Day 3 – Port Dover to Port Stanley

Friday, July 20, 2018

I had a very good sleep and I woke up at 6 am, well rested.   I packed up my things while trying to ward off the mosquitos.   I must have looked like I was performing the Russian slap dance while I was trying to pack but I eventually packed everything back on the bike and I was on the road by 7 am.   I headed west on Front street, which is also known as the Waterfront trail.  With a bit of a tailwind, I was able to make faster progress. I rode to Port Rowan and arrived at Uncle’s Country Kitchen at 8:30 for a very good breakfast and a chance to finish and post my journal for the previous day.

I left the restaurant and I drove to my cousin’s house in Port Rowan and I arrived there at 10 am.  I visited my cousins Toni Penner and Hilda Thiessen as well as Hilda’s husband Bill and their two daughters Monica and Helga for a couple of hours.  We solved all of the worlds problems and discussed a variety of topics in the 2 1/2 hours I was there.   After having way too much to eat ( including the ice cream ) and drink, I was back on the  road by 12:30.

The route had more hills and my speed varied from 53 km/hr down the hills to 5 km/hr at the end of the climbs.   At one point the mosquitos attacked me as I was slowly climbing up one of the hills and it was quite a challenge trying to slap them while also trying to make forward progress.   At 5 km/hr, I felt like Arty Johnson of LaughIn.  I was just on the verge of tipping over, especially with the excess weight on my back wheel.   My guess is that I have about 50 pounds in the bags.

I have seen a lot of wheat, corn and soya crops, but I have also seen a number of other crops.  It was the Dill crops that I found most interesting.

When I reached Port Burwell, I stopped for a while to take pictures of the beach area,

the lighthouse,

and the submarine that is part of the Marine museum

Of course when I saw the ‘ Simply Scoops ‘ ice cream shop, I had to stop for a scoop!

With a bit of a tailwind for most of the ride, I was able to make good time as I headed to Port Stanley.   I arrived in the Port Bruce area on the Jamestown line and I was about to turn onto the road to take me across the bridge but it was closed for repair so I headed to the southern bridge, which was physically gone.   The town was in the process of building a replacement bridge nearby but it was far from ready for use.  The detour added 27 kms to my travel towards Port Stanley.  As I got near the bridge on Highway 45, it started to rain and I broke out laughing as I was lumbering up the steep incline on the other side of the bridge while it was raining when the song ” Raindrops keep falling on my head ” started to play on my iPod.  Timing is everything.

When I was almost back to the other side of the missing bridges, I checked my route and I found that Port Stanley would be somewhat out of the way for going to the Leamington area.   I also noticed that there didn’t seem to be any good campsites in the area, and since it was supposed to rain in the evening, I opted to get a hotel room in St. Thomas and I changed my route.

At 6 pm, I arrived at the Comfort Inn in St Thomas that I had selected and I was able to get a room for the night.

It was a very long day and I was wet and tired, so it felt very good to take a shower and get a bite to eat at Smitty’s Backyard Burgers.   The burger was as good as the ones I have eaten at the Tiki bar in Ft. Meyers.  The meat was excellent and mine was enhanced with jalapeños, hot peppers, habenero sauce and hot mustard.  It was raining again as I walked about a km to the restaurant and back to the hotel.

Day 3 – Port Rowan to St Thomas:

Distance Travelled: 116 km

Travel Time: 6 hrs 20 min

Conditions: mid 20-28 C ( 68 – 82 F ) Sunny, partly cloudy and some rain at the end of the day.

Accommodations: Comfort Inn in St Thomas ( $106 )