Home and Rested

Hello Friends!  Thank you so much for following along.  Unfortunately, around Niagara I ran into some iPad glitches, so filling you in on our travels from Niagara to Rochester was more trouble than I had energy to address.  But here I shall try to remedy things.

Our trip from Burlington to Niagara did follow the backroads above the Escarpment, through the Niagara area wine country.  And, as my friend, Jack suggested it would be, it was beautiful.  We didn't stop to imbibe in any wine tasting that day, but would certainly return at some point to take advantage of that trail (after we pedal the Finger Lakes Wine County Trail).  Our trip in Niagara Falls was nice, though admittedly, after arriving we chose not to visit the casinos or Hard Rock Cafe.  Instead, we opted for showering, cleaning our bikes and socializing with our fellow adventurers.  We did learn however that Niagara Falls State Park "Reservation," as it was conceived of and designed by Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux, is America's oldest state park.  Though sadly, the park no longer resembles a place "where the masses could be renewed" by the grandeur and beauty, as Olmsted had hoped.  Perhaps that says enough about why Jo, Mary and I remained close to our hotel that evening.

The next morning, however, was spectacular, with a short detour from our planned route to the Falls.  Here, Mary, Jo and I are standing in front of the Falls at about 7:30 a.m., and already you can see the  clear skies and warm sunshine that ultimately followed us throughout the day.

Our trip on Friday took us from Niagara Falls to Brockport, New York.  Bicycling through customs over the Rainbow Bridge was quite an experience.  Bicycles are not permitted on the pedestrian sidewalk, and don't have a lane of their own.  So, we had to pedal ever-so-slowly amidst the cars, RVs and small trucks.  Fortunately, as it was still early, we proceeded through the process rather quickly, finding the agent in our line to be particularly curious about our travels and courteous.

Brockport is a sweet little college town, with a great coffee shop (we're told) and easy access to the Erie Canalway.  Our hotel was about a mile from town, so exploring the area was a little more difficult (cycling the mile into town after pedaling 70+ miles to get to our evening's nest was not an option for us).  Jo and I plan to bike out that way soon, though.  Our evening in Brockport marked our last night together with this stupendous group of women, and included another delicious meal, prepared by our tour chef, Sue, uproarious laughter and entertainment, and a song performed by The Pelotones for our intrepid guides, Cy and Sue, to the tune of "The Twelve Days of Christmas."

Finally, the next morning we set off for our 40 mile trek into Roch-cha-cha, weaving through some of the back country roads of Brockport, Spencerport, and Greece.  Eventually we pedaled along the Erie Canal to Lock 33, jumped atop Edgewood Avenue, Westfall Road, Allen Creek, Clover, Blossom, Creek and Bay Roads, then turned onto the Route 104 Trail which delivered us safely to the parking lot of our first hotel, the Hampton Inn on Hard Road.

One more meal together, lots of hugs and good-byes...and, we are now home...thrilled to have had the privilege of trekking 564 miles around Lake Ontario with WomanTours and these fabulous, brave and  entertaining women!  Already looking forward to the next tour...anyone wanna go?

The Short Day

Burlington, Ontario.  Just a hop, skip and jump from Toronto.  A lovely town right on the western-most "corner" of Lake Ontario.  Today's ride was a short one, just 39 miles door to door.  With the promise of blue skies, and short mileage, our band of Pelotones opted for coffee and full breakfasts before beginning our trek (which included not just protein, but carbs and SUGAR in the form of chocolate and almond croissants).  Gosh, I love being able to REALLY indulge my sweet tooth on bicycling adventures like this.  For coffee lovers visiting Toronto (especially those who imbibe in the dark roasts), Balzac's in the Old Town section of the city, across the street from the St. Lawrence Market, is a must.  Both their coffee and vanilla latte's are to die for...and, the pastries lining the shelves looked simply delectable.

