Day 51 - Bruce Mines, Ont. to Blind River, Ont.

July 3, 2026 (Friday) 

Start Time: 5:45 am 

Stop Time: 12:00 pm 

KM Travelled: 86.9 km 

Elevation? +396/ - 391 m 

Special Stuff: Ontario farmlands, Amish people, Marinas 

Packing up for my ride today, I take extra care to secure my luggage as I will be mostly riding on gravel roads.  

As I leave the municipal campground, I feel my chain slipping and skipping gears. DRAT, I think to myself. I don’t know how to fix something like this! I consider waking Brian up to ask him for his perspective, but instead, I choose to limp away from the campground and stop a few kilometers away to attempt to fix it. 

My rationale for leaving the campsite and riding down the road is that if I stayed at the campsite, it would be too easy to just pack it in. It would also be too easy to defer the problem to Brian, instead of solving it myself. Riding down the road starts the ride for the day – AND 2 km is not too far to walk back if I need to. I have all the tools on board for basic bike repairs.  

Just before Bruce Station (last point before I’m out of town), I lean my bike against a post and start playing around with the chain. I make a few adjustments here and there. Fortunately, whatever I did seemed to fix the issue. 

Once past Bruce Station, I enter a magical world of biking similar to yesterday’s ride. As my friend describes the Ontario lake country as a gateway to her childhood, I find Ontario farmlands to be a gateway to mine. This farmland, brings me back to my childhood. I grew up on a hobby farm with a few cows, chickens, rabbits, stuff like that. (I even saw Robbie the rooster who used to attack us as kids.) Yesterday and today’s rides are pure pleasure!  

I come across 4 horse and buggies. They are surprisingly fast! The first had a young man and woman, the second a mom with three children, the third a single young man and the last an older man with a young boy.  

When the mom and children (the girls in dresses and bonnets) pass me, I wondered what they could be thinking of me as a middle-aged woman in skin-tight biking shorts, a bright pink top and tanned skin glistening from the rain. The mom gives me a kind smile – I did not feel judged. 

When the single young man comes by me, we meet just after he navigates a corner in the road and his horse gets really spooked by me - I was afraid it was going to run right into me! The young man does an amazing job of managing the situation - I imagine he is an expert horseman (even at his young age). I apologize – he said it was okay and keeps going on his way. I make a note to stop when the horse and buggies pass by. 

When the older man and young boy pass by, I stop – the older man said “thank you”. 

I ride to Iron Bridge where I meet Brian – he is waiting at a gas station parking lot taking some calls. I let him know that I would like to continue on to Blind River – as long as the weather is good, I want to keep pressing on.

While at the gas station, I meet a solo female biker who is doing a 17-day circle tour from Michigan (I think that's what she said). Today she had a terrible day of riding while taking a route that was off the highway (she must have taken a different route than me). She has opted to keep riding along the highway as it was the better option. 

From Iron Bridge to Blind River I ride on the highway shoulder and there is a wide shoulder the whole time as it is part of the Great Lakes Waterfront Trail. 

Brian and I meet in Blind River at the Tourist information Centre and learn about camping at the Blind River Marina. 

The marina turns out to be a great location – it's sunny and warm and the strong winds help us to stay cool and keep the bugs away. It feels like we are on the ocean. Brian says this is one of his favourite spots so far (and...Brian has had a lot of favourite spots along the way). I think he is just enjoying the adventure. 

Brian has taken up chef duties. I don't like to fuss with dinner - I'm happy with just a sandwich, salad or a cup of noodles, but he insists on making something a bit more substantial. I think he is secretly in love with his Blackstone grill and looks for an excuse to spend time with it whenever he can.