Wow, I cannot believe that we only have 6 days of riding left to Portland. Its surreal and somehow demotivating to me. What will we do when we get home? Where will we live? (We have rented our house until the 15th of August and we are hopefully selling on the Winter Park house on the 10th.) It will be an adventure in itself just getting back to life at home. I am looking forward to driving my car. Its funny how you can take your vehicle for granted. There is something to said for climate controlled travel that gets no easier or harder depending on the terrain of the land, winds, etc.
Today's route promised to be one of our shortest yet at 42 miles. We have the luxury of a few short days here in the Adirondacks. Its nice to have the extra time to take many stops and enjoy the scenery. This morning, we didn't get on our way until 11:30 as we took a leisurely breakfast and then rode 5 miles back through the town trying to find the bike shop. Unfortunately we learned that the local bike shop had just moved locations, after riding out to the old shop.
Once Marc stocked up on a few more spokes (he's been breaking them at a rate of about 2 per day!) we were back on our way. I was eager to arrive in Lake Luzerne early as I wanted to spend as much time as we could with Karen. I knew she had a busy schedule at camp so the earlier we could get there the better. Luckily, we rode the entire route with no mechanical problems. We did make one stop at the local Stewarts gas station, which is also known for its delicious ice cream. While enjoying a waffle cone, we talked about our trip with a local couple who were originally from Elgin, IL.
Its funny how everyone we meet has just about the same questions about our trip. Its gotten to be a routine between Marc and I as we share answering the questions and pause at just the right time to let the other interject his or her viewpoint. Its like a well rehearsed script.
Arriving at the Luzerne Music Camp was like stepping back in time to visit every camp memory that I had. The camp was located about a mile from town in a heavily wooded area. The cabins reminded me of all the cabins at Conference Point Center CPC, where I worked and lived for 2 summers during my college years. They were even painted in the same CPC signature colors of white and hunter green. ( Although I think every camp paints their cabins that color.) It was a beautiful place and I instantly understood why Karen could leave her home in New Orleans and spend her summers here.
The day we arrived at music camp (its really not a band camp - more of fine music camp for talented kids) was the same day that all the other campers were arriving as well. Luckily we arrived just after the rush and Karen was there to greet us with open arms! It was so good to see her. I think the last time I saw Karen was before I moved to Colorado - so over 10 years ago!
It was easy to relax in the rustic camp setting. Marc and I enjoyed the scenery and music that the evening offered. Mondays are the night that professional musicians visit the camp to perform. We were lucky enough to enjoy the classical music performance that evening and enjoy a gorgeous sunset down by the lake.
We've had such a variety of experiences on this trip and enjoying beautiful music out in the middle of the woods was amazing. Thank you Karen for a great time!
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Sunday, July 25, 2010
Day 54: Rome, NY to Johnstown,NY
We made time to tour Fort Stanwix this morning before leaving town. It was interesting. I love all the American history that lives in the East. Almost every town that we passed along our route today had historical markers and homes dating back to the late 1700's and early 1800's.
You could definitely tell that we were entering the Adirondack Mountains today as the landscape changed quite drastically about halfway through our ride. Our first clue was climbing a hill that lasted about 3 miles - wow! We haven't had a climb like that since the Black Hills in South Dakota. Everyone warned us that the hills out East were not long but very steep. So far, so good, but I expect the hills to get progressively longer as we climb up to Lake Placid and then across to the ocean.
Speaking of which, I can't believe that we only have about 7 more days of riding until we reach Portland. Were dragging it out as much as we can with shorter 50 mile days but the end is still inevitable. Am I excited to reaching the end of our trip? Yes and no. I am ready to get out of the rain instead of having to ride in it - that's for sure. Otherwise, I'm sure I'll miss the daily adventure of seeing something new everyday.
I asked Marc about this over dinner, he says that he's a bit in denial about the end of our trip. He says he doesn't want to think about it. I agree, enjoy the last few days and then we'll have plenty of time to dwell on getting back into the routine.
So we rode our 65 miles today with relatively few problems. Of course, we couldn't go a day without a broken spoke on Marc's tire. He has now replaced almost every spoke on that wheel! Other than that, the weather was overcast and less humid - quite comfortable for once. I hope it doesn't get too chilly in the Adirondacks as I don't have any cold weather clothing - ditched it all in Illinois.
