Dream Fulfilled

Tuesday Sept 22 - Sunday Sept 27
Shroon Lake - Middlebury - Bethel - Fairlee - North Woodstock - Fryeburg - Portland
260 Miles

This was the final segment of the trip, taking us through both the Green Mountains of Vermont and the White Mountains of New Hampshire before arriving in Maine: we decided to break it into 6 shorter mileage days with about 2500 ft of climbing each day.

Leaving Shroon Lake on Tuesday morning and crossing Lake Champlain from Ft. Ticonderoga, NY, we reached Vermont around 11am on the 22nd.  We learned very quickly that the roads in Vermont are different from most of the other roads we had encountered throughout our trip - steep and not in very good shape.  This is somewhat made up for by the beautiful landscape, with hills, mountains and valleys, forests and farms mixed altogether for a very dramatic and ever-changing terrain.  We rode through the towns of Shoreham and Cornwall on Hwy 74 before arriving at our destination, Middlebury, experiencing some very sharp uphills and breathtaking downhills.  We were very glad that we had corrected the drag brake situation as we needed it several times during fast descents on roads with lots of potholes, "frost heave" and disappearing shoulder.  Thank goodness the traffic was light and the drivers cautious (they had to worry about the road conditions, too).

Middlebury is a very nice town focused around Middlebury College, recognized as one of the top liberal arts colleges in the country and sponsor of the long-lived Breadloaf Writer's Conference, most famously hosted from it's inception by Robert Frost.  Located on the Middlebury River which provides a nice centerpiece along which the many small shops and restaurants are built, it also boasts many buildings of historical and long-lived existence since it was first settled in the late 1700's.  We stayed at the Middlebury Inn on the northeast side of the town square, a very charming and well maintained hotel that has been in existence since 1827.  After checking in and cleaning up, we went down for afternoon tea (we had lemonade and cookies).  While I stayed and worked on the blog, Teresa explored the town and river, finding us a great little place for dinner, the Two Brothers Tavern. 

After filling up with breakfast at the Inn on Wednesday morning and under a threat of thundershowers, we started out for East Middlebury and then the climb past Breadloaf Mountain and over Middlebury Gap.  We knew we had to climb about 1500' to the Gap, the longest climb we had experienced since the Rockies, and so we were a little anxious as we started out wondering if we still had the ability for extended climbing.  Well, we found out pretty quickly, as we had to scale about 400 feet in a half mile right off the bat, hitting as much as a 16% grade.  Once the roadway levelled off a little (down to 6% grade) we had to stop for a few moments to regroup and take off our sunglasses and camelbaks for the balance of the climb.  That proved to be a good move, making us much more comfortable and relaxed going forward (upward?), as there were many sections that challenged us with 10-12% grades, especially the last 2-3 miles going over the Gap.  We came across the Breadloaf satellite campus of Middlebury College, where the writing conference takes place, a very simple and tranquil looking setting with wood clapboard buildings for housing, classes, gatherings and eating.  There also is a state park along the way dedicated to Robert Frost.

Going over the Gap, we put our warmer clothing back on in anticipation of a fast descent, another good move.  Descending towards Hancock, VT, we noticed a marked change in the apparent economic success of the area:  as we advanced further from Middlebury, the size, quality and upkeep of the properties declined considerably.  Middlebury College clearly has a significant impact on the local economy.  In Hancock, we turned to follow the White River on its downward course, the accompanying valley presenting a very fine picture of mountains, forest and farms, then stopping in Rochester for a much needed break and lunch.  We arrived in Bethel about 3pm (without rain or thunderstorm, although it had threatened most of the way), found the Nestled Inn B&B where we had planned to stay the night and cleaned up. 

Bethel is a town that has a lot to offer in old style charm and architecture and the White River running directly through it, but is has not been able to cash in on those qualities yet.  You can see the opportunity for renovation of some great structures to create a very attractive and desireable setting for tourism, and the surrounding area boasts lots of outdoor activities, but I guess that is what a lot of this region offers, and there are only so many spots that can really take advantage of it.  The successful ones clearly have other ways of generating revenue (eg, the college) that will sustain them during economic downswings but it does not appear that Bethel has that capability, and so the investment has not been made.  Our only dining choice was Cockadoodle Pizza, which was pretty good and we had our first Long Trail Ale, also pretty good.  Teresa was wearing her Glacier NP shirt, which drew the attention of a young family as they were leaving.  It turns out the woman is from White Fish, MT so we had quite a bit to chat about.  They had moved to VT about 8 years ago, which is where her husband is from.  We didn't get the impression the VT terrain was meeting her standard for mountains, but we assured her that they were very challenging none the less.

By the way, the Nestled Inn B&B is a very nice old house with kitchen, dining, formal living and family room on the first floor, 4 guestrooms on the second floor and a family suite on the third, also an attached barn/garage with living quarters above; it is for sale (furnishings included) for $299,000 as the owner wants to get closer to grandkids in Massachusetts.

