Day 55, Saturday, July 19, Massey (Chutes Prov. Park), 100 km

We woke to a heavy dew after a sleep filled with the sound of trucks going all through the night. It was cooler which made for pleasant cycling.
We had arranged to meet Brenda for coffee at Algoma Mills. Even though Blind River came first and seemed like a town filled with civic pride (tubs filled with petunias, a fountain in the river, and a large statue by the roadside) we bypassed it as a coffee place though some took advantage of the farmers' market. When we got to Algoma Mills we found that it was essentially a beer store and not much else.
We had followed a wide, slow-moving river earlier in the day and for lunch stopped at Serpent River which had a rapids and open water lilies....quite lovely. We later stopped for coffee and ice-cream in Spanish before reaching Massey.
Massey was a busy little town, full of participants in the following day's marathon (starting at 6 a.m.), half-marathon and 10 k run. We stayed at Chutes Provincial Park which is like a campsite should be.....we loved seeing the families on their holidays.
It was a sad afternoon for us though, as Serge and Stefan, after not finding any accommodation in town, had to go on to Espanola. We will miss their energy and enthusiasm and wish them a safe journey to the Toronto area.
Later in the evening Roland, a fellow cyclist on his own since Winnipeg, came over for a beer. He told us of the horror of the Trans-Canada west of Winnipeg and that he left it after Winnipeg. We were even more pleased with our choice of routes through Manitoba after hearing his story.