Back in the USA

Hey all:

We crossed back into the United States in Niagara Falls yesterday and it feels a little strange to be this close to the East Coast. Even in Michigan it still felt as if we were in a cross-country adventure. Now it's starting to feel like we're coming home.

We stopped off at "Uncle Tom's Cabin" the former home of Jeremiah Henson, the inspiration for Harriet Beecher Stowe's novel of the same name.

The ride through southern Ontario, along the north shore of Lake Erie has been quite nice - fairly flat, decent road conditions, a slight tailwind, and frequent views of the lake. We even dared to enter the somewhat frigid waters - something I would not have dreamed of doing thirty years ago! We went to a beach restaurant with Wally & Jenny and felt as if we were in the Keys - beach volleyball, fruity boat drinks, and Jimmy Buffet.

We continue to benefit from the generosity of others. In Port Stanley, where no one was able to confirm that there was a campground a half-mile from downtown (there was), we were able to stay in the backyard of a man named Mike, who then immediately left for a camping trip of his own.

Then, after getting into Port Dover early one evening, we discovered that it was the first day of a major three day holiday, and there was not a hotel room or campground site within 30 miles in any direction. We all set out in different directions to see where we might be able to ditch camp. Wally ran into Ken and Georgia, a lovely couple in their 80's, who agreed to let us put our tents in their backyard. Over breakfast the next morning, Georgia regaled us with stories of their 58 year marriage. When asked what the secret was for their marital bliss, Georgia indicated that she had lent Ken the $5.00 for their marriage license and he hasn't paid her back yet.

There is quite a controversy going on in Ontario around the placement of wind turbines. There are a number of wind projects already in place and more are planned along the lake shore. You see some signs in support of the projects, but far more with slogans like: "Wind turbines lower property costs 25 - 40%," and "Health studies before wind turbines." I happened to like the way they looked located in and around fields planted with corn, soybeans, and alfalfa.

While stopping at the Canadian side of Niagara Falls was nice, getting out of there was not. The Adventure Cycling maps indicate that you may cross north of Niagara over the Queenston Bridge. A couple of folks we talked to had their doubts, but we blazed forward anyway. After negotiating a section of a busy highway and a traffic circle, we noticed the no bicycle sign at the entrance of the bridge. Having come too far to turn back, we joined a very long line of cars and slowly crawled along for almost two hours before being able to cross. On the bright side, we did meet a few interesting people and made a lot of people smile (or laugh) along the way. Then, when we were just three cars back from the border crossing, two loaded cyclists came down the restricted truck lane and were allowed to cut to the front of the line and cross immediately. Once again, illegal behavior was rewarded and our lawful behavior was punished. Is it any wonder that the human race is going to hell in a handbasket?

We will spend the next week or so traveling across New York, before we get back to New England for our last 500 miles to Lubec, Maine. We will hit the 3000 mile mark sometime today and will end up with about 4000 miles by the time we are done.

Can't believe that it's coming to an end. Bittersweet.

Hope you are well.

Take care,

Rob & Jake