Lake Huron

To Camlachie, Ontario -- 59.3 miles, 11.2 mph, 1000 ft

I’m sure there will eventually come a day when this gets easier. I just hope it’s not when we get to California. In any event, we had unprecedented clear, sunny skies today. The headwinds stayed at bay until after noon and were much more doable than yesterday. Still, our legs (and other parts) are sore (Meg and mine -- Dex and Kylie are still running, so I'm assuming they're fine).

We took Hwy 22 for the first 15 miles, which, frankly, wasn’t great. Four inches of shoulder and lots of big trucks doesn't make for a relaxing ride. Fortunately, the rest of the day we were on quiet country roads among plowed fields and some giant windmills.

Ready to ride

London, Ontario

Twenty miles from Lake Huron and our Warm Showers destination, the country road abruptly turned to gravel. Hmm. Well, at least we have relatively wide tires. We chattered along the road for a few miles before flagging down a man in a tractor and asking for the nearest paved road. Just a couple miles along another gravel road and we were heading back in the right direction with full traction.

Our Warm Showers hosts for the night, Ned and Cary, live right on the shores of Lake Huron. As soon as we arrived, Dex and Kylie ran down to the shore to collect rocks and dam up a small stream leading to the lake.

Our gracious hosts, have done a fair amount of biking over the years; however, their son, Steven, gets the prize for the most adventurous trips -- Camlachie to Istanbul via New York City and Porto, Portugal. While raising their three kids, they lived not far from where we had come this morning near London. Seven years ago, they moved here along the lake. Apparently the ice cold water warms considerably during the summer. However, during the winter, the giant supply of moisture can lead to huge amounts of snow. Another advantage of being on the lake is the proximity to Cary’s mom, Hazel. At 92, she’s as quick as a whip and a joy to be with.

Our fabulous hosts, Hazel, Ned, and Cary