October 20, 2016
Holley to Buffalo: New York was so sad I was leaving that it cried on me all day
I woke up early, which was good because I could cover some of today's many miles before the rain started. I packed up everything except my tent, which I was going to leave for after breakfast.
Drip drip drip.
Or not. The tent got packed in record time and breakfast was moved to the gazebo. I strapped my helmet to my camping gear and set off with my hood low over my eyes. Being able to do that was a major point in favour of trails such as the Erie Canal.
With my limited view, all I could see was the trail right in front me, parts of trees, water to the left, and a heron flying away at regular intervals.
Path, water, heron flying away. Path, water, heron flying away.
It was as if I were biking on a loop and I had no sense of progess.
Path, water, heron flying away. Path, water, dead deer in canal--oh, now I'm getting somewhere--heron flying away.
The herons were always on the right bank, near me, and always flew off to the left. Also, I'm not 100% sure they were herons, but they probably were.
The rain continued. Yesterday I passed tons of covered pavilions, too many to stop at them all, so I looked forward to more of the same today. I eagerly awaited my first break from the rain.
Path, water, heron flying away. No pavilion.
I was reduced to stopping under bridges and didn't see my first pavilion for 3 hours, at Middleport. Then there was nothing until Pendleton. And it was raining the whole time.
Lockport was the first interesting place I went through, very deserving of the name as the canal dropped sharply in a series of locks. I pushed my bike up the adjacent hill and shortly after saw an info board about how the canal builders had to cut through the Niagara Escarpment because it was too high.
Wait, did I just climb the escarpment? Again? Huh. This time was much easier.
Even with the rain, it was an easy 110 km ride, probably because I had a tailwind for much of the day.
It became a strong tailwind when I reached the Riverwalk path to take me into Buffalo and I was flying along for the first time on this tour. It's about time! The path was deserted; I was the only one out there enjoying it.
For lack of a better plan, I followed Google to the hostel. Niagara St is no good, but West Ave was a winner. As a bonus, it was packed full of huge, old houses, many of them absolute gems, some meticulously maintained, other showing some decay--but the kind of decay that adds character rather than says the owners don't care. (If it hadn't been raining, I would've taken tons of photos.)
I stayed at Hostel Buffalo Niagara, of course. Not only is it the only hostel, it's also half price for cyclists. Great place this time of year, it probably feels crowded during high season.
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Today's ride: 110 km (68 miles)
Total: 2,319 km (1,440 miles)
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