confusing the thermometer...

finally some cold--but don't put away the raincoat. we have had a spate of reasonable winter weather--and by that i mean below freezing so that when it precipitates, it snows. the freezes and thaws this winter have been crazy. but, the few inches of white stuff we have gotten over the past week has given me hope. a wild snow squall yesterday morning lured me out seeking altitude, that and i needed to check out cardigan's high cabin for next week's deepfreeze overnight. what a day...


it actually seemed like winter down at the parking lot. one other hiker, at least the one with the other vehicle next to mine, was up on the mountain and her/his tracks were already filling in with the fluffiest of snow. as i headed up toward the summer lot, there were stretches where the tracks were completely gone. i started to dream of skiing through this amazing powder--even at four inches it would be like heaven.

as i started on the trail leaving the summer parking area, the still obvious rocks reminded me that under such softness there is often something hard. my hand went down to the bruise on the back of my leg, still painful nearly a month after my last ski. sketchy cover or not, i still wished i could be skiing. there are some sections on the ski trail we keep clear that are relatively rock free--they would have been sweet!

at the first junction, the other hiker came down the south ridge trail, crunching along in a pair of regular crampons, with two pairs of micro-spikes jingling about, hung on the back of his pack. i was just putting my own pair on and taking off one of my layers. i was curious as to why he had so many anti-slipping devices. when i got to the ice bulges at the falls, a few slips of my micro-spikes answered that question. crampons would be just the ticket here and at the heavily iced flows at that steep section where he had come down.

as i approached the upper bridge i saw the south ridge cutoff and decided to take it. climbing out of the trees a half mile later, i was rewarded with breaks of bright sunlight. by the time i got to the upper stone outcropping--i think this one is called south peak--the sky was fairly blue and i snapped the picture above. the drifting path wound back down into the trees and joined the trail dropping down to the high cabin.

i shoveled and swept the steps and went in to check out the facilities--this would be much different than the cabin up on smart's mtn. where we had always stayed before. there were not only bunks and a commodious central table, but a small wood stove with a full wood box promised a new level of comfort. as one MOC deepfreezer had said last year, the hole in the wall and floor--probably where a stove had been taken out--was big enough to fall through. it had been nearly twenty below last year, both outside and in! i locked things back up and headed back to the west side.

i skipped the summit and trammped downhill to the truck, still amazed at all the snow up high. it was tempting to go home and get those skis and come back up. but it was thursday, ap-chem lab day, and so far i had been very good about showing up. ms doody and i had mixed the chemicals yesterday afternoon and i was looking forward to telling the four or five students in her class who would be going on the deepfreeze all about the beautiful snow and posh digs.

later...

ps those who know me, especially from the school, are familiar with the MOC--mascoma outing club--and our activities, like the deepfreeze mentioned above. i want to give a shout out to a student we missed, she graduated more than a few years before we started, but she typifies the shy, athletic youngsters more interested in the a-typical sports, not often offered in a high school setting. emilie drinkwater found the mtns early as a skier--her parents mistakenly signed her up for racing lessons rather than the normal get down the hill ones. in college and after she really took to the winter, despite not liking the cold, and started climbing ice (check out "chicks with picks")as well as rock. she now is a climbing guide and avid backcountry skier.

winter...?

the mid-atlantic states just got dumped on--two to almost three feet of snow in places...most winter loving friends i hang with would give a lot for even half of that. i am trying to zen my way through the season doing what i can to enjoy what we have. a few weekends ago, i got in a half day of skating, circling canaan street lake. the ice was thick enough and we all hoped that the forecasted heavy rain on that sunday would resurface things with the predicted freeze after. things worked out well that way, but then we got two-three inches of snow and it windpacked like crazy--so much for more skating.

