Bike ride to the foot of Forest

I started my Sunday morning by driving for Uber and Lyft. I drove 100 miles in 3 hours, going on not just 20-30 minute rides, but also 10-15 minute drives to pick up the passengers. I was quickly exhausted from driving. I got pulled over for going less than 10 miles over the speed limit, but let go with a warning. I didn't want to drive after that. I usually never get pulled over but driving for work is making me careless. Anyway, all I wanted was to get out on my bike.

The Black Rock Canal between Buffalo's West Side and Unity Island, looking north. This section is a natural waterway.

I went for a shorter ride than I intended today. It ended up being just 11 miles this week. It's been snowing on and off the last few days, with wind and below freezing temperatures. I initially went to stop for coffee at Cafe Aroma, but realized I was missing my wallet. I frantically retraced my route home, salmon riding on one-way streets in case I had lost my wallet en route. When I made it home I found the wallet lying safely on my bed. Not wanting to redo the same ride, I changed my destination and went to Cafe Taza, a much smaller coffee shop. I have a friend who works there and saw his bike outside. As I was locking up, he was leaving the shop, having already finished his shift. After drinking a cup of coffee and beginning a new book (The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test by Tom Wolfe), a friend met up to join me on the rest of the ride.

Inside Cafe Taza, looking out on Elmwood Avenue.

We rode down to the Black Rock Canal(Channel), which runs adjacent to the Niagara River. Now I need to point out that the Buffalo waterfront has a lot of wasted potential as the state decided to install the I-190 highway running alongside the river. Very little of the river and canal is accessible due to being used solely for car traffic. Unity Island is an exception as the length of it is dedicated to a bike trail. However, the island also houses a sewage treatment plant and an old garbage landfill. It really shows what the city thought of its waterfront in the past. I'll post photos of a ride on Unity Island another time.

The access point we rode to is located at the foot (beginning) of Forest Avenue. It is literally a sliver of land between the water and the highway, located off a much longer bike trail. There is unofficial access on the other side of a creek, where there is a homeless camp set far back under the highway overpass. We didn't go to that side today.

The foot of Forest looking north.

The foot of Forest looking east.

The foot of Forest looking south.

We usually bring beer to drink at an outdoor stop like this, but both of us are taking breaks from drinking alcohol. It's been almost a month for me now. Instead, I had a can of sparkling water while my friend had some tea. We were both hungry so we decided to get wings at Mr. Goodbar before heading home. Hopefully it begins to warm up this week so that I can take a couple longer rides next weekend. I suspect I will only drive for Uber and Lyft early in the morning before getting out on my bike for the rest of the day.