Buffalo to Niagara Falls, Ontario: I told you we should have kept the HALT dog spray
We had an uneventful ride through Buffalo. We traveled after morning rush hour and Adventure Cycling did a nice job on the route.
Rhona was alarmed to find this albino Buffalo wandering through a city neighborhood. Actually, the photo was the latest in a series of pictures we take to tease our daughter about a family Yellowstone vacation encounter with a sleeping buffalo which resulted in Kelly scampering up a Lodgepole Pine.
Adventure Cycling gives detailed instructions about where to go at customs. We followed the instructions and pulled up to the correct building only to be intercepted by a (polite) customs agent who asked why we had not waited in line with the cars. They didn't ask us about the contents of our bag or what we carried, so throwing away the three cans of HALT proved to be unnecessary.
We suspected we would not be permitted to take raw fruit or vegetables into Canada, so Rhona gobbled down her last delicious apple while crossing the Peace Bridge.
After crossing the border into Ontario we stopped at the first bank we saw to convert some money. The exchange rate was not in our favor, but the bank teller kindy waived the transaction fee, possibly because she sensed that Rhona is 1/2 Canadian (on her Mother's side).
While standing in line the gentleman behind us (Paul Mirrlees) engaged us in a conversation and invited us to be his guest at lunch. We enjoyed lunch with him at a Greek Restaurant. He was quite knowledgeable about the area, including the Underground Railroad history. He also gave us a map of Ontario from his car.
As we left Fort Erie we kept looking for the beginning of the bicycle trail indicated on our map. As we approached it, there was Paul waiting in his car. Knowing that it was a challenge to find the start of the trail, he drove to the start and waited for us. The trail along the river was very scenic and interesting.
Riding a bicycle into the Niagra Falls area was a unique way to experience this natural wonder. Pushing the 12 ft. long rig through crowds is a challenge.
We expected hotel rooms to be expensive but booked a room at a centrally located Best Western for only $78 Canadian. Even cheaper rooms were available a block away. Later, as we wandered in a four block radius looking for a place to eat, we learned that while the rooms were reasonable, the restaurants were not.
When we pushed the bike toward our room another guest saw our WVU pennant. It turns out he and his wife are from McCoole, Maryland, just across the Potomac River from Keyser. His wife attended Keyser High School (my first teaching job).
We walked down to see the falls which were lit at night. We thought of my parents (George and Muriel) who were at the falls exactly 60 years ago on their honeymoon.
