Pennsylvania

3 July 2012

Stats for the day:

Depart Dunkirk, NY 7:45 a.m., arrive Erie, PA 3:45 p.m.

Trip mileage – 769.0 miles

Today’s mileage – 58.15 miles

Time on bike –4:41:31

Average Speed – 12.4 mph

Max speed – 34.0 mph

We have been blessed with meeting some very friendly and giving people on this trip.  We arrived at the campground, set up the tent and relaxed a bit before meeting CG owner, Wayne.  During our conversation, another camp resident, Gary, came by to chat, so we asked how far it was to in-town Dunkirk and if they knew of anyone going that way.  Well, Gary offered us the use of his truck, as he wouldn't be using it.  We thanked him very much and took him up on his offer.

As it turns out, Gary and his son Donald, were going to a wake for a deceased Sheridan FF who died of an aneurism while responding to a call.  Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family, and the entire NY State firefighting family on their loss.

It seemed a bit funny driving into Dunkirk.  We could go so fast compared to the bike.  Can someone explain to Rick again why we didn't drive?  Yes, that's right, for the adventure and journey. 

Anyway, we saw a gorgeous sunset over Lake Erie.  It's hard to imagine a lake that just seems to go on forever; and Erie isn't the largest of them.  The idea just boggles the mind.  The night was quiet and we got some good rest in order to start our day headed for PA.  We were able to get "outta Dodge" before the road construction got into full swing, which was nice.  Since we were passing through Dunkirk, we stopped at the Tim Horton's for breakfast and WiFi, then made our way west on NY 5, Bicycle Route 517.  This was our road for the majority of the day.

Rick, Bruce S., and Nola

A little ways into our journey we were met by another cyclist, Bruce S. riding the opposite way on a recumbent, fully loaded for touring.  He was headed East, following the Underground Railroad path from Alabama to NY.  His destination was Syracuse, NY.  Bruce was a delight to talk with, funny, interesting, and full of life.  It made our day to have the chance to meet him.  He gave us a tip on recumbent bikes and suggested Long Bikes as a manufacturer.  That will be one we check out for sure.  

After leaving Bruce and making our way ever closer to PA, we were overtaken by two cyclists out for what we expect was a training ride.  They did hold back a bit for us, so as to let us keep up with them to chat for a little while.  Nice guys and interested in our journey.  They took their leave and eventually turned around because we saw them coming back the other way.  Without a trailer full of gear, we could beat them, easily.  Now, if you believe that we have a canal in NY you can buy.

The terrain today was a bit more hilly, rolling hills, than the last few.  It is still very rural for the most part dotted with small farms and quite a few vineyards.  As we rolled past the multitude of rows of vines, you can make out each bunch of grapes as it cascades down the vines like small green waterfalls.  What Rick doesn't understand is, if little kids can have lemonade stands on the side of the road, why can't wineries have little stands?  We did ride by one that was open and offering tastings.  The general consensus was that it probably wouldn't be our best decision to stop.  So we pushed on, contemplating the idea of retracing this trip next year, only with the motorcycle.  So what could possibly go wrong with stopping for wine tastings while operating a motorcycle?

At one point during our ride today, we got a bit homesick because of the signs.  When you see that you are entering the Town of Portland, you can't help but think of all your friends and family.  We know you are all wishing us well and that is what keeps us going.  Well, that and the song, "Indiana Wants Me."

After riding for nine days across NY, we feel a real sense of accomplishment making it to Pennsylvania.  With only one night here, we expect to be in Ohio tomorrow and for the next five days.  We are making progress!  There are thunderstorms in the area so we have to make sure the tent is secured and all is stowed safely.  Check back tomorrow and see how we fared!

Easy day of riding

2 July 2012

Stats for the day:

Depart Buffalo, NY 8:00 a.m., arrive Sheridan Bay Park Campground, Dunkirk, NY 1:50 p.m.

Trip mileage – 710.8 miles

Today’s mileage – 41.29 miles

Time on bike –3:20:39

Average Speed – 12.3 mph

Max speed – 27.5 mph

We have met some truly wonderful people in our travels this summer, and Cliff and Carol are no exception.  As part of the Warm Showers group, they graciously opened their backyard for our tent, and their dinner table for a fabulous meal.  We were honored to meet their mothers, Joyce and Donna, along with Carol’s brother, Bill.  It was a treat to spend time with these folks, and even Bottle had a great time.  Thanks for everything!

