Day 42 -- Back in the U. S. of A. at Niagara, N. Y.

August 1, 2004

ROUTE: Brantford, Ontario to Niagara Falls, NY                 
DISTANCE:  72 miles                 
WINDS: Not a factor

WEATHER: Sunny and warm; 94F in Niagara Falls             
TERRAIN: Rolling       
TOTAL CLIMBING: 1,450 feet

RIDE OVERVIEW: The morning started on a very bleak note when Patricia and Gabe awoke to find that their van had been stolen out of the motel parking lot. Another guest's car had also been stolen. We quickly checked the ABB vehicles for theft (they were okay) and cautioned riders not to put their bikes or luggage outside while eating breakfast.  Mike, Gabe, and Patricia dealt with the police and then Gabe hooked rides in Red & Box, and Patricia, undeterred, cycled the route. Their van has still not been found, but a report of its theft and their plight was on the evening news. (Late breaking news: The van was found by late evening. Unfortunately all that was left was ashes. The thieves torched it about 30 minutes outside of Brantford.)

I rode Float with Pam today, and our route got us out into some great rural countryside about three miles from the motel. The roads were perfect for the most part, smooth surface and easy to navigate. We were so much out in the country that at one point we even rode about 0.3 of a mile on a dirt road, and it was the most scenic road we had today. It connected two quiet roads that were completely tree lined, creating a tree tunnel. Just after we got off the short dirt section, we passed the old preserved one-room school house to the above left, a nice photo op for Mike. 

Pam and I came off the dirt downhill but didn't realize that we'd turned left on Orchard Road the left turn was so subtle.  So, when we came to a left at dirt Orchard Hill road at nearly the correct mileage we obediently turned left, particularly as we saw other bike tracks.We ended up climbing the hill and talking to a farmer who set us straight. (This should have taught Pam not to ride with a route neophyte.) Talk about leaf tunnels, we were really off the beaten path. Wonder who else made the same mistake and created the tracks.

In contrast to the lonely country roads we rode all day, when we entered Niagara on the Canadian side we were in the middle of wall-to-wall traffic and tourists.  "Wall-to-wall" is hardly overstatement.  I have a cousin who lives in St. Catherines, and I'd been to the Canadian side of the falls about 30 years ago. I would not have recognized it as the same place! Granted, today was a Canadian holiday, but the area now has towering casinos, hotels, tourist shops; balloon, helicopter, boat, and bus rides/tours;  restaurants galore (some such as the Hard Rock Cafe blaring music), and both people and vehicle gridlock. It resembles Las Vegas more than anything else. But, it was great fun to people-watch and to listen to the language polyglot. There were interesting and colorful tourists and families from all over the world picnicking on the lawns along Falls Avenue and taking in the sights.

We managed to navigate through the traffic and tourists and inched across the Rainbow Bridge and through Customs. Our motel was just a block from the bridge on the American side and we were glad to get there.  But, because Pam & I jumped onto a tour so quickly and forgot our cameras (see Duh of the Day) we missed some fabulous photos of the falls. Mike, who was riding Sweep, saved the day, however, with the award winning photo below left. 

Wish I hadn't been such a dodo. The photo opportunities were fantastic:  I could have gotten some great pix of the Falls from the Maid of the Mist, from behind the falls and upstream on the Canadian side to the dam, and of the Whirlpool and the Niagara Rapids from Niagara Park on the US side, the oldest park in the nation, according to our tour guide, who, BTW, was a real twit. We decided he'd been at it too long and needed to retire.

All riders trickled into the hotel safely, many stopping on the Canadian side to eat and sightsee.  All are eager to enjoy their day off.  Some of the new riders have arrived already, and tomorrow promises to be a busy day processing the new riders and somehow squeezing in time to do the laundry and prepare for our final week.  Tune in on Tuesday when we're back on the road again.

P.S. Forgot to report that Mark--who is training for the Leadville 100--pedaled 180 miles on the Friday we cycled from London to Brantford.  He rode and re-rode the route, but when he pulled into the motel, he found that he was just shy of 180 miles. So, he hopped back on his bike and circled the block a few times. One hundred and eighty miles and he still made the dinner bell, but missed out on the feedlot ear tags.

HEARD ON THE ROAD TODAY:  

• "We've now got a group that's splintered off the Clydesdales, it's called the Piesdales and consists of Robert, Jim, and Jeff, whose bikes have been trained to automatically stop for pie."  
• "When does the new rider hazing begin?"  
• "I am not knowing. You are up the wrong tree barking."

DUH! OF THE DAY:  Goes to Pam and moi, daahlinks. The two of us got in early and found that our rooms would not be ready until 3 p.m. So, unwashed and unfed we jumped to take a 3-hour American/Canadian tour offered at the concierge's desk. The motel provided us with a room where we could lock our bikes away, and off we went, both of us (DUH to the tenth!) leaving our cameras with our bikes!

PHOTOS OF THE DAY:

Is this a Canadian cartoon figure or just a Whatizzit created
by an enterprising individual?   Whatever, I'll bet 3-year
old Annabelle was thrilled to have her birthday announced
by  such a funny looking guy.

At the mother of all Flea Markets, the Red Baron rides again
(and forever) above a most amazing assortment of oddities
and "collectibles" at R. Webster's Antiques near Brantford, Ontario.

The Flying Spiral  emerges from the east to challenge the Red Baron . . .
or is he buzzing that RR crossing?  If he doesn't pick up
some more altitude I think that Flintstone vehicle and palm tree are toast.

A friendly motorist snapped this photo of Mike and
Karen crossing Rainbow Bridge in their Sponge Bob jerseys.

Our motel was really barebones last night... Mike and his bike catch
a few winks on the way to Niagara Falls. Now if that right leg
 would quit pedaling and go to sleep too, life would be good.

Sponge Bob's become Mike's new mojo on this ride. 
Everywhere we look we see Sponge Bob. Today,
Sponge Bob even showed up at the water cooler...
and we had Sponge Bob snack crackers too.
They tasted like dishwater . . . just kidding.