Final thoughts on the UGRR

Final Thoughts/Reflections

August 4, 5, and 6, 2011

The end of our trip has given us two delightful surprises: Buffalo, New York and Bob and Judie PufPaff.  Buffalo has turned out to be a jewel of a city.  We came to Buffalo with a not so favorable image of the city.  Buffalo has a unique and varied history.  The homes, places to eat, Lake Erie and the Niagara River all reflect the nature of this community. Bob and Judie are part of the community. They are long time friends of our friend, Paul Kressin.  Paul grew up here and encouraged us to call them while we were here. We are so glad we did!! Bob and Judie are marvelous hosts. 

Final Thoughts

Every tour we have taken has its own character/flavor/theme. For example when we did the Lewis and Clark Tour the theme was tracing the historical journey of Lewis and Clark.  As we traveled the route we saw markers of the events that made history.  The Great River Ride was traveling along the 4 great rivers. (You get the idea.) 

This trip has its own character/flavor/theme.  It brings to mind two words: escape-and invisible. Evidence of the “freedom seekers” is scarce and limited through the states of Alabama, Mississippi, Kentucky and Tennessee.  Because of the weather and terrain, we always felt like we were “escaping” to the North for cooler weather and less rugged terrain.  When we reached Ohio we felt this ‘breath” of fresh air from the Ohio River. Our route at times seemed invisible like a secret. The lack of documentation up to Ohio made us wonder how the “freedom seekers” every found their way.

Our trip was Hot the first two thirds and we had difficult days.  The detours we encountered weren’t always pleasant surprises, but we problem solved our way through them. Each day we learned something new about ourselves and our country. Bike touring is like life’s journey (OK you have heard this before)—every day is a new day.  Some days are better than others, but we learn to accept each day as a gift.   We learn to expect and deal with the unexpected. We use our sense of wonder to  look for joy each day no matter how big or small. , We appreciate the people along the way and the memories they leave with us.

Thanks to ALL of you who responded by emails, Face Book and texting with your positive energy, prayers and safe travel wishes.  You will never know the impact of your kindness to us as we read your messages at the end of a particularly challenging day!

Thanks to Jessica, Greg and Esther for watching and caring for our home.

To Esther –keep your sense of wonder, adventure, and joy.  But most of all remember that you have the family trait of “spunk” (courage and determination) from Grams!

Total Stats of the Trip

1771 total miles

10.8 average mph

163.8 riding hours

69,000 feet elevation gain (13.2 miles)

Happy trails

Charlene and Bruce

August 3 Last Day Ride to Niagra

August 3, 2011 WE MADE IT!  1771 MILES

On our last morning we wake up to an overcast sky with threatening rain in the forecast.  For only the 3^rd time on our trip we don our rain jackets.  Bruce and I are filled with excitement and anxiousness for the day as we leave at 6:45 for our last day and Niagara Falls.

Getting to the bike path that will take us to the Peace Bridge gets a little “dicey”.  The map directions tell us to “At the bus stop take a right on the trail.”  Right! We are in the midst of traffic, pouring down rain and underneath 4 freeway overpasses looking for the “bus stop.”  We decide to sit under the overpasses until the rain slows up.  Finally we ask a passerby where the trail is and she directs us across 4 lanes of traffic.  Pushing the bike across we find the bike path and are on the trail.  The trail goes along Lake Erie until we get to the Peace Bridge.  Before getting on the bridge we have to “unhook’ Bob in order to get through the gate.  We walk Bernice over the bridge facing the traffic of TRUCKS.  Whew we make it over and manage our way through customs.  We are in Ontario.

Traveling to the fall is why we love biking so much.  The road to the falls is called the Niagara Parkway. This parkway is along the Niagara River through some of the most stunning houses we have seen on this trip.  The parkway has hardly any traffic, no hills and the road is smooth.  As we pedal along we watch the river which is flowing so slowly that the surface looks like glass.  We note the lack of Cicadas today, but hear crickets. Along the way we encounter lots of Canadian Geese who think they own the property by the river.  Our ride is so peaceful as we watch the river change in its flow from glass to ripples. We start to notice a “steam” ahead but because we don’t know what to expect we think it might be a steam plant?  The closer we get the more buildings and construction (They are building a tunnel under the falls) we see along the river.  The steam becomes more pronounced as we start to hear the roar of the falls.  We enter the Horseshoe Falls viewing area to an extraordinary view!!! Both Bruce and I are in awe of the sight.  It was glorious.  After eating lunch, taking pictures and visiting with people, we ride back to Buffalo.

