Friday, August 18, 2023
Day 77
Dunkirk to Niagara, New York
Miles: 67.75 – Total accent: 1,385 – Hours: 6 hours, 2 minutes
Totals:. Miles- 3,992.76 – Accent- 120,989
335 hrs 42 minutes in the saddle
Good morning America!! It’s 5:30 am and it rained again last night. Hopefully it’s all done and we’ll miss it today.
Dressed, we head downstairs to get coffee and get hit with the strong smell of marijuana once we’ve opened the door. Ugh!
We cannot get out quickly enough and hit the road.
The crisp, fresh air is so invigorating. The sky is painted with clouds.
The day begins with nice tailwinds but as we turn towards the lake, side gusts nearly blow us over. The pace slows as we weave our way towards Niagara. The side winds turn to headwinds. Easier to stay upright but our travel is slow. As we travel along Lake Erie, there is a cloudburst. We find a two foot area sheltered by a steel beam and the rain falls all around us…but we are sheltered. After 10 minutes, the cloud moves on and we’re safe to continue. Using Komoot, we are directed to two sections closed. Detour, detour, detour. And traveling through sections that are depressed. Profanity. Marijuana. This is not HOME.
A few more miles, we travel through parks and nicer areas. After nearly 70 miles, we get to our destination. And, as if scripted, the sky opens up and rain pours. So very grateful we have once again escaped it! While not sure if and when our luck will run out but so very thankful we keep getting ’home’ before the rain starts. We watch as a couple getting married has a photo shoot and families arriving. The people watching is incredible.
Tomorrow we travel to Niagara Falls State Park. How exciting!
