BACK IN THE U.S.A.

We made it out of Niagara Falls and Canada by the skin of our teeth, and are now in Lockport NY, after a lunch break. We were delighted to leave the environs of Niagara Falls---people had seen us in the small towns prior to the Falls and asked us where we were headed. One man visibly winced in pain when I told him---he suggested we move through that area, and I know now why he told us that. It was so chaotic, and teeming with inconsiderate people. It was entirely different from the rest of our journey, but it didn't take even a mile of riding out of the "town" to get us back into the comfortable rhythm we're accustomed to. We stopped at a botanical garden and butterfly conservatory to spend our last minutes and loonies in Canada, then admired a huge "floral clock" that the gardeners were tending. We followed our maps to a "T", but they were sorely outdated for the border crossing---the map routed us to a SUPER FREEWAY, like the biggest/busiest one near your town, wherever that is: LBJ in Dallas, or 494 in Minneapolis, or the 5 around Seattle/Portland. 94, 35, 40---think of a place where you wouldn't want to see a bike, and that's where we were! It got 100 times worse when we actually made the crossing over the river by bridge. The bridge was down to a very narrow lane, and there was no room for bikes and cars, so we held up all traffic coming to the U.S. this morning! Luckily, we rode fast, and there were only 2 cars stalled behind us. But, still. The customs agent was none too pleased with us, and said it was a good thing the state troopers weren't there....or... He just left that threat hanging, and we rode into NEW YORK!

I was out front, and missed a critical turn for the "UPPER MOUNTAIN ROAD". I guess the name pretty much implies where we should have been, and it was a terribly sad moment when we finished about a 3 mile screaming descent and discovered that we would have to turn right around and climb back up the mountain. Whoops.

Tonight we're headed to MEDINA NY, then a little past ROCHESTER on WEDNESDAY. We had a wonderful week in Canada---no one yelled at us from their cars for an entire week! Not once did we hear "BUY A CAR" "GET ON THE SIDEWALK" "GET OFF THE ROAD" or an obscenity-laced bon mot that I can't write here. The drivers were courteous, the roads were clean---the scenery was beautiful. I'm hoping for more of the same from here to Maine!