Biking with Bill

BACK IN THE USA!


We experienced a great day of cycling–and an interesting one as well. The Sunday morning rides are always my favorite time on the bike. It is prime cycling time, as people are at home, not in their cars on the road. Dan, Keith, and I felt almost alone in the Canadian countryside this morning–even the dogs didn’t bother us today. It must be a rest day for all species.

Our ride was 72 miles to Niagara Falls, NY. Initially, we rode through farm land with some large fields of sod farms. We saw cherries being mechanically picked in a roadside orchard. Ginseng is also a crop grown locally, which many of us saw growing in its early stages for the first time. The towns of Bismark, Pelham, and Vinelandtown were passed by on our way to Niagara Falls. The roads got much busier as we got closer ....and then we saw the Canadian Falls, or Horseshoe Falls, with its plumes of mist shooting high in the air. Amazing sight!

We rode our bikes right into the center of all the pedestrian and motor traffic—right to the walkway overlooking the falls. Hundreds, no thousands, of tourists from everywhere in the world–it appeared–were in town with their families.

Niagara Falls, Canada was most impressive; the skyscraper luxury hotels, the fashionable restaurants, the lush green lawns and planted flowers were all in evidence on the Canadian side. We stopped to walk a bit and take some pictures.

We then crossed Rainbow Bridge on our bikes–and mixed in with the slow moving car traffic as we approached the US Customs and Immigration. For us the questions were mostly about our bikes and equipment. We were welcomed back to the USA.

The American side is quite different; fun parks, and tourist shops, fast food from India and China etc. abound. Niagara Falls, NY is definitely “the poor cousin” to its Canadian neighbor. But, hey, it’s just a short walk across the bridge! And we have time to explore both.

We have a rest day tomorrow before beginning the final week of our 50 day trek.

Bill