Day Ten

I broke one of my rules today…but it was a silly rule. Going down the Canalway Trail on the Erie Canal is beautiful, yes. But after a while, it gets a little monotonous. Not much change in scenery and just the lonely sound of tires churning on gravel. I’ve seen lots of bikers going by with their iPods on, grooving to the beat. So, I decided to wear mine. What a difference! I haven’t biked with music since high school, and it was really nice. I was bopping on the bike seat and making really good time. When I got to Medina, guess what? My first flat, but not on my bike, on the trailer. And I was not prepared for that. I had no idea what caused the flat; I tried to pump up the tire with no luck. I was really hungry for breakfast, so I headed into town for that.

Actually, let me backtrack a little. After a mostly restless night, but a comfy one, I stumbled over to the canal station and two very sweet gentlemen greeted me: John and Bob. “Are you Katy Blue?” I said, “Yes...forgive my appearance, no sleep for a week. Can I use the bathroom?” They said, “Of course, would you like some coffee?” “YES PLEASE”. I freshened up a little and sat with them and had coffee and chatted and they shared their oatmeal with me, and it was really nice.

I packed up and was on the trail by 9:30. John had recommended Captain Kidz in Medina for breakfast. Since I had a flat, I figured I could have a big breakfast with no worry of stomach cramps. I enjoyed a mushroom and cheese omelet with home fries and toast. Brought my trailer up to Thomas Tire and they fixed the flat. The nice man had run his hand around the inside of my tire to find out what caused the flat, but couldn’t find anything. When he was putting the repaired tube back on, he pulled a fish hook out of my tire. “This might have caused your problem,” he said. I’m SO glad he didn’t find that when he was running his hand around the inside of the tire – yikes! He said, “Wow, I’ve been riding that bike trail for 20 years and I’ve never picked up a fish hook.” I said, “See how lucky I am??”

With my tummy full of omelet and my tire full of air, I went on my way. The trail was being repaired at the end, at Lockport, so I found my way around the construction and headed towards Niagara Falls, but I realized something very important: my route takes me into Canada, and I don’t have my passport with me. I won’t dwell on how stupid that was of me; I’m sure that’s apparent. I took a wrong turn and wasn’t sure what to do, so after a few phone calls to Customs and my friends, it was clear I needed to go back to where I took the wrong turn, skip Niagara Falls for this trip and head to Buffalo. It was getting late and I had no idea where I would stay. Chili’s had donated some gift coupons, so I stopped there and had a nice meal of grilled salmon, mashed potatoes, steamed broccoli and iced tea. Couldn’t stay too long after that, since the air conditioning was cranked in the restaurant and I was quite cold. I headed down the road, and stopped when I saw a friendly-looking motel. The price was right so I’m sitting here watching Pretty Woman, munching dried fruit and drinking a Sierra Mist with a little gin.

It all works out in the end, doesn’t it? Love you Gramma and Grandpa! Sending a hug.