We did experience a good thunderstorm during the evening, and in the morning awoke to overcast which broke up during breakfast (yes, it truly was a B&B).  Continuing on the same rough and steep roads that we had experienced from our first entry into Vermont, our planned destination was Orford, New Hampshire.  Not far into the day, we were surprised to find the Vermont Law School in the little town of Royalton.  VLS is considered the top environmental law school in  the country, and more than  half the 800 students are enrolled in that curriculum.  Royalton and the surrounding area appeared to being doing fairly well, once again evidence of a strong, sustainable economic base that is mostly impervious to the general economy.  We stopped here for a quality espresso, talked to a first year law student from Covallis, OR, and as we were leaving were hailed down by someone who had noticed our Baker City cycling jerseys and called out "Are you from Baker?"  She was, and was quite surprised to see someone who had been there (if not lived there) and so we had a good, quick conversation about one the of towns we had enjoyed alot.

After more small towns (South Royalton, Sharon, South Strafford) along Hwys 14 and 132, we turned off onto Tucker Hill Road.  The side-roads are actually in better shape than the highways although still quite steep, and we enjoyed this cutover to Hwy 113 which took us on a covered bridge over the Pomanoosuc River just before entering Thetford Center.  113 took us up a 13% grade for a mile or so to Thetford Hill, then down into East Thetford where we enjoyed a great lunch at everyone's favorite spot (it was really crowded), Isabell's Cafe.  East Thetford is right on the Connecticut River which is also the border between VT and NH.  So, after lunch we crossed the river into New Hampshire and immediately the roads got better and the grades lessened. 

What a magnificent river and valley!  We really enjoyed the 8 mile ride to Orford, with great views of river, mountains, forests, farms and some incredible estates (Dartmouth College, not far south, and the associated medical center are the major economic drivers in this area).  We arrived at the White Goose Inn just south of Orford where we had hoped to stay, only to find that they really aren't open during the week this time of year.  The proprietor advised us to cross the river at Orford (back to VT) and try the Silver Maple Lodge in the town of Fairlee, so we did.  And glad of it, too.  The Silver Maple Lodge consists of a large house/hotel and several cottages scattered in an old apple orchard and we found ourselves a very nice little cottage.  Scott, the Innkeeper, was a really great and helpful person, providing all the information on where to do what and providing us with access to facilities for cleaning the bike properly, which hadn't been done for quite some time.  So Reuben set about tearing apart the bike for a thorough cleaning while Teresa walked the few steps next door to the laundromat.  After completing our chores, we enjoyed a nice Greek dinner at Leda's, also next door, and retired to our quaint little cottage for the night.

Friday morning was pretty cool and overcast. We headed out of Fairlee around 9am and crossed back into NH, heading north along the river and into a headwind and our first climb of the day, about 400' of reasonable NH grade.  Our only mistake of the morning was that we thought we could find a decent breakfast in one of the towns we were passing through, but that was not the case.  After Piermont, Haverhill and N. Haverhill we turned east away from  the river and began the real climbs, two back-to-back of about 800' each but nothing more than a 10% grade and very little of that.  During the first of these climbs we stumbled upon a neat little apple farm that had a cafe serving breakfast and lunch, so we stopped in for a real meal.  Dropping down to the Wild Ammonoosuc River we started the second climb, following the river on Hwy 112 which proved to be a very nice hwy with a good shoulder all the way.  As we rode over the ridge between the Ammonoosuc watershed to the Lost River watershed we crossed the Appalachian Trail.  Stopping to take a picture of the trail sign, we were first surprised by a rather large dog emerging from the trail, quickly followed by a young woman backpacker.  During a brief conversation, we learned that she and her dog had been on the trail for a month, her goal being to reach Georgia sometime in January (taking a break to return home for the holidays first).  Wishing her good fortune, we then followed the Lost River on an almost unbroken descent for 8 miles into the little tourist town of North Woodstock.  Here we called it a day around 2pm, found a great cup of coffee and bowl of soup at Cascade Coffee, checked into the Autumn Breeze Motel and later enjoyed dinner at a local restaurant.

Saturday, we awoke to a bright sunshine and frost everywhere as the temp had dropped to about 30.  We hit the coffee shop shortly after 8, then Peg's for pancakes, finally setting off about 8:45 with the temp still below 40.  We weren't much worried about getting too cold as our first 14 miles of the day included a 2300' elevation gain along the Kankamagus Highway, peaking out at 2855' at Kankamagus Pass.  The first 12 miles were absolutely beautiful, the cloudless sky providing brilliant illumination of the multi-colored forests, a very well maintained roadway maxing out at about 7% grade, and pretty light traffic.  The final two miles saw the grade increase a bit, reaching 10% for about a half mile near the top, and traffic also increased and the shoulder narrowed to a couple feet.  At one point we had about 50 motorcycles scoot by us, which would  have been pretty cool several months ago but we are pretty tired of very loud engines passing within a few feet of us. We were glad this was  about the worst of it.  The view from the top was quite marvelous, as was the 22 mile downhill afterwards.  One of the best routing decisions by Adventure Cycling was to take us off the highway about 14 miles into the descent, crossing over to continue along the Swift River from the other side on Passaconoway Rd, finishing in the town of Conway.  No traffic, with a quiet, lush forest surrounding us on mostly National Forest land, we cruised the remaining 8 miles as if we were on a private bikeway.  Absolutely wonderful.

