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June 10- Walcott to Syracuse

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  We decided to head southeast today instead of our planned northeast route.  We like to think that we were just being free spirits, but truth be told, we were tired and wanted to head home.  Early on we cycled through rain and got on the Eire Canal trail heading east.  As the trail passed through the town of Jordan , we asked about the availability of coffee and breakfast.  We were directed to a neat little place called Peace Love and Coffee.  The shop is run by Sara (sorry that I didn’t ask if it was Sara with an “h”) and Mike.  Mike made us breakfast sandwiches with fresh biscuits and Sara served coffee.  Sara and her friend made the variety of pastries they served.  We just had to try her cinnamon buns. They were fantastic and the coffee was wonderful.  Sara and Mike were great hosts and we wish them well.   We cycled on the canal trail for over 20 miles until we got to Syracuse where we had about 15 miles of road cycling to get to our van at Dick’s house (if you forgot who and
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06-09 Wolcott

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 We had to revise our route for today.  A bridge over a causeway that gave access to boats entering Lake Ontario had been closed.  So rather than heading north out of Rochester , we headed east then north.  The day was almost as long but eliminated some of our planned Lake Ontario shore cycling.  We cycled through the city and stopped at a Tim Horton’s after about 10 miles of cycling.  From there most of the rest of the day was in rural areas.   We did enjoy many miles of shore line cycling with views of the lake. We stopped for lunch at Burnap’s Fruit Farm near Sodus.  The farm stand also had a café where we got a great sandwich (that was large enough to share) made with bread that was baked on site.  We also had strawberry filled pastries that just came out of the oven.  If we didn’t have more miles to go, we could have sat on their deck for hours. Next we cycled to the historic Sodus light house, our first and only planned point of interest until we got to town. In town we sa
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06-08 Rochester

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 Another cold start, but we warmed up with a quick infusion of joy from a trail angel.  Leaving the hotel we had a short ride to a “open 24 hours” restaurant.  When we got there, only the front seating area was lit and one person was setting up for breakfast.  We walked in only to be told that the restaurant did not open for another hour.  Mary, the manager must have seen the sad look on our faces and said, “I will make you breakfast as long as your request is simple.”  We both ordered 2 eggs over easy with wheat toast.  Mary said that 2 eggs came with potatoes which we declined.   So instead of potatoes, she cooked us some bacon and 3 eggs each.  The food was fine, but her kindness was wonderful. We cycled through the town of Canandaigua then headed out into the country.  That is when things got confusing for us.  A little background:  Joe prepares our routes and down loads them into our GPSs (which are different Gamin models).  After riding about 10 miles of country roads, Jeff’s GPS
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06-07 Canandaigua

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 Today’s highlight was meeting up with Ray Kline.  We met Ray on our 2002 ride across the United States and met him again on several other rides since then.  At age 66 Ray cycled from Pen Yan (his home in NY) to the start of our cross country ride in Williamsburg, Virginia.  After we cycled 4,500 miles to Astoria, Oregon, Ray continued cycling south to San Francisco then continued east to Salt Lake City before he decided he had enough.  Twenty two years later, Ray is still cycling.  He is our hero. Our ride from Hammondsport to Pen Yan was along Kuaka Lake but we didn’t see much of it.  We are in the third day of a weather advisory because of the Canadian forest fire that is polluting the east coast sky.  While the advisory stated that all outdoor activities be curtailed, we cycled in the haze.  Because of the haze we could not see the lake or much else.  It also made breathing challenging, especially on climbs.  Perhaps we should have stayed in our last hotel. Because of the haze and
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06-06 Hammondsport

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  This day started without breakfast but with a long climb right from our hotel.   The climb was only a 3 to 4 percent grade.   In comparison to our early climbs, it was easy.   The day was overcast and cold enough for us to keep our jackets on until the end of the ride.   Between Watkins Glen and Corning we cycled south in what should have been a picturesque valley, if only it were sunny.   Leaving Corning we headed north fighting a head wind the whole way.   Didn’t see any Finger Lakes and had few opportunities for pictures. The highlight of the day was checking into a new Best Western Plus with friendly staff and a plate of fresh baked cookies waiting for us.   Since we could not have our bicycles in the room, Jeff loaded a cart and took our panniers to the room.   For his efforts, he demanded a return ride (see photo). Photos      Map   Cumulative Map 
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06-05 Watkins Glen

