Pedaling for the next couple of days has been a variable wind, rain and sun shining down kind of tour along Lake Erie.

We left out of Fisherman’s Beach reasonably early. We had a light wind and lots of sunshine. As we rode into Erie, PA, Matt and I realized we needed a coffee, a good breakfast sandwich and Rosie needed a donut.

After we rolled Rosie out of Tim Hortons this morning, (we were all feeling full) we hopped on our bikes and headed out of town. Moderate sidewind and headwind. We decided to camp and finish our big mileage day at our WS host the next evening.

The next day, pedaling along towards Geneva on the Lake, One of our short breaks included Rosie getting more flowers from Matt. This of course makes her smile.

She even kissed this giant frog. No prince!

With a few more breaks we got closer to our destination. Our last 7 miles into town we were hit with rain and then sound of the Hells Angels revving their engines roaring down the quiet town streets. When we arrived at our Warmshowers host cottage, we were both drenched head to tow and slightly hearing impaired. First order of business swimming!

Dreaming of Biking, Swimming, Showers, Pizza, Sunset. Repeat.

We had a restful, relaxing evening at the cottage. Sunsets and sunrises. Pat and Carol are a huge blessings to the Warmshowers community.

We packed up and made a beeline for Madsen Donuts. The most delicious freshest donuts on Lake Erie!

We said our goodbyes to the girls and rode out of Geneva on the Lake. Riding along on the small town streets and in the rural areas was pleasant and peaceful. We had a slow ride towards Cleveland today. With headwinds of up to 25 mph, we were reviewing our options. Stealth camping when we couldn’t go any further, ask a warmshowers host to take us in, or the Super 8. After lunch in Madison, Ohio under the town pavilion, we pressed on. Miles outside of Madison, I stopped along the roadside to check my messages. A Warmshowers host in Mentor on the Lake had responded to our short notice. While Matt and I discussed the stay and cutting our ride short for the day, a lady pulled up in her SUV. Her name was Shirley and she wanted to buy us lunch. Unfortunately, we had to decline since we already had eaten and we didn’t have the extra energy to go back to Madison and fight the headwind again. Very kind of her to offer. We said our goodbyes and pressed on.

We stopped at a lakeside park for a quick break and met Rich. As we chatted and Matt helped him with his phone. When we were leaving, a man pulled up in a minivan and stumbled to the bathrooms. He fell short of the door literally. Matt went to help him up and he smelled strongly of alcohol. The man said he didn’t need an ambulance. He certainly didn’t need to be driving, so Rich called the police and we rolled on through the park.

Windswept and whipped we arrived at our Warmshowers hosts Bill and Julie’s home at Mentor on the Lake.

Bill and his friend greeted us at the garage. Showed us where to set our tent. Then we spent our evening visiting and chatting about bike tours and life. After a warmshower and a garden walk the sun began to set on the lake. What a beautiful sight!

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