Total distance: 233.75 miles
Day 15 – 0 miles – Rochester, NY
REST DAY! First order of business was our Healthy Me appointment which was scheduled for 10:45am. After getting weighed and measured, we had officially completed the most difficult step of saving money on next year’s health insurance premiums. We went in search of food and wifi and found ourselves in the cafe at Wegmans.
Theme: Wegmans! We spent the entire day here hiding from the rain.
Highlight: Our first rest day coincided with a very rainy day. We were happy we didn’t have to get on our bicycles and could let the rain pass while we were inside.
Overnight: sofa bed at Coleridge’s house.
Day 16 – 52.3 miles – Rochester, NY to Middleport, NY
Coleridge put Eric’s bike on the bike rack and drove us to the REI to get Jess’s bike since REI is right next to the canal way. Jess rode the bike around the parking lot and everything seemed fine, but she was most focused on whether the rear brake was working. About two miles down the trail, Jess noticed a rubbing sound, but we couldn’t tell where it was coming from so we decided to keep going and look at it later. Near Rochester, the canal way was paved but there were tree roots under the asphalt. Jess took one a little too hard and one of her panniers leaped off her bike. A little while later, the canalway trail turned into a gravel path which had puddles. The area near the puddles was soggy and muddy and hard to pedal through. Further along, there was literally a small crane vehicle blocking the path and the guys in the basket working on the bridge told us to crawl under it. Eventually we abandoned the canal path for US Bicycle Route 5 because the gravel path was too soggy and it was hard to go more than 8 miles an hour.
Theme: Obstacles in our path.
Highlight: Finally getting into our tent on the edge of the canal path in Middleport. The tent is starting to feel like home.
Overnight: Middleport offers a grassy area with picnic tables for boaters and cyclists passing through to set up camp. There are bathroom and shower facilities nearby. We pitched our tent early in case anyone thought we were in the wrong spot, but no one seemed to mind.
Day 17 – 44.4 miles – Middleport, NY to Niagara Falls, ON
We did a little work on the bicycles this morning and discovered Jess’s front brake was slightly engaged for all 52.3 miles yesterday! No wonder it was so challenging.
We made it to Canada! We crossed over the Queenston-Lewiston bridge into Canada and rode along the Niagara River trail down to the Horseshoe Falls on the Canadian side.
Theme: For Jess it was funny sights. She was enjoying “watching out the window” and saw six junk cars hiding in the tall grass and tons of funny signs. Her favorite said, “Cats have nine lives. You are not a cat. Buckle up!” Also, no public shady spaces other than a cemetery, so we had a picnic and did yoga there.
Highlight: Niagara Falls from the Canadian side
Overnight: Camping at Scott’s Family Campground. At the site next to us was a motorcyclist from North Dakota who was excited about his plans to visit Niagara Falls
Day 18 – 58.1 miles – Niagara Falls, ON to Burlington, ON
All day people have been super friendly – asking us where we are going and helping us find the nice bike routes rather than riding on the QEW service road.
Theme: Super friendly Canadians! Also our bikes are starting to fall apart: Jess’s chain came off and got stuck. Jess’s pedal is clicking, and Eric’s bike rack lost a bolt and tried to eat his gears. We made critical repairs and all seems to be well.
Highlight: Path that runs along Lake Ontario. It’s so pretty and nice to be away from cars.
Overnight: we camped at Bronte Creek Provincial Park. It was a beautiful spot with tall grasses, flowers and beautiful birds. Unfortunately, Eric was allergic to it so he was rather unhappy.
Day 19 – 33.1 miles – Burlington, ON to Toronto, ON
We made it to Toronto! A small detour to see some friends living there. It was a short day of biking, so we spent some time in a coffee shop in Port Credit and arrived around 3:30pm.
Theme: Winding on and off the lake path and Eric struggling with allergies from last night’s savannah campsite.
Highlight: Seeing our friends, Sol and Racel, staying in their beautiful apartment, and eating the yummy home-cooked meal they made for us.
Overnight: Guest room in Sol and Racel’s Toronto high rise
Day 20 – 0 miles – Toronto, ON
REST DAY # 2! Even though our last rest day was only a few days ago, it was a nice to have another one after our big push. We’re definitely getting stronger and 45 miles a day is more realistic now than it was at the beginning, but we still enjoyed having a day off. Eric did some much needed work on a presentation he is giving in a few weeks and Jess went out to explore Toronto. Even though she was supposed to be resting, she walked five miles and had fun discovering street art along the way.
Theme: walking around Toronto
Highlight: Getting avocado and lychee rose water ice cream from Bang Bang Ice Cream after delicious pho with Sol and Racel
Overnight: guest room in Sol and Racel’s Toronto high rise
Day 21 – 45.84 miles – Toronto, ON to Hamilton, ON
Hottest day of the year so far. We’re expecting to have more of these now that it’s almost summer, but the first one was surprising. Since we’re making our way down to Lake Erie now, most of today was the same route as day 19 in reverse
Theme: Retracing our steps
Highlight: Not having to change a tire on the side of the road. Leaving Toronto, we noticed Jess’s rear tire was suddenly flat. We pumped it up again and it seemed the leak was slow enough we could continue. We made it all the way to our destination and it was still at full pressure, so we thought maybe there wasn’t a leak after all.
Overnight: Airbnb. We couldn’t find any campgrounds on our route, so we opted for an Airbnb in Hamilton. It coincided with the first Democratic primary debate, so we ate frozen meals, drank beer, and watched the debate from Canada.
Since leaving Rochester, we have had nothing but beautiful weather during the day. Despite two rest days this week, our average daily mileage for the week was still above 33 miles. We’re definitely starting to notice some bike trouble, but so far it’s manageable. We are adding tighten bolts to our check tire pressure and grease chains checklist, and patch tire might soon be on our list. Average cost of week 3: $69. We were aided slightly by the USD-CAD exchange rate.