August 20, 2013

"Oh Canada..la la la la la la..."

August 20, 2013 Port Huron, MI --> London, Ontario - 70 miles
Our cross-over into Canada could not have gone more smoothly. We rode our bikes to the US Administration building and called for someone to take us across the Blue Bay Bridge. A nice lady named Annette showed up in less than 5 minutes and we loaded the bikes into the back of the truck for the 5 minute ride over the bridge. Once there, we went through Canadian customs in less than 5 minutes, exchanged some money, and stopped by the nearby Visitors Center for maps. With that, we were well on our way towards Strathroy, Ontario by 10:00 a.m.







Randy and I had thought it might take most of the morning to negotiate the crossing into Canada, but it was a breeze. I started humming and singing Oh Canada - all right, I mostly hummed since I don't any words beyond Oh Canada. About thirty minutes into the ride, Randy came up alongside and said, "Thanks a lot - now I can't get that song out of my head and I only know the first two words. It's driving me crazy."

My biggest fear heading into Canada was the unknown regarding the condition of the roads. Since we decided to ditch the AC maps again and venture towards Toronto, there was no way to know whether the roads would be good, bad or horrible. We selected Hwy 39, a two lane road that was a direct route to Strathroy, our initial destination town. Wow - I could not have imagined a better road for the 45 miles to Strathroy. There were a few places in need of repair, but for the most part it was flat, smooth and straight. Light to occasionally moderate traffic, but not a real factor. Add to that a really nice tailwind and we were cruising 15-20 mph the whole way through beautiful farmland. The corn fields and other crops went on forever as far as you could see. But what differentiated this scenery from previous farmland we have ridden through so far were the very interesting variations in the style, composition and construction of houses, sprawling barns, silos and barnyards. I never got bored during today's ride looking at these houses, massive fields and complexes. There were also some interesting and engaged cows and horses, many of whom would move towards us and look us straight in the eye. A soul connection of sorts. One group of cow "teenagers" even showed a brief interest as cow racers, taking a few spirited trots before thinking better of it. During the ride, we even saw a few wind turbines in the distance, as well as some signs posted in yards indicating the owners' concerns with health hazards of wind turbines. Randy and I discussed what those could be.







About halfway to Strathroy, Randy and I agreed that we would consider going an additional 20 miles to London, since we had breezed through the border crossing and were well ahead of schedule due to the optimal riding conditions. After lunch at a small cafe in Strathroy, we continued on and arrived in London in the late afternoon.

Before I end today's post, I am making a confession I never thought I would make - I am becoming a fan of HGTV. For years I flatly resisted and rejected efforts by my mother and sister to get me to watch HGTV. Now I find watching HGTV the perfect escape and relaxation after a long day of bike riding. I especially enjoy the international house hunting shows, probably because they often involve people stepping beyond their fears to risk a move outside their comfort zone to a different land and engage with people of other cultures. My whole life the past couple of years has been about stepping outside my comfort zone and moving beyond my fears. So I can relate. Plus, I no longer have much tolerance for cable news with all the mean-spirited and hateful people of all persuasions shouting over each other. The constant negativity. The lack of any effort to suggest real solutions. And I find it difficult to focus and follow a movie or show, since I usually fall asleep within the first 10 minutes or so. HGTV is the perfect entertainment and sleep inducing show.

I received a sweet and very supportive voice message from Del tonight, who is following the blog. It was great to hear from him, and I was again reminded of my primary purpose for doing this ride - to honor Del and raise awareness of ALS. Just about every person I meet and talk with has had some experience with someone diagnosed with ALS.