Labour Day Weekend in Wiarton - Departure

It was yet another gloomy morning in Wiarton.  It got somewhat worse even before we left as a slight mis-communication left Heather and I riding alone a few minutes behind the Waterloo Wings.

It didn`t get better as some 30 minutes into the ride it started to rain.  We stopped for a couple of minutes to put our rainsuits on but Heather didn`t feel like doing it since she was already in a sour mood.  The communication between the two of us is definitely something we need to continue working on.

We found the group at Redwood Restaurant just outside of Clifford.  That stop gave us a chance to warm up and get in better spirits before the final stretch to Woodstock.

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Labour Day Weekend in Wiarton - Day 3

Unlike yesterday, today was a wet morning.  It rained throughout most of the night and only started letting up as we were waking up.

Under overcast skies we went on another ride today but without Heather, Sandy and Lynne who chose to stay back at the campground.  Today Al took us to some of the waterfalls that are sprinkled throughout Bruce and Grey counties.  But before we got to the first waterfall we made a quick stop at the Kemble Women`s Institute Overlook.

Kemble Women`s Institute Overlook

After that we stopped at Inglis Falls where the admission fee was $3.  While most of the waterfalls don`t charge admission fees, they are all worth the price.  From Inglis Falls we rode to Kettles Restaurant where we had another excellent lunch.

Inglis Falls

The tour continued with a stop at Walter`s Falls located next to the Falls Inn and Spa which today was hosting a wedding.  It was there that we again saw a few raindrops.

Falls Inn and Spa

Thanks to Lynne we enjoyed a tasty supper of sloppy joes.


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Labour Day Weekend in Wiarton - Day 2

It was a sunny morning in Wiarton.  Heather and I took a stroll through the grounds stopping at the office as well as the statue of Wiarton Willie.  Today`s plan called for a leisurely ride through Bruce Peninsula.

Heather with Wiarton Willie

Following Al, the group rode mostly along the coast with a couple of scenic pit stops including Hope Bay Campground, Little Lake and a marina in Lion`s Head.

At Hope Bay Campground

For lunch we stopped at the Tamarac Island Resort Inn.  As we were eating, it started raining.  We all got into our rainsuits but it stopped raining as we left Tamarac Inn on our way back to the campground.

During lunch at Tamarac Island Resort Inn

The evening plan consisted of a trip to Tobermory where the group has dinner reservations on the Chi-Cheemaun.  Since it`d be a late night we all packed into two cars and left Wiarton around 6:30.

MS Chi-Cheemaun

We boarded the ferry at 8pm with service to South Baymouth on Manitoulin Island.  While on the ferry, we enjoyed the dinner with dessert and an amazing heat lightning show.

Dinner time!

It was nearly 1 in the morning by the time we got back to Wiarton.


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Labour Day Weekend in Wiarton - Arrival

Since Cyclefest ceased to exist after the 2010 edition, there was now a void in our schedule that hadn't been there before.  But the Waterloo Wings still wanted to continue the tradition of camping but without all the work of organizing a rally.  Their plan this year was to spend the weekend in Wiarton.

However, it seems that once not in their own backyard, only the hardcore members of the Waterloo Wings made to Wiarton.  Those included Kevin & Maysey, Doug, Todd & Wendy, Peter & Lynne and Heather's parents, Jim & Sandy.  Al & Marion who live just north of Wiarton also took part and even hosted Friday's welcome BBQ.

Heather and I still worked on Friday but only for a portion of the day and we were rolling in the early afternoon.  Taking the back roads, we moved very well and arrived at the campsite around 5pm.  Once checked in and set up we rode for the BBQ to enjoy the company and made our way back to the campground under the cover of darkness.

The crowd at Friday's BBQ

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