We passed into Maine about 7 miles later and a half mile before arriving at Fryeburg, our final stop for the day after 46 miles and 2600' total ascent.  We considered continuing to Portland that day, another 50 miles or so, because the weather forecast for Sunday was 100% likelihood of rain.  Before checking into the Jockey Cap Motel, we discussed our options over coffee and a roll at a bakery across the road and decided it would be a bit risky with sunset coming earlier now and it was already going on 2pm.  The motel is named after Jockey Cap, a granite lump directly behind it that rises a couple hundred feet above the local terrain.  On top is a monument to Admiral Robert Peary who for a long time was credited with the first successful expedition to the geographic North Pole and who had resided in Fryeburg during 1878-79.  The monument consists of a profile of the surrounding landscape showing all the peaks that can be seen on the horizon, and was made from a survey he had conducted during his residence there.  Fryeburg is also known for the Fryeburg Academy, a private prep school founded in 1792 and at which Daniel Webster taught for a year; the Fryeburg Fair, the largest in Maine drawing about 300,000 each year; and the home of the creator of Hopalong Cassidy, one Clarence E. Mulford.  We enjoyed dinner at a nearby restaurant called H.A. Cassidy's and decorated with lots of western artifacts, posters from famous western movies (lots of John Wayne), and tablecloths with a cowhide motif.

Sunday, the weather forecasts were correct.  It rained almost the entire ride into Portland.  Not terribly hard, but very steady.  It was a little cold, too, as we departed around 8:15, and we got one final chance to test out our raingear and waterproof Ortlieb Panniers.  The gear worked pretty well, except the gloves and Teresa's jacket let in a little water.  Fingers got quite cold during the morning, but we warmed up after second breakfast after 30 miles or so.  We arrived at the waterfront in Portland around 1pm, just after it stopped raining.  Even though we could have waited and not rode in the rain, we were quite glad that we were already in Portland.  We found our hotel and directly across from the hotel, a ramp that led down to the water taxi and a dock that stood just two feet above the water.  We removed our gear before walking the bike down the ramp.  We reached the dock just as the water taxi was pulling up with about 8 folks on board,  so we waited for them to disembark.  The water taxi driver looked at us and our bike expecting us to get in, but we told them we were just there to dip our front wheel in the water.  That led to an explanationgn of our trip and that we had dipped our rear wheel in the Pacific, rode 5000 miles to Portland, and now were dipping our front wheel in the Atlantic.  As the folks who had disembarked heard this waited, and as the water taxi left but paused for the ceremony, we dipped the wheel to the cheers of the small crowd who had gathered during our story.  Wheeling the bike up the ramp and finding that no one had stolen our gear, we found another couple who took pictures of us high-fiving, kissing and standing with our gear.  The ceremony complete, we checked into our hotel across the street, cleaning up and resting before 5pm Mass at the Cathedral just a few blocks up the hill, and began a very nice several days of chilling, watching the harbor activity, blogging, exploring downtown Portland, eating and, especially, not traveling.

Downtown Portland is a great place: we met lots of good people who really love living and working in the area; enjoyed several really good meals; had some great espresso at the Maine Bean; really enjoyed the Hilton Garden Inn with a 5th floor room overlooking the cruise ship dock; and tasted some very good beer and wine.  We highly recommend a visit to Portland if you are ever in the area.  The Cycle Mania bicycle shop received the UPS shipment of our bike suitcases the Friday before we arrived, and the hotel shuttle van took me there to pick them up Monday morning: it appears Cycle Mania is the go-to bike shop in Portland and get called on to do this a lot as there were at least 2 other bike cases sitting there that morning.  I did not know this when I chose to contact them about it, so just another "good-luck" situation that our trip has been so full of.  Monday morning and early afternoon I tore down the bike (the frame is designed to disassemble into three pieces and the whole thing packs into the two airline legal suitcases) and packed it.  We had lobster Monday night at the floating DiMillo restaurant.  Tuesday, Teresa blogged in the morning, then I took over in afternoon for a while.  We also spent a little time each morning around 8am watching the cruise ships come in and the passengers head out.

Perhaps the highlight of our time in Portland came Tuesday at 5pm when we took a two-hour cruise in the harbor aboard the Wendameen, a 67 ft, two-masted wooden schooner built in 1912 that offers several harbor cruises daily and is available for overnights and charters.  It can accomodate up to 48 passengers for this type of cruise, but  we were the only ones at sunset cruise so we were treated to a private cruise.  Matt, the captain, and his crew, Tom and Theolonius, did a great job and we had a wonderful time conversing with them about our trip, the boat, their stories and just general talk.  The time went by quickly and most enjoyably, this sail being something that has also been on my list.  As we were heading back into port, the cruise ship of the day, the Queen Victoria, departed to continue its 24 day cruise from/to South Hampton, England.  At 965 feet and carrying up to 2,000 people, it was quite a sight.