but at least it was cold. and last monday, the 18th, with about five or six inches in our drive, i went off to the shaker trails and skied for the first time this year. cover was ok--a bit thin in places--but fun enough. we, skip and i, made it up to what al strickland calls "lost pond". i remember riding bike with the MOC saturday group and coming to the large stoned dam that holds in this pond. (see the map in the link above--the little dead end thumb to the south) al gets around lasalette surrounds as much as i do and we often talk of finding out of the way spots that attract our interest.





from the pond down, there is some sweet glade to weave through. i have spent quite a few hours clearing tons of blowdowns and we enjoyed the mostly clear 'tree section'. way down at the bottom, there was a bit of ice exposed under a huge pine so i detoured. instead, i found a rock with my bottom--a week later, the bruise is still pretty huge, somewhat sore, and very ugly. i am imaging somebody writing me just this moment, "omg, you are going to die!" at some point yes, but i am hoping this isn't my time...mostly because i have high hopes that it will snow sometime this season--but i will not hold my breath.



last saturday was the full moon which meant MOC (mascoma outing club) hiked cardigan to see it rise at the same time the sun is setting. i went up--no students or teachers this time--and got a great color show with the sun going down in the west, "red at night, sailors' delight!" the moon however was hidden behind a huge bank of clouds sent up the east coast by that huge storm i mentioned. i had no intention to wait well into the dark but on my way off the mountain i calculated that if things kept clearing, the same show would be happening tomorrow morning--only in reverse. i get up pretty early so i made plans to be there. sure enough the clouds were gone, save for just a thin band on each horizon. sunrise was just a moment before moonset...
















it was energizing to see in reverse what MOC, at least me, usually sees once a month. the sun now in the east and the moon in the west.

putting myself outside and experiencing the everyday beauty fills me with joy. i have many issues with inertia, getting up and going, but find motivation in looking at the little things outdoors. it was a grand morning--and this time i remembered the camera.

mostly vermont--my last two days...

day 40 (80 mi.)--up and down to george and champlain: i left joe's timber frame shop and headed for the border lakes between ny and vt.--but first i had to climb out of the hudson river valley. after muffins and tea at a gas station, i got to brandt lake and had to stop to take some pictures. here was a perfect example of what new englanders call 'peak color'! the sun out, the fog burned off, and the still water a mirror, i got an eyeful. this is what iconic means.

 a 6 mile climb up about a 1000 feet brought me to a strange site at the beaver pond head waters--a stop sign. i envisioned dare devil kayakers being stymied... (i want to crop this pic and remember being able to do it in st paul but not now...? any help out there??)

a 6 mile down of 1300 feet left me at the shore of lake george in hague. this was exciting, vermont was across that lake, well the lake, some more ny, and then the outlet to champlain. i was getting close to home!

i took off toward crown point and the bridge across into vermont. at a maple products gift shop i looked at a map and changed my route after the women working told me it was supposed to start raining wednesday into friday. i turned around back into the wind and for a few miles had second thoughts as it was really whipping coming off the lake. but i hoped it would be somewhat behind me when i turned east toward middlebury. when i got to the bluffs--imagine the glacial runoff that carved these out--the wind was at my shoulder and less of an issue.

after middlebury and sampling a shot glass of porter at the drop-in brewery, i headed for east middlebury and the gap. vermont has six gaps--they even have a 130+ mile six gap ride that some people call fun (i don't suggest using a loaded touring bike). i only had two to go over to get home and started pedaling up, and up, and...you get the picture. it was a beautiful evening and the light was behind me shining on the river to my right and the woods all around. it must have been directly in the eyes of the loaded bike tourer that was headed downhill as he did not see me wildly waving him in for a chat. interesting enough, that was the second bike tourer today that blew by with out even a wave. 

at one point i crested a hill and came into the town of ripton. a quaint little village nestled into the hills; i bet it is hard to get to once it starts snowing. i stopped at a private bridge to take a shot of the stream and the cute little flower boxes...

