The Awkward Pose

Start:  Amherst, MA

Finish: Cambridge, MA

Weather:  85 degrees, sunny

Miles:  89

Distance to date: 3,050

Today was one of choice – do I bite the bullet and go all the way home or do I spread the trip out one more day just to savor it.  Ultimately, I did a bit of both.

I slept late at Andy’s place and did not get on the road until nine.  It was a clear morning, but the heat and humidity were rising.  I travelled along Route 9 through Belchertown and along the fine stretch outside of Quabbin Reservoir, then dipped into Ware to have breakfast at the Ware Café.  This is the same route I took last May when I pedaled to Amherst as a test ride before committing to the full run.  It was amazing how much I recalled, this unusual house, that odd sign.  (How about ‘Enjoy your drive through wedding here’, a sign in front of a house in Belchertown).

After breakfast I continued on Route 9, which is really wonderful through the Brookfields, (West Brookfield, Brookfield, East Brookfield) and into Spencer, where I took a McDonald’s Internet stop to check email and post yesterday’s
blog. I left there at two with 40 miles down and thought if I saw an interesting place I would stop.  I didn’t find any vintage motels but I did see the entire world selling their wares on their lawn – I never saw so many yard sales in my life. I kept pedaling into Worcester where I discovered yet another of my all-time favorites –a Chinese buffet!  I went in, had a sumptuous lunch, and by 4:30 was so energized by such great food I decided to push on home.

It was a lovely evening and once I hit Marlboro was mostly downhill through Sudbury and Weston.  I was pushing 15-18
mph and knew that my body was ready for the home bed.  I got home a little after 7:30 pm.  First thing I did was shave the gruesome beard.  Second thing was notice that when
I cycled the same route last spring I was exhausted when I returned. Today, it was just another ride.  Guess I will have
to go somewhere on the bike tomorrow.

3,050 miles total from Denver to Cambridge – a very convoluted route!

Start:  Lenox, MA

Finish: Amherst, MA

Weather:  70 degrees, sunny

Miles:  55

Distance to date: 2,961

Ah, Massachusetts.  The landscape is
beautiful. The people cold, the drivers are vicious, the food is intricate, the portions are small.  Welcome home.

The ride from Pittsfield to Amherst was one of the most beautiful of the entire trip, a long rise through the charming town of Dalton up the plateau at Windsor, then a long winding down for six miles or so alongside the Westfield River roaring over rocks, rippling over beds of smooth pebbles.  Eventually the river turned south and the road rised again for several miles  to the town of Goshen and took a long, narrow downhill through tall trees into Williamsburg, Florence and Northampton.  I stopped for lunch at a local café and had a turkey and swiss with coleslaw on fresh baked toast with a side of fries; delicious but a drop in the belly after 40 miles.

Downtown Northampton was buzzing with incoming Smith College students, off beat locals and  women pushing strollers; the busiest downtown I have seen. I took the rail trial over the Connecticut (murky brown and full of Irene debris from Vermont) into Amherst and cycled on to Andy’s place.  He has a great house with three buddies very close to campus.  We all
went out to a terrific barbeque place with a hot/cold bar so I filled up on incredible collard greens, beans, local grown hickory potatoes (locally grown is de rigour here) and slaw to go with the brisket.  It made up for the paltry lunch.

Andy and I shared stories of the road and the Appalachian Trail until I was exhausted and fell into bed when he and his buddies went out to the bars.

Fields of Hadley, MA

Start:  Colonie NY

Finish: Lenox, MA

Weather:  70 degrees, partly sunny

Miles:  50

Distance to date: 2,906

I woke today to beautiful skies, took my time leaving the very nice EconoLodge and headed down Central Avenue in Albany, a street I know very well from all my visits to that city.  I realized that I was not seeing things very close – assuming I knew the place, but once again, when I took the time to see the world at bike speed it was different.

Up, up over the Hudson, down into Renseleer and then climbing again.  I had not done hills in some time and today was day one of the Berkshires, many good climbs and some good down hills as well.  I saw a few swollen streams and
some quite towns, and then climbed Shaker Mountain to come over to Massachusetts, sailed past Hancock Shaker Village and into Pittsfield.

I found a terrific place for the night, a charming little motel with a huge room and a very refreshing swimming pool.  A
delightful way to start September.