Tomorrow we are off to band camp where we are visiting Karen Sanno - a good friend of my sister Val and a friend of mine as well. Karen plays the violin professionally and teaches at this music camp in the summers. We'll probably not have any internet at camp so I'll post when we get to Ticonderga.
Marc's stats:
67 miles
5 hours total pedal time
13.3 mph average
Winds - WSW at 10 mph
You could definitely tell that we were entering the Adirondack Mountains today as the landscape changed quite drastically about halfway through our ride. Our first clue was climbing a hill that lasted about 3 miles - wow! We haven't had a climb like that since the Black Hills in South Dakota. Everyone warned us that the hills out East were not long but very steep. So far, so good, but I expect the hills to get progressively longer as we climb up to Lake Placid and then across to the ocean.
Speaking of which, I can't believe that we only have about 7 more days of riding until we reach Portland. Were dragging it out as much as we can with shorter 50 mile days but the end is still inevitable. Am I excited to reaching the end of our trip? Yes and no. I am ready to get out of the rain instead of having to ride in it - that's for sure. Otherwise, I'm sure I'll miss the daily adventure of seeing something new everyday.
I asked Marc about this over dinner, he says that he's a bit in denial about the end of our trip. He says he doesn't want to think about it. I agree, enjoy the last few days and then we'll have plenty of time to dwell on getting back into the routine.
So we rode our 65 miles today with relatively few problems. Of course, we couldn't go a day without a broken spoke on Marc's tire. He has now replaced almost every spoke on that wheel! Other than that, the weather was overcast and less humid - quite comfortable for once. I hope it doesn't get too chilly in the Adirondacks as I don't have any cold weather clothing - ditched it all in Illinois.
Tomorrow we are off to band camp where we are visiting Karen Sanno - a good friend of my sister Val and a friend of mine as well. Karen plays the violin professionally and teaches at this music camp in the summers. We'll probably not have any internet at camp so I'll post when we get to Ticonderga.
Marc's stats:
67 miles
5 hours total pedal time
13.3 mph average
Winds - WSW at 10 mph
Saturday, July 24, 2010
Day 53: Baldwinsville, NY to Rome, NY
It was so dark in our hotel room that we both overslept this morning. Thus we didn't get on the road until about 10:30. And, we still had to stop at a bike store to pick up a few tubes and new tires. So it was closer to 11:15 before we were on our way to Rome.
We hoped to arrive in Rome early as we wanted to tour Fort Stanwix and see a few other attractions in the historic town. But of course, it never works the way you want it to. We had to stop on two separate occasions for broken spokes on Marc's tire and then we were detained a bit longer when the skies suddenly opened up and a short but heavy downpour swept through town. The rain actually felt sort of good as it was a very hot and humid day. With the delays, we didn't make it to town in time to shower & change before touring the fort.
Fort Stanwix is a National Monument and dates back to the mid 1700's with importance in the French-Indian War. The fort sits on what used to be a major trail way between two rivers. We were able to the see the outside of the fort and its very impressive. We'll be able to tour the inside tomorrow morning as it opens at 9 and its steps away from our room at the Econolodge. (We splurged tonight and are staying at a chain motel.) It seems as though the mom & pop type motels are dwindling the further East we go.
Tomorrow we'll be off to Johnstown, NY at the base of the Adirondack Mountains - a 65 mile ride. The rides seem to getting easier for us. I think its the winds, as luckily they have been at our back since Michigan. I expect they will not be as easy once we start climbing into the mountains again.
I forgot to mention the pizza pie that we enjoyed last night. It was a Philly Cheesesteak Pizza and it was good. It was topped with a garlic butter base and sprinkled with mozzarella and cheddar cheeses and topped with thin slices of Italian beef and slices of Pepperocini. It was so New York and so good!
We hoped to arrive in Rome early as we wanted to tour Fort Stanwix and see a few other attractions in the historic town. But of course, it never works the way you want it to. We had to stop on two separate occasions for broken spokes on Marc's tire and then we were detained a bit longer when the skies suddenly opened up and a short but heavy downpour swept through town. The rain actually felt sort of good as it was a very hot and humid day. With the delays, we didn't make it to town in time to shower & change before touring the fort.