back to going up and up, i saw a sign for a robert frost interpretive trail that looked almost as interesting as the setting sun. i kept going thinking about dinner with a place to sit and enjoy the views. i passed another wayside with a reference to vermont's most famous bard and picnic tables. but, right in front of this sign was a  tiny one--"no camping"! i have honored such requests and knew that the bread loaf campus had to be close so i pedaled onward...and upward!

soon enough i started seeing the white houses with names like 'dragon's den' (which may have another frost connection) and 'earthworm'. then the ubiquitous yellow buildings appeared spread out along the road and extending back into the huge fields. the sun was  lighting up the surrounding mtns, including the one they call breadloaf, and i knew i had to find someone to give me permission to sleep there--easier said than done. the first person i noticed was taking pictures of the color, and she offered to snap one of me too.

i finally found a guy down in the bowels of one of the way back buildings who said "sure...!" he sounded authoritative enough. behind me is the picnic table where i set up dinner and then my tent. the picture below was my own private gazing chair off to one side of camp. it was a most sublime evening...

day 41 (65 mi.)--the proverbial horse smells the barn: i was up very early. i packed and turned on my lights to finish the climb up (and up...) past the middlebury snow bowl and over the gap. going uphill in the dark is a hard pedal. the lack of perspective is quite disorienting and i struggled to get used to it. i also stopped and stripped down as i was sweating buckets. when i crested the height of land and the sky was starting to get a little light to it i noticed that the smooth pavement stopped. i dropped down into the gloom trying my best to avoid any cracks, bumps, rocks, potholes, animals...and a few cars. there is an expression that bikers use when they ride in the road, not just on the shoulder, and i "took the lane" for the miles down into the foggy valley.

i stopped in hancock at a cafe/inn that advertised breakfast--it even had a chalkboard on the porch with a child's writing, "come on in the food is great!" my luck the door was locked, but then again it was not even 7:00 yet. it was a bit lighter by the time i got to the next town. i stopped at the rochester cafe and ate a big 'last breakfast' of eggs and home fries, waffle with apple and whipped cream, and a very large, extremely sweet, cinnamon roll! yes, i had finally found that treat from my past, and it was as good as i remembered it. 

the food and tea were so comfortable i sat and wrote a couple of final postcards to the 4th graders at canaan elementary school. when i took them over to the post office i met two senior citizens with their walkers. as i got on my bike and headed up the rochester gap one of them gave a cry of disbelief about riding up such a hill. 

as i climbed, i thought of the folks with the walkers and how our speeds were probably much more similar than different. at one point i came out of the saddle and did the ol' zig-zag over to the other lane and back. looking behind me, i saw a woman coming up strong on her mtn bike. when she passed me i suggested we should swap bikes. she politely declined the load and pedaled over a rise saying something about she "wasn't going to the top either..." what, this wasn't the crest? 

turns out, there were 2+ miles to go before topping out. the view was totally worth the climb--green mountains all the way up to canada mixed in with the low clouds. it was supposed to rain this morning and it looked like it might. i hoped to be down before the road got slick... it was a much smoother descent than the one that morning. so smooth that this time when i "took the lane" nobody needed to pass--at times it seemed close to fifty mph. nearly 6 miles and 1500 feet later, i had a huge smile--i remember twists and turns like that!

i passed through bethal and got to route 14 and the white river. had to go through a couple of construction zones--one, a half-mile of repaving. nobody got too jazzed save for the construction truck that roared by be when he "took the lane"! stopped into the sharon general store and got two big cookies to have with 'tea o'clock'...from this point on, i was on home turf.

speaking of which, as i came out to route 4 from the rail trail i heard a "hey koby" from across the field at mascoma. the outdoor pursuits class was setting up tents. i took mine out and gave them a quick final test to see if they could put up a slightly different one with no instructions. they did so well i gave them each a granola bar! i re-packed my now dry hubba and followed the students up to the school.

it was a great reunion with teachers and students and i got to see quite a few folks. i even went to a speak meeting for a bit and then an elo where a student presented his summer work with crrel on radio wave transmission in the mountains.