A clear blue sky greeted us as we made our way back to the Trail in Buffalo, taking it to the end, then doing surface roads to our next destination.  We stopped for breakfast just in time as Rick and Bottle seemed to need some extra help this morning.  After a breakfast sandwich and some coffee, everything was right with the world and we moved along.

We have traveled mostly on NY Route 5, Bicycle Route 517 West today (although we were actually traveling south).  As we pedaled along, we stopped to rest at a viewing spot along side Lake Erie, and looked back at Buffalo.  It’s a bit hazy, but you can just make out the city skyline.

It’s been a beautiful day for riding, as we tooled along the roads passing small fields of corn and what we think is soybean.  Not that far south of Buffalo, we passed this vineyard with row upon row of grapevines.  What a lovely site to behold as the leaves sparkled in the sunlight, being tussled by the ever-present westerly breeze. 

As this was a shorter day, we made the trip in relatively good time; though it could have been better.  No summertime trip would be complete without at least one construction stoppage.  Well, here is ours.  They had the road down to one lane, stopping one end, then the other.  Lucky for us, they were only re-surfacing the closed side, so when we got past the area they were working on, we scooted inside the coned lane and made our way to the other end.  They must have figured we would do that, because they let traffic go from the far end before we made it to the finish line. 

Luck would have it that our campground is right at the end of their current work zone, yippee.  Now we get to wake up to the sounds of backup alarms and heavy machinery tomorrow.  Oh well.  It’s all part of the journey. 

Touristy Day

1 July 2012

 

Stats for the day:

Depart Lockport, NY 8:30 a.m., arrive Buffalo, NY 3:45 p.m.

Trip mileage – 669.5 miles

Today’s mileage – 38.58 miles

Time on bike –3:26:20

Average Speed – 11.2 mph

Max speed – 18.7 mph

 

After yesterday's grueling 73 mile day, we located an overnight stop in Buffalo through the Warm Showers organization giving us a wonderfully short day of riding today.  Because of the short distance, we took advantage of the Town of Lockport and visited a local diner, Tom's, for breakfast; then made the short walk to the historic and new locks just behind the diner.  What a classic example of older and new technologies.  

Old Locks (5)

New Locks (2)

The old canal used five locks to make the 70 foot lift/drop over what is known as the Niagara Escarpment. The new locks only need two, to do the same thing.  We got to watch as a Canal Tour boat made it's way up the canal using the locks.  Truly an amazing movement of water to get the boat up to the height it needed, 567 feet above sea level.  Also in the town is a great little tourist center and museum that is all about the canal.  It would take a full day of reading just to go through some of the artifacts.

 

After going through the locks, the tour boat then made it's way under the widest bridge in the U.S., at 399 feet wide.  One has to wonder why they didn't just tack on the extra foot to make it 400 feet.  It's that wide because it covers the canal and allows for an intersection as well.  We went over it to get to the tourist center and museum.  

 

Our ride from Lockport to Buffalo was leisurely, and we took advantage of the frequent parks and rest areas along the Canal Trail.  A good part of it was paved, especially the closer you get to Tonawanda where the canal actually starts.  From Lake Erie to the Canal, you take the Niagara River, which we cycled alongside, and is used a lot for recreational purposes.  One of the neatest things we saw was these bike/paddle boats.  

Niagara River

We did make a stop at a McDonald's in North Tonawanda to take advantage of the wireless internet available in order to check directions for overnight with Cliff and Carol.  Buffalo has some nice bike lanes and wide roads, which is nice.  

Along the route, we came across Rick's next project; that is Castle Urban.  Of course for now we are happy to have Squatter's Place in the backyard at Cliff's and Carol's.  A wonderful spot to rest and enjoy the company of new friends before heading out for Dunkirk, NY. 

Squatter's Camp

Soon to be Castle Urban

The Blustery Day

30 June 2012                                    to view Bottle's Blog go to bottlestravels2.blogspot.com

Stats for the day:

Depart Pittsford, NY 8:35 a.m., arrive Lockport, NY 7:35 p.m.

