Total miles to date since start of trip: 3,426 miles!
Day 50: August 3 - W. Allis, WI to N. Muskegon, Michigan
Day's Mileage: 17 miles biking; 85 miles by ferry across Lake Michigan: Total 102 miles
Actually a pretty easy and beautiful day. Rode the 8 miles from W. Allis to the ferry dock in Milwaukee in the morning, with a short stop at the main Collectivo coffee shop in Milwaukee for a coffee and Morning Glory muffin. Mmmm.
The ferry ride was nice, but pricey. Only $9.00 for my bike but $95.00 for me, one-way. It was worth it though saving the time to go around Chicago, Gary, Clevelend, etc through mostly congested highly populated areas. The ferry ride was relaxing and I met some very nice people from Michigan.
Only 2.5 hours from Milwaukee to Muskegon, Michigan.
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| Although this is Louie's Demise Amber Ale, I somehow am still alive. |
Upon arriving on the other side in Muskegon I was able to take an 9 mile paved bike path to my Warm Showers host's place in North Muskegon. It was a beautiful trail along Lake Muskegon.
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| View of Lake Muskegon along the bike path. |
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| View of the lake from North Muskegon. |
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| This was my bedroom for my Warm Showers stay in N. Muskegon. |
My hosts Richard and Sharon were great and had good advice for routes to and through Grand Rapids to get to my next day's destination in Portland, Michigan.
Day 51: August 4 - N. Muskegon to Portland, Michigan
Day's Mileage: 81 miles (plus 11 miles portage to my stay in Portland, due to road closure from lightning strike/house fire)
This was probably the toughest day of the trip so far. It started out fine, riding a 35 mile paved Musketawa Trail bike path to just north of Grand Rapids. It was another nice ride under partly sunny skies.
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| I was even greeted by a curious llama along the way. |
The plan was to take bike-friendly roads to the north and east of Grand Rapids to avoid the congested downtown. However it was not to be. My planned route was blocked by a road closed due to road construction, thus forcing me to find an alternative route, basically zig-zagging through the city. I had to keep referring to my smartphone GPS as I came to decision points and busy roads and new roadblocks due to road construction in various locations. It took much longer to maneuver through town.
I had lunch before finally exiting Grand Rapids, using a route suggested by Google Maps. After getting into the more rural areas east of Grand Rapids a rapidly developing thunderstorm moved in. When it started to hail I decided to duck into the nearest farmhouse building I could see. The first one I came to was a small white farmhouse with a porch. I parked my bike and knocked on the door several times but there was no answer. Looking in the windows I saw that the furniture and lamps were antique quality and surmised that an elderly person lived. Perhaps they couldn't hear the knocking...perhaps they were afraid to open the door... perhaps they had died or moved away. I don't know. So I just waited on the porch until the rain and hail subsided and hoped that nobody shot me while I stood there.
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| Photo taken from the porch of the farmhouse. |
I made it about 10 miles further when torrential rains and lightning started again. Once more I found the nearest farmhouse with outbuildings to duck into. I parked my bike in their detached workshed and went up to the back door and knocked. No answer. I went to the side door and knocked. No answer. I then went to the front door. The main door was open and the screen door was missing the screen and glass and so was open to the elements. Looking in it looked pretty lived in, disheveled with stuff strewn all around. I knocked again and then heard the low resonant bark of a big dog. Looking at the window to the right of the door I saw a very large German Shepherd looking back at me! I decided not to knock anymore and walked back to the workshed to rejoin my bike and plan what I would do if the dog were to come after me. I don't think I had a very good plan but fortunately I didn't need one. The dog stayed in the house. No person ever responded to my knocking.
I waited there another 20 minutes for the rain to subside and then quietly moved down the driveway and back down the road safely. The rain had been very heavy and there were signs of flash flooding in spots and standing water in the fields and water running down the road and gutters. I continued down the road until the road became Portland Road. I was dismayed to find that it now became a dirt road with very loose, coarse gravel with lots of standing water that would have been very difficult to maneuver the last 12 miles or so to Portland. Looking at my GPS I decided to cut north across the interstate to Grand River Avenue. So backtracking to the nearest cross road I started to head up that road north when I encountered five women walking the opposite way toward me. They looked a little bit like a family out of Deliverance and were soaking wet. I asked them if everything was OK and they told me their van had flooded on the road I was heading down and that they had to leave it there and walk back out of the flooded roadway back to high ground. They said they didn't need any help and were walking to a home nearby that they knew and would get help.
