Welcome to Canada

I made it to Canada! We crossed from Algonac, Michigan, to Walpole Island, Ontario, this afternoon on a ferry that took about 10 minutes to cross the St. Clair River.

I didn't see a "Welcome to Canada" sign upon arrival so these Canadian flags outside a retail establishment in Chatham will have to do.


The St. Clair River was a beautiful blue color that these pictures didn't capture very well.

Here are a few other pictures from earlier in the day:
I did pass an Amish horse carriage this morning not far outside of Brown City, Michigan.

I rode two diffferent trails today. The Wadhams to Avoca Trail was unpaved rail-trail for about six of the 11 miles that I logged on it. I was able to maintain a 15mph pace or better even on the unpaved section of trail, but I was happy when the last five miles was paved into Wadhams.


I also rode a few miles on the Bridge to Bay Trail off-and-on between Marysville and Marine City. Unfortunately, that paved trail was in rougher shape, with poorer signage, and a hard-to-follow course than the Wadhams to Avoca Trail. It was not a rail-trail conversion. I ended up giving up on it and just riding on the River Road/M-29 State Highway instead.

Anyway, now that I'm in Canada, I will spend the next few days riding east toward Niagara Falls/Buffalo. Tomorrow, I'll start where I finished off today in the town of Wallaceburg. I'll head southeast to the northern shore of Lake Erie and more-or-less ride along the lake for three full days and a fourth partial day before returning to the US in western New York.

I "only" rode 71.5 miles today. Between a late start, some tricky directions, and the ferry ride, I just didn't feel like pushing to get my 80-plus miles. But I did log my fastest average speed of 15.5 mph today.

Finally, we're staying in a really cool hotel in Chatham called the Retro Suites. Each room has a different theme and there's lots of cool/funky/eclectic artwork in the public areas. Our room is "The Library." A sampling of some of the artwork from the public areas:
 

 

 

 

It's a fun hotel. I recommend it if you're ever up this way!

Comments

  1. MetteSeptember 19, 2025 at 2:40 AM

    The hotel looks really cool.
    I have wondered - do you type everything in your blog or do you record an audio and then convert the audio text and post (including some exiting) to the blog?
    I suppose the latter would save you a lot of time.
    Read all your posts and love your pictures.

    ReplyDelete
  2. AlexSeptember 19, 2025 at 3:02 AM

    Shout out to Lailla for finding some cool, unusual places to stay!

    ReplyDelete
  3. JudiSeptember 19, 2025 at 8:33 AM

    Ditto to that above shout out to Lailla! She definitely makes the magic happen. Nice riding (and writing), Craig!

    ReplyDelete
  4. AnonymousSeptember 19, 2025 at 12:15 PM

    Hi guys, it's Doug C. I just found out about this today. Still a mushroom lol. Wow, what a great adventure! Needless to say I will be following from now to the end. You have posted some great pictures and it appears that you had pretty good weather. Also making some darn impressive milage. Cheers to Lailla for all the great support! All the best from Missouri

    ReplyDelete
  5. Rob TSeptember 23, 2025 at 10:34 AM

    I love the artwork in that hotel. Bonus!

    ReplyDelete

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