I have been so lucky on this trip, in terms of having incredible weather and wonderful roads to ride on, so I shouldn’t complain about a hard day; it’s just that the rain, wind, and really lousy road conditions all arrived at once, and at times the combination almost flattened me.
If I began my ride through Michigan on its prettiest roads, I may have ended on its worst ones. Lest in my grumpiness I veer into hyperbole, I should qualify that last statement and say that I took back roads in an attempts to avoid traffic during the rain, but it seems many drivers did the same, so the back roads weren’t quiet, just lousy. Once I got to the shore of Lake St. Clair, and rode from New Baltimore to Algonac, there was a decent shoulder, even if it was covered in debris. And then there was the relentless wind, which along lakeshore, as you can imagine, kicked up an even greater fuss.
In short, I was pretty weary as I rolled into Algonac. It was about 3:00 by then, and I had been debating all day whether to stay in Michigan for the night, or push on to Canada. Algonac provided a definitive answer as it had no accommodations I would wish to call home for a minute let alone a night, so I decided to aim for Wallaceburg. I called the Inn in Wallaceburg, but got no answer. No problem, I would take the ferry and call again when I was closer.
As I came into Algonac, I could see the ferry chugging towards the dock. Perfect. I had just enough time to stop at a pharmacy to pick up a few final US snacks before getting to the dock as the cars were loading. The ferry is run by the community of Walpole island, and holds under a dozen cars. The ride was only about 10 minutes, cost all of $3 for me as a cyclist, and when I got to Walpole island, the customs officer waved me to the front of the line, gave my passport a cursory glance, and sent me on my way.
Things were looking up. When I got off the island, I saw the sign for the St. Clair Parkway that would take me north along the shore of the St. Clair River, but I opted to head east into Wallaceburg, and entered the town to find the main street completely under construction. Talk about a difference from the US. There were signs indicating that someone would be stopping traffic, but there were no flagmen in sight, so I kept going. There was traffic making its way up and down the street, despite construction vehicles moving in and out of the lanes, so I got up on the sidewalk and went a little further, then stopped to call the inn again. This time a woman answered. I asked if the inn was open and if they had any rooms free. She said, I think you have the wrong number, even as my phone showed the name Wallaceburg Inn. She said the inn had been converted into a seniors home some years ago. I apologized, said I needed to get rolling, and hung up. I then pulled up the details for an inn that was along the St. Clair shore that I had looked at the night before, and that I clearly should have booked, and made a reservation.
I still had plenty of daylight, and as I had to backtrack west about 10 km, I had an amazing tailwind. Not only that, as I turned north, I also had a tailwind, so the last hours on the bike were the best of the day.
I stopped in Port Lambton to get a few groceries, including a good old Canadian cider, and then headed to my final destination: The Frog Point Inn. Dear reader, if my day began in rain and darkness, it ended with a charming owner, Shane, and his dog, Happy, coming out to greet me, and to show me to my newly renovated and beautifully designed room, offering such creature comforts as a heated floor in the bathroom. It is the first night since the cabin when I have felt at home, and I cannot help but feel this is the sort of occasion when the famous bard might observe that all’s well that ends well.
Today, I will be back riding on the roads I know and love so well in Ontari-ari-ari-o!