Gig Harbor Washington to Bar Harbor Maine 2001

We got up and out by about 7:30. We had to wait a while for the little ferry and were practically giddy to be getting out of Michigan. The ferry went from Algonac to Walpole Island. Walpole's signs proclaimed it to be unceded territory. I think it's Indian land that has never been stolen by a foreign government. There was no sales tax at the grocery.

Please God, let it be better than Michigan.

Most of the roads were acceptable and traffic was generally light. Drivers were surprisingly courteous and reasonable. Trucks invariably gave us a full lane, even if they had to slow to our speed first. Cars always gave us plenty of room. I don't know if they educate their drivers on the proper way to pass slow-moving vehicles or if they just use common sense. Yanks could sure use some of each.

The air was translucent all day. The humidity was very high and there is so much industry with so many smokestacks, there was just too much stuff for the atmosphere to hold. I felt like I'd smoked 2 packs of cigarettes. The haze did keep the sun from baking us while we steamed. Later in the day all the moisture in the air actually made it feel cool.

We stopped in Highgate for a break. I got some ice cream, air conditioning and advice from a small store. The pastor of a large unusually shaped Church of Canada welcomed us to town and offered more advice. We ignored all their good advice and made reservations at a Provincial park 70 miles away (115 miles for the day). As the headwind increased, the steep hills started and the haze made the sky start to darken long before sunset, we realized we weren't going to make the park.

Port Stanley was about the only option for motels. One was listed in the phone book and it had a vacancy. Port Stanley is a picturesque town and the Kettle Creek Inn is a fine hotel, with Fine Dining. We decided that we hadn't treated ourselves in a long time, so we indulged ourselves to the fullest. Mike had a steak and I had pickerel, the local fish. I didn't eat walleye in Minnesota, so I figured I better have pickerel. It was fairly tasteless even with all the herbs they used, but the meal was still excellent.