A Warm Welcome!

It felt like summer had finally arrived as we rounded the bend onto Lake Erie. Our warmest welcome however didn’t come from the weather; it came from the friendly people we met along our journey. Our first night was spent camped out at Bob and Tracey’s house. Around a large pizza box, we shared stories about canoeing and the next day they joined us, being the first ones to do so by canoe, all the way to Kingsville. It was a nice change to have company along for the ride. Only a day later, I sustained a back strain and Mike, the owner of Pelee Wings, a nature and paddlesports store near Point Pelee, was an incredible help in getting us back on the water. He allowed us to camp on his property for the recovery period, lent us his vehicle for numerous chiropractic appointments and taught us about the amazing history of the region. We also had a nice visit from Jon’s parents and brother who brought us our food drop and packed a wonderful picnic dinner that we shared on the beach. Once well enough, we accepted an invitation from Holiday Harbour, a campground at the base of Point Pelee, to stay for the night. We were greeted and made a wonderful dinner by Grant and his wife Diane, both seasonal campers and avid paddlers at Holiday Harbour. Laura, the manager of this beautiful property, took us around to meet people who were interested in our journey and the next morning we felt privileged to have a crowd wish us well as we paddled away. That same day, about 20 kilometers further down the coastline, we were surprised to see a sign on a dock that read, “Freshwater Dreams Welcome – come in for refreshments.” Who could pass up such a friendly invitation? We met the Gillard’s, a canoeing family, who shared paddling stories, snacks and gave us a book to read along our journey. A few days later, while looking for a place to camp, we stumbled upon a marina in Port Stanley. Dave, the owner and an experienced sailor, let us tie up our canoe to the dock for the night. Because the town has a no camping bylaw, Dave lent us his house boat to sleep in for the night which was a nice change from our tent.
The kindness that we have experienced while canoeing the coastline of Lake Erie will remain with us forever. We were hesitant about paddling in more developed and populated areas but have found comfort in knowing that there are helpful people who have made this journey possible and truly enjoyable.