I slept in. My frigging alarm didn't go off. I've been thinking lately I've just been turning it off in my sleep but after a test it did not go off at all. Last night there was a lot of rustling in the bushes around my tent and something big pushed its way through the wooded area a few feet away at one point. Made sleeping a bit difficult at times. By the time I was up and gone it was 9:30am and my plans of making the 9am ferry were long ruined. The next ferry would be at 1:30pm and was about 65 km away so I had to hope the wind and hills wouldn't slow me too much today.
The road snaked around through flat lands, hills, and along rivers for many nice views I could only appreciate briefly. The winds weren't great but they didn't hinder me as badly as yesterday. I spotted a kids bike in a ditch that appeared to be in good condition so I dragged it onto the side of the road to be better seen by whoever may have lost it. Turned out a truck that had passed me a few moments prior was slowly cruising down the highway looking for that very bike. Not long after that I found $20 stuck in a bush, free ferry ride!
For the third time I ran into Henry at the top of a long hill having a break. I stopped with him for a bit before realizing I only had 1hr left and 20 km to get to the ferry so I bolted and pushed on and caught the ferry just as they were beginning to load cars on and ended up being the first one let on. Harry had made it on just before we left as well. For 2 hours I relaxed on the ferry while it sailed south on the massive lake. A few gulls lazily drifted along with the ferry and were fed cheezies by a few passengers. We passed a scenic lighthouse and it turns out yesterday was national lighthouse day (or something similar).
After arriving in Tobermory and riding another 30 km I sat at a corner store for a break and some food where Henry eventually stopped as well and we met for the last time today. I'm pretty sure he ended up camping in a visitor center I saw up the road but I pressed on in hopes of cutting down on the distance to Toronto. After 3 coffees and another 50 km or so I found myself in Weirton where it was quickly getting dark. I found a nice big field by the town hospital but as I was setting up my tent I noticed a couple sitting by a fire in their backyard not far off so I figured I'd better explain myself to ease any worries they'd have.
When I told them about my trip and what I was doing they invited me to pitch my tent in their backyard and join them around the fire for a few drinks. It turns out the couple was hosting a small party for a friends birthday. Eventually a few more people showed up and I had a great time talking with everyone and enjoying a few drinks and some cake. I was up later than I had planned but the price was certainly worth it. What a great time and awesome day!
