Niagara Falls to Dundas: Niagara Recreational Trail

June 21, 2011

Leaving Niagara Falls, we passed through some very touristy commercial areas which I'm glad we missed the previous evening. The Adventure Cycling route went north along the Niagara Recreational Trail along the river.

We watched for the bridge where Harriet Tubman frequently crossed when smuggling fugitive slaves into Canada. We wondered what kind of structure it was then.

We passed Historic Ft. George in Niagara on the Lake but did not stop. In lines of students were visiting.

One of the interesting buildings in Niagara on the Lake.

We stopped to aid a cyclist along the road. Her front wheel was not true and rubbed against the brake pads. We shifted the wheel slightly so that she could continue until she could get to a bike shop. She commented that the bad roads caused the problem and based on the condition of that road, she may have been right. In return, she pointed us to a good restaurant where Rhona had what she called "the best veggie wrap ever".

The route took along aptly named "Ridge Road" From high on the escarpment we looked down upon Hamilton and Toronto across Lake Ontario.

Hamilton was much bigger than I anticipated. We were tired when we entered the southern part of the city during afternoon rush hours and dreading the traffic. Happily, the route took us on a busy road which included a bicycle lane. It was well designed. routing us safely through many busy intersections. Once again, painted lines and four feet of pavement made all the difference in the world.

After checking into our hotel we cycled to a grocey store. An employee began to shut down the fresh salad bar just as Rhona started scouting it for dinner. The woman backed off when Rhona became frantic. I feared the next thing we would hear over the public address system..."security, we have a situation at the salad bar, repeat, we have a situation at the salad bar..." Fortunately, nobody was hurt.

When we came out two men were admiring our tandem. One was a Scot, the other Irish. Both have lived in Ontario for almost 50 years. They really liked the tandem and our journey.

Today's ride: 81 miles (130 km)
Total: 966 miles (1,555 km)

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