Niagara River Parkway... the ride

Sometimes I have to pinch myself when I leave the house on a training ride... here are a couple of views of the Niagara river taken about a kilometer from our place along the bike path and the Niagara River Parkway... It is interesting to know here that we are looking south and the river is flowing north... in this top picture, you can see the arch of the Lewiston-Queenston Bridge that spans the river and is a main route for tourists coming in from New York... this is taken with my B'berry, so don't expect detail... The bridge is about ten miles from the falls and I pass under it on one of my 40km rides.

The river here is running deep so there is little apparent current here... almost looks like a lake. In fact, Lake Ontario is just a kilometer from where I took this picture. Shallow boats don't have to work hard here on the upstream... lots of kayaks and canoes here on the weekends. There are JetBoat "wet" rides along this part of the river... headed to the Whirlpools and the Falls. I am told they are fun... but I along with many folks that actually live in NOTL don't support them... they are incredibly noisy and the drivers somewhat inconsiderate.

This second picture is essentially the same... but further up the river... the bridge is easier to make out... given the fury of the water just a few miles up-stream from here, it is hard to believe we are just below the falls.

I am also reminded as I look out over the river, that in the other direction (west), there are thousands of acres of vineyards... and over 30 very good wineries. We are about to have the harvest here... they started picking grapes for sparkling wines this past week. There will be an interlude, waiting for the right sugar contents... and soon we will have the wine festival in NOTL. This will bring the wines of last year and others... and they actually are very good, and getting better. These wines drink like the Aussies and Chilean wine... and the 2007 vintage is the equal of most any I have ever tasted. We believe the 2010 vintage is destined to be better still.

Many of the wineries have excellent restaurants as a part of them... so it is great to be in the area in the fall... the harvests of the farms, the orchards and now the grapes make it a place to feast... hard to keep my mind on the ride... Will post some falls pictures next ... enjoy...





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