Well it was a late start getting on the road. I loaded up my bike for two nights of camping and finally hit the road Saturday around noon. I brought everything I would need (or so I thought) and headed north up HWY404 into Newmarket, eastward along HWY48, north on HWY’s 12 & 11 and finally reaching my destination on HWY60.

All in all, the ride was pretty relaxed with the occasional shower along the way…until I neared Bracebridge anyway. Once again my rain curse presented itself and the heavens cracked wide open with a downpour of nearly biblical proportions. Every bridge was crammed with riders seeking shelter from the storm but since I was already in my rain gear, I pressed onward into Bracebridge. I decided it was time to stop when I had extreme difficulties seeing through my visor. Actually, it was raining so hard at one point I was unable to see even my handlebars. I stopped for a late lunch and as soon as I pulled into town the rain stopped too.

Well, at least it’s over…or so I thought at the time. Little did I know that another storm cell was about to roll over just as I started on my way again. Fortunately it didn’t last long and I was spared another deluge. My rain gear (Frogg Toggs 2piece suit) stood up to the task once again and not a single drop got through. My boots on the other hand, not being waterproof at all, let in water like a floodgate and my feet were soaked.

At least by the time I reached my campsite (15min outside Algonquin Park) the rain had ceased and I was able to pitch my tent with ease and get changed out of my riding gear.

My hosts at the Algonquin Trails Camping Resort (http://www.algonquintrails.on.ca) are extremely friendly and very accommodating (one of whom is also a rider). Not only was there a reasonably well-equipped store, which I needed within 15min of getting there (who forgets to bring bug repellent camping? Sheesh), but they also deliver wood to the campsites each night for a small fee. As it turned out I also needed to buy a new folding camp chair since my 4yr old one broke an hour after I set up.

The second day was spent hiking in the park in the morning with only 170km of actual riding. The rest of the afternoon was spent hanging out at the campsite and staying up late into the evening around a campfire.

As always, the weekend comes to an end but the fun was far from over. After packing up all my gear, I headed down hwy35 towards home. This was by far the most fun stretch of my trip so far. The nice sweeping corners of 35 from Algonquin to Minden were just amazing and so was the view of all the little lakes along the way. While taking a coffee break in Minden, a fellow rider tipped me off to a nice stretch called Deep Bay Road, which was a lot of fun to say the least and brought me right back onto hwy35 so that I could continue southward.

Along the way, I decided that it would be nice to detour to Fenlon Falls and check out the locks. It made for a nice break from riding and allowed some time to admire all the boats making their way up and down the river.

From there, it was time to push onward home. All in all, it was a nice laid back weekend away from the city and allowed some time to admire a starlit sky that can only be seen in the country.

Now I need to prepare for my next trip, which will be to Mt. Washington in New Hampshire.