Day 58 – July 31- Buffalo, NY to Lockport, NY – 55 Miles

Today was a transitional day for our trip.  At least it seemed that way to me.  Until we reached Buffalo, we still seemed to be in the Midwest.  Today we crossed into Canada, rode north along the Niagara River, then re-entered the U.S. and headed straight east.  To me it feels like a significant regional change, we are now in the east.

Phil met us at the church around 7:30, then treated us to breakfast at one of his favorites, Betty’s.  By the time we got our bikes loaded and out the door it was 10:00.  Joe and I both enjoyed our rest day and the time spent in Buffalo.  Phil was an excellent host and we both enjoyed getting his take on the local history.  Like many historic mainline churches in urban areas, First Pres of Buffalo has its challenges.  Phil is passionate about the role of the congregation in the neighborhood and is enthusiastic about ways the church can help fulfill God’s will in the community.

First Presbyterian is only five blocks from the Peace Bridge to Canada with a designated bike lane running from Symphony Circle.  Upon arriving at the bridge approach we found that new construction around the U.S Customs area had changed the flow of traffic from what was provided on our maps.  After a few questions we were able to make our way onto the bridge and into Ontario, Canada.  We passed through Canadian Customs and found our way to the Niagara Parkway and Recreational Trail.  The paved trail would be our primary route in Canada and traces the bank of the Niagara River north past the Canadian Falls and into Queenston where we would pass back into the U.S.

We took our time making our way north.  We stopped for Cokes at the Canadian Visitor’s Center at the falls and spent some time taking pictures and viewing the spectacle.  The area was crowded with tourist as would be expected at this time of the year.  Traffic on the parkway was not heavy however.  From the falls we continued north to Queenston and past the Niagara Power generating station, a massive hydroelectric operation on the Niagara River.

Construction again caused us to lose our way as we made our approach to the Queenston – Lewiston Bridge to return back to the U.S.  Once we found the Bicycle Route signs we made our way to Canadian Customs.  Following the directions of a Canadian customs official we made our way onto the bridge and took up our lane of traffic as we crossed.  While it seemed awkward, we actually exceeded the 15 mph speed limit on the bridge and the approach to U.S Customs.  The Canadian official had called over to U.S. Customs and a U.S. official met us.  He walked us to the front of the line of cars and expedited our Customs check.

From Lewiston we found Upper Mountain Rd for the remainder of our trip to Lockport. We found fresh peaches at the Becken Farms produce stand in Sanborn.  We signed their logbook as the first transcontinental riders to stop there this year.

Tomorrow and for the next few days we will be following the Erie Canal east from Lockport.  The towpath is hard packed limestone and for the most part, is flat all the way to Palmyra, NY.  The canal is also paralleled by NY State Route 31/Bicycle Route 5. We will probably ride both for as we make our way east.