So, my way down that road was blocked and I had to backtrack about 5 miles to the next crossroad and proceed north over the interstate. Finally arriving on Grand River Avenue to continue my trek to Portland I was greeted by "Road Closed" signs. Not again. I continued up to where the road was barricaded and was fortunate to find the workers still there, about to quit for the day. I asked if I could proceed through if it was open and they said, fortunately, yes. I made it through safely through the road construction area amid light rain and a lot of standing water.
After about another 2 miles I saw flashing red lights up ahead. What next? Well when I got closer I found the road was closed again this time by fire trucks blocking the road. I assumed that it was due to flooding but actually a house had been hit by lightning about 20 minutes before and had caught fire. So again I was blocked! I decided this was the last straw and called Tony whose house I'd be staying in that night in Portland. I hadn't met Tony yet, but I rode with his brother Jim last year in the Finger Lakes Bike Tour and Tony had kindly offered to host me in Portland and Jim would host me in Fenton, Michigan. Tony came and picked me up in his pickup and drove me the rest of the way (11 miles) to his place as it was already 7:30 pm and it was obvious the karma was not in my favor. I am very grateful.
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| Road closure due to lightning striking house next to road. |
Tony cooked up some delicious burgers and fresh veggies and I had a nice evening with him, his wife Sherrie, and their friends Bill and Kelley.
I slept very well that night.
I arrived safe and sound (and uneventful) in Port Huron, Michigan, the border crossing town with Canada. I met my Warm Showers host Bonnie Jean at her home and she assisted me with figuring out some routes and gave me info on the border crossing for the next day. She had just returned recently from bike touring in Europe with her foldable bike.
Her daughter Peggy made a wonderful dinner which they graciously shared with me. Again another wonderful Warm Showers stay and new friends.
Day 54: August 7 - Port Huron, Michigan to Chatham, Ontario, Canada
Day's Mileage: 66 miles
I left Port Huron in the morning and headed for the bridge crossing into Canada. Bikes are not allowed to cross directly, due to safety concerns across the 2 mile long bridge, so I needed to wait for a Michigan DOT truck to port me across to the Canadian side and wait until I cleared immigration there. I successfully cleared all formalities and I was on my way on the Canada leg of my tour.
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| The Bridge to Canada in the distance. The red pickup truck on the left is what carried me over to the Canadian side. |
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| I was bored while waiting for the truck so I took a picture of my gams. |
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| Statue commemorating Canada Geese |
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| Along the St Clair River dividing US and Canada. |
AND another major milestone was passed today: I reached 3,000 miles pedaled on this journey thus far! It's been an amazing journey and I find it amazing myself that I've come this far.
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| The fairly nondescript area of Ontario where I reached the 3,000 mile milestone |
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| Yes, that's 3 thousand! |
I then visited the town of Dresden, to visit the Uncle Tom's Cabin Historic Site, where Josiah Henson, an abolitionist, minister and former slave had lived`had lived here and set up a vocational training center for fugitive slaves who came to Canada through the Underground Railroad. Henson is thought to be the inspiration for Harriet Beecher Stowe's "Uncle Tom's Cabin" and the character George Harris. Photos below were taken at the museum and site just outside Dresden, Ontario.
I had hoped to stay that night in Morpeth but got no response from the Warm Showers host there so I found the nearest motel in Chatham. Unfortunately I had to go back a bit west to this motel which unfortunately added to my mileage for the coming days and therefore an extra day to cross Ontario than I had planned for.
Day 55: August 8 - Chatham to Tillsonburgh, Ontario, Canada
Day's Mileage: 103 miles
This turned into a longer day than I had planned for. I had decided to go down to the Waterfront Trail road that parallels the Lake Erie shoreline as I thought it would be very scenic along the lake. I find out that the road is nowhere near the lake and there is instead farmland and rural scenery with no lake views at all. Talk about your misnamed routes. And this put added mileage onto my route than if I had just gone directly east toward Niagara Falls instead. Oh well. But now I had to make up mileage to get eastward in order to make my timetable to Auburn, NY (my hometown) that I had planned for.
I did reach the major milestone of 5,000 km though so that is worth noting I guess!
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| Huh? |
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| My emergency management instincts tell me I should not take this road. |
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| Huh? |
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| The later in the day I ride the taller I get and the larger my bags grow! |
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| Sunset. |
After arriving in the only port city on Lake Erie that I'd see (Port Stanley) I decided to head up north toward Tillsonburgh and booked a Howard Johnson's online there. But now I had to really hustle to get there by nightfall. About 20 miles from Tillsonburgh I started getting a rubbing sound on my front tire. I stopped several times and tried centering and adjusting the brakes but to no avail. So it made pedaling a bit difficult and more work but it was manageable although I could tell I was using more effort than usual so I just released the front brake and traveled with just the rear brake functioning.