We arrive back home tomorrow, Thursday, October 1.  We have ridden 5,076 miles, climbed an uncountable number of feet, ridden 95 of the 131 days between leaving Ft. Bragg and arriving in Portland, averaged 53 miles per day, ridden 463 miles in a calendar week and 529 miles in a 7-day period, traveled through 14 states and one province across two countries. We are still married, praise God.  We have seen a great segment of North America's geography and met a wonderful cross-section of people.  We have encountered and survived bad weather, bad moods, bad roads, bad directions and our own bad decisions, but we have run into very few bad drivers and even fewer unkind people.  We have enjoyed good food, good downhills (and uphills), good equipment, good calls, great people and awe-inspiring landscapes.  We have yet to understand what it all means, but we know that we have been very blessed to be able to complete this great adventure and thank the Lord and all those who have helped us along the way through good advice, prayers, physical assistance, careful driving, calls, comments and just taking the time to strike up a conversation.  We are not done blogging, as we will continue to add to this as continue to glean perspective as time goes on.  Thanks for being part of our adventure.

New York - Land of Kayaks and Kanoes

Monday, Sept. 14 - Monday, Sept 21
Albion - Egypt - Fulton - Redfield - Booneville - Thendara - Long Lake - Schroon Lake

We have never been in this part of New York and just loved the lakes, the terrain and the Adirondack area. 

Monday, we continued along the Canalway Trail with its crushed limestone, enjoying the canal, lack of cars, the flat terrain and the little towns we came across. When we arrived south of Rochester, we stopped at a bike shop to have the drum brake checked out as well as change out the tires again which were looking a little worn.  Unfortunately, they were a bit out of our way in city driving and were not able to help us.  However, their other shop did have the exact tires we wanted which Reuben swears by (Specialized Armadillo's).  Back on the bike we were, and on to the other shop.  The tires were successfully changed out (on our 4th set now) and the mechanic worked on the brake a bit so we had a little stopping power.  Back on the trail again, it was great fun seeing crew teams practicing on the canal - never saw so many at one time.  We had planned to make it as far as Fairport that day but with the extra time & mileage dealing with the bike (70 miles), we called it a day near Egypt, went off route a few miles and checked into the Budget Inn.  Too much backtracking had made for a long day so we were very happy to enjoy a pub atmosphere next door at MacGregors Grill & Tap Room.  We tried some New York dark beers and enjoyed sturdy food.  All was well again.

Tuesday we decided to stay on Highway 31 rather than go back to the canal.  I had grown tired of the crunchy noise and the dust, the chains were fully coated and the bike looked terrible (it did rinse off pretty easily, though).  This also cut our mileage down by about 5 miles.  It was a pretty ride with lots of hills and a good shoulder.  We planned to end in mid-day at Fair Haven but it was "off season" so the businesses in town were closed on Tuesday and Wednesday.  We had to push on to Fulton which made for another long day (74 miles).  When we got there, we looked for the Knights Inn which had popped up on Reuben's iphone.  Well, that place had been long gone.  Lucky for us the Riverside Inn was not far away.  It was a great place to stay, right on the Oswego River which flows into Lake Ontario.  Their restaurant was open though we had the place to ourselves and a good and filling hot breakfast came with the room.

The Fulton to Redfield leg on Wednesday was a shorter day (46 miles).  We took our time in the morning.  We did have a detour due to a bridge that was out.  This led us out on Wart Rd in Oswell County and what a fun surprise to see a small farm with"St. Francis Farm" on the barn with a statue of him in a niche at the peak.  I don't know if a little commnunity lives there and we saw no one out and about to ask.  We stopped for lunch in Pulaski and talked with some nice people there and pulled into the Reservoir Inn in Redfield, mid afternoon.  We walked the half-mile or so to the center of town for a beer at the local watering hole where it appears everyone stops by after work to chat.  We enjoyed being part of the gang.  Later we ate right at the Inn, the same people who run the motel also run the resaurant.  She is Irish and her husband is Italian.  Nice people, great food.

Around 1pm on Thursday, after 33 miles, we arrived in Booneville, our entry point to the Adirondacks.  I was still uncomfortable with my cold and coughing so we were continuing to take it easy.  Even though it was cloudy and spitting us us most of the day, it was easy to tell this is pretty country.  After checking out our options over a cup of coffee, we decided to stay at the Headwaters Motor Lodge:  not the best value we've come across but clean and quiet.  We were glad later, when we ate at the restaurant in the first floor of the Booneville Hotel, that we were not staying in a room above, as they really enjoy loud music there.  In the meantime, Reuben was still uncomfortable with the capability of the drum brake to slow us down on some sharp hills we knew lay ahead of us.  After some online research he ordered a replacement to be fed exed to our next location.  We would see if it would make it on time and if the replacement was possible.

