July 8, 2018
Niagara Falls, NY to St Catherines, ON
Day #
Weather: Hot / Calm
Breakfast at the hostel and then a brisk walk back down to the falls to do the Maid of the Mist Tour. We were there early enough to get on the first boat but not early enough to get on the top deck of the boat. But that didn't matter as we didn't want to get that wet anyway.
The boat trip was a lot of fun and really showed the power of the water.
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After a pretty good dredging on the boat (yes even undercover you are going to get wet) we walked back to the hostel and packed up our gear.
We left the hostel at 10:30 a.m. and took the Rainbow Bridge over to Canada. The boarder crossing was pretty quiet this Sunday morning and after a couple of questions (like are you carrying a firearm) we were through into Canada. I told the agent that firearms were too heavy, not sure he got my joke but we were let in anyway.
We stopped at the foreign currency exchange and changed some money but not to much as I thought the rate would not be in our favor (and I was right as we changed money in Toronto a few days later at a much better rate).
We stopped for one last look at the falls and had someone take quick photo of ourselves with the falls. Then headed north towards Niagara on the Lake, leaving around 11 a.m.
Today marks the beginning for us to follow the Great Lakes Waterfront Trail. We won't leave this trail until we depart Canada in Kingston. While the trail is mostly on roads, some parts are designated bike trails.
The road up was a quite busy, and there must have been a hot rod car cruise going on by the amount of classic cars that passed us. In places there was a bike path but we found it easier to just stay on the road to keep up with our timetable.
We stopped for a look at the Whirlpool and nearby there was a giant aerial obstacle course with zip lines, climbing nets, etc. It looked like a fun thing to do.
An hour later we arrived in Niagara by the Lake and found the Niagara Range Lights. The rear light we were able to ride right up to, the front light we observed through a fence as it was located in the local yacht club.
Niagara River Range Lights
The Canadians erected a stone lighthouse at Mississauga Point to mark the entrance to Niagara River from Lake Ontario in 1804, and this is thought to be the first lighthouse on the Great Lakes.
Known as Mississauga Point Lighthouse, it was damaged in the Battle of Fort George in 1813 and then dismantled in 1814 to make room for the construction.
in 1872 A lighthouse was established at Fort Niagara on the US side of the river and this was the primary light for the entrance until 1904 when the Canadian government built a pair of range lights at Niagara-on-the-Lake. They were first lit on October 10, 1904.
The lights were electrified in 1923.
Nearby we found a park and had our lunch.
We missed the track that would have lead us to the old Fort Mississauga but a plaque on the wall tells the story of Point Mississauga Lighthouse.
Point Mississauga Lighthouse
Known as the first lighthouse built on the Great Lakes, Mississauga Point Lighthouse was built in 1804 on the Canadian side of the entrance to the Niagara River from Lake Ontario.
The hexagonal stone lighthouse was damaged in the Battle of Fort George in 1813 and then demolished in 1814 to make room for Fort Mississauga. The remains of the stones from the lighthouse were used in the construction of Fort Mississauga.
Niagara by the Lake seemed like the brunch destination on Sundays, the main street restaurants were doing a brisk trade.
While riding out of town we found a Tim Horton's so stopped to get internet and decided to fuel up again with their goodies.
We left at 2 p.m. and we were now heading west around the lake on Lakeshore Road. The scenery was pretty as we rode past all the wineries, however the road was a little busy with all the brunch and winery traffic. Overall the road was OK to ride but I would recommend weekdays.
Our next stop was the Port Weller Lighthouse. We got a little lost finding the bike trail out along the peninsula but after asking a lady out walking she put us on the right track. The lighthouse is located on the west pier of the Welland Canal entrance and we were able to view the light across the canal from the east pier.
Port Weller Lighthouse
A harbor was formed at Port Weller by building 2 breakwaters using the dredged material from building the Walland Canal. The first lighthouse was just a wooden pole erected on the western breakwater in August of 1921. A concrete mast replaced the pole in 1925.
Upon the completion of the current Welland Canal alignment in 1931, a keeper’s house and skeletal Lighthouse were erected. The Keeper’s house in Art Deco style was declared a Recognized Federal Heritage Building in 1989.
The existing concrete pierhead light, formerly known as the Port Weller Light, became the Port Weller Outer Light, while the skeletal tower was known as the Port Weller Main Light.
