A shortened Southern Ontario to the Allegany/Adirondacks mountains in New York State. It's about 300kms to get there, then looping back to a central base means I can ride light without luggage during the stay there.
That's 1753kms over five days. The nice thing about the loops is they are just an outline. If I don't feel like a high mileage day on any of them, I can cut corners and shorten the loop.
Thanksgiving Monday was warm, sunny and a perfect Fall ride. I tried to connect two previous rides, but failed because it was a holiday weekend and the city had leaked out all over my quiet, country roads.
Just after lunch I headed north east to Horning's Mills and River Road, a favourite of mine. The roads were clear and I had an enjoyable time getting off the middle of the tire, something I don't get to do as much as I'd like in southern Ontario.
Coming halfway back down River Road, I turned south to the top of Highway 10 and worked my way south in traffic to Mono Cliffs, where I road through the ridiculously crowded Mono Centre (lots of GTA cars trying to park at the park entrance) before cutting south on Airport Road and enjoying a clear run up Hockley Valley Road.
Things started to go really sideways in Orangeville. I should have taken the hint and just headed home. South on 10 turned into a parking lot at the lights on the highway, so I turned around and worked my way through town and down past Alton before heading south on Mississauga Road to Belfountain, where I hoped to grab a coffee and bike-watch.
It wasn't to be. Traffic was backed up all the way in to Belfountain, and then it started to back up heading onto the Forks of the Credit as a clan of about thirty Indians (of the eastern variety) started to walk in a large clump down the middle of the road, enjoying the fall colours in equally colourful saris.
At this point I u-turned, abandoned any ideas about trying to access the Forks or Belfountain and headed home, tragically, without coffee.
It was a beautiful ride and reminded me of one very important fact: whatever you do, do not go any where near Caledon when Fall colours are on display!
River Road and then a diagonal cut up to Noisy River would have landed me in Creemore (safely out of reach of most day trippers from the GTA) for a nice coffee before the ride home. Now I know.
Here are the colours!
I'm all about the bike, but if you're going to take a car, a freakin' 427 Cobra would be the one!
The ride through Horning's Mills & River Road
The mile eater! I sometimes forget I'm on a Concours and find myself dropping a knee !
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