In one of my other posts (Orleans to Mont-Laurier and Back Again!), I mentioned that I had a spill on a dirt road. Part of the damage done during that fall was I scratched the right side of my windscreen (a full shield approx 24×24 in.). I decided to get a smaller windshield to replace the scratched one, so I went for a National Cycle Street Shield (which is a handlebar mount model – approx. 17×17 in, from above the headlight) to provide the wind protection but improve my vision and less wind resistance. As the bike I drive is rather small, I thought this would suit me better. AS Sunday (Sept.19th) was a great day for riding, I decided to give the new windshield a road test, so I suited up and headed for Merrickville.
I headed out of Orleans on Innes Blvd and turned South on Page Road and made my way over to Anderson Road. This road (Anderson) goes a long way south and I followed it all the way down to Mitch Owens. It’s a nice enough ride through mostly farm country – very open. At Manotick Station (at the General Store) I turned left onto Manotick Station Road and continued South. This is really nice road and with the good weather and bright sunshine, I was feeling really good. Manotick Station Road turns into Snake Island Road.
After crossing the river where you get a real nice view of the Hurst Marina, I hung a left at Rideau Valley Drive and went through Kars (this is a nice little town!) and continued South. The road runs right along the water so you get some really nice vistas to your left. On this day, there was a lot of water traffic so it was interesting to see all the boats going by. At the end of this road, I continued onto Dilworh Road, crossed over the 416 Hwy and then turned left at 4 Line Road. Continuing South on 4 Line Road, which turns into Donnely Road, I passed through Becketts Landing. I was following the river again, so you do get some views of the water, which is always nice.
At Burrits Rapids, I turned left onto Burrits Avenue. This is a really interesting little community, which sits on an island. You enter Burrits Rapids by crossing a bridge and you are on the main street of the town. It’s a pretty little place and the scenery from both bridges is spectacular. Take some time to stop and look at the vistas offered here. The most interesting thing about the town, is that the second bridge is only one lane wide, so you need to be careful when crossing. You may have to wait your turn to cross, depending on the traffic at that moment.
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After crossing the bridge, I turned right onto River Road and followed it right into Merrickville. I really like Merrickville. As it was lunchtime by now, the first thing I did was stop at the first Chip stand I came across called the Chip Witch and ate. They only serve fries and pogos at this little place, but they certainly do it right! The fries were crisp and tasty, and the Pogo was well cooked! Just the way I like ‘em! Merrickville always has a lot of tourists walking around shopping and has a real nice feel to it. The locks are a beautiful part of the downtown area, and always a pleasure to see.
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After doing the tour, I headed out of Merrickville and got onto Hwy 43 towards Kemptville. This is a bit of a more direct route than the one going to Merrickville, and I was moving along at a faster pace. I headed through Actons Corners and Kemptville, and continued on this road to Hallville. At Hallville, I turned left onto Hwy 1 which became Hwy. 25 and went up as far as Dalmeny Road (look for the stop sign with the flashing lights). I made a right onto Dalmeny Road and followed it over to Russel Road.
The ride from Merrickville was mostly past farming communities with a lot of wide open fields. I gotta tell you, that I was a bit surprised that the trees haven’t started to change colour yet. Days are getting shorter and the temperature has certainly cooled off, so I thought I’d see more colour than I did today. Still nice enough though!
I turned left onto Ch.St. Guillaume, crossed over the 417 where the road changed to Rockdale Road. At Russell Rd. I turned left, and went as far as Milton Road, where I turned right. I kept on this road till I hit Navan Rd, turned left and went over to Tenth Line. I turned right on Tenth Line and ended up back in Orleans.
All in all, a great ride on a spectacular day! Total ride time was approx. 3.5 hours. And how did the windshield do?
Well, much to my surprise, it provided really good wind protection for a shorter screen. I found the airflow went to the top of my head, but didn’t cause any undo strain on my neck. I did find that I had a few more bugs hitting my face, and my hands are more exposed, but it performed really well. The bike feels much more agile and less heavy and cumbersome. All in all, a fantastic windshield, and I like it much, much better than the full screen I had before.
That’s it for this ride. Till next time…
