Sept 18 Day 7

Sept 18

Day 7

Niagara Falls NY

Miles 65

Did a little different ride today the route took us to a Old Fort Niagara and then a back track trip to the hotel as hotels past the Fort are few and far between.

The first challenge was finding a way through Buffalo. Car route avoiding Interstates and toll roads turned out badly.   Switching to a bike route looked good at the start then turned into just paths.  So a change to a driving route ignoring directions for about 4 miles just heading north then turned out to on poor roads but OK for the motorbikes.  It took through the old manufacturing outskirts or rustbelt of Buffalo. The homes were great in their day but today need a lot of work.  When crossed over the old ship canal the neighborhoods became great high end and expensive looking. Then north they became normal middle class areas. 

We arrived at Old Fort Niagara and history was fantastic.  Turns out 300 years the French build what they called a peace house with agreement of the local tribes.  This was build as one building fort with 4 foot thick stone walls and lots of defensive additions.  As it was on the one spot that should stop trade into the west from the great lakes the British were upset.  Therefore in the Indian wars of 1750s the British landed troops there and took the fort after a long battle and siege.  They stayed in the fort throughout out war of Independence and only turned it over to American in late 1790s.  Then the war of 1812 started and the American’s attacked the British in Fort George and captured it and held that for a couple of months.  But the British attacked reversed that win and during the winter they crossed the river on ice and captured Fort Niagara again.  They stayed until 1815 before agreeing the turned the fort back to the American.  

Then the ride back to the hotel with no joy as they would not check us in as our room was not ready.  This was annoying but not terrible we just over a bridge to Goat Island and did the tourist thing at Niagara Falls taking pictures of the falls.  

Dinner was at the Anchor Bar famous as the place Buffalo Chicken wings.

Counts

No fields of crops at all today

5 Harris signs 1 Trump sign (note a very low count)

7 churches

4 schools

8 railroad crossings

4 cemeteries

2 lawn mower

1 fox we saw twice

2 marinas

3 army trucks