The 2022 Niagara Pannier Trip – Second Group

Ottawa area and Vancouver Island CCCTS riders gathered in Brantford Ontario for a 7 day pannier trip around the Niagara peninsula.

There were two groups participating in the ride. One group departed on Saturday June 10 in a clockwise direction around the Niagara Peninsula (the ClockWiseCrew). The other group departed on Monday June 12 in a counter clockwise direction (the CounterClockWiseCrew). If all went according to plan, the groups would meet while riding on our 5th day of riding.

There were long and medium length ride options on several of our days. We all had fun and stories to share with the other group at the end of the day.

Day 0 – Brantford Arrival and Short Pre-Ride

A few of the ClockWiseCrew did a 38km pre-ride on our arrival day and one of the CounterClockWise Crew joined us. He kept trying to turn left whenever we wanted to go right (CounterClockWise….). It turned out that he had loaded the wrong ride into his navigation app!

We made a stop in Paris (Ontario) making it a very international ride. We couldn’t find the Eiffel Tower or the Seine, but we did find the Grand River and the Paris Home Hardware!

Our pre-ride meeting was held at the hotel and we met all our fellow riders and organized ourselves for the morning departure.

Day 1 – Brantford to Grimsby

We headed out in 2 groups. Wheels were rolling by 8:30 for all.

We had a nice trail ride (down gradient) on the Brantford to Hamilton rail trail. Lots of forests and fields and a viewpoint over Hamilton Harbour.

 

We rode through part of the McMaster University campus in Hamilton.

The next leg was out to Lake Ontario at Burlington with a stop on the waterfront for a packed lunch followed by ride along the Lake Ontario shoreline trail.

The shoreline trail was very good but is not continuous and we had to move inland onto the North Service Road for sections of the ride. There were headwinds and Highway traffic noise. The nicest noise barrier in Ontario provided about 2 km of shelter from both of above.

We arrived at our hotel in Grimsby just as rain started. We had thunder and a true downpour at 6:00 and then the skies cleared in time for a group dinner.

Day 2 – Grimsby to Niagara Falls

We made an early start to avoid forecast thunderstorms.

John (our fearless leader) left with our group and promptly had a flat tire before we got out of the parking lot (rear tire of course!). He sent us on our way and repaired his tire and soon caught up with one of the other ride groups.

While sheltering from heavy rain under an Esso canopy, we met a woman who had driven from Toronto (about a 90 minute drive) to go to a nearby cafe/bakehouse. She did this quite regularly. Needless to say, we were intrigued about coffee and baked goods that were good enough to drive that far for. The rain let up in about 15 minutes and off we went to find some goodies. Three minutes later we found the RPM Cafe and Bakehouse. Definitely worth a visit!

Carrying on, with caffeine and sugar fueling the legs, we climbed the Niagara Escarpment towards Niagara Falls and made a stop at Brock’s Monument at Queenston Heights. The monument was very tall (56 m). You could climb it for a small donation but after several hours in the saddle no one seemed inclined to climb the 235 steps.

After visiting General Brock we finished our day’s ride along the gorge into the City of Niagara Falls. The steepest hill in the city (9.2% according to Ride with GPS) was on our arrival route to the hotel and required dismounting and pushing our pack horses up the hill.

Day 3 – Niagara Falls local ride

A pannier free day ride through Wine Country and Niagara on the Lake. A warm and sunny day. We visited a few local wineries and had a picnic lunch overlooking the Niagara River where it meets Lake Ontario.

 

Niagara Falls to Port Colborne Day 4

A mostly bike path/service road ride up the Niagara River to Fort Erie and across to the mouth of the Welland Canal. It was a hot day but the spray from Niagara Falls and riding along the shore of Lake Erie kept us a bit cooler.

Our Motel had a pool and bbq and many of us enjoyed dinner around the picnic tables.

Day 5 – Port Colborne to Port Dover

This was our 104 km day. Another hot and humid day but a slight overcast helped to keep it bearable. One group headed out really early to beat the heat.

We made a coffee stop in Dunnville at Minga Cafe. Great coffee and treats to recharge our engines.

This was our crossover day with the CCW Crew. We met their two riding groups enroute and stopped for a quick chat and exchanged info on places to explore as our trips retraced the other groups routes.

The route took us along a rail trail and along Lake Erie. The shores of the lake provided a great picnic lunch stop.

We enjoyed the beach and ice cream store in Port Dover and had a group dinner at a local Bistro that evening. Our group of “bikers” didn’t have quite the same impact on the town as the “bikers” on motorcycles who descend on Port Dover whenever the 13th of the month falls on a Friday. In May 2022 an estimated 100,000 arrived for the day!

Day 6 – Port Dover Day Ride

There were two days rides from Port Dover. No panniers!

Many enjoyed the ride to Turkey Point and lunch at a local restaurant. Others put a few more kilometers on their tires and did the long ride.

Day 7 – Port Dover to Brantford

We headed out on our final day of riding after a hearty breakfast at the Dairy Bar.

The ride was on the Port Dover to Brantford Rail Trail which is a mix of good gravel screenings, pavement and hard packed dirt. The trail was well marked and maintained. Except for the large tree that had fallen across the trail!

We arrived happy and dry at the Best Western where we did a change of clothes and headed off to battle the traffic of Toronto and area.

Everyone had a great trip and enjoyed the riding, the sights of Niagara Falls, the wineries, Niagara on the Lake and the trails and towns along the way.

Thanks to Linda Graupner and Geoff Kennedy for their efforts in planning the pannier trip routes and hotels for both the ClockWiseCrew and the CounterClockwiseCrew.

And to the ClockWiseCrew Leader Elizabeth Buckingham (in absentia due to an injury) for organizing the second group and volunteering John as the backup ride leader 😊. A big thank you from our gang. Last, but not least, a big thanks to John Stephenson for leading in Elizabeth’s absence. Well done!

It was great to be out on a multi-day ride with fellow Club member friends. The ride took us through a part of Ontario that many had never been to before. Niagara Falls, wineries, small villages and big lakes. The trip set the stage for a great summer of riding!

Dave Featherstonhaugh