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Today’s Highlights:
It’s hard to believe that I have been on this trip for fifty one days so far and everyday I have said that it was another great ride. Today was also very nice. It was supposed to be full of challenging climbs and a possibility of rain. It did not rain on me – it hasn’t the entire trip, and the mountain climbs were quite manageable today. I actually remember more fun downhills than the climbs. Although it did not rain, we did climb high enough to be in the clouds for a while. It was a bit foggy and cool at the higher elevations. The sky was overcast until around 12:56 PM when the sun peeked through for just moments at a time. I captured only one sunlit picture all day.

We started out at 6:30 this morning. Only one mile down the road we crossed over the Connecticut River and crossed into New Hampshire. Several of us stopped for a photo at the welcome sign. From there we started climbing and gained about 1000 feet in the first thirty three miles, topping out at about 3430 feet. Although there were some climbs after that, it was mostly downhill and very enjoyable. We traveled on some wide four lane roads for part of the route, but mostly on smaller local roads. In either case, the roads ran through a thick forest of tall trees, sometime forming a canopy across the road. The local road were especially quite and peaceful. We passed through a few tiny towns, so tiny that we were in and out of their centers in thirty seconds. Keene was the only exception. It looked like a very nice town to explore, but we just cruised through it. I was looking for some sites there to take a picture of, but none jumped out at me. Perhaps the gloomy overcast weather played a part.

I rode the entire route with Emma today, not seeing anyone else once we started the first climb. We both like the big hills and pushed right up them. It was nice to have a climbing partner and nice to share the next-to-last ride with a fellow adventurer. We finished at 1:15 PM, behind Ken and Bud as usual.

Pictures Of The Day:

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Today’s Highlights:
The heat and humidity broke today, and we had a very pleasant day to ride compare to last week. Four miles from the start we crossed the mighty Hudson River and continued across New York. After a short ride through Troy we got into the countryside again. We finished our traversal of New York State after thirty five miles and crossed into Vermont in the town of Bennington. By the end of the ride, we had reach eastern boarder of Vermont in Brattleboro.

The highlight of today was the hills. Mountains really. I enjoyed doing some real climbing again rather than just rolling hills. There was one eight mile climb, one three miler, and a bunch of other short, steep ones. The long descents were also fun and fast. The last several miles into Brattleboro were all downhill, so that was a great easy way to finish the seventy eight mile ride. Often, the road followed a river and there were nice views of sparkling mountain water running over rocky stream beds. There was also a nice view of the Harriman Reservoir. At the summit of Hogback Mountain we had a panoramic view across southern Vermont, into New Hamphsire to the east and down to Massachusetts to the south. It was a beautiful expanse of green forested mountains and hills.

The only significant towns we rode through today were Hoosic Falls in NY, and Bennington and Brattleboro in VT. Each had some New England charm and some uniquely Vermont character. And each was quite busy with shoppers at farmers markets and local shops on this Sunday.

Ken, Bud, Emma and I finished the day properly at an ice cream stand. We have two more days of living the good life.

Pictures Of The Day:

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Today’s Highlights:
Our luck with the weather continued. After a rainstorm last night, we were left with dry roads, low clouds rising off the hillsides, and small breaks in the cloudy sky giving way to sunbeams streaking through. The morning light was soft and beautiful on the landscape. Although the humidity left me quite sweaty, the temperature was comfortable and we had plenty of cloud cover and shade to keep the sun off us most of the day. We even had a little tailwind today.

Our route traveled mostly along US Route 5 and on bike paths that paralleled the Erie Canal and Mohawk River. We were able to see the waterway for most of the ride, including several locks. A railroad also runs along it for freight and Amtrak. There was a lot of train traffic and I also saw several boats in the canal. As you would expect, the roads and paths along the waterway are flat. Hills rise up on both the north and south banks of the Mohawk River, carved out long ago by the glacial drainage from the Great Lakes to the Hudson River. The hillsides are heavily wooded or cleared for farms, and are very lust and green, and a nice backdrop to the Mohawk River. The bike paths were tree-lined or right along the river edge. I especially enjoyed those paths.

We passed through some small quaint towns, like St Johnsville and Fonda. The only large town we cycled through was Amsterdam. There were several historical sites along the way and many markers about events and site from the 1700’s. I could not take the time to see all of them, but it would be interesting to be able to do so. Along the way were Fort Klock from 1750 and Fort Johnson from 1749.

