No Miles - Bike is still not home - being without a bike is unacceptable.

Some random thoughts…

How much did I enjoy the UGRR tour?  Just about totally: bicycle touring suits me.   Some of the women on the tour found they were uncomfortable being away from home for so long, others admitted to fleeting moments of homesickness, and one woman went home unexpectedly half way through.  I could have continued on indefinitely (disregarding the guilt I felt about Rick being stuck at home, minding the cat).  I love the stimulation of being on the road - of every day seeing new places and meeting new people.  I love the daily endorphin high that comes with intense exercise.  I love falling into bed at night, tired out from the day’s ride.  

Kudos to Woman Tours - I’d had reservations about signing up for the UGRR, as it was the first time WT was offering the tour and, from my airline industry experience, I thought it better to avoid new routes until they had their start-up kinks ironed out.  However, if there were day-to-day snafu’s going on behind the scenes, I didn’t pick up on them.   One sub-par hotel was about the worst of it.

The Importance of Timing.  We were incredibly lucky with the weather - one day’s ride was suspended temporarily because of thunder and lightning and one day I got soaked and had to give up (totally my own fault and a lesson about having the proper gear that I’m glad to have learned before going on the Southern Tier next Spring) - but otherwise, with heavy rains, flooding, and tornadoes throughout the Midwest, somehow we skirted the worst of it.  Thank you, Mother Nature.

The part of the tour I liked best was the first three weeks in the South.  I grant you, there may have been a progressive fatigue factor I’m not acknowledging that seeped in and dulled my focus and memories by the time we got to the North.  Or maybe, having been brought up in the North, the South seemed more exotic and I was seeing things there with fresh eyes.  With time and thought, perhaps my perspective will change. But as of now, the highlights of the tour were Alabama, Mississippi, Tennessee (even with its unleashed dogs!), and Kentucky:  the beauty of the countryside, the minimal traffic, the mostly good road surfaces, the challenging hills.  I enjoyed the time we had to explore Mobile, Alabama; Columbus, Mississippi; Kentucky Dam and Louisville, Kentucky.

Today’s Miles:  26.6  /  Total Trip Miles:  2,042.3

Today’s photos are here.

Assembled at 8:00 this morning, everyone in Woman Tours jerseys.  Had a leisurely breakfast at the Perkins Restaurant adjacent to the hotel.  Saddled up for the last time and went in a group down to the Falls for a group photo.  Got back on the Niagara Recreation Trail to ride to Niagara-On-The-Lake, our final destination.  En route passed a Butterfly Conservatory - didn’t stop, but Kathy did and has written about in her blog - it sounds magical.  Also passed, but didn’t stop at, many wineries and fruit and vegetable markets. 

Riding with Sue, Frankie, and Marni, we did stop frequently to snap photos of the Niagara River that the path took us along.  One time we came across a boundary marker.  Info about the International Boundary Commission is here.  I would’ve guessed the U.S./Canadian border ran down the middle of the Niagara River that separates the two countries - seems, at this point at least, the border is actually on the Canadian side.  Guess it’s easier than each country being responsible for caring for half the width of the river.

Niagara-On-The-Lake is a tourist destination. From Wikipedia:

“The town is home to the Shaw Festival, a months–long series of theatrical productions featuring the works of George Bernard Shaw and his contemporaries. The festival operates three theatres in the centre of town: the Festival, Royal George, and Court House theaters, and features one of a repertory acting company, scenic staff, and collection of resident and guest directors considered some of the best in the English-speaking world.”

“The surrounding region enjoys a comparatively mild climate thanks to the adjoining lakes, and excellent soil for fruit production, for which it has become one of Canada’s centres. In particular, NOTL has grown into a major viticultural region. Visitors flock to dozens of nearby wineries, including those making the world’s largest volumes of ice wine. The town is also known for its gardens, art galleries, antique shops, and golf courses.”