Fort Stanwix is a National Monument and dates back to the mid 1700's with importance in the French-Indian War. The fort sits on what used to be a major trail way between two rivers. We were able to the see the outside of the fort and its very impressive. We'll be able to tour the inside tomorrow morning as it opens at 9 and its steps away from our room at the Econolodge. (We splurged tonight and are staying at a chain motel.) It seems as though the mom & pop type motels are dwindling the further East we go.
Tomorrow we'll be off to Johnstown, NY at the base of the Adirondack Mountains - a 65 mile ride. The rides seem to getting easier for us. I think its the winds, as luckily they have been at our back since Michigan. I expect they will not be as easy once we start climbing into the mountains again.
I forgot to mention the pizza pie that we enjoyed last night. It was a Philly Cheesesteak Pizza and it was good. It was topped with a garlic butter base and sprinkled with mozzarella and cheddar cheeses and topped with thin slices of Italian beef and slices of Pepperocini. It was so New York and so good!
Friday, July 23, 2010
Day 52: Farmington, NY to Baldwinsville, NY
It was raining again! I woke up around 5 am to a major downpour outside. I went back to sleep hoping the rain would pass quickly. Unfortunately it stuck around for awhile. We finally got out of bed around 8:30 and it was still raining, just as hard as before. Yuck! I checked the Doppler radar and it showed that the rain clouds were going to be around all day.
So we stalled... ate breakfast... chatted with Ric...stalled some more and then finally around 10:30, we pulled our bikes out of the barn. It was still raining, but just slightly when we loaded up the bikes. I went inside to fill our water bottles and came back out to a heavy downpour of rain. UGH!
We finally left Ric's house around 12 noon. We had stalled long enough to get a break in the rain for about an hour. At least we had a nice 10 mph tailwind from the SW today. We made good time for this first hour.
We'd gone about 16 miles when I stopped at a turn to wait for Marc. I waited, and waited and then a car pulled up and the guys inside told me that Marc was a mile back changing out his tire. Bummer! I rode back to find him and by the time I had made it back, he was back on the bike riding toward me. He had a broken spoke which was a quick fix for him.
This broken spoke was just the tip of the iceberg for us today. We had quite a day of maladies! While riding through the town of Newark, a car made a sharp right turn into a parking lot, which caused Marc to have to brake quickly and swerve to avoid colliding with the car. I saw the near accident unfold before me and I was steaming mad at the driver of that car. I pulled my bike into the parking lot and pulled up to the driver's side of the car. At first the driver ignored me and then she finally got out of her car.
I was so furious that all I could yell was, "You almost hit that bike!"
She mumbled back, "No, I waited for the bike to pass me."
"What?" I saw it all right in front of me- I don't know what the lady was talking about. At least she could have just apologized. If I had my pepper spray handy, I might of sprayed it right in her face. Frustrated, I pedaled off muttering loudly under my breath, "You need to get your eyes checked lady as you are dead wrong."
I caught up with Marc up the road. I don't know who was more rattled - him for the near miss or me for the confrontation with the driver.
The rest of the day sort of fell apart after that. Around mile 30 or so, we missed a turn and ended up taking a route that added at least 5-6 miles to our trip. Then, when we stopped to check the map and reconfigure the route, the skies opened up (granted it had been already raining on us for the last hour or so)and downpoured rain. It was raining so hard that our bikes were still soaking wet from the backsplash even though we stopped under the roof of an old filling station.
We had to wait about 30 minutes for the rain to let up enough to ride on. We used the stop as our lunch and munched on the fruit that we had packed. It was about 3 PM when we rode off and we still had 40 miles or so to go.
Not more than 5 miles later, I had a flat rear tire. Marc was riding about 300ft in front of me so he could not hear me yell for help. I knew he'd eventually come back so I took off the tire and started inspecting it. I had about 3 pieces of glass embedded in the tire. One piece was about the size of a dime! My tire was garbage. Luckily, Marc came riding back after about 10 minutes and had a spare tire for me.
I wish that was the end of our calamities, but no! Oh about 3 miles after my flat, Marc had another broken spoke and then about 15 miles later he had a flat tire as well. For the last hour or two of our ride, I was a grumpy mess. I was hungry, tired, wet and hot. When it wasn't raining, there was 99.9% humidity.
