On Saturday before the ride starts, riders gather at the Hyde Park Golf Course in Niagara Falls. Some, like Jane and I, go there directly. Others leave their cars at Saratoga Springs (the end of the ride) and take a bus to Niagara Falls.

On the way to Niagara Falls we drove through a line of severe thunderstorms that were moving across the state. Fortunately, they had cleared out and the weather was nice by the time we got to Hyde Park.