Cottages, families and popsicles

Hello from the national capital! After 2 months, about 6000km, five provinces, hundreds of peanut butter sandwiches and numerous flat tires, we have reached the heartbeat of this vast country. And it feels damn good.

It's been a while since I've last written, so here's a brief summary of our time since we left the Soo:

After a few days of riding through repetitive small towns and Native reserves, we reached Manitoulin Island, a highly anticipated portion of our trip. We were not overly impressed with it, or the Bruce Penninsula that followed. It was a reminder that nothing much can change when you spend all day on the highway. As we approached Ontario cottage country, the landscape became crowded with money, bustling summer towns, SUVs, and people, mainly Torontonians. We hadn't been amongst this much homo sapien life since Winnipeg, and it was a bit unnerving. We made our way through the cottaging chaos to Orillia, where we spent a day with my family, and then onto Steph's cottage near Bracebridge, where we spent two days with Rob, Brad and Steph's. It was a refreshing hiatus to the trip, and a reminder of how much family matters.

We were spoiled with love over those few days, as we crossed the part of Canada closest to home. As Rob pointed out, the entire trip up to then had been progressing us towards our families, and from now on we move away. It was wonderful to see familiar faces, and share stories, food and wine. But by the end of it, I found myself yearning to be back on the bike again. I found this odd. Shouldn't I be utterly sick of my bike by now, ready to toss it on the car and head home? I reached the inevitable conclusion that I have acquired an addiction, of sorts, to biking. My body has become so used to biking every day, that like all addications, something just doesn't feel right when I go a few days without it. I am beginning to worry about what will happen in September, when biking every day no longer becomes necessary. It will be an adjustment, like culture shock.

We are nearing the end of Ontario, and looking forward to the provinces that await us. I am eager to test out my (lack of) French, and to explore the eastern provinces rich culture, seafood and, of course, highways. After nearly a month in Ontario, I can say that I love this province, but have definitely had enough of it. As I gaze across the Ottawa River to Quebec, I look forward to change. As we ride into the future with each kilometer, our entire lives await us. Rob says he's getting bored; he's ready to get on with life. But this is our life right now, and love it or hate it, it is what it is.

From Ottawa, a sincere farewell. To those reading this, thankyou for continuing to support our journey. We've only about a third left to go, and are still going strong!