The Awkward Pose

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

Start:  Conneaut, OH

Finish: Erie, PA

Weather:  85 degrees, sunny

Miles:  50

Distance to date: 2,408

The morning was clear and cool; I hopped right on my bike and rode 25 miles to the most perfect non-breakfast spot.   Teresa’s Deli on the outskirts of Erie puts Subway to shame.  A sausage, pepper and onion sub, grilled to perfection, with a giant Reese’s cup cookie at 9:30 am may not be everyone’s idea of breakfast, but it works for a hungry cyclist.  The best sub I have had all trip; proof that I am moving East.

Pennsylvania has very well marked cycling routes, so it was easy to follow the shore road along Route 5 and Alt 5.  I visited the Tom Ridge Environmental Center at the entrance to Presque Isle State Park, a glacial moraine peninsula that provides protection for Erie Harbor.  The fifteen mile bike route around the park is picturesque and historical; I learned all about Commodore Perry and the
Battle of Lake Erie during the War of 1812.  On the lake side I stopped at a beach.  The waters were too rough for actual swimming, but it was great body surfing.  The surf builds over several hundred miles of easterly winds and the undertow is fierce.

Back in town I toured Erie, a city of stately tree-lined boulevards and a fascinating promenade on a bluff overlooking the harbor.   The city seems to have survived the transition from industrial port to service city much better than its Ohio counterparts.

The area leading to Presque Isle is a 50’s motel paradise.  There must have been a dozen motel courts of different styles, all with swimming pools. I had already scoped out a motel downtown that proved to be a great place.  I arrived about 3:30, had a refreshing swim in the pool, and got to
explore downtown Erie on foot at dinner time, where I found an excellent gyro place.

My computer is back to working 100%, so the time spent in the Conneaut Library yesterday had its value. Still, I am happy to be back to full time touring.

Penn State Fever is Rampant in PA

Start:  Geneva, OH

Finish: Conneaut, OH

Weather:  80 degrees, sunny

Miles:  34

Distance to date: 2,358

At ten this morning I was sitting on a bluff overlooking a beautiful beach on a day that was warming up.  My ride had been glorious, through the most beautiful stretches of the North Coast to date.  It was a chilly 55 degrees at 7:30 am but the sun warmed me as I rode through charming Ashtabula and long stretches of road beside the lake.  I was constantly amazed at how the farms and forests marched right up to the lake, as if surprised it was there.  Houses right on the shore are indifferent to the giant body of water.  They face the road just like all the other
farmhouses.

I asked a passing walker if there was a motel in town, she referred me to Lakefront Motel.  I decided it was time to take a short day and stay in Conneaut, so I opened my computer to write before heading over the motel.  The screen was black. Odd, I thought, as I remembered being at full charge.  I went to a café for a snack to see if it needed recharging.  No change.  Realizing a problem, I went to the local library, called Dell Support, and wound up spending five hours on line with support in India while my computer was rebuilt half a continent away.

It was not my idea of how to spend the day, but I got out by 4:30, checked into the charming motel with a lake view, got a refreshing swim in Lake Erie, and had an early dinner of Lake Erie perch, which is very tasty.

Odd as it is to say this, I am getting tired of having to eat so much.  I started the day with a pair of bananas, a power bar and a package of Little Debbie donuts.  For my ‘snack’ I had a cup of chili and tuna
sandwich.  While looking for the Conneaut Library I stopped at a bakery for directions and had an exquisite apple strudel.  While working with the folks from India, I had another power bar.  Then I had my fresh perch for dinner.  That should be plenty of food, but my stomach growled like crazy until around 7:00 pm I found
a convenience store and had a cocoanut popsicle and a package of pecan rolls.  I know I deserve zero empathy for this problem but sometimes refueling is exhausting.

Beach at Conneaut, OH

Start:  Cleveland, OH

Finish: Geneva, OH

Weather:  70 degrees, sun with clouds

Miles:  64

Distance to date: 2,324

Today was gentle riding along small roads as I followed the Coastal Erie Scenic Trail from Cleveland east.  Using US 20 as a base, the route goes up and along the lake, then retreats back where marshes or inlets interfere.  I rode 64 miles and probably advanced half that much, but it was a very pleasant ride.

Lake Erie is tremendous in size, with surf three to four feet high that
comes crashing against the rocky shore.  There was only one place of sandy beach, Headlands State Park, where I put my feet in the water. Not as cold as the ocean in New England, but refreshing nonetheless.  The coast is well developed but not affluent like the New England coastline.  Modest ranches right up to the water, as if it were immaterial whether people had the view or not.  It smelled like the ocean, except for the lack of salt, and reminded me of the inlets I grew up around in New Jersey.  I loved the town of Fairport Harbor, which
stuck out on a peninsula in the lake, and Madison as well, where I had
lunch.  I was hoping for some fish, but the only restaurant was Mexican.

I was happy to come upon Betty’s motel, a sweet place with four rooms lined up behind a house along the highway; much more upstanding than the permissive Cleveland Motel.  I had the end room, and the night was so clear I went to sleep with the curtains open, communing with the stars.

