Erie Shores ride: Erie, Pennsylvania to Dunkirk, New York

Day 4 - Leo's House in Erie, Pennsylvania to Dukirk, New York
56.4 miles, elevation gain 1484’
Leo offered us breakfast and so we started the day with plenty of calories.  The weather was clear and cool and we got on the road at 8:15 in the morning.  Riding out of Erie through the lower east side was easier than expected.  We passed by the huge General Electric campus where so many residents once made their livings.  It is still operational but with fewer employees.
Today’s ride was mainly on Route 5 and went by miles and miles of grapevines and several wineries.

We stopped at a few small parks which have beaches on Lake Erie.  There were a lot of guys catching bait fish, and that looked like another good way to spend one's retirement.
Our lunch stop was at Barcelona at a park near the (very) old lighthouse.  It was built in 1829 at a cost of $2700.  The lamp was fueled with gas and it was the first gas powered lighthouse in the world.

Barcelona Lighthouse

We make it to the NY border

After many rolling hills we finally arrived at Lake Erie State Park.  It has  a great camping area but will open tomorrow for the season.  We asked if we could stay and camp tonight, but the answer was no. The next camping is 25 miles north and we have already gone 51 miles.  We decided to camp out at the Clarion Hotel in Dunkirk, New York.

A pretty good lunch spot.  We saw some migrating terns catching their lunch.