Day 32 - Marine City, MI to Port Stanley, ONT

What better way to wake up than the soothing sounds of --- THUNDER!  Yep, lightning, thunder and rain - lots of rain.  I turned over and said, "Guess we should wait till things die down before rushing out".  I actually thought that would work.  Nope, up at 5:15, in the shower, bags in the car and off we went to breakfast by the ferry.

The ferry.  This is a class business here.  From one side of the St. Claire River to the Canadian side - $6.00, drive the car on and go - literally.  We barely got the car on the ferry when Gwen said, "I think we are moving" and sure enough, we were on the way, we had barely stopped in our spot.  The only car on the ferry.

The rain came and went - mostly stayed around.  Arrived at our hotel in Port Stanley about 3:00.  Very 'porty' town with yacht harbor, fishing and a large beach.
Patty in Canada.

Notes from Jerry:  Too bad we weren't able to stay around the St. Clair Inn as they were setting up for the unlimited hydroplane races for this weekend, and their location was fabulous - right on the river.  Missed it by a few days. 

As Tom and and I started off on our ride today I actually told him that the bike seat felt better than some of the chairs I had been sitting after our ride and at dinner last night.  Sad state of affairs when your butt is calloused enough that the rock hard seat actually feels "normal".

The ride today would have been spectacular except for the rain that fell intermittently for 70 of the 96 miles.  The scenery was different - the farms were neat and tidy and most had wind rows.  We also saw for the first time the gigantic wind turbines that we had seen on the road back in North Dakota - the ones with the 70 to 100 meters long blades!  They are spectacular when turning slowly in a field of dark green crops and they are somewhat close to the road.

Gwen got to watch what goes into riding in the rain, as far as riding gear.  It is pretty hilarious, all the junk we wear and then all the stuff we have to take off because we get too hot etc. etc.  She says we look pretty dorky.  Tom has this helmet cover that makes him look like a cleaning lady with a rag on his hair.  I'm quite sure sure I look even worse.

Port Stanley is a great little port town with lots of neat shops and restaurants and our hotel/motel is really neat and right near the beach. 

Short Note from Gwen: Kudos to Patty for her organizational skills.  She booked our hotels for the next few nights which include a couple of "rest" (no biking) days for sightseeing in the Niagara Falls area.  Patty has been on the road with these guys so long she anticipates their every need.  She had sandwiches ready just as the wet and tired guys pulled into the middle of nowhere.  Picnicing on the side of the road in the pouring rain is just another day on the road for all.

Note from Tom:  Long day--spent lots of time putting rain gear on and taking it off.  Hopefully tomorrow will be better.