Day3 of Ontario today. The sameness of terrain and farmlands is wearing, but in a good way. County road 3 brings me past an enormous US Steel facility along Lake Erie, then to Nanticoke and into Selkirk for breakfast and trip story telling. As I gab with the GOBs over waffles and scrambled eggs, the weather deteriorates, low grey clouds get lower and the 30% chance of rain becomes 100%. Everyone inside the cafe is simultaneously concerned with the dog sleeping outside on the green sleeping bag who is getting soaked by the downpour, so I close up talk shop and hastily finish up my grub. Donning wet weather garb, we slide east.
Rainham Centre, South Cayuga and then to Byng. The (nice) shopkeeper in Byng mentions a paved biketrail from Pt. Colburne all the way to the Peace Bridge into Buffalo. What a boom, since Buffalo will be the largest city on my trip and bike trails are a cyclist's dream, especially into and out of congested urban areas. It's south to Lake Erie at Lowbanks and past waterfront cottages and breakwater towns that have replaced the ag fields of further west. My wife Ellen, has just landed with her bicycle at Buffalo airport. Drizzle now instead of rain. Thru Long Beach and Burnaby and into Pt. Colburne where some (nice) lads direct me to the aforementioned biketrail, and it's a beaut... 20 miles of smooth, paved trail flanked by sumac, wild sweet peas and ash trees. The only interruption of the afternoon was another flat rear tire. I trade email addresses with Nelson, a young Portugese cyclist with cross-country plans. Just past Fort Erie appears the spectacular skyline of Buffalo, NY across the Niagra River and just beyond that, the Peace Bridge.
My energy is waning faster than the day as I cross the windy international border at mid-span of the Peace Bridge and I am soon through immigration and back in the USA sucking down a large choco-shake at BurgerKing. Ellen and her friend Jeri Jaeger are en route! Jeri is a linguist and Divisional Dean at the University of Buffalo and is graciously hosting Ellen and I tonite. I give in to all weaknesses of the flesh and decide to forego the 20 miles of intercity byways across Buffalo and have a delicious Korean dinner with 4 linguists instead.
The Ralfs (Ellen and I) are reunited and tomorrow we'll prep for the last leg of my trip.
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