We finally arrived in Baldwinsville around 7 PM, it took us 20 minutes or so to find the motel as it wasn't right in town. We got the last room available! That was luck.
Tonight were dining in our motel room at the Microtel. There were no restaurants within walking distance so we decided to lay low and order pizza delivered to our room.
Tomorrow will hopefully be a better day. We are doing a short 49 mile ride to Rome NY. I've pre-booked the motel so we don't run into problems like we almost did tonight!
Marc's Stats:
74.85 miles
15.3 average mph
4 hours 52 minutes total pedal time.
So we stalled... ate breakfast... chatted with Ric...stalled some more and then finally around 10:30, we pulled our bikes out of the barn. It was still raining, but just slightly when we loaded up the bikes. I went inside to fill our water bottles and came back out to a heavy downpour of rain. UGH!
We finally left Ric's house around 12 noon. We had stalled long enough to get a break in the rain for about an hour. At least we had a nice 10 mph tailwind from the SW today. We made good time for this first hour.
We'd gone about 16 miles when I stopped at a turn to wait for Marc. I waited, and waited and then a car pulled up and the guys inside told me that Marc was a mile back changing out his tire. Bummer! I rode back to find him and by the time I had made it back, he was back on the bike riding toward me. He had a broken spoke which was a quick fix for him.
This broken spoke was just the tip of the iceberg for us today. We had quite a day of maladies! While riding through the town of Newark, a car made a sharp right turn into a parking lot, which caused Marc to have to brake quickly and swerve to avoid colliding with the car. I saw the near accident unfold before me and I was steaming mad at the driver of that car. I pulled my bike into the parking lot and pulled up to the driver's side of the car. At first the driver ignored me and then she finally got out of her car.
I was so furious that all I could yell was, "You almost hit that bike!"
She mumbled back, "No, I waited for the bike to pass me."
"What?" I saw it all right in front of me- I don't know what the lady was talking about. At least she could have just apologized. If I had my pepper spray handy, I might of sprayed it right in her face. Frustrated, I pedaled off muttering loudly under my breath, "You need to get your eyes checked lady as you are dead wrong."
I caught up with Marc up the road. I don't know who was more rattled - him for the near miss or me for the confrontation with the driver.
The rest of the day sort of fell apart after that. Around mile 30 or so, we missed a turn and ended up taking a route that added at least 5-6 miles to our trip. Then, when we stopped to check the map and reconfigure the route, the skies opened up (granted it had been already raining on us for the last hour or so)and downpoured rain. It was raining so hard that our bikes were still soaking wet from the backsplash even though we stopped under the roof of an old filling station.
We had to wait about 30 minutes for the rain to let up enough to ride on. We used the stop as our lunch and munched on the fruit that we had packed. It was about 3 PM when we rode off and we still had 40 miles or so to go.
Not more than 5 miles later, I had a flat rear tire. Marc was riding about 300ft in front of me so he could not hear me yell for help. I knew he'd eventually come back so I took off the tire and started inspecting it. I had about 3 pieces of glass embedded in the tire. One piece was about the size of a dime! My tire was garbage. Luckily, Marc came riding back after about 10 minutes and had a spare tire for me.
I wish that was the end of our calamities, but no! Oh about 3 miles after my flat, Marc had another broken spoke and then about 15 miles later he had a flat tire as well. For the last hour or two of our ride, I was a grumpy mess. I was hungry, tired, wet and hot. When it wasn't raining, there was 99.9% humidity.
We finally arrived in Baldwinsville around 7 PM, it took us 20 minutes or so to find the motel as it wasn't right in town. We got the last room available! That was luck.
Tonight were dining in our motel room at the Microtel. There were no restaurants within walking distance so we decided to lay low and order pizza delivered to our room.
Tomorrow will hopefully be a better day. We are doing a short 49 mile ride to Rome NY. I've pre-booked the motel so we don't run into problems like we almost did tonight!
Marc's Stats:
74.85 miles
15.3 average mph
4 hours 52 minutes total pedal time.