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 We have 2 possible starts for this blog.  First, the day was fantastic until we had to climb up a steep grade for a half mile to get to our hotel.  Second, if we correctly remember our theology lessons, the prior 3 days we were in purgatory and on the fourth day we ascended into heaven.  Readers’ choice J   Once again we left the hotel hungry but determined to move on.  Our first stop was at the marker claiming the town of Waterloo as the birthplace of the annual Memorial Day celebration in May of each year.  While President Johnson proclaimed the town as its birthplace, new information indicates that the earliest celebration was in Columbus, Georgia.   Within a few miles we stopped to take pictures of a canal lock and noticed a sign on the other side of the water announcing a civil war memorial.  We debated going to see it but since it was early and a short day, we decided, why not.  Thankfully, we made the right choice. This unassuming and out of the ordinary cemetery contained
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06-04 Seneca Falls

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  We will get this over quickly.  As we reported, the previous 2 days had challenging climbs.  Except for the one hill that we chose to climb to see a waterfall, today’s hills were modest.  However, we did have a challenging head wind that reduced our 12 to 15 mph pace down to a painful 6 to 8 mph. We left our hotel room early, anticipating that the only breakfast spot near our route was opening at 5 a.m.  We got there after 6 a.m., but the hours posted on the internet were wrong.  The sign on their door indicated that they did not open for another hour. Our next choice was a gas station that advertised “breakfast sandwiches made fresh daily.”  To say the least, the breakfast was not very good. A trail quickly took us out of town and into a park and a marina.  There we saw many runners and birders.  Following the signs to the osprey nest we saw 2 ospreys nesting  high on a pole.  Nice, but more was to come.  Today’s highlight was to see the Taughannock waterfalls, even though it requir
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06-03 Ithaca

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 We started our morning with a walk to Anne's diner.  Anne served us the daily special of 2 eggs, coffee, toast, and home fries (which we both declined).  Afterwards we left Auburn on a 20 mile leisurely ride along the lake. What came next was another monster climb that Joe conquered but Jeff walked up the last quarter mile. There were other climbs during the day and a few great down hill rides.  We stopped at Millard Fillmore 's birth place.  He was the 13th US President.  This home was a tiny log cabin.  In Ithaca our route to the hotel was blocked by a street fair.  We walked our bikes through it for several blocks before deciding on a detour. However, that detour took us on a road that was torn up and closed.  We ignored the closure, slipped under the fence and proceeded to our hotel.  It was a long day and we both are tired.  Map Pictures
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 06-02 Auburn Our day started out uneventful as we cycled through Syracuse. We stopped at Clinton Square to take some photos. Heading out of town we encountered our first significant hill. We had been warned many times that we would have lots of climbing, but it took our first climb for that reality to set in. This climb was about 3 miles long with some steep grades. Little did we realize that this was just a warm-up for the challenge. Just before this hill, we cycled through an area that at one time houses the city's affluent citizens. Unfortunately, all we saw were stately mansions in need of major restoration. The second climb was very difficult for us. While only one half miles long it was painful pushing our bikes up the 18 percent grade. The walk seemed hours long and miles long. Did we mention that the temperature was in the mid-90s? After we recovered, we enjoyed the first town (Skaneateles) on our route; which was near the end of the ride.  Arriving in Auburn, we checked i
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 Finger Lake’n Good Once again, we are drawn to water for our summer cycling travels. With all our trips along rivers and lakes, you may wonder why we don’t get kayaks or canoes. This year we will cycle for about 11 days and over 500 miles. Our travels will take us from Syracuse, New York, up and down the Finger Lakes, before arriving in Rochester, New York.  From there we will cycle along Lake Ontario as we head back to Syracuse. We are starting in Syracuse, NY, at a friend’s house. We met Dick during our 2002 TransAm adventure… We can add narrative about the visit and his travel with us (if he chooses to come along)  The Finger Lakes is a group of eleven long, narrow, roughly north–south lakes located south of Lake Ontario. This part of New York state is a very popular tourist area for cyclists and motorists. Besides its lakes,  the area has numerous waterfalls, parks, large cities, unique small towns, historic sites, museums, and wineries. The geological term finger lake refers to a
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