Land O' Lakes. From one Great Lake (Michigan) to another (Huron) and another (Ontario). Today's arrival at the gateway to Canada has Zippy and everyone else very excited and charged up. Not so much about going into Canada, though that will be fun, but because they get to cross the Blue Water Bridge, a large 6,100 ft. span, going over Lake Huron. There were both American and Canadian flags at the beginning and, presumably, at the other side. The water is actually quite blue and very clear. Their hotel is right at the foot of the bridge, similar to the start way back in Astoria, Oregon.
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| Can't Quite Tell Here, But The Water Is Blue |
To get all the cyclists across is quite a big deal. Without stealing the thunder from my blog for tomorrow, I'll just say that after getting all the requisite bureaucratic permissions, the authorities actually stop all traffic on the bridge and the riders get a full escort over, as they cycle in full peloton formation, all wearing their ABB jerseys. I'm sure it will be really fun! Terry was really taken with the beauty of the bridge and surrounding waters and suggested we take at least one vacation in these parts. Sounds good to me.
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| The Bridge Will Be Closed |
Today started, though, with some trepidation about the weather. At 5:00 am, there was a major thunderstorm, torrential rains which dumped 4 " of rain and miserable conditions. The start was delayed by 30 minutes while the ABB handlers tried to find out more about the storm's predictions. It was supposed to pass over by 7:00, and lo and behold, it did. So, everyone saddled up and got going, but brought rain gear with them just in case. It stayed threatening all day, but never actually rained again. In fact, the heavy cloud cover produced really nice riding conditions. I think the worst of it was that riders & bikes got really dirty from all the road spray that was kicked up.
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| More Farm Lands |
The ride took them through more agricultural areas and scenic, small towns. Happy Faces greeted riders.
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| Smile, Mike! |
One in particular seemed to be a favorite among the riders: Yale, Michigan, which claims to be the bologna capital of the world. Seriously. The annual Yale Bologna Festival starts tomorrow, but unfortunately will be missed by our hearty riders.
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| Anything For A Party |
Tomorrow they get international miles for two days, then on to Niagara Falls and a REST DAY. That will be the LAST Rest Day of the tour. Can you believe they are almost in New York State????
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| Crossing The Great Lakes |
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