July 7, 2019 - Yale, MI to Wallaceburg, ON : 62.5 miles
We got up and going this morning at the usual time. After saying good-bye to Janet and Steven, we headed south into Yale, past fast food outlets. For 10 miles, we rode past farm fields while encountering some traffic from rural commuters. We turned east on Brandon Road and rode into a modest head wind for 10 miles past more farm fields. The rows of soy beans didn’t seem to be doing so well (small, chlorotic) perhaps due to being planted late this spring. We biked 3 miles on the Wadhams to Avoca Trail, lined with hardwoods. At Range Road, we turned south and rode a mile to Theo’s Family Restaurant at the I-94 interchange.
After gobbling up a western omelet for breakfast # 2, we continued south on Range Road for 8 miles to the Bridge - Bay Trail. We bounced along the often bumpy trail for several miles, zigging and zagging around St. Clair. After tiring of the rough riding surface, we moved over to parallel M-19, which had a smooth shoulder. In Marine City, the highway passed by stately Victorian mansions, overlooking the St. Clair River (see photo). In 5 more miles, we ate lunch at Algonac State Park, under a huge catalpa tree. Jet skis roared along the river, while anglers tested the waters for walleyes, evidently without success. After this pleasant interlude, we biked a few more miles south, to the Algonac Ferry. Water from the river flooded parts of the vehicle ramp to the ferry. In 10 minutes the ferry arrived.
During the 10-minute ride across the St. Clair River, a freighter (100 times bigger than the ferry) passed by. On the Canadian side, the customs people confiscated our dog repellant, which is illegal in Canada. We biked through First Nation lands on Walpole Island, before biking on the mainland. About 8 miles from the ferry, we arrived in Wallaceburg and got a room at the Days Inn, the only motel in a town of 10,000 people. Today was a short day, but we didn’t want to ride another 36 miles to the next campsite. We will have a long day tomorrow.
