Omaha to NYC Day 29
Punchy, I let my pedal crunch into the gravel on the side of the bike path on a tight turn, causing the bike to wobble and a near fall. My brain was foggy as the Niagara Falls overlook where I’d been two hours before. Six days of riding is about my limit. I earned this rest day in Buffalo. I am ensconced at the Five Points Bakery now.
(Side note: the Bills are like Lil’ Sebastian from Parks and Rec. Everyone, EVERYONE loves the Bills in Buffalo. I’ve ridden by more than one house flying a rainbow intersectional flag and a Bills flag. Do not insult the Bills in Buffalo!)
The day got started with a pleasantly dry tent. We are past the days of dew. I had no way to heat water because as readers of yesterday’s entry will know, the striker on my stove has struck its last. I had no lighter or matches. Breakfast was crackers, baby carrots, and bars. Not that bad. I planned a second breakfast in Port Colbourne. The upshot is I got an earlier start.
I was worried the road might be busy, but I need not have. I had pleasant low traffic country / Coast roads the whole way. What I did have was a headwind. It wasn't the worst, but it’s like the air is thick and you have to push your way through. As with the area east of Port Dover, the area west of Port Colbourne is full of vacation cottages.
It took longer than the Google maps projected hour and a half to reach Port Colbourne and Picadilly Books and Coffee. I found fewer coffee shops in this part of Canada. I wonder if it is because tea is a bigger deal. Port Colbourne is the southern end of the Welland Canal, the waterway connecting the St. Lawrence Seaway to Lake Erie. They have to use locks to lift ships up the Niagara Escarpment. Really cool.
At Port Colbourne I faced a choice of going due east directly to Buffalo or take a side trip to Niagara Falls which is northeast of Port Colbourne. I’ve been to Niagara Falls with Hisako, twice, but how can you be so close to them and not go? Despite feeling tired and achy, I opted for to take the long way round to Buffalo.
After eating two scones, I was off up the Welland Canal on a bike trail, one of the few I’ve encountered in Ontario. I was among cyclists again. I felt pride being the only person with travel gear. I passed a huge lock and a big grain terminal that may or may not still be in use. (I know I could look it up, but we need some mysteries). At the town of Welland I encountered the biggest concentration of homeless people the entire trip. Even Detroit, with an ample supply of abandoned houses, has fewer. It was a little disconcerting. Looking at a couple of news articles, the homeless population seems to have grown significantly in the past five years.
After Welland, it was back to biking through a long, skinny park built on a thin strip of land in the secondary canal. I crossed on an abandoned rail bridge, then passed under the 406 motorway. Shortly after I encountered a tiny bike ferry that crosses the reunited canal. It was one of the day’s highlights even on a day that featured Niagara Falls. Two women ferried you across whenever you showed up. I thought they might be a mother and daughter, but I didn’t ask.
I said goodbye to the canal and headed east toward Niagara Falls, The headwind was still with me. It was angled such that I caught it at the 10:30 or 1:30 position depending on whether I was going north or east. After passing the Svensqo mining site, I hit suburbia. I was back in a metro area. I’ve never been to a Tim Horton’s and would soon be leaving Canada. I know they are in New York, but don’t you think a true Tim Horton’s experience should be in Canada? The cilantro lime chicken wrap was pretty good, but the old fashioned donut was too sweet.
As with many suburban areas, the cycling was rough. For a mile or two, I swallowed my pride and rode the sidewalk. Sidewalks don’t make for pleasant riding. They are too narrow for pedestrians and bikes to pass and are really bumpy. Niagara Falls seems pretty blue collar until you hit the area by the Falls when it suddenly gets super-touristy. I wonder if most of the residents work in the hotels, tourist traps, and casinos. It was packed on the walkway overlooking the Falls. I was thankful to have a bike to get around the crowds. I took in the Falls, but it started to rain and I didn’t linger.
(The Falls)
I decided to cross into the US at Niagara Falls but now wish I’d travelled down the Canadian side of the Niagara river. The US side follows the I-190 freeway, cuts across the not very scenic Grand Island, and is only a few minutes faster than the bike trail that runs the whole length of the Canadian side.
I tried to take the pedestrian path over, but was told to jump in with the cars. I bumped into wickets and gates on the pedestrian walkway. My motor skills were going. Customs was a breeze. The American side is a lot less developed. Soon I was on the bike path heading to Buffalo. I enjoyed the proximity to the rushing river that I didn’t get on the more majestic Canada side that sits high above the river. The river calms as it widens. I crossed to Grand Island on a narrow path sharing I-190. It was stressful even though I was perfectly safe.
I was thankful when the path split from the freeway. The way across Grand Island isn’t really scenic, but it isn’t scary either. I started listening to Mirror Dance, a Miles Vorkosigan Saga by Lois McMaster Bujold, a great sci-fi series. I haven’t been listening to a lot of books or music this trip, preferring the ambient sounds of my surroundings, but getting tired, I found a story helped me keep the pedals rotating.
Getting to the other side of Grand Island and another monster bridge, I had to interrupt Miles and he started his negotiations to get back his clone twin from the evil clutches of the crime syndicate on Jackson’s Whole. It was too noisy. On the other side, I picked up another bike trail and found a sign with the first mention of the Erie Canal! The next phase of the trip was here!
I had a bike trail the whole way into Buffalo. Once I went over a bump and noted my rear tire had low pressure again! I’d already filled it twice in the last two days. I had a slow leak which is weird, because tubeless don’t usually have slow leaks. It wasn’t an emergency, but I didn’t want to have to pump up the tires multiple times a day. The logistics were tricky. I was going to stay with friends of Lize and Jesse’s. I had given them an ETA of 5:30. It was Saturday. I thought the tire might need to be reseated on the wheel and that (unless you are really good and I’m not) requires a compressor. I have an innertube, but prefer to ride tubeless. I needed a bike shop. Most of them are closed Sundays so I needed one today.
The wind situation had gotten better and I beat my ETA to my host’s by 15 minutes. I quickly side hi then explained my situation. They bike and got it. I found one shop nearby that was open until six. They had invited another couple and their kid to dinner. Despite the rudeness of dashing off after just meeting someone, I dashed off. Without the bags, which I had left and the house and the wind at my back I flew the 1.5 miles to the shop even with the fatigue. The mechanic didn’t think the seal between the tire and rim was broken and added sealant. I could have done that too, but I was glad to know that if it had needed more attention, it could have gotten it. It’s a small world because the mechanic had worked at Montlake Bike Shop where I got my bike! He’d lived in Seattle for eight years.
Relieved, I zoomed back to my hosts’ place. We had a great dinner. Their son showed me his legos, minerals, and Pokemon. We found a lot of connections including being urban planners by schooling and rock climbing. I hit the wall around 9:00. I read some Great Gatsby and soon fell asleep.
Very inspiring. how your positive attitude and sunny disposition (also visa-versa) keep turning lemons into lemonaide, as you roll along your merry way!
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