Day’s distance: 301 miles
Total trip distance so far: 3,404 miles
The day started in the mid 60’s and the high was 84. Mostly sunny throughout the day, winds were light and the humidity moderate.
Michigan has the prettiest rest areas. I stopped here to take a photo of the lake, but the farmland was just as pretty.
I grabbed a photo of the White Rock Light. According to this article on boatnerd.com, the light, located in White Rock, was built as a private residence and as a memorial to the 1856 White Rock Lighthouse which was destroyed by fire in 1871.
I left Port Austin not having coffee or food. It was about 11am when I reached Port Sanilac and found Mary’s Diner. Good coffee and some breakfast, followed by more coffee 🙂
While I was eating, a woman sitting at another table, obviously a local resident, was outside on the porch smoking. When she returned, she said, “Wow, BMWs sure have changed since I was riding one in the 60’s.”
Her name was Sue and we had a brief conversation about my trip and I shared my blog URL with her. This would be the first of two times someone would approach me today.
The second was at a taco trailer I passed in Aylmer, Ontario. It was about 2:30pm and I was getting hungry, but I wasn’t convinced Dan’s Taco Wagon was the stop for me. But in the 20 seconds or so I was approaching the trailer, two cars pulled in the lot. I turned around after deciding to give it a try.
A woman asked me if I really rode the motorcycle all the way from Washington? I laughed and said yes, which started a whole conversation between myself, Beth (her name) and her husband Steve. They lived in nearby St. Thomas and came to the Taco Wagon regularly. They knew some of the story of the Taco Wagon.
Dan is part of the local mennonite community. A taco wagon makes sense because the community has a German / Mexican background. The ingredients were simple and grown locally. The flavors were well balanced.
Back on the road after lunch, I continued southeast along various two lane roads. My goal was to get to the shore of Lake Erie.
My route landed me in Port Dover. I took the first photos of Lake Erie’s north shore.
It was about 4:30pm when I rode past this fruit stand. I asked if they sell fruit by the mouthful and they said yes! As I was removing my helmet, I noticed a shiny Harley nearby. The guy confirmed it was his and tossed a peach my way, saying it was on the house!
Followers probably expected me to finish the day in Niagara-on-the-Lake, but I failed to get last minute reservations anywhere. Apparently there are tons of wine tastings going on this time of year and getting weekend accommodations is difficult. I don’t know if taking one fewer day off in Mackinaw City would have made a difference or not.
The motel I’m at tonight is very close to the Peace Bridge. I’ll cross it into New York in the morning.