Romulus, New York - Binghampton, New York

NOTE:

1. Below I’m covering 2 days of travel since yesterday we were in a state park with no internet access. They don’t even try using the satellite dish we’ve dragged across the country anymore as it’s pretty much a useless thing. So we really depend on wireless in towns or cities we stay in, and a state park doesn’t fit that bill.
2. I post 2 pictures of Jonas Lise which I received today, just so you don't miss our latest cute grandchild!

Tuesday: It was very cold when we woke up, and the dew meant that tents were packed away very wet. Yuck! Fortunately, they dry quickly when you set them up again. The Tuesday trip went well except for one thing: I missed a turn and ended up adding 35 kms to my itinerary, which included a sightseeing tour of the towns of Waterloo and Seneca Falls, both of them way off the planned radar. Sigh…

The roads were good but hilly, and the countryside of New York State so far pretty much resembles southwestern Ontario. I couldn’t see any reason to take a photo along the way. We had a great lunch stop today, though, on a farm about 80 kms in. The East Palmyra CRC – East Palmyra is where Joseph Smith claims some angel named Moroni revealed buried golden plates to him which contained the Book of Mormon – hosted lunch on that farm. Everything was good, but the best part of all was the cherry cheesecake. I could not resist it!

Again, just so you know I don’t totally ignore wildlife, here’s a shot of a turkey vulture whom I interrupted while it was eating whatever on the side of the road. You can tell he doesn’t trust me, as he first walks, then flies away – as though I’d steal his lunch anyway!


I also stopped to smell the roses, or whatever these flowers are again.

The state park we are staying in was a naval station at one time, and it’s located on Geneva Lake, one of the so called “Finger Lakes” in this part of New York state. A bunch of us went swimming, even though we were not really supposed to because there was no lifeguard present. But we were in a group of about 10 of us and watched out for each other as we jumped off the end of a long pier time and again. It was very refreshing after a long day of cycling.

We’ve just finished supper and Diane, as usual, is busy cleaning up. She is usually done around 7:30 and pretty tired by then. Tomorrow we are being fed by a CRC in Binghamton, so that gives her a break as well as me, since my sweep team is on duty tomorrow and would have been responsible for serving dinner. Hurray!!

Tonight is supposed to be very cold again, and already we’re wearing long pants (only the second time all summer for me) and light jackets. It’s fairly comfortable in our tent, however, as we have each other and 3 blankets. But our own bed at home is looking better all the time.

One sad note: another rider who has gone the whole distance, Sarah Terpstra, has had to leave the tour. She picked up a kidney infection, and the last we heard she was in hospital needing surgery. We remember her in prayer, and ask that the Lord will heal her body and her disappointment at having to leave the tour. She was one of the top female riders.

Today’s stats:

Distance: 157.79 kms
Average speed: 23.5 kph
Maximum speed: 54.0 kph
Time in saddle: 6.42.05
# of flat tires on tour: 9

Wednesday: Today was a great day. It started out cold again, so on go the leg warmers, gloves, and jacket. But no sooner had we left camp and we were climbing, and sweating. The shot below is of Geneva Lake looking back. That’s Bill & Mary Dracht of Grand Rapids getting rid of some of their cold weather gear.

The ride was beautiful: lots of hills, some very steep and requiring granny gear, and trees everywhere. A steep side trip led to the falls pictured below which have such a long and difficult name that I can’t remember it. There wasn’t much water, and the climb to see this was hardly worth it. Yet the canyon itself is still a thing of beauty.

Halfway through the day we rode into the city of Ithaca, home of Cornell University, one of the Ivy League schools (think expensive and exclusive). Going out of the city we also encountered one of the day’s steepest hills. At the very top there was a winery, Silver Creek, so as a reward for a good climb we paid $2 and were able to sample 6 different wines. Being a generous sort of guy, I shared the 6 samples with Jake Pasma and Louis Bosma pictured here below. After all, biking with 6 samples might have made me a dangerous driver.

I got into Chenango Falls, just outside of Binghampton, shortly after 2, to find the tent already set up. The school we are in is just across from Valley CRC, and that church is feeding us dinner. They also made wireless available to us, and in a moment I’ll find out if it actually works. It’s time for a shower. The week is half over. Three days left, and it’s time to go home.

And before I forget, our newest grandson and families...



Today’s stats:

Distance: 124.19 kms
Average speed: 22.4 kph
Maximum speed: 66.3 kph
Time in saddle: 5.31.33