Day 51: To Niagara Falls
To Niagara Falls
( miles and feet of climbing)
It was another day to roll out of the sleeping bag and roll up the tent. It was another day where we were among the last to get off to breakfast. When we got to the Grace United Church hall, almost everyone was still there. However, the crowd began dispersing quickly. Breakfast was two kinds of oatmeal, the regular kind and another kind that was made with other grains and had a red tint to it. I stuck with the classic oatmeal plus several helpings of cereal and fruit.
Once we were on the road again, there was an optional route that would take us along the shore of Lake Erie and we decided to take this more scenic route. It was truly delightful. We went along a tiny rocky river to the lake and then started riding along it. There were stretches where there were only a few trees between us and a view of the lake and other times there were lots of cottages and even trailer parks. Because this was the start of a three day weekend for Canadians, the campgrounds were packed and most of the cottages had activity around them.
After about 20 miles, we were getting ready for a break and we found a little general store / restaurant that looked inviting. As we approached the store, there was a sign inviting folks to say “Happy Birthday Janie!” to the co-owner. We got coffee and a lemon pound cake. I had asked for a muffin, but she said that nobody had asked for a muffin before, but that they had pound cake. Before we left, we both wished Janie a happy birthday. She wanted to know why everyone was wishing her a happy birthday and asked if there was a sign. Mum was the word.
The roads wandered around the coast and there were many times the view of the shoreline was great. Sometimes the beaches were sandy and sometimes they were rocky. Sometimes there were lots of birds and most times there were none. The route along the shore ended and we were on the main route again.
We followed the road along and eventually we came to the picnic stop. We were among the last to arrive and that was OK. A woman who was doing a solo cross country had been invited to join us at a few of our stops and it was interesting to hear her talk about her trip. She said the thing she hated the most was being asked … in front of a group of others … if she was traveling alone. She hated this because it was broadcasting that “single woman fleeing town on bicycle … can only ravel at 9 MPH … easy target!” So far there were no problems with this mode of travel for her. The Picnic Stop was next to the town library and a number of people went in to check personal e-mail. While Gail was in the library, I added about six extra miles.
As we approached the outskirts of Niagara Falls, ther was river (or canal) that we needed to cross. There was a tiny ferry there for pedestrians and cyclists and it was FREE. This ferry was no more than a pontoon boat with a big engine and a captain. Gail and I crossed with our bikes and on the other side were two cyclists from Scandinavia waiting for a trip to the side we had just come from.
Once we were on the roads again, it was very rural for quite a while and then we began to approach the commercial area around Niagara Falls. . We turned on Lundy’s Lane and were immediately thrust into heavy city traffic (two lanes of traffic in each direction … bumper to bumper between frequent red lights … relatively slow speeds so it was not unreasonable for us to “grab a lane” while riding). We went like this for a mile or so and then turned on quiet side streets until we came to the Princess Margaret elementary school.
Once there it was time to set up the tent. Because I had wanted to get some more miles in (to make it another 100 mile day) Gail and I decided to try to travel out to the bike path along the Niagara River gorge. After some unproductive time walking around some building complexes near downtown, we figured out how to get down to the road along the gorge. Then we had to deal with traffic and we couldn’t find the bike path. When I was getting discouraged, I saw a bike rental shop. I got some maps and directions to the bike path. It was a good path that provided some good views and little traffic. There were a number of annoying times when we had to cross and re-cross the main road so our speed wasn’t very fast. We saw the whirlpool and the Sir Adam Beck power plant (and the Robert Moses power plant on the other side). We went until the Niagara Escarpment ended and instead of going down and having to climb back up again, we turned around.
The return trip to the school was interesting and included traveling up Victoria Avenue and then through the heart of the tourist district and then up Lundy’s Lane from the other direction. City riding is a different type of riding than country road riding. All in all I did over 100 miles today.
Once we were back at the school, it was time to take a shower and change clothes. Drats cold showers again! The next school problem was that due to renovations, the only electricity in the building was the overhead lights in the Gym, hallways and bathrooms plus two large fans in the gym. No outlets to charge phones, cameras or computers
For dinner we walked down Lundy’s Lane (no more biking it today) and found an Italian restaurant. Then it was time to waddle home after eating too much again and go to sleep.