A Canalway Trail, round 2
Day 3: Monday, May 23rd
Rochester, NY -> Lockport, NY
Miles: 71.92
Total miles: 176
Average speed: 11.3 mph
Weather: Sunny with a bit of headwind
Today was a lovely day! I woke up a bit late and Karen and I left the house at around 8:30. Karen rode the first 20 miles with me, and took me to a sporting store on the way so I could replace my missing sleeping pad with an economical alternative. I was so happy to have that taken care of! We chatted about many things; Karen's job, Brian's job, politics, traveling, cats, etc. It was really nice to have her ride out with me and after she left I continued to feel wonderful.
Much of my ride was on the Erie Canal Trail, and my Achilles' tendon didn't really bother me, which was great. I felt stronger and more consistent; I infrequently stopped and when I did, I was efficient about eating or drinking.
The trail on the canal was a bit soft and ten miles out of Lockport, I became pretty tired and switched over to the road that was paralleling the canal. After that point, I flew! I felt great and I made good progress.
I finally arrived on the doorstep of Dave and Kathy, my warmshowers hosts from my bike trip two years ago. Dave greeted me with a wide smile, told me I looked older, and then told me I had better shower because I was in for a treat! He is in a glee club and they were performing at a festival that evening. I showered quickly and the three of us were off. The festival was wonderful; there were many old cars being shown and the weather was perfect, and there were all kinds of people out enjoying the festivities.
Dave and his glee club sang for about an hour, and they were very good. The air was relaxed; there was distant chatter in the background and children running about and people casually walking in front of the stage, unaware of the concert. Kathy must've known every third person there-- she kept stopping to talk to people and every so often she'd introduce me to various responses. Some nodded and smiled; yes, this is normal! Some were in disbelief. Some were very concerned for my safety and well-being.
After the concert, we went to an Italian restaurant and had spaghetti-- the same spaghetti I had last time! It was delicious and very filling. Again, Dave and Kathy knew just about everyone there and chatted up a storm with the waitress and hostess and other patrons. It was exciting and fun to see all of the details they remembered about everyone!
Finally; we went back home, where Dave and Kathy dug out a map of Ontario for me to take and helped me print out directions through Ontario. Last time, I used Adventure Cycling routes, which were scenic and wonderful. This time I need to take the express route, unfurnished by Adventure Cycling and instead by google maps and various paper maps. It'll be difficult to navigate without my phone service, but hopefully it won't take too much time!
Today: didn't have to fake anything
Tomorrow: ride into Canada until I'm worn out; pitch my tent somewhere discreet and try to sleep!
I might not post for a couple days!
Rochester, NY -> Lockport, NY
Miles: 71.92
Total miles: 176
Average speed: 11.3 mph
Weather: Sunny with a bit of headwind
Today was a lovely day! I woke up a bit late and Karen and I left the house at around 8:30. Karen rode the first 20 miles with me, and took me to a sporting store on the way so I could replace my missing sleeping pad with an economical alternative. I was so happy to have that taken care of! We chatted about many things; Karen's job, Brian's job, politics, traveling, cats, etc. It was really nice to have her ride out with me and after she left I continued to feel wonderful.
Much of my ride was on the Erie Canal Trail, and my Achilles' tendon didn't really bother me, which was great. I felt stronger and more consistent; I infrequently stopped and when I did, I was efficient about eating or drinking.
The trail on the canal was a bit soft and ten miles out of Lockport, I became pretty tired and switched over to the road that was paralleling the canal. After that point, I flew! I felt great and I made good progress.
I finally arrived on the doorstep of Dave and Kathy, my warmshowers hosts from my bike trip two years ago. Dave greeted me with a wide smile, told me I looked older, and then told me I had better shower because I was in for a treat! He is in a glee club and they were performing at a festival that evening. I showered quickly and the three of us were off. The festival was wonderful; there were many old cars being shown and the weather was perfect, and there were all kinds of people out enjoying the festivities.
Dave and his glee club sang for about an hour, and they were very good. The air was relaxed; there was distant chatter in the background and children running about and people casually walking in front of the stage, unaware of the concert. Kathy must've known every third person there-- she kept stopping to talk to people and every so often she'd introduce me to various responses. Some nodded and smiled; yes, this is normal! Some were in disbelief. Some were very concerned for my safety and well-being.
After the concert, we went to an Italian restaurant and had spaghetti-- the same spaghetti I had last time! It was delicious and very filling. Again, Dave and Kathy knew just about everyone there and chatted up a storm with the waitress and hostess and other patrons. It was exciting and fun to see all of the details they remembered about everyone!
Finally; we went back home, where Dave and Kathy dug out a map of Ontario for me to take and helped me print out directions through Ontario. Last time, I used Adventure Cycling routes, which were scenic and wonderful. This time I need to take the express route, unfurnished by Adventure Cycling and instead by google maps and various paper maps. It'll be difficult to navigate without my phone service, but hopefully it won't take too much time!
Today: didn't have to fake anything
Tomorrow: ride into Canada until I'm worn out; pitch my tent somewhere discreet and try to sleep!
I might not post for a couple days!
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