2010 Bike Trip

July 19, 2010 7:04 am

Yesterday, we left the AtPlay Resort at 10:40. It was a rare chance to do computer tasks with a good internet connection. Wireless internet is somewhat more rare in Canada, it seems. We rode back through Port Rowan and immediately saw two possibilities for breakfast: the Moose Cafe and the Sunrise Cafe. Elliot picked the Sunrise. It was on our side of the street, but it also sounded like a breakfast place. It was past noon by the time we got out.

The first part of the day’s ride had a lot of short but steep hills, some up and down, and some only up. I should have taken some pictures, but the last thing on my mind was getting the camera out while standing in my granny gear.

It was 1:30 pm by the time we reached Nomandale. There was a restaurant next to the store, but we just got ice cream. We ate our ice cream in the store, and I had a pleasant time talking with Sharon, the proprietor. She said that the snow gets maybe a foot deep in the winter. I was surprised that it wasn’t more, but I suppose Lake Erie moderates the weather. She said there were a lot of raccoons in the area, and the occasional wolf, but no bears.

By 3 pm, we reached Port Dover, one of the larger towns. There was a combined Mac’s/Subway there, and we had lunch. Mac’s is a convenience store in Canada, not McDonald’s. I had a chili cheese dog for 99¢, and Elliot got a footlong Meatball Marinara sandwich for $5. We also got two 950 mL Gatorades for the road, since it would be 18 miles to Peacock Point, the next place with food. There was no washroom at the store, but the laundromat next door had one.

As we were pulling out from the store, we saw a couple on bicycles pull in. I wasn’t sure whether they were touring, because neither had panniers. The guy was pulling a small trailer, but the woman had only a handlebar bag. No camping gear. Marc and Bev were from Colorado, but had started their tour from Seattle, going all the way to Maine. Using ordinary maps, they had planned their route to connect with friends along the way. Mark said they had shipped their bikes to Seattle – both for about $200. I think we’ll do that on the way back – the airline fees are horrendous. They have a blog at http://pieaday.blogspot.com/ , take a look!

It turned out that we had the same destination for the day – Dunville. Marc had a regular highway map, and it showed a straight shot to Dunville via county road 3 from Nanticoke. I was sick of the coastal up-and-down, so decided to do the same. We left before them. On the way out of Port Dover, there were a couple local girls riding down the same road. They couldn’t have been more than 11 or 13 years old. And still, we couldn’t keep up with them.

Soon after we got onto highway 3, Mark zoomed past us. A minute later, Bev swished by.

The only other interesting thing that happened was a black dog that came out and ran right in front of Elliot, barking. It forced Elliot into the other lane, and off onto the left shoulder. The dog stayed in the left lane, and an oncoming car screeched to a halt. Thank goodness no one was hurt. The owner called the dog in and apologized. That dog must have been young. The dogs in general have barked and chased, but know not to run out onto the road, and especially not in front of cars.

We reached Dunville long before twilight, but found that almost everything was closed. We checked into the Riverview Motel. For $68 including tax, it wasn’t super expensive, but it had no internet, and there were flies in the room. Lots of flies. Although they were not the biting kind, they buzzed around and landed on our faces, making it hard to sleep. Also, there was no concept of non-smoking. I must admit, the room was large, though, and we wheeled our bikes right in without having to figure out where to put them. There was a fridge and microwave, so I went to the local grocery store and got us TV dinners.

Mileage for the day: 60.9