It didn't take long to leave Bluffton behind and head into the country. This misty fog made me think I might hear distant bagpipes and see Gene Kelly walking toward a faint village just becoming visible.
Is there a Scottish HIghlands village just starting to appear?
A few miles south of Bluffton, we came to a "Road Closed" sign. You know what comes next - Kerry rode right through and we made it almost two miles before we came to the place where the road really was closed for paving. With the luck that seems to follow Kerry, there was a turn right at that spot that gave us an easy detour back to the route. I think we gained less than 1/2 mile on the detour.
When we reached Lima, there was a trail to take us through the town. The Rotary Riverwalk Trail runs along the Ottawa River. It is not a rail-trail and had several short, steep grades.
On the south side of Lima, we found some serious heavy industry. Lima is the site of the Husky Oil Refinery, INEOS Chemicals and Nutrien, all of which we rode by on the trail.
The refinery in Lima has been in continuous operation since 1886 and has had several owners. Husky Energy, the current owner, bought the refinery in 2007. The refinery currently processes 165,000 bbl of crude a day and employs 470 people.
Besides Husky employees, over 500 contractors are on site on an average day. This was one of several construction projects we saw while riding past the plant.
Our plan now is to take a cue from the Andersons and park ourselves here in St. Marys for several days. Kerry has made some loop routes from here that look like good rides. We get to enjoy the ease of riding unloaded and not packing, unpacking and checking in and out of a different lodging every day. It is a perfect way to spend some aimless days.
Today's ride: 50 miles (80 km) Total: 3,382 miles (5,443 km)
