Ride through Huntsville

Kilometres: 547.3

Time: seven and a half hours, including stops

Weather: Sunny, 20 C at 10 AM

What a beautiful day for a ride. It’s sunny, warm and perfect riding weather. I had only a light jacket over my riding gear, but of course I had all my rain gear with me just in case.

I’d heard about the twisty roads up north towards Huntsville and headed east out of Toronto along the 401. It was a bit trafficy, but lighter than I expected. I rode from one highway to the next and finally put the speedy traffic behind me as I rode off the 115 onto 35.

Highway 35 was my destination, as I’d heard that it is really twisty the further north you ride. The area around Lindsay is dotted with pastures of horses and cows. There are also few farms, but the harvest, for the most part, has be brought in.

The ride from Lindsay to Coboconk was a bit twisty, but overall it was just a nice quiet ride. It felt good to be out of the city traffic again. After spending all of August on the open road, I discovered that I really missed just getting away from all the cars. This quiet ride is probably as good as it gets in Southern Ontario.

I’d been up this way a few times before, but never all the way to the top of 35. I just had to stop the Kawartha Dairy in Minden.That has to be the best hard ice cream I’ve ever had and I always stop there if I’m in the area. I washed down my homemade egg salad sandwich with a double scoop of chocolate cookie dough ice cream. I think I could feel the calories settling in as I continued to ride north.

The road north of Dorest had recently been paved, so I knew not to lean too much as I road. After the Rockies, this was a bit disappointing, but at least I was gliding through corners, moving my weight on the bike and doing some real riding.

Unfortunately, that section of the ride was too short and time was running out, so I didn’t have time to do it again unless I also wanted to retrace my ride back to Toronto. I opted for a new road, hoping for some more twisties.

The ride into Huntsville brought me back to civilization. I passed by Dearhurst Inn where the G8 Summit was held in June. No barbed wired now. I turned on my GPS just before getting to Huntsville. I really didn’t want to get turned around and lost in the town. There were so many tourists and cottage people (this means horrible Ontario drivers) there that I just wanted to get out as soon as possible - and without getting hit.

I quickly found Highway 11 and headed south towards Barrie. Highway 11 is typical two-lane highway, so that means there is little opportunity to take in the scenery unless I want to get run over. Just south of Hawkstone, I looked over at some pastureland. I was gobsmaked because there were bison grazing in the field. I’d been all over the Prairies; I’d run my hands through thick bison hides, I’d walked on bison rugs, but I had not been able to find one living bison. And here they are; not in Manitoba, where the bison is on the provincial coat of arms, but in Southern Ontario. There is something so wrong about all of this.

Highway 11 merges with Highway 400 near Barrie. As I road home I realized that I was riding the same road I’d ridden last Satruday, at almost the exact same time. Today, I was 15 minutes earlier than I had been last week. What a difference seven days makes. The weather is better today, but I must admit, I’d rather be heading out on another adventure than returning home.

But the season isn't over yet and I hope to put a few more good trips under my wheels before I have to put the 950 away for the year.