Around lake Erie - Day 7

Day 7, Saturday August 23 2014.

From Lakewood, OH to Sandusky, OH and on to Pelee island, Ontario - 95 km.

Day 7 route

Did not sleep well, woke up at 5:30 AM and went for breakfast at 6:00 AM. It was still dark outside.

Start to cycle at 6:30 AM. Put my rear blinking LED light on. Moved along nicely, traffic was light during the early hours. Took a washroom break at a local park, the maintenance personnel was cleaning the washroom, he was surprised to see me so early in the morning. We chatted a bit.

Ferry ride and cycling across Pelee island.

From a distance, saw three male deers (or elks, not sure), crossing the road. I stopped near where they had crossed and tried to take pictures of them, but they moved on before I was ready.

By 9:20 AM, I had cycled 50 km. Started to ease up and relax a little on my cadence, barring any mishap I should reach Sandusky with plenty of time to spare.

Passed a church with the same name as our parish in Brampton. What were the odds of that?

St. Anthony of Padua Church - was I in Brampton?

Arrived at Sandusky ferry port around 1:00 PM. No ferry in sight, everything was still closed including the ticket office. I cycled back to a park besides a marina that I had passed earlier. Here I had ice cream and spent my time in a gazebo making calls and writing updates offline for my Facebook.

Park and marina in Sandusky.

Gazebo, where I spent time waiting for the ferry to Pelee island.

On board of the M V Pelee Islander ferry. Mark took this picture.

Sandusly Cedar Point Amusement Park - viewed from the ferry.

Close to 2:00 PM I cycled back to the ferry ticket office. A few people were also waiting for the ticket office to open. They saw me with my loaded bicycle and asked questions. I gave out a couple of my fund raising card. None believed that I was 71 years old. They were amazed and admired what I was doing for the CNIB. Mark gave me a huge Peach. The largest and juiciest peach I ever had; if I was not mistaken it came from Ashtabula, NY area.

Sandusky port.

The ferry ride was close to two hours long. From the ferry port I cycled to the B&B place on the other side; East side, of the island about 6 km away.
The Internet was my source to find places to stay. I was looking forward to this Bed & Breakfast and meet the proprietor. From the Internet I gathered that it was a self sustaining farm. Growing their own food and living off the power grid as much as possible. This stuff always interest me. Here was a chance to see it first hand and learn about it. Vu-Shorgo was the name of this place.
Was very disappointed to find that this self sustaining farm was still in the planning stage; a business plan and permit was submitted, but still far from reality.
My B&B place was an old cottage on the 6+ acres of land where Vu-Shorgo was to be, and the proprietor, Mustaag stayed in a trailer on the property as well.
I had the 2 bedroom cottage all to myself, but it was not in good shape; the shower stall had molds and no hot water. The furnitures, bedding and linen looked like they came from a salvation store. The water was not suitable for drinking nor cooking. Bottled water were provided.
 No WiFi and my PetroCan cell phone did not work. Mustaag was helpful and let me use his cell phone to contact Theresia. No update on my facebook today.

Cottage at Vu-Shorgo, Pelee island.

Pelee island is the most southern land of Canada. Saw some wineries along the road.
After a cold shower, had my last freeze dried food for supper. My 'luggage' was getting lighter each day as I consumed the food that I carried.
Did not sleep well last night, hoped I could get some sleep this night. Must get on the 9:00 AM ferry to Kingsville, ON tomorrow.
Had a good ride and interesting day. End.

Around lake Erie - Day 6

Day 6, Friday August 22 2014.

From Painsville, OH to Lakewood, OH - 77 km.

Day 6 cycling route.

To day's ride became a short ride because of yesterday's long ride, so the planned 'rest' or 'easy' day was moved by one day. I slept in a little and started my ride at 9:15 AM. It rained just as I was about to start cycling. Put rain gears on. As previously, the rain stopped about one hour later.

Hills in Mentor, OH. Cycled on side walk.

Cycled at a relax and easy pace. Some hills around Mentor, OH. Nice scenery along the way. Huge old houses along Lakeshore Blvd. just like in Oakville, ON.

Lunch break

Had a sub from Subway for lunch at a nice park by the shores of lake Erie.

Lake Erie

Fishing

Marina - Cleveland, OH.

Cycled through North of Cleveland, then through downtown Cleveland to Lakewood where I stayed at Days Inn for the night. 

Cleveland North airport.

Futuristic design - Cleveland's Rock and Roll Hall

Cute roof - Omnimax theater

Science Center - the other side of Omnimax theater.

North side of Cleveland along the shores of lake Erie had many interesting buildings and tourist venues. Cycled mostly on the sidewalk through downtown Cleveland. I was surprised that it was not that difficult to go through Cleveland. The navigation system worked, did not have to stop to ask for directions.
The Days Inn in Lakewood room was small and I had problem connecting to their WiFi. A high school girl in the hotel lobby helped me with it after the staff at the front desk failed.
I ordered pizza to be delivered for supper; did not feel comfortable going out to venture the neighbourhood.
Today's ride was enjoyable, just like my regular weekend ride around Caledon hills.
Tomorrow I must reach Sandusky, about 88 km away, before 2:30 PM; the ferry to Pelee island left at 3:30 PM. So I must start early. Set alarm clock to 5:30 AM.
End.