We had decided to go to Old Forge on Friday and take Saturday off in a cute town that had some things going on.  Since it was a weekend, and close to fall colors, Reuben had called earlier in the week to book a room for 2 nights.  Well, all the motel rooms in that town were booked due to a Fireman's Convention that weekend.  They were expecting about 1000!  So instead he found the Moose River House B&B in Thendara, about 1 mile before Old Forge.  This wasn't what we had planned but what a blessing it turned out to be.  As we arrived after riding only 27 miles in the pouring rain (we stopped twice because it was so heavy), we met other guests coming out, Jim and Betsy.  We talked just a moment, as they were on their way out, and they invited us to join them for dinner that evening.  They had reservations at the Seventh Lake House restaurant in Inlet about 12 miles away and they would drive.  We enjoyed a beautiful dinner (I had the stew baked in an acorn squash) and wonderful conversation and camaraderie.

This area of the Adirondacks, between McKeever and Raquette Lake along Highway 28, has a series of stream connected lakes called the Fulton Chain Lakes, which are mostly numbered (Seventh Lake House is, you guessed it, on Seventh Lake):  I believe the final one is Eighth Lake.  This is also an area that is hugely popular with kayakers and canoeists.  I have never seen so many canoes in my life - every car has one on or two on top, or an empty rack - and there are some pretty high-tech canoes out there (kevlar, carbon fibre, etc.) There is a 90 mile canoe and kayak race that takes place here every year, with hundreds of competitors in 14 classes.  Hmm, there's an idea for our next adventure.

The Moose River House is owned by Stuart de Camp and was built as a hotel by his great grandmother.  It had been out of his family for about 15 years in the 1980's - 90's, when he purchased it back.  A beautiful, gracious place on a pond-like part of the middle branch of the Moose River, with a wonderful sense of hospitality.  Stuart picked up our package and even did a load of laundry for us.  I caught up on my sleep with a nap both Friday and Saturday and a full and sound nights' sleep.  This did wonders for recovering from my cold.  We enjoyed conversing with all the guests staying there.  Jim and Betsy left on Saturday as did another couple celebrating their 62th anniversary.  Reuben set to work on the brake and got that working.  The rest of Saturday was spent walking around Old Forge, window shopping, enjoying the artisans of the Adirondack Mtns., watching a parade of all the area firefighters and first responders, each town or village proudly raising their flag, and a nice canoe ride on the pond and connecting rivers.  Saturday afternoon and evening we met more guests arriving, more story swapping.  

Sunday, after a great breakfast of stuffed french toast with a full inn of people, we were ready to set off to Long Lake, about 48 miles away, with all our gear on.  Everyone came outside on this cold and frosty morning to see us off and have pictures taken.  It was so much fun, everyone being a part of our adventure.  We rode a short way to attend Mass at St. Bartholomew Church and felt very welcome there.  Our route took us along the south side of the lakes (less traffic) which was just beautiful.  We passed through the town of Blue Mountain Lake and began our first really tough climb since Montana, as we headed up Blue Mountain.  This lasted about 1 mile and in places was 16% grade.  We wondered if we would have had to walk the bike if we were still carrying all our camping gear.  Just as we were to crest the hill, we saw the Adirondack Museum.  We knew we didn't want to stop and then try to start again on a steep incline after cooling down, so we just passed it by.  Funny, neither one of us asked the other if they wanted to stop because we were both afraid the answer would be yes, but afterwards we learned that our thoughts were the same.  Our accomodations that night were at a cute place called Motel Long Lake.  A beautiful lake, little sandy beach, seaplanes taking off and landing, near to the Adirondak Hotel, serving dinner since 1903.  Beers (Ubu Ale, by Lake Placid Brewery, a very find strong dark red) and dinner again closed out our day.

Monday, Sept 21, our last full day in New York, we delayed our start due to the cold and fog.  We left about 10 and only had 47 miles to go to Schroon Lake.  Though it was a cool start, it warmed up nicely and was a gorgeous day.  As we cycled up Blue Ridge Road we met 3 cyclists from Sacramento, SanFran and Reno doing the northern tier.  Blue Ridge had recently been resurfaced and was a pleasure to ride on, especially the long downhill.  We stopped at the General Store in North Hudson for coffee and visited with those fellows awhile, who were planning to arrive in Bar Harbour about the same time we were planning to arrive in Portland.  We enjoyed great color in the mountains this day and suspect in about a week or 2 it will be ablaze.  Luckily we had made our staple of bagels with peanut butter and jelly before we left, as there wasn't much in the way of food along the route this day.  We stopped at a little park in Newcomb and enjoyed our "lunch" while looking at the mountains.  That weekend there had been a marathon run around Schroon Lake, so we had to wait a bit for rooms to be cleaned.  We stretched while we waited, cleaned up and were still ready for happy hour at the Drake Motel restaurant where we enjoyed a really good meal.