Emergency repair trucks at EconoLodge Colonie, NY

Start:  Schuyler, NY

Finish: Colonie NY

Weather:  75 degrees, sunny

Miles:  85

Distance to date: 2,856

Everything on the bike happens a little slower than by other modes.  Today, several days after the event, I finally met up with Irene.  She was quite a gal, that storm.

Last night I was checking out my route and calling possible motel locales with an eye on Amsterdam, NY.  A very nice desk clerk told me he was fully booked, the other hotels in town had no power and the roads were closed.  He gave me the NY emergency web address which I checked to discover that all bridges over the Schoharie Creek, including the Thruway and I-88 were closed except the bridge at Route 20.  I found the Schoharie, which runs north about 30 miles east of Albany and right through Amsterdam.  I discovered I could reroute along US 20, though the traffic would be gruesome with all other roads down.  I also had a fantasy to fulfill along Route 5.  I decided to sleep on it and deal in the morning.

The morning was beautiful with a halo of fog nestled in the Mohawk Valley.  No changes to the emergency internet site,
but I knew I had Route 20 as a back-up so I took off.  I left Schuyler and headed along the Mohawk Valley when around a corner, my fantasy came at me.  Those of you who are regular blog readers may recall that back in Eastern Colorado I described riding through the endless plains as the mental image that filled my mind as I contemplated this trip. A second image, right along the NY Thruway, was the one that actually propelled my decision to ride.  This spring, on a
drive from Canandaigua to Albany (VA client to AMC client) I saw a cyclist heading east along a stretch of road parallel to the Thruway, passing an old fashioned dairy bar and a vintage motel.  That image stuck with me; I wanted to be the guy on the bike instead of the suit on the Thruway.  And today, after 2,800 miles, I was that guy.  I cycled past the same dairy bar and motel.  Maybe someone on the Thruway will change their life because they saw me riding by.  I will never know, just as the guy who inspired me will never know.  We are not supposed to know in life how our actions affect others, but they do.  It was the mystical kind of morning that hatches such thoughts.

I stopped at Mona’s in Herkimer for breakfast.  The first day ever a cafe had more women than men. You go, girls of New
York!  I fell in love with the waitress and she assured me that Route 5 was open the whole way, so I gave her a great tip, even though she put butter on my toast, which I hate.

Today was the Mohawk Valley, end to end, a gentle sweep of land that goes east to west, contrary to the predominant direction of the Appalachian Mountains. It has been a
major route west for centuries, and as I travelled I realized that my progress has been history writ backwards.   Today
was the first time I saw markers and artifacts of the Revolutionary War, as well as some from the French and Indian War. Settlers came here in the 1740’s, more than a hundred years after settlement in Boston, but more than a hundred years before settlement in Colorado.  I saw wonderful old forts and homesteads and gorgeous churches.

The Palatine Lutheran Church is like none I have ever seen.  It is a golden rectangle in plan, instead of long and narrow, and the entrance is in the middle of the wide side, with the lectern immediately opposite.  It is more theater in the round than alter and nave.  It has an original thirteen star flag that is amazing.  It was completely open, no one on site, so I had time to dally and observe.

At Palatine I decided, lunch in the next town.  Bad call.  Fonda had nothing but a Cumberland Farms, and next came Amsterdam.  Poor Amsterdam.  Irene came ashore here and
left a layer of mud over the entire river bed and highway. When I got close to town I shifted up to a parallel street. The west side of town was shabby, downtown was derelict, and the east side was worse. There was not a place to eat or even get a drink where I felt safe to stop in the whole city, and I am pretty intrepid.  Even if there had been a room at the hotel, I would not have stayed in that town. So now it is 2:30 pm and I
am hungry and Schenectady is fourteen miles away so I shoulder one, but it also derelict.  I had already identified motels in Colonie / Albany and by this time my hunger was past caring, so I just pedaled and, like a miracle out of the East, I saw the Dragon Buffet. I love Chinese buffets!  This one was awesome with sushi and Peking duck and the best pork with mushrooms I have ever had.  Suffice to say, after riding 70 miles since breakfast, they lost money on me.

