Day 44: Windsor, ON to Port Stanley, ON

Oh Canada! We arrived in Canada via car as the Detroit-Windsor border was off limits to bicycle traffic. Marc's old high school friend, Scott, was so generous as to drive us across the border and then a few miles out of town so we'd have a traffic free ride.
Our route today threatened to be a long one - almost 100 miles to the beachside town of Port Stanley, Ontario. Luckily, the terrain was flat and the winds were at our backs. We cruised along the rich agricultural farmland at a decent clip of 16-20 mph. We passed plenty of corn, soybean, tobacco farms along with fruit and vegetable farms. Almost every 5 miles or so we passed an old cemetary. That was fascinating, as we passed almost 30 or so of them.
We are happy to report that today's ride was calamady free. No flats, no detours, no repairs and practically no stop signs. I think we encountered about 4 stop signs/lights on our entire route! This was a great, as we got a late start and needed to make up time.
We finally arrived in Port Stanley around 7 PM. We spent about a half hour or so checking out the town and searching for a cheaper motel. Port Stanley is a swanking little lakeside resort with plenty of bed and breakfast style inn's. After stopping to ask, we were directed to the beach side of town where there were lively bars and a more casual atmosphere.
This is where we found somewhat reasonably priced accomodations at the Bucaneer Inn. Our room is large and recently remodeled with a mini kitchen and large bathroom. (I'm actually typing in the bathroom right now as to not disturb Marc's beauty sleep.) The best part of our accommodation is that we are about 10 steps away from the beautiful sandy beach. "Best Beach" in Ontario our hotel clerk informed us.
After a hearty meal of fried perch, mashed potatoes and sauteed veggies at the hotel restaurant, we ventured out on the beach just in time to watch a wicked storm move in. About 10 minutes after we got back to our room, the skies opened up and the winds sent the rain down in almost hurricane force gusts. Wow! It was one of the most spectacular storms I have ever been in. So strong that it knocked out our power. Did I mention that I was in the bathroom? Well now I'm in a very dark bathroom!
Tomorrow we are going to ride along the coast of Lake Erie to Port Dover or beyond if we can. We're looking at a 70-90 mile ride for tomorrow.
Marc's stats:
Total Miles: 98
Average MPH: 15.6
Total Ride Time: 6 hours 13 minutes
Winds: SSW at 14 mph (the winds died down to 5 mph around mile 50 or so.)