Trip mileage – 630.8 miles

Today’s mileage – 73.92 miles

Time on bike –6:36:26

Average Speed – 11.2 mph

Max speed – 25.0 mph

Once upon a time there lived two people, a man and a woman, who set out on a cross country trek to visit family in the distant land of Indiana.  Being of unsound minds, everyone says so, they decided to make this trip on bicycle.  Silly, silly, silly.  It's not really silly to do the trip, it's silly to plan for 70+ miles per day.  We have learned our lesson!  We have also learned that as the day grows long, the wind grows strong, so we need to be done biking by four of five p.m. in order to not wear ourselves out fighting against the constant western gusts.  Head winds make for tough biking.

We had a wonderful time with our new friends, Jarrett and Barbara in Pittsford.  After a great night's sleep and hearty breakfast, we were on our way.  As you may remember from an earlier post, we have been anxious to see a lock in operation; well, we saw it today.  As we came upon Lock 32,we stopped to just check it out, when the lower gates opened and very nice sail boat, under motor power, pulled into the lock.  The gates shut, and within five minutes, they had pumped enough water into the lock to allow the boat to continue it's trip up Canal.  

All day long, we played leap frog with the boat as they made their way to Chicago, hoping to make it through all the locks before 10:00 p.m. when they are no longer manned and operated.  On at least four occasions when we caught up to them, and passed them, we had some very nice, but short, conversations about the benefits of both types of transportation.  Our similar gripe was the wind and how it was slowing us down.  Our trip took us off the Canal Trail in Gasport, so we don't know if they ever made their destination in time.  

The vast majority of our cycling time today was on the Trail, so again a very windy and dusty day.  But there were no breakdowns, difficult road crossing or trail findings, so all in all a great day.  There are a multitude of picturesque small towns scattered along the banks of the Canal, with names like Fairport, Spencerport, Brockport, and Adams Basin.  All with close ties to the workings, or at least past workings, of the Canal. 

On our journey thus far, we have had the exceptional opportunity to meet some very friendly folks along the way, and today was no exception.  While having a rest at Adam's Basin, we met two other cyclists out enjoying the day, Mitch and Laura.  We had a lovely chat about bicycling, phones, and technology, and swapped information.  Just a little while later we got a nice email from them wishing us the best and safe travels.  Another example of how many great people are in the world.  We love it!

At one point, we crossed over a river that actually ran under the Canal.  A very interesting thing to have happen when you think about the size of the Canal and the weight of the water that has to be help up by the aqua duct.  Nola got a great picture of the fall of the river.

Seeing that sailboat make its way up the Canal, made Rick wonder what it would be like to do the same, and leisurely sail the canal to check out the villages, towns, and cities along the way.  Maybe that adventure will happen some day.  But for now, we take our rest in Lockport, NY at Niagra County Camping Resort.  As planned and executed by our dear friends, we have in our possession a new/used trailer hitch and the turn by turn directions we had left behind in Rutland.  A huge thank you to Ralph for the hitch and Andrea for the directions.  We are still deciding what we will do tomorrow, Sunday, so check back in and see if we took the day off, or headed out again.  One thing we can guarantee is that it won't be a seventy mile day!

Another Day on the Journey

29 June 2012

 

Stats for the day:

Depart Weedsport, NY 8:00 a.m., arrive Pittsford, NY 5:30 p.m.

Trip mileage – 556.9 miles

Today’s mileage – 63.1 miles

Time on bike –5:30:04

Average Speed – 11.4 mph

Max speed – 27.5 mph

 

We pedaled out of Weedsport under bright blue skies, after experiencing a wonderful lightning show last night, with only limited rain.  We even managed to get up, hit the bathrooms and get back into the tent before the rain came in.  Our luck has been holding out for us.

The trip today was an interesting one as we followed the Google directions and came across a "Bridge Closed Ahead" sign.  Always an interesting turn of events when this happens, but we stopped and asked a couple of men working nearby if we could get through.  The answer was "yes" as you can't drive on it, but you can bicycle.  That would have been true had the cement barricades not been placed so as preclude any kind of traffic, at least on the end of the bridge where we were.  With some creative geometry and plenty of "umph" we managed to get the bike and trailer over the barricades without unhitching anything.  Our celebratory mood was quickly dampened when we crossed the bridge and found nothing more than an overgrown cow path; well actually it was an overgrown car path but either way, it didn't look good.  The sign we found said it was a nature preserve, one that seemed like it was barely used.

