It was delightful to again spend some time with Michael & Kelly at their home in Sydenham; a place of respite after 4 long days on our bikes and a chance for Caroline to recover from her cold. Certainly they have plenty of space in which to relax with their 27 acres being a mix of farmland, forest and garden – watching Kelly mow the estate on one of the days we stayed is quite something! Plenty of animals inhabit the area, too, with a deer family making their presence known most evenings and most definitely on the flowers & vegetables Kelly plants! We watched chipmunks, squirrels, rabbits and bluejays most days, just going about their business of preparing for the winter ahead. The 7 hens have a large run of their own and produce lovely brown eggs each day.
After we did our washing – so lovely to be able to hang it outside in the sunshine - Kelly took us into town so we could inquire at FedEx and Greyhound about shipping our bikes across country to Vancouver, and also took us to a bike shop where we got a couple of boxes in which to pack our bikes. Those errands done we stopped in at Panera for lunch - a chain that produces very tasty fresh soups, sandwiches and pastries.
It was quite a hot day so we were quite happy to head home to the cool for a wee nap before starting to deconstruct our bikes & pack them up for shipping. While we were breaking them down, Michael returned home & helped out by using heaps of duct tape to seal up the bottom & edges of each box; he’s certainly got a great way with duct tape! I managed to pack my bike within its bag within the box, hopefully providing more protection for it. Caroline’s bike was a little too big for the box but with artful taping we made the bulge over the seat secure. We also put as much of our cycling & camping gear within the boxes before weighing them to ensure we weren’t over the carrying capacity of anybody lifting the boxes. K&M’s scales weighed in pounds & kilos – useful, for the shipping systems seem to use both measurements.
Packing done we retired for drinkies in the cool. Kelly had laid out a great array of toppings so we each had fun to creating our own unique pizza for dinner. Later we watched the final of The Amazing Race Canada, which was a bit freaky for me as the challenges involved heights!! I checked my email just before heading to bed to find an offer from Hassle Free Shipping for sending our bikes over to Vancouver Island – the quote came in under the other two vendors we looked at AND they had a truck coming through some time between 8 & 9am the next morning!! We accepted the offer & set our alarms to ensure we woke in time to finish putting the last items in & then seal up the boxes.
Morning dawned, & I must say I was a little nervous sending the bikes off with a firm that is relatively small compared to FedEx & Greyhound but they had been recommended by our Montreal hosts. Had to wake Kelly as couldn’t find how to open the garage doors but once in we pretty quickly completed the packing and were ready when Miguel came to collect. He couldn’t get the truck & trailer unit up the driveway so Kelly took the two boxes down on the truck before she headed off to golf.
We saw the boxes safely tied into the trailer unit, paid over the $90 (half the costs) & bid Miguel farewell. He was a chatty chap of French-Canadian stock from out Edmonton way who seems to enjoy driving back & forth across the vastness of Canada picking up & delivering people’s precious cargo.
With the bikes transportation issue resolved we threw ourselves into determining the transportation of ourselves across Canada – booked tickets to Toronto & Niagara Falls then onto Sudbury plus 2 nights at the YHA in Niagara Falls. Basically we are going to bus across Canada visiting relatives & places of interest on the way! Almost a reverse journey of the one Dad & I did back in 1989.
Onward bookings done … to a point ….. we set off for a walk round the village to get some supplies (needed more Vit C tablets, toothpaste etc and checked our blood pressure while there ... both within normal range. Whew!) as well as to get some exercise BUT it was just too hot to exert much energy! We ended up at Desert Lake Gardens for a cuppa & cake which we had sitting out under the verandah people watching. The woman who runs the place was cooking up a storm inside – apparently we ate at that restaurant when we were last in Sydenham in 2011. I blame earthquake brain for not remembering!
Back at M&K’s place we sat in the shade out the back catching up on diaries and watching the wildlife. We were particularly intrigued by the rock structure round the place - the grey limestone of the area, which breaks into interesting patterns. Found an interesting brief history of the area as background.That evening we ate out at another of the local cafes, The Point, which was relatively busy so the poor woman serving, running the place & doing some of the cooking was run off her feet! Caroline loved the soup she chose while I had a humungous hummus wrap with fries. Kelly had ribs or something meaty. All of us declared the food delicious so we returned home well satisfied. Michael was home from his golf and was preparing a fire out the back around which we sat as the sun went down & the stars came up. A totally lovely evening talking, watching shooting stars, planes and satellites, and cooking marshmallows to go with the chocolate and Graham’s crackers to make S'more! Perfect!
Next morning after a leisurely start, we all went on a road trip to Prince Edward County (visitpec) crossing onto the island via a free vehicle ferry. The island is a little like Waiheke in that people come for the wine, food & laid back ambience of the place.
Certainly we passed lots of vineyards as well as a number of fresh produce stalls before stopping for lunch at Miller House, one of the oldest buildings at Lake on the Mountain Yummy!!
After that we drove on to Waupoos Estate Winery for a walk around their grounds & a look in their tasting shop. A bottle of red was purchased & consumed that evening back at the ranch!
Back in Sydenham Caroline & I did some packing - Michael had very kindly given us an old wheely bag he no longer wanted in which to pack up the gear we had left - managing to get ourselves down to two bags only. We then went for a final walk around the estate & quietly watching the animals come out for their evening exploration - rabbits, deer, chipmunks. Michael joined us to tell us more of the plans they have for the place. We enjoyed a quiche meal followed by watching The Intern on their big screen & eating popcorn. A sweet movie that made us laugh.
Next morning Kelly took us into the bus station in Kingston where we caught the 1035 bus to Toronto then another onto Niagara Falls. During that journey I realised I had well & truly picked up Caroline's cold. Bugger!!
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