Ok... for the kidos, one more ride on the heels of the Erie trip; 11th day in a row for riding. 28 Miles on the old familiar rail trail out of Prickets Fort, Fairmont, WV. I'm done. Massage scheduled for 7pm.
A short ride to the lighthouse before we go. About 8 miles round trip. I left the cottage before anyone woke, about 40 minutes before sunrise at 7:11am. Some of the best pictures are before the sunrise! There were so many insects in the nearby swamp that there was a constant hum; it was a bit concerning. Luckily they did not have a taste for me. No bites, but I did have to brush them out of my face a few times.
The light house is no longer in use, though there is a local movement to get it working again and keep is restored. Built in the 1800's. They just finished replacing the timber supports on the exterior. A lot more pictures to come on My Facebook page.
On Pelee Island all day today, time to explore. Up early for the Sunrise! It will be directly in front of the beach cottage which I'm told has a name with Sunrise in it. Awesome sunrise! The best! Tom asked if the cottage had a name like many others around the island. I believe it had a name with sunrise in it... Sunrise Solace would be fitting.
After a great breakfast, thanks Mike. We kayaked north toward the next point on the island. He'd seen bald eagles there more than once. The lake was very calm today. There were some buzzards out on the way out, but on the way back I took a closer look. They didn't look like buzzards. Instead, I found two juvenile bald eagles, see the pictures. One flew off as I approached, didn't want anything to do with me. The other however had the catch of the day and wasn't about to leave it for me. He was wary, but more hungry. I sat a while an took lot of pictures and a few videos. Got with in 40-50 ft. It takes a bald eagle 5 years to loose all the juvenile plumage and get it's full bald head and black body.
I had planned for weeks to bike the perimeter of the Island. More miles for the month's ride goal to the Children's Cancer Research fund. I was figuring it being 17.
I rode north to the inland Lake Henry wetlands (swamp) and the lighthouse walk trail, but I wasn't walking today. I save the lighthouse. On to Skudder (north) marina and the co-op, the only place to buy food on the island. The freezer section was a couple household upright freezers. If you want something special... you best plan a day and catch the ferry north to Kingsville/Leamington to go shopping.
On past the small schoolhouse grades 1-8 I think. Highschoolers have to take the ferry to the mainland daily! On past the Dog & Goat Restaurant and then stopped by the 'Stoneman' sculpture. A stack of stones in the likeness of a person also called a inuksuk. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inuksuk) Ancient Canadian tribes made them to guides the way and show they were there, the way was clear or safe. There's also one on the cover of Rush's Test for Echo album, and a big one in the front yard of a house in Leamington yesterday. (see pic)
Onward heading south now to the hub of the island at the dock. Stopped buy a farm having a open house for some crop sales; stopped in a local made art gallery; past the dock and customs for the ferry. The medical facility is here, at least I saw a sign for it... the town hall/heritage center... the Westview Tavern where we ate, had a beer, yesterday once we got off the ferry. The LCBO Liquor Shop, golf bike and golf cart rentals and the Stone House restaurant and bar. Time for a beer. Cool old stone house remodeled into a nice restaurant and bar. Lots of history here. A beer later and on the road again, stop by another shop and then into the Pelle Island Winery. Try a taster's flight! All good really. They unfortunately didn't have the Monarch in stock, only at the mainland winery. They don't make the wine on the island. They would use too much electricity and overload the power grid here; it's a very old underwater power supply. Finally caught up with some Monarch butterflies here. It's migration time for the Monarch on their way to Mexico and Pellee Island is on the main route. I saw dozens on the mainland all week as we headed here. Back to the road... don't tell anyone but I might of been almost BUI.
A lot of dirt road from here. Past the southern point walk trails, past homes and farms I made my way back to the cottage. I got 22 miles out of it as I explored.
We all drove out to the Dog and Goat for dinner. Fish tacos and a beer for me. Busy place. Poor girl worked her rear off serving all the late crowd. The dog's name there... Goat. Cat's on the porch.
Bed time came early. I was up early, and plan to be up again. I want to see the old lighthouse at sunrise.
Lakeside Village Campground and Motel
GPS: 42.1380, -82.3606 (Because it's not easy to find)
Last day on mainland Ontario. I woke early as usual and walked to the lake for a sunrise. Unfortunately it was too far around the point to see it there. Still a good picture. The lake was so calm. Pelee Point on the SW horizon.
Packed and prepped for the day's ride. 26 miles to the Pelee ferry in Kingsville.
Dave, the motel manager and food truck cook was true to his word and was up and making breakfast in the food truck by 8am. Eggs to order, toast, coffee, 2 Canadian bacon slabs (ham steaks), home fries and cantaloupe. Best breakfast of the week! Well the eggs Benedict on day 2 were good too... at least an equal. Ok better, Dave only charges us $10 US.
Ride on... past the cornfields the road moved into residential areas and then into Leamington, ON. Home to a large canning plant. The bread crumb trail of tomatoes ended here. I guess it was the largest Heinz 57 plant for a while. It's now under a different name, but the old smoke stack still has Heinz in the brickwork.
Looking at the aerial photo of the area you can see all the massive green houses. On through town, another detour, reroute and made our way to the final town of Kingsville, ON for the Pelee ferry. We were to take the 2pm ferry but made it in time for the noon ferry.
But wait... I had plans to see one thing before left Kingsville. Only 1/2 mile away from the ferry. Being a RUSH fan, I had to see.... Lakeside Park! THE Lakeside Park? Doubtful, but.... a good picture.