Back to Irene.  As I travelled east I could hear each stream rushing faster and see each creek running higher.  The shore roads off Route 5 were barricaded, no riding on the tow path today.  Outside of Amsterdam the grass was matted brown and the mud on the highway had dried, leaving a fine dust that kicked up behind every car.  I wished I had a filter mask to wear.  A gracious, historic, two story river mansion had collapsed and police crews were monitoring access.  Even curious cyclists were not allowed too close.  West of Amsterdam the Mohawk was still and brown.  At Canal Lock 10 (there are 59 in total) and the waterfall that aligns with it, the river was clogged with all sorts of debris that had been pulled downstream and stuck in the pylons of the railroad bridge above. It was eerie to see the aftermath of so much
force while the river was so calm.

Tonight I am cozy in my EconoLodge.  Albany has tons
of wicked cheap hotels.  The budget chains have driven the mom and pops places into offering efficiency apartments.
Who can compete with a full size room in a newer building with Internet for $59?

Palatine Church Exterior  Palatine, NY

Palatine Church Interior with original 13 star flag
Palatine, NY

Irene
Debris collected at Mohawk River Bridge
Amsterdam, NY

Start:  Cicero, NY

Finish: Schuyler, NY

Weather:  75 degrees, sunny

Miles:  58

Distance to date: 2,771

Just when you start to think, all I have to do is log miles to get home, you have a day of such unexpected perfection it seems like the trip is all new again.

I slept in at my beautiful room in Cicero, woke to the sun pouring in my window and took my time leaving.  I rode about
ten miles until coming upon Carol and Tony’s Diner in Lakeport.  The next time you are in Lakeport you HAVE to go here. The food was very good diner variety, but the waitresses make it worth the special trip.  There was a diner wide discussion on how to control your purse at the gaming tables. I think everyone had a comment while the waitresses went from table to table honeying you this and honeying you that.  About 9:30 a regular walks into the crowded diner and shouts ‘Doesn’t anybody work in this town?”  Obviously he did not see the waitresses who were working their tails off.

Full of hash and poached eggs and rye toast, I pedaled along Oneida Lake on the bike route, then saw a sign that the City of Oneida was off the lake, so I pursued.  I figured I should visit the Oneida Community as a counterpoint to New Harmony, IN.  The City of Oneida is a very typical Upstate place, seen better days but holding on pretty well.  I saw nothing about the Oneida Community, so stopped at the historical commission where a lady gave me directions several miles from town but in my general direction.

The Oneida Community was the longest operating Utopian community in the United States, from the 1830’s until the early 1900’s, when it spun itself off as the Oneida Corporation
and is still very profitable (Oneida stainless, among other things).  It was religious and communal, but unlike the celibate Rappists of New Harmony, Oneida believed in communal marriage and free love, though they only procreated on particular occasions, so there was a certain
amount of self-control required of the men.   They built a tremendous mansion with many wings where up to 200 people lived at their peak.  I had a wonderful self-guided tour.  Unlike New Harmony, Oneida is still very much functioning.  The tour took me through certain mansion spaces, but the rest is private condominiums and an operating Inn.

I left Oneida and headed towards Utica.  I had a craving for a Chinese buffet, but it got on 2:00 pm and I was very hungry so I stopped at Carmella’s Café, where I had amazing Potato Bacon soup and a Utica special, Chicken Riggi, which is pasta with chunks of chicken, pepper, olives and tomatoes.  I am not usually a pasta fan, but this was wonderful.

Utica was a drive-by.  Route 5 turns into a limited access highway, I missed where the bike route got detoured so I just stayed on the road and sailed through.  Not too pretty, but then what I could see of the side roads was not too pretty either.  Once on the other side of town I decided to look for a place to stop.  Route 5 is littered with little motels.  At my first stop the motel operator was talkative to the point of manic, too chatty and gossipy for my taste, so when she told me $75 for a basic strip motel room with no internet or breakfast or
even a convenience store in site, I backed myself out of there.  Good thing, too, because only a few miles down the road I came two motels opposite each other.  I steered into the Passport Inn instead of the Motel of Mirrors for obvious reasons. Passport is run by a sturdy Indian couple and for $50 I have a vintage room par excellence, no smoking, with Internet.  It doesn’t matter that the hot water is tepid, it’s summertime.