in the back of my head i knew i had to head home at a certain time so i could unpack and clean up for pam! she had told me before i left that under no circumstances was i to appear with a big white beard. when i got to the house--which was unlocked, thank you--she had a little note on the whiteboard for me...how did she know i would be getting here today? turns out she saw the breakfast sandwiches--egg and smoked gouda on an english muffin--i bought in hague ny and did a little google mapping that gave her a pretty good idea. maybe she was the impetus to change routes back at the ny vermont border. she had also included her 'mice' count of eight--not bad for an early harvest.

i made quick work of unpacking and cleaning up and was ready by the time pam rolled in the drive. it was a treat to be home...

why do people litter...?

this is one of those rhetorical questions that going along the roads at bike speed constantly repeats itself in my mind. i thought of actually getting off my bike and picking up all the trash one hundred steps behind and one hundred steps ahead of where i parked--preferably at one of those little brown and gold bike route signs... the photo would have all the usual: bottles and cans (on one stretch i saw at least one oil container in every stream i passed--wtf?); fast food foam boxes and bags; various paper products; etc. but there was also enough of the exotic to wonder--maybe this just fell out of the back of someones truck: a nice wooden dining chair; couch cushions; pillows; a wine rack; various storage boxes--plastic and wooden; etc. 

day 38 (120mi.)--upstate new york's little wonders: 
i appreciated the quiet saturday morning as i left kaleigh's about the same time evan went off to work. a car or truck here and there, one runner on a side road, aside from them, i was alone out in the cool and crisp. a mostly clear sky promised a fine day of riding and if it stayed fairly cool, that would suit me. i headed east out of shortsville and through a couple of very well kept little towns. zig and zagging some, i actually worked my way back to rt 20--the same road jalil and i crossed ny east to west on--for about two miles. i can't say as i remember it except for a ny state fishing access point sign in the montezuma national wildlife refuge.

as i turned north after the refuge to get to rt 31 i noticed a couple of little lawn signs advertizing the montezuma aqueduct run / walk . when i actually got into montezuma, i saw a whole crowd of folks standing around the finish line. nobody was cheering yet so the runners / walkers were probably still out on the course. i took this photo off the internet, but the aqueduct looks really cool. i can imagine that when it was in use it was magnificent.

criss-crossing I-90 brought me into port byron where i found a part of the canalway trail--erie section . i hopped on figuring if the mules could work it, biking would be fast. turns out that over a hundred years of non-use has left it in pretty rough shape. the first mile or so looked like a canal albeit with lots of trees growing in and along it. i stopped and took a picture behind me and one ahead for a general idea of what things looked like now.


after this section, things really filled in and it looked like a stream running through a marshy channel. before we ever left i had read about biking the path but was discouraged by the amount of time on roads, some of them a ways away from the original canal. now i understood why. but, there were still a couple of really cool sights to see from back in the day, just highly scattered. 





i passed a collapsed damn with some huge granite blocks in a pile. the actual canal was spilling into a stream at that point and it was hard to figure out how boats came and went with the blocks dividing the stream in two and the canal entering perpendicular to that... 

a bit further down rt 31 i came to lock 51 where i stopped for lunch. there were two sides to this structure like lanes on a modern road. with the help of an info poster, i was able to envision how the lock worked and even imagined the huge metal gates opening and closing, catching and releasing water as needed.



i left the canalway path for a freshly paved rt 31 and crossed I-90 once again. from what i remembered of the maps, i thought it was the last time too. i noticed two loaded touring bikers coming toward me and crossed the road to chat. the husband and wife team had just started that morning, leaving baldwin which i would run into shortly thereafter. turned out that with less than an hour on the road the husband had already broken his front derailleur. i couldn't imagine not having at least two chainrings to switch between, but they were headed on for three more days. 

in baldwinville i stopped at a tops grocery and stocked up on nature valley bars and a new favorite--breakfast biscuits. maybe i should have waited a bit as soon enough, i was into greater syracuse, complete with huge groceries. there was a wegmans and i remembered kaleigh's dad, ron, taking me in one for my first experience of the super fancy grocery store. i had just finished the nan bread that i got there, and thought about stopping. the heavy traffic and my fresh supply of granola bars kept me pedaling ahead.

i made it through the 'burbs' eventually and rode on toward the south shore of lake oneida. amazingly and wonderfully pleasant, the wind was mostly at my back. i was able to cruise along, quickly getting past the two 'ports' and one 'bay' and into verona where i picked up 365 to rome. i have always loved place names--being on a bike made them all the more fun. a week or so back i slept just outside of denmark and was now biking from verona to rome--in about an hour (from up against the italian alps in the north to down on the western coast of the mediterranean)--e stato veloce!

riding into rome i came to the fort stanwix national monument. it has an interesting history that i knew nothing about but makes sense given the rivers there and the critical "carry" or portage. 365 left rome to the east and i was immediately back in the country. i barely noticed floyd, but maybe that was because the sunset was so colorfully dramatic. i did notice the large fields at a school that seemed just the right place to camp. 

i pulled into one of the parking lots and asked some folks running their remote control car if there were picnic tables nearby. they didn't know but suggested i use the bleachers in the fields. as i was pushing my bike over to one, i saw their car come around the back and heard the woman calling me, "sir..." she had found tables and come back to tell me! we ended up talking about my bike trip for quite a while--until the four-ish year old twins started getting antsy. the parents, jim and jill and the boys nathan and james, were really enthusiastic and jim insisted i have a half dozen granola bars...i talked him down to a couple remembering all the ones i had just bought back in baldwinville.

after a big dinner, i pushed the bike over to a darker part of the field and pitched the tent. it was a good day.

day 39 (95mi.)--i feel like i am back in new england: it was early but not dark as i made my way over the heavy dew on the field back onto 365. i pedaled east and soon got to holland patent a very pretty little town, with no breakfast places. i thought about walking around the graveyard and looking for some van beests but settled for riding around the center green to look at the twin churches.



nothing was open in next town barneveld either but as i started out of town i hit the hills that were going to be with me for the rest of the trip. the perk to all those hills made itself known as the sun burned off the fog and exposed the beautiful lakes and fall foilage new england is famous for. i had never been in this part of new york state and was excited to be riding into the adirondacks. 


365 and rt 8  were going to be home for the next couple of days until i rolled into vermont. the 'map' had plenty more large hills, big lakes, and vast woods to go over, by, and through. 


i came to the west canada creek as it wound through the town of prospect. sitting along the shore was a row of typical new england houses, their white contrasting boldly with the colored maple leaves and dark water. just out of town there was a huge dam built creating the 7 mile hinkley reservoir. the water level was low and i wondered if they commonly let it drop for the winter like they do for goose pond back home. i checked water levels on their website and saw that it is even lower today than it was when i passed by. 

i stopped at a gas station-grocery store for some tea and muffins just past the picture above (the dam is immediately to the right where i took this picture). a local told me i would run into rt 8 just after the reservoir. the rest of my miles on 365 and getting onto rt 8 were where my thoughts started to focus on the trash on the roadside. it seemed so wrong that such a beautiful setting could be so wantonly littered.

i also met a group of four bikers out for a two day loop through that part of the adirondacks. i spoke of looking for the perfect site to sit and eat a big breakfast 2. they told me i was just about to get there. a half mile down the road i would come to the west canada creek pull off. it was all they promised plus i got to say hi to a minnesota couple traveling by truck-camper and another couple from north carolina.

a good climb out of this valley into the black river wild forest gave me a bit of an idea just how big the adirondacks was--wicked huge...most of it was relatively undeveloped except for around the bigger lakes: piseco, sacandaga, and pleasant. the later had the town of speculator--another interesting name--which served me up late breakfast 3, a couple tasty scones. i ate on the shore of the lake as a very stiff wind dried my tent and fly. 

