Northern Tier Day #12 Buffalo, NY to Lake Erie StatePark, NY
Northern Tier Day #12
May 31, 2019
Buffalo, NY to Lake Erie StatePark, NY 86 Miles
Ride Time 7:22
Tour Total 949 Miles
I slept great last night at Scott’s apartment on the carpeted floor beside my bike. He was getting ready to move to Albuquerque for the summer and had put all of his things in storage. He camped on the floor with me on his air mattress. Many of his items from the Trans Am tour were there, including his bicycle which was great to see again.
I had a little bit of a hangover this morning. I drank just a few too many Hayburner beers last night with Scott and his friend Chris. That beer is good! We went to Gabriel’s Gate, which offers the best wings in Buffalo. Afterwards we went over to Bill’s friend Leslie’s house for more beer, and the box of chocolates that Bill had sent. I absolutely adored Leslie’s puppy.
Scott had met me yesterday afternoon at the Anchor Bar. His report about Relative Spacecraft Attitude and Position Estimation was finished. We took a photo and then I rode over to his house where I had a great shower and then put all my dirty clothes in the washer.
Scott’s friend Chris was a civil engineering student, and I asked him all about the Erie Canal construction. Scott shared with me that he, too, had been really down after the culmination of last year’s ride. He and Eileen are planning a cross-Europe bike trip two years from now. Scott and I are planning our own bicycle trip in Chili along the Carretera Austral in January.
This morning Scott fixed me oatmeal, and I went to the laundry area to retrieve my clean clothes from the dryer. I’m now back at cleanliness level one. After I left Scott’s, I rode back through Buffalo passing the university, the zoo, and then I got back on the Scajaquada trail to the lake and then back to my route. I rode through downtown Buffalo and along the port and right by the Maritime Museum. Then I rode through the industrial section and over towards Seneca and Orchard Park. In Orchard Park I picked up the Western New York Small Towns Scenic Byway. After about an hour I found myself riding along lake Erie and admiring its emerald color.
I pulled over at a gas station to grab myself a Starbucks Frappuccino, a Tim Hortons Oreo muffin and a Gatorade. I flipped my map, and I’m now on section 9. I removed my sweater, put on some sunscreen, and took care of a little business for my public art commission.
A little ways out of Orchard Park, I took a right on Newtown Road headed back towards Lake Erie. I eventually got a tree-lined road with pastures beyond. I had the road back to myself with very little traffic. I saw a kayaker on 18 Mile Creek as I crossed the bridge.
I went to the post office in Hamburg to mail some items for my DOT commission. It was an efficient modern post office with a friendly staff with no waiting time. Why can’t the post offices in Brooklyn be this nice?
I passed over the Governor Thomas E Dewey Thruway and headed back toward the shores of Lake Erie. I was riding in my long-sleeve jersey and bike shorts. I pulled out my sunglasses for the first time on the tour. I could definitely feel wind coming in off the lake. Showers were in the forecast for tomorrow.
I was riding on Pleasant Avenue and it was indeed pleasant. I had to wait for a train to pass before continuing on to Old Lake Shore Road. I was high up above the bluffs looking down at beautiful blue Lake Erie. Seagulls were above, and it was a sharp drop down to the lake. I passed many nice homes, and everyone seems to have had their driveway paved and sealed by Ballou Paving and Sealing. The fragrant smell of flowers was mixed with the odor of paving tar.
I finally found out what happened to Westbound cyclist Heath. He had left the ride at Medina. I know that the torn-up tow-path frustrated him, so he was probably on the highway when I passed him. He’s headed back to Dayton to deal with housing issues. I’m sorry that I never got to meet him.
I was on the Seaway Trail, and stopped at Graycliff, a summer home built by Frank Lloyd Wright. Referred to as "The Jewel on the Lake," Graycliff is sited on a bluff overlooking Lake Erie with sweeping views of downtown Buffalo and the Ontario shore. It was built about a year before Falling Water and I could see many similarities. After the tour, I talked with a retired gentleman from Florida who was interested in my trip.
I passed more vineyards along the lake. Grapes must really thrive near here. Outside of Lake Erie Beach I picked up a nice asphalt bike trail off to the side of the road, which was a pleasure because the road didn’t have much of a shoulder and was littered with potholes. Unfortunately the path only lasted for about mile. At Farnham I rejoined State Route 5, a four-lane highway with plenty of traffic. At least the shoulder was wide. From the map I could see that I'd be on SR5 for a long time.
I entered the Cattaraugus Indian reservation of the Seneca Nation of Indians. Inexpensive tobacco products were advertised on billboards and there was bingo and video gaming. New York State Route 5 is also Bike Route 517. In addition, I realized that I was following the Lake Erie Wine Country Tour. I passed a sign saying that Erie Pennsylvania was 51 miles away. I would be in Pennsylvania, my fifth state, tomorrow.
I passed a little beach that only locals seemed to know about. There were a dozen cars parked alongside the road, and folks were in swimsuits. I was riding on a wide shoulder and was all the way over to the right. A pick-up truck aggressively honked at me, and I swiftly gave him the finger. I hope the Trump supporting A-hole slams into a telephone pole.
I was barreling down the road and off in the distance saw what looked like two cyclists in a campground off to the right. I did a quick U-turn and went over to talk to them. Bill and Finley were riding recumbents and doing the last three map sections of the Northern Tier, from Monroeville, IN to Bar Harbor, ME. They’ve been on the road for seven days. They were splitting the $5 campsite that included showers, a picnic table, and electrical power. They were both retired, and Finley had previously cycled the TransAm. We compared notes, and I warned them about the torn up tow-path along the Erie Canal. They mentioned that there was a young French couple about a day ahead of me. They encouraged me to stop in Cleveland, which is two days down the road. They both have blogs on the Crazy Guy site: https://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/?o=1mr&doc_id=21651&v=7H and https://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/?o=1mr&doc_id=22038&v=2v
It was getting late, and I was nearing my destination. I stopped at Manning’s Fireside Manor Restaurant near Van Buren Point for dinner. I had fried fish with french fries and two beers.
After dinner I was riding down the road towards the campground and a motorist in a blue car pulled over to chat. He told me that he likes to talk to the cross country cyclists he sees on this route. He and his daughter had just done a 180 mile backpacking trip. It’s cool connecting with like-minded people.
I made it to the state run campsite and plunked down $22 for a site without an electric hook-up. Bill and Finley definitely got a better deal.
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