Oh Canada!

What a glorious day! The weather has been beautiful, the riding easy, and the scenery spectacular. Here I am on the Canadian side of Niagara Falls, proudly wearing my Ransom Tigers t-shirt in honor of my friends in John Lowe’s class who have been tracking me on my journey and making sure I keep my facts straight.

I began my day riding through downtown Buffalo in search of the Michigan Avenue Baptist Church, one of the city’s best-known Underground Railroad sites. The church had its beginnings in the mid-1830s when the first black congregation in the area was organized.

For several years the congregation worshipped in a rented space in Niagara until their permanent home was completed in 1845. During the 1850s the church building served as a safe house, where freedom seekers would hide in the basement while waiting to be ferried across the Niagara River to Canada by night.

Around the corner from the church is the Nash House. J. Edward Nash was the son of parents who had been born as slaves. He arrived in Buffalo from Virginia in 1892. Twenty-four years old at the time, he took the pulpit of the church and served as pastor for 61 years. He was one of the most influential leaders in developing the African American community in Buffalo. He was host to W.E.B. Dubois and Booker T. Washington, among other prominent African American leaders of the time.


He was widely respected by the city white establishment and used his access to public officials to benefit the African American community.

Buffalo was the last stop on the freedom train. Legendary Underground Railroad conductor Harriet Tubman led bands of numerous runaways through Western New York on their way to freedom in Canada. Many fugitives stopped running in Buffalo, put down roots and began to build their own communities. This was the beginning of a rich and diverse culture that still permeates the city today.


Here is the Peace Bridge leading from Buffalo into Ontario. I took this picture from the Canadian side after riding across it. The most complicated part of crossing over was getting me and my bike through the metal turnstile at the American checkpoint.

From then on, it was smooth sailing along the Niagara Recreation Trail that runs alongside the Niagara River from Fort Erie to Lake Ontario at Niagara-on-the-Lake.

I met a family of Canada Geese, obviously quite at comfortable on their home turf. In closing I’ll leave you with a couple of obligatory pictures of the great Niagara Falls, although photographs don’t even come close to capturing the beauty and power of the water.



Tomorrow I hope to continue North through St. Catharines and toward Hamilton. The weather forecast is for more wind and thunder storms, so I don’t know how far I will get.

Whatever the weather brings, it won’t dampen my spirits. I am continually amazed and delighted at how inspiring this trek continues to be. Thanks for coming along! This is a holiday weekend in Canada, with Monday being Victoria Day, so I should encounter some festivities along the way.

Check back tomorrow for more pictures and stories. Take care!

Large versions of all my blog pics can be found at my photo gallery

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