well fed, i pedaled up and over a height of land past those lakes and zoomed south, downhill to where two major branches of the sacandaga river joined. rt 8 took off north east (to the sunny right in the picture below), alongside the east branch and for the next 13 miles or so, i climbed through some of the most beautiful woods i had seen, heard, and smelled so far. even going uphill for so long, it was a joy!

the downhill into bakers mills, and then wevertown, gave a clear clue as to which side of the mountain had the money. the roads were all freshly paved coming out of speculator, where the homes were well taken care of and there were plenty of amenities for the numerous tourists. after topping out of the sacandaga drainage and heading down toward the hudson river valley, one could not help notice the stark contrast. abandoned buildings and junk that rural new england seems to collect in their front yards lined the rough pavement and i didn't see anyone that could be labeled a tourist. in fact, it was kind of spooky that i didn't see anybody at all--maybe sunday evenings were always this quiet.

then, all of a sudden i came to a really happy looking park at a bridge over the hudson river. it was so pleasant i slowed and considered setting up camp in a corner. i pedaled past remembering all the times the law had moved me on from such public places like that. not far around the corner, i saw a bunch of random wooden timber frame structures with a great list of woodworking options.

even though it was late sunday evening, joe the woodworker-timberframer advertised, was in his shop and i dropped in to ask about a place to stay. "sure...camp anywhere you want!" people can be pretty generous. we had a good chat about building in general before i shuffled off into the dark to find a flat spot.

into and out of ontario...

day 33 (130 mi.)--you need to sign that passport: june got gary up to say goodbye and we gave each other a hardy wave as i headed out the drive. i had an idea of riding out on rt 15 down to 46, both straight shots and getting me to port sanilac with no complications. but, i got attracted to the back roads and kept to them in, even taking a couple of gravel roads until i connected with deckerville road. whenever i went 'off map' i repeated the phrase "adventure cycling" until i laughed aloud.

i stopped to chat up a farmer digging his potatoes and he told me i had made a fine choice. "it's a smooth road--for the most part, it has much less traffic than 46, and it will take you right to the lake!" he meant huron, and i decided to check out his "for the most part" as far as smoothness went. considering practically no cars had passed me so far, i knew his second point was bang on. 



as i went along, i saw these large arms sweeping in and out of the low clouds and it took me a few seconds to figure them out. i took a movie, but it doesn't much do justice to the vision (mostly because you can barely see the "arms")...it was engaging though and i think i spent five-ten minutes just watching them. it was all very jack and the beanstalk-ish.

i stopped in deford at tea o'clock and had a snack chat with the local grocery worker and a county sheriff. the grocery guy was really taken with the idea of an extended bike tour, riding roads, eating, and sleeping when and where things felt right. "i've never met anybody like you before!" while i suppose it is sort of uncommon for a sixty year old to take a trip like this, i highly recommend the experience with its freedom and possibility.

like the apple trees i found at the edge of a freshly combined bean field. as i tested the varieties looking for a crisp one--i found it--i saw a bald eagle up in a dead tree watching over a tractor discing another field. the eyes, the tongue, ears, skin, and nose, get up close and personal when you are on a bike tour. 

of course rural nature plays a big part of a trip like this, but i also enjoyed stopping in towns and talking to people--even when they spoke little english. three indiginous people gave me big smiles and shrugged their shoulders when they couldn't give me any information on a restaurant or road beyond town, "i don't know." a young man served me at a bar/grill and we got to talking about his future plans to leave port sanilac. the woman who drove me across the sarnia bridge into canada and then the canadian officers were super friendly and had all kinds of helpful information. when i apologized for not having signed my passport, he smiled and almost sang back, "no problem sir, it happens everyday."