I finally arrived in Tillsonburgh about 9 pm as it was almost fully dark. About 300 feet from the motel I realized my rear tire is now going flat. Again. The fifth one. I walk my bike the remaining distance to the motel and realize the next morning I have my work cut out for me with the flat tire and the front tire rubbing. Oh, sigh. This after covering 103 miles!
After quickly checking into the motel I walked over to a nearby Subway to get something for dinner before they closed, brought dinner back and prepared for the next day.
Day 56: August 9 - Tillsonburgh to Smithville, Ontario, Canada
Day's Mileage: 84 miles
Another unusual, eventful day. I fixed my flat tire with no problem. It appeared to be a pinch flat, most likely caused by the terrible roads I had been on that day and may have hit a hole or abutment a little too hard and caused flat. I'll do a better job keeping my tires inflated fully to help avoid that.
I had a full breakfast and searched online for the nearest bike shop to have my front wheel looked at as the wheel may have needed truing or the brakes adjusted/replaced. The nearest bike shops were in Brantford, Ontario some 39 miles away. I finished breakfast and called the The Bike Shop in Brantford when they opened at 10 am and said I'd be on my way. They closed at 3 pm so I needed to hustle to make sure I got there to give them enough time to work on the bike. They said they'd try to get to it but warned me they only have 2 people on staff on Saturday after 1 pm! But it sounded like they most likely could accommodate me.
Off I went!
I got to Brantford in plenty of time, arriving about 1:20 pm and they graciously took my bike in and worked on it. Apparently the wheel was mostly true but the brake tension wire had lost its tension so the brake would not center correctly. He fixed the tension and also showed me my bottom bracket of my crankset needed replacing. So I had him go ahead and replace that as well. When I got on the bike it was like riding a new bike again. I thanked them for their help and headed off east for the nearest larger town that might have lodging/camping: Smithville.
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The later in the day I ride the taller I get and the larger my bags grow!
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Well I couldn't have been more wrong. Arriving around 8:30 pm that evening I inquired around about motel, hotel, camping, bnb, etc. and everyone just kind of looked at me. This was a fairly big town, too, of 4,500 people. Even the smallest town in Montana had a motel and/or camping. One man told me that just outside of town a kilometer or two was a roadside picnic area with an outhouse and picnic table where I could possibly camp. So that sounded good to me so I decided to grab something to eat at a pizzeria before heading to it. Big mistake. By the time I left there it was pitch dark and I rode down the road looking for the picnic area in the dark with traffic. Not fun. I rode at least 2 miles down the road and couldn't find it so I opted to turn back to town and ended up staying in an all-night restaurant, Tim Horton's, ordering something every couple of hours. I didn't sleep. Here I am below at about 2 am in the dining room of the restaurant.
It was a long night but it did allow me to get an early start the next day at the crack of dawn.
Day 57: August 10 - Smithville, Ontario, Canada to Lockport, NY
Day's Mileage: 51 miles
Finally a short day! I left at the crack of dawn 6:30 am. It was a beautiful, cool start. Today's ride would be to Niagara Falls and crossing the border back into the US in Niagara Falls, New York. Destination: Lockport, New York, where I would stay the night before starting out on the Erie Canal Heritage Trail the next day.
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| Sunrise as I left Smithville |
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| Taking another bike trail, although this one they make sure you know it's not maintained. |
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| I think I've been on this road in Burkina Faso. |
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| Huh? |
Entering into the Niagara Falls area I was suddenly thrust into tourist overload areas with miles of motels, tourist traps and bowling alleys for people with cataracts.
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| Huh? |
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Niagara Falls, Ontario.
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| Horseshoe Falls from the Canadian side. |
I was able to take some time to do a little sightseeing in Niagara Falls, Ontario and viewing the falls on what was a perfect day weather-wise. Despite the fact I hadn't slept the night before I felt amazingly good and had plenty of energy for the day and the sightseeing. The falls are very inspiring and impressive.
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| American Falls from the Canadian side. |
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| View of Horseshoe Falls and Niagara Falls, Ontario |
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| Me and My Two Falls |
The border crossing back into the US was amongst the easiest I'd ever had. I got in line with my bike behind the cars heading to the border and I pulled up to the booth, showed my passport, the immigration official asked me some friendly questions about my bike ride, gave me my passport back and wished me a safe journey. That was it!
The US side ride was a short 22 mile ride to Lockport where I arrived at the hotel about 1:30 pm, too early to check in. After the numerous long days in a row it was nice to have a short day and get in early.
