Lake Erie Cycle Tour – Week 2

Biking Travel

June 2, Saturday (day 8)
Port Rowan, ON to London, ON (55 miles, 443 total)
Windiest day I’ve ever cycled. First 30 miles were on nice, rural roads. The final section, on Route 3, was stressful. The wind was probably gusting over 30 mph and quartering from about 10 o’clock. It made keeping the bike on the road very tough and was actually dangerous. There was no acceptable lodging in St. Thomas so I pushed on to an expensive Best Western in London. They did, however, have a very nice restaurant where I had one of the best pizzas ever.

June 3, Sunday (day 9)
London, ON to Blenheim, ON (58 miles, 501 total)
Another windy day. Avoided most of the rain but was still worn down by the wind. Couldn’t take the Garmin’s route as it kept sending me to unpaved roads. Not knowing how long or bad they might get, I wound up hitting Route 3 to Blenheim. Found a nice motel just about a mile south of town.

June 4, Monday (day 10)
Blenheim, ON to Windsor (55 miles, 556 total)
Another miserable day into the wind and on some of the worse roads I’ve ever cycled. Fortunately, I managed to find a rental car at the Windsor Airport that would allow a one-way rental to Toledo. This got me across the Ambassador Bridge and knocked off the leg off the trip that I the least interest in cycling – getting through Detroit.

June 5, Tuesday (day 11)
Toledo, OH to Sandusky, OH (47 miles, 607 total)
After three straight days of fighting a west wind, the moment I start heading east, the wind shifts out of the east. Getting out of Toledo wasn’t too difficult and after reaching East Toledo, I managed to stay on fairly rural roads for most of the route. Originally planning to go to Marblehead and take the ferry to Kelleys Island and then to Sandusky, with 10 less miles I went from Port Clinton to Put-in-Bay to Kelleys Island and then to Sandusky. It was nice to be able to finish the trip with some relaxing ferry rides and actually enjoy the final few hours. It was certainly a relief to see the 4Runner sitting in that city parking lot!

Final Stats: