Mini-Bike Trip

Yesterday’s Workout: Rest
Today’s Workout: Run – 8km

For my birthday in April, my parents suggested Ryan and I plan a night away at an Inn in Port Dalhousie that they had stayed at with friends a couple of years back. This was the perfect excuse to plan our first overnight bike trip together, and so we did just that.

Saturday morning we went through a short to-do list to get us ready to go. Bags packed. Route mapped. Tires pumped. Chain lubed. Check, check, check, check! Ryan took care of looking over our bikes for mechanical issues and then we set off toward Port Dalhousie.

After passing by Hamilton into Stoney Creek, we cut up to the top of the Niagara Escarpment. Though we could have hugged Lake Ontario the entire way there, we opted for a more scenic route on quieter roads. It also provided us with a nice climb up to the top. Nice meaning challenging – I need to work on my climbing skills (physically and mentally).

Our ride was pretty uneventful once we made it to the top of the escarpment. We passed numerous vineyards and farms, and battled what I considered to be a fairly strong crosswind. In the future, I would change the route up a bit as we ended up riding a long ways on a fairly borrowing stretch of road.

70km later, we arrived in Port Dalhousie and met up with my parents who had very generously offered to drive Ryan’s truck out to the Inn so that we would have a vehicle for our trip home on Sunday. Bonus! That also meant that we were able to pack a proper overnight bag in the truck, and not carry much on our backs while out riding. Thanks, Mom and Dad!

Port Dalhousie

The remainder of Saturday consisted of plenty of refuelling (mmm!), exploring the area, and relaxing in our cozy Inn room. I loved it! We may not have been too far from home, but I felt like I was a world away… a mini-vacation! Note to self, more of these in the future.

Out for a walk on the pier in Port Dalhousie

Sunday we set off toward Niagara Falls, with a planned pit stop in Niagara-on-the-Lake. Even though we only had breakfast some 20km ago, I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to stop to soak up the quaint setting. We grabbed a coffee and took in the happenings of the main street. It is very historic and there are tons of shops, restaurants, cafes, etc.

Coffee break in Niagara-on-the-Lake

Heading onward, we picked up the Niagara Recreational Trail all the way to the Falls (with the exception of a few kilometres leading into the main tourist area which are on-road). The route along the Niagara River was very scenic, with its sheer drop to the powerful waters below. After having enjoyed a weekend of quiet towns and pretty scenery, entering Niagara Falls was somewhat overwhelming. It is such a sharp contrast to its surroundings, with the in-your-face commercialism seemingly popping up out of nowhere. Needless to stay, we didn’t stay long. After wolfing down some delicious oven baked pizza, we were back on our bikes headed back to Port Dalhousie.

Made it to the Falls

The way back was quite a bit quicker, as we had already checked out the sights and sounds of the area on the way there. After approximately 165km covered that weekend, with no accidents, flat tires, or mechanical failures, we pulled up to Ryan`s truck. “We made it!”, I proclaimed. But not so fast. Just as I was coming to a rolling stop, clipping out with one foot, I suddenly felt my bike stop dead in its tracks. I looked down to see my front tire wedged into a crack on the concrete path. My bike went one way, and I went the other.

A moment later I found myself on the concrete, not hurt, but slightly embarrassed by my clumsiness. Naturally I was more concerned about my bike, but neither of us were hurt. This is my second time I`ve fallen off my bike at the very end of a ride. The last ended in a concussion, so I will gladly take a bruised ego instead 🙂

All in all, a great weekend. Ryan is a great riding partner, with a lot of patience and wisdom to share. I can’t wait to plan our next, hopefully longer, bike getaway.