36 miles

I woke up feeling very cozy in my hammock this morning. It is amazingly comfortable with a half inflated sleeping pad. The weather was cool and light and breezy, with the sun just coming up.

I packed up and headed back to the beach area to have my breakfast. A nice couple stopped to chat and recommended I take Old Lake Road, which I did, and it was nice and smooth and quiet. I rode into Buffalo, thinking I might get a hotel. I’ve learned my lesson about trying to camp near cities.

 I sent some messages to potential warmshowers hosts and stopped for coffee at Undergrounds Cafe to skulk in the meager shade of the building, buying time while I waited to hear back. I’m not really in the mood for exploring. I did stop to walk around at the botanical gardens, which were nice—they reminded me of the Belle Isle Conservatory. 

One girl on warmshowers recommended the local hostel, which doesn’t look too bad, but I’m not feeling particularly sociable. Eventually I gave up waiting for replies and booked a hotel room while I ate dinner at a place called Dino BBQ…but a few minutes later a girl I’d messaged replied that she’s available, so I cancelled my room. She’s only a mile away, so it’s perfect.