July 14, 2017
Erieau, ON to Leamington, ON
Day 15 - Late Evening Ride
Sunny with patchy clouds.
Got up and said our goodbyes to Maryann and Brian. We caught Brian down at the coffee shop just as he was leaving to go fishing with some friends.
We had a quick breakfast in the town center and left about 8 a.m. and rode about an hour until we saw a fruit stand that was selling raspberries, Cameron’s favorite. We had to stop and he quickly wolfed down the whole pot. They were the biggest raspberries that I had seen in a while too.
Next stop that was not far away was Dealtown where we stopped for our second breakfast. It wasn’t great, I think the eggs were out of a packet and the potatoes definitely were. But we ate it because we were hungry and it was the only place for miles around.
There was a side wind today coming from the northwest as we saw many more wind turbines today. There has been a running battle between those that want the turbines and those that don't. It seems some counties don't have them and we have seen areas with signs saying 'Stop The Turbines'. We also started to notice the houses getting bigger that were on the lake shore. Previously the houses had been smaller and a combination of holiday homes and permanent residences. These houses were bigger and permanent. Probably indicating we were getting closer to a bigger town, Leamington.
We stopped in Wheatley for a quick lunch at the park then kept heading on Hwy 1 to Leamington. Somehow it seemed the wind had shifted during our brief break so we spent the last 10 miles of the day pushing into the wind.
About 5 miles from Leamington we checked our bearings and realized we needed to head south of town to the campground. We arrived about 2:30 p.m. and got set up. The camp fee was $58 which was extremely steep but it was Friday night and they appeared to be fully booked so I didn’t complain. (I found out later speaking to a RV owner he paid about $60 for his site including electricity, water and sewer.)
I had a nap in the tent as the site was shaded, but was rudely awakened by the grounds man mowing the sites around us. I decided to do the washing and cook an early dinner. Cameron was still pretty tired so he just stayed in his tent.
After dinner, the wind had died off so I took off on my own to see the Leamington and Kingsville lighthouses.
The Kingsville lighthouse was on the grounds of a museum that wasn't open so I took photos through the fence. The Leamington lighthouse is in a private community so I had to make do with a photo from out on the road.
The first lights in Kingsville were placed in operation in 1886. In 1889 the existing rear range was constructed and was in use until 1936 when is was discontinued. In 1991 the tower was moved to the Kingsville Historical Part and restored.
The Leamington Lighthouse was constructed in 1880. By 1923 a automatic beacon was established on the pier and the Leamington Lighthouse was decommissioned.
This was about a 22-mile round trip on one of the busiest and roughest roads of the trip. I was glad Cameron hadn’t come. The shoulder was just a gutter full of potholes and the road itself was in bad shape. Every time I rode anywhere the edge of the road cars would pass me while other cars were coming in the other direction making for some close calls. In the end, I just took the lane and made them wait for gaps in the opposing traffic. However, everyone was patient. There was a bike trail for a short distance just as I reached the outskirts of Kingsvile but it soon ended. The sad thing was there were many cyclists using this road, the majority were migrant farm workers who worked at the many greenhouses and small farms on this route. They just rode in the gutter. I’m not sure of any alternatives but this is the ACA route to catch the Kingsville ferry when it is running. Near the end at Kingsville I rode the Kingville Bike Trail which although unpaved was an easy ride.
On the way back I stopped at the LCBO for a cold beer
I arrived back about 8:45 p.m. and we had showers and went to bed.
Today's ride: 64 miles (103 km)
Total: 639 miles (1,028 km)
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