The Waterfront Trail heading southwest out of the city is really lovely.  Most of it is paveed, with sections here and there that meander through neighborhoods and along less trafficy roads.  We really enjoyed the chance to just be playful and unhurried today.  Though, in truth, we haven't really been in a hurry any day.

For those who have shared that my writings have painted an idyllic picture of our travels, let me say, that car drivers in Canada are pretty much the same as car drivers in much of the US.  Though we've pedaled through some incredibly bike-friendly towns, there are those places along the route wherein the town, village or city might bill itself as "bicycle friendly," but their car drivers didn't seem to get the message.  Of course, change comes slowly, as we all know.  And, even with the few drivers who have felt the need to race, speed past, or even yell at some of us, the great majority of Canadians and others, have been delightful!

Tomorrow we head for Niagara Falls, which I'm quited excited for as I've not visited the Falls since I was a child.  AND, this part of the trip will give me a clear sense of how easy (or hard) it will be to ride to Toronto in the future.  Happy trails, all!

Tea Time on Two Wheels

For those of you who have asked, I'll have pictures to share after we return to Rochester.  I've been unable to upload pics to my blog on my iPad.

We arrived in Toronto Monday afternoon after spending the day pedaling 57 miles along paved roads, dirt roads, the Waterfront Trail, unmarked paths and parking lots.  It was quite a day, navigating five pages worth of a cue sheet.  Whew!  But along the way, the Pelotones, as our band of six (yes, I know I wrote five the other day...it's actually six) singing bicyclists have come to call ourselves, enjoyed lots of fun, frolic and the modification of more songs and poetry.

The highlight of the day, before actually arriving in "Hogtown," was coming upon the sweetest little tea cafe in a plaza along our route.  Not only did we enjoy sitting amongst tea drinking Canadians who found our cycling kits to be rather entertaining, we had quiche, scones, crumpets and, of course, tea (and coffee) on tables with white tablecloths and Prince Albert china.  Our hosts, Janine and Richard were incredibly gracious and cordial, seemingly thrilled that we wanted to eat in their establishment when there was a bar and bistro right around the corner.  We all laughed and said that we were equally thrilled that they would let our smelly, dirty, bicycling selves even step foot in their cafe.  We felt quite civilized.

Toronto is a hoot, of course, a large, bustling city that has an impressive bicycling infrastructure.  Our day today was a rather sedate one.  Our one day off during this trip, and we each found ourselves interested in walking...drinking coffee...and napping.  So much to see here, and most of us just wanted to rest in the sunshine!

Tomorrow, we'll pedal our shortest distance of 39 miles to Burlington, ON.  Jo and I plan to return to "the Queen City" this fall to see "The Book of Mormon" & "Wicked."  (There's also a show called "Spin" that I plan to see, a one woman show about Annie Londonderry--read up on her and her bicycle trip around the world).

For now, bedtime!

Butters and Washboards

Yesterday was a 79 mile day, and today, a whopping 75.  Our group has been feeling good, taking care of themselves, and enjoying the tour without too much stress.  Couldn't post anything yesterday as wifi was sorely lacking at our hotel.  My goodness, remember the days when we didn't even think about wifi at the end of the day?  At any rate, here are the highghts:

We pedaled to Trenton, Ontario yesterday.  Not the most scenic part of our tour thus far.  Rather, a sort of depressed-looking town, struggling to come back from the loss of some kind of booming industry from yesteryear.  Our hotel however, though similarly sad in many ways, provided us with cozy nests in which to lay our heads after our long day.  As for, the day?  Some of us pulled out of the parking lot around 7 a.m.  And, from the start we were a group of five singing, playing, bicycle riding dames, a peloton of riders with similar paces and temperaments.  It was a marvelous day that included blended coffee drinks and vegan brownies in the town of Bath, a lunch of veggie wraps in Picton, a wine tasting stopover just west of Wellington, and bicycle-themed modifications of songs like "She'll Be Coming Around the Mountain," "Riders On The Storm," and "The Wheels on the Bus."

