String of Friends

Static map: https://ridewithgps.com/trips/415804309?privacy_code=F76s1Z5Gp9IeCxDNxrQb34AVYkYHNFhM Animated map: https://www.relive.com/view/vDqgAK8prGO After a night of sound quiet sleep punctuated by careful trips down the ladder for bio breaks, I finally woke to gray skies. It wasn't a day to hurry. I didn't hurry. I lingered in bed. The Nor’easter pounding the coast wasn't hitting the Albany area hard. I might get a few sprinkles, but that was it. I only had 30 miles to do. I could time the ride to avoid the worst rain.  (The view before rising) I made breakfast on the little porch, had some coffee, and wrote a blog entry. I didn't hit the road until 9:30. A lazy morning for me on the road. I passed the Welcome TJ sign Dan had set out the day before, but missed the house Kurt Vonnegut had lived in that was on the same street. I looked but didn't see the red house that was described to me. I also missed, via ignorance, the Vonnegut house in...

Static map: https://ridewithgps.com/trips/415613101?privacy_code=RbVBl7isot0eBMKqAzvzLrNHaK8LtzpM Animated map: https://www.relive.com/view/vYvEd3VYPwq Pretty, but loud with a dash of gastric upset. That was my stay at Ilion Marina. I was happy the bathroom was heated because I made a lot of trips during the night. Despite all that I slept well. If you're tired enough nothing will stop you.  When I woke up to cool patchy fog I faced a shorter day of 60+ miles to Lock 9. I learned from Charlie and Audrey that if you set up your tent under a tree you won't have a dewy tent. I set up under a maple and my tent was dry so it has to be true.  (Pretty and loud. There's traffic in the trees) The first order of business was heading the three miles to Herkimer to get breakfast and even more importantly, seeing the bridge that serves as the Herkimer Coffee logo. The coffee shop in Herkimer was t bougie. It was the only breakfast place in a working class town. C...

Static map: https://ridewithgps.com/trips/415393037?privacy_code=2ZOyjZvL0A9i8wwhCUDAYGseCKChg03u Animated map: https://www.relive.com/view/vYvrg3yXVxO I resolved to get an early start. I wanted to make up the ground I'd lost yesterday. Maybe I need to be more flexible, but I was proud of my ability to keep a schedule and others were depending on me being somewhere at a certain time. Today's destination was Ilion Marina. I got up in time to catch the start of the hotel breakfast of preformed eggs, cereal, and self-made waffles. I was out the door by 7:00.  I went half a mile before I stopped for real coffee. I had time, right? I wanted to write up a blog post and needed fuel. I had a great cup of drip and a vegan cookie. Kelsey's Coffee and Friends is just down the street from Syracuse University which explained all the vegan options. Lee, a graduate math student, asked about my loaded bike. He is from Western China and lived on a a route used by bike tourers to...

(Lenette and Jennifer have me forks!) Static map: https://ridewithgps.com/trips/415180565?privacy_code=M5z8WAF20o4o0SUJX75YhGfjTDzM4gbz Animated map: https://www.relive.com/view/vevYGJrJMJ6 The day at Lock 28B began sunny and dewy. It was such a nice spot that I decided make breakfast at camp instead of heading to the coffee shop. Tom and Jack were still sleeping about 100 ft away so I crept around quietly. I explored the lock at bit between oatmeal and coffee. I put the tent on a railing to dry, but the sun wasn’t strong enough. I packed the wet tent and headed to Lyons.  (Morning at Lock 28B) I found Community Coffee at the corner. I wondered if Hisako and I had driven through it on our way to an anniversary get away to Lake Ontario while we lived in Ithaca. It’s possible. The nice women who run the coffee shop let me dry my tent outside. I sat down and began a blog entry. It wasn’t long before I realized I’d forgotten my tent stakes! The water bottles las...

(Ruins of dry docks for canal boats) Just a quick note to stay I'm safely in Ilion, NY right next door to Herkimer for you Phinney Ridge coffee people. It was a long, beautiful, and uneventful day. 

Static map: https://ridewithgps.com/trips/414915576?privacy_code=dBfxgnbH9NOG2gdCRYWwBjE0djw4LM7E Animated map: https://www.relive.com/view/v7O9z5LWRL6 I found my people. Compared to anyplace else along this trip, there are a ton of cyclists. Doing the Erie Canal is a thing. It’s beautiful, flat, and there are plenty of options to spend the night. I am sitting at Community Coffee and Cafe in Lyon. It’s 9:23 am. My tent is drying on the railing in from of the cafe after a dry, but dewy night. The folks here are super friendly, living up to the community in the name. (Me, Charlie, and Audrey) I had a long dinner with Doug, Tom, and Jack, fellow cyclists I met along the way. Doug is 79 and did 86 miles yesterday. He is staying in hotels because he’s not a camper. Ted and Jake are from Albany and heading west to Buffalo. They camped at the Newark Locks with me.  The day began in Brockport after a dew-free night. I thought briefly about cooking my own breakfast, ...