There’s tourism and then there’s tourism:  compare and contrast Niagara Falls, with a Planet Hollywood, Hard Rock Café, Hooters, Casinos, and Starbucks to Niagara-On-The-Lake which, from what we saw, is free of commercial chains.  NOTL is commercial, but nicely done.  It’d be a fun place to spend a week, going to theater & dining out and, of course, cycling.

After lunch, we wandered up and down NOTL’s main street, going in and out of shops.  Heading back to where we’d left our bikes, noticed a group of our riders across the street:  Holly, Sue, Jo Ann, and Carol.  Hold on a minute!  Jo Ann and Carol were on last summer’s Meandering Mississippi ride - not the UGRR!  Turns out they were driving cross country and detoured to rendezvous with us here today, just to say ‘hello.’  It’s a real sisterhood, WT has got going.  And a sisterhood of active ladies - Jo Ann and Carol are on their way to go hiking in Norway.

We rode eight miles out of town to our hotel, doing a victory lap around the parking lot when we got there (think Tour de France/Champs-Élysées). It would’ve been nice for WT to have a brass band playing, a red carpet, champagne corks popping….  What WT did do, which was quite fun, was bundle us into the vans and drive us back to Niagara Falls for dinner at the Pinnacle Restaurant at penthouse-level, overlooking the Falls.   I could happily live up there without ever tiring of the view.

After dinner we retired to a room on the ground floor where Laurie presided as Master of the Closing Ceremony.  Tokens of appreciation to the four sag drivers, and recognition & awards for (let me know if my memory’s incorrect, ok ladies?) “Best Dressed” to Judi M.; “Most Problematic Bicycle” to Judy N.;  ”Most Neurotic About Carrying Extra Weight on Her Bike” to Sondra; “Best Won’t-Give-Up Attitude” to Kris; “Having Worst Things Happen to Body and Bike” to Joan; and “Most Neurotic About Doing All the Miles” to… Moi, who never wins anything!

Back at the hotel, reorganized my bags into “to check in” and “to carry on” and went down to the lobby to print out boarding passes for tomorrow’s flights.  Sue & Frankie were there, having a drink with Frankie’s husband, André, and a friend he’d been visiting. I joined them and stayed up chatting until about midnight - a way later bedtime than at any time during the trip.  

Felt like Cinderella, not wanting the clock to strike midnight and the fun to come to an end….

Today’s Miles: 44.9 / Total Trip Miles:  2,015.7

Today’s photos are here.

Today was an ‘up/down’ kind of day, both in ‘quality-of-ride’ and emotionally.  

For once, the majority of the group started out together. Unusual, that no-one was in a rush to get going - I guess, aware that today and tomorrow are all that’s left of the tour, there was a common desire to stretch out the remaining miles as much as possible.   

I’d planned to spend the day riding with Frankie and Sue but we got separated when, confused by the cue sheets (an unusual occurrence - Laurie’s directions have been excellent) the pack stopped to figure out which way to go.  Annette, the WT photographer who had joined us in Erie, had scouted the route last night looking (with no luck) for a quiet spot before we got to Canada where she could set up shop and snap pictures as we rode by.  Since she knew where she was going, I followed her until we were clearly back on route. 

First, a ‘down’ segment:  for some twenty miles we rode in city traffic, making our way to and through the back streets of the cities of Orchard Park and Buffalo.  The traffic, noise level, and industrial buildings brought home clearly how things have changed as we’ve wended our way from south to north - rural countryside becoming industrial, the pace of life becoming faster, the color palette changing from predominantly nature green to concrete grey - generalizations, I know, but a definite impression….

In Orchard Park we passed the Pedaling History Bicycle Museum which would’ve been a fun place to visit - but it didn’t open until 11:00.  Not the first time we’ve been past places that would’ve been interesting to visit before they were open or on a day they were closed.  When WT does this tour again, I bet with an advance phone call some would be amenable to opening specially for the group.

Next things turned ‘up’:  at the 20 mile sag, I reconnected with Frankie and Sue and we left together, getting on a bike path along the shore of Lake Erie for a quiet couple of miles away from the traffic we’d been in.  The bike path led to the Peace Bridge, which we were to cross to go into Canada.  

A simultaneous ‘down’ & ‘up’:  going over the bridge we were on a sidewalk and, though the views were nice, with all the truck traffic, getting across was a definite inner serenity drain.  But, despite the lack of calm, it was a definite ‘up’ to see the Canadian flag, to appreciate our accomplishment and to reflect on the incredible significance of reaching Canada for those who’d traveled the UGRR.

Another ‘up’ and ‘down’:  getting through immigration & customs was a breeze - WT had faxed our names to the Canadian authorities and it just took a minute to show our passports and have our names checked off their list.  But a ‘down’ and a sign of the security-conscious times:  Annette got yelled at for trying to photograph us outside the Canadian customs building.  

An ‘up: once on the Canadian side, we rode to Niagara Falls on the Niagara Recreation Trail, paralleling the Niagara River.  First impressions:  Canada is so clean.

A ‘down’: the closer we got to Niagara Falls, the more tourists there were until we ended up having to walk our bikes for the last half-mile or so before we were within view of the Falls.

Here’s my take on Niagara Falls:  even though it may be totally touristy - similar to, say, Yosemite Park in the middle of summer or, for that matter, Siesta Key’s Crescent Beach at the height of the winter season - despite that, the Falls are Extremely Impressive - the power and beauty of Mother Nature.  So, bottom line, even though being amid throngs of tourists was quite a shock, it was a worthwhile price to pay to see the Falls.

After dropping our bikes at our hotel we (Sue, Frankie, Mary, & Moi) walked back to The Maid of the Mist to do The Boat Ride - again, totally touristy and totally spectacular.  We had a good time.  

A bunch of us had dinner at Planet Hollywood - I’d never been before & don’t know that I’d seek one out in the future, but it wasn’t bad.  Under the heading of “How Perceptions Differ”:  because, I suspect, I am not at all ready for the tour to be over, I enjoyed the meal and being with the others.  Found out later that some at the table had been really antsy with the speed we were served and how long it took to get our checks.  Different strokes. 

Today’s Miles:  87.8 / Total Trip Miles:  1,970.8

Today’s photos are here.

Lovely relaxed day today, riding along the southern shore of Lake Erie, going from Pennsylvania into New York, past miles of grape vines - grapes for wine and Concord grapes for Welch’s  jelly - through some lovely residential communities along the Lake, past a wind farm.  The route was pretty flat and the only difficulty came from an east wind that we were pedaling straight into for a while. As soon as the route veered just a tiny bit to the north, the headwind ceased to be a problem.  This part of Lake Erie where we’ve been cycling is quite beautiful - which surprised me.

Today’s highlight:  I was riding along, sharing the road with a garbage truck - I’d pass it when it was stopped at a house to empty trash cans, then it would speed up and pass me on its way to the next house.  I’m  not totally comfortable around garbage trucks as my mother was killed in a collision with one.  After a couple of miles of leapfrogging past one another, I was ahead of the truck and could hear it accelerating behind me.  At the next intersection, I pulled over to let it pass, which it did. Then it stopped and started backing up.  I figured it was going to back into the crossroad to turn around and go back in the direction it had come.  But no, the driver leaned out his window to ask if I wanted some of the ice water he had on the truck.   I just love it when my negative expectations are so far off base.

The other highlight of the day came at the twenty mile sag stop.  Georgia, today’s sag driver, had stopped at Starbucks on her way out of Erie and gotten a box of coffee for us to enjoy.  A total treat! 

Tomorrow we cross into Canada and the day after is the last day’s ride.  I’m feeling sad that the tour will soon be over.

Today’s Miles: 65.5 /  Total Trip Miles:  1,883.0

Today’s photos are here.

