Pedal On and On...: 7/24/11

Saturday, July 30, 2011

Day 41 - What a Beautiful Day!

London, ONT Canada to Brantford,ONT Canada

Distance: 68 miles
Time: 4 hr 45 min
Elevation Gain: 1,719 ft
Total Distance: 3,105 miles
Distance Remaining: 563 miles
Days Remaining: 9

What a beautiful day!! Perfect ridding weather; blue sunny skies, low 70's in the morning and mid 80's by the afternoon, with a mild tailwind most of the day. It was nice to have a sunny day after ridding under overcast skies the last several days. We continue to ride through farmland with corn fields, wheat fields, soybeans, and other crops, barns and farm houses of all shapes and sizes, small towns, and rural neighborhoods. The landscape takes on a difference appearance under sunny skies, colors are more intense and the shadowing makes the scenery more lively, it made for a very enjoyable ride. The route is still very flat and most of the roads were in great shape. The short mileage and the tailwind made it an easy ride today.

Tomorrow we have 72 miles and we ride back into the US and into our last rest day in Niagara Falls.

Link to MY GPS Route

Front Camera View

Rear Camera View - Doyle

Rear Camera View

Rear Camera View - Lucy

Rear Camera View

Rear Camera View - SAG Stop

Rear Camera View

Rear Camera View - Matt

Rear Camera View

Front Camera View

Front Camera View - Mike and Barry

Front Camera View

Front Camera View - Downtown Brantford

Pedal On!!

Friday, July 29, 2011

Day 40 - Canada, O Canada!!

Port Huron, MI to London, ONT Canada

Distance: 83 miles
Time: 5.5 hr
Elevation Gain: 1,732 ft
Total Miles: 3,037
Miles Remaining: 631

Days Remaining: 10

We lucked out once again with the weather. We had hard rain with thunder and lighting all last night and the rain stopped again a couple of hours before we had to ride out. It threatened to rain most of the day, but we remained dry. The temperature was in the low 70's when we started and go into the mid 80's in the afternoon and in addition we had a great tailwind most of the day.

We started the morning with a group ride over the "Blue Water Bridge" into Canada. The border officials on the bridge stop all traffic while we ride across and it was pretty cool to be escorted over a four lane bridge with with us being the only ones on it. We had to stop twice on the bridge to carry our bikes across the expansion joints, the gaps between the joints were to wide to ride across. We also had to stop at the Customs station on the Canadian side to show our passports and off we went. This is my first time ridding in a different country, but ridding through Canada was no difference then ridding in the US (so far). The landscape was a continuation of Michigan with green gentle rolling hills with farmland, corn fields and other crops, and small towns. The differences were, different road signage and the roads were in much better conditions then in Michigan and things cost more.

We made a few milestones today:

We said good bye to another state, Michigan, and we rode into another country, Canada.
I became an international bike rider today.
We hit the 3,000 mile mark toady.

Tomorrow we have a short ride day, 66 miles to Brantford, ONT Canada.

Link to My GPS Route

Gathering at the hotel for the bridge crossing

Rear Camera View - Ridding to the Bridge

Front Camera View - Ridding on the Bridge

Rear Camera View - Still on the Bridge

On the other side crossing into Canada

Rear Camera View

Rear Camera View - Matt and Michel

(Michel is from Canada)

Rear Camera View

Front Camera View

Pedal On!!

Thursday, July 28, 2011

Day 39 - The Weather Gods Smiled On Us

Birch Run, MI to Port Huron, MI

Distance: 90 miles
Time: 6 hr
Elevation Gain: 1,211 ft
Total Miles Ridden: 2,954
Miles left: 714
Days left: 11

We had heavy thunder and lighting storms all last night and it was raining hard when we got up in the morning. Well... the Weather Gods smiled on us today and the rain stopped 1/2 hr before we hit the road. It was warm and muggy all day with overcast skies, but no rain. The landscape and scenery was like we had for the past several days, flat farm land, corn fields, wheat fields, small towns, and small local neighborhoods with nice houses and nicely kept lawns.

Tomorrow we head for Canada. We leave the hotel as a group and ride over the "Blue Water Bridge" (see photo below) to Canada. They shut down all traffic on the bridge as we ride across, it should be fun and exciting!

Link to My GPS Route