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Omaha to NYC Day 34

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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...
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Omaha to NYC Day 33

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(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...
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Omaha to NYC Day 34 Placerholder

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(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. 
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Omaha to NYC Day 32: Nice fall day

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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, ...
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Omaha to NYC D32 and D33 Placeholder

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Days of beautiful scenery, progress, new friends, mishaps, and road angels. I'm in Syracuse, but will turn in early after a day of adventures. I'll try to catch up tomorrow. Good night 
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Omaha to NYC Day 31

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Static map: https://ridewithgps.com/trips/414666592?privacy_code=Keec1mWeINi9SXguJUgi50YqaMj7guK9 Animated map:  https://www.relive.com/view/vMq5zjXQr8v Restarting after a rest day is always exciting. I felt great after two good nights of sleep. But first things first, baked goods. I graded over to Five Points Bakery for the cinnamon roll bread pudding and a latte. Breakfast of champions!  I was on the road by 8:30. I had to retrace my route into Buffalo for a couple of miles, but soon I was back at the eastern end of the I-190 bridge to Grand Island, but this time I headed north to Tonawanda. In what would be a theme for the day, the wind blew in my face. It would be headwinds the whole day. New York doesn't want me to leave! Nor did eastern Ontario. (Abandoned section of canal) The way wound around the eastern shore of the Niagara River. It was 11 miles, but felt longer with the wind. I found a historic marker for the historic Erie Canal. The current ...
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Omaha to NYC Day 29

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Static map: https://ridewithgps.com/trips/414211016?privacy_code=ZSWzu5krcoMSa5OScCZoC27bTAHBaa6h Animated map: https://www.relive.com/view/vMq5zj7w8Qv Punchy, I let my pedal crunch into the gravel on the side of the bike path on a tight turn, causing the bike to wobble and a near fall. My brain was foggy as the Niagara Falls overlook where I’d been two hours before. Six days of riding is about my limit. I earned this rest day in Buffalo. I am ensconced at the Five Points Bakery now. (Side note: the Bills are like Lil’ Sebastian from Parks and Rec. Everyone, EVERYONE loves the Bills in Buffalo. I’ve ridden by more than one house flying a rainbow intersectional flag and a Bills flag. Do not insult the Bills in Buffalo!) The day got started with a pleasantly dry tent. We are past the days of dew. I had no way to heat water because as readers of yesterday’s entry will know, the striker on my stove has struck its last. I had no lighter or matches. Breakfast was crackers, baby c...
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