The sun peeked through as I was leaving Mary and Jos' place this morning. My legs felt pretty good as I set out, but I was pretty saddle sore, causing me to take a break at the Starbucks in Niagara Falls.
The photo above is taken from the Rainbow Bridge. There is a majesty to Niagara Falls from this vantage point which is a huge contrast from the museums and shops on Clifton Hill.
I rode the bike up to the customs kiosk where the where the US Border Agent stepped out to scrutinize me. I handed him my US passport.
"Where are you coming from?"
"I live in Halifax, Nova Scotia, but I started this trip at my brother's place in Brantford, Ontario."
"Where are you going?"
"I'm heading across upstate New York and then dropping south along one of the Finger Lakes toward my other brother's place in Northeastern, Pennsylvania. If my legs hold out, I'm going to try to make it to Florida."
"Anything to declare?"
"No sir."
"All right then." He handed me back my passport.
There was no catharsis to my crossing the border into the country of my birth. I had travelled in and out of the US numerous times over the course of my chiropractic practice. Crossing by bicycle was different though, at least for me, because it signalled the beginning of something and the end of something. What's over the next hill? What's around the next corner? Who will I meet? What will I learn?
Misty rain greeted me as I cycled into Lockport. I need to rest my knees and the skin over my ischium, which is pretty sore. My body doesn't tolerate or recover as fast as it used to from the cycling. That's okay though, one day at a time and I'll be in shape before I know it. At 249 pounds it will be interesting to see how much weight I lose by the end of the trip!
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