One Journey Ends

The weather for the last week was reasonably warm and the skies were sunny. Cycling thru Ontario, Canada was an excellent choice as the farmfields were much nicer than riding thru the armpit of industrial Ohio around Lake Erie. Passing thru customs in Marine City, MI was a breeze, but the next day I had to navigate around the Detroit suburbs. Everything went fairly well to begin with; when a road got too busy I simply found a backroad. Although the dirt backroads had less traffic my cursing at the bumps was loud and constant. By mid-afternoon I had reached Pontiac and thought I was in the clear. Unfortunately as I road southwest there was not a road that wasn't crowded with suburban commuters burning fossil fuels.

I finally reached Island Lake State Recreation Area where my brother Mark drove out to meet me. We had good food, cold brews, and a nice fire to celebrate my last night on the road.  The next morning a heavy frost covered the ground and by eleven it was finally warm enough to ride. I set out and traffic was much more pleasant, but the wind was not giving me a pass on my last day. Mark road out to complete the last few miles with me. My cadence was smooth and my tires kept rolling forward. Soon I was climbing the last hill and taking a right onto Hickman Road. For weeks I have been thinking about the end of this ride. At the finish I simply road into the driveway, hugged Mom, took a few photos and went inside for lots of chocolate chip cookies.

Now, this being a milestone one may wonder what thoughts or conclusions I have from my journey. If my reader is expecting some grand epiphany I am sorry to disappoint. This journey was long, but not particularly difficult. I was just doing what came naturally and on the open road enjoying myself.  I've seen some beautiful places, met some wonderful people, and gathered some memories. As the journey progressed I've grown older and learned a few things, yet am still puzzled by many of life's complexities. Life's a journey and this was just part of it. There are still many backroads yet to be explored and I do enjoy riding my bike...

Ontario cornfields

Sombra, Ontario and the St.Claire River

Morning frost

September 11, 2001

November 5, 2011