10/6/17
Burton, OH > Westfield, NY
Miles Ridden – 125.0
Mileage to date – 3,635.5
John reached Westfield, NY yesterday which is the 12th state that he ridden though on his tour. He is really starting to pile on the miles as the end is in sight. After a bit of reprieve on the flat tire front, John managed to get one yesterday after riding 101 miles. Hopefully, that will be the last flat tire on the trip.
Westfield is about 35 miles east of Erie, PA and at one point was the headquarters of Welch’s Grape Juice. The local climate is ideal for growing grapes. John texted after the ride and said “I bought some grapes at a roadside stand and they’re pretty delicious.” I am sure they are delicious, but as I have told John before after you have ridden a bicycle all day a pine cone would test good!
John’s account of the day –
“Today was a big ride and I saw a lot of different places. My ride started in Amish country and I found myself sharing the road with several horse carriages early this morning.
Before long I was on the Western Reserve Greenway Trail , yet another beautiful OH bike path. Once I crossed into PA I rode along Lake Erie for several miles and traveled thru Erie PA. In Erie, I went thru both its finest and least desirable neighborhoods in a matter of minutes and the differences/contrast between these locations is shocking. Finally, passing many vineyards before crossing into NY on Route 5 reminded me of the foothills before Carson Pass in CA where this journey really began. All in all, a challenging but amazing day of riding.”
Photos from the day –
The only day when John will ride within 3 states in the same day! Really enjoying the blog posts, photos and maps! I’m sure John will be glad to finish his trip but I will miss following his progress. He seems to be in a hurry now.
Good point! I should have used that as the blog title. He is trying to make it back for a wedding next weekend so I think that is a consideration. Also today he was thinking of heading up to Niagara Falls so he did a long day yesterday to help with that.