Day 1: Arrive in Rochester, NY – by car
Saturday, August 6
Sunny, hot and humid. 32C
So the six of us have reunited to do some cycling for the first time since the Covid 19 pandemic started. The six of us are: myself, my mom and dad (Wendy and Don), Duncan, and sisters Glor and Yvonne. We left in 2 vehicles from two different starting points and together nearly circumnavigated Lake Ontario. Glor and Yvonne picked me up in Kitchener, ON and we crossed the US border at the Lewiston-Queenston Bridge. Aside from some typical Ontario super highway congestion, the drive was great. There was no wait whatsoever to cross the border and the remainder of the drive to Rochester was basically pleasant. Don, Wendy and Duncan met up in Kingston, ON and drove east around the lake crossing the border at Gananoque. By 5pm we were all safely settled in the rental house in Rochester.
The house is perfect for what we need on this trip. It’s location is absolutely ideal for our purposes as it is situated where the Erie Canalway Trail intersects the Genesee River Trail Way. For all of our planned routes, we can actually ride right from our front door.
Glor, Yvonne and I took a short walk through the neighborhood before the others arrived and we were on the bike trail within minutes. Despite the oppressive heat and humidity we had a nice stroll along the trail in the shade. We went further than we intended but came across a really interesting mural painted on the side of an old, vacant industrial building. We dubbed it ‘the chicken’. Our curiosity was piqued. We asked or accosted a couple of locals to get some answers to our inquiries about the history of the building but have not gotten any satisfactory answers yet. We even made friends with some of our neighbors, with whom we have crossed paths multiple times already.
In the evening, we went by car to the grocery store to stock up on some provisions, including something for dinner. I found the mobile phone shop too where I bought a couple Sim cards to keep us connected. It was a late, light supper back at the house. We have started hatching plans for our first ride in the morning. It’s going to be another hot day so an early start is what we are aiming for. Stay tuned to see what really happens.
Day 2: To Fairport and back 50km
Sunday, August 7th
Sunny, hot and humid with a west wind. 33C
We did get an early start this morning and were pedaling down the driveway at 8:30am. As I mentioned, the bike trail is very close to our place and within minutes we were on it. There was a lot of lovely shade to be had after we crossed over the pedestrian bridge to the University of Rochester campus and were riding through Genesse Valley Park. We took a left turn at the Erie Canal and followed the trail east along the north bank.
It was quite busy on the trail between Rochester and Pittsford and being a beautiful Sunday, that was no surprise. We stopped frequently to hydrate, pee, sightsee and sometimes for no apparent reason at all. After arriving in Fairport and poking around for a bit we hopped back on the bikes and rode back to Pittsford for lunch.
At Alladin’s it was busy but we were able to get a table for 6 on the second floor patio overlooking the canal. It was nice to rest and refuel but all of us ate too much which is entirely too easy to do in restaurants with delicious food.
The final leg back after lunch was tough. The humidity was oppressive and the wind was against us. Shade was really the only respite from the heat, aside from air conditioning, which we wallowed in at the REI store just off the trail. We spent the better part of an hour in the outdoor goods store, slowly browsing while our body temperatures stabilized. When we made the last push back to our place we were all tired and hot. We have never been so grateful for air conditioning. For dinner we ordered pizza in and devoured most of it. After dinner, we took a stroll to the chicken mural with a stop for ice cream from the corner store on the way back. Don went MIA but turned up eventually. As it turns out he got ice cream too.
Day 3: Through Rochester to Ontario Beach Park 35km
Monday, August 8
Sunny, hot and humid with an afternoon shower. 30C
For a change of pace we decided to ride through downtown Rochester all the way north to lake Ontario. Again, we picked up the trail just outside our door and started riding downstream alongside the Genesee River. After a mile or two of shady forested path we emerged into the city proper. The paved trail seamlessly traverses underneath bridges and bypasses intersections.
In no time we arrived at the abandoned subway station by the Broad Street Bridge. I don’t think any of us knew that Rochester even had a subway. In actual fact, it was a light rail system that operated from 1927 to 1956.
After that the navigating got a little trickier. The map showed trail on both sides of the river so the trouble would be choosing which route to take. The route we chose ended up having detours, bridge closed signs and some busy roads. We unknowingly bypassed High Falls and rode past the Genesee brewery before crossing back over the river on Driving Park Ave. From the bridge we could see the river way, way down below. From there we were in Maplewood Park and resumed following the trail. It took us through the park along the top of the gorge and then from end to end of Holy Sepulchre cemetery. At Turning Point Park we followed the trail down, down and down to the boardwalk where now the trail was literally right over the water.
