The Log Drivers Waltz
www.logdriverswaltz.ca "Pure Gravel Gold with a Five Day Goal" ridewithgps.com/routes/36762908 Quote of the trip…. “Evvvvry THING is FARTHER than you think!!!” ~Matt Kadey Day 1 – “Looking for a place to happen, making stops along the way…” Distance: 182km - Almonte to Silvana Lodge Elevation: 1850m Stay: Silvana Lodge camping spot Avg Speed 19km/hr Ride Time: 9:32 Re-Supply and Water: Lanark / Sharbot lake / Cheese Factory Stop Notes: The first day of this ride the goal was 200km to Lavant Station and I am glad I fell short of it. The riding is absolutely beautiful and the elevation is rolling and doable but the distance will start to weigh on you after about 8 hrs. The first real re-supply is at Lanark at about 80km. There is a small grocery place there that I passed over for a sub at the local pizza joint..... Go to the grocery... Across the street in the library there is a nice, clean and - obviously - quiet public bathroom. Fuel and go - awesome! Next stop was Sharbot Lake around 130km - where there is a great little coffee shop. Depending on the day - it can have some weird hours where it closes early so plan ahead. Hit the trail out of town and take a selfie at the train display for fun and head to the Cheese Factory Beck Forty Artisan Cheese) at around 160km. It was VERY tempting to stay here but I had a hunch I should make headway while I could so I pressed on! Around 180km - Silvana Lodge located just off the course to your right is located. Some of the trail notes mentioned there was wild camping near the lake but, if there was, I couldn't find it. I wandered in and asked if they had any camping spots and they offered me one. It was a little steep at $40 but it was getting dark and I was hungry. THIS was the best part. There is a restaurant there that had the MOST amazing "Chinese" food and they were VERY hospitable to me. The reason I was so glad I stopped short is because - from the 180km point - the distance to any other resupply place was SIGNIFICANT and all the Crown Land Camping spots were taken up! BONUS decision for me. I would do this again! Day 2 – “New Orleans is sinking and I don’t wanna swim….” Distance: Silvana Lodge to Renfrew - 150km ! Elevation: 2050m Stay: Days Inn Avg Speed: 17.2km/hr Ride Time: 8:42 Resupply / Water: Calabogie - IMPORTANT - From Silvana Lodge to Calabogie (92km) - there is basically NOTHING - at least not that we saw - in the way of services. In fact - we rode what I think is the most beautiful and remote 80km on gravel - I have ever ridden! Load up on water at Silvana Lodge. Although you can get to lakes closer to Lavant Station to filter water - if it hadn't been POURING with rain - this would have been one DRY stretch. At Calabogie - there is an awesome bar to have lunch in ( The Redneck Bistro) and great places to put your bikes while you eat. I'm not gonna lie - the weather was a drain - so by the time we got to Renfrew - even the most hardcore of us were reaching for the credit cards to book rooms at the Days Inn. Renfrew has all sorts of places to eat and get supplies. Day 3 – “Jacques Cartier, right this way…” Distance: Renfrew to Low - 180km Elevation: 1722m Stay: Creepy Picnic Stop off HWY (wildcamp) Avg Speed: 18.3km/hr Ride Time: 9:42 Resupply / Notes: One of my fave sections for some reason. As you cross into Quebec - it seems like there are MORE places to resupply and get water. Starting with Portage du Fort - variety store and water. Shortly after that you roll into Shawville at about 60km and right at the main street there is an aweome café ( Café 349) and a grocery just down the street (Joanne’s Value Mart) Save some of your appetite though for the AMAZING SANDWICHES at Campbells Bay at the little variety store. It is hidden away on Rue Leslie ( SAQ Agence-Epicerie Kluke) Just after Matt bought one of those pre-wrapped sandwiches like you get from a vending machine – I noticed a HUGE sign at the back DELI – ha ha… blame it on Riders Haze – but don’t miss the home made sandwiches! The are - Awesome!! After that there wasn't much until Low - and even then just a variety store. Ladysmith and Danford lake are two good ones. We wild camped at a truck stop outside of town that had these little pavilions over picnic tables. It was last resort but was ok. Day 4 – “It’s a good life if you don’t weaken…” Distance : 160km Elevation: 1751m Stay: Lac Phillipe Campground Avg Speed: 17.5 km/hr Ride Time: 9:31 Resupply / Notes: This day was probably the best for re-supply. Gracefield is at 40km, Lac St. Marie is at 70, STOP here for stuff – climb day starts here! The riding is brilliant with a rest stop lunch stop – in our case RAIN avoidance at about 106km. After that you are on your own until about Wakefield where you can get supplies, see the cool covered bridge and have lunch as well. We stayed at Lac Phillipe Campground. There was ample space – I booked ahead but I don’t really think we needed to based on the population of the park. Day 5 - “I feel I’ve stepped out of the wilderness all squint-eyed and confused…” Distance: 156km Elevation 1447m Average Speed: 17.4 Ride time 8:59 Re-supply / Notes: Can we call this the “easiest day?” GIVE yourself extra time on day 4 and 5 for navigating and enjoying Gatinueau Park! Jen has it on her route notes and she is spot on. To add to the fun – I actually got lost leaving Lac Phillipe - and did a HUGE loop around….yep…just like on Gilligans Island…to ….. where I started the day!! Onward from there Gatineau Park, is of course, wonderful, but on a fully loaded rig, it can be slow going and even….sorry…tedious at times. Before you know it, however, you are on the bridge from Hull snapping shots and feeling touristy. There are numerous places to get food and water in Ottawa and an impressive series of bike lanes and paths to navigate the city. From there is pretty much a straight shot into Almonte with a hard right at Carleton Place. I stopped in Stittsville for a double shot at Ritual On Main for a stiff coffee and was off to Almonte. Overall Notes / Reflections: This route was amazing! The fact that it is named after a slice of Canadiana only serves to make it more charming if not deceptively mundane sounding! Alas, it is anything but! I think it is the Upanishads that state “the sharpe edge of a razor is difficult to pass over” – well, let me tell you, the slippery side of a floating log ain’t much easier - and THAT my friends is where the similarities of this ride and THAT song really resonate with me. The nature of the route, the scenery, the variety – keeps a rider off balance, just enough to keep things flowing most, if not all of the ride! The route is impressive in the sheer quantity of remote gravel, not to mention the scenery and winding nature of the roads. The climbing is actually ever present and the single track portion through Gatineau Park comes to the party late but punches the dance card in all the right places. Four days would have been tough on this route for me to enjoy and appreciate the essence of the ride and the effort put into designing it, given our weather, in my opinion only. This ride could have easily lapsed into a 6 day ride IF it had rained any more. (3 of the 5 were ridiculous) And we were all pretty happy with 5. I will do it again #1 because it was awesome and #2 I really do think we missed a lot of really cool scenery on day 2 and 3 due to the volume of the rain. Thanks to Eric and Jen for creating such a great ride!! Tailwinds! John
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AuthorJohn Swarbrick is an adventure gravel rider, bikepacker , carpenter and teacher in Waterloo, Canada ArchivesCategories |