after a grocery stop and making my way out of town, i found myself on another "adventure cycling" part of the journey when i had to detour because of a bridge out. couple that with increasing dark, and fewer and fewer houses out in the rural area beyond sarnia, and i started thinking about stopping for the night. as i was checking out a fairly flat but muddy spot in another bean field, a motorcycle passed me and pulled into the very next door yard. i decided asking them for a patch of grass was a more comfortable choice than i had in the field.

turns out brenda and mike were just the ones to ask. brenda invited me in and we looked at maps and chatted as i ate a late dinner. they gave me a bed and made me most welcome. brenda plotted a route to get me as easily possible down to king's hwy 3 without battling traffic. i went to bed and slept really well feeling lucky...

day 34 (115 mi.)--route finding with help: mike got up early with me and drank a cup of coffee as i had my tea and first breakfast. he opened his shed and i wheeled the bike out, finished packing, and pedaled away with a smile and wave. 

brenda's route to 3 was perfect as far as i was concerned. i spent snack o'clock at a historical old church; another snack with a road question with a farm implement mechanic on a smoke break; lunch o'clock at a rest area and had a nice chat with a local kitchen installer; another snack talking with two flagmen as they cursed each other for not letting "the biker" through first!; dinner in a very quiet piece of woods beneath a huge radio tower; and finally pitching my tent behind a wooden structure at a paintball park. 

in the last two days i had wheeled close to 250 miles and rather than being tired, i was wide awake and excited. ontario was mostly flat and the wind was not a problem as it had been. i had seen a lot of country and met a bunch of wonderful people. this is what it was all about.

day 35 (110 mi.)--far from and into the madding crowd: waking to another foggy morning, i took note of how heavy the dew and condensation made my tent fly. i shook as much off as i could, packed it away fairly damp, and pedaled off intent on rewarding myself with a restaurant breakfast if i could find one. about twenty miles later in simcoe i got my prize, at the shire restaurant and brew pub. the waitress was amused at the order--my usual: two eggs, as runny as possible on top of home fries with a side of salsa; toast, jam, and peanut butter; a belgian waffle with fruit and whipped cream topping; a mug and a thermos of tea; and a cinnamon bun to go. i thought of it as "eating like a hobbit" like their advertisement said, a hobbit about to go on a long adventure.

as the sun was starting to break through i wheeled away, not exactly full, but satisfied. i was aiming for cayuga and planning to turn off 3, and follow the grand river toward the north side of lake erie. the county rd i took was a joy--no traffic, plenty of sun, and a beautiful river, what could be better?  i got into dunneville, found the library and emailed my friend kaleigh who had asked me to stop on my way back home. (jalil and i had worked with her at sead a couple of years ago, but had missed stopping on the east-west trip across ny state.) i figured at this rate i would be there the next day--well ahead of the rain due the next night.

after dunneville i found some really beautiful and nearly empty county roads that led to an even more secluded conservation trail. i stopped twice on the latter and chatted firstly, with three workers clearing trees and brush, and secondly, with an older woman biking home from visiting her parents at a home in the next town. she told me how to hook up with the friendship trail in port colborne: "turn right on cement road, ride to the lake and turn left, go to the canal and find the bridge--cross it and you'll find the trail!" riding ontario was easy!










indeed i did find the friendship trail, and it was as simple as that. it was paved and fast. a couple of bikers stopped at a crossroad, told me that the peace bridge to the us was just a couple miles further. at this rate i could get across and make it through buffalo before it got dark. unlike the sarnia bridge into canada, this one into the united states let you walk across. as i crossed the bridge i stopped to watch rowers sculling in the calm behind a break water.  




far beyond the boaters i spotted a giant cloth structure which struck me as rather phallic looking. turns out it was the ferry street bridge to broderick park, under construction and covered. when i got across, the officer checking me in was not nearly as friendly even though he answered my greeting of how are you with "i guess i can't complain." he gruffly gave me back my passport and pointed me out the door, "do you know where you are going? right through that gate with the exit sign on it."