The best part of the day was meeting Sue at the hotel at the end of the ride. She came up from Poughkeepsie to see me. Eight weeks is a long time to be away from home. There are only three riding days left.

Pictures Of The Day:

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Today’s Highlights:
We rode seventy eight miles today from Liverpool to Little Falls. It was another very good day of cycling. The terrain was relatively flat and the roads were smooth. Best of all, we had a strong tailwind for the entire ride. Everyone was able to make good time. I averaged 17.3 mph and finished at 11:45 AM, with a 6:30 AM start. It was another hot and humid day, but not as bad as the previous two. It reached 90 degrees by 10:00 and close to 100 by 11:00. However, the nice tailwind provided some cooling and drying, in addition to the nice push.

We cycled through several suburban and rural areas with houses along the road. There were few scenic photo ops, but I also did not try too hard to find them because it was fun just to ride fast today. The most interesting sites today were parts of the Old Erie Canal and the current Erie Canal. The old parts were narrow and stagnant, and did not look too inviting, but certainly have historical interest. The parts currently in use were much larger and clear for travel, and lined with trees, forest and fields. It must be pleasant to travel along in a boat.

The highlight of the day came after the ride and after lunch in Little Falls. Ken, Emma and I cycle around town and toured parts of the canal. We saw lock-17, which is the deepest of the locks on the Erie Canal. Luckily, a sailboat was coming up the river (the Mohawk River makes up some of the canal way) and entered the lock shortly after we arrived. We got to see it in operation and learn more about it from the attendant. The lock is 103 years old! It’s amazing to see things that were made so well so long ago. There are also some renovated mills along the river that are now shops and businesses or residences. It’s a small town, but worth a visit. Lunch at Ann Street Deli was very good, and there is a deli & creamery across the way that some of our riders enjoyed. I skipped the ice creme today.

Pictures Of The Day:

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Today’s Highlights:
We had another beautiful ride today across the northern part of the Finger Lakes region. We were able to cycle close to the north shores of Seneca Lake and Onondaga Lake. We were too far north of Cayuga Lake to see it, but we had our first rest stop in the Montezuma National Wildlife Preserve, which is the large wetland north of that lake. At Seneca Lake, in the town of Geneva, there was a nice public park with trails and a small marina. I saw two Great Blue Herons there, and I made a quick side trip to ride through the park. From the viewing stand near the entrance of Montezuma, we saw acres of grassy wetlands. There were some bird houses for sparrows, I think. I did not have time to explore, and did not see any other birds. However, there would be a lot more activity during migration season. It was a very pretty and peaceful place. Toward the end of the route, we rode into Long Branch Park and onto a bike path along the shore of Onondaga Lake. This large lake was also very scenic. I wanted to jump into it, but a local person told me that it was still being revitalized and too polluted to swim in. Oh well.

We passed through some notable towns today also. Waterloo is designated as the official birthplace of Memorial Day, and the Memorial Day Museum is in the town. Seneca Falls played a prominent role in the Women’s Rights Movement. Both towns had nicely preserved buildings from the 1800’s. There is a lot of historical significant to the area, including the Erie Canal. We saw a small section of that today too, but expect to see more of it tomorrow.

In between the lakes and towns, we enjoyed more scenes of farm, fields, woodlands and streams. Everything is lush and green here.

It was another very humid day. We started at 6:30 AM to beat some of the heat. It was in the low seventies, which was not bad, but still very muggy. We had a little tailwind all day, and that helped me move along quickly. Also, Andy kindly gave me a pull again this morning, and I hung on his wheel until I reached Seneca Lake and stopped for pictures while he moved on. At that point, I was averaging 19.5 mph thanks to him. By 9:00, it was close to 90 degrees and quite hot with the humidity. I rode with Emma from the SAG stop, and we pushed along fairly quickly to shorten the time outside. I still stopped for pictures in places. We finished the seventy mile ride around 11:30 AM before the hottest part of the day. Since I couldn’t jump in the lake to cool off, I had to settle for a banana split at a nice ice creme stand near the hotel. Life is good.