Glorious day today: perfect weather, low humidity, not a cloud in the sky; negligible traffic; fine roads (once we left Ohio and entered Pennsylvania).

Started out by getting back on the Western Reserve Greenway Trail: riding a rail-trail is a lovely, peaceful way to get one’s day going. Took time on the trail to read the panels, each chockerblock with local UGRR history.  The trail ends at Ashtabula where there’s an UGRR museum in what had been a safe house at the northern terminus of the UGRR.  Unfortunately, it wasn’t open when we came through and we hadn’t thought to call ahead to set up a private tour for our group.  Next time!  Leaving Ashtabula we were riding along the southern shore of Lake Erie, catching glimpses of the Lake through the trees.  Quite emotional to think of how we’d started at Mobile Bay, at the country’s southern border, and have wended our way all the way to its northern water-border.

Took a break at 27 miles in the town of Conneaut.  Some ladies stopped at a vintage diner, others (moi included) made for the local bakery.  Shortly outside Conneaut, we crossed into Pennsylvania.  Immediately, the road surfaces improved and, for the most part, the remainder of the ride were on roads with a decent shoulder.  Doesn’t take much to make us happy!

The next group rendezvous was around the 40 mile mark, at a roadside ice cream stand.  Though I don’t know how we did with our nutritional RDA’s today, I’m pretty sure no-one had a caloric deficit!

Went off route on my own after that, to check out the Hazel Kibler Museum in the town of Girard which, according to the Adventure Cycling map, showcases local UGRR sites.  Oops - should’ve done my homework: got there to find it’s open only on Sundays.  Never mind:  it was a nice day to do extra miles.

Marilee and Anne had a more successful off-route experience:  they biked to and around Presque Isle State Park and then hopped a ferry to Erie.  Would like to come back to do that.

Beautiful Victorian homes approaching downtown Erie.  Arrived at the hotel around 3:00:  it’s in a part of downtown Erie that’s, to be polite, ripe for gentrification.  Never mind, we’ll be pulling out first thing in the morning with an 88 mile day ahead of us.

At dinner, Toni got passed to Michelle, our cook.  This army travels on its stomach, as I’m sure is apparent from today’s multiple food stops!

Today’s Miles: 66.7 / Total Trip Miles: 1,817.5

Today’s photos are here.

What a difference a day makes! Today the roads were better, there was less traffic, and the weather was cooler. A definite improvement over yesterday.

First, a bit of UGRR history - I’ve become rather negligent about relating where we’re cycling to the UGRR which is, after all, the primary raison d’être for the tour.

We are now in Ashtabula County, in the northeast corner of Ohio, within spitting distance of Lake Erie - on the other shore of which is Canada. Reaching Canada meant guaranteed freedom to escaping slaves and Ashtabla County had three dozen UGRR safe houses, from which escaped slaves would be taken by boat across the Lake.

Today’s ride started off not very promising: 80% chance of thunderstorms forecast for the whole day - none of which materialized! When we left Hudson it was raining lightly but by the first sag stop at 20 miles, the rain had let up and by the time we reached Burton, ten miles further down the road, the sun was trying to come out. Burton has a lot of charm and a working sugar house that produces and sells maple syrup. Another place I’d like to spend some time exploring.

How blasé we riders have become: with only 66 miles on the day’s route, everyone felt comfortable making a leisurely stop for coffee. Continuing on the ride, we went through an  Amish community - very beautiful. Mind you, it helped that the sun was out and the roads were smooth! Everything looks & seems better in those conditions! Stopped again at 56 miles, in the “town” of Rock Creek. More a crossroads than a town. Joined Cele and Carolyn who were having lunch and sat chatting with them at a restaurant that had as decoration a dancing/talking fish. You had to be there….

The last ten miles of the ride were on the Western Reserve Greenway Trail, built on a former Penn Central right-of-way. A rail-trail is a peaceful way to wind up a ride. We’ll be on it tomorrow, too.

