Today's Ride
The Stats
92 miles
2,172 ft. climbed
Miles Completed: 2,933
Miles to Go: 463
States Visited: 12 of 15
Total Climbed: 90,580 ft.
The highlights: New York, New York, and crossing into 12th state
Challenges: Rain, rain, headwinds, and a couple flats!
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| A different version of the "state line" I ride to regularly on 9W |
The Ride
While it was calm and dry and warm enough when we started out, it didn't last long. I did enjoy riding between vineyards and Lake Erie (though the latter wasn't much within view until later in the ride), and managed a lean photo by the vines.
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| Erie vineyard lean |
There were a few places that brought me back to childhood memories. Our local gas station, where we knew the attendants (I think one was named Pete, though I could be making that up), was at the Texaco on Merrick Road, between Wantagh and Bellmore ("You can trust your car to the man who wears the star!" -- and yes, it was definitely gender-specific in the 60's and 70's, as I don't recall any female gas station attendants.)
Then we came through the South Shore (of Lake Erie, not Long Island) and the town of Freeport, when I couldn't help thinking of the Long Island Railroad stops: "Rockville Center, Baldwin, Freeport, Merrick, Bellmore, Wantagh, Seaford, Massapequa, Massapequa Park, Amityville, Copaigue, Lindenhurst, and Babylon--all others change at Jamaica!" [NOTE: Thanks to Ilona, another Wantagh native, for reminding me about Amityville!]
But before long, we were once again riding in rain of varying degrees, at times pelting, and at other times just spitting. But it was soggy and mucky all the same.
Our first SAG was a welcome reprieve after 40 now wet miles and offered a particular treat, with fresh strawberry shortcake, complete with whipped cream! Best ever!
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| Paula and Dana serving strawberry shortcake |
Then came the flats. We were on a stretch of road that was recently repaved, and something about the paving material, combined with the wet conditions, caused puncture after puncture -- perhaps even more than when we were on the interstates so many weeks ago!. I thought I had made my sacrifice to the flat tire gods by stopping to help out Ron, who needed a tube -- but Lee must've cursed me by commenting that I hadn't had any flats (at least not since New Mexico!). Alas, rear flat followed soon after by a front flat (the first on that tire) delayed my ride significantly, as it wasn't always obvious what was causing the flat. But with the help first of Fred and then Peter kindly stopping to make sure I was OK, I finally got them both changed and moved on.
Somewhere in between, I managed to snap a few pictures, and noted that we had entered the Seneca reservation. Not sure what the Asses and Angels were all about, but the photo op was irresistible!
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| Something seemed wrong about the Frank Ann house. |
The "Schmutz"
It's hard to believe how filthy we and our bikes were after today's ride. Having had some experience in the rain the last few days, we couldn't quite figure out what made today so much worse. We think it may have had something to do with the oil on the newly paved road, causing all the muck to stick much more than usual. (Thinking that also may have been a factor in all the flats today!) So we all had quite the task in washing our bikes when arrived at the hotel.
And here's the grit on the shower floor after I ventured into it!
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| Rainy ride shower grit |
There was no place obvious (and not all that much time either) to stop for food and the usual beer, so after cleaning up the bike, I procured some beverages from the closest gas station and joined others for the catered hotel dinner (better than others).
As a final note about the ride, the 90 miles did not feel challenging and nothing hurt. I easily could've ridden another 20 miles or so once I finished, though not saying I wanted to. I'm always happy to finish and get a sense of excitement when we're within 5-10 miles from our destination, wherever it may be. For the record, we're not technically in Buffalo, but in West Seneca, not near anything. So it's off to bed for me!
Soundtrack of the Day
Thanks to Lisa's lyrics (much appreciated!), we did a fabulous rendition of New York, New York, as we entered our 12th state of the tour, my original home state (I'll always think of myself more of a New Yorker than a Jerseyan or Jerseyite (or whatever they call them)). We even had a bit of a kick line going, however failed it may have been!While on the ride, since the traffic and rain were both a bit tedious, I resorted to audio stimulation. A couple days ago, Lisa recommended the book/audiobook Changing Gears, recounting the story of Leah Day, a clinical psychologist from Maine (who Lisa knows) and her travels with her ADHD 16-year son on a self-supported (meaning camping and hauling all their stuff!) journey on the Transatlantic Route across America by bike, a route with far more climbing and even more mileage than ours. Despite the differences in our respective logistics (admittedly, we're doing the woosie version of the trip!), so much of their experiences resonated with me in a profound way -- from the changing geography, to the kindness of strangers, to the physical and mental challenges of the journey, to the lack of decent and fresh food in so many parts of the country, despite how much produce is grown there!. It was a great motivator during the most dreary and rainy parts of today's ride.
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