Off we go!
Niagara Falls >> Fort Erie | 34km | 94m | 1h24m
August 23, 2024 | 26ºC, partly cloudy
Let’s get into the car first
Yes, our bike adventure started in a motorized vehicle.
When we thought about going on our very first bike packing trip, and then found the Empire State Trail to be a reasonable choice for first-timers, we would have loved to do a roundtrip starting and finishing in our home town of Ottawa. But in this country, vacation days are very limited and the required distance would have been way too much of a challenge, and a not very enjoyable one the least. Then we thought why not just take our bicycles on the train, to the start of the trail, to safe us some time. This sounded lovely, until we found out that Via Rail, Canada’s railway operator, does currently not allow bicycles on their trains whatsoever. So all that was left was booking a rental car to cover the first 700km to the Canadian border at Niagara Falls and starting our bike adventure in a motorized vehicle.
Luckily, we managed to fit both of our bikes, plus all the luggage into the small trunk of that midsize SUV and made our way south-east. Somewhat nervous about getting stuck in traffic, but mostly excited about our trip and the weeks ahead. The last time I travelled on a bike was 20 years ago, when I crossed the United States twice on a 6 months long trip. No GPS, no mobile internet, navigating on paper maps, and just on my own. My partner Tara is an enthusiastic cyclist, but never actually travelled on a bike, carrying more than just a saddle bag. In theory, everything was planned rather detailed – the GPS files downloaded onto my Garmin head unit; overnight stays figured out and booked, some paid already; and even stops for coffee and lunch breaks had been mapped out to some extent. We packed all the tools, spares, battery banks, cables, chargers, camping gear, and even carried chairs. But how would it all work out in practice? How would the weather play along? How would we deal with flat tires, mechanicals, road closures, injuries, fatigue? How bad was the traffic going to be on the road sections of the route? How would the two of us get along facing those challenging situations?
Niagara Falls: Nature meets entertainment
When most people, me included, hear “Niagara Falls”, they may think of an idyllic piece of nature, dominated by majestic and iconic waterfalls. And while those waterfalls indeed exist, what dominates the area is something else: cars, casinos, hotels, tourists (mostly in cars), fast food chains and wax museums. A very surreal environment to start a bicycle vacation, and possibly not the most ideal one, either: navigating those surroundings on a packed bike while dealing with busy afternoon traffic on both the streets and the sidewalks was a challenging task to manage after a long drive in a car and being mentally already exhausted.
Finally moving!
After we had made our way through chaotic streets we found a spot to take a quick picture of the falls unobscured by other selfie-taking tourists. It was late afternoon already. We had a bit over an hour of riding planned for today to get to a motel closer to the Canadian/U.S. border which we were about to cross first thing tomorrow morning.
Once the touristy area was behind us we discovered a perfectly smooth and very calm and scenic road leading us south along the Niagara River all the way to Fort Erie, today’s final destination. This is when for the first time we realized: we’re doing it! Months of anticipation and some stressful days of last-minute planning finally turned into reality and we were on our loaded bikes, starting an adventure together. Sailing along Niagara River Road, easy, flat, warm, sunny, was just the perfect start to what would turn into an unforgettable journey along the Empire State Trail.
South-bound: Day 01 | Day 02 | Day 03 | Day 04 | Day 05 | Day 06 | Day 07 | Day 08
North-bound: Day 09 | Day 10 | Day 11 | Day 12 | Day 13 | Day 14 | Day 15