Pictures Of The Day:

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Today’s Highlights:
It was very hot and humid for our long ride today from Hamburg to Canadaigua. Starting at 7:00 AM it was only 70 degrees, but very humid. By 11:00 AM, my bike computer was registering 100 degrees on the road. I was a little more than half done at that point. The route was also hilly all the way – not big hills, but enough to make us work the entire distance. Normally, I don’t take much notice of the shaded parts of the road, but it was on my mind this afternoon and I sought out any shade I could get near the edge of the road. At 82 miles I stopped at the Shark Ice Creme stand and had a large cone and a good fifteen minute rest in their cool air-conditioned parlor. That helped a lot. At 92 miles, I made a side trip to Lake Canadaigua and found a place to wade in and lay in the water for a while. The full-body cool down was very refreshing. With soaked bike clothes, I cycled slowly along the lake a little to see the sights and get a few extra miles in for a full century ride. The leisurely side trip added thirty minutes to my day, but it was worth seeing the lake and getting cooled off.

The first third or half of our ride was mostly in suburban areas. It’s a very nice area to live in, but I did not stop for any pictures. The town of East Aurora was very nice and had a picturesque Main Street. Past Aurora, we cycled through farmland. There were many nice farms and fields. We saw the usual hay bales, corn fields, cows and horses. However, they were on a much smaller scale than the ones we experienced throughout the Mid West. Still, this Finger Lakes region is a very beautiful area to cycle across.

I did not take a lot of pictures today. That was partly due to the nature of the scenery. However, at some point surviving the heat became the main focus. In a normal situation (at home), I would have not attempted one hundred miles on a day like this, but this is what we do on the cross country challenge. I’m happy to be conditioned enough to make it through. Most of the riders conquered it today.

Pictures Of The Day:

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Today’s Highlights:
We had another great day of cycling. Our route followed the Lake Erie shoreline for sixty miles of the eighty-two mile ride. There were many vineyards along the way, and wildflowers lined the roadside. The terrain was flat, with minor hills, varying only two hundred feet throughout the ride. The roads were also exceptionally smooth and the wind was generally in our favor. With the high humidity, I was quite wet, but that also kept me comfortably cool while moving. It was only a bit warm during stops, and I hardly stopped at all today. Overall, conditions were perfect for riding, and the scenery was quite pleasant.

At a few locations we were directly at the shore of Lake Erie and able to see the sandy shoreline and great expanse of blue fresh water melting into the blue sky. Most of the time, the road was far enough from the shore that we only got glimpses of the lake. However, between the road and the lake were nice vinyards, fields, woodlands or homes. The homes where generally modest, and there were only a small number of estates. I saw some vineyard being worked by tractors, and one man fixing grapevine posts. I stopped to chat with him a little. Otherwise, there was not much activity to be seen. The traffic was also very light on Route 5, which was nice.

I was moving along quickly today, starting out with both Kens. I also rode with Andy for a nice long run, and he kindly pulled me along at a faster pace until we reached the New York State boarder. I stopped there for a picture. For the next sixty miles in New York I rode alone, but saw a few riders at the SAG stop. One of them was George, who just joined us to ride the last segment of the tour.

We cross over several stream that feed the lake. The steam bottoms are layered sedimentary rock. Surprisingly, we crossed over a small canyon too. It was carved by the Eighteen Mile Creek. In the photo of that, you can see the layers.

It was nice to enter into New York State. Besides checking off another state on the tour, it certainly feels good to be close to home. Two of my children live close by and joined me for dinner tonight. John, Dalene and my three grandchildren came, and Stephanie and Tom too. We had an excellent dinner at the Waterstone Grill.

Pictures Of The Day:

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Today’s Highlights:
Our fifth and last rest day of the cross-country challenge was spent in Erie Pennsylvania. I completed my usual chores in the morning. My son and grandson drove down from Buffalo and met me around 12:30. The three of us drove over to Presque Isles State Park to play. On the drive out, we checked out a couple beaches, and then walked to a lighthouse at the end of the island. To the north and east, Lake Erie stretched to the horizon like the ocean. To the south and west was Presque Bay, with the city of Erie on the opposite shore. A lot of people were swimming, boating, fishing and biking in the park. We went for a five-mile bike ride along the park road and bike path. Then my grandson enjoyed some beach time, swimming in the lake and digging in the sand.

When we returned to town, we went to the Tap House and pounded down a couple waters, some pizza and sandwiches. It was a very nice day.

