I was so ready for my first ride to another country! It was a quick two-day trip to Southern Ontario, but the sights were well worth the 880 miles, round-trip. I headed out with a cool breeze around 65 degrees (F). Though it would push 80 degrees later here in central Indiana, it was cool enough heading north through semi-wooded central and eastern Michigan, that I never had to remove my riding leathers. Leaving parched Indiana fields, Michigan’s greener fields and forests were a welcome change. I met up with my riding buddy Leigh at Lansing and we headed east toward Port Huron to cross the Michigan-Canada border, I on my Nighthawk, and Leigh on his Hayabusa. If you cross the border here, don’t forget to bring your passport. It’s $3 to cross into Canada, and $3.25 to return. It was a long hot wait in line on approach, but the view of Port Huron from the Blue Water Bridge was incredible! The bridge, built in 1938, widened and improved in the 1990’s, over the Saint Claire River is over 6100 feet in length. You can easily see Lake Huron to the north, and the beautiful Saint Claire River leading to Lake Saint Claire on the South. The view was good enough for me to stop on the American side on the way back. (see picture)
I expected a few British names of towns, but had to laugh
out loud when we crossed the Thames River halfway from the border to London,
Ontario. The countryside was often gently rolling, with very green abundant crops. The Scala Rider in-helmet audio communication
system proved very useful for the 100 miles between the border and our destination,
about 20 minutes east of London, and not far from Woodstock. Beyond just talking
through navigation information, like upcoming turns, I was able have an
on-going conversation, asking all the tourist questions about what we were
seeing, and hear the history of the area, including which farms had dairy
cattle, chicken, and crops I hadn’t seen on this scale, like acres of peas, alfalfa,
and Romano cranberry dry (‘soup’) beans. I had no idea how useful the communication
system would be.
Breakfast the next morning was at Dean Michael’s
Griddlehouse, a converted old school in Woodstock. My baked eggs with ham,
parmesan, spinach and a sauce, was very good. After a brief stop for oil at (no joke) Honda-Davidson's in Norwhich, Then it was time to start back
west toward Michigan, but not before a stop at Rocky’s Harley Davidson in
London, and lunch at Boston Pizza. London’s Boston Pizza served a great lunch
of Pasta with garlic bread, and very friendly service. The ride back gave me
one more chance to enjoy the rustic 100-200 year-old farms, with modern
windmills and more recent construction. 
Southern Ontario is a trip worth taking, so get your
passport, get some Canadian currency before you go, (or arrange with your
credit card company, there will be an exchange fee) and take the ride to
London!