The present tower was erected somewhere around 1949. A new keepers house was built in 1953 and the older house was used for an assistant keeper.
A set of range lights was established on the canal in 1969 and the Port Weller main light skeletal tower was extinguished and the tower demolished.
Both residences now serve as the Port Weller Search and Rescue Station for the Canadian Coast Guard.
Unfortunately the original residences are not accessible to view.
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Cameron was starting to get excited by now as the distant view of Toronto we had been seeing for the last 2 days was getting bigger. His main objective of this tour was to visit Toronto and he was counting down the miles and days.
While out there we saw this nice place to camp but I'm sure you probably are not suppose to. If it had been late in the day and we had no other options it probably would have worked out. You couldn't beat the view.
Next we passed over the Welland Canal which is used for shipping between Lake Erie and Lake Ontario. I remember we passed over the other end of this canal on last your's tour of Lake Erie. At the time a giant freighter passed us but unfortunately I didn't take a photo. There is also a bike path that runs the entire length of the canal.
While passing over the canal we watched a freighter in the locks waiting for the water level to come up so they could pass to the next section of the canal.
Welland Canal
There have been four different routes for the Welland Canal that links Lake Ontario to Lake Erie to bypass Niagara Falls.
The first canal in 1829, ran from Port Dalhousie on Lake Ontario south through Twelve Mile Creek and then connected to the Welland River, joining the Niagara River above the falls. Shortly after opening, the canal was improved with a southern extension to Port Colborne on Lake Erie
The second canal, finished in 1848 followed the same route as the first but used twenty seven stone locks to cover the difference in height between the two lakes instead of forty wooden ones.
A shorter alignment between St. Catharines and Port Dalhousie was achieved with the third version of the canal, finished in 1887.
The final alignment was built between 1913 and 1932 with the Lake Ontario terminus being moved from Port Dalhousie to Port Weller. There are just eight locks and the canal depth twenty five feet.
By 4 p.m. we had arrived at our last lighthouses for the day which were the Port Dalhousie Front & Rear Lighthouses.
After taking some photos of the rear light we crossed to the pier on the west side where we met Rob, a great guy to talk with. He spends his summer shirtless (by the look of his tan) talking with visitors like us on the pier. As he said he loves meeting people I tried to talk him in to being a warmshowers host. The end of the pier was fenced off much to Rob's disgust so we only got a distant view of the Port Dalhousie Front Lighthouse.
Port Dalhousie Lighthouses
The Welland Canal ran from Port Dalhousie, Lake Ontario to Port Colborne, Lake Erie from 1829 until 1932 when the Lake Ontario canal terminus was moved to Port Weller.
The first known lighthouse at Port Dalhousie was erected in 1833 but destroyed by a storm in 1837 after which a new lighthouse was built.
As improvement were made to the canal with extended piers a new wooden lighthouse was erected in 1850 on the east pier with a light that could be seen up to twelve miles
In 1878 after the pier was extended 300 feet, a new square, wooden tower was built at the end of the extended pier to form a set of range lights for entering the canal.
After the tower on the main 1850 lighthouse was found to be rotting, a new tower was built using the lantern and illuminating apparatus from the previous lighthouse.
On August 12, 1898 lightening struck the new main lighthouse and it burned to the ground.
The new octagonal, wooden lighthouse built as a replacement remains standing today. This new tower was built further inland on shore, just east of the pier, 1,500 feet from the outer lighthouse and provided a better range for entering the canal.
On June 1, 1902, the range lights were electrified.
In 1908, a diaphone fog horn installed in the outer lighthouse. The tower was modified so the foghorn could protrude through its lake-facing side.
The range lights were automated in 1968, and the inner light was deactivated in 1988 while the outer 1878 lighthouse still remains active today.
Next to the pier was a nice beach that was busy on this Sunday afternoon. As it was hot we decided to take a swim. After meeting a great group of ladies who were visiting from Scotland that agreed to watch our bikes we hit the water which was very refreshing.
Later we rode the last couple of miles to our hotel the Capri Inn. After showers and laundry we walked down the road to find a restaurant. I lost the battle and we ended up at McDonalds.
Today's ride: 38 miles (61 km)
Total: 106 miles (171 km)
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