After checking in finally, grabbing lunch and taking a shower I decided to take a short nap at about 3 pm. The next thing I knew it was 9:30 pm and dark out and I hadn't had dinner. I must have been really tired.
Fortunately there was a Denny's within walking distance that was open for dinner so off I went. I ate one of everything on the menu, including apple pie a la mode and walked back to the Comfort Inn around midnight.
Since I had the long nap I couldn't get to sleep and tossed and turned for a few hours and probably only got an hour sleep.
Day 58: August 11 - Lockport to Fairport, NY
Day's Mileage: 81 miles
Today's ride would be mostly along the Erie Canal Heritage Trail, a conversion of the towpath the mules used to use to tow the barges along the Erie Canal during the 1800s. Connecting NYC and the Hudson River to Lake Erie and facilitating commerce between the coast and the interior of the country prior to the establishment of the railroad system. It was mostly crushed stone and dirt trail but several stretches of it were paved.
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| Leaving Lockport at the start of the Erie Canal Trail |
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| Many towns were situated along the canal during the canal's heyday. |
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| One of the many historical markers along the trail. |
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| Who knew? |
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| And I always thought the Big Apple was in NYC. |
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| Why they have rumble strips on the pathway is beyond me. |
Along my way on the canal path I came across a cyclist who was working on his bike under a bridge, obviously with a flat or mechanical difficulty. As courtesy I asked him if all was ok or did he need any help. He replied, "Yes, please! I'm a beginner." Come to find out he was a tourist from Japan, a young man named Yuji, who had come to the US, bought his bike in New York City and was pedaling to Toronto, then Iowa, then all the way to San Francisco. Not an easy feat for anyone, let alone a beginner. He had a rear flat tire that he said he had been working on for an hour and a half, and was having some trouble getting it repaired. I helped guide him in the repair process and showed him how to patch the tube, check the tire for puncture and foreign objects before re-inserting the tube. He was very grateful I came along. We exchanged contact information and I gave him my email and blog info. As you can see by the photos he was very happy at the end of our interchange and I count him among my many new friends made on this trip.
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| A very happy Yuji after having repaired his flat tire. |
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| Yuji and Greg. New friendships made. |
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| A very nice and friendly bike shop in Hulberton, along the trail. |
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| Needless to say I didn't hang out in this park long. |
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| Where the Genesee River runs into the Erie Canal. |
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| Pittsford, New York along the Canal |
I finally arrived at my longest known friend Mike Brazee's place in Fairport, NY, outside Rochester. I've known Mike since 1963 when we attended 4th Grade at Fulton Street School in Auburn, NY. Although we haven't seen each other that much over the years, we have gotten together at reunions and the past few years reconnected on Facebook. He graciously offered to host me as I passed through the area and we reminisced about old times, teachers and who is where now. It was good to see him and meet some of his family including his wife Lynn and daughter Loren who were home at the time. It's good to get together with old friends and I hope we can do it again.
Day 59: August 12 - Fairport to Auburn, NY
Day's Mileage: 65 miles
My 11th day straight riding the bike. Another milestone. I had tried to take a day off every week usually but I am now on a bit of a timetable to get to the coast and meet up with other riders. Ed Gee who will join me in Auburn and George Cipperly who will join us in Troy, NY area for the remaining ride to the coast.
I said goodbye to Mike and off I went in the rain and the wind.
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| Mike and me, friends for 51 years! |
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| Saying goodbye to Mike and heading down the road |
This was the windiest day (and rainy) I've had since North Dakota. Winds were gusting up to 30+ mph and as usual they were mostly headwinds. The rain was inconsequential but the winds were not. This video I took shows exactly how strong the winds were at the time.
Brutal!
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| Starting out in the rain. |
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| Stopping for coffee along the trail at Muddy Waters Cafe, no relation to the real Muddy Waters. |
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| A dark and gloomy day along the pathway. |
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| My poor flag, which I purchased new in Eugene, Oregon, is now tattered and torn from constant wind and many downhill mountain descents. |
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| Along the Erie Canal Trailway |
About 7 miles from Auburn I was met by my brother Al, his wife Cindy, my niece Nicole and my wife Cathy who surprised me along the road. It was a great surprise and lifted my spirits against the wind! And they lifted my bags for me and put them in the truck so I could pedal the last 7 miles with greater ease. I was grateful beyond belief!
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| My niece Nicole and me when they met me along the road to Auburn. |
We had a nice Italian dinner out that night and it will be great to have a couple days off amongst family and friends in Auburn before taking off on Friday, August 15th toward Massachusetts and the final 6 days of this fabulous ride. It's all been surreal and I'm sure will seem like a dream when it's all over.
Til next time.
