Day 34: Toronto to Whitby

Yesterday morning, after I made preparations to restart my bicycle journey, Don and Judy bid farewell to me around 7:15 AM.

I rode on the road for a while until I reached the lake front where I got on the bike path. At Sheldon Lookouts, the bike path met with the Trans Canada Trail. I’ll be following it all the way to eastern Canada.

When I arrived in downtown Toronto I had a peameal BLT sandwich at Golden Eggs restaurant. I wasn’t hungry, but I knew I need the calories for the ride today.

As I was getting out of downtown Toronto the bike path ended abruptly due to construction. I had to cycle on a road that had many cars to get across a bridge. Luckily, I made it without any issues.

The Trans Canada Trail had some sections that I didn’t like. There were three times when the trail became so narrow and muddy that it felt like I was on a hiking trail than a bike trail. At those times, I wished I was cycling on the road instead.

The view from the lake looked very cloudy that morning. Later I learned that was due to the wildfires across Canada. Toronto had one of the worst air qualities of any city on that day.

Around noon, I made a detour in the town of Pickering to get some Pad Thai lunch at Hot Mama Noi's Thai On The Fly before riding another hour to my Warmshowers host’s house in Whitby.

I arrived around 2:15 PM and rode 48.5 miles that day.

I met Jas first, who arrived on a bicycle. Later, I met his wife Kirsten, who also came back from riding her bike. Jas offered me some cheese and crackers. Surprisingly, he had Boursin cheese, which I had several times at Don’s. Boursin cheese is one of my favorites now that I’ve tried several cheeses recently. Jas also made his own wine, which I had a small amount. It was very good and I liked it very much. Unfortunately, I don’t drink alcohol so I only had one shot of it.

Jas and Kirsten are retired teachers and they are also “urban foragers.” Most of their food they get are free. They feel what they do help eliminate food waste that goes into the landfill. When I lived in King of Prussia, PA, I also foraged food several times. I did it for fun with a friend. Needless to say, our dinner was free and consisted of pasta, snow peas, coleslaw, chicken, and other vegetables. I was so full after eating so much.

I took a much needed shower shortly after dinner and went to bed around 9 PM, which is a bit late for me since I usually sleep around 7 PM. This morning, I woke up at 5:30. Today, I’ll be riding to Cobourg. I don’t have any hosts there, but there is a campground. Most likely I will stay there.

Restarting my bicycle tour.

Don and I

Passing by Cycle Butik on my way out of Don's house.

Riding into downtown Toronto

Cloudy day, but nice temperature

I'm glad for the bike lanes in Toronto.

A beach by the lake

Hard to cycle on a hiking trail

Wish I was on the road instead.

The sky and the lake are almost the same shade of gray.

Riding on the bike path by the lake.

The smoke from the wildfires

On the Trans Canada Trail

The wildlife on the lake

Jas and Kirsten. Notice the cool light fixture made from bicycle wheels.

One of my favorite cheeses. We meet again!