“The most difficult thing is the decision to act. The rest is just tenacity.” Amelia Earhart

I am happy to report that the day’s 80-mile ride from Port Stanley, Ontario to Wallaceburg, Ontario, was a success. Thankfully, the route was mostly flat, although there were a couple of steeper climbs in the mix. These helped wake me up from the hypnotic effect of cranking out all those miles. I was also treated to a variety of weather conditions–hot (80s) and sunny, rain, and quite a bit of headwind. I left at 7:15 a.m. and arrived at the Wallaceburg Inn in Wallaceburg a little after 7 p.m. Although I was traveling for 12 hours, that includes two breaks for sit-down meals in Wallacetown (not to be confused with Wallaceburg) and New Glasgow, several snack breaks, and innumerable stops for water and stretching.

Heading the “wrong way” across North America, from east to west rather than west to east, I think has improved my odds of encountering bike adventurers making their way to the east coast. I haven’t bumped into anyone going my way. Just as rain was looking pretty imminent, I met Richard from Utah, who was going the opposite direction but crossed over to my side of the highway to have a chat.

Richard said he started on the Lewis and Clark Trail out west but was now using the same Adventure Cycling route I am taking. He was vague as to whether he would be going all the way to Bar Harbor, Maine, but said he was heading for the Erie Canal trail in New York. Richard said he started out riding with five or six other cyclists, but that he and another guy broke off from the group when members of the group had differing ideas of where to stay (others preferred motels; Richard likes to camp) or how far to go each day (others wanted to hit 70 miles; Richard prefers a 50-mile upper limit). Eventually, he and his remaining companion also parted ways, and Richard said the trip was now down to “just me.” He was riding on a bike that looked pretty loaded down with gear and also included a safety flag to increase his visibility to drivers.

With all the miles I needed to cover, I didn’t have a lot of time for snapping photos today, but I do have a couple to share. The following photo shows the Thames River, which I crossed in Kent Bridge, Ontario, not long after the rain had cleared. You may know that the Thames River of Ontario also passes through the city of London, Ontario, which is about 120 miles from both Detroit and Toronto. You don’t need to cross the ocean to see London and the Thames River!

A little over 10 miles from my end point in Wallaceburg, I passed through Dresden, Ontario (pop. 2,451), which my Adventure Cycling map indicates is the setting of the Josiah Henson Museum of African Canadian History, built on the site of a settlement founded by Rev. Josiah Henson, who was born into slavery in the U.S. but escaped with his wife and four children in 1830 using the Underground Railroad, crossing into Canada. Rev. Henson purchased 200 acres to build a self-sufficient community for fugitives from slavery. The character Tom in Harriet Beecher Stowe’s 1852 anti-slavery novel Uncle Tom’s Cabin was loosely based on him. I saw this marker off of North Street in Dresden, which describes some of the history of racial reckoning in Canada that appears to have some parallels to our own path in the U.S.

My reward after today’s ride was a huge plate of lasagna at the Quo Vadis Pizzeria, conveniently located right next door to my motel. I am taking tomorrow (Sunday) off. As much as I enjoy being on a bike, it will be good to have a day of rest.