North Branch, MI to Marine City, MI; 77 miles, partly cloudy, 10-15 NW wind, 60-70’s
The first 5o miles of today’s ride felt a lot like eastern North Dakota. This part of Michigan is mostly farms, and the roads were flat and straight as an arrow for several miles at a time following state highways. Traffic was moderately heavy and the shoulders were somewhat narrow, so not a premium cycling experience. However, there was a generous tail wind so I made good time. The remainder of the ride was a combination of short bike trail segments and local highways from Port Huron down to Marine City on the St. Clair River. The St. Clair River flows out of Lake Huron and divides Michigan from Ontario in Canada. The river is high too. The prescribed route would have us cross the river from Marine City into Canada on the family run Blue Water Ferry. However, it is closed down due to ice damage a year ago (we knew in advance). So we packed up, and drove north to cross the border over the Blue Water Bridge between Port Huron and Sarnia, Ontario, then south along the river to the town of Sombra, Ontario where the ferry would have delivered us. We are headed to New York through Ontario along Lake Erie.
So Ontario is not actually a US state as you may have noticed. Since I have plenty of time to think about stuff when I am riding, it occurred to me I can’t really call this a cross country trip. It is really a cross continent trip. I kind of like the sound of that.
