kristingbridges
We arrived in Buffalo without a hitch. Well, except for when there was an 8 foot clearance bar for a surface lot at the hotel – that was confusing. So we had to take our bikes off the roof and, while I stood with them, Brian drove under the bar and parked, then came back so we could walk our bikes over to our spot – again on a surface lot, not in a garage. We have no idea why the bar was there.
We spent much of Saturday driving out to Niagara Falls, queueing up to get on the Maid of the Mist, and getting up close and personal with the falls. Not sure what I was thinking, but I didn’t expect it to be like riding directly into a gale. Maybe the delicate name of the boat, “Maid of the Mist” lulled me into a false sense of genteelness. So, we get to cross that off the bucket list.
We really enjoyed Buffalo. We found some good places to eat and people were friendly. No, we didn’t try any Buffalo Wings at any of the places to have the “best in town.” We’re just not wing fans <gasp!> I did try an authentic fried bologna sandwich and it was good. It was decidedly different than frying up some Oscar Meyer and putting it on whitebread with ketchup back when I was a kid!
Sunday was the kickoff of our actual bike ride. We moved our car to a long-term lot we arranged for ahead of time. Getting out of Buffalo was, well, a pain. It’s like they’re trying to improve their bike infrastructure, but the person in charge of the construction has never been on a bike . . . or owned one . . . or seen someone riding one. There were places where the trail was just gone with no indication of it being under construction or closed. Or places where there was construction, but you just had to pick your way through it. As we got out of Buffalo heading towards Tonawandas, there was a well marked detour onto the adjacent road, which wasn’t too bad. After that point, things went smoothly. We had a lovely stop along the Niagara River for some lunch. There wasn’t a Subway or similar shop open this morning in Buffalo, so I just had a whole wheat flatbread wrap with some peanut butter on it. Brian stuck with his smoked almonds. Oh, and we had a leftover free pumpkin muffin from yesterday at Tim Hortons that we split.
We just did 34.5 miles today. The rest of the days will cover more miles, but we know it often takes longer to get out on the trail the first day. Tonight, we’re in a little “Inn and Suites” motel in Lockport. Looks very much like it’s had the “Rosebud Motel Group Rejuvenation Plan” applied . . . and that we somehow got the honeymoon suite? (reference for my fellow Schitt’s Creek “frans”). It is quiet, comfortable and a welcome stop after our first day on the trail.
Tomorrow, we go from Lockport to Brockport, and yes, I’m already trying to think up a clever post title for that one!