Miles to date: 3,231.2
80 miles is 80 miles. We had a relatively enjoyable 30-40 miles, then we got to work as the wind again surprised us with higher than expected force. the forecast called for 5-6 MPH winds; we experienced 10-15 and worked harder than expected. The wind also blew mostly out of the north, so it felt a little chilling. It was cold on the shoulder, but you know that we get a little older every day.
But… today’s 81.3 miles was our last big challenge on this leg; tomorrow we travel 27.5 miles on completely flat terrain to Buffalo, though the wind forecast has been updated to show 15 MPH again from NNE. So, we have to expect a short bit of work tomorrow, with a deadline to arrive, shower and get situated to cheer Geeto’s Buffalo Bills in a 1:00 kickoff.
I feel many of you must be bored with this blog: We woke up and rode 80 miles… here’s some video of us riding on a road or path… here’s some description of the sunny but windy day… here’s a photo of something mundane, like a squirrel… I’m sure the blog stars are plummeting, and any new subscribers are thinking, why? But I’ll keep putting it out there and hope for some excitement or humorous tales to tell.
Geeto and I don’t talk much while we’re traveling. But today we talked a little about the mundane feeling that the adventure has introduced. Every day feels similar to the last; and miles just seem to evaporate as we course through the day. While Ontario has been very nice, it has also been a little mindless. We did see a puffball mushroom next to the trail today (I should’ve insisted on stopping and tasting it for some more interesting video); and we did see more tobacco and ginseng farms today (which we were surprised to find out yesterday are things here). But until we finally got to the point of traveling along the Lake Erie coast, nothing was very exciting. And when we left our first scenic overlook of the lake, we nearly crashed as Geeto tried to usurp my time at the front and make an incorrect right turn in front of me; his brain is wired to never admit to his wrong, it was close to a T-bone collision that would’ve made for a more exciting story of our day.
We tried to stop for lunch today in Selkirk. We hoped for PBJ and pickles, or maybe a deli sandwich. But, with reaching Buffalo tomorrow, we couldn’t justify purchase of 30 oz of extra crunchy and a full loaf of bread that was on offer. So, we just stopped for a snack and investigated the small town.
What we discovered was a minor infestation of rabbits in the town center. We only saw a few, but a local passerby informed us that there are several, both black and white, and some that appear to have been bred with the locals (local rabbits that is). There’s no certainty where they came from, and despite our knowledge of the Killer Rabbit of Caerbannog, Geeto proceeded to antagonize a few coneys.
We stopped for lunch in Dunville ON at the New Amsterdam pub. We were famished after riding for 60 miles against the wind and we enjoyed the break. However, when we emerged to set out on the home stretch, we discovered that the Gypsy had a completely flat rear tire. I got a new tire when home in Batavia, but they used the same old inner tube, which is one that I patched in North Dakota and now the patch had worn out. On the bright side… we’re getting better at changing flats.
We’re staying tonight at a B&B in Port Colborne. We’ve had some interesting lodging options on this adventure; this one is not the most unique, but the vibe feels very much in keeping with this 111 year-old house. There are three couples here tonight, including me and Geeto as a “couple”. I periodically wonder when we’re checking into lodging or going to dinner whether people think we’re a couple: Papa Smurf and his homeless boyfriend… It’s just another interesting social dynamic that I wonder about, though nobody has ever suggested this and I think once we start some dialogue with them about our journey that dispels any speculation of the sort.
We had dinner tonight at the Canalside Inn, which was across the street from the Welland Canal. The canal connects Lake Ontario to Lake Erie; while opened in 1842 and seemingly too narrow, it’s still operating for commercial traffic today.
At dinner tonight we determined two things: 1) There’s a reason why neither of us has ever drank (or seen before today) Canadian wine – it’s not good. We’re not going to be seeing a “Bottleshock Part Deux” filmed in Canada anytime soon. 2) Generally, Canadian people are good, and not much different from us. We’ve had zero rude drivers on the roads and all the Ontario people have been lovely.
After dinner we had conversation with “Tanya” at the adjacent table; she seemed to be in some sort of legal capacity to assist the homeless. We had a long conversation about US homelessness vs Ontario homelessness and determined we had similar problems and solutions. What Tanya declared is that the drug-addicted addicted homeless want health, but they have no hope. None of them start life homeless, but if you start in a broken family without much resources, it’s easy to end up homeless. And once they lose hope, then drugs are all they have to make life bearable. It’s interesting as Geeto and I had a similar conversation yesterday in St. Thomas, where the homeless situation seemed as bad as what we see in the US. We hope that someday we can all care enough to resolve this situation for those that are homeless, but we agreed that the cure lies at the time before anyone becomes homeless.
After dinner we had a nightcap at the Breakwall Brewery. It’s Saturday night and the brewery was closing at 9:00 PM. I thought Canadians loved their beer and I expected more of a festival atmosphere on a Friday or Saturday night. But last night Ramblin’ Road closed at 8, and Canalside closes at 9 tonight; that’s certainly a difference we’ve seen in Canada where weekends are not for major party animals.
I guess I’ll include the short ride for tomorrow, though it’s not too exciting.Day 45: port Colborne to Buffalo
Maybe the playlist additions are what excites me most about the blog, though I think that’s partly because I’m so tired at the end of the day. But tonight I’ll start with one of two songs I sang most to myself today. I’ve been thinking about Canadian artists and today as the wind blew from the north…Cold on the Shoulder (by Gordon Lightfoot)
Also, I’ll be curious when I get home in a few days, but I expect I’ve lost 12-15 pounds. Where the weight has come off, the skein is looser, leaving me feeling like a rattling bag of bones: Bag of Bones
I know I had more to say tonight, but again I’m nearly asleep at the keyboard and my right thumb is exhausted.
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