Tuesday, Sept 22 we woke up to overcast, cool temps, ready to get an early start to beat the rain that was forecast.  Our last day in New York, only 20 miles from the Vermont border, we would cross Lake Champlain on a little ferry in Ticonderoga.  We started about 8 am with a few sprinkles and climbs.  Then we hit a long downhill to Ticonderoga.  We stopped at the first cafe we saw as we had left that morning with no breakfast, filled ourselves, and headed up the road in search of the ferry.  Timing was great with just a few minutes wait, and just 10 minutes on a cable drawn ferry across the lake we were in Vermont.  It is different!  

Full speed ahead ..... well, sort of

Saturday Sept 5 - Sunday Sept 13

334 miles

Toledo -Fremont- Kingsville Ontario (via ferry in Sandusky) - Blenheim - Port Stanley - Port Dover - Port Colborne - Niagra Falls

After the mid-afternoon departure from Toledo, we back-tracked the route we had taken 3 weeks earlier, heading to Elmore, OH to catch the bike trail to Fremont. Between Genoa and Elmore we stopped to visit with Paul and Sandy, long-time farmers in the area who Reuben had worked closely with during the Fremont portion of his career at Heinz. They were very excited to see us, not only to get caught up on each other's activites, but they were headed to a party that evening that had a bicycling theme to it. Armed with pictures of us (we didn't give them the shirts off our backs) and the stories we shared with them, they felt very well

prepared to star in the event. We arrived at the Fremont hotel kind of late (38 miles) and ordered pizza delivered in (first time for that).  Reuben also broke loose with a cold, and spent much of the night trying to get sleep between sneezing and coughing.  Teresa got to listen to it all.

On Sunday we attended Mass at yet another remodeled Fremont church, St. Ann's. They had started the remodel before we left 18 years ago and the finished project is fantastic. The ride into Sandusky (33 miles) was another short day and we caught the 3:30pm 'Peelee Islander' ferry to - you guessed it - Pelee Island. It was good fun riding on the lake once again, we had several occassions when we lived in Ohio to enjoy the islands area, so it brought back good memories.  After a short stay on Pelee Island, we transferred to the 'Jimaan' ferry and crossed to mainland Canada, arriving in Kingsville Ontario at 9:30pm. We rode safely in the dark for about 1 1/2 miles to the motel. Hope we don't have to do that again. 

Monday, which was Labor Day in the USA and Labour Day in Canada, we tried to find a restaurant for breakfast, but the only one in Kingsville that was open was a totally packed Tim Hortons, so we ate a couple snack bars and went on. We rode through Leamington and past the massive Heinz factory there - they were in the thick of tomato season, poor souls. We rode on to Wheatley and enjoyed a wonderful lunch with Scott and Donna. Scott is the Agriculture Manager for Heinz at the Leamington factory and we have worked closely on many things over the years. It was really great to visit with them for a couple hours before heading on to Blenheim. We arrived in Blenheim (38 miles for the day) in the late afternoon, pleasantly surprised at the light traffic encountered on a busy holiday, and checked into the Queen's Motel. Not sure which queen it's named for, but I doubt any would claim it for their own. Oh well, a roof over the head is often enough.  By now, Reuben had lost his cold, but Teresa had found it.

Tuesday we awoke to wet roads, but nothng coming down when we left. Had great coffee and a muffin in town and bought groceries/supplies before leaving Blenheim shortly before 10am. Unfortunately, the restaurant we thought was open about 15 miles up the road wasn't, but we did find an ice cream bar at the gas station across the road. After another 12 miles or so, we did find an open restaurant in New Glasgow and had some very hearty pancakes.

Pushing on along the Lake Erie coastline, we managed to just avoid small cloudbursts ( it rained over an inch in Leamington that day). We arrived in Port Stanley about 3:30pm and 58 miles later, and pulled into the home of our first "Warm Showers" hosts, Margaret and Bob, whom we had contacted a couple days before. Warm Showers is a website for an online organization of people who offer the use of their homes to touring cyclists who are also WS members. As a member, you agree to open your home when you can, but you don't have to permit cyclists in if you don't want to. You indicate how much prior notice you require and provide a list of the services you are willing to offer: a bed or just a place to pitch a tent; food or not; laundry; kitchen privileges; shower; etc. Margaret and Bob have a very unique home in Port Stanley, with an attached gazebo with bedroom.  We changed into our swim gear and walked the short distance to the beach to rinse off in the lake. We returned to the house to put on our finery and enjoyed dinner and a fantastic chocolate cake for dessert at the great restaurant next door, finding our way back to the house and Bob shortly after dark. We had to hit the sack before Margaret arrived, but we got to see both of them before we headed out in the morning. Thanks so much to both for the great hospitality and generosity you showed us.

Wednesday, we traveled 68 miles from Port Stanley to Port Dover, almost entirely through fields of corn, soybeans, treefruits (apple season would start in a week) and tobacco, seeing a good amount of tobacco harvested and put up in barns. I might add that ever since we left Toledo, we faced an east wind which, like the winds we had in our faces in Montana and North Dakota, were not supposed to be. This day was also complicated by 17 miles of road under repair, nearly all of it torn down to gravel. So we were quite tired when we arrived in Port Dover to look for a place to stay.

