Day 42

Day 42 was a relatively easy day from Brantford to Niagara Falls.  I was excited to get done, partly because tomorrow is a rest day, mostly because Kim is meeting me in Niagara Falls. Again, we were in the middle of two rain systems, but we biked in cool cloudy weather and made good time. The first picture is of a brick mansion next to the road.  What was unusual is that the house was not unusual, but common.  Today and yesterday we saw huge brick mansions alongside the road, one after another.  About 15 miles from Niagara Falls the terrain changed and was very wooded with houses interspaced.  It felt like riding in a vail.  The second picture reflects that part of the ride. 

Riding into the Canadian side of Niagara Falls at noon on Sunday was congested to say the least.  I found some other riders on the walkway and took some pictures of the falls, myself and other riders.  The whole walkway was full of people and we heard many different languages.  Niagara Falls is the result of glaciers retreating about 50,000 years ago creating a lake which gradually uplifted creating the Falls about 12,000 years ago.  The original Falls were about 7 miles north, but over thousands of years have moved due to erosion.   I knew they were beautiful, but they were more majestic than I anticipated.  Though Native Americans have lived here for thousands of years, I am sure the early white explorers were amazed at the first sight and hearing the Falls.

Five of us went over in a group.  We had to be in the car lane as bicyclists are not allowed on the sidewalks.  We were all wearing our ABBike jerseys and it was slow going across the bridge into the US.  For that reason lots of passengers in cars asked us about our tour and wished us the best.  Most could not believe we were biking across America, so do we.  The next picture is Jeff and Julie behind me in line.  When we finally got to customs, we all resisted the urge to be funny. 

The last pictures are Gary, Jeff and me under the New York sign.  About the same time we got to the hotel, Kim arrived and it was great to see her.  We plan to hang out tomorrow and then hit the road again on Tuesday. 

Day 41

As biking days go, on a scale from one to ten, today from  London to Brantford, Ontario was a twelve.  Sunny, not a cloud in the sky, warm but not hot, not humid and a slight tailwind most of the way. It was a great day to be on a bike.  It was “only” 68 miles so by tour standards was a short day.  We did not leave until 8:30.  I needed the late start as was tired after yesterday and was able to sleep in a little.

We were on local roads going through farm land and farmsteads.  Like the states we just went through it was very green all over, especially after the recent rains.  One thing at which I have been surprised is the number of farmsteads.  Unlike the western US where ranches were far and few between, here there are lots of rural homes.  Some were obviously big farming options while with many it was difficult to know if active farming or just lived in a rural setting.  Since entering Canada there have been lots of small towns through we have biked. Close to Branford there were huge brick mansions alongside the road. The first picture is a rest stop in a small town and the second a corn field in the distance surrounded by trees. 

Many riders stopped at small fruit and vegetable stands alongside the road at the 50 mile mark.  They were selling fruit and vegetables grown locally plus pies and other baked goods.  Some riders bought a pie to be taken to the hotel in the sag wagon.  I thought about it, but was pretty sure I would eat the whole thing so opted to buy a basket of blueberries on which I have been snacking all afternoon. 

Brantford is the birthplace of Wayne Gretzky and one of main highways is named after it.  It also is the birthplace of Jay Silverheels who people my age and trivia experts would remember as Tonto on the series “The Lone Ranger.”  The longest living Canadian died here, Andrew Lucas, who lived 125 years.  He was born a slave and was owned by Stonewall Jackson of Civil War fame and died a free man in Brantford.  Though the information I read did not state if Lucas was one of the slaves smuggled out of the South before and during the Civil War via the Underground Railroad ending up as free men and women in Canada.  Canada is a great country and this part of their history is one of the reasons why.  Finally, Brantford was the home of the parents of Alexander Graham Bell and along with New York City where Bell lived, claims to be the birthplace of the telephone as he worked on it here. 

Tomorrow we bike back to the US crossing the border at Niagara Falls.  Kim is flying in to Buffalo and then after renting a car will drive to Niagara Falls.  Weather looks good so far. 

