I was able to dig deeper into the City of Buffalo on a 3 hour bike ride around the city, It’s got great parks, waterfront on Lake Erie, dilapidated neighborhoods, sprawling roads of empty storefronts, beautiful homes from the turn of the century and I did find a few Martini bars and a sign for some luxury condos on Elmwood Ave. Elmwood Ave is an “up and coming neighborhood”. It was a Monday night and their wasn’t much happening in town except Dark Star Orchestra at the Town Theater (Dark Star is a Grateful Dead cover band who has a national following and headline many festivals due to their quality of the performance and the recreation of shows start to finish. Say Nov 12th 1985 at the Worcester Centrum.) I rode my bike over to check out the scene. Lots of tie dye, 50 yr old dudes and 18 year old kids wearing shirts with Jerry Garcia’s image on them. It was interesting people watching, I decided to pass and head back to Nietzsches for their open mic night. As I was riding away I witnessed a black dude getting busted but the BPD for selling marijuana to white dudes going to the show. I know many white dudes sell pot as well but it made me think about the statistics of black men in prison for majiuna related charges. So I went down to my adopted neighborhood parked my bike and headed to see some local talent.
I arrived to Nietzsches and saw about 10 – 15 singer songwriter type of folk hanging out smoking butts and carrying guitars. But what really caught my attention was this blues, soul, rock band playing above the Allen St. Liquor Store. Come to find out their name was Ms. Vicky and they practice every Monday night. Well the windows were open so I just grabbed a fence post and did a lean. They were rocking but I could tell they were just starting out. But man they had it going on. I looked down the way and this woman with a cowboy hat and pumps was grooving to it as well so I made my way over to say hi. Her name was Wonder Woman and she called me Peter Cotton Tail. We small talked for a bit and I realized what profession she was employed at and she realized I wasn’t in the market for her “special services” as she named it when I asked what she did for work. For the next hour or so we listened to Ms. Vicky and talked about love, god, forgiveness and the lessons we need to learn from life. She was insightful and vivacious and I spoke to her like I new her all my life (maybe I did?). When the band stopped and it was time to move on down the way we didn’t hug or exchanges email addresses but we both knew that we had given each other a gift. Friendship, it continued to cement my believe that we have the opportunity to learn from every individual that comes into our lives, some for 5 minutes some for a lifetime, but if I’m open with my ears and eyes I can learn and grow. And I’m hoping someday that I get a chance to see or hear on the radio the musical offerings of Ms. Vicki, my liquor store heroes and I Ms. Wonder Woman reaches her goals.
I finished my night with Tom Stahl the featured artist he sang his heart out. He had on chuck taylors, cut off camouflage pants, a flavor shaver and a pork pie hat, as I could tell it was about 3 different fashion trends at one time but it worked for him One line that I remember from his tune about self pity was “your been found guilty of living too long”. I went back to my back yard (park adjacent to wear the astro was residing for the night) did some stretching, watched a family of bunny rabbits taunt the local hounds that were out to do their daily business before bed time and jumped in my bunk feeling more like a local then the night before.
I arrived in Niagara Falls around Noon. Truly an amazing sight to see that much water flowing and falling. Just as amazing was the amount of Indian restaurants and that the area can support not just 1 but 2 Hard Rock Cafés. I got in line to cross the Canadian border in Ontario, Canada. I knew something was up when the young Canadian women in the booth started pelting me with questions about my job, home and purpose of driving my Astro Van into her beloved country. She gave me a yellow slip and said the turn left into immigration where another young Canadian women greeted me with the exact line of questioning. Then she put on her disposable gloves and jumped into the Astro to take a better look while I waited off to the side. I had a hard time not laughing when she asked me to come around the vehicle to give her the past word to my laptop. Their she was with her bullet proof vest sitting on my bunk with my computer open up. After about 20 minutes she said everything checked out and said to go inside with my yellow slip. An older Canadian women greeted me with an advanced set of questions but along the same lines. I guess a guy from New Hampshire driving a 1995 Chevy Astro with no job no real destination or reason for being in their country was alarming to them. But she stamped my slip and sent me on my way! All in all in was an entertaining experience as they were all very polite and attractive to different degrees especially the one with the bullet proof vest!
From there I stared my journey to Manatoulin (sp) Island which I know little about except for my friends Dylan and Lynn spent time there mountain biking and said it was one of their favorite spots on their travels west! I made a drive by in Toronto, a city 2,500,000 and I felt it for sure. Someday I would go back for a weekend… seemed like a lot of action and very clean! Then North West! A little side bar… A dream of mine is to journey to French Lick, Indiana. It’s in central Indiana and is the birthplace and home to the living legend… LARRY BIRD!!! I could write a book about this man, but I will leave it at this… Another major influence in my life. A true team player, put your nose to the parquet, dive for the loose ball, go toe to toe with Dr. J and Kareem and keep your blue collar, humbleness when everyone in the world wants a piece of you. Anyways I was driving by the hamlet of Parry Sound and saw a sign the Bobby Orr museum. Well Hockey is not my 1st love but I know enough that Bobby Orr who is ranked the 2nd best hockey player of all time behind Wayne Gretsky and won 2 Stanley Cups for the Boston Bruins. I pulled in around 8 pm to the most magnificent display of thunder and lightning all on the banks of Lake Huron! I fired up my grill ate some fakey hot dogs with red beans went for a walk around town and crashed out in the municipal parking lot. I woke up this morning went for a 1 hour run along the waterfront, took a $2 shower at the Chamber of Commerce info booth, yup very cool, and then hit the Bobby Orr Museum! A great interactive place that any sports fan or casual fan or hockey would enjoy!!
Now I sit in a coffee shop in Sudbury, Ontario getting ready for the final push to Manatoulin Island and to hopefully unleash my mountain bike for the first time on this trip….
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