Through my entire trip I have wondered if perhaps some evening I will hit upon a local attraction. So far, nothing, but tonight I hit the jackpot.  Right next to the motel is Dave’s Diner and on Tuesday nights in the summer they have Classic Car night.  There are a hundred or more classic cars all
lined up, sparkling, with people parading around looking at them, eating burgers, listened to a DJ play ‘50’s music.  I had a stupendous black raspberry cone and took in the cars.  After I post this, I am considering going back for more.

There is not a cloud in the sky, the evening is warm and people’s spirits are full of summer.

Oneida Community ‘family room’ Oneida, NY

Classic cars at Dave’s Diner Schuyler, NY

Start:  Rochester, NY

Finish: Cicero, NY

Weather:  75 degrees, sunny

Miles:  100

Distance to date: 2,713

Some days just get out of control…

I rode abut thirty miles on the Erie Canal tow path from Rochester to
Newark.  Very pastoral, but not paved, and it was getting muddy so I switched to the road, which was sweet all the way into Weedsport.  Stopped at a local joint
for lunch which had great chicken parm sandwiches and two-for-one turtle cheese cake.  How could I say no to that?  I left the restaurant at 2:30 pm with 65 miles under my belt and passed an appealing Best Western.  I thought, maybe I’ll call it a day, when my work ethic kicked and said, hey, what if you hit some bad weather days?  So I pedaled on to Syracuse.

I have never liked Syracuse, and that perception was reinforced today in spades.  I had figured 85 miles from
Rochester to Cicero, just north of Syracuse. I knew from experience that the city was dreary and full of stop lights, so I wanted to avoid that. The bike route pushed north and east, through Cicero where I had a line on a cheap motel.  Apparently whoever mapped the bike route around Syracuse hates cyclists.  The first 15 miles out of Weedsport was the most monotonous stretch of road going, much of it right adjacent to the thruway. Then, when it got lively, it got six-lane, big box, shopping mall, crazy drivers at 4:30 pm lively.  At one point there were three teen age girls walking with the traffic on an overpass with no shoulder, so I had to announce myself and they shrieked like crazy.  Areo all teenage girls programmed with e a ‘scream first, comprehend later’ gene?

I watched the odometer pass 85, then 90, and I thought, whoa, I may have a century in this.  Finally, I found Route
11 and headed for the motel, but not one cross street had a sign, so I turned left at four different places before finding the correct cross street.  Left turns on four lane roads with the
drivers gunning for their Target and Home Depot runs are no fun, but I am now expert at them.

It was just after 6 by the time I got to the Budget Inn.  Happy surprise, it is one of the nicest places I have stayed my entire trip. I have a lovely room on the second floor with a big window that looks out on woods.  I might not appreciate it as much if it had been easier to attain.

A bit of Americana in Clyde, NY

Start:  Rochester, NY

Finish: Rochester, NY

Weather:  70 degrees, overcast

Miles:  0

Distance to date: 2,613

I heeded the storm warnings of Irene today. The weather forecast in Rochester was for clouds and maybe some rain, but Syracuse, where I am headed next, was
forecast to get the tail of the storm.  Since I had not taken a rain day yet, I decided better safe than drenched, so I stayed at my motel, which I like very much, had some excellent fresh corn and other goddies from the small market across the road, and enjoyed a quiet day.

It never did rain here, but it was wicked windy.  What better place to weather a storm than completely out of its orb.

Start:  Lockport, NY

Finish: Rochester, NY

Weather:  80 degrees, sunny

Miles:  76

Distance to date: 2,613

I had one of those ‘be careful what you wish for’ experiences last night.  I found a terrific fish fry – a slab of fish batter dipped and fried to perfection, beer dipped fries, cole slaw and rolls, served up with Sam Adams draft and a basket of popcorn.  It was great going down – and then it stayed rolling in my stomach for hours!  Now I can say I have done the Western New York fish fry – and do not need to do it again!  To compensate for so much fried food, today I took a leisurely lunch at a Chinese Buffet – all very tasty and much healthier.

My ride today was very pleasant, the countryside nice, I crossed the canal several times and rode along it in stretches.  I loved the town of Medina, which has the most gorgeous homes and period downtown.

As I rode I thought about all the people on the East coast, hunkered down and waiting for Irene.  I hope that everyone stays safe.

Tonight I am in at the Towpath Motel, right along the route on the outskirts of Rochester.  A very nice place run by most solicitous Indians.  After such a hearty bout of Chinese, I won’t need any dinner.

