Tales from the O.C.: Fry Guys Rally '09

Today marked the beginning of yet another Robinson Family staple – the Fry Guys Rally in Combermere, on the outskirts of Algonquin Park. The rally takes place every Victoria Day long weekend and this year’s was its 21st edition. For the second year in a row we will be accompanied on our ride by Heather’s parents. Jim and Sandy made it to Waterloo on Thursday evening where they visited us during our soccer game (more on that in future posts) before heading to the Daily Grill for coffee with the Waterloo Wings. Heather and I joined them later for dinner at the same restaurant. We all went home after dinner where Heather and I still had to pack before Friday’s ride.

Friday morning started with the news of an ammonia leak in a factory located in a industrial area just across the street from our condo. Apparently, police had blocked off access to the area while crews were working with the issue at hand. To me, it sounded like another reason to get out of town. We loaded up the luggage and other necessary supplies and went to pick up the bikes which are continually being stored at my parents’ place. It took several minutes to get organized but by 9am we were on the road.

We took the usual way out of town when we travel east. That is through Fergus and Orangeville. Once there, we continued east on Hockley Road until we hit Highway 27, which is just west of Highway 400. We stopped on Highway 27 at a familiar place – Pete’s Donuts. There we filled up our tanks and stomachs. We wouldn’t need gas for at least another 200km.

In the parking lot of Pete's Donuts

As the day was approaching noon, we headed north on 27 until we hit 400. Once on 400, we stayed there a short while, then continued on 11 to Orillia. From Orillia, we found our way to Monck Road/503 for a stretch of about 65km. While Monck Road isn’t in the best condition in some spots, most of it is quite enjoyable. The route up to Norland, where Highway 35 intersects 503, was very similar to last year’s ride to VROC Meet in the Middle, which took place last August. Back then, we headed north on 35 to Minden, while today we continued on 503 to 118 and then to 28. From Pete’s Donuts, that was a solid 2.5 hours of non-stop riding, and on stock seats it wasn’t very comfortable at the tail-end of that stretch. Minutes after getting on 28, we stopped at Bow Lake for a second pit stop.

Filling up at Bow Lake

From there, it was only a short ride to Bancroft. After passing through Bancroft and its busy local traffic it was on to Highway 62 and finally Combermere. We arrived at Stevenson Lodge just after 3pm. We found out our cabin assignment and after little re-arranging, we all ended up very close to the main lodge, though in different cabins. Not long after settling in, Kim and Mike arrived with Jolene, who was ready for her first great outdoor experience. Sandy, Heather and I then piled in to Mike’s van and made the short drive to Barry’s Bay to pick up groceries for the weekend. Jim came along as well, but with seating in the van limited to three, he rode his Gold Wing. After getting back, we mingled at the lodge and enjoyed the traditional chili and hot dogs. Heather and I called it an early night while the party continued.