Today, our ride began with a few raindrops.  Nothing too daunting for our intrepid pedalers.  Then, about ten miles down the road, the clouds opened up and the deluge through which we pedaled for the next three and a half hours was just simply stunning.  By our first SAG stop there wasn't a dry piece of clothing or skin!  Gloves and socks were removed so that they could be wrung out, jackets remained zipped in an effort to preserve what little warmth had been conjured, and road crud was brushed off of our seats and backsides only to be replaced just moments later when we set out for our next 25 miles.

In truth, the worst part of the day had nothing to do with pedaling in the rain. Most of us realize and appreciate the privilege we are enjoying by simply being able to come on a trip like this, doing what we love to do with interesting and neat women.  No, it wasn't the dirt or precipitation.  Rather, it was the air conditioned Subway in which we ate our lunch.  My goddess, it was cold.  And, Subway?  Darn...can't we get that anywhere?!  Evidently, there was a local cafe known to serve delectable vegetarian fare right down the road.  However, our SAG, arriving in the small hamlet of Cobourg ahead of us determined that the wait for a table was 30 minutes.  So, we opted for Subway, which wasn't actually bad at all.  Then, we found a coffee shop across the street that served DARK coffee.

After filling up on subs and caffeine, we set out for the next thirty miles...and, within 30 minutes we were pedaling under warm, sunny skies.  Jackets were stuffed back in their trunks or Camelbacks, clear lenses were replaced with sunglasses, and our spirits soared as they had in the days before, as we biked along the Waterfront Trail with Lake Ontario waving across our left shoulders!  FYI, for those who are interested in the surface of our "trail," though the Waterfront Trail is the offical name of our route, we are pedaling along roads that have been a mix of "butter"-like smoothness, and "washboard" rough.  The "trail" follows a route that rarely resembles the Erie Canalway, or the paved section of the WFT (not to be confused with WTF) north of Kingston.  And, again, it's a delight (mostly) to have pedaling be the only thing we MUST do during the day.

Another day under our chamois!   Tomorrow we head into Toronto, then have a day off from riding.  Happy trails, my friends!  Thanks for following along!

On to Canada!

We are here, in Kingston, Ontario.  Our hotel is situated right on the water, and the Thousand Island Waterfront Trail, right outside our door.  Be-au-ti-ful ride from Sacket's Harbor, through Dexter and Lyme, and into Cape Vincent.  Took two ferries, pedaling across Wolfe Island--and through the world famous Wolfe Island Wind Farm--then docking at the Queen Street Ferry dock just in time to witness the kick-off of Kingston's annual Buskers Festival.  My goodness, the buskers we're seen!  Some talented, some just plain whimsical; all impressive in their own right.  Tomorrow we head for Trenton!

Some of the highlights today: breakfast at Ann's in Cape Vincent, two osprey nests, one with babies chirping away for food, and serene backroads atop which many of us relived our early childhood years, weaving all over the road, and coasting down hills with our hands held high in the air.  Lovely.

More tomorrow!  Off to dinner now...I love eating, eating, eating and drinking lots of milkshakes when riding long distance!

Mr. Sackett's Village

51 miles to Sacket's Harbor today.  Long, undulating hills, passing mainly through farmlands and tiny towns.  Lots of ice cream possibilities.  Perhaps today's route could be renamed "The Ice Cream Trail."  No arm-twisting necessary for anyone who might like to ride this route together in the future. The ride was both fun-filled and harrowing at times.  Though we mainly enjoyed pedaling roads with wide shoulders and relatively calm traffic, there were a few places where the shoulder was either narrow or non-existent, and one road that is clearly a main thoroughfare for 18-wheelers and buffed out Tonka truck-like vehicles.  None of the drivers of these vehicles were intentionally threatening or intimidating.  But their existence on our trail was a bit scary at times.

