The falls

Not a bad place for some extra time. We are on the wrong side, I guess, but really there are some amazing views from the park. It was designed by Olmstead, who is best known for Central Park. He had a wonderful feeling for keeping interest. The park is full of grass and trees and sudden views of the falls and the turbulent waters surging into them. The crowds are much smaller here. It is easy to walk right up to the railings and watch for as long as you like.

Yesterday was given largely to errands. We found a bike shop to change our chains & give the bikes a good check up before we set out on the final 800 miles. Actually, we sort of found a bike shop. It does sell bikes and has a repair area, but its primary role is locksmith & seller of safes. When we arrived we soon realized that the guy we were talking to knew even less than I do about bikes, and that's scary. After we talked a bit - I asked him what differentiated the two chains he planned to order & he looked puzzled, then looked at the catalog & started to read me their specifications - he acknowledged that he really didn't know, but that Dave, their expert, would be back shortly. We felt comfortable enough with Dave. He doesn't know everything, but he knows what he doesn't know & he quickly checked brakes, made sure wheels were true, clearly had a feeling for bikes. So we left the bikes with him & will retrieve them today. I will definitely ride around the block a few times to be sure all feels right.

Laundry got done, we looked at maps, we said goodbye to Liz & Raven. We moved to yet another room, and the tub does hold water. I went in for a massage. I asked at the desk for a recommendation & was given a discount coupon for the casino across the street. If you know me, you know casinos are pretty foreign to me. I have never actually spent a single cent gambling and it has probably been 25 years since I even walked through one. Oh, my! I was more or less prepared for a place that allowed smoking, but not for those machines. There must be well over a thousand of them. There are seats in front of them; I guess people sit there for hours. I really don't get it. All I wanted was to get through as fast as I could. Fortunately, the spa was on another floor & had nothing other than ownership in common with the casino. I left through another door & walked back through the service driveway to avoid having to see all the zoned out people giving their money and time to a bunch of hungry automatons.

We took a walk to the falls with Kiana and Juliet afterwards. I got too hungry after a couple of miles & we headed off to a very nice Indian restaurant. Then back for another restful night. Liz brought me some mail from home including a couple of Bicycling magazines & one Runner's World. I always get some fun out of reading those when I am feeling totally self-indulgent; a chocolate bar in one hand doesn't hurt. So today is given to doing as little as possible & loving it.