We are staying at a Bed and Breakfast in Buffalo called Beau Fleuve.  www.beaufleuve.com    It is a Victorian B and B in a lovely neighborhood in Buffalo.  Big George, our GPS, gets us there safely and without too many “honks” from the New Yorkers who are always in a hurry.  We celebrate by going out to dinner and having champagne. 

Arrival Time 4:10 pm

52 miles, 8.9 mph(that includes walking over the Peace Bridge twice and walking the bike around customs), 5 hours 49 minutes ride time, 800 feet elevation gain

August 4, 2011 we will spend packing up the bike.

August 5, 2011 working with Fed Ex to pick up the bike

August 6, 2011 flying home.

Critter count

3 Blue Heron

1 Presbyterian Church

We will be sending out before we leave Final Thoughts/Reflections from our trip.  That will be the last report from us.

July 29-July 31 Update Getting Close

July 29, 2011 Last night in Ohio and 7 days to home

We left Hudson, Ohio around 6:50 am with 72 degrees.  We were a little late today due to monitoring the weather.  Our direction for the day is north and east, but a storm is coming from the North and West.  The weather service was not sure how far east it would go

The storm hit us about an hour into the ride.  No lightening or thunder, but we got hit with a rain storm. We biked towards a building and they let us stay inside until it stopped.  We spent the rest of the morning putting our jackets on and taking them off!

In Burton, Ohio we met a woman from Seattle; she is biking with 25 other folks (supported) from Seattle to Washington DC to raise money for the American Lung Association.  It was fun connecting.

Today we rode through a large Mennite community.  They are similar to the Amish in that they see themselves as “plain people, non-violent and center their lives around church and family.  It was interesting to compare the Amish community to the Mennites. We noticed the Amish were much more primitive in their homes and surroundings.  The Mennites homes were stark white and had well kept yards and farms.  They even waved and smiled at us.  The Amish did not. 

Today was hard because Bruce’s seat brace broke.  Luckily he had a spare brace (not the first time this has happened) so we pulled over to the side of the road to do a repair.  We had to unload the bike and dig into the Bob.  On the road again and hope this brace lasts the trip.

Sadness happened today…I am officially out of Sweet Tea country.  I have been asking for it the last few days.  The response I get is “there is sugar on the table.” L

While we were biking a mail carrier drove up alongside of us to “chat.”  He wanted to know where we were going and where we can come from.  He told us where to eat in the next town.  Gotta love people like that.

Reserve Greenway trail is another Rails to Trails supported trail.  We rode it our last ten miles into Austinberg.  All along the trail were points of interest of the history of the UGRR reinforcing Ohio’s strong leadership in the UGRR. The steamboats on Lake Erie used to carry the slaves to Canada which is about 54 miles from our point on the trail.

We were curious about our mph yesterday and realized it was the road conditions.  Ohio is a good example of a state where their infrastructure is falling apart.  The roads yesterday had huge chuck holes with wash board ripples down the road.  The sides of the roads and bridges are crumbling away.  Pretty sad. 

Arrival time 3:30 pm

70 miles, 10.9 mph, 6 hours 22 minutes ride time, 2800 feet elevation gain. 

Critter count

4 turkeys

3 deer

No churches today

July 30, 2011 First and Last night in Erie, Pennsylvania.

We left at 6:45 am with a wonderful temperature of 72 degrees.  It felt so good! We got back on the Western Reserve Trail. 

Bruce’s clips on pedals (7ears old) are “acting up” so we may have to find a bike shop for a new set.

We learned to day that a resident of Erie, Shipman, was the organizer of 30 miles of the UGRR.  He organized the “stations” and conductors for this branch of the UGRR.

In Ashtabula a marker indicated a train disaster in 1876.  93 people were killed.  The engineer of the project disagreed with the designer and architect of the project, but the company went ahead with the bridge design.  The bridge failed as the first train went over it.

The Cicadas continue to stay with us on the trip.  8 states later we still hear them as we pedal along.

As we leave Ohio and enter Pennsylvania we see lots of vineyards, orchards and berries replacing the corn fields.  It is an odd combination to see as we have been so used to soy and corn.  There is no indication of commercial wine places just farms growing grapes.

We went to dinner at the Sloppy Duck on the Bay Front of the Lake Erie.  Stuck my feet in Lake Erie and walked around a park and marina.  Tomorrow is a rest day!! We are looking forward to actually vegging out. 

We have 3 more days of riding:

·        August 1 Dunkirk New York

·        August 2 West Seneca, New York

·        August 3 Buffalo, New York

Arrival time 1:45 pm

52 miles, 10.8 mph, 4 hours and 51 minutes ride time, 1400 feet elevation gain

Critter Count

4 rabbits

2 Presbyterian Churches