Underground Railroad Route Report #13

Free at Last!! How the fugitive slave must have felt when crossing into Canada!

On a much, much smaller scale my journey is complete, goal achieved and I am free to return to my life in Rocky River. It is with mixed emotions that I part from my new friends, all remarkable women. Some of the women will return to jobs; most are retired; in their 50's and 60's and all tough as nails. We shared frustration, pain, fatigue and elation together over the course of 2000 miles. Bonds are formed that only come about having shared such a unique experience.

The last couple of days have been eventful. Right up to the last mile, we had flat tires (I had one each of the last two days - how many people does it take to change a rear flat? No less than three); we had a few crashes - the women involved were able to continue riding; and going through customs on bikes was interesting. But we arrived in Canada, safe and sound two days ago, crossing the Peace Bridge on a lovely day and riding along the Niagara River into Niagara Falls. As always, the Falls were mesmerizing; their power shaking our bones. What a sight for all of us. Yesterday, we continued our ride down the Niagara River along a winding bike trail into Niagara on the Lake, a charming little town, home of the Shaw Festival. Niagara on the Lake sits on the point where Niagara River empties into Lake Ontario, and at this point our journey ended. Our bike journey, that is. For life's journey goes on, there will be more adventures, more of the country to see, more history to take in. But it is time to go home, I miss my family, friends and home, so no more eating, sleeping and cycling. My wonderful husband, Jay, met me as I rode into Niagara on the Lake and we are spending a couple of days here relaxing.

I will be home in a few days and am anxious to see all of you. Thanks for your support and good wishes and your wonderful emails and HAPPY FATHERS DAY!!!! THE RIDE GOES ON!

"The truly extraordinary feature of the bike is that, like the greatest teacher, it encourages you to find the answers from somewhere deep down inside yourself."
----Author Tom Davies

--Debby

Click this site to see pictures from the ride.
http://gallery.mac.com/debmilano