Respite from Highways and Hills

June 30, 2019

Niagara Falls, ON to Albion, NY

The latter part of the day was elevation zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.

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Jackie’s avg speed: 9.5 mph
Scott’s avg speed: 10.0 mph
Weather: Sunny, 65-70 degrees, breezes from the east

We were out the door of the Ramada at 07:00 and in the U.S. customs and border line by 08:00. On the eight-mile ride from the hotel to the bridge, we passed botanical gardens, a butterfly conservatory, and assorted tourist attractions. Other cyclists would have plenty to do if they chose Niagara Falls for a down day.

One of two Sir Adam Beck power plants, Queenstown, Ontario. Canadians celebrate diversity. Check out the Gay Pride flag on the mast.

Crossing the Queenstown-Lewiston Bridge and border went off without a hitch, thanks to Scott’s thorough advance research. This site http://curtiswalker.com/wordpress/?p=852 has several photos with arrows indicating where a cyclist needs to go when transiting from the Canadian to the American side. We found that what a bicyclist is supposed to do is well marked beginning with the turn from the Niagara Parkway after the roundabout. The photos below are in the order a cyclist would see them when traveling north on the Canadian side of the Niagara Parkway.

Sign 5. Success! The Toll Captain offered to take our photo.

After the Toll Captain's okay, we were off. The photo below shows merging with auto and truck traffic to cross the bridge. On the bridge, trucks get the far right lane so cars and bicyclists get the next one or two lanes. The amount of lanes depends on traffic flow. The middle lane of the bridge is reversible. We timed our travel over the bridge to avoid traffic. Eight o'clock on a Sunday morning was a good choice.

Trucks are in a lane on the other side of the hedge. You merge with them after passing the buildings.

We rode for an hour or so until we got to Smokin’ Joes Trading Post on the Tuscarora Reservation, the venue for our second breakfast. The store’s raison d’etre was to sell untaxed cigarettes and cigars as Native Americans are allowed to do. If you want food, take what’s on the shelf. We settled for Mrs. Freshey’s powdered sugar donuts. The wrapper had no “sell by” date, but they were nice and soft when I squeezed them. Call it the power of suggestion, but I thought they tasted faintly of tobacco, maybe they absorbed a tobacco taste when transported in a big truck with cigarettes. We had eaten five of the six when Scott said, I can’t eat this. He took the last one out of the package and saw green mold had taken over the powered sugar. We couldn’t see it with our sunglasses on. Freshey, indeed. Nothing lost but 99 cents, we suffered no ill effects later. Maybe the mold had some penicillin in it and would stave off bad bacteria later.

At Lockport we turned onto the Erie Canalway Trail, which starts in Buffalo, NY and follows the canal roughly 290 miles to Albany. The Great Lakes were such an important waterway for transporting goods, the state of New York wanted a piece of that action. So, the state built a canal to link Buffalo on Lake Erie to Albany on the Hudson River, and then on down to New York City and the Atlantic Ocean. Wikipedia says that in 1825 when it was finished, the canal was second only to the Grand Canal in China in length. Small villages took root when laborers moved to the area to build it. When it was finished, those villages provided lodging, food, and supplies to the boats that came through. And now the towns support the farmers, vintners, and cyclists who enjoy the easy, flat ride.

The geese and ducks on the trail are unfazed by cyclists moving past. The parents will defend their babies if you stop and get too close.

The surface on most of the 27 miles between Lockport and Albion is crushed limestone and sand, except for a few patches of asphalt on the edges of towns. A long stretch starting near Medina and beyond Albion was newly spread and in some places soft from all the traffic that had passed over. A good rain and full sun should make it set up firm.

A hard packed surface is easy to ride. I almost crashed on this softer path. Probably wouldn’t have hurt very much.

Riding along a canal is about as easy as it gets, but come mid-afternoon, we were in the mood for a pick-me-up. We stopped at the Country Club Family Restaurant in downtown Medina for a chocolate shake (Scott) and spanakopita made from phyllo pastry stuffed with spinach and feta cheese (Jackie). Funny how we’re reversing roles and he’s developed a taste for sweets while I opt for healthier fare.

The last hour into Albion passed quickly because we chatted all the way riding alongside other cyclists who had started in Buffalo on this day and would take a week to ride the entire Canalway Trail to Albany. Someone was driving a car with their clothes and gear. Shelly (I’m guessing on the spelling of her name), is a family advocacy attorney from Flint, Michigan. She and her brother, plus a changing cast of friends, do a week or 10-day ride together every year. This year it’s the Erie Canal. Next year it’s a longer trek, the Adventure Cycling Southern Tier, another supported ride, where accommodations are arranged and gear carried by the organizers, for a fee.

Another cyclist riding from Nantucket to Seattle met us coming from the other direction. He had twice as much gear as we have, and half as many years, so he’s up to the challenge. He teaches, loves the junior high age, and is looking for a position at a small town school. He charmed us with his enthusiasm for Montana. He has some connection to “that town like the big snake”- oh yeah, Anaconda. He would move to Montana if the right position opened up.

Panniers give a cyclist the ultimate in flexible scheduling, but it must be sweet covering all the miles without the weight.

We said goodbye to the Canalway riders when we reached Albion, our destination. We had reserved a room at Dollinger’s Motor Inn, $100 including tax. It’s an old style, one story motel with parking spaces at each door that opens onto the parking lot. Being set back from West Avenue/Highway 31, it’s nice and quiet. The room with king bed was large enough to fit both bikes comfortably. WiFi was sufficiently robust, with an actual password, unlike many places we’ve stayed where the hotels or motels offer open access. No breakfast, but the office has a Keurig coffee maker, which made Scott happy. We got breakfast supplies from a grocery five minutes away on foot and washed our few clothes at a raggedy laundromat in the same complex. The metal drums had sharp edges that could damage pricey bicycle jerseys. Our stuff is 20+ years old or more, so we didn’t worry. Lights were out with sundown.

Today's ride: 57 miles (92 km)
Total: 2,270 miles (3,653 km)

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