A Blog To Be Named Later

10/8/17

Niagara Falls, ONT > Rochester, NY

Miles Ridden – 87.7

Mileage to date – 3,811.4

Yesterday’s destination was Rochester. By John’s recent standards it was an easy day for him. The early arrival in Rochester gave him time to go to a local bike shop. He had the chain and cassette (gears on the rear wheel). My guess is that between the tour and training John probably has over 6,000 miles on the chain and cassette so it was time for a replacement. While the bike was in the shop it developed a flat (naturally). This brings the total number of flats to 10 for John on this trip. It turns out the rear tire had developed a gash of some sort. Time for a new tire as well!

On a related touring note, John’s riding companions, Jaime and Heather, finished their tour in Yorktown, VA. They had started out their on the same day we did in San Francisco. We met them in Austin, NV and we rode with them starting in Baker,NV. John rode all the way to Kentucky with them.

Today’s target is the Syracuse area. Looks like rain is in the forecast.

10/7/17

Westfield, NY > Niagara Falls, ONT

Miles Ridden – 88.2

Mileage to date – 3,723.7

As one of my astute readers (and neighbor) pointed out, yesterday was the one day on the trip that John was in 3 states. True. Well today he followed that up by being in 2 countries. He cross the border to go see Niagara Falls. He had planned ahead to do this and had mailed his passport to a friend in Buffalo. Unfortunately the timing was such that his friend was out of town this weekend, but he was able to work it out.

John’s account of the day –

“Today I rode to Niagara Falls in Ontario, Canada. I hate to say it, but for today the ride was secondary to the destination. I came here with my parents when I was a pain in the ass teenager and enjoyed my visit. So much, I vowed that I’d come back here one day. This morning I wasn’t 100% committed to crossing into Canada because of the recent weather and I needed to pick up my passport in Buffalo. Fortunately, the weather improved and my old friend, Yuki Numata Resnick made arrangements for me to get into her house despite her being away and I was able to retrieve my passport. I was off to Canada and I rode hard. I arrived here around 3:30 and coming into Queen Victoria park and seeing the falls again was a great feeling. Just like riding a bike, it made me feel like a kid again.”

John got the royal treatment crossing the Peace Bridge which opened 90 years ago-

“When I arrived at the Peace Bridge there was a sign indicating the sidewalk was closed. I had to call a phone number and they sent a shuttle van to pick me up and bring to the Canadian check point. Once I was near the checkpoint , they dropped me off and I headed thru the same checkpoint as motorists.”

Photos from the day –

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 –

Barcelona Lighthouse –

 

10/4/17

London, OH > Mifflin, OH

Miles Ridden – 117.0

Mileage to date – 3,415.4

Another day, another century ride for John. Yesterday John arrived in Mifflin (pop. 137) and found a really nice campground on Charles Mill lake which is known locally as Mifflin lake. It is a reservoir primarily for flood control located about 80 miles northeast of Columbus. John is about halfway between Columbus and Cleveland.

John’s account of the day which included an encounter with an irate motorist –

“The campground is really beautiful. I had an encounter with a disgruntled motorist today. We were going thru an intersection and he flipped me off as we both turned left. At the next intersection he rolled down his window and I asked him why he was so upset? He claimed that I wasn’t following the rules. It’s funny but I was following the rules on that one. Later, I encountered a road closure that required a 3 mile detour. I know that you should obey the rules of the road and stay out of construction sites but I knew I’d be riding 100+ miles today and I didn’t want to add any more distance. (At least without earning it by missing a turn). So……I didn’t follow the rules and cut thru an active construction site and it felt kind of like slalom skiing…..”