We persevered, and pushed on up over hill and dale, field and stream until we reached a paved road.  It was even numbered so we could almost figure out where we were.  Needless to say, Rick was getting a little cranky by now.  As we continued on we found more hills, as we were on some back county roads, and managed to stop and rest at the top of one of them where we were greeted with a warm smile and the offer of help, water, or whatever by the women there.  We took them up on their offer and had a wonderful conversation about biking, and the Marine Corps as these ladies had a family member serving overseas.  After filling up on water, and getting some direction on how to avoid the hill facing us, we struck out to continue our journey.  

 

Being back in civilization, that is on NY Route 31which is also NY Bike Route 5, we stopped in at the town center of Clyde, NY.  A very quaint little town common with a gazebo and plenty of benches under large shade trees. A nice rest with bagels and cheese, and bagels and Goober's (peanut butter and jelly together) gave us the energy we needed to push on.  

 

The first real highlight of the day was getting to the Payless store so Nola could replace the shoes she needed for biking.  Don't they look spiffy?  The best part is that they work for her!  After the shoe store, we moseyed over to the nearby WalMart to replenish our supply of Goober's.  There are certain necessities for biking, and that is one of them. While Rick ran to get the Goober's, Nola picked up a Subway sandwich for lunch, which we squirreled away in the pack and rode on down the road.  

Getting back on the Erie Trail was nice, because it got us away from the traffic and noise of Route 31, but after stopping to have our sandwich Rick found yet another broken spoke on the real wheel.  If anyone wants a stock tip, buy spoke stock because we are using them up as fast as they can make them.  It was just one spoke so we rode on it to get into Fairport to the bike shop, RV&E Bike Shop.  They were so efficient, that Nola didn't get a chance to finish her ice cream and Rick had to take his dark roast coffee to go.  Additionally, we picked up a gel-seat cover for Rick and a detailed map of the Erie Canal Trail in order to help get us from Rochester to Buffalo.  We figure it won't hurt to have all the help we can muster.

The last few miles to our final destination was done at a meandering pace along the canal, and then a few residential streets to Jarret and Barbara's house.  A wonderful welcome with cool water, snacks, and conversation allowed us to cool off before showering and starting a load of stinky laundry.  We were treated to a lovely dinner, resplendent with a home-grown green salad topped with the first fresh tomatoes of the season.  YUM.  To top it all off, chocolate frozen yogurt hit the spot on a warm summer evening.  We can't thank our friends enough for their hospitality and friendship as we make our way to Indiana.  

Tomorrow is another day of cycling, so check back to see what other mischief is in store for us.

Dusty Trail

28 June 2012

Stats for the day:

Depart Verona Beach State Park, NY 8:00 a.m.  Arrive Weedsport, NY 5:00 p.m.

Trip mileage – 493.7 miles

Today’s mileage – 58.13 miles

Time on bike –5:05:01

Average Speed – 11.4 mph

Max speed – 29.5 mph

What a difference a day makes.  After yesterdays woes of finding a bike shop and then waiting to get the fix we needed, today proved productive in mileage and all without injury/breakdown.  Oops, I forgot that Nola's shoes did break, so a trip to Payless is in the cards for tomorrow.

We left Verona Beach State Park under clear skies and no wind.  A thankful respite from yesterday's gale force breezes.   A seven mile trip to McDonald's got us both breakfast and WiFi in order to post the late entries to the blogs.  Thank you for your patience, as we don't always get Internet access where we camp.


When we made it to the trail, we had twenty five glorious miles of tranquil but dusty path before we were dumped back on surface roads.  At one point, a young man passed us and literally left us in his dust.  One can now imagine how the wagons at the end of the wagon trains felt while forging west in the old days.  Eating dust is gritty, but does provide a source of very course fiber.  Tune in to later posts to see how that comes out!


As we traveled along the old Erie Canal, you could almost see the horse drawn boats, pulling passengers along the calm waters as they lounged on deck in the sun, or took to cooler spots of shade.  The laughter and merriment would ring through the woods and fields, mixing with the dull thuds of the hooves of teams of horses on shore.  What an experience that must have been.  A lazy inland cruise of sorts.

The Trail ended, for the time being, in Syracuse, NY.  With directions provided by Google Maps, we managed to navigate through city streets, construction, and traffic, all while playing leapfrog with a city bus that seemed to stop at almost every corner.  But the driver never buzzed us, so that was nice.  Our route took us by a very beautiful Cathedral in downtown Syracuse.  A very imposing structure.


