Day 1: Nothing stops a CB-journaler from posting!

September 15, 2023

A few months ago (as of this posting), there was question on who was going to get the 1000th journal on CycleBlaze. I scored 999. That means this journal is the very last 3-digit journal on the site. I accept a sense of responsibility as owner of the journal to post this adventure. But there were technical difficulties I needed to overcome to be able to accomplish that task; so what was it that I needed to overcome to get this journal posted?

Well, I downloaded my complete 630-mile route onto my iPhone and used the RWGPS as my navigation. Every time I swapped out to take photos or use another app, it took the phone about 60-90 seconds to reestablish the navigation and load the route when switching back to RWGPS. So I stopped using the camera entirely. Lessons? 1. download day-by-day segments instead of the complete route; 2. Continue using my old iPhone 6 de-simmed as my navigation device (or stop being cheap and buy a Garmin/Wahoo :-))

So, since I was using my GoPro to create the movie of the journal on YouTube, I decided once I got home I could capture stills from the movie and have that serve for the images. Problem solved. So along with being the LAST 3-digit journal on CB, it may also be the FIRST where the movie was shot before the "book."

The Journey

After a 4-hour drive to drop off the rental car at the Buffalo airport, I set off on a route for Lake Erie. I found there was some decent cycling infrastructure to get to the lake, using a combination of bike lanes, cycle-friendly roads, and trails.

Riding out of Buffalo with a wicked-cool insert on my route (in the video this is all animated)

You can see the bike lane in this video - the infrastructure in Buffalo was not all that bad

In about 17 miles I made it to Lake Erie. Might not be the biggest lake (I believe that title goes to Lake Superior) but it was still grand and magnificent. At the Hamburg clock tower one could see Buffalo off to the right and Canada straight across the lake.

Clear water in Lake Erie - you can see Buffalo and the windmills off to the right, and straight ahead, Canada!

I made sure that I did not continue straight and ride into the lake. That would have been a mistake as my bike does not float. Rather, I turned south and hugged the coast all the way to Dunkirk. This route is known as the "Seaway Trail". I got into the tour immediately this trip which surprised me as normally it takes me until day 3 to get into the rhythm. I guess the 1.5 day drive to Buffalo had something to do with separating me from work to adventure mode.

I had nearly all my senses activated during the ride - saw the large estates bordering the lake, placid beach parks deserted this Friday in September; smelled the apples and flora along the trail; heard the train horns off in the distance moving their cargoes to support the economy; and felt the temperatures rise from high-40s in the morning to low-70s in the afternoon.

Along the Seaway Trail, residents have built estates along the lakefront property. It's like a real-life version of House Hunters on HGTV

There were two state parks along the route that I detoured through. They were quiet and deserted this Friday afternoon in September.

45 miles in, I roll through the village of Silver Creek, and they were having a Festival of Grapes. This seemed to be a big deal - the small square in town had a building specifically listed as the HQ of this festival, Many buildings mentioned the festival in their windows, and tents packed the square, spilling into every available space. I would confirm the big deal grapes play in this area as I rode through countless vineyards the next day.

Tents crowded the square in Silver Creek during the Festival of Grapes. This one supported the area's Buffalo Bills fanbase.

I make it to Dunkirk at 54 miles, and ride along the shore, I use a bike path on the side of the road which was laid down prior to the nearby trees growing their roots and pushing up the asphalt into a washboard journey rolling and bouncing over. I don't see this until I'm jostling over this, causing me to crack a pannier retention arm, possibly lose a few fillings, and mutter something Samuel L. Jackson would say at this moment. Good news is the pannier still works, I don't end up needing to go to the dentist, and Samuel L. Jackson was able to survive snakes on a plane.

Boats still tied-up at the marina in Dunkirk

The best option for dinner that night was the recently-opened eatery in the hotel. It was a separate entity, leased by the restaurant using the space. Odd menu, combining Indian and American cuisine (think samosas and burgers), but a good meal to toast the accomplishments of the first day.

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Today's ride: 55 miles (89 km)
Total: 55 miles (89 km)

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