Pedal 100: Ben, Kathy, Michelle & Tom
OK, this is not really us at Pedal100, but a photoshop mashup of the Pedal100 banner and the four of us in Chioggia.
Pedal Magazinewas taking photos, and took some of Kathy and Ben, as well as one of the four of us after the ride, but they have not posted them, sadly.
Kathy and Ben rode in the Pedal 100 charity bike ride for the Canadian Heart & Strok Foundation on August 16. We met our friends Tom and Michelle in Niagara-on-the-Lake (NotL) and stayed in a very nice B&B called Brockamour Manor. We arrived Saturday the 15th, walked around NotL and then went out for a very fine dinner at a local winery, Strewn. The next day was the ride itself, which was hard only because of the heat. Ben also was a little off his game, and also suffered a flat tire, the first in very many miles of riding. The route is recorded here. That evening we had another excellent meal, this time at Zee's Grill, and took in Noel Coward's Brief Encounters, part of the Shaw Festival that NotL stages each summer.
Monday morning we headed out to Ithaca to visit Ben's father and his sister, Celia, & family. Also turning up this week was Chris, an old friend of the family, with his family. Celia had us all over to a sumptuous feast that began with appetizers by the swimming pond and finished up with fresh raspberries from husband Dan's berry farm.
Tuesday we got a bit of water skiing in, Kathy picked raspberries with Dan while Ben did some errands, and we all went out to dinner at Blue Stone Cafe. Not quite at the level of the meals we'd had in NotL (or at Celia's), but still very good food.
Wednesday we were due to head out by noon, but we still packed in a pre-breakfast ride with Chris and breakfast in TBurg with our friend June.
All in all, a great trip!