You can find posts about my 25 km from WTF adventures here
or visualize them on this map.
Needing to have triple cardiac bypass surgery was not originally in my plans for 2024/2025. But I did have the surgery in February 2025. From that point on, my focus has been recovery and rehab. I agreed to be part of a cardiac rehab study at Western University (DOSE-EX-CAD) which took from June to the end of September to complete. To celebrate, I wanted to do an overnight bikepacking trip somewhere nearby. A quick Internet search uncovered the Big Bend Conservation Area which was about 50 km away and had campsites available.
Day 1 – 50 km
With a new Nemo Dragonfly 1p bikepacking tent, I switched up my packing strategy, going with two rear panniers and hanging the tent from the handlebars:
Big Bend is almost directly west of home but the way the roads are laid out around here, I’d have to zig-zag northwest to southeast several times to reach it. I took the opportunity to cycle some roads (like Silver Clay Road) that I’ve not cycled before.
I stopped in Dutton for a drink and an energy bar and then crossed over the 401 via Coyle Road.
The area north of the 401 was typically southwestern Ontario farm country. There was a string of disused electrical power towers that crossed my route in several places.
Near the end of the route, I made a route planning error; River Road seemed to be a straight shot across to the CA but a section of the road had eroded badly. Rather than turning around, I chose to hike-a-bike my way up the cliff and continue.
I booked campsite 27 at the CA and it turned out to be a good choice. It was set away from the trailer campsites and it had a nice view west towards the beaver pond. The only downside was the constant dropping of walnuts from the trees: it made finding the right spot for the tent super important.
I set up my tent and then cooked some dinner. The light dropped pretty quickly as the sun set so I hopped in the tent around 8:30 PM.
Day 2 – 58 km
After a good 10 hour sleep, I was up in good time for a classic breakfast of instant oatmeal and coffee. Camp packed up quickly and I started for home. I headed north out of the CA and then west through Wardsville, before heading south and east towards West Lorne. A quick stop at the Time Horton’s there for a coffee was a nice break.
From there. the wind was pretty much in my face all of the way home so I made slow but steady progress and arrived home around 1 PM.
Summary
This overnight trip was just what I needed as a small celebration of all the work I’ve put in recovering from the health issues I’ve had the last couple of years.
Photography / Videography
All photos were taken with my iPhone 15 Pro Max and processed in Lightroom.
