Coast2Coast Days 71 (rest day) and 72: West Seneca/Buffalo to Gates/Rochester, New York; Waffles, haircut, brewery, ale house, Denny’s, Papa Leo’s, Garbage Pile (Nick Tahou’s) and Fifth Frame!
Adjacent to the Buffalo RiverWorks is a great place for breakfast, the Wonder Coffeehouse. There one can enjoy the ambiance inside, or breeze through the drive-through. I had a waffle with egg, bacon and maple syrup plus an Americano. Delicious!
Stopped at the Salty Dog Barbershop for an excellent cut and conversation with Gamy! He’s been cutting hair since he was 18 (now 38) and has never had a rating below five of five! Great stories were shared.
From downtown Buffalo, we drove to the West Seneca Community Center and Library for some work time for Cathy and some catching up on blogging by Phil. We journeyed to the Rusty Nickel Brewery, where we would be enjoying their Harvest Host hospitality. After numerous beers were tasted by Cathy and Daniel, we went to the adjacent Ebenezer’s Ale House for dinner. It was raining hard, and Daniel had received a round-trip ride. to and from the Rusty Nickel by his Warm Showers host! We agreed to meet at the West Seneca Denny’s, near the Northern Tier route, for breakfast the next morning.
After ‘packing up’ for the day, Cathy and I drove to the Denny’s, and all three of us enjoyed the Endless Breakfast of eggs, bacon and pancakes. Daniel and I rode onto the route just a block from the restaurant. We headed through Buffalo looking to get onto the Empire State Trail. Sections of the Trail were closed for construction, and the signage was not clear, but Daniel had ridden some of the Trail after he crossed into the United States from Canada. Eventually we got onto the route after a couple of ‘wrong turns.’
Once found, the trail was away from most traffic and along Lake Erie. We passed the Peace Bridge that would take one into Canada, and continued up toward Lockport on the Erie Canal Heritage Trail. Daniel and I stopped at Papa Leo’s for pizza / meatball sub lunch, and were served by Duane. He inquired a bit as to our journey, and was impressed by some of the mileage we had accomplished.
We continued along the Canal Trail, saw a lock in progress to transfer a boat, and experienced some of the limestone and rocks along the Trail. We did grow tired of the rocks, and deviated from the Trail to take Route 31 (?). Along the road, we stopped in some shade, and were greeted by Matt, who has property, two apartments that he rents out, and had been working as a dental hygienist. We had a lively conversation, he offered to top off our water bottles, and he was helpful on what to expect along the road! We also stopped at a convenience store/gas station in Wolcott. There we met Shaun, who served us and also does work as a graphic books (comic books) artist!
We made it to our destination for the evening, after being mis-directed by Google Maps. (It is tough to be 100% when providing directions around the globe!!) Once we took some quick showers (and Daniel had checked in with Veronika), we Uber-ed to Nick Tahou’s for cheeseburger garbage plates. Tahou’s had been recommended as a not-to-miss in Rochester. StirLynn served us, and offered multiple times that soda refills were included!
Alex (previously Alice??) Tahou stopped by our tabled, and we engaged in conversation past their closing hour. We exited through their back door, as the front doors had already been locked. Alex shared a number of his stories including his experience canoeing with a team on the 90 mile four-person canoe race that started in Old Forge. He has been recovering from a stroke, and was concerned that he would hamper the team, which were actually focused on finishing rather than placing. Wonder-filled conversation, and he wished us well on the balance of our journeys.
From Tahou’s we walked to Fifth Frame, for some beer-tasting. (In case you haven’t followed the theme, Cathy and Daniel are beer-friends enjoying the variety found at craft beer locations along the way!) I had a Bath Bomb Grapefruit that tasted like spiked orange juice to me, and acquired my first four pack of beer for the trip! We Uber-ed back to our resting place for the evening, and a good rest with sweet dreams for the next day!
