Day 59 - Stonecliffe, Ont. to Renfrew, Ont.

July 11, 2026 (Saturday) 

Start Time: 5:20 am 

Stop Time: 1:30 pm 

KM Travelled: 140.1 km 

Elevation: +754/ -762 m 

Special Stuff: Morning rides, Discernment, Good-bye Highway 17!

I’m on the road biking before my intended departure time. This is a really special day because it is the last stretch that I need to travel Highway 17 in Ontario. I’m excited to get it over and done with. 

I’ve said this before, and I will keep saying it, morning bike rides are glorious! It is quiet, the birds are chattering, there is mist rising off the lakes, the air is cool – and I feel my eye lashes damp with the morning dew. This morning I am greeted with a stunning sunrise. The colour of the sun makes me wonder if maybe there is a forest fire around somewhere. 

I’m about 45 km down the road – 21 km from where I will turn off Highway 17 and head towards Petawawa and Pembroke. I am riding on a shoulder that is the best that I’ve had in days – it’s an amazing ride - when I notice that up ahead of me a truck has pulled off the highway in my lane. The driver has gotten out of the truck and seems to be standing waiting for me (I am on the alert). As I get closer, I see the man driver looks to be wearing biking gear, and I see a mountain bike tire sticking out of the truck bed. I slow down and stop beside him (a bit annoyed that he has interrupted my biking buzz). Upon stopping, the fellow, without asking me anything about my journey, tells me about a great trail on the side of Highway 17 that has an entrance about 1 km down the road. I let him that I’ve heard about this trail, the Algonquin Trail, but am not excited to travel on trails. He assures me that my bike will handle it just fine – and that there is unlikely to be any bears (of course I asked). I thank him for the information, and he is on his way again.  

I take the unsolicited advice of a stranger (who does not ask anything about me or my journey) and use my discernment to continue along the route that I am currently on. I look over at the trail (that I can see from the highway) and notice that it is constantly going up and down - while I’m sailing down the highway at speeds of up to 35 km/ hour. I think I made the right choice given the current conditions (time of day, day of week, amount of traffic flow). It might be fun to ride that trail with a mountain bike, but with a fully loaded touring bike, it would have been a major set-back. If the conditions were different (e.g., later in the day, on a weekday and/or with heavy traffic flow of big rigs and RVs) I think the trail may have also been a welcome alternative. 

I turn off to Petawawa and say “Adiós” to Highway 17. From here to Gatineau it will be backroads and secondary highways. As I enter Petawawa, I realize why the city name sounds familiar! Petawawa is a major centre for military training. There are “No Trespassing” signs everywhere along the road entering town (these are the same signs that I saw posted along the Algonquin Trail back on the highway). Very interesting! I had thought the signs were along the Algonquin Trail to deter bike packers from wild camping on private property – I guess it was more of a case of preventing people from getting caught up in a military training exercises. 

Petawawa is a cute little town. I notice that the PETawawa Animal Hospital has done a great job to maximize the use of the city name. 

I skirt through Pembroke – Brian will be stopping in here later to do a bit of shopping. I notice two old church cemeteries across the road from each other – which side of the road you get buried in depends on which branch of Christianity a person adheres to. I've learned a bit about Union cemetaries that I've seen along the way ... apparently, everyone is welcome there.

I make a stop in Beachburg (great name for a little town) – which is having a fair – the small town looks to be overfull with guests who have come to enjoy the festivities. I munch down a pepperoni stick and an ice cream drumstick and buy some juice and butter tarts for the road. I see the ferris wheel off in the distance as I leave town – what great summer fun! 

My ride takes me on to enjoy more of the Ontario farmland and countryside. As approach the campsite I notice far in the distance a haziness - another indication that there may be a fire nearby. The air smells a tiny little bit like forest fire - but I could be imagining it (I am mindful of the possible effects of confirmation bias - which is a human tendency to look for evidence to prove our beliefs or theories).

Brian pulls past me just as I get near to the the Renfrew KOA campground. As we enter the campground, I see a very confusing flag flying from one of the camp sites. I’m not sure how to interpret it, but my gut is telling me this is politically motivated - and I'm 100% guessing, but I would suspect that the owners of the flag are Americans. I would have liked to have gone to learn more about this flag and what the owners intentions are with flying it, but I don't want to ruin my day. I’m surprised the campground allows it to be flown. 

Tomorrow I bike from Renfrew to Kanata – just outside of Ottawa. We are booked to stay in Kanata for 3 nights – as the temperatures are forecasted to hit 35 Celcius on Tuesday - but will then gradually get back to decent biking temperatures.

I will get an early start tomorrow and hopefully be complete my ride by 11:00 am.