Murphy’s Point Provincial Park

Recently Paul invited me on a bike trip with him and his friend Chuck to Murphy’s Point Provincial Park, which is southwest of Smiths Falls, about 100kms from my place. It was to be a two-day excursion; we headed out on a Tuesday, camped overnight and headed home the next day. We had fantastic weather, with a bonus tailwind for the ride home.

DAY 1

We departed Paul’s a little later than planned and headed to Carleton Place for lunch. After a short jaunt through neighbourhoods in Bell’s Corners, Paul realized he didn’t have his helmet on, but decided to press on. Full disclosure, as he had his black toque on due to the slight nip in the air, none of us noticed it. We were on The Great Trail (formerly the Trans Canada Trail) shortly afterwards. This section of the Great Trail is a former rail line which would take us through Stittsville, all the way to Carleton Place with minimal riding on roads. Within 5 minutes of being on the trail, a deer was spotted off in the distance. This was going to be a great ride.

Detour

After lunch we departed Carleton Place by way of another abandoned rail line, heading south to Black’s Corners.  Shortly after we left the rail line the road on which we were travelling was under construction, so Paul suggested a detour. Chuck was ok with it, but I was skeptical for two reasons: First, a detour on a bike can really take you off your course and put you behind schedule. Secondly, you just never know where one of Paul’s detours takes you. Paul suggested a “shortcut” in the Gatineau’s a couple of years ago which led us down a narrow mountain bike trail which was very steep and filled with rocks and tree roots. Paul’s wife Penny has her own stories about his detours.

The detour however turned out to be a good thing. Little traffic for the most part and it only added about 4kms to our trip. We arrived in Perth, got our beer (from Perth Brewery) and groceries and headed to Murphy’s Point. Only 20 kms to Murphy’s Point from Perth.

The Park…finally

We saw a couple of deer after Perth and a few wild turkey. When we arrived at the park around 7:00 pm we were losing daylight fast, and with the forest cover it was even darker when we arrived at our site. We set up our tents, had some awesome chili that Paul had made at home and the beer from Perth Brewery. We ate and sat around the picnic table discussing our trip. What a great evening.

DAY 2

Good morning sunshine

It was a cool, and early, morning rise and I could hear the wind howling in the trees. I checked my phone for the forecast, and it looked like the wind was going to be at our backs. Great news as there was a headwind for much of the yesterday’s ride. Paul was up first, then Chuck, so I figured I should get myself out of bed, although I love being in my sleeping bag and my tent on a cool morning. Oh well, coffee is awaiting.

After a huge breakfast of bacon and eggs, and of course more coffee, we packed up and were on our way by 10 am. The plan was to go to Matty O’Shea’s in Smiths Falls for lunch, then to North Gower for a beer and finally home.

The forecasted tailwind was wonderful, and the roads weren’t too busy but there was some traffic. Paul noted how effective my noodle, the one on my bike, not my shoulders, was at keeping traffic at bay. Traffic either gave us a wide berth or stayed behind if it was not safe to pass. If you are not sure to which noodle, I am referring, check out the picture above which shows Grover holding it.

We made it into Smiths Falls in decent time and stopped at Matty O’Shea’s for a terrific lunch. Paul had a burger and Chuck and I each had a sausage and sauerkraut on a bun. We introduced Chuck to deep fried dill pickles. Will definitely be heading back there soon.

More detours

We had to take a detour leaving Smiths Falls due to construction, but we found a great road with a wide shoulder and little traffic, it was perfect. In fact, the entire route to Ottawa was great with a wide shoulder and respectful traffic. Then we got to Ottawa.

When we arrived at Ottawa city limits there was a welcome to Ottawa sign which proudly brags about how bike friendly we are. However, we immediately lost our shoulder, the roads were terrible, and the traffic was heavy and rude. For example, one driver even drove an oncoming car onto the shoulder in order to pass us… crazy. Don’t get me wrong, I love cycling in Ottawa, we just found that sign and our situation ironic.

We took a slight detour, after much discussion, to get off the busy road. The tailwind continued to be very helpful and at certain points we were really making good time. Our original route had us going through North Gower and over to Paul’s place, however we opted for better and less busy roads and ended up going through Richmond, where we stopped for dinner at Danby’s Roadhouse. During dinner there was much discussion on which route to take home. We followed Paul’s suggested route on our final leg and it turned out to be good decision (I’m slowly getting more confident in Paul’s choice of routes).

Saying goodbye

We made it to Paul’s place just at dusk, and it was dark by the time I made it home. After saying goodbye to Chuck and Paul, I headed home taking my normal route from Paul’s, along the Ottawa River. Near Britannia Beach I noticed I was being followed rather closely by a couple of cyclists. It was a young couple who both had their lights run out of battery, so they asked if they could share my light until Tunney’s Pasture. I was happy to oblige, and we had a nice discussion for the last 10 kms of my ride. They told me of a cycle tour they had done in the UK last year and were very interested to hear I am going across Canada next year. They figured I must have been on my way home from some sort of trip based on my bike setup.

We parted ways when I got them to Tunney’s Pasture and I rode the rest of the way home, all 500 meters of it. For the last couple of kilometers I suspected the air in my front tire was low, and when I got home I realized my suspicions were correct. Thankfully I was in my garage and could put the repair off until the next day.

Thanks Chuck and Paul for a great trip. It was fun to have someone new with whom to cycle and cycling with Paul is always a great time.

Safe Ride

Bill