But let me go back. We had stayed in Colchester Harbour with Anne and Dennis - she a ball of energy seemingly helping with everything that is going on in the small town. We had the run of the upper floor of the house being the only guests there. And it looked out over the Lake, so that was not too bad at all. Of course a few birds at the feeder, and a fisherman out on the pier just to complete the Rockwell stereotype. A magnificent, decadent, and abundant breakfast leaving us quite sated and lazy. But the day was unfolding and we had to be off.
We began down the road, the wind was strong, and it was cold. But we pedalled on. Progress was slow, and there were a few words of complaint, to be sure. But we soldiered on. Through some old factories and truck yards, on to Kingsville. There we went to a bike shop on a quest for a mirror for Barry, and a respite in a coffee shop for some soup and hot liquids. Back on the bike, and finally to Leamington. We had some time to kill, and another warm soup was in order before getting onto the ferry for the ninety-minute trip across to Pelee Island.
But we were not yet "home". The ferry dock is five km. from the B&B, and we were keen to get there. It was a push, stopping only to take a picture of the sunset,
and arriving to a warm welcome from Marty and Mark, who run the place. We are the only guests here, and they have the only restaurant open on the island right now. They gave us warm food, well cooked (local pickerel - yum), turned on the heat in our room, and generally made us at home. It was cold enough that the room took until two in the morning to heat up.
Through the night, the wind was blowing like crazy. At one point, it sounded like there was an animal scratching at the door. After a while, my curiosity got the better of me, and I went to look. Turned out to be a piece of carpet that had blown up against the door, and was rubbing on it, scratching. Shades of some horror movie.
Somewhere through the night, the wind died down. The morning broke clear, cold, and calm. But it was a relief. Our host had made some coffee in the main place, and pulled out some Special K for a quasi-breakfast. But this day seemed so much better than the last, that we changed our plans. We would stay here another night, and bike back through Belle River to Windsor, instead of trying to get to Brantford. Those arrangements were made, and we celebrated by walking back to the ferry dock to the Legion, which is the only place to get lunch on the Island.
That was a treat. They were serving pulled pork hot sandwiches on brown bread, smothered in gravy, with Cole slaw and fresh cut French fries. Out of the past it came, right to our plates. But as interesting as this was, the people there were almost as interesting. A young woman came and asked us how the biking was going, and said she had seen us this morning walking around the area. Another man came over and asked us if we wished to have lottery tickets to help a kids camp, with the prizes being a shotgun or a crossbow; we declined. He claimed to be the person who re-introduced turkeys to the Island, and told us that they were about to have a turkey hunt here. And on our way walking home, we had a man stop his truck to ask if we wanted a lift. Another truck also stopped to congratulate us on our walk, and joke with us about not looking too much like turkeys.
Well, all this could only lead to one conclusion: we came home and had an afternoon nap.
Picture is of the dining room of the Anchor and Wheel: straight out of the sixties, beach kitsch!
Supper again here, everyone seeming to have American accents. One character, born on the Island, swearing he used to be in the tourist industry but wouldn't do it any more. Another, a farmer here and on the mainland, drinking quite a lot before getting into his truck to drive home. It's a different life.
But the day was wonderful. Sun, calm, exercise, good food, a sense on life in this small and self-knowing community. Tomorrow we will bike the Island before catching the ferry back to Leamington in the evening.
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Location:Canada (West Shore Rd. Pelee Island)
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