buffalo was busy but it was easy to navigate and before it got really dark i was past the airport on rt 33 or genesee street. with front and back lights blinking, i kept pedaling out of town. after testing two other spots but not being satisfied with flatness--by far the major parameter by which i pick a spot--i finally found some tall grass to set up my tent in a historic cemetery just west of millgrove ny. (the picture below was taken the morning after.)

this link will get you to the street view… i slept just about in the center, to the right of the flag, behind the multiple trunked tree next to a larger individual trunk…better to block the light of a street lamp right across rt 33. the spot came complete with: 

• several raccoons chittering in the trees--one actually dropped down and scratched at my pannier. luckily i had thought to clip it shut 
• rt 33 about 15 yards north with  a steady stream of traffic
• the drone of I-90 not all that far off beyond 33
• an active train track to my south
• under the constant buzz of planes in a flight pattern connecting buffalo to the world. 

it was anything but quiet--thank god the ghosts did not bother me.

day 36 (75 mi.)--headed for a friend to beat the rain: buttercrumbs bakery was the first stop i made the next morning. looking for a cafe, i noticed this place right off and went in to enjoy the goodies after talking to a local sitting at an outside table to smoke. three muffins, tea, and more conversation with harry inside, along with the gentleman with the ugly dog hunting, blaze-orange shirt on, …

the jell-o ("america's most famous desert") museum in leroy ny…what is in a jell-o museum you might ask? well we would both have to go in to find out as i was hungry and needed a computer, so i went down to the river by the library and ate first, then emailed kaleigh to tell her when i would be pulling into shortsville. i do wonder if they have removed all vestiges of bill cosby yet though…?

after leaving leroy, i headed off the main roads and pedaled into some really wonderful biking. passing 'sportsmen clubs', old graveyards, and produce stands galore (ok, there were only two gun clubs, but lots of the other stuff…). soon, i ran into the hills south of rochester--more than i had seen for days! the scenery was sublime though and with color just starting to happen, i was cruising along with a huge smile.

earlier, the crushed stone paths in ohio, wisconsin, michigan, and ontario had reminded me of what sawyer and hannah love in the dirt roads of western massachusetts and southern vermont; they rode the D2R2 again this year. these roads took me back to prince edward island and a canadian maritime tour i took years ago. coincidentally, soy and han also road pei this july.

the hills i mentioned were covered with horse farms, or whatever you call them. huge green expanses with miles of white fence spread out from the road, always with a couple of nice looking horses grazing within. several times one or two of them would run along their side of the fence, shaking their manes and tales when they got stopped at a corner but i kept going. i also kept pedaling when i passed a late 50's mercedes benz for sale. i took this picture from the internet, but it looked identical, sans the white fence in the background.

i went by a really solid, beautiful looking barn that i was tempted to stop and pin a note to a post, "if you ever want to sell this barn, call…" right past that on the other side of the road, is the grave yard that kaleigh told me got hit by a tornado on wednesday evening. that must of been the huge, roiling storm system i saw pass just north of me as i came across the peace bridge. i guess i was lucky not to be more intimately involved. 

rolling into shortsville, it was easy to find kaleigh's as her dad, ron, was indeed mowing the lawn as she had predicted. i got a warm greeting and a hot shower before kaleigh and evan even got home from work. a couple of huge stuffed peppers sealed the deal--it was a great place to stop and rest, especially since it was supposed to rain all day friday.

day 37--rest and relaxation: rain woke me early and i thought of ron who left for his cable job even earlier, he was going to get wet. i stayed inside and ate, mapped my route, blogged, and emailed. kaleigh's brother ryan and i made pizza for the evening, including the dough, one meat, one "salad" made especially for sue, ron's girlfriend, and myself. we finished out the evening with some rousing games of uno. i begged out of a second round to pack for the morning.

ciao