Day 3, plus tales from Day 2: the post-Niagara Saga

August 23rd, 2006
Leg 2: Balls Falls, Ontario to Lockport, NY
Mileage: 38 on bike, ~ 10 in truck
Broken spoke total: 3 in 36 hours

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Shortly after our last posting in Niagara Falls, we tried to get our Canadian money changed to US at a casino, where we met a delightful old widower named Buzz who has 5 cats and gambles like no one's business. Random, but awesome. We made the mistake of entering the casino with our video camera, and they wouldn't let us onto the floor to go change our money without an escort, so we decided we'd head to the bank instead of putting up a fuss. The bank had just closed, however, so :

Sam goes through the Bank of America drive-thru ATM in Niagara Falls, NY (Weds. 8/23).

We then headed to the Tuscarora Indian Nation, hoping to ask people about what healthcare was like on the reservation. Two green signs marked the entry point onto the land; one in English, and the other in Tuscarora (we think). A sticker posted onto the bottom sign said "Honor Indian Treaties". As we pedaled down the road, we were a little unsure what to expect. What we weren't expecting was for two dogs to suddenly come charging across someone's lawn at us. "Go, Sam, go!" I yelled, slamming my foot down to put pedal to the metal, as the saying goes... only to immediately hear a familiar "ping!" from my dear bike... I couldn't believe it - another broken spoke! My disbelief made me forget about the dogs, who disappeared as quickly as they came. We pulled into the driveway of a trailer where a man and woman sat on the porch, watching us warily. I joked under my breath to Sam, "Welp, guess we're staying here tonight", mustered my biggest smile, and headed toward the porch. My explanation of my bike problem was met with an offer to look up a bike shop in the phone book, but all involved parties knew the closest shop was over 10 miles away, and it was easy to see that this couple was not particularly interested in our having us around, so I didn't ask if we could pitch our tent. They suggested the Smoke Shop might have someone who could help us out, about 1000 yards further onto the reservation. So, back to our by now all-too-familiar routine of walking our broke-spoke bikes, Sam and I tried to laugh our way down the road, amused by our misfortune but probably a little anxious on the inside, as we were now stranded on the Rez.
After about 5 minutes of walking, a tiny angel called out "HEY!" Across the road on the porch of someone's house was an adorable little kid, naked but with a towel cape, calling out greeting to us. We looked at the yard, then looked at each other and grinned. It met the criteria Sam & I had established earlier on when discussing how we'd pick a place to stay, the biggest factor of course being toys in the yard to indicate a family lived there, rather than some creepy old man. And not just toys - happy children running around! "Well, here goes", we said to ourselves, and I left my bike leaning up against Sam and knocked on the screen door. A family sat right inside the door, eating dinner.
"Knock knock," I called. "I know this is a little strange," I said to the smiling young man who answered the door, "but we're biking through and I've got a broken wheel, and we wondered if it might be ok if we put up our tent over in the side yard here." He looked to his mom for authority, and then the husband came to the door. I again explained our quandry, but I could see that he was reserved as he silently looked things over, and I said that perhaps if that was out of his comfort zone, he might be able to think of someone else who could help us out.
The honesty of his response caught both Sam & I off-guard. In a very non-threatening tone, he replied "Actually, I'm not comfortable with that... you know, you really shouldn't be here. This is our land, and outsiders aren't very welcome here. I think you'll find that's probably the way most people around here feel, and it actually could be kind of dangerous for you if you keep going into the reservation. Some folks may downright try to run you off the Rez, so I think your best bet is probably to go back the way you came."
These aren't the exact words 2 girls want to hear as evening approaches, but we thanked him for his honesty, apologized if our presence had felt intrusive, and headed back down the driveway.
I in no way want to portray this family in a negative light (they are actually angels, as you will later see...), but it was an incredible first-hand reminder of how deeply and painfully the legacy of the oppression of America's First People is still felt today, and caused a lot of mixed emotion for me. On the one hand, I respect that the land we were on belongs to the Tuscarora (and that the land ALL of us occupy rightfully belongs to all First People), and wanted to honour his request for space. It was a perfectly valid perspective. On the other hand, I felt really let down and disappointed that the opportunity for us to learn from each other had been passed by, and also saddened to think how easily the bitter aftertaste of oppression could be passed on to from generation to generation. Would the smiling kids at play in the front yard turn away our children one day? Sam and I mulled this over a little and tried to process and understand the encounter as we mosied along back toward Highway 31. {See obviously mixed emotions, below :) }

However confused we felt, the more pressing issue was quickly becoming finding a safe place to stay for the night, as we were about 15 miles from the next town, and in no mechanical condition for riding. We decided we'd rather try to get a ride to town right then rather then camping nearby and waiting until morning, so we started to get out paper to make a sign reading "Lockport", hoping a dump truck or something would pull over for us. But that wasn't necessary, as 2 angels in a maroon truck pulled alongside our bikes on the shoulder.
"Did you say you're going to Lockport?" a woman asked, and it took a moment before I realized I'd seen both of the women in the car just moments before, sitting at the kitchen table of the house. "We feel really bad and we were worried about you; at least let us give you a ride to Lockport." Score! We couldn't have been more relieved, not just to have a ride, but also for a second chance to get to know the family a little.
Lynn, a friend of the family, was our expert chauffeur, and we even DID get to talk about healthcare -- Sue used to be a community health worker at the clinic on the Rez, which operates out of the basement of the school, and she filled us in on how things work and even gave us contact info to talk to the head coordinator for more detail. ALSO, her son, Schuyler (the beaming beauty who answered the door and wished us safe travels) just completed his freshman year at Dartmouth, Sam's alma mater, so we bonded over that connection. We had such a delightful ride with our 2 new friends and I think I can speak for both Sam and I that we were tickled to get to know more about their family and also about the Six Nations. Footnote: The Tuscarora became the Sixth Nation of the Iroquois Confederation after many of them fled the European colonization of their ancestral land in North Carolina. I didn't realize it the Iroquois connection while we were there, but that's a part of my family heritage that has been largely unrecognized -- perhaps I was closer to some of my own distant relatives on Wednesday than I knew.
Lynn, Sue, & Sam demonstrate the hitchhiking thumbs that the two kind women saved us from using!
Anyway, Sue & Lynn kindly dropped us off at the local high school in Lockport, where we charmed Janitor Bob into letting us use the showers of the girls' locker room (below)! Sam felt right at home, having flashbacks to her days as a baller, and I felt just like I was doing Ride For World Health all over again...



A delightful couple, Wayne & Jennifer, let us put up Harriet the Habitat in their backyard after we knocked on their door and made our odd request. They thought we were total weirdos at first, but they gave us granola bars, let us use the restroom, and Wayne even made us fantastic omelettes for breakfast this morning! Jennifer is a guidance counselor at Lockport High (where we showered), and we had a really great time getting to hear about Wayne's job as varsity basketball coach and history teacher at the same school (go Lions!) - it was quite evident to us that he's making a big impact on his players and students alike. He and Sam had a lot to talk about (Sam's going to be following the Lions this winter season), and we left their place well-fed, well-rested, and happy to know 2 more great people on the planet.