Heading down to the waterfront, we looked all around for a motel but couldn't see one. We stopped at an information board and called a couple of the motels/B&B's listed, but could only leave messages. A gentleman walked by and we asked him about lodging. He wasn't from the area and really didn't know, but he said he was staying at the Erie Beach Hotel which was just behind us: if we had turned around, we would have seen it. While I was checking us in there, Teresa gathered a crowd around her to tell our tale, and asked a gentleman where the best place to eat was.  He pointed at our hotel and said the perch was the best on the lake.  So we had dinner figured out, too, and he was right.  After a very filling perch dinner we walked around town and the beach, then hit the sack.

Thursday was a pretty nice clear day but the headwind was still fairly strong.  We left Port Dover shortly after 9am, having had our first breakfast at Tim Hortons: the coffee is quite good, but the food leaves something to be desired - it sure ain't pancakes, eggs and bacon!  We had decided to modify the Adventure Cycling route when we could, since we had enjoyed riding right along the lake enough: the north shore is comprised of clay cliffs about 80-100 feet above the water, but every river that runs to the lake has cut a  sharp gully down to lake level, so you end up dropping downhill quickly and climbing back up very slowly on the sharp grades.  These may have led to Teresa getting a soft tissue injury in her tailbone the previous day and which became quite painful as the day wore on.  So when the route zigged towards the lake and there was a option to stay the course, we took the option and avoided those sharp grades. 

Near Nanticoke there is a US Steel factory that was not operating.  A huge facility, we spent at least 20 minutes riding around the perimeter on the south and east sides.  As we approached the main gate, we saw a crowd of folks with signs and, as we turned further eastward, noticed that it probably was a group on strike.  We turned around to see what was up and had a good visit with the picketing workers who had been locked out by US Steel.  It seems that US Steel had purchased the facility a couple years ago and was trying to implement US style work rules and benefit plans.  Negotiations had broken down and the company had decided to shut it down almost 40 days earlier, idling about 1,000 union workers.  Asked what it would take to settle the impasse, they felt that only government intervention would work.  They wondered how we could work for Americans: we responded that we had been very blessed, and left it at that, wishing them well as we headed on our way.  Before we left, they told us they had met a couple from Arizona a few weeks earlier passing by - Tim and Cindii, the authors we met in White Star Park on our first swing through NW Ohio and who had been riding for 7 years!

We made it to Port Colborne, at the downbound entry point to the Welland Canal, around 3:30pm and after 58 miles.  About 5 miles before the town, we came back along the lake and saw a lake freighter entering the port.  Arriving in town we headed straight for the canal and there the ship was, just entering it.  Very exciting, bringing back memories of when I was a lowly deckhand on the SS Herbert C Jackson during the fall of '71 and summer of '72.  First time I remember seeing the canal, having only gotten as close as Buffalo, NY, just across the water, during my short time on the lakes.  The original canal was commissioned in 1829, providing a navigable link between Lakes Ontario and Erie for the first time as Niagara Falls tended to be a bit too treacherous.  The existing canal was completed in 1932 and is comprised of 7 locks on the Niagara Escarpement and an 8th guard lock at Port Colborne to adjust to Lake Erie levels.

We spent the night at the King George Inn, an old style inn with very nicely appointed rooms above a tavern and restaurant.  We enjoyed a really nice dinner and sight-seeing evening with Liz and Joe, whom we met at the memorial service for Chris in Toledo: they are John's cousins, living in Welland, ON about 11 miles down the canal towards Lake Ontario.  We had originally talked about staying with them, but the long days and headwind were getting to us and we decided to call it a day when we reached Port Colborne.  So they generously offered to come see us and take us to dinner, which was perfect for us and a great evening.  They sent us off with great tasting apples and pears from their trees which we finished off before reentering the US.

Friday, after a great breakfast at a tiny cafe on the canal (thick homebaked sturdy toast), we found the paved Friendship Bike Trail just across the canal from the King George Inn, and rode the 20 miles or so to Fort Erie at the inlet from Lake Erie to the Niagara River and just across from Buffalo, NY.  We enjoyed a very interesting tour of the historic Ft. Erie, which during the war of 1812 was variously controlled by the British or Americans and was the site of the bloodiest battle on Canadian soil in August of 1814, during which the British lost over 1,000 men.  The fort was destroyed by the Americans as they abandoned it shortly before winter of that year, the forces being better used to defend the East Coast which was being invaded and Washington, D.C. was burning.  What we toured had only been rebuilt as recently as 1937 as an historical site.  They put on a very interesting tour with docents attired in the clothing of the time and put on a musket firing demonstration.

After the fort tour, we caught the Niagara Recreation Trail which follows the Niagara River all the way from Fort Erie to Niagara-on-the-Lake on Lake Ontario.  As we were riding along, we met another trans-con cyclist, Daniel, who had lost his job a couple months previously and with little long-distance cycling experience, had bought a bike and a week later set off from Victoria, BC headed to Nova Scotia.  As his funding was very limited, he was camping most of the time and knocking out 80-100 miles a day to try to finish in about 50 days.  He said the first two weeks were really painful as he got into cycling shape.  I can imagine.

