Aug 24 - departed Buffalo around 9 am. Paused and looked at the canal ruins before making our official start. Today’s highlights were: urban riding, detours, map reading, friendly and helpful people, scenery of the Peace Bridge, the Niagara River, looking across to Canada, gulls sitting on railings on the river bank.
Meeting oncoming cyclists was helpful in getting tips for the route ahead, and each time, they were very friendly and interested in where we started and how far we are going.
We met two cyclists in Tonawanda who helped us locate a lunch option after we had passed the very few places that were available and open at a Tonawanda intersection. They rode with us for a short ways and showed us a street with a 7-11 and other options.
We stopped for ice cream at Uncle G’s and it was a lot of ice cream. Great trail from the outskirts of Tonawanda all the way to Lockport.
In Lockport, we went first to the Flight of Five locks on the canal in the center of downtown. Impressive 19th century locks used today as a spillway, and a modern lock with the current boat traffic. The Flight of Five helps drop/raise the boats 60 feet.
Nice hotel - Lockport Inn and Suites - but no washing machine or dryer, so we did our laundry in the sink and hung it on a chair in the sun to dry.
For dinner, we ordered a hibachi chicken dinner and a shrimp tempura roll from Steak Stone and Sushi and had it delivered.
Today’s total miles were 38.09.
Commercial slip - the end point of the Erie Canal in Buffalo 
Molly's bike, beside some canal ruins at the starting point in Buffalo 
Molly and Steve, at the ride starting point in Buffalo 
Molly, at the start of the Erie Canal ride 
O Canada! 
The Peace Bridge crosses the Niagara River between the U.S. and Canada 
Underground Railroad was a network that assisted former enslaved persons in reaching places of safety and freedom 
The Shoreline Trail along the Niagara River north of Buffalo 
Steve, in Tonawanda 
Molly, with ice cream cones at Uncle G's in Pendleton 
Molly with the lockkeepers in Lockport 
Flight of Five locks in Lockport 
Old photo of the Flight of Five as they appeared around 1825 in Lockport, raising/lowering boats 60 feet 
The north side of the Flight of Five locks, which was orginally a dual channel. The old locks were retained on the north side, and newer locks installed on the south side
Aug 22 and 23 - Getting to the starting point Back to Home Page |