Total distance: 4453km
Average speed: 22.6km/h
Weather: cloudy
With all this extra time I decided to have a leisurely ride to Mattawa rather than push 170km for Deep River while fighting another episode of headwind (I think Ontario is getting back at me for the tailwinds in the prairies as I've had nothing but easterly winds here). After leaving Kim and Terry's place at 10, I rode back along the highway to check out Duchesnay Falls at Kim's suggestion. There was no sign so I had passed it yesterday without knowing but it was quite a hidden gem of North Bay! Hardly anyone there and a short hike over the rocks brought me to the amazing 100m long rapids. Then I went over to the waterfront and walked along the boardwalk overlooking Lake Nipissing. I thought about going for another swim but ended up lounging for the longest time on the patio of a restaurant that is contained within a boat, a very nice change of pace as the days before. Finally I left North Bay around noon and headed for east. Contrary to yesterday the road was pleasantly quiet as all the traffic turned off to go to southern Ontario. I turned into Samuel de Champlain Provincial Park, which again seemed deserted, and found a nice lakeside beach for a snack break. A park ranger directed me toward a network of hiking trails with good viewpoints, but I only managed to go for a short walk in the forest before retreating at the wrath of mosquitoes. It's mad that little insects are controlling what I do! On the way out I rode around the Canadian Ecology Centre which interestingly had a whole bunch of police cars parked around the cabins. A short ride away was Mattawa, which is where the Mattawa and Ottawa Rivers join and was an important meeting place for the natives. Walking around town the biggest clump of people was lined up outside of this little fries cart (which have been everywhere after the Soo), so naturally I stopped there and got my first of many more to come poutine on this trip! Mattawa is tiny and like most small towns have few shops but I really like how pretty it is by the water. A neat thing is that I can literally see Quebec on the other side of the river!
Here are some extra photos to make up for the last few days!
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