The Genesee River starts to widen here and soon after that point there were boats in slips marking the marina and the channel to Lake Ontario. We stopped to refill our water bottles and take a break in the shade.
Once the lake was in sight we beelined it to the beach. People were swimming, life guards were on duty and the water looked inviting. Glor, Yvonne, Wendy and I got changed into our swimsuits or at least took some of our clothes off and walked over the hot sand and into the cool water. The lake was surprisingly warm and also weedy and shallow. It was refreshing nonetheless and we floated around like corks until we were corralled back in to shore by the paddle-boarding lifeguard. After that it was off to lunch at the Pelicans Nest.
It started to rain on our short ride to the restaurant and though initially we hurried to escape it, the rain shower was a welcome relief from the heat. It was another feast for lunch. It’s hard not to order everything on the menu and It’s equally hard to stop eating when there are still fries on your plate.
After lunch, half of us decided to stay at the beach while the other half would ride back to pick up the van. Duncan, Wendy and I were the riders and Don, Glor and Yvonne were the beach combers. The rain had stopped by the time we maneuvered ourselves back onto our bikes. We decided to take a more direct route home so after we backtracked through Turning point park we cut through Holy Sepulchre cemetery onto Dewey Ave. We followed Dewey for the majority of the way back through the city. The scenery was interesting to say the least and we got a real sense of what the west side of Rochester was like – a lot less affluent. In the end, we rejoined the bike trail closer to our neighborhood and the rain started up again. We got a little wet but it was so hot out that it felt really nice.
Once we were back at home my Mom and I hopped in the van and drove back to the Port of Rochester where Don, Yvonne and Glor were relaxing with ice cream. We picked them up and drove back along Dewey so that they could see what they’d missed.
Tonight was movie night and we had a date with Elvis at 7 PM. All of us were still quite satiated from lunch so we just had light snacks for dinner while getting cleaned up to go out. The movie trailers were not received well by anyone, but everyone liked the film. After the show we dropped by Wegmans supermarket for supplies and then drove back to the house for bedtime snacks.
Day 4: Genesee River Trail and Erie Canalway Trail 25km
Tuesday, August 9
Humid and cloudy with sun. 24C
For our ride today we decided to go south along the Genesee Riverway Trail. We were now quite familiar with our neighborhood and how to get around on the bike trails so it was easy to find our way. From our place we rode south and crossed over the Erie Canal, following along the west Bank of the Genesee River. This was another tree-covered and paved trail that is well used by locals. At one point the trail splits with one route hugging the river and the other like an express lane a little farther from the water.
After about half an hour of riding the path concluded at busy road. According to our maps, the trail follows the road for awhile and eventually links up with a rail trail headed to Scottsville. We decided to turn around and try the Erie Canalway west. On the way back on the upper trail we passed by a firefighter training area complete with a burned out building and an airplane. When we got back to Genesee Valley Park we turned left at the Erie Canal and started riding west.
The bike trails here are like little freeways for bikes and they are well signed and easy to navigate. We followed the trail for an hour or so before stopping for a snack. Seeing as we wanted to do some sightseeing in the afternoon we were aiming to be back at the house for lunch.
Our ride home was just as nice as the ride out and when we got back into familiar territory we stopped on one of the bridges to admire the intersection of the canal and the river.
We had accumulated enough leftovers by this point to lay out an impressive buffet lunch. We huddled around the kitchen island dipping, slicing and snacking our way through the fare. Our plan for the afternoon was coming together.
After lunch we piled into the van and drove downtown to explore. One of the places we had missed seeing the day before was High Falls; one of three waterfalls in Rochester along the Genesee River. Located in the heart of downtown, the falls are the site and the impetus of Rochester’s early industrial development. The view from the Pont de Rennes pedestrian bridge is pretty impressive.
I don’t think any of us were expecting a 96 foot waterfall in the middle of the city. We would have come across this on our ride the day before but construction, detours and perhaps lack of research had us obliviously pedaling past. As the packed patio at the Genesee Brewery can attest, High Falls is a very popular destination.
Next on our list was Maplewood Park, another place we rolled through by bike on our way to the beach. Here there are steps and a trail down towards the riverbed. We hiked down the trail and along towards the Lower Falls. There is a bridge there, or more accurately the dam of a power station. It is closed to the public from 7am to 4pm and we would have crossed it yesterday on our ride but we were too early. Now we’d get to see what we had missed. It was around 3pm at this point and we arrived at the locked gate. While peering beyond, a worker emerged declaring that he’d be opening the gate in about 5 minutes. We waited patiently for that to happen and then were able to walk out over the dam.
