83 miles, 2,220 ft ascent
We had great weather for our journey today. When we ran into a headwind, I drafted with our two British cycling guides for 20 miles. It was a comparatively easy day, and good preparation for our imperial century ride tomorrow before Sunday's day of rest.
An item of note is that Tobermory is the scuba diving capital of Canada. Divers explore ship wrecks in Lake Huron using equipment from dive shops and boats from Tobermory, which is located at the end of Bruce Peninsula, a long peninsula extending out into Lake Huron and pointing to Manitoulin Island.
Today we rode along the Great Lakes Waterfront Trail with many beautiful views.
Along the morning route, we encountered these three huge cranes. As they stood with heads up, they looked to be close to 5 feet tall. I believe these were sandhill cranes,a species of large crane of North America and extreme northeastern Siberia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sandhill_crane
There were also two flocks of 30 Canadian geese eating in the same mown hay field. The geese looked very small compared to the cranes.
Our first glimpse of Lake Huron at Colpoy's Bay. To display their pride in their country, Canadians fly the Canadian flag much, much more than American's do. I would like to see the American flag flown more at home.
After 50 miles of riding, I stopped to eat a second breakfast of Eggs Benedict with spinach, just before a visit to Wiarton Willie, the groundhog who forecasts spring on the 2nd of February each year for Canada.
Willie's statue stands in Wiarton, pronounced Why-ar-ton. (No information on whether Willie is related to Punxatawney Phil in PA, USA, but their gigs are similar.)
"Groundhog Day, featuring Wiarton Willie, is a popular annual festival in Wiarton, Bruce County, and is similar to events in other locations in North America. A midwinter celebration involving an animal with predictive powers was an element of Celtic culture.[1] The link between weather prediction and the day is said to have been inspired by an old Scottish couplet: "If Candlemas Day is bright and clear/ There'll be two winters in the year."[2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wiarton_Willie
Punxsutawney Phil is a groundhog in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, who is the central figure in the borough's annual Groundhog Day celebration. On February 2 each year,[1]
Punxsutawney holds a civic festival with music and food. During the
ceremony, which begins well before the winter sunrise, Phil emerges from
his temporary home on Gobbler's Knob, located in a rural area about 2
miles (3 km) southeast of the town. According to the tradition, if Phil
sees his shadow and returns to his hole, he has predicted six more weeks
of winter-like weather.[2] If Phil does not see his shadow, he has predicted an "early spring."[3]
Punxsutawney's event is the most famous of many Groundhog Day festivals
held in the United States and Canada. The event formally began in 1887,
although its roots go back even further.[4] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Punxsutawney_Phil
Memorial for the Jane Miller, a ship wrecked in Lake Huron with the loss of more than 30 lives. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SS_Jane_Miller The ship wrecks spawned the scuba diving craze in Tobermory. As it happened, we saw no such plaque along our route around Lake Superior for the SS Edmund Fitzgerald, memorialized in the classic song by Canadian Gordon Lightfoot. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Wreck_of_the_Edmund_Fitzgerald
Lake Huron, beautiful under the sunshine in the bay just behind Owen Sound.
Similar to lakes in northern Minnesota and Michigan, we noted a cottage on Lake Huron along our route.
In summary, I rode hard today and felt good keeping up with the Brits. Have to credit my docs at UTMC for getting me out of A-fib and in shape for doing this tour. Thank you, Drs. Dieter and Hirsch!
Once in, I showered, then rode into town for a much needed haircut. A shave and now a haircut! I may pass for a civilized individual yet!
Who is that dude behind those Foster Grants?
We have one more day before we rest, so be sure to visit again to see what interesting sights we observed during tomorrow's imperial century ride!
Lake Huron is beautiful -- I'm enjoying the photos and following your journey. That guy in the Foster Grants looks quite dapper!
ReplyDeleteSally G.