Saturday and Sunday June 16,17

Saturday was supposed to be sunny and hot, but when we got up, it was sort of coolish and cloudy.  We spent a leisurley morning, assembling gear and gadgets to the bikes, packing gear etc.  Finally at noon we were ready to set off with bicycles fully adorned with our gear.  Each of us toting two panniers and about 25  pounds of gear each.  The hardest part was getting on the bikes!!  We headed over to the peninsula enroute for the Washdamoek Lake, MacDonald's point to be exact, to set up camp and use all the equipment etc that we will be using on the upcoming trip.   By the time I got to the Kingston Market,  only 10 km away, I was starving so we had to stop for a bite to eat.  I found a waffle with fresh fruit to hit the spot.  Bob found a Vietnemese vendor with some concoction of beef on a stick.  I decided at that point that I didn't want ride behind him....  We headed off and at Erb's Cove we ran into Margret who was heading off in her boat with a few friends.  Because we started the ride later in the day, it seemed to be a long ride.. and we eventually arrived at Bev and Peter's around 4.  I was starving and Bev (aka Martha Stewart) had made fresh bread earlier in the morning!!  Imagine, on vacation, at your cottage and baking bread!!  She had her son, daughter and there blended families visiting.  She went from being a grandma of one, to inheriting 5 other grand children this past year. There were 4 girls aged 9,7,and two who are 5, and a boy who was celebrating his 6th birtday.  They were great kids, lots of energy and ran and raced, but got along very well with each other.  No fights at all!!! Bob and I set up the tent, put away our gear and got organized on how things will be during the trip.
 Bev had made a humungous spaghetti and caesar salad.  How yummy.  Then there was chocolate cake for dessert.  I ate so much that I had to lie down for a nap.  Missed out on dish clean up.  How convenient!!~ (;-0  We had campfire, fireworks and lots of fun.  The kids settled down in their tent around 10:30 and Bob and I were in a tent beside them and bedded down not long after.   Around 5 this mornng, I could hear someone singing "Happy Birthday" to himself.  It was Connor.  He had woken up the other 3 girls and they were chattering up a storm.  Grammy Bev hollered out for them to be quiet  to no luck.  She tried again a few minutes later, still to no luck.  Finally she came and took Connor to his parent's trailor and her son and his partner who were sleeping on the beach were sent back to the tent to settle the girls down.  Everyone went back to bed until 8 in the morning.
As for our gear, everything worked out sooooo well.   The tent is spacious for us and our gear.  I have a large VIA Rail bag that the bikes fit inside, the cookstove worked great as I made porridge this morning.  It takes a few minutes to pack up the stuff, as we have to be organized, but it works (;-0   We headed for home around 1.  The ride today seemed effortless and pleasant.  Bob took me on a  "shortcut" or so he thought, through Kars.  All was well until we came to "Grave hill road".....  and the grave doesn't mean graveyard.  It was a tad steep and at one point I felt that I was going to roll backwards down.  Thanks Bob.   The only other problem of the day was when I blew my back tire getting off the Belleisle Ferry.  Of course you have to unload all the panniers and gear to fix it.  It actually blew the tire and tube right off!!  There is a 12f rip in the old tube.  Thank God it didn't happen going down one of the steep hills that we were booting down.
We are home, fed, gear put away and heading off to campfire.  Hopefull space station will be visible.  As for the weekend, it was ace.  I am not getting more excited for the upcoming adventure.