NIAGARA FALLS!!! S-l-o-w-l-y I turned, inch by inch, step by step….

Hello everyone,

First of all let me tell my friends in St. Louis that while you are experiencing some very hot and humid weather, it is almost chilly here . I was cold this morning even though there was little or no wind but the lake has a chilling affect. After our last rest day, the good new is that we are only riding a tad short of 80 miles. The bad news is that I woke up wit a sore throat and felt under the weather the entire day. i did push harder than I would have because we wanted to visit the falls after we showered.

Although cool, it was a very bright and pretty day. We continually saw glimpses of Lake Erie from the road and the lake water barely moved. It had a sheen to it from lack of surface disruption. Lots of small farms, vineyards, and private lakes resorts along the route. Traffic was a little hectic at times especially in Erie. The road surface was overall very good and the terrain was felt to gently rolling.

We passed into NY around mile 20 and there was a group of motorcycle riders there taking photos as well. They were from Indiana and heading to Niagara later in the day. We exchanged pleasantries, took photos, tossed some sand and sped off.

The first and only DSAG was around mile 42. I rode into the SAG with Herm and was feeling lethargic. I had a little to eat, filled my bottles and headed out soon afterward. I caught Michael, Michele and Tim who were all going to Niagara and rode the rest of the way with them. I have to admit that I felt I struggled with the remaining miles. Michael had rented a van so that 6 of us could ride to Niagara Falls (Richard and Ross joined us as well). Many thanks to Michael for setting this up and doing all the driving.

The view from the US side was quite spectacular. We took quite a few photos and walked around a bit. I will try to post as many photos as possible. It was well worth the effort to see. This also was the closest that i have ever been to Canada. It would have been fun to go across the border but time was limited.

Tomorrow’s ride is 93 miles and I am hoping that two riders from XC 12 Patty and Cindy are able to join me for the ride to Syracuse the following day. Will be fun to catch up and introduce them to the rest of the gang. We also had an addition to the tour in that Daryl has joined us for the final week. Daryl has done the ride the past 5 years and does a week at a time. He is a physician and can only ride one week a year of the tour. I was acquainted with him from 2 years ago. Welcome back Daryl!

Also Tracy and larry have rejoined us after being gone for a week or so. Carol returned to Sacramento and was actually filling for for Eileen who had to leave because of a medical issue with her daughter. Our thoughts and prayers are with Eileen and her family.

Tailwinds

Chuck