Start Here

I got a good night’s sleep last night, after a great dinner at Tempo; so far Buffalo agrees with me. Note to self: when Yelp gives a restaurant $$$$ they mean it, even in Buffalo.

I haven’t stepped outside yet this morning; there’s no rush. My touring companion Kent doesn’t arrive till 3pm. I haven’t been out yet because it’s 50 degrees and raining. That’s a rare combination for this California boy and an ominous beginning for our 400 mile Erie Canal tour.

Yesterday around 5pm I picked up my bike at Campus WheelWorks. They replaced a frayed cable to my rear derailleur, trimmed my fender struts and got me all set for this epic journey. I’ll take a spin around town at noon to see if there’s any other tweaks to tune.

Once Kent arrives we’ll travel across town to the start of the Erie Canal bike path. The guide book says the path is a little hard to follow through downtown Buffalo, so maybe I’ll give it a trial run.

One observation so far — living out of a suitcase seems neater than out of 2 panniers. I have stuff spread out all over the hotel room. Gonna have to get more efficient as I pick up a roommate.

Kent arrives right on time and we start pedaling. I’ve scouted the first 7 miles including a detour, so we’re on our way. The ride starts in Buffalo’s port and one thing we both notice — the wind is blowing fiercely. And it would continue to blow the whole way to Niagara Falls, sometimes strong enough to blow me over, but I kept my balance. It made for an agonizing ride; we both said it was the toughest day we’d ever had on the bike. We got to the falls just as the light was fading.