Around lake Erie - Day 5

Day 5, Thursday August 22 2014.

From Erie, PA to Painsville, OH - 115 km.

Day 5 route.

Initially this day, the 5th day, was planned to be a rest or easy day with a short easy ride, instead it was one of the longest distance ride of the tour. I could not book a place to stay for the night around the 60 km distance in Ashtabula and end up in Painsville, about 45 km further.

Started the ride around 8:15 AM. The weather was cool and cloudy, perfect for cycling except for the wind. Cycled against slight wind all day.

Wide shoulder to cycle on.

Some hills in Pennsylvania.

Nice place for a break.

The hills, unfortunately also the wide shoulders, disappeared in Ohio. Again my camera, i.e. cell phone, ran out of power. Missed a number of photo opportunities in Ashtabula and afterwards.

Reminder that Fall is aroung the corner.

More signs of  Fall.

 With the navigation system working  and no major city to go through, the ride was easy. Did not need to stop and ask for directions, less stress and no time wasted. Today's ride was 115 km including cycling to a restaurant for supper - had small portion of Pad Thai and a couple of Vietnamese soft spring rolls.

The Villa Rosa Motel in Painsville, OH was o.k. Had a very good WiFi connection. I had a good day. End.

Around lake Erie - Day4

Day 4, Wednesday August 20 2014.

From Irving, NY to Erie, PA - 110 km.

Day-4 cycling route.

It was raining early in the morning, but stopped as I cycled to the motel's office to drop off the room key. Started again as I cycled out of the motel; put my rain gears on. Stopped by a Dollar store to get a shower cap to cover my handle bar bag, the one I had, had a hole in it. The store ran out of it. I patched the existing shower cap with a piece of duct tape that I carried as part of my tool kit. All electronics inside the handle bar bag was now protected from the rain.

Grapes........lots of wineries in New York and Pennsylvania.

Rain stopped after about one hour. Clouds and wind remained.

Many wineries along the way near the shores of lake Erie in New York and Pennsylvania states.

Gift shop and wine tasting, just like in Niagara on the Lake.

Out of commission fishing boat.

Fire men practising at lake Erie shores?

Had a nice Perch sandwich for lunch at a local restaurant near Westfield, NY. Perch was the fish of choice among the local restaurants along lake Erie.
While having lunch I noticed that the InReach tracker was not flashing, apparently the batteries were out of juice. Not sure when that happened. Replaced the batteries with the spares that I carried along.
My cell phones also ran out of juice. Missed a few photo opportunities along the way in Pennsylvania.

Finally reach Pennsylvania......today's last picture.

Rte-5 (Seaway Trail) in New York as well as Pennsylvania had nice wide shoulders to cycle on, most of the time. Also traffic was not that bad. It was hilly and windy in Pennsylvania.

It started to rain heavily as I entered Erie, PA. Managed to seek shelter at a bus stop before the sky opened up. Put my rain gears on in the bus shelter and continued to cycle towards tonight's hotel, the Clarion Hotel. It was difficult finding my way through Erie without the help of 'turn by turn' navigation from 'ridewithgps.com'; I could not find good WiFi connection along the road to download today's route. Had to rely on printed cue sheets and asked around for directions. Finally reached the hotel at 5:45 PM.

Called home and found out that the InReach tracker stopped working again, after only one hour, the batteries went dead again.

After shower, I cycled to CVS to buy fresh batteries and then to Subway for supper. Managed back to hotel before dark.

Overall I had a good day today. The road and scenery were nice. Wind and rain, not bad, manageable. Clarion Hotel  was nice with good WiFi connection. End.

Around lake Erie - Day 3

Day 3, Tuesday August 19.

From Port Colborne, Ontario to Irving, New York - 95 km.

Day 3 cycling route.

Perfect weather for cycling this morning, cool, sunny with some clouds and some wind; hope it stayed through the rest of the day. Started just before 8:00 AM.

Friendship trail

Had a very pleasant ride in the morning; cycling for 25 km on the nicely paved, flat and quiet Friendship trail between Port Colborne and Fort Erie.

Shadow and a friend at Ridgeway along the Friendship trail.

Ridgeway - Cultural Capital of Canada - really?

Beautiful Erie beach at Fort Erie.

Near the end of the Friendship trail, there was an access to lake Erie beautiful public beach.

Beach park - Fort Erie

Fort Erie had several nice lake front public parks to enjoy.

Going through a densely treed short trail

At the end of the Friendship trail, I cycled through densely treed dirt trail for a short distance.

First sight of Buffalo skyline from Fort Erie

Soon I reached the Peace Bridge. Had to cross the bridge by walking the bicycle on the side walk, but the side walk was closed. There was a sign to call a phone number. I called, no one answered; left a message and proceeded to go around the barrier. As I walked the bicycle on the sidewalk a car honked behind me. A pickup truck with a lady officer stopped beside me, and told me that I was on the wrong sidewalk. She directed me to go through a tunnel under the bridge and use the sidewalk on the other side of the bridge which was designated for people coming into Canada from the US.