Dinner tonight: Spaghetti with meat or tofu sauce, salad of spinach & strawberries, bread with pesto, apple and cherry pies for dessert.

The continuing voyage of Mlle. Toni la Tiger: Joyce passed her on to Lesley, for being an inveterate tourist - Lesley goes to absolutely everything there is to see. And this evening Lesley passed la Tiger on to Barb, our rider/sous chef, for everything she does (on top of riding every mile) to ensure that we’re properly fed.

Today’s Miles: 67.9 / Total Trip Miles: 1,750.0

Today’s photos are here.

First, I’ll tell you about the high point of the day. Towards the end (at 60 of 68 miles), our route took us through the town of Hudson en route to where we’re staying on its outskirts. Not wanting to get to the hotel too early, I parked my bike & wandered around the town, a sweet place with a mixture of neat local shops (with names like The Learned Owl Book Shop and Miss Chickpea’s Funky Fibers) and national retail stores (Gap, Talbots). True to form, I wandered into a gourmet food market, Heinens Village Market - an up-market Ohio chain similar to Whole Foods. Got a soda and was directed to the Tapas Bar for ice to go with it. There, spent a pleasurable half-hour chatting with Heather, the tapas/barista lady - a true “people person” who, while I was there, greeted every one of her customers by name. She was totally and genuinely curious about the tour, the ladies who were on it, the route, the logistics for eating & sleeping…. And she told me about her life - how she goes home on her lunch break to check on her menagerie: the miniature horses and pygmy goats she breeds; her other two horses; the 20+ goslings who think she’s Mom; the cats; the dogs. Wonder if her employer appreciates what a gem she is - she’s a one-woman P.R. department. And an example of how in life attitude determines outcome.

As for the rest of the day: ugh. Headwinds, for the first time on the trip, at the outset. Traffic the whole time (we’re sort of circling Cleveland so I guess that’s inevitable). Humidity. Miserable, pitted roads and so much traffic you had to hug the side of the road which, natch, was where the road was the most pitted.  And I used up my entire monthly allowance of expletives, screaming at drivers passing too close.

Ok, so we’ve been spoiled up to now by deserted roads, good road surfaces, low traffic, and tailwinds. But, could someone please explain why it’s hotter & more humid here in the North than it was down South? Some of the ladies brought real cold weather gear, expecting to need it by now. Hah!

Also contributing to today’s snafu’s, my bike’s computer was acting up again - my mileage was way low, until I was able to get (yet another) new battery at a bike store on the route in Peninsula, Century Cycles. All I want is for it to sort-of work for the rest of the week - I’ll replace the computer when I get home.

You think my not-so-great attitude today could have something to do with the fact that I’m not-so-happy that the end of the tour is in sight?

Tomorrow’s supposed to be cooler and we’ll be on a rail-trail part of the day, so maybe I’ll tone down the whining.

I realized that I didn’t say anything yesterday about Oberlin’s considerable importance to the UGRR - the Quakers, the College, John Brown. Check out Sue’s site: she’s excellent in the history department.

Tonight’s dinner: Mac & Cheese, Cucumber Salad, Green Salad, Tabouleh, Cantaloupe & Grapes.

Today’s Mileage: 0 / Total Trip Mileage: 1,682.9

Today’s photos are here.

Much as I wanted to get back on Back Roads & Beaches and head to Lake Erie - I figure it would’ve been, depending on how far along the Lake I went, between 40 and 90 miles roundtrip - I decided to respect my body’s whispers of “I’m tired” and stayed off the bike today. Will just have to come back some other time….

Set out to explore the town on foot. A college town on a summer Sunday is a quiet place. By noon it was also a beasty hot place so I came back to the hotel to read in air-conditioned comfort until the Allen Memorial Art Museum just down the block opened at 1:00.

It was the first time the whole trip I’d opened the book I brought. Turns out, it’s a winner - The Known World by Edward P. Jones - historical fiction set in antebellum Virginia, story (so far) about a slave owned by a freed black man. Thanks for the good (and ever so appropriate) recommendation, Anne!