After awhile we hiked back up to Maplewood Park to view the rose garden. Don led an informal tour of hundred-odd varieties of roses while others retired to shady benches to relax. It was getting on in the day and we wanted to visit the local Tuesday market, so we drove back to our house.
The Westside Market was within walking distance, but we inadvertently missed a turn took the long way through the neighborhood. We got to the market in the end and everybody gravitated to to different booths. Baked goods, cheeses and fresh produce were immediate draws and the hot food items looked delicious. We had other plans for supper so we exercised our will power, but collectively we bought enough desserts for 3 days. At markets I have the tendency to get chatting. Noticing the rest of the group was ready to go, I had to be politely dragged away from a conversation, but not before getting a free sample of essential oils from Clover Meadow farms.
Reconveening at the house we were all ready to eat. Tonight we were dining at Alladin’s again, but at their downtown location. It was a short drive across town to Monroe Avenue which as it turns out had many restaurants to choose from. We were so impressed by the food at Alladin’s in Pittsford that we couldn’t be swayed from trying it again. None of us were disappointed and we had a table on the second floor patio overlooking the street. Forget cycling, sightseeing is hard work. We cleaned our plates and passed on dessert knowing the abundance of baked goods that awaited us at home.
This being our last night in Rochester, we firmed up our plans for the next few days by booking our Air B&B in Niagara Falls. We’ll be sad to say goodbye to our spot on South Plymouth Ave, but our next accommodation looks pretty sweet.
Day 5: Rochester to Niagara Falls NY – by car
Wednesday, August 10
Warm and sunny. 27C
Check-out time was 11am but we were all packed up and ready to go by 10am. We didn’t want to arrive in Niagara Falls too early so we went to visit the George Eastman Museum, named after the founder of the Eastman Kodak company. It is the oldest museum dedicated to photography, and houses extensive film archives, an art gallery and the Dryden Theatre.
The museum is built around Eastman’s house which we also toured through, but unfortunately the gardens were under construction.
The neighbouring area is replete with grandiose homes, something we hadn’t seen during our stay on the west side of the city. When lunch time came we drove to nearby Cob Hill Park. We still had rather a lot of food with us and so we spread out an impressive array that even our table-neighbors were envious of.
Once we had eaten, refreshed and visited a local bakery we were ready for the drive to Niagara Falls. We traveled on the interstate so the route was nice and direct. We arrived within minutes of each other despite taking slightly different routes through the city.
All of us had been impressed with our house in Rochester, but our house in Niagara Falls was even nicer. In addition to having lots of room for sleeping, it had a front porch with furniture and a big dining room table to eat at; two things our place we lacking. This place was also conveniently located near the bike path that would take us to the Falls and downriver to the north. There was a nearby Tops grocery store that we promptly walked to and selected our suppers for the evening.
Having learned that there were nightly fire works by the Falls, we took our bikes out after dinner to scout a location to watch from. We found a great place about 5 minutes ride from our house. The fireworks were still a few hours away so we went back home and played ‘Reminiscing’ the board game for awhile. The sofa here was a lot more comfortable than at our previous place and it was hard to remove ourselves from it when it was time to go out again.
We thought we had left enough time to get to our lookout over the Niagara River to view the pyrotechnic display, but by the time we got ready and actually departed on our bikes we could hear booming in the distance. Duncan had the brightest light so he led the way. We rode as quickly as we could in the dark, along an unlit trail, but when we arrived the last flare had already been flung into the sky. Oh well, we would try again tomorrow.
Day 6: Niagara Falls – The Great Gorge Railway Trail 34km
Thursday, August 11
Warm and Sunny. 25C
Today was our first full day in Niagara Falls and our last full day of the trip so we were all eager to do some more riding. The plan for the morning was to ride north alongside the river on the Great Gorge Railway Trail. Just steps from our rented house it was easy to get going on the trail after breakfast. It was another beautiful day for riding – not too hot – and the trail is paved. There were many gorgeous views of the Niagara River along the way including lookouts over the gorge.
We passed a few other people on bikes but we basically had the trail to ourselves. We stopped frequently along the way to enjoy the scenery and to take photos. We rode through Whirlpool Sate Park and Devil’s Hole State Park, both of which were a little busier with tourists. Continuing our ride north we passed by the dam at the New York Power Authority. Here our paved trail turned into a paved road, but without the traffic. It was wide enough for us to ride six abreast. Soon after we saw the dam on the Canadian side at the Niagara Falls Power Generating Plant. It was easy to believe that there was some dam envy at play.
