Selkirk Shores, NY

We had lunch in the park at Selkirk Shores on Lake Ontario. There was a strong wind, and the waves on the lake made it look more like an ocean. After lunch, Mom and Dad headed home, and Mike and I continued East, with a strong tailwind.

Biker Support

Mom and Dad (Bonnie's) met up with us in Fulton, NY, on 8/5. We camped near Fulton, and the next day Dad joined us for 30 miles of biking. Mom supported us by bringing snacks and lunch in the car. Now we know what it's like to have supported riding, and we liked it!
It took a lot of planning and effort to meet up, but it worked out well, and we were glad for the visit with family.

Lake Ontario, Western NY

We left Marion on 8/4 and biked north and then east along Lake Ontario. It seemed much clearer and less polluted than Lake Superior. Western NY had acres of apple, peach, and cherry orchards. The terrain began to get very hilly again. This Fingerlakes region is a pretty part of NY.

Rest Days - 8/2

We made it to Patty's house in Marion, NY,(Bonnie's cousin) on Saturday evening, after a long 88 mile day. We were happy to have a few rest days, with good food and a real bed to sleep in. We made it just days before Patty packed up the house and moved south, so our timing was good. We went out on Canandaiga lake on Tim and Tracey's boat, which was fun. We hung out in the backyard, went in the hot tub, and helped out a little with yard work to make up for all the food we were eating. It was a great visit overall.

Erie Canal, NY

We got on the Erie Canalway, a bike trail that runs along the Erie Canal, starting at Lockport, NY. The bike path was easy riding because it was flat and straight, but most of it was gravel dust, not pavement. We were able to camp right on the canal by Middleport. The sites were mainly for boaters, but bikers use it as well. We enjoyed the bike trail, although at certain spots it deteriorated into mud and puddles after a storm went through.

Crossing the Border

We had a terrible time getting over the bridge at Niagara Falls and back into the US. First we missed the sign for bike crossing and went several miles in the wrong direction. Then we came back, and finally found the bike entrance at the Canadian customs side. We crossed 4 lanes of traffic, then joined a long queue of cars waiting to get into the US. We bypassed some of them, then got in line again. It was too hot and hectic to get a shot, but it was a rather dangerous way to have bikers cross the bridge. Luckily we got right through customs once we made it to the head of the line.

Maid of the Mist Boat Tour

The 'Maid of the Mist' tour boat goes past the American Falls and gets as close as possible to Horeshoe Falls on the Canadian side. We got to wear stupid-looking rain suits, got wet by the spray, and got some water-eye views of the falls.

Niagara Falls

Niagara Falls was probably the biggest highlight since leaving Glacier National Park. We acted like typical tourists, taking numerous pictures and going on the 'Maid of the Mist' tour.

Niagara Bike Trail - 7/31

We got a good bike trail from Port Colborne that ran 25 miles to the Niagara River. We could look across and see Buffalo, USA. We were getting excited to be done with Ontario and back to the US.

Port Dover, Ontario - 7/30

We've been pretty lucky with the weather - no full days of rain since Washington. But we got hit with a storm in Port Dover, Ontario. At first the rain felt good, but when it got heavier we had to hide out in a carwash. At least we weren't stuck in a cornfield when the rain started.

Lake Erie

Our route followed the shore of Lake Erie, but we weren't always close enough to see the water. At a few places, we came out right at the water's edge. We did go wading once, but the water didn't look all that clean. That didn't stop many people from swimming, though.

Ontario Agriculture

We crossed through Ontario following the North shore of Lake Erie. The area is largely agricultural, with many farms, fields, and orchards. We passed fields of blueberries, apple orchards, cherry orchards, wheat, cucumbers, many acres of corn, and even what appeared to be asparagus. A lot of the lake shore is farmland - probably because there is a steep cliff drop-off to the water's edge and it would be hard to build there.

Ferry into Ontario, Canada - 7/27

After many miles of bike trails to Marine City, Michigan, we crossed the St. Clair river into Sombra, Ontario. The roads we traveled in Ontario were awful, no shoulders, and worst yet the road drops down a few inches to a gravel shoulder. Very dangerous and surprised that this is part of the Lake Erie connector bicycle route, glad we are through with that section.

Down Time

Don't be fooled, we have not had a lot of down time. In fact, we have not taken a rest day since Glacier National Park back in the middle of June. This was one of those nice surprises you get every once in awhile. We stopped for the night in St. Clair, Michigan only to find this private campground where the manager was very fond of cyclists. She only charged us $5 for the night. Bonnie kicked my butt in mini golf so bad, I had to cool off in the pool. Getting to this campsite was a problem though. The bridge that goes over the highway was torn down and under construction. It was either a 10 mile detour or walk across a six lane highway to the campground only yards away on the other side. Yes, we took the short cut. Waited till traffic slowed and went for it, the faces of the construction crew were priceless.

Lemonade Stand

Hot days and thirsty bikers requires lots of fluids. These young kids had just opened their lemonade stand, and we just couldn't resist. I told these kids they are not charging enough at only 10 cents a glass. Of course we gave them more for our ice cold drinks, which hit the spot. Where were these stands in the middle of the farmlands, when we were facing over 100 degree days.

Sunflowers

We were too early for the famous sunflower fields in North Dakota, but we found these sunflowers in Michigan.

Bike Trails

Bikers love being on a bike path - no traffic, no worries about how wide the shoulder will be. We tried taking a bike path from Luther, MI, which a local had told us about. But it was just a weedy gravel path, very difficult to bike on, and we got back on the highway. However, there was a great 40 mile trail from Reed City to Midland, and we had a great time on that.
The trail ended in the Midland city park, by the 'Tridge' - a triple bridge for pedestrians crossing the Chippewa and Tittabawasee Rivers.

Flood Damage, MI

We had heard that the Midwest experienced significant flooding, and locals told us that earlier in the summer we would have had a hard time getting through on parts of our route. This washed-out road was not on our route; we turned off just before it.

Michigan - 7/21

We reached Michigan, our 8th state, on July 21st. We got off the ferry with the 45 supported cyclists, and all of us descended on the "Welcome to Michigan" sign to take pictures. Luckily, we spotted another sign on a second street, and got our photo there. Even though we have to carry our own gear, we wouldn't want to travel with such a large commercial group like the supported cyclists.

Manitowoc - Reaching the Ferry

We reached Manitowoc, WI on 7/21, and took the 1pm ferry to Ludington, MI. It was a coal-fired steamer called the "SS Badger", apparently one of the last coal steamers still in operation. The ferry took 4 hours to cross Lake Michigan. There was a group of 45 other cyclists on the ferry that day as well. It was fun getting a break from biking to be on the ferry.

Scenary of Wisconsin

The bike maps take us on quiet back roads, through woods or farmland. The landscape looks pretty much like anywhere in the northeast now, though less developed.