Day 55 Hamilton to St Catherines

Today is to be a very short day distance wise, but will be extended by numerous stopping points hosted by the good people of southern Ontario.

We left a little later today, 7:15, the wind was blowing pretty goood from the south, meaning we would have a cross breeze. Not ideal, but could be worse. It was a little cloudy to start the day, but ended in sunshine and 30 plus degrees (90 F). The humidity is up a bit, but not too bad.

The roads weren't all that great today. A number of times there would be a yelp or something when going over some bumps that we just can't out maneuver in time, especially when behind another cyclist. One time Fred was ahead of me and one of his water bottles popped right out of it's holder and found it's way under my tires. Fortunately no damage to either rider or bottle.

We came by a nice view point overlooking the city of Hamilton and Lake Ontario. At the 30 k mark we cycled down the Niagara Escarpment which is a 300' or so drop and brings us to all the cities and towns around the lake. Our first stop was at the Dutch Store in Grimsby where Eritia S (ON) works. Our church stops were hosted by Mountain View CRC (Grimsby), Beamsville CRC, and Vineland CRC. At Beacon Hill Christian Schools, our stop for the weekend, the Mountain View, Beamsville, and Fruitland CRC's hosted us for supper. I hope I haven't forgotten anyone, the support here has been fantastic and some events seem to blur into the next. There were also a number of occasions when people would have signs by their houses or businesses, or just be standing along the road cheering us on. Once we got in (around 1:30), we had snacks and services availabe by some of the local CRC churches. Fred and I went to Chris and Joanne T's house for a bit, where showers and laundry were available. Much appreciated Chris and Joanne, who later escorted a bus full of us to Niagara Falls.

After supper I was surprised (accosted) by Arnie Tenbrinke when I was by the gear truck. Arnie and Sherry are here for a visit and it is nice to see them.

As noted, we went to see Niagara Falls after supper. We had two school buses full of tourists to add to the thousands already at the Falls. The Falls are quite spectacular (pics) and we saw the bridge we will cycle over on Monday morning as we cross into New York state.

Totals for day: 79 k (47 mi), 3:00 pedalling time, 26.0 kph avg (16 mph)