We continued along and passed under the Lewiston-Queenston Bridge and it was around this point that we could see the fuzzy blue line of Lake Ontario in the distance. The trail sloped downward and we zoomed along, coasting all the way to the bottom. The Artpark State Park was at the foot of the escarpment and we rode through it to see the art? We didn’t find much art in the park, but there was an outdoor concert venue which looked like it would be a fun place for live music. We meandered through the park for awhile and then stopped to take a break. Here, the trail was temporarily closed while a scaling team practiced repelling down the rock face. This would be our turn-around point for our morning ride.
Leaving the park we could see our bike trail snaking it’s way back up the escarpment alongside the Niagara Scenic Parkway. It hadn’t really occurred to us – or at least to me – that our entire ride so far today had been downhill. And what goes down, must pedal back up. It was just over a 2 kilometer climb back up the escarpment, but it was a gradual ascent and the view was a nice distraction. We reconvene at the top and I didn’t see anyone out of breath. On our way back we retraced our route but with fewer scenic stops. We did stop at Whirlpool State Park where we got off the bikes and walked to the lookout over the whirlpool. We probably spent half an hour just watching. The power of the water at the bottom of the gorge is simply mesmerizing, as are the jet boats, helicopters and aero cars (gondolas).
From Whirlpool State Park it took us 10 minutes to ride back to our place and it was just approaching noon. After lunch Glor, Yvonne, Wendy and I took a drive to the ALDI for a little shopping. ALDI is what I would call a discount grocery store and it has an intriguing section called ‘Here today, gone tomorrow’. The last time my Mom and I were in New York State we had to cross the border back into Canada by bike. Our bags were already full and we weren’t able to stock up on any fun food items. This time would be different! I found a few different salad dressings and some cookies, none of which can be found in Canada. Perhaps I’m making this sound more exciting than it is, but the way I see it, it is all part of exploring another culture.
After a few hours being off of our bikes it was time for our afternoon ride to The Falls. This time we rode south from our house along the trail. We rode past the Aquarium and the Disovery Centre. There were still very few people around, but as we approached and then rode under the Rainbow Bridge it got very congested with pedestrians all of a sudden. We opted for riding on the road at this point and made our way to Bridge that would take us to Goat Island. The hordes of people increased. Once on the Island we decided to just park our bikes and walk to see some of the sights. Our first stop was Luna Island- accessible by foot – with a great view over the precipice and Bridal Veil Falls. There was mist in the air, enough to cool us off, but when the wind whipped a certain way it threatened to soak us.
From there we walked through the heart of the tourist scene past the Nikola Tesla Monument, the line up for the Cave of the Winds and finally the gardens. I think we may have missed the gardens but according to the map we walked right by them. Even busier still was Terrapin Point, which overlooks Horseshoe Falls. The place was bustling with eager onlookers, all vieing for openings along the rail for that perfect selfiie. Again, the power of the water and of gravity is truly something to behold. The fact that something as simple as falling water can captivate thousands of people daily, year after year is frankly remarkable.
Eventually we made our way back to our bikes before continuing on to Three Sisters Island. This is a series of 3 tiny islands upstream from the falls, connected by a foot bridge to Goat Island. There were a few other people there, but the further we got from the falls the less busy it was. Continuing our counter-clockwise circumnavigation of Goat Island we were now able to ride on the path again. We slowly made our way around the little island and back onto the mainland. At Prospect Point we stopped yet again, for one more look at the falls. From there we could see across the river to Luna Island and all the little people getting wet.
Finally it was time to make our way back to the house. After a short trek through the downtown we picked up the bike trail and were back home in 5 minutes. I think we were all thankful for our morning ride, because as fun as the afternoon was, it wasn’t much of a ride. Indian food was on the menu tonight and after finding a restaurant that was actually in the United States of America, and open, we placed our order. Glor and Yvonne went to pick it up while I whipped up a salad and within no time the feast was on. We sat around the dining room table but it was surprisingly quiet because we were all enjoying the food.
The evening was spent relaxing, sitting on the porch and watching the local skunks slink around. At 9:30 some of us reprised our attempt to see the fireworks. We arrived to the viewing spot 20 minutes early, but that just heightened the anticipation. Right on cue, actually a couple minutes early, we saw the sparks and heard the booms. After the display smoke hung in the air and the river was suddenly quiet. We know they do this every night here at the Falls, but for us it was still pretty special.
Day 7: Heading Home
Friday, August 12
Sunny and warm. 25C
Today was basically a travel day so after having breakfast and organizing we loaded the bikes onto our respective vehicles and headed for the border. Don, Wendy and Duncan were in one car and Glor, Yvonne and myself were in the other. Our crossing at the Lewiston-Queenston Bridge was relatively uneventful. When asked if we had anything to declare I didn’t hesitate to say no. What I really wanted to declare was that we had a great time together and that maybe we are all a little sad that our trip over. Until next time.
eimajeyn 