Thursday, August 05, 2010

Squid on Wheels: Riding the Erie Canal Days 1 and 2

This is one of those rare vacation posts that is actually being written on a computer. We brought a single netbook with us so each of us has a very limited amount of time on it -- hence the very short, single picture posts that you have seen so far. Those are coming from my phone.

If you wish to see even more vacation photos, keep an eye on this album. Most of today's and yesterday's photos uploaded to the July 2010 album, but the rest will go directly to this Erie Canal album.

Yesterday we boarded a 7 am train from Penn Station to Toronto. We disembarked at Niagara Falls, Ontario and not Lake Huron, MI as one of my blog posts may have led you to believe. (Technology sometimes fails me as it did with geotagging that photo and again when I tried to get the weather and it still thought I was in Michigan.)

The train ride was relatively uneventful. We read our books, I knit my sock (just have to kitchener the toe tonight) and just generally hung out. Getting on the train. Now that was an adventure! But an adventure to be told another day.

After what seemed to be a very long wait for Customs to clear the train, we finally got out, unfolded our bikes and rode all of a quarter mile from the train station to our hotel. Yes, I chose our lodgings based on proximity to the train station.

Settling in, we hopped on the hotel shuttle to downtown, had a quick meal and then walked over to the falls. If you haven't seen them, my photos cannot possibly do them justice -- but their not bad (they are in this folder).

We gawked at the Falls for quite a while and then made our way back to the hotel for the night.

This morning we left the hotel all kitted out in our yellow jerseys and rode from Niagara Falls, across the Rainbow Bridge to Tonawanda, New York. Tonawanda is famous for ... well I really don't know. But it has a neat carosel museum and is home of Wurletzer Organs. It also is home to Lou's, a very nice diner type place with good, solid food and very nice folks.

From Tonawanda we rode along the Canal Trail, both on and off road, to Lockport, from where I am writing this post. Lockport boasts the only 5 step, paired set of locks. Only one of the original 5 flights still exists but does not function any more. The other side was replaced with a two step set of locks which we had the pleasure of watching operate.

We are currently ensconced in Hambleton House, a lovely Bed and Breakfast. Tomorrow we will cycle on to Brockport.

Today's mileage: 37

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