Our first view of the lake today was in Henderson Harbor where we stopped for lunch at the Westview Lodge.  Gorgeous to say the least!  And, only 8 miles from Sacket's.  Sacket's Harbor is a wonderful little town (note: not tiny).  After arriving around 1:30, we showered and quickly headed out for coffee, ice cream and a tour of a town noted to be particularly significant to the Americans during the War of 1812.  Originally settled by Augustus Sackett in the early 1800s, and later referred to as "Mr. Sackett's Village," Sacket's Harbor, a protected harbor on the western edge of Lake Ontario, housed a major US Naval shipyard, was the site of two battles during the War of 1812 and became home to Madison Barracks (named for President James Madison), a strategic military post from the War of 1812 to World War II.

In addition to its military history the town supports several art galleries, numerous pubs and restaurants, and some pretty darn delicious hard scoop ice cream.  The walk along the harbor is just stunning, with views of Ontario that make Canada feel like it's just a hop, skip and a jump away.

In other news, our bullet-proof tires have held up relatively well.  Sadly, Jo awoke to a flat rear tire, probably the result of a slow leak from a pinch on yesterday's sometimes gravelly roads.  And, I have ditched my handlebar bag.  After spending hours feeling like I was plowing the roads as opposed to gliding along them on my road bike, I threw that bag in the SAG wagon and swore to myself that I would never, ever diminish the beauty and precision of my road machine with such frivolty.  I have been wearing my small Camelback, loading it with a various sundries I might need (ie my rain jacket).  And that has worked out just fine.

Tomorrow we head into Canada!  Yahoo!  And the weather continues to look cool & sunny!

Webster to Oswego

First day of riding.  We pedaled roughly 65 miles from Webster, New York to Oswego, New York, following the Seaway Trail which runs relatively close to Lake Ontario.  Many stunning vistas enjoyed as we rolled along upstate New York's undulating hills.  Sadly, we were also made privy to some of the havoc and devastation wreaked on towns like Fair Haven from the tornado that went through the area Tuesday evening.  Lots of debris on the roads, and many downed trees.  A few homes had been destroyed.  And, while devouring some delicious homemade cheese and black berries at a small market at mile 33, we observed a house that had burned to the ground only hours after the storm had subsided.  Needless to say, we were all quite grateful that our trip started the day after.

People's spirits were generally quite high today.  The weather was near idyllic with temperatures in the 60s and 70s, and cool breezes keeping us all comfortable and energized.  Some of the highlights of the trip were Sodus Lighthouse, various farmer's markets pocking the route, and the Hardware Cafe in Fair Haven, a hardware store-turned coffee shop and cafe with delightful wraps, salads and fresh brewed iced tea.  I always seem to crave unsweetened iced tea after riding long distances.  And, this tea did not disappoint.

We arrived in Oswego at 2:30 pm, and immediately showered--in our biking clothes (a shortcut to laundering...which, really works "only a little")--then headed out to explore this quite large and interesting university town.  There's a rich history that starts with the Mohawk Indians as stewards of the area, and includes Dr. Mary Walker, a female surgeon who was the first woman to receive the US Medal of Honor for her work and care of soldiers during the Civil War.  There's also a fantastic bike shop in the area, Murdocks, wehere I purchased a t-short some of you may see soon.  This evening we were treated by our chef Sue, to a scrumptious meal of chicken and mushrooms in a white wine sauce over egg noodles, with a strawberry salad and both strawberry and black raspberry pie for dinner, and some sharing of more stories from the day and other's bicycling expeditions.

Tomorrow we ride to Sacket's Harbor, our last stop in the US for a bit!  Here's hoping that you're all enjoying some kind of adventure in your days.  More later!

All I Really Need To Know I Learned on My Bicycle

Some of you will recognize my modification of Robert Fulghum's "All I Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten."  Here's to living what I've learned since those days on the playground, or perhaps more appropriately, since those days spent wondering the streets and paths of my childhood!

