| The Home Stretch Week seven Ohio to New York |
| Day 43 Sunday July 21 Niles, OH to Erie, PA 90 Miles What a great ride today! The start of our seventh week, and the entry to another state, Pennsylvania. We had excellent weather, good roads, a warm welcome from the family of Father John, and a fabulous root beer stand. It was a fast ride with a tailwind. Life doesn't get any better! Day 44 Monday July 22 Erie Rest! Today was the last rest day of the ride, and we all did our usual rest day activities - laundry, coffee at Starbcks, a run to the bike shop, etc. A few of us decided to take our bikes on the water taxi to a nearby state park and cycle a few miles - we don't want to get rusty! We caught some rain at the park, but also had a swim in Lake Erie - the north coast of our cross country ride. This evening one of our riders, Sara, announced her en- gagement to Kevin - congratulations! I have been advised that the zip code for the motel change for July 29th (see Saturday, July 20th) should be 01824 and not 03881 - thanks for the correction! Day 45 Tuesday July 23 Erie, PA to Hamburg, NY 82 miles A good day today although Erie lived up to its reputation as dreary Erie and dumped some rain on us this morning. The wind was also not our friend, but we had good roads, a new state, and some nice views of Lake Erie and many vineyards. The real highlights of the day, though, were the trip to a bicycle museum and a trip to Niagra Falls. I rented a car and several of us drove the 45-minute trip to the Falls. We not only added New York State, but also added Canada to our places visited! Day 46 Wed July 24 Hamburg to Canandaigua 94 miles Today was our last day of 90+ miles, and it was a day that passed easily. I was tired after the long day yesterday that in- cluded the bike museum and Niagra Falls after our ride, so my energy level was low. I was amazed that the miles passed so quickly. On some days, I find myself watching the odometer creep along, like watching the clock at the office on a day you want to leave early. Today, however, each time I looked, another few miles had passed. It was cool, with a high not above the mid- 70's; in fact, it was almost cold, at least for a desert person like myself. Our motel is between two lakes, one of which is one of the finger lakes, named after the city we are in. (I can't pro- nounce it either.) Day 47 Thur July 25 Canandaigua to Syracuse 63 miles Another good ride today. The weather was cool and the roads were good. Since it was a short ride, we arrived early. I wanted some pictures of the Erie Canal but missed my opportunity when we first saw the canal. I thought that we were riding along it again later in the day, but we didn't, so I rode back to get a couple of pictures. That will teach me to "seize the moment." We still had time to find a Starbucks and have a leisurely read of the New York Times over a coffee. One of our riders, Mike, delivered a flag that he has carried from California to some local firemen. The flag has been signed by many people along the way and honors the firemen who lost their lives on September 11th. I missed the presentation, but I understand it was well received. Day 48 Friday July 26 Syracuse to Little Falls 85 miles Today was boring. I really didn't have any enthusiasm for the ride today. I know that I am tired and that I was anxious most of the day about the weather, although I was lucky and really did not get any real rain although the weather was threatening most of the day. The last 20 miles or so of the ride was on a busy road and the scenery was just not very interesting. The best part of the day was the happy hour that the motel hosted for us. I think that many of us are eager to finish the ride. Day 49 Saturday July 27 Little Falls to Albany 70 miles A much better day today! Again we were lucky with the weather and had a cloudy, cool day with no rain. The scenery was much more interesting today, and the traffic was less, so it was a good ride. A shorter ride also helped. It's hard to believe that this is the end of our seventh week and the end is in sight. As John reminded me, tomorrow is our antepenultimate ride. In American, that means that we have three days left to go. |
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