Day 7 – June 28th, 2019 – Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada to Canton, New York, United States: ~350 miles
Vy and I cross the border…again.
Missed Day 6? – Day 6 – June 27th, 2019 – Erie, Pennsylvania to Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada: ~130 miles
Our last few moments in Canada reinforce the stereotype – instead of saying “Closed” or “No Vacancy”, this sign just says “Sorry.”
We took one last peek at the Niagara River and then made our way back into New York.
Slightly out of our way (but possibly worth a stop) is the Culvert Road tunnel in Medina, New York.
The dimensions aren’t particularly impressive (7’6″ tall), but it has the distinction of being the only way of going underneath the Erie Canal (there’s plenty of bridges over it). Was that worth the detour? Probably not, but Vy and I are always looking for oddball stops to break up long highway slogs.
Keeping the off-highway theme going, we headed due north to Lyndonville so we could ride along the southern edge of Lake Ontario. A foursome of shoe trees attracted our attention.
There are hundreds of shoes here – some have been tossed up into the branches, others nailed into the trunk.
It’s unclear how it started, but the first shoes appeared in the 1980s. Some have started to become one with nature.
As emphasized in Day 5 of this trip, I was getting desperate to see a buggy! I was hoping this farm would have one, but their packaging was going to have to suffice for now.
No idea why these trash cans were spray painted with “R” and “T”, but I couldn’t pass up on this photo when riding a BMW RT!
Suzuki B-King sighting! No worries if you’re not familiar with the model, it was only sold in the US for one year. Think of it as a naked Hayabusa, and yes…those giant exhaust pipes are stock.
We stopped in Rochester for lunch. A local favorite is Nick Tahou Hots – the sign tells you what they’re famous for. It doesn’t tell you what a “Garbage Plate” is, though. It’s basically a combination of fries, macaroni salad, beans, meat, and condiments. The dish was originally called “Hots and Potatoes”, and it was all about trying to get customers a “large amount of food for a reasonable price” during the Great Depression. It’s delicious, it goes back to 1918, and it’s probably as bad for you as it sounds. Health.com called it the “fattiest food in New York State” (click that link if you want the photo I deprived you of). Vy and I split one and it was still too much. Terrifyingly, the Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity at University of Rochester has an annual charity event called the Garbage Plate Run with teams of three. The first person runs 2.2 miles from campus to the restaurant, second person eats a Garbage Plate, and the third person runs back – first team wins. There’s also an “Ironman” class where one person does the whole thing…
In Seneca Falls, there’s an unassuming bridge that inspired a famous movie scene. Can you guess?
Here’s your hint.
There are two plaques on this bridge, supposedly the one that inspired the scene where George Bailey jumps from a Bridge in “It’s a Wonderful Life.” One plaque notes that the design is quite similar to the one in the film, and this is the other one. It commemorates Antonio Varacalli, who jumped into the canal to save a drowning woman (though he did not survive the incident himself).
The strength of ants always impresses me.
Located on a dock inside of a pond in Oneida, Cross Island Chapel has floor dimensions of just 4’3″ x 6’9″. It was built in 1989 and is claimed to be “The Smallest Church in the World.”
The church has a capacity of 5 people, or one less than the number of geese strolling through this photo.
The chapel was pretty interesting, but I was more fascinated by this frog that (I assume) met an untimely demise under the wheel of a car.
Finally…I saw a buggy in person! Still, the trip will have been a waste if I don’t see one on the move…
I’m used to seeing little bikes on the backs of RVs, but this guy had a ex-police Street Glide!
Back on smaller roads, we encounters some abandoned buildings. I thought I spotted a motorcycle in this one so we had to turn around for a closer look.
Looks like a Honda CB360 and a snowmobile. Wonder how long it’s been like that!
Old-school Chevron.
Not much further down the road, we saw another wrecked building with some vehicles in it.
I found this phenomenon quite interesting – why are so many people in rural New York stashing vehicles (can you identify the car?) in buildings and letting said buildings collapse? Anybody want a BSA frame?
Great success!
The Crusaders Motorcycle Club was started in 1957 with land that was leased from a farmer. The club bought the land in 1995, and the approximately 40 members “hold five races per year with an average of 125 riders per race.”
I took a quick peek in to see if anything was happening. The answer was no, but the gate was open…
…so I kicked Vy off the back and then took the RT around for what is possibly the slowest lap time this track has seen since 1957.
This part of town didn’t seem to have street signs – just signs for residents on a given street.
Triumph Tiger sighting!
The Lifesavers company was founded in Gouverneur, New York. That fact is celebrated by a large Pep-O-Mint Lifesavers roll in the middle of town.
We stopped for the night in the small town of Canton. By the time we got in there weren’t many options for dinner so we tried Buster’s Sports Cafe. I don’t have high expectations for bar food but I was more than pleased with the food and the service. Tomorrow, we head into New England!
On to Day 8!