Five Bedroom mansion with pool in Medina, NY $289,000

Start:  Fredonia, NY

Finish: Lockport, NY

Weather:  70 degrees, overcast

Miles:  75

Distance to date: 2,537

Last night I had one of these sixth sense experiences that there was something wrong
with my plans for the next few days. I checked my maps and the Internet and
sure enough, NY 5 and NY bicycle 5 do not run parallel.  The route I planned, through Darien and Canandaigua, did not go along the Erie Canal.  To follow the canal, I had to go much further north. After some deliberation, I figured, hey, I am not about taking the shortest route and so I changed my direction and came north today to Lockport, the start of the Eire Canal bike trail.

I woke early, had a terrific Days Inn breakfast and hit the road by 6:30 am.  The riding was fine – smooth roads and cool distractions.  I stopped at Greycliffe, the summer estate that Frank Lloyd Wright designed for the Martin family (one of his biggest clients), I followed the scenic shore road outside of Buffalo, and the very nice bike trail along Buffalo Harbor.

Oops!  The trail dead ended and I had to retrace a few miles and take the incredibly high Highway 5 overpass over the Buffalo Canal – surely the most treacherous stretch of my ride.  The highway dumped me right into Buffalo’s famous central square and I pedaled
up Delaware Avenue where the robber barons built their mansions, through portions of the beautiful Olmstead boulevards, and then out of the city.  I picked up the Erie Canal in Towanda and followed a great bike trail to Lockport, where I plan to stay tonight.

About five miles outside of Lockport I passed another cyclist with saddle bags, so we stopped and talked, Jodie is heading from Williamstown, MA to Shore Haven, MI.  She is the first touring cyclist I have seen since Lamar, CO.  She was kind enough to take a picture of me so you all can see that I am doing fine and have not been making this up.

Buffalo area is full of Catholic Churches and I passed signs for fish fry Fridays all along my route here.  I am hoping for some all you can eat fried fish once I get settled in Lockport.

Me and my Surly along the Erie Canal outside Lockport, NY

Start:  Erie, PA

Finish: Fredonia, NY

Weather:  90 degrees, sunny

Miles:  54

Distance to date: 2,462

Another gorgeous day along the shore of Lake Erie.  Traveling north and east from Erie, the lake shore develops bluffs.  In North East, PA (which is actually in northwestern PA; go figure) the higher ground is full of vineyards.  To the left they march to the lake, to the east, they are the foreground for a landscape of distant hills and church steeples.  One could easily pass off a postcard of the scene as a setting in Europe.  Over the NY line the terrain gets hilly.  The brooks in the hollows are stepped with ledge that creates cascading waterfalls.  Niagara is not too far away.  In the village of Barcelona I took an extended break, the waves crashing into the rocks at the base of the cliffs are dramatic

I arrived at Dunkirk, my planned stop for the day, to find that the town was run down to the point of creepy and the two independent motels shabby and remote form any services.  Begrudgingly I pedaled
out to the I-90 / US 20 interchange in Fredonia, which has the usual array of franchises.  The Days Inn seemed to be the most modest hotel along the strip, so I went to McDonald’s, logged onto their Wi-Fi, and used Priceline to get a sweet deal on the Days Inn.  I felt a twinge of compromised principle, but even though I love vintage motels, there are times when they are too sketchy for comfort.

Actually, I have gotten used to a cluster of franchise amenities on my trip.  I had been to Wal-Mart only once prior to this adventure, now I have been to so many I know how the stores are organized.  In small towns Wal-Mart is the only game in town for bicycle tubes and power bars.  I have also become very fond of the free Wi-Fi at McDonald’s.  I will get a soft drink or an ice cream cone and use it for hours.  I don’t eat their food, but I love their Internet access. The other franchise I frequent is Subway. Subways are everywhere, much more common than McDonald’s.  Since they don’t require specific buildings as other franchises do, they fit everywhere.  Every crossroads seems to have a Subway, and if the food is unremarkable, at least it is healthy.  Subway is my default when no good local food is available.  Now I have discovered Priceline.  The undertow of the franchise culture is tugging at my being.

Not to worry too much.  There is a terrific old fashioned burger stand next to the McDonald’s in Fredonia.  That is where I am eating dinner.

Lighthouse Barcelona, NY