Pictures Of The Day:

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Today’s Highlights:
I had another awesome day of cross-country cycling. I rode one hundred miles from Youngstown Ohio to Erie Pennsylvania. The weather was perfect again. A light wind was at my back for the first seventy miles to help speed up progress, and a cool headwind off Lake Erie for the last thirty miles helped in the afternoon heat. The terrain was mostly flat, with a few sections of small hills. Overall, we dropped about eight hundred feet in elevation. All the roads were smooth. It was a very fast ride for me. All the riders I heard from at the end of the day agreed it was a good day and a great finish to our fifth segment of the tour.

I started the morning with a group of riders. There was a little confusion at a detour where a bridge was completely removed, and people got separated, so Gene and I pressed on together and continued at a fast pace. Later, Ken rejoined us and helped us cycle at an even faster pace. I had to drop from them after twenty five miles and slow down a little. I finally stopped for my first picture at mile 30. I rode a little more with Gene after reconnecting with him at the first SAG stop, and we sprinted along at over 20 mph for a while. Eventually, I slowed down again and tried to look for pictures. I didn’t take many today. The scenery was nice, but I was having fun trying to have a fast century and enjoying a less challenging ride compared to the previous four days. I passed a gathering of Amish families as they were arriving at church, and I stopped for pictures trying to be discrete from a distance.

Our second rest stop was at the White Turkey Drive-in, a root beer stand that is very popular. Everyone enjoyed some lunch or treats there. I had an ice cream sundae. One mile from the drive-in, I crossed into Pennsylvania. Hooray! One more state finished. We had rushed through Ohio pedaling 370 miles in less than four days, plus another 30 in Pennsylvania to finish day four. It was a tough week overall, but thankfully a relatively easy finish. Of course, we are all in very good shape now in order to say that any one hundred mile ride was fun and easy.

The Pennsylvania section of the route followed the Lake Erie shore, but roughly a mile away from it. I got a couple glimpses of the lake along the way. Once I got close to the hotel, I went off route to go see the lake. That also gave me some bonus miles to stretch the ride to 100 miles. The view from the shore at this location looks across a bay to Presque Isle, which is a state park, and therefore, I have only seen a tiny part of the lake so far. Tomorrow I will be able to explore the area more because we have a day off – our final day off of the tour.

Pictures Of The Day:

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Today’s Highlights:
I had a pleasant ride today. I noticed that it was quite on the roads this morning, and after a while I realized it was because it was Saturday. I really haven’t had to know the day of the week. All the days are the same routine, just a new route. Ken and I left first this morning, which isn’t unusual. He was out of site in front of me after a few miles, which is also an everyday occurrence. The difference today, is that I did not see a single rider after that. I was slow today, but I guess everyone got off on a slower pace also. Our first SAG stop was at thirty three miles, and it was special today. It was in Bud’s home town of Canton, so his wife and daughter brought extra goodies for the group. I enjoyed some treats, but was expedient as usual and got back to cycling. I heard that the other riders behind me took more time to feast out, which is why my usual riding partners did not pass by me later in the day. So, I enjoyed a lone Saturday cruise though the Ohio country side and suburbia. There were less farms on the route today. I cycled through more woodland areas and many residential areas. There were very few photo ops. However, I took a few photos of houses just to remember that at this point of our trip we are getting into the more populated eastern states.

Our route took us through the town of Canal Fulton and down its brick paved main street. It was fun to ride on even though it was a bit bumpy. It was only 8:15 AM when I cycled through, so there were few people out. However, the town was all set up for a big street fair and parade. I looked it up later and found out it is the Olde Canal Days Festival. We were too early to enjoy that fun event.

At one farm, I saw a nice horse and its colt. They were not cooperative about posing for a photo, but I got an okay one. In the same corral, some alpacas were more cooperative and came out of the barn to visit children at the fence. Another thing I enjoyed today was riding by a large reservoir. It has been a long time since we have seen a large body of water reflecting the blue sky. It made me remember Lake Taos and Donner Lake, and miss them very much. The little reservoir didn’t compare, but brought back some great memories of early parts of the trip.

I started the day feeling tired, but ended feeling much better. The eighty five miles felt easy compared to the previous two days of over one hundred miles each. I finished at 1:30 PM, giving me a little time to rest this afternoon.

Pictures Of The Day:

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Statistics:
Zoom and pan the map to explore the route. Click the name or ‘View Detail’ to view more information at Garmin Connect.