Bike riding tales

I met Bob Confer for lunch Wednesday at Bakery Dulce Hogar in North Tonawanda.

The Colombian restaurant opened along the railroad spur where it crosses Oliver Street.

Bob had fried tilapia with a green salad, rice and plantains. I had steak, salad, plantains and beans. The food was excellent.

I’d known I would be meeting Bob for several weeks so I adjusted my schedule to accommodate a bike ride.

As a rule, if I have to go somewhere that is a drive of 20-minutes or less, and I am going alone, I like to take my bike.

The drive would be 17 minutes so I decided to pedal which I thought would take about 35 minutes or so at 18 mph on my e-assist Specialized bike.

It was a hot day so I soaked a bandanna in cold water and tied it around my neck. As the water evaporates, it cools you.

The first part of the trip was no problem but as I passed east of the North Grand Island Bridge the bike route is not marked. I stayed on Buffalo Avenue to catch the path along the Expressway through Love Canal.

I am not a fan of the path by the expressway because it curves for no reason. Passing Williams Road I saw the new section of path under construction with some sections going through woods and some behind an ugly concrete wall.

It’s hard to believe they could not create a more aesthetically pleasing design.

In life, I try to be an on-time or early person. If I agree to meet at noon, I try to get there by 11:45. Wednesday, I left my house at 11:15. I rolled up to Confer’s front door at 12:05.

I was irritated that I didn’t plan better. After lunch, I headed back. Some of the new path is base-only but the last mile or so before Williams Road goes through the woods and is semi-paved if not really open.

I took a detour on the way home and stopped at Sullivan’s for a chocolate shake. It was a good decision.