Over the River LXVIII
September 21, 2023
Highlights and lowlights from my 68th two-wheeled trek to the Great State of New York:
1. After I took a seat on the regional transit bus at Fairview Mall, a woman from Bangladesh or some Middle Eastern country asked the driver, “Does this bus go to downtown Niagara Falls?”
“I just go to Morrison and Dorchester. You’ll have to transfer.”
“I don’t want that,” she said before turning around and walking away.
2. Walking across the Rainbow Bridge was a Canada-bound Asian woman who kept jumping up and down in place. Um, whatever.
3. After a couple of routine questions, the CBP officer who served me said, “OK brother, have a nice ride.”
4. The former House of the Lord:
5. To my surprise, the available bikes at the Reddy bike share station on Third Street in Niagara Falls were equipped with the pricey but good flat-blocking Schwalbe Marathon Plus tires. For rentals, I’d more have expected the cheapest tires money could buy.
6. Boarding the #40 Buffalo-bound bus at Old Falls Street was a woman wearing a pink hoodie with PINK written on it. Presumably so that the color-blind would know the color of her attire. How inclusive of her.
7. Walking into the KeyBank Center was a dude wearing a Dolphins cap and jacket. Brave guy to be sporting such garb in Buffalo.
8. Big dawg’s gotta eat . . .
9. The pedestrian bridge over I-190 near the Peace Bridge:
10. Shots of the Peace Bridge from the overlook:
11. Video of the ride following the Shoreline Trail from the Peace Bridge to the South Grand Island Bridge:
I had hoped to capture more video in downtown Buffalo, but a large section of the trail farther south was closed and signage for the detour was spotty at best. When I did find it, they routed cyclists the wrong way down a one-way street.
12. A different kind of park and ride on Grand Island . . .
13. Heading west on Buffalo Avenue in Niagara Falls on my way back to Checkpoint Charlie, I couldn’t help but notice some guy stringing wires who had just gotten out of a car with Massachusetts plates. This in a region with rampant unemployment where EBT is the most popular method of payment, yet they have to bring in tradesmen from out of state. Something smelled about that scene, and wasn’t the chemical plants.
14. Returning to Canada Ostdeutschland, I had to wait for a shift change, then had the pleasure of being served by a snotty 18-year-old who really enjoys the power that comes with that CBSA uniform.
15. On the regional bus that took me back to St. Catharines, a Middle Eastern guy boarded at Morrison and Dorchester, punched up a destination on his phone, shoved it in the driver’s face and mouthed the only two words of English he knows: NI-A-GA-RA COLL-EGE. Then after paying the regional fare, he promptly got off at Thorold Stone Road. Shrug.
16. At the Niagara College stop, a young Caucasian girl asked the driver when the GO bus was coming. How the hell would he know?
17. I’ve heard more English spoken on RTC buses in Quebec than I did during the entire ride to Fairview Mall.
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