the west is the Prince Edward County tourist region. Kingston is nicknamed the "Limestone City" because of the many heritage buildings constructed using local limestone. We have ridden past several limestone quarries in recent days. The Royal Military College (RMC), Canada's version of West Point Military Academy is in Kingston, as is Queen's University, one of the top
3 or 4 in Canada. Kingston has the feeling of a university town.
Kingston was and still is proud Loyalist country, a primary destination for those who chose the British side when the rebel American colonies declared their independence.
I caught these photos of a family of swans before leaving camp this morning. Note the "ugly duckling" young gray swan who has not yet acquired his adult white plumage.
Our campground was on a cove connected to Lake Ontario. This campground was the nicest we have experienced on the tour. It was equipped with automated lights, sinks with mirrors, and the best showers of the tour, all of which work and have lots of good hot water!
While we slept in our tents, our Canadian neighbors enjoyed this supersized Winnebago. The French speaking family from Quebec told our French speaking colleague that they were "living for today" in this $1M vehicle. Note the size of it compared to a normal sized picnic table adjacent. It purportedly has granite counter tops too. No report on whether it contains a hot tub or a swimming pool.
Special treat to go with pancakes this morning:
After breakfast we rode off into Loyalist country. An American colonial rebel, I have to be careful here.
We passed this exemplary solar installation on a farm. It is oriented in the best direction for solar exposure, so one may assume that the building was designed specifically for solar energy.
We were reminded that we were in Canada when we saw this sign on a busy four lane road.
We made use of the Glenora Ferry, which travels between Prince Edward County's Lake on the Mountain and Adophuston on the mainland. It was a very picturesque 15 minute excursion. I took this photo while waiting to board the no fare transport.
Even the ferry signals "Loyalist"
The ferry port was very quaint
This colonial American rebel is starting to feel very foreign here.
Loyalists with goats. (Note the security officer on the roof. A second level threat.) By the way, one is well advised not to discuss the War of 1812 with these folks.
This is the bay in Lake Ontario around which we rode to arrive at our campsite. We rode on a road adjacent to this bay for about 25 miles. We were on the side of the road by the water and had lovely views the entire length of the ride. There were many flocks of Canadian Geese at the shore.
Another windmill farm on a large island in front of Kingston.
Whenever a power line crosses the highway, one of these signs appears. There are LOTS of them.
Penitentiary museum of limestone. The penitentiary was for some of the worst criminals from all around the country (murderers, rapists, etc.) the Canadian "Super Max."
Wind powered sail boats in Kingston Harbor with wind turbines in the distance.
Kingston, the "Limestone City". Here is its limestone City Hall featuring a charming square in front, as is common in many European cities.
A limestone church
And a limestone house
I enjoyed Kingston very much. For a city of 133,000 inhabitants it was surprisingly easy to cycle, perhaps because it is a university town.
Eventually, we arrived at our camp situated on a river that is a tributary to the St. Lawrence. Beautiful!
We continue our trek tomorrow. Come back to view more of our journey!
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