Non-Biking Day at Niagara Falls for the Lake Ontario Trekkers

Today was our first free day without biking on the Lake OntarioTrek.  After having breakfast at the hostel on the Canadian side of Niagara Falls we returned to New York to spend the rest of the day there.  We began by exploring the falls on top for a bit, with just a little bit of confusion as to where we were going.  Eventually we made our way to the Maid of the Mist to ride through the falls, promptly getting soaked.  

After that we headed to the nearest grocery store to get what we needed for lunch and dinner and went to a park with a path to the Whirlpool Gorge which we hiked.  For the record, one of our counselors, Tyler, is a liar. The majority of us did not particularly want to go on the hike but he assured us that it was only a mile.  It was more than four miles.  However we managed to push ourselves back to our bikes where we played a few a few games of Ninja with Jake and Jack ending up triumphant.  We headed back to the hostel  and the cooking crew consisting of Mary, Jack, and Jake prepared chicken and eggplant Parmesan for dinner on baguettes.  After cleaning up dinner we went to the fire works at NiagaraFalls before holding a meeting to review the day and turning in for the night.
-- Trekker Claire

Lake Ontario Trek Gets Soaked on the Maid of the Mist

The Lake Ontario Trek enjoyed a gorgeous, sunny day at Niagara Falls.  They enjoyed a picnic lunch including some very tasty rotisserie chicken and then biked the trails around Goat Island. 

Teen Treks' Director, Cliff Madell, joined the group for the day and gave them some tips about bike mechanics while he was there.

Next, the Trekkers went on the Maid of the Mist boat tour, which takes you right up next to the Falls themselves.  Here's the group looking cheerful -- and dry -- before Maid of the Mist:

And here they are afterward, drenched!  But still cheerful:

Check out leader Zari's t-shirt.  It's hot pink in the first photo, and it gets so soaked it actually looks dark red in the second.

The group is staying at the Niagara Falls Youth Hostel again tonight.  Tomorrow, they'll bike up to Jordan, Ontario, for their first night camping out together!

Niagara-Toronto's Time in Niagara

The Trekkers have been busy!  Here's what they did this weekend:

From Kate, Leader:
"We spent a wonderful first day exploring many historical sites in Buffalo.  What we visited: the Naval Park with battle destroyer ships from WWII, including the USS the Sullivans, which is haunted by the 5 Sullivan brothers who died on the ship during the Battle of the Solomons.  We also checked out the Darwin Martin House, a gorgeous awe inspiring residence designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, and the home of the "Buffalo wing", the Anchor Bar.  
The group spent the first night in a fab Buffalo hostel. Then, we packed up our bikes and headed into Canada.  Shortly after crossing the border, we had a swim and snack break.  We then hopped on a lovely bike path and cruised our way to Niagara Falls along a bike path.  At the Falls, we paused for a quick photo opp and a much needed Tim Horton's pit stop-the Canadian doughnut and coffee eatery went down a treat.  The Niagara Falls hostel is really awesome; homely and comfortable.  We took advantage of the nice kitchen and cooked a delicious chicken enchilada dinner, followed by a yummy chocolate, peanut butter and banana cake."

 

Buffalo is a hot spot for Frank Lloyd Wright creations

And onto Niagara Falls: "The day started out with an exciting ride on the Maid of the Mist boat, which takes visitors right to the foot of the Falls.  Everyone got a good sprinkling as we donned blue ponchos and sailed past the Brides Vale and Horseshoe falls.  After disembarking we cycled to Goat Island and saw the falls close up, this time from above.  A quick jaunt to the Three Sisters Islands and a ride over the rest of the islands followed.  After lunch we made our way to Whirlpool State Park along the Robert Moses Parkway bike path (in New York), a former highway converted for bike use.  At Whirlpool State Park we dismounted our trusty steeds and descended into the maw of the Niagara Gorge.  A shady hike ensued with lots of laughter and stops to dip our toes into the warm water.  The views were great; we were surrounded by panoramic views of the gorge, a few fisherman, huge slabs of rock and Canada.  After hiking up some less than desirable stairs and crossing back into Canada we cooked up a filling meal of pasta alfredo.  Another good day for Niagara-Toronto where the kids were so tuckered out that they feel asleep with the lights on.  Onward and upward!"
-Keaton, Leader

 

The Nigara Gorge-great spot with multiple hiking trails

Timbits from Tim Hortons-more to come!

Lake Ontario Group Photo at Niagara Falls

Here is the group after riding the Maid of the Mist boat ride, which take people to the foot of the Falls.  The Trekkers are enjoying their final day in Toronto before moving eastward along Lake Ontario, which will bring them to more rural territory.

Lake Ontario Trek Living the Canadian Life

Our Lake Ontario Trek has gotten off to an exciting start, with the first day taking the group right into the Canadian province on Ontario!  Here is Laura's (one of the Leaders) recap of the first few days:

The whole gang

Taking a break along the Lake

Adventures at Niagara Falls:

The Lake Ontario Trekkers spent their first 2 days at Niagara Falls. We took a scenic ride from Buffalo to the Falls checking out each view of the magnificent falls. Those who had never been here before were pretty amazed by their power and beauty.  After a day with many stops to do some bike tune ups and fix flats we cooked a delicious meal at the hostel and went to bed to get ready for another busy day at the falls.  The next day, we rode the Maid of the Mist boat tour, getting up close and personal with the massive falls.  Then we followed the river to the Niagara Glen gorge area, which had amazing views of the falls and whirlpools.  We hiked down into the gorge which ended with a view of the whirlpools and a refreshing run off waterfall to cool down in. 

No shortage of mist here!

The next days were spent riding to a campsite in Jordan, ON and then to Hamilton, ON. The highlight was spending some time at Ball's Falls--a perfect opportunity for a swim.

Your fearless Leaders, Laura and Luke

Ball's Falls-great swimming spot!

Then we made the final trek to Toronto--our first 50 mile day! As we set off from our campsite in the morning we could see Toronto in the horizon and knew we had quite a trek ahead of us. But spirits were high as we could see the city getting closer and closer.  The view was amazing because we were riding on a bike path right along Lake Ontario, the Lake that Toronto sits on! 

We will spend 2 full days here before we continue around the lake!  Toronto is a great city for cyclists-the roads have bike paths, traffic isn't crazy and they have a cool bike culture-bike commuters and students whiz around (lots of fixed gear bikes and stylish outfits) at all hours.

The Trekkers setting of on the bike path to Toronto

Because the Trekkers are in Canada, blog posts will be less frequent-about every 5 days.  Once the group in back in New York State, it will be easier for Leaders to send up photos.