We found arriving at Niagara Falls from upstream on the Canadian side to be quite a marvelous approach: there is little congestion, the river is wide and impressive at the precipice and you can see the mist rising above the river as you get nearer.  We rode most of the way and then dismounted as we got within a few hundred yards and the crowd began to thicken.  Enjoying the Candian Horseshoe Falls for a period, we then walked past the view of the American falls and remounted to ride the remaining few miles along Niagara Parkway to our motel.  Arriving mid-afternoon, we found time to ride to downtown of Niagara Falls to get the laundry done right away so it wouldn't take away from our full day off.  There is a very good attempt going on to revitalize the downtown, stalled somewhat by the economic downturn.  Lots of eateries and small boutiques.  Unfortunately, we were able to ride down the main drag without any traffic.

Saturday, our first day off in 10 days of riding!  From Ann Arbor we had covered 472 miles, toured in two states and one province, two countries, had visited many good friends, made several more, caught colds and Teresa was still fighting hers.  After breakfast, we caught a taxi to take us to Niagara-on-the-Lake, a very upscale tourist town at the point where the Niagara River enters Lake Ontario and the home of the Shaw Festival, named for the playwright George Bernard Shaw and dedicated to the dramatic arts.  The Festival encompasses 3 theatres within 4 blocks of one another, each one presenting at least 2 productions daily.  Walking about town, it had a quality quite similar to that of Carmel, CA, for those who have been there. The weather, which was superb, added to the experience, and we wandered around town for a short while before lunch and coffee.  Afterwards we were treated to an up close and personal production of Eugene O'Neill's "A Moon For The Misbegotten", with third row center seats in a very small and personal theatre at the Court House.  Any closer and we would have needed our raingear, as the father role was quite determined to splash the front row during a scene when he was washing after coming in from the fields on a hot day.  Spectacular performance of a marvelous work, we couldn't get over the wonder of it all.  If you have the chance to go to N-O-T-L, we strongly recommend the scallops at Zee's, at the eastern edge of the downtown next to the main Shaw Festival theatre: melt in your mouth delicious.  We returned by taxi to our motel, fully rejuvenated and excited to get on with the next major leg - New York.

After breakfast on Sunday, we headed north along the Niagara Recreation Trail once again, with occassional views of the spectacular gorge and river below.  It was about 5 miles to the Lewiston-Queenston Bridge, the 4th and most northern bridge across the Niagara River. Prior to leaving, we studied the map very carefully to be sure we knew just how to get on the bridge, and we also had scoped it out the previous day during our ride to N-O-T-L.  Still, we managed to make a wrong turn and ride about 5 miles out our way.  It seems the signage for the bicycle entry appears only after you have entered the employee and visitor gate, which is right where the Canadian Customs booths are.  Cars need to go the 2.5 miles one-way to enter the highway and backtrack to the booths.  Once in, we were directed to walk past the booths - carefully - and get on the roadway to the bridge.  It was early enough on a Sunday that we had little difficulty as traffic was light.  Pretty nice view from up there. 

We came to the US Customs with a little trepidation, not knowing if we were going to have to tear our gear apart for inspection.  We presented our passports (yes, we had carried them all this way just in case) and as soon as the officer asked us where we had come from - California - a small party of customs officers began around us asking us all the usual questions we get about our trip with a keen interest in our adventure, not in whether we had contraband.  I hope terrorists don't figure out crossing this way, but it worked well for us.

I know this was only Canada, which is hardly any different than the US in most ways, eh?  But I am always happy to come back into the US.  It must be a carry-over from the many returns outlandish places in China, Africa and elsewhere.  Anyway, it was a good feeling to enter New York.  We rode east from Lewiston to Lockport, at lunch, then got onto the Erie Canal towpath.  A crushed limestone surface beneath our wheels, we rode the 30 miles or so to Albion, NY, passing several quaint canal towns along the way.  The canal and towpath are almost level, so the only impedence is wind and intersections at the small towns.  In Albion, we found the Dollinger Motor Inn to be the only place to stay, and they have a unique way to check in: there is a phone outside the office that you pick up, a person comes on the other end and takes your info/credit card and tells you to take an envelope with a certain name from a mailbox nearby; inside is the key to a room.  I guess if they get more customers than prepared envelopes, someone has to come down to the office.  The room was fine and the location good for our needs as there was a grocery store next door where we stocked up on travel food and had a nice deli dinner with rotisserie chicken, salads and Ben and Jerry's.

And so the last day in Canada and first day in NY comes to an end.  This writing was completed on 9/23 in Middlebury VT.  We have about 5 days of riding left in our plans before we reach Portland, ME this coming Sunday or Monday.  Teresa is about over her cold.  We plan to return to Modesto on Thursday, October 1. Wish us luck as we finish our adventure over the next week.