Return to Canadia — OWN THE UNKNOWN

Despite traveling all over the world I have to admit that I have yet to see the majority of my own country. The most logical way to right this wrong was for us to hop on a plane back to Canada and see the country from the saddles of our trusty bicycles. The plan was simple, head East from Toronto until we ran out of land.

To say we were excited about returning to Canada is probably a bit of an understatement. For weeks before our departure from Peru our conversations constantly revolved around the meals we were most looking forward to eating. We also spent an unhealthy amount of time fantasizing about drinking fresh milk (not available in South America). We were not disappointed, from our favorite Tim Horton's staple, the bagel BELT, to delicious Asian food and Ty discovering the classic childhood favorite Tiger ice cream for the first time.

Upon our arrival to Toronto, South America had one more cruel prank to play on us before we could escape it clutches. After a long overnight flight we were completely exhausted and just needed our bikes to turn up. The baggage area was crazy as the Peruvian soccer team coming for the Panam games was on our flight. After a long time waiting for our bikes to turn up I went for a walk to the baggage claim counter and was stunned to see a member of the Peruvian soccer team wheeling our bikes out of the airport on a trolley. Heart pounding, I ran after him and grabbed the trolley. I still have no idea if they were trying to steal them, but we were ten seconds from our most important possessions disappearing. It took us a while to calm down from the shock of how close our trip became to being completely ruined. With that incident out of the way it was great to be back on Canadian soil and soon to be back on the bike.

Being so close to Niagara Falls meant an obligatory visit was required. We were able to catch a ride out to the falls with my Mom's friend Erin. She dropped us off early in the morning before heading to work for the day. Our early arrival ended up being a huge bonus as we had the falls almost completely to ourselves for a couple of hours before the massive crowds began to arrive.

Despite having seen thousands of pictures and videos of the falls it was still impressive to see them in person. I am not sure the same can be said for the bizarre tourist strip that accompanies the falls though...

Erin picked us back up at the end of the day and took us to an awesome pub in the pretty town of Niagara on the Lake. Over beer and burgers it finally sunk in that we were back in Canada.

We wandered around Toronto for a couple of afternoons in between visits to bike shops to replace my broken front racks and MEC to restock on much needed supplies.

It was finally time to ride and we were itching to hit the open road once again. Getting out of Toronto and the seemingly never ending sprawl of the metropolis turned out to be a breeze thanks to the Waterfront Trail which takes you on quiet suburb roads, bike paths, dirt trails and any other imaginable parth type along Lake Ontario. Despite annoying times when we had to do crazy loops through subdivisions it still beat riding on a busy highway.

Always a good day when you find an ice cream truck on your route

We quickly fell back into the rhythm of cycle touring. Pedalling, eating and finding a place to rest your head for the night. We drank in the amazing greenery that followed us everywhere from farm fields to the thick leafy trees. I was amazed by how beautiful each day continued to be as we progressed along the lake.

Lake Ontario was our constant companion and its hundreds of kilometers of shores provided the perfect back drop for many a rest stop, the occasional swim/laundry and after dinner walk.

After arriving in Kingston we headed north to Ottawa, our last city in Ontario. The beautiful landscapes continued as we passed never ending lakes and rivers.

We arrived in Ottawa for a few days of rest and sightseeing and were fortunate to have a place to stay with one of Ty's friends and his family. We wandered around town checking out parliament, the Rideau Canal, the markets and the History Museum. We also partook in a Sunday ride where major roads around the city are shut down to cars and become massive bicycle highways. It was fantastic.

After a few days off of the bikes we set off for our next adventure, crossing the Ottawa River and entering Quebec.