First Post! (and First Ride to Niagara Falls)

Hello, Internet! This is my first post, even though I signed up about two months ago, because I felt like I hadn't really gone anywhere interesting enough to be first post-worthy.

Last week for Labor Day, my friend M. invited me to go ride to Niagara Falls. Even though I live in Buffalo and have visited the Falls several times, I'd never ridden my bike there, so I decided that this was a good opportunity to push myself and enjoy a new experience.

Meeting up on the porch

We met up with our friends C. and J. on Labor Day morning around 10:20-ish or so and, after some quick Presta valve replacement, were on our way by 11:00. First we crossed the Peace Bridge from Buffalo to Fort Erie, Ontario; since the sidewalk is closed for long-term repairs, we rode on the street surface – another first for me. We passed through customs, got yelled at by the customs officer for crossing behind the booths instead of in front of the booths to the side exit, and rode up beside the Niagara River on the Canadian side. There's a bike path all the way from Fort Erie to Niagara Falls that follows the river, but M. preferred the road as there isn't a ton of traffic, and it doesn't have any sharp turns to speak of.

Got a shot of a pier along the way.

A millstone marking the location of the Ebenezer Settlement on the Canadian side of the river. There were several such settlements founded by the same German religious sect on the American side, in and around what is now West Seneca.

It was a long hot ride, with temperatures approaching 29ºC (84ºF) by the end, and unlike everyone else, I was on my usual mountain bike, so keeping up was a challenge. I went through nearly all of my water by the end, even though I had drunk a bunch before leaving my house.

A completely intentional shot of my phone mount. I got it so that I could use my phone as a speedometer.

A fairly standard view of one of the Seven Wonders of the Natural World.

One of the things to know about the twin cities of Niagara Falls, New York and Niagara Falls, Ontario is that the former decided to throw its lot in with industrial development, and the latter went all-in on tourism. This means that the Canadian side of the Falls is a huge tourist trap featuring casinos, aquaria, a Ripley's (of Believe It Or Not! fame) Museum, and a wax museum, among other things.

Never let it be said that Canadian wax museum operators don't have a sense of humor.

One thing I am sorry to report is that the Welcome Center next to the Falls has no drinking fountains, and a 591mL bottle of Dasani cost Can$3.50 there. That is the downside of visiting a tourist trap.

After the falls, we went up to Clifton Hill, where we were able to find a gelato place that also made smoothies and crepes. A poster inside excitedly informed us that it was part of a restaurant chain that is "the largest mall-based creperie in Canada." The workers there were kind enough to refill our water bottles from the tap for us multiple times, and I got to eat what might possibly be my first ever savory crepe!

The Popeye – spinach, mozzarella, tomato, and feta. I took a bite before realizing that I should immortalize this moment with a camera-phone photograph.

Besides this, we went bargain shopping at a nearby souvenir shop (it turns out that the first Monday in September, because it's traditionally considered the end of summer in both the U.S. and Canada, is an excellent day to shop for cheap stuff in Niagara Falls), where I bought a fidget spinner for $1 Canadian. I missed this craze the first time around, so I was very excited to be able to indulge myself. It spins! While we were there, it started to rain; we got caught in a squall before retreating to a nearby Appleby's for beers and bar food. As it turns out, because it was (again) Labor Day, that particular Appleby's location was closing down for the season, so drinks were $5 and everything on the menu was half off. Score!

We crossed back into the U.S. at Niagara Falls, where we zipped in between the lines of waiting cars and got a customs officer who, strangely enough, was a patron of the bike shop where M. works. So they talked about the latest models and so on. One of the other officers pointed at C's bike frame and said, "What's that?" Friends, it was an Abus folding lock. Our bike-friendly custom officer waved us through soon after, and we were on our way.

A sign helpfully pointing out the walkway to The Old Chimney, just barely visible in the background.

On the way back, I had to split off from the group on Grand Island in order to get to a board game meetup. My phone died just after I got on the South Grand Island Bridge, so I had to charge it, restart it, and wait 20 minutes for some unidentified app to "optimize" before I could restart Strava and get to my gaming group.

This ride was about 76.4 km (47.5 mi) all told. Depending on how one defines a day, this may have been my longest one-day ride, and even though it was tough going at first, I thoroughly enjoyed it in the end. All in all, I have to say it was a good day.