Just the other side of the city line lies the town of Solvay, NY.  There we found a comfortable little gazebo nestled in a manicured park, a perfect place for lunch.  We were lucky because it had power outlets in the gazebo so we could re-charge the phone and computer before heading out again.  Just a bit down the road we stopped at the local fire station to refill water, but no one was home.  Must have been out doing tankers or something.  Anyway, a local Sheriff Deputy told us that the local youth center was just around the corner and up the hill.  We could get water there.  It's always up a hill!  This one wasn't too bad though.


Back on the road again, and we made it to our next section of Trail that lasted for fifteen miles.  During this ride we came upon a small, well kept memorial rest stop dedicated to the memory of a local man, Bryan McNeill.  He died in January 2010 of an Aortic Aneurism.  What a lovely spot to memorialize a distance runner, which he was.  We enjoyed the spot quite a bit.


We finished up the day by rolling into Riverforest Park Campground, setting up the tent and cleaning the bike from all the trail dust accumulated over the day.  Knock on wood, we enjoyed a day of carefree biking and look forward to more to come.


Now, its a few beers at the pub, a cheesecake (or two) for desert, and posting the blogs.  Tomorrow is another day of riding with a plan for 61 miles, and a stop at the shoe store so Nola can get some retreads for her feet.

The Blustery Day

27 June 2012

Stats for the day:

Depart St. Johnsville, NY 8:00 a.m., arrive Verona Beach State Park, NY 6:40 p.m.

Trip mileage – 435.5 miles

Today’s mileage – 68.36 miles

Time on bike –5:57:03

Average Speed – 11.4 mph

Max speed – 28.5 mph

After an enjoyable day off, we were back on the bike headed west.  Being presented with a sunny day and a blue sky peppered with cotton ball clouds, we felt confident we could make the mileage easily.  But as the day progressed, a West wind picked up and became gale force by the end of the day.  We can attest to how tiring it is to pedal into a head wind for hours on end.

There was a nice surprise awaiting us along the trail this morning, we traveled right next to Lock 17, and it had a wonderful little viewing area there.  We stopped and took some pictures, and yes, Bottle was included.  The Locks are amazing engineering feats, and we hope to get to see one operate before we leave the Canal Trail.

The trail treated us well, with good surfacing and not too much of surface roads.  Our first destination was a bike shop in Little Falls to get the rear wheel spokes repaired/replaced.  Well, imagine our chagrin when we arrived and they were closed because it was Wednesday.  Oh well, a check of the phone brought up a shop in Utica, our next town along the Trail, so off we went.

In a bit over an hour, we were at Welch’s Bike Shop in Utica, chilling outside in a chair waiting as they worked on our wheel.  They were very gracious and did a good job of it, but it took about two and a half hours to do.  Rick was feeling a bit stressed by the fact that we still had thirty or more miles to go to get to Verona Beach SP.  After a few breathing exercises and a good hug, he was back to “enjoying the journey” so we tacked off into the wind to find safe harbor down the road.

After a bit of round-about biking, we made it back to the trail and enjoyed the scenic wonderland of dappled sunlight through rustling tree branches and the pitter patter of tiny bunny paws as the scampered off the trial.  We got to see a fairly large coyote, or coydog whichever they have around these parts, sauntering down the path.  I had to yell at him to get him to run off into the brush so we could pass without spooking him too much.  It was bigger than I thought it would be.

There are fairly long stretches of the Canal Trail that are not completed yet, and as a result you end up on surface roads.  In our case today, we followed State Bicycle Route 5, and it was a divided road with a posted speed limit of 55, which actually means 65 or better.  We sure were glad to get off of that road.  The last four miles or so to the State Park were quiet County roads, and we arrived safely but tired.  The wind was blowing so hard off the lake that we had to re-orient the tent so the wind blew through it, instead of onto the side, which was collapsing the tent.

 

For both of us, the highlight of the day came when we sat down to dinner at a lakeside restaurant called Gary’s.  We had a wonderful meal and enjoyed watching the suns last flames of the day sink below the horizon, leaving the sky bathed in the last embers of a summer campfire, until even they had to give up and the night embraced everything.  We look forward to a nice quiet night of restful sleep, and dream of tomorrow without heavy winds.