On Thursday, July 6^th we settled in for the night at a small county campground just outside Lexington, Michigan.  Our neighbor at the campground was a retired theater/speech teacher from Aurora Illinois; he is also a performing musician who plays the drums and sings.  We sat over a campfire that night telling war stories of our teaching careers.

Lexington is a small town; the business district has perhaps a four-block radius with some interesting tourist-type stores, a grocery, a laundromat, a hairdresser, numerous antique stores, and a beautiful beach with a pier walk.  We explored Lexington on Friday as they were getting ready for their 4^th of July celebration (celebrated on the weekend after the 4^th).  We were told there were to be fireworks on Friday evening at the harbor and a parade down Main Street on Saturday.  We decided to take advantage of the day and did our shopping and our laundry, and Sima got a haircut.

Shabbat at Lexington Campground was nice and quiet, exactly what we wanted.  Our second neighbor had an antique Volkswagen camper in amazing condition that brought back memories of the 60s.  Though there was not a large area in which we could walk, we made our rounds of the campground at least three times to stretch our legs and breathe the fresh air; it really does smell fresh.

Sunday morning we left the United States and crossed over to Canada; the border crossing went smoothly and quickly.  Our first stop in Canada was Port Stanley on the northern shore of Lake Erie.  We walked to the beach in order to see number four of the five Great Lakes.

Lake Erie at Port Stanley, Ontario

The waves of Lake Erie were choppier than we had seen in Lake Huron.  While walking on the pier as we were taking pictures, we heard a woman scream – she had gotten drenched by a giant wave that had come high up on the pier.  I was standing at least five feet behind her, but also got soaked.  A good laugh was had by all.  Gratefully, it was fresh water and it was a warm day.

As we walked the streets we saw more unusual cars than we’ve ever seen: vintage cars and trucks in pristine condition, new sports cars in the very highest price range – there would not have been a greater variety in a museum.  According to a woman who works in one of the shops, the locals of this city like to cruise around the town to show off their cars.

She also recommended Springwater Conservation Area, not far from Port Stanley, as a good place to camp for the night, and she was right.  The conservation area is natural and beautiful, and leads into the Springwater Forest.  The trail we walked was what we would call an “absolutely perfect trail.”

It wound around Springwater Pond (that is what it’s called, but it looks like a small lake) and went through the forest.  After walking in part of the forest (we couldn’t know how large it actually is) and completing the pond circle hike, we returned back to the campsite for dinner.  It was a most beautiful and enjoyable two-hour walk.