Day 40

We caught another break with the weather.  Today we went from Port Huron, MI, over the Port Huron bridge into Canada ultimately ending at London, Ontario, about 82 miles.  Because of the bridge crossing and going through customs, we had a very structured start which was a little stressful.  We had to load by 6:45 and at 6:55 (keep in mind Mike, the tour leader is a retired officer in the Air Force  so times are precise), we left for the road to go across the bridge as a group. The bridge is a suspension bridge and we had to be very careful going over the joined parts as a  tire can be very easily caught in one of them.  Part of the tension was the structure and going through customs and part was the forecast was t-storms last night and today.  We did have t-storms all last night and it rained hard, but it stopped raining shortly before we left.  30 miles south of Port Huron there was severe weather as well as in London.  We just had a wet road.  One of the riders hit a slippery spot on the bridge and went down but was all right.  If the t-storm had been on top of us, we still would have to leave as customs closed the bridge while we crossed the bridge stopping all traffic making our passage very safe. 

The first picture is loading the van, the second going through customs and the last, the sign for Ontario, Canada. 

The stormy weather produced a nice wind from the west so we made very good time.  Was cloudy and very humid, but no rain.  We were on local roads with not a lot of traffic and farmsteads every  few miles.  After 40+ miles a guy in a car slowed down as I approached and yelled at me there was “a big Rottweiler about 5 clicks ahead.”  Terrific.  With the wind I was in high teens for average mph but with inspiration I kicked it up.  Taking no chances on how far 5 clicks really is, for the next 5 miles I was in the 26-28 mph range.  Adrenalin is an amazing thing.  After four miles a big dog came charging out of a farmstead, but I was by in a blur (for someone with poor vision).  Other riders were chased by the dog.  Dogs can be very dangerous for cyclists and there have been a couple of encounters.  The main risk is not getting bit by the dog, as that is very rare, but the dog getting in front of the bike and running over the dog which can be serious for the both  the dog and cyclist.  I don’t blame the dog, but the owners.  Owners who let their dogs run free should be required to pick up dog poo for one year in a major city. 

We road by a lot of farmsteads, almost all well kept.  I am far from an expert, but the corn here and in Michigan did not look to be anywhere near the quality as what we saw in Minnesota and Western Wisconsin.  I cannot describe how, but the terrain was different. 

It looks like the weather will move out for awhile.  Hopefully so. 

Day 39

We caught a break on the weather today.  It rained with t-storms all night and the forecast was 80% rain and t-storms today.  When we got up, there was severe weather south and of us with 2-3 inches of rain and flooding including some road closures.  The first picture is the rain ending and the parking lot of the hotel.  We held off departing until 7:30 and by that time the rain had stopped.  It was cloudy and humid, but did not rain and there was a light tailwind so I averaged over 16 mph which is good for me.  It turned out to be very good day as we road 87 miles. 

I was one of the very last to leave as I could not decide on which rain gear to wear and bring.  I have very good rain gear which I bought years ago when I biked the coast of Oregon by myself.  I also have a very light jacket which is water resistant, but not waterproof.  I hate being wet and cold so originally had on my rain gear, but given that it was already above 70 degrees and very humid when I was getting ready to go, I carried my rain jacket in a backpack, left my rain pants and wore my rain booties.  Everyone gave me a lot of grief for being over dressed at the start.  I am not used to riding in warm rain. In ND when a rain system comes through, unless it is a passing t-storm it can cool off and stay cool even in the summer.  Anyway I changed on the sidewalk before loading my gear on the truck which was an occasion for more grief.

Though I road with Jeff and Karina for a while, for the most part I road by myself which I enjoy.  One of the reasons is the fast riders who leave before me I will never catch and those that leave behind me normally catch me in 20 minutes to an hour plus depending on when they leave.  The strongest riders, those who are on the route the longest during the day, I will normally catch within an hour or two depending on when they actually leave.  The middle riders like me often do not see each other except at rest stops or if someone takes a lot of pictures as we are going close to the same speed.  For that reason, after an hour or two it is not unusual to be pretty much by myself the rest of the day.

Morgan would say I like riding by myself because that is how I train and am not used to riding with other people.  Courtney would say I like my personal space.  Kim would say it is my personality or more accurately, lack of.  They are probably all three correct.

The next picture is of Nancy and Adrianne at the second rest stop.  The park is named after Adrianne’s father’s family who are from this area.  Unfortunately, Adrianne’s father left Nancy and children when they were very small and Nancy raised the children on her own  as a single parent.  She became a very successful realtor.  She probably kicked the sign after we were done taking the picture. 

The last picture is riding into Port Huron and one of the homes alongside the lake.  Many of the homes were spectacular mansions.  Tomorrow we ride over the bridge to London, Ontario.  The forecast is more rain.  Like every other place we have ridden through, there is so much history here.  Lake Huron is named after the Huron Indian tribe that inhabited part of the Great Lakes area. They fought with the French against the English and the Iroquois nation made famous in the book “Last of the Mohicans” and later the movie.  We think of the frontier as the American West, but for well over a 100 years the frontier was throughout the eastern part of waht is now the US.  There were many different tribes, all were eventually defeated and either moved or put on small reservations.  Often all that remains are the names of towns and rivers.  