At the Museum, a sign had been posted “due to unforeseen circumstances, the Museum will not open today.” Okay, Universe, I hear you: today I’m supposed to be resting. And now I have two reasons, riding Back Roads & Beaches and seeing the museum, to revisit Oberlin. Plus there’s a Frank Lloyd Wright house, open the first and third Sundays only. And Conservatory concerts. Nice town.

Before heading back to the hotel & settling in with my book, I stopped at the trailer to scrounge leftovers for lunch. Michelle was there, putting away her shopping (no days off for staff) and we had a nice chat while munching last night’s Brats - just as good the second time around.

Lazed around for the rest of the afternoon, reading and listening to podcasts on my Ipod. Had dinner with Frankie and Sue in the restaurant here at the Oberlin Inn - the only game in town on a Sunday evening when the college isn’t in session.

Early night tonight. G’night.

Today’s Miles: 96.3 / Total Trip Miles: 1,682.9

Today’s photos are here.

The biking gods smiled on us today - considerably cooler than yesterday, overcast, a light breeze coming from behind. On yesterday’s route, the hills came towards the end; today they came after a 20 mile flat warmup, lasted for about 20 miles, then the route flattened out for 20 miles, and the last miles into Oberlin were gently down hill and down wind. A close to perfect day.

Don’t know why I persist in taking photos of farmland - my camera doesn’t come close to doing justice to its beauty. Today we were in an Amish area - horse-drawn farm equipment and road buggies; the girls wearing bonnets, the boys, straw hats. Definitely photo-worthy, but it didn’t seem right….

I ended up with 12 miles more than the cue sheet mileage because I (a) missed one turn (+5 miles), (b) made one wrong turn (+3 miles), and (c) came into Oberlin on the Back Roads & Beaches route (+4 miles), which Michelle had pointed me towards. The Back Roads route led to a bike path that bisected the road and my instinct was to turn left on it to get into town. I was wrong but, luckily, there were two cyclists standing there to set me straight. Turns out they were from the Lorain County Visitors Bureau - Executive Director Barb Bickel and Jim Galloway, who, with a bit of internet research I found out later, are the guiding forces behind the route -

“Back Roads and Beaches began with the new Lorain County Visitors Bureau Executive Director Barb Bickel who had previously developed the Trail to Freedom Underground Railroad program in Lorain County in 1993. Bickel is a cycling enthusiast who travels all over the US to bike. When she became the director of the LCVB, this was a natural program to develop since she was so familiar with the history and the premier cycling in this region. Together with local cyclist Jim Galloway, she mapped out a route that utilized the most scenic, low traffic roads that passed through areas of relevant historical attractions, arts initiatives, orchards and locally grown produce, wineries and Lake Erie recreation. Bickel then put together a team of local businesspeople, residents, government and organization representatives to develop and establish the route.” - from Changemakers.com

Like they say, “If you build it, they will come.” Impressive accomplishment.

Barb and Jim accompanied me into town and right into the driveway of our hotel, giving me a running commentary about Oberlin on the way. A personalized welcome committee! Can’t ask for more than that!

Before dinner, Liz Schultz from the Oberlin Heritage Center spoke to our group about the town, the college, Oberlin’s considerable UGRR-related history, and what to see while we’re here. Yet another place where there’s more to see and do than there’ll be time for on our layover day.

Dinner was Bratwursts (beef or tofu) on buns, Red Bean and Corn Salad, Potato Salad, Green Salad, Strawberries & Cookies.

I’ve fallen behind, reporting on Toni the Tiger’s (whom the group decided must be female, hence the changed spelling of her name) progression around the group. She’s spent time with Anne, who cleared brush and limbs off the Little Miami Scenic Rail-Trail; Judy Norris, for hanging in on rides; and this evening to Joyce for much improved riding skills.