All I really need to know about how to live and what to do and how to be I learned while riding my bicycle.  Wisdom was not at the top of a French mountain, but there in the saddle of my bike.  These are the things I learned:

Share the road. 

Ride responsibly.

Don’t run over people.

Put bike tools back where you found them.

Clean up your own chain lube and grease.

Don’t take a bike that isn’t yours.

Say you’re sorry when you cut off a pedestrian.

Be generous. 

Drafting is good, especially for the cyclist in the back of your peloton.

Take off your gloves and wash your hands before you eat. 

Stop at stop signs and red lights.

Snickers Bars and chocolate milk are good for you.

Live a balanced cycling life—pedal some and ponder some, and coast and sprint, and race at least once.  Take your turn in a paceline seriously.  Don’t be afraid to walk up hills that are too steep, and explore a new area of your town, city or the countryside every week.

Wear a helmet.

When you go out for a group ride, watch out for automobiles, squirrels, small children, broken glass and potholes, keep your head up and stick together.

Be curious.  Remember the training wheels on your first bike.  For days, weeks, even months, you rode with abandon up and down your driveway.  Then the training wheels came off, and you rode with abandon into your neighborhood and beyond.

And then remember the Berenstein Bears’ book, The Bike Lesson, and Mrs. Armitage on Wheels, and the first words you learned—the biggest words of all—KEEP PEDALING!

Everything you need to know is in there somewhere.  The Golden Rules of the Road and love and basic hospitality.  Ecology and politics and equality and sane living.

Take any of those items and extrapolate it into sophisticated adult terms and apply it to your family life or your work or your government or your world and it holds true and clear and firm.

Think what a better world it would be if we all—the whole world—shared the road and had Snickers Bars and chocolate milk every afternoon.  Or if all governments had as a basic policy to always put things back where they found them and to clean up their own mess.

And it is still true, no matter how old you are--when you go out on a ride, it is best to keep your head up and KEEP PEDALING!

Rolling...No, Floating Along on Two Wheels

We have two days left before our grand adventure begins.  This morning Joellen and I pedaled around the perimeter of the city of Rochester: 36 miles from front door to back.  We started out slow, meandering through the streets of Cobbs Hill, Highland Park, the University of Rochester and eventually downtown with ease and confidence.  Once we hit the Greenway Trail heading north, pumping up St. Paul Blvd, then further "up" into Maplewood Park, our energy was heightened by an adrenalin rush that seemed to come out of nowhere.  By the time we landed on Lake Avenue, right across the street from the "old" Kodak factory, our spirits were soaring, and the value and beauty of our new Bontrager AW-1 Hard Case tires (that Holly said would "Rock," and Eric installed with precision) really set in.  They are sweet!  At one point, while I was hurtling along Lake Avenue, I felt like I was floating above the road.  Later, boldly trekking down Culver Road, I felt that sensation again...though, I could have been high from the chocolate ice cream bar we split at our Parkside Diner break.  At any rate, the hype I heard and read about these bullet-proof, smooth-as-silk rubber orbs before purchasing them was understated in my opinion.  They are awesome!  And, they've  helped me to feel so much more confident about riding our road bikes on this trek around the lake.

And, We're Off!

My friend Karen asked me recently if I would be blogging about my and my wife's bicycling trip around Lake Ontario.  At the time I responded simply, "Nah."  But, after thinking about it for a few days, I reconsidered that answer and decided, "What the heck."  I am a writer after all.  And, I am passionate about bicycling!  So, blogging about such adventures...well, it's really a no-brainer!

In the future I plan to record other pedaling adventures, those both near and far.  And over time, I will offer more insight into who I am and what gets me so darn excited about traveling atop two wheels.  For now this blog will chronicle our days pedaling around Lake Ontario with WomanTours.  So, sit back (but, not too far back on your saddle) and enjoy the ride(s).