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
Day 50: Lockport, NY to Farmington, NY
While visiting with Jeff, his mother lent me a book about biking along the Erie Canal Trail. It looked like a great book, but unfortunately I was way too tired last night do more than just skim through it. I did learn a few interesting tidbits - the canal was completed in 1825 and was quite the engineering marvel for that time period. I also found it particularly interesting that Orleans County, just outside of Lockport, has no locks as the engineers found perfectly level land to run the canal through.
After a late start of 10:30, we didn't make it more than 15 miles when Marc's back wheel had another broken spoke. It was probably a blessing in disguise as about 10 minutes after we stopped, the rain came in. It was one of the heaviest downpours that we've been through yet! It was coming down so hard that we had a lot of company under the awning of the grocery store. No one dared to even venture out to their cars as the rain would drench you in seconds. It finally let up after about 45 minutes and we were able to get back on the road.
We ran into a pair of older women bike touring from Winona, MN to Vermont. I have to admit that I felt guilty seeing their bikes all loaded up with gear, as now I am only carrying a handlebar bar and Marc's carrying everything else.
Aside from the rain, the ride today seemed fairly easy and we were able to keep a quick pace at 16-17 mph average. New York has great biking routes and roads. Our route today was along Highway 31 with a nice wide shoulder. When we reached Rochester, we hopped on a paved bike trail that led us along the Erie Canal. The trail was beautiful - too bad it started raining right about the time we hit the trail. It's hard to enjoy the scenery when you have to focus on the slippery wet pavement.
With the rain and Marc's broken spokes (yes he had two today!), we ended up arriving at our friend Ric's house at 6:30. Ric lives on his family's farm in the town of Farmington, NY. He told Marc that his house would be easy to find as its the only farm on the road. Ric's family has been farming this same land since the mid-1800's and slowly the urban sprawl has surrounded their farm with residential homes.
So tonight we are staying in Ric's house which was originally built by his great-grandparents in 1880. Its a beautiful home with a large front porch and the original woodwork and hardwood floors inside. Tomorrow we are going to enjoy a rest day and a tour of the farm. Marc wants to drive the combine! I promise to take some pictures of that!
After a late start of 10:30, we didn't make it more than 15 miles when Marc's back wheel had another broken spoke. It was probably a blessing in disguise as about 10 minutes after we stopped, the rain came in. It was one of the heaviest downpours that we've been through yet! It was coming down so hard that we had a lot of company under the awning of the grocery store. No one dared to even venture out to their cars as the rain would drench you in seconds. It finally let up after about 45 minutes and we were able to get back on the road.
We ran into a pair of older women bike touring from Winona, MN to Vermont. I have to admit that I felt guilty seeing their bikes all loaded up with gear, as now I am only carrying a handlebar bar and Marc's carrying everything else.
Aside from the rain, the ride today seemed fairly easy and we were able to keep a quick pace at 16-17 mph average. New York has great biking routes and roads. Our route today was along Highway 31 with a nice wide shoulder. When we reached Rochester, we hopped on a paved bike trail that led us along the Erie Canal. The trail was beautiful - too bad it started raining right about the time we hit the trail. It's hard to enjoy the scenery when you have to focus on the slippery wet pavement.
With the rain and Marc's broken spokes (yes he had two today!), we ended up arriving at our friend Ric's house at 6:30. Ric lives on his family's farm in the town of Farmington, NY. He told Marc that his house would be easy to find as its the only farm on the road. Ric's family has been farming this same land since the mid-1800's and slowly the urban sprawl has surrounded their farm with residential homes.
So tonight we are staying in Ric's house which was originally built by his great-grandparents in 1880. Its a beautiful home with a large front porch and the original woodwork and hardwood floors inside. Tomorrow we are going to enjoy a rest day and a tour of the farm. Marc wants to drive the combine! I promise to take some pictures of that!
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
Day 49: Dunnville, ON to Lockport, NY
Off to see the falls... our route today would take us Northeast up to Niagara Falls and then across the Canadian/US border to Lockport, NY. Since we grunted out 2 back to back 100 mile days, our reward today was a lighter 60 mile ride.
We got off to a good start this morning after a huge breakfast at the Dunnville Deli. This place had outstanding food! Maybe it was the 100 miles from yesterday talking, but my Vegetable Omelet was one of the best breakfasts of the trip.