A 1-2 hr ferry ride to Pelee Island. First stop... lunch and a beer(s). The Canadian can make a good beer. I particularly liked the triple IPA Dave had by the Flying Monkey Brewery yesterday.
Onward to the cottage on the other side of the island. Only 5-6 miles more. Past the vineyards, and more corn we make it to the Fortney Cottage on the east shore.
Clean up the yard, drag out the beach stuff, prep for the rest to arrive. Dive in for a swim!
Campfire on the patio, dinner & wine, the best of time.
"Lakeside Park, willows in the breeze....
....Though it's just a memory, some memories last forever"
Shorter day today. The weather's been warming nicely all week. On the road by 8:30. Breakfast as Chrissy's in Morpeth. Great b-fast meat lovers wrap. A bit of a detour today to avoid the gravel roads. Easier to pedal on the pavement. Mike is dragging arse with his cold. (he most likely caught from me). Flat ride again. Corn and wind turbines. Tomatoes too. Heinz Plant a day ahead. A bread crumb trail of tomatoes along the road shoulder as they fall off the trucks.
Another detour; a bridge is out. The detour was the most dusty road of the ride. 3 miles of loose dusty gravel and the traffic obviously misses pavement, as they did not slow down much. At the end of that road where the pavement started again, was a greenhouse over a mile and quarter long! They grown 365 days a year here. One more mile to the Lakeview Village Motel and Trailer Park. Another vintage establishment, but taken care of with some upgrades.
Dave was the manager and also ran the food truck out front. The cooler did not have beer in it. Though when I asked if he sold beer he said "I don't but... I do" and pulled out a cardboard box from the back cooler. He didn't take credit card, only Canadian dollars. With the disappointed look on my face and did a quick exchange rate in his head and $4 US worked fine. Beers for all!
The wifi was broke and the window didn't close, but the bathroom was remodeled nicely. AND we finally went for a swim in the lake and this place had lake frontage through the campground. At least it was a warm day, the water definitely cooled us off. No phone in the room, but who uses them anyway... 5G.
Corn...soybeans...corn...wind turbine...corn...soybeans... oh look wind turbine! Peaceful. Road closed! Detour... no.... walk through it; Dump the dirt out of my sandals. Low traffic. Straight roads... flat. NO hills; I did today's hill yesterday. Less miles today, only 38 I think. Air B&B in a basement of a newer house... surrounded by corn. Nice though, well done AND we had a washer & dryer! Never have I looked forward to doing laundry. Pizza night... at least they deliver this far out.
Erie Ride Day 4!
Brisk morning! But better then yesterdays 48F. We strike out again about 9am. All these port towns are on the lake of course, and the rest of the ride is up on a plateau So we start the morning off with a hill climb. My legs are starting to hurt in places they don't normally hurt. Obviously the quads are used more to climb hills. We ended yesterday climbing a few hills, today I pay.
More fields and small towns... lot of fields!
We ride down a large hill to Port Bruce, after looking at the uphill to get back out of town, we go to the beach and find lunch. Two scoops of chocolate peanut butter ice cream. Fuel. Awesome beach there on a peninsula. Small pebbles like skipping stones instead of all sand here. Time for that hill...
Up the hill... biggest hill yet. Another mile out I realize I forgot my new riding gloves. &%^$! Back to the lunch shop. The other went on. After retrieving the gloves and climbing that hill again the road was at least flat and straight for another 10 miles before the night's stop. I never stopped once trying to catch up. Caught them just as they entered town. First stop... Port Stanley Brewery. I'll have double the Double IPA please.
Nice room, in a motel. Glad we got there when we did since they close at 6pm! The busy season is done after Labor day for all these towns. A lot of shop close for the winter. Very nice lakeside towns.
Erie Ride - Day 3
Let me back up an try to catch up. IT's actually day 5 but where does the time go after you ride all day, get in a room, shower, eat (hopefully with a drink) then Zzzz.
Anyhow... Day 2...No Day 3. Days are blurring since it's actually day 5.
Day 3... We rose and rode from the fabulous cinder block constructed vintage motel in Dunnville to the local breakfast joint in downtown called the Sunny Side Up. Excellent breakfast. Onward toward Turkey Point. Urban areas are behind us as we head through fields of corn and soybean farms. One small community after another. They like there wind mills here and solar.
Flat straight roads finally give way to a few hills, though y then I could have done without. At lunch we find out from the AB&B host that the house we have does not have towels, pillows, linins, blankets etc.! We do not have those on bicycles!
Luckily the hostess and owner at the Tipsey Pirate Bar and Grill offered to drive some over to us after they close. Blood moon rising over the lake was awesome, wish I had caught it 10 minutes earlier and remembered to turn on night mode for the pictures.
Day 2... Left Welland, ON on our 40+ mi ride to Dunnville, ON. Road by the old Welland canal to a late breakfast, delicious too. Then road by road to the lake. HAPPY BIRTHDAY MIKE FORTNEY! The second nights accommodations were not as good as the first. Take what you get, but the sunset was awesome.
Up at 3:45 am at cousin Mike's near Medina, OH. His gacious wife Nancie, also up, to drive us and gear to the Cleveland Amtrack railroad station. 2 hrs train ride to Buffalo, NY. About a 10 mile ride through an area I didn't want to stop, on to the Peace Bridge into Canada. They let me in! Lunch and the road and bike trail to Niagra Falls. Short stay really, miles to go yet. Bike malfunction. Fixed for now. On to Welland, AB&B staying a nice new house in a Subdivision. Had to cross the Welland canal via a free pontoon boat ferry since the old bridge was long gone. Head winds well rough. Walk to a good dinner then Uber back to bed. More picture on my Facebook page.
