Nipissing

continued from previous post

Vicky the cyclist

We’re almost at the end of our day’s journey, stopped at the end of a driveway, when a pickup truck signals as it approaches. “What are the odds that the owner would arrive while we’re stopped at the end of their lane?”

Turns out Vicky (we believe that was her name) had passed us earlier and returned to see if we needed anything. She was a cyclist herself having completed a massive tour from Burlington to Panama! She said that when they got to Costa Rica they decided to part ways. I says “oh, too much time together?” But no (and this is where it gets interesting) she said that the trip had allowed her to face so many of her fears that she simply wanted to put her new-found freedoms to the test. She headed to New Zealand and he to Columbia I believe. Happily they’re still together in Restoule.

On that note, I told her I’d been on a canoe trip to Restoule but pronounced it Restoulé. She and Chuck were dumbstruck so to set the history books correctly, I added an accent aigu to the next Restoule sign we encountered.

I have to say that between Highway 7 and our future ride on the narrow Highway 17, Vicky’s words about facing her fears were very inspiring to me.

Lucifer and El Chapo

When we arrived at Wade’s Landing we were chatting with Kevin, our host, as his wife arrives with a kennel carrier. I was thinking she’d been to the vet and all is normal until… she starts removing the two hens she’s rescued from a farm cull. The hens were intended to keep their two roosters “company”.

The introduction of the hens and cocks (Lucifer and El Chapo) went well initially with Lucifer strutting in front of the two girls. Then Kevin explained how aggressive the rosters were during sex and Chuck is permanently scarred and talking about rescuing the hens from the henhouse (ala Tommy Lee Jones: ” I want to search every warehouse, farmhouse, henhouse, outhouse and doghouse…”). Sorry, where was I?

Troy and Linda

Charles’ college buddy Troy lives close to Wade’s Landing and generously offered to bring pizza and beer for dinner.

We had a great discussion over dinner talking about stories from school days and beyond as well as current day adventures and challenges too as we all age and face what that stage of life may bring.

The trailer turned out to be very comfortable. We had a stove for use in the morning too make coffee and oatmeal (that I’ve been carrying across Ontario for days).

Tomorrow we begin our circumnavigation of Lake Nipissing.