The BLO+E: Week 2 Day 1

Today I biked 82.77 miles from Rondeau Provincial Park to Port Burwell Provincial Park. This long day put me on schedule to return to my starting point but Wednesday afternoon. I'll then have circled Lake Erie as well biked both shores of Niagara River from Niagara Falls to the lake. The BLO+E will be half over.

The ride today began on a great note. As Imwas riding out of Rondeau Park, I ran into three bikers:

Geniveve, Luke, and Nicole were biking to Montreal. They were French, with wonderful accents. They thought mine was odd for someone from the States. I guess they're accustomed to accents along the border. After talking with them, I went ahead, but I'd see them again as they were biking into St. Thomas, while I was biking out.

One of my favorite rest spots was along a road beside a cafe that was busy with motorbikes.

It was so crowded inside that I sat in the little outside space. A few others eventually came out, I don't think they were bikers, bikers have never shown much interest, they're too cool, they don't even wave as they pass me on the road.

I have pretty much been following three roads, with numerous connectors: HWY 3, Talbot Trail, and Waterfront Trail.

I though it was pretty good that there was this spot when the tall merged. But somewhere past these three signs I followed the Talbot Trail sign, there wasn't any other signage that said the other two roads went another way. The bad news is that the Talbot Trail took me way off track and to return to the right road I had to climb hills while riding into a stiff headwind. But the good news!

First, I saw the monument to Jumbo the Elephant, who was killed in St. Thomas on September 15, 1885, when he was hit by a train. The monument is enormous.

Look how big! But my point is that if I hadn't made the wrong turn, this serendipitous moment would have never occurred. Nor would I have see my three French friends again. As I was biking southeast to Port Burwell they were biking into St. Thomas because they didn't want to bike another 35 miles to camp. They were going to find a hotel. I suggested that they go see Jumbo.

Whn I finally made camp in Port Burwell, I was tired and sweaty.

I was thinking that from our mistakes we should look for something positive. Often the mistake is for the good. Jumbo was worth the extra miles, the hills, and the wind. Sometimes good things don't come the easy way, they aren't expected. Sometimes it's better to go the wrong way.


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