This is the fifth route of a tour from Chicago to New York visiting the 5 Great Lakes of North America, starting from EagleRider Motorcycle rental at Illinois Harley-Davidson in Chicago and ending in New York City.
This route starts by crossing the Bluewater Bridge from the US into Canada over the St Clair River. It then follows the St Clair for about 30 miles (50 km) passing heavy industry and green spaces and always offering great views back across to the US.
Wallaceburg arrives after an hour and it's time for your first Canadian coffee.
Wallaceburg was originally a small settlement, it was recognized for its significant contribution to the lumber and boat building industries and strategic location along the banks of the scenic Sydenham River. In more recent years, 1895-1999, the town was known for its glass making industry. For that reason, Wallaceburg is locally known as the "glass town of Canada."
Wallaceburg is also the home of WAMBO (Wallaceburg Antique Motor and Boat Outing), an annual antique car, boat, bus, and fire truck show that began in 1988.
30 minutes away on an arrow straight road comes the city of Chatham-Kent. This has a special meaning for me as I was born in Chatham in the county of Kent, England.
The former city of Chatham began as a naval dockyard in the 1790s, as it straddles the Thames River. The town was named after the Earl of Chatham, William Pitt (the Elder). It was built as a naval dockyard, a characteristic shared by Chatham, Kent, England. In 1998 the County of Kent and the city of Chatham were amalgamated by the Province of Ontario to form the Municipality of Chatham–Kent. Here in Canada the Thames River flows through the middle of the city from all the way from London, another similarity that I find amusing. The route follows the Thames River for 50 miles (80 km) rarely glimpsing sight of it as it meanders through the well kept farmland.
Port Stanley is where you will meet the fourth of the Great Lakes of this tour - Lake Erie.
Lake Erie is the fourth largest lake (by surface area) of the five Great Lakes in North America, and the eleventh largest globally if measured in terms of surface area. At the time of European contact, there were several groups of Native American cultures living around the shores of the eastern end of the lake. The Erie tribe (from whom the lake takes its name) lived along the southern edge, while the Neutrals (also known as Attawandaron) lived along the northern shore. Lake Erie was the last of the Great Lakes to be explored by Europeans, since the Iroquois who occupied the Niagara River area were in conflict with the French, and they did not allow explorers or traders to pass through. The site of Port Stanley was part of an important early route from Lake Erie to other inland waterways for a succession of explorers and travellers of the 17th and 18th centuries. It was an important landing point and camping spot.
From here the route stays close to Lake Erie when it can and the next stop is a good place to have some lunch - Port Dover.
Since 1981, Port Dover has held a motorcycle rally that equals the one held at Sturgis in the US.
The Friday the 13th Motorcycle Rally is a motorcycle rally held every time that there is a Friday the 13th in the month, the event has been described as "the biggest single-day motorcycle event in the world". Although hundreds of attendees arrive during winter months, attendance is at its highest when the date falls on a summer day. In August 2010, the rally drew more than 150,000 attendees. The crowds of people spending money in the local shops ensures that as a motorcyclist you'll be warmly welcomed.
Leaving Port Dover behind You'll pass the huge steel mill site occupied by US Steel and then the Nanticoke Thermal Generating Station, a 44 MW solar power station which started operation in April 2019. Previously from 1972 to 2013, it was the largest coal-fired power plant in North America. The route now joins the fantastic Lakeshore road and as the name suggests, it follows very closely to the lake's edge. There are some great photo opportunities all along the shore.
You'll leave the lake and head in a northeasterly direction through more well kept farmland for about one hour and onto the routes destination of Niagara Falls. I would suggest 2 nights in Niagara Falls to allow you to see all of the falls from the many different vantage points and to explore the city itself.