Flags on the bridge. Notice the wind direction and strength.

Walking trails on lake Erie - US side

Not good!

It took about 20 minutes to walk across the bridge. At the US side, an officer stopped the traffic to let me cross back to the other side and lined up behind cars to go through custom and immigration.

Buffalo Botanical garden.

It was very challenging to find my way out of the city of Buffalo. Had to ask for directions several times. At one point had to cycle for a short distance on a highway with clear sign that bicycles were not allowed.

Had lunch at a local Pizza and Sub restaurant, just out of Buffalo. One hour later I saw the first Tim Horton on this tour on the other side of the road. Could not resist to stop.

With Miriam Klein. Note the tan on my forehead.

While I was enjoying a strawberry and banana shake and checking out my maps. Miriam showed up. We chatted for awhile. Miriam was cycling from Louisville, KY to Portland, ME by herself. Brave lady. She will be on the road for 4 weeks only accompanied by her mascot 'John the Rabbit'. To know more about this free spirited lady, you can read her blog 'Heartland to Portland with John the Rabbit' at the following link. Hope to hear from her again.

Miriam, with John the Rabbit, saying 'Good bye'. "All the best"

Tonight I stayed at the Light House Inn in Irving NY. The WiFi connection was weak and slow. Could not send pictures on Facebook. Could not use Skype to make calls. Could not download tomorrow's route.

This place cost $1.00 more than the best hotel I stayed in the US, the Clarion Hotel in Erie, PA, yet everything about it was 'cheap'. The chairs were plastic lawn chairs, the curtains 'see thru', thin towels, one soap bar provided - no shampoo. The worst part, it was noisy; almost every half hour I could hear trains passing by. The railway track was not too far away. Did not get a good night sleep.

Except for this hotel, this day was a good day. I enjoyed the ride, the views and the people that I met along the way. The wind was against me but it was not bad. Hope for more days like this.

End.

Around lake Erie - Day 2

Day 2, Monday, August 18 2014.
From the Bear's Inn, Oshweken, Ontario to Best Value Inn, Port Colborne, Ontario - 87.5 km.

Day-2 cycling route.

Was ready to start cycling before 8:00 AM. The weather was a bit cool and overcast, put my jacket on.
Cycled to the Bear's Inn office building to return the keys and get my receipt. As I dismounted in front of the office, got my right foot caught on the crossbar, lost my balance and fell backwards. At this time I had my helmet on but not strapped. Hit the back of my head on the ground as the helmet 'flew' off. Got quite dizzy. As I laid still waiting for the dizziness to subside, Lisa the Inn's proprietor, came running down the stairs of the office to see if I was all right. She was worried.

Looking out from the porch while having coffee.

After a short rest and a cup of coffee, I decided to continue with my cycling tour and see how it went. The Bear's Inn was a nice place to stay; quiet country like atmosphere, clean and comfortable. Good Wifi connection.

Hills, dirt and gravel roads; not pleasant.

Saw a large old female dog, judging by her row of tits, walking on the other side of the road in the same direction. I started to increase my cadence, hoping that I could pass her before she noticed me; unfortunately another dog from one of the houses on my right hand side started to bark at me. She turned, and we stared at each other. Without barking, she charged at me; I pedalled furiously and aimed the bicycle straight at the dog and at the last minute swung away from her all the while pedalling like crazy. The dog passed behind the rear wheel. I heard her trying to stop and changed direction. By this time I must be doing 30 km/hour. Luckily it was not an up hill. From my rear view mirror, I saw the dog stopped chasing and start barking at me. Phew....that was close!

My next challenge this day was hilly dirt and gravel roads. Going down hill on a gravel dirt road could be dangerous; had the brakes on, and inched down. Lost my triangle slow vehicle sign on this bumpy dirt road.
Had to cycle for about 15 km on these challenging roads. Very slow and difficult cycling.

Grand river

Live stock across the river.

Cycling along the scenic Grand river from Cayuga to Dunnville was a treat.

Arrived at Dunnville

Fish greeting? Lots of sport fishing in this area.

Had Greek salad at Dairy Queen in Dunnville for lunch. Needed that lunch and washroom break badly.

First sight of lake Erie on this tour.

At about 65 km mark, got my first look at lake Erie on this tour. It was a beautiful sight.

Cycled on the Trans Canada trail for a short distance, then onto Concession Rd.1 which continued to hwy#3. All the way against the wind.

 Going through the Trans Canada Trail.

Part of the Trans Canada Trail.

Arrived at Best Value Inn, Port Colborne, Ontario at about 4:00 PM. The WiFi connection at the Inn was good and fast. Called home on Skype, also Lisa, the Bear's Inn manager, to let her know that I was all right. She was worried about me after this morning fall. To day was a though day, the distance was only 87 km but some of the roads were difficult to cycle on. As I laid my head down on the pillow to sleep, I felt pain on the right side of my neck. Must have torn some muscles as I fell backwards this morning. This pain lasted for 3 more days. End.