   

Day 38

Day 38 was 40 miles less than yesterday, but to me actually felt longer.  I think there are a couple of reasons for this.  One I felt really good yesterday and for the first part I was in a zone, but felt good all day.  By comparison, the last 20 miles today was a real grind.  I suspect another factor is we did not load until 7:30.  Though I understand the reason for the late start, (shorter day and flat terrain), we are primed to be on the road generally between 6:00 to 6:30 so we just ended up sitting around after breakfast waiting to leave.  The first picture is me kicking back before I left. 

We did ride through some pretty wooded areas as we have before.  The second picture is of a densely wooded area along the ride.  We have been in and out of these areas yesterday and today and though difficult to describe, they seem different to me than wooded areas in MN.  Part is the trees are right next to the road with no ditches in places. 

I got my chocolate milk fix when I got in.  I also had a sub sandwich from Subway.  I have eaten at enough Subway’s on the trip to be Jared's assistant. 

My room is very nice as have been the rooms all along the trip.  Some were quite small, but they were clean and met the objective.  I have met and thought a lot about the invisible workers in America on this trip.  These are the service people who work at hotels cleaning rooms and working at convenience stores and restaurants among other jobs.  These people work very hard, for very little money and the only time they get noticed is when they do not do their job.  We all expect a clean room at a hotel and the hotel expects the rooms to be cleaned as fast as possible during the busy season.  Many of these workers are seasonal, or laid off when business is slow, but also expected to work very hard when they are there.  Many do not have health care or adequate dental care.  I have seen women with few or only one tooth in their mouths.  I have been impressed at how many take their jobs seriously and work very hard.  I always try and visit with hotel service people and thank them for their work.  Our country has spent most of the last two years debating raising taxes on the wealthiest in our country and though I am not super rich, I am clearly blessed and by most definitions would be considered in the wealthiest group.  We spend very little if any time discussing the millions and millions of individuals who work hard cleaning rooms, bussing tables or working in convenience stores making our lives possible and easier.

Tomorrow looks to be a long day with rain and t-storms all day in the forecast.     

 

Day 37

Some days life is just good and Day 37 was one of them for me.  In athletics every once in awhile you can get in a zone and though mine are few and far between, today was one of them.  For the first 40+ miles I just cruised and felt really good.  I actually skipped the first rest stop as I did not want to get off my bike.  (This is not good as we sign in at each rest stop, that is one of the ways the staff keeps track of riders.  Fortunately, a friend saw me go and signed in form me.)  We were going through county roads with low traffic, in or near a government forest land.  We were often right next to the trees and even at 9:00 I was in an area where the road was completely covered by shade. Unfortunately, the zone ended and I still had 73 miles to go, a total of 113.  But I still felt pretty good and made good time.  

The only picture is from the third rest stop which was next to a senior center.  I could not help but think that some of the riders were the same age as some of the individuals in the senior center.  Life is partly about genetics and health issues, but it is also about the lifestyle we lead and the choices we make.  At a rest stop a friend told me he doesn't date women his age because they are “really old." I am not sure that is true as I know women his age that are pretty amazing, at the same time it was funny and had some truth to it.  Many women could say the same thing about a lot of men.

After a great day of riding, I got great news.  Morgan just found out that he passed the second level of the CFA (Charted Financial Analyst) exam.  In my estimation, this is the most difficult program in the financial services industry and passing the second level is an amazing achievement.  

Tomorrow we go to Birch Run.

Day 36 - Part 2

The ferry ride was better than I anticipated.  Before getting on the ferry, I found a bike shop in Manitowac which had restored antique bikes.  The picture is of bikes in the shop along with an owner.  One of the bike was a kid’s bike from the 1950s that weighted over 50 lbs. 

The next pictures are of the ferry unloading, riders stacking their bikes and the Michigan coast from the ferry.  The ferry was three stories and it was a beautiful days so most riders spent the ride on the top deck in lounge chairs.  There were two restaurants, big screen TVs and bingo which I ignored.  I read and took a nap.

The last picture is me under the welcome Michigan sign.  Tomorrow we ride 113 miles and again we lost an hour as we moved to Eastern time.  Cuts the night short.