Niagara Falls, NY

By Gwen:

Six am yet again, and for some reason it is getting colder and colder, but because we were riding to our rest day getting up seemed a little bit easier. The boost really helped the boys this morning because for the first time throughout the entire trip they got their tent down before the girls! We attribute their speed to Angie (Ellie’s little brother) joining their crew. We never thought the day would come.
The morning was beautiful, as we were perched right above Lake Erie for the first twenty miles. Only three cars passed us during the first bit, but unfortunately there was quite a funky smell, and hoards of gnats. You could see them coming for a good minute before you hit them.
Today was really the first day that we stayed in developed areas for almost the entire ride. There were homes throughout the entire route, some of which provided entertainment (I’ll get to that later). Unfortunately the beautiful ride was overshadowed by the excitement of getting to Niagara this afternoon, but of course there were some exciting events on the road.
1. Sarah ran over Parker (everyone is okay). We were in our final twenty-mile stretch, and distracted by the beautiful Niagara river following us on the right. Parker’s bike slips out from under him as he is cycling at a high speed around a sharp corner with another stranger cyclist heading towards us in the middle of the bike path. As he fell, his body provided a barrier for Sarah’s bike, which catapulted her onto the road in front of her. The other biker just continued on without a second thought, but we regained our confidence and continued onto the border.
2. The homes along the final bit of the route were quite eclectic, which provided great entertainment. There were McMansions, tiny historic homes, and even beautiful modern homes which were almost pieces of art.
Riding up towards the falls we could see this huge mist rising from them. As we got closer and closer the crowds got bigger and we could begin to actually feel the mist. Getting to that massive landmark was incredible. I don’t think I even have words to describe how I felt besides pure elation. Passing the border into New York almost felt like we had gotten to Maine.
The church was very nearby and we got there just in time for dinner with a great group of locals before we headed to the local YMCA for showers. Now we’re all sitting in the church playing "Would You Rather" provided by Mrs. Llewelyn. We’re all headed to bed soon so that we can enjoy a good ten hours of sleep before a relaxing rest day.


Written by Gwen