We left Dunnville around 10:15 am and were making great time until we both heard a loud ping. Sure enough, Marc had a two spokes break on his back wheel. After about a 1/2 hour of repair and 15 more minutes of wheel truing, we were back on the road to Niagara.
Our next delay was at the Welland Canal where we arrived just in time for a boat crossing. However, the boat was nowhere to be found. We waited, and waited, and ate some leftover pizza, and waited some more. About 15 minutes later, a small barge with a tugboat attached came chugging through. It was neat to see the bridge as it was unlike any draw bridge that I've ever seen. (see photos)
We approached Niagara via Lindy Lane which is obviously the place where every guy wants to have his bachelor party. We must have passed at least 20 "Gentleman's Clubs" and a few other massage parlors. I don't think there is a shortage of motel rooms in Niagara either... we passed at least 200 motels along the 5 mile ride into Niagara's city center. Wow, all I can say is that this town has changed quite a bit since I was last here as a kid. We turned a corner off the main street and entered a theme park resort with all sorts of casinos, a Ferris wheel and even a mini version of the Space Needle. What a circus!
We made our way through the crowds of people to the falls overlook - wow! I had forgotten how amazing the scenery was. Its too bad that you have to go through all the madness of these man made attractions to get to this beautiful piece of nature.
While enjoying the view of the falls, we met another rider biking from Astoria to Boston. He had his family meet him at the falls and was crossing the border with assistance. We crossed over to the US on the Rainbow Bridge right next to the falls. It was weird to be waiting in the customs line with all the other vehicles.
Once we entered New York it was a night and day difference. The town of Niagara Falls on the US side is almost deserted. We rode around for awhile trying to find a place for lunch with very little options. I guess New York couldn't compete with all the casinos and other attractions on the Canadian side.
After eating way too much food at an Indian Restaurant, we contacted Jeff, our host in Lockport, and rode out to meet him. Jeff is a avid cyclist, triathlete and former thru-hiker of the Appalachian Trail. He rode out and met us about 8 miles out of Lockport and led us back into town.
We were about a half mile from Jeff's house when I looked down and noticed that I had a flat tire! Wow - I haven't had a flat since Idaho! I couldn't believe my bad luck. Marc and Jeff rode back and got my flat fixed in no time. I'm such a lucky girl!
We had a great time at Jeff's! He took us over to his Mom's house for some great home cooking and conversation with the family. (Jeff's family just had a big reunion so a lot of his relatives were still in town.) That was really fun! I love the fact that we are meeting so many people along the way. After a big dinner, Jeff picked up some genuine Buffalo Wings for us to try. Wow, even with a full belly, the wings were outstanding - just lightly sauced with blue cheese dip. Yum!
After dinner Jeff showed us his albums from when he hiked the Appalachian Trail. What a neat adventure! I'm in awe of the few people that I know that have hiked all the way through on the 2000+ mile trail. Hmm, maybe Marc and I can do this next summer? (Just kidding!)
So, I know you are all wondering about the pie.... I hate to admit it but I am so darn sick of pie right now that I can't even dream of eating another slice. Marc's been giving me a really hard time about it and says that I'm a quitter. I'm going to try very hard to get back on the pie wagon again but for now I need a few rest days from the pie. (Come on...we get rest days from the bikes so what's a day or two off from pie?)
We got off to a good start this morning after a huge breakfast at the Dunnville Deli. This place had outstanding food! Maybe it was the 100 miles from yesterday talking, but my Vegetable Omelet was one of the best breakfasts of the trip.
We left Dunnville around 10:15 am and were making great time until we both heard a loud ping. Sure enough, Marc had a two spokes break on his back wheel. After about a 1/2 hour of repair and 15 more minutes of wheel truing, we were back on the road to Niagara.
Our next delay was at the Welland Canal where we arrived just in time for a boat crossing. However, the boat was nowhere to be found. We waited, and waited, and ate some leftover pizza, and waited some more. About 15 minutes later, a small barge with a tugboat attached came chugging through. It was neat to see the bridge as it was unlike any draw bridge that I've ever seen. (see photos)
We approached Niagara via Lindy Lane which is obviously the place where every guy wants to have his bachelor party. We must have passed at least 20 "Gentleman's Clubs" and a few other massage parlors. I don't think there is a shortage of motel rooms in Niagara either... we passed at least 200 motels along the 5 mile ride into Niagara's city center. Wow, all I can say is that this town has changed quite a bit since I was last here as a kid. We turned a corner off the main street and entered a theme park resort with all sorts of casinos, a Ferris wheel and even a mini version of the Space Needle. What a circus!
