6th August: Fonthill to Olcott Beach, NY
Odometer: 85 km, Start: 8.15am, Finish: 5.00pm, Avg: 20.0 km/h,
Weather: Sunny, Temp: 15-24°C
Road Conditions: #20 (to Niagara Falls, ON), 0.5m shoulder, average road surface, moderate traffic. #18 (NY State), 1.5m shoulder, excellent, very light traffic. Ascent: 250m/350m.
There would’ve been no worries over accommodation in Niagara Falls, ON. There was a glut of old fashioned motels as I approached town along the #20. I saw $29 for a room. It stills looks like the 50s with all the motels one after another along “the strip”. It was a bit seedy and dated.
The Falls were spectacular, of course. I was quite emotional when I first set eyes on them. (I had the same feeling when I saw a total eclipse). The sheer power and majesty of nature. Fantastic.
The weather was perfect and sunny and the viewing areas were very well laid out. There were lots of people about, but it wasn’t overcrowded. After viewing from the Canadian side, I crossed over to Niagara Falls, NY via the Rainbow Bridge. It was a formality at the US border this time as I already had a 90 day tourist visa from my Minnesota crossing. I viewed the falls from the American side at Prospect Point and then headed out of town.
It was confusing trying to head north to Fort Niagara and Lake Ontario. At first there was a bike path alongside the Robert Moses Parkway, but this ran out after a few kilometres. I don’t think bikes are allowed on the parkway (although it was very quiet) but I took a chance and made it to Youngstown without being arrested.
I had lunch in town at a very nice cafe with a wonderful frontage. Afterwards I headed east along the shoreline of Lake Ontario on the NY #18. It was nice to be back on American roads. It’s a lot more relaxing when you’ve got 1.5 to 2m of paved shoulder to work with, even if the traffic was very light during the afternoon.
I’m staying in Olcott Beach this evening. I found a neat room in a fishing and tackle shop for $35 with internet! All the other people staying were fisherman and I had a good “fishing” conversation. I even guessed the weight of a large salmon in a picture that one of them produced. I said “35 pounds”. “Right on the money, Shaun, right on the money”!
1 comment:
The post is pretty informative and IMO, Niagara Falls is one of the top destinations and one of my favorite places. Niagara Falls offers visitors the best selection of sightseeing tours, winery tours, airline discounts and hotel packages as well.
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