We made our way through the crowds of people to the falls overlook - wow! I had forgotten how amazing the scenery was. Its too bad that you have to go through all the madness of these man made attractions to get to this beautiful piece of nature.
While enjoying the view of the falls, we met another rider biking from Astoria to Boston. He had his family meet him at the falls and was crossing the border with assistance. We crossed over to the US on the Rainbow Bridge right next to the falls. It was weird to be waiting in the customs line with all the other vehicles.
Once we entered New York it was a night and day difference. The town of Niagara Falls on the US side is almost deserted. We rode around for awhile trying to find a place for lunch with very little options. I guess New York couldn't compete with all the casinos and other attractions on the Canadian side.
After eating way too much food at an Indian Restaurant, we contacted Jeff, our host in Lockport, and rode out to meet him. Jeff is a avid cyclist, triathlete and former thru-hiker of the Appalachian Trail. He rode out and met us about 8 miles out of Lockport and led us back into town.
We were about a half mile from Jeff's house when I looked down and noticed that I had a flat tire! Wow - I haven't had a flat since Idaho! I couldn't believe my bad luck. Marc and Jeff rode back and got my flat fixed in no time. I'm such a lucky girl!
We had a great time at Jeff's! He took us over to his Mom's house for some great home cooking and conversation with the family. (Jeff's family just had a big reunion so a lot of his relatives were still in town.) That was really fun! I love the fact that we are meeting so many people along the way. After a big dinner, Jeff picked up some genuine Buffalo Wings for us to try. Wow, even with a full belly, the wings were outstanding - just lightly sauced with blue cheese dip. Yum!
After dinner Jeff showed us his albums from when he hiked the Appalachian Trail. What a neat adventure! I'm in awe of the few people that I know that have hiked all the way through on the 2000+ mile trail. Hmm, maybe Marc and I can do this next summer? (Just kidding!)
So, I know you are all wondering about the pie.... I hate to admit it but I am so darn sick of pie right now that I can't even dream of eating another slice. Marc's been giving me a really hard time about it and says that I'm a quitter. I'm going to try very hard to get back on the pie wagon again but for now I need a few rest days from the pie. (Come on...we get rest days from the bikes so what's a day or two off from pie?)
Day 48: Port Stanley, ON to Dunnville, ON
I'm a day behind in my last two postings as we've been without internet. Last night, I found an unsecured wifi network to tap into while we walked to dinner! So there I sat at the edge of the road to faithfully post my blog!
This morning we woke to sunny skies and westward winds. A good combo! We were especially grateful, given the terrible storms that passed through last night. After a delicious breakfast at our hotel, we rode out of town around 9:45. It was hard to leave this cute little beachside town, I would have liked another day to explore the lighthouse and lay on the beach.
Our route today would take us in a northeasterly direction along the shoreline of Lake Erie. We passed through quaint little towns with names like Port Bruce, Port Dover, etc. The roads we chose had very little traffic and had nice views of the lake. Lake Erie is very sandy and shallow on this side of lake. The beaches are quite beautiful and the water looks like the ocean with various shades of aqua blues.
We stopped for a lunch of soft serve ice cream in the town of Port Burwell. (Not just any soft serve ice cream but specially flavored ice cream). I had the Creme de Mint flavor and Marc tried the Pistachio Nut. It was refreshing and really good! The Canadians must really like their ice cream as every town seems to have ice cream shops with lots of customers.
We pedaled into the town of Port Dover around mile 70. I was tired and ready to stop for the day in, but Marc encouraged me to keep pedaling. Our goal was to go the 100+ miles to Dunnville so that we'd have a shorter ride tomorrow - giving us some extra time to check out Niagara Falls. In town we met a father and son that were biking from North Dakota to Maine. Their destination for that night was Dunnville as well!
About halfway between Port Dover and Dunneville, Marc stopped for water at a small gas station. The gas station attendant told Marc that they did not have any potable water, but if Marc watched the store, he'd go get him some water. Wow, talk about trusting strangers! The man crossed the street and headed down the sidewalk to the Fire Station. He returned several minutes later with Marc's water bottles filled with ice cold water. Wow, what service!
The town of Dunnville came into view around mile 107 of our route. Dunnville is a relatively small town located on the edge of the Grand River, about 35 miles southwest of Niagara Falls. We had a hard time locating a motel so we rode around town for a bit. (As if 107 miles wasn't enough for the day.) There was one hotel in the downtown area but it reminded me of a boarding house so we decided to pass. After asking a local, we found the Riverside Motel which is reminiscent of all the other cheap, bad motels that we've frequented along our route with the exception that this motel has beautiful views of the river. Why do all the cheap motels have terrible smelling rooms? Our room smells horrendous - like stale smoke covered with cherry scented air freshener. Oh well, after 108 miles of riding I'm just thankful to have a shower and bed.
We ate at a local pizza restaurant (Canadians must like pizza too as there were three pizza restaurants within 1 square block of our motel.) So my pie for today was a mediocre sausage & mushroom pizza pie.
Tomorrow we are headed back to the good ol' USA via Niagara Falls. We should have a relatively short ride - about 60 miles - to our final destination of Lockport, NY. We'll be staying with Jeff, who is a friend of Julie's from her days when she lived in Lockport.
Marc's stats:
108 miles
6 hours 50 minutes
Average MPH - 14.9
This morning we woke to sunny skies and westward winds. A good combo! We were especially grateful, given the terrible storms that passed through last night. After a delicious breakfast at our hotel, we rode out of town around 9:45. It was hard to leave this cute little beachside town, I would have liked another day to explore the lighthouse and lay on the beach.
Our route today would take us in a northeasterly direction along the shoreline of Lake Erie. We passed through quaint little towns with names like Port Bruce, Port Dover, etc. The roads we chose had very little traffic and had nice views of the lake. Lake Erie is very sandy and shallow on this side of lake. The beaches are quite beautiful and the water looks like the ocean with various shades of aqua blues.
We stopped for a lunch of soft serve ice cream in the town of Port Burwell. (Not just any soft serve ice cream but specially flavored ice cream). I had the Creme de Mint flavor and Marc tried the Pistachio Nut. It was refreshing and really good! The Canadians must really like their ice cream as every town seems to have ice cream shops with lots of customers.
We pedaled into the town of Port Dover around mile 70. I was tired and ready to stop for the day in, but Marc encouraged me to keep pedaling. Our goal was to go the 100+ miles to Dunnville so that we'd have a shorter ride tomorrow - giving us some extra time to check out Niagara Falls. In town we met a father and son that were biking from North Dakota to Maine. Their destination for that night was Dunnville as well!
About halfway between Port Dover and Dunneville, Marc stopped for water at a small gas station. The gas station attendant told Marc that they did not have any potable water, but if Marc watched the store, he'd go get him some water. Wow, talk about trusting strangers! The man crossed the street and headed down the sidewalk to the Fire Station. He returned several minutes later with Marc's water bottles filled with ice cold water. Wow, what service!
The town of Dunnville came into view around mile 107 of our route. Dunnville is a relatively small town located on the edge of the Grand River, about 35 miles southwest of Niagara Falls. We had a hard time locating a motel so we rode around town for a bit. (As if 107 miles wasn't enough for the day.) There was one hotel in the downtown area but it reminded me of a boarding house so we decided to pass. After asking a local, we found the Riverside Motel which is reminiscent of all the other cheap, bad motels that we've frequented along our route with the exception that this motel has beautiful views of the river. Why do all the cheap motels have terrible smelling rooms? Our room smells horrendous - like stale smoke covered with cherry scented air freshener. Oh well, after 108 miles of riding I'm just thankful to have a shower and bed.
We ate at a local pizza restaurant (Canadians must like pizza too as there were three pizza restaurants within 1 square block of our motel.) So my pie for today was a mediocre sausage & mushroom pizza pie.
Tomorrow we are headed back to the good ol' USA via Niagara Falls. We should have a relatively short ride - about 60 miles - to our final destination of Lockport, NY. We'll be staying with Jeff, who is a friend of Julie's from her days when she lived in Lockport.
Marc's stats:
108 miles
6 hours 50 minutes
Average MPH - 14.9
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