Lighthouse at Headlands State Park, Ohio

Start:  Massillon, OH

Finish: Cleveland, OH

Weather:  80 degrees, thunderstorms

Miles:  78

Distance to date: 2,260

I woke to thunderstorms, so took advantage of the hot breakfast at Hampton Inn; I do love that waffle flipping machine. By the time I was finished the thunder had stopped, though the sky was still grey.  The forecast was for thunderstorms on and off all day, and I knew the bike trail to Cleveland was erratically paved, so I had mapped out both a trail route and road route.  I started on the trail, but after being caught in a shower, I switched to the road at the first town, Canal Fulton.  This proved a good move, as the old highway between Massillon and Cleveland is straight and nearly empty on a Sunday morning.  I made excellent time, arriving in Cleveland just after noon.  I got back on the trail just before the I-490 loop, so I followed the bike trail instead of most of the busy streets, but the trial ended and I got tossed on to Independence Avenue, high above the city.

Just as I arrived in Cleveland, developing thunderstorms turned the sky over the lake soot grey. In the foreground was one of the most intricate industrial landscapes I have ever witnessed, a labyrinth of mills, overhead pipelines, railroad bridges, highway overpasses and conveyors.  The outlines of the skyscrapers rose behind the industry, one shade darker than the menacing clouds, looming warriors marching out of the fog.  It was an unworldly vision scripted from a comic book.

I pedaled towards the storm and when it hit, which it did with vengeance, I took shelter under an overpass.  After twenty
minutes or so it passed and I continued on.  By the time I got downtown, after dodging more Interstate exits than I could count, the weather was fine.

Cleveland is a big city that has been chopped up so badly by railroads and highways that all that remain are fragments.  Euclid Avenue has hotels and theaters and restaurants, and the surrounding streets have office towers, but the urban scape is a cramped strip between two highways.  I went to the Rock’n’Roll Hall of Fame, more to see the IM Pei building than the exhibits.  It felt dated to me, yet another one of his buildings
with a triangular atrium, a circular plaza and a protruding cube where the visitors are escalatored underground to the exhibits.  He was a wrong choice to design this building, which should be more free spirited.

The really interesting part of the day happened after lunch, as I wound my way out of the city going generally east, but weaving in and out to capture the fabric of the place.  I wanted to come to Cleveland after reading an extensive NY Times article about the city a year or so ago.  The article outlined the trauma of the city, the shuttered buildings, the empty lots, the trials of the government to simply keep abreast of the arson and theft, and the crazy land schemes reminiscent of  old Florida, where Cleveland houses are sold online to unsuspecting buyers for as little as $1500.  I wanted to see for myself if the article rang true.

Yes, it did.  Cleveland is a shambles that defies a solution. Yet, in my afternoon of wheeling through the streets, I came away with more optimism than despair.  Nearly every block has vacant lots, most have boarded up buildings, and some streets are entirely boarded or burned.

There are areas with massive public infusion of money, notably the Euclid Street Corridor which is being revamped for miles.
But what is far more interesting is what is being done in small ways, a renovation here, a new building there, things that may benefit from public support but are clearly private endeavors.
My favorite intersection in the city is the corner of E 66 and Hough Street.  One corner is an empty parking lot with a Navy recruitment billboard. The opposite corner is a vacant single
story brick storefront.  The third corner is an urban garden with grapevine trellises in neat rows, and the fourth corner is a new house, 2,500 square feet or more, two car garage, brick with tall
entry and professional landscaping.  No urban planner in her wildest dreams would conceive such a combination, yet there it was, and other corners were similarly unique and robust.

Cleveland is oozing infrastructure.  There are so many streets, so many buildings, so many services, so much untapped potential; it would take years for it to be fully utilized again, if ever.  So it is redefining itself in a haphazard, barely urban way that in time will have its own quirky charm.  Cleveland is definitely down, but it is not out.

Heading east on Euclid, which is US 6 and US 20, I came upon old fashioned roadside motels.  The first few I passed were too derelict even for my open-ended tastes, but the Cleveland Motel was bright and clean.  Only after I was in my room did I realize the ceiling was mirrored and there was a sign on the TV describing the porn channels.  The ladies of the late afternoon whom I met when I went out for a walk were respectful but bemused by the cyclist in their midst.

Cleveland Humor – Claus Oldenburg Scrulpture in City Hall Park

Start:  Mount Vernon, OH

Finish: Massillon, OH

Weather:  80 degrees, sunny

Miles:  76

Distance to date: 2,182

The day started out sketchy and ended sublime.  I could not find the bike path leading from Mount Vernon and spent the
first ten miles or so on US 36, the worst road of my entire ride.  It was narrow, pock-mocked and steep.  Across one rise a fog set in and visibility was terrible, so I rode with extreme care.  Fortunately there was little traffic on a Saturday morning, but I was glad to arrive at Howard, where I found the trail and had a few quiet miles.  The trail ended in Danville where I met a couple of enthusiastic cyclists out on a day ride.

I rode on US 62 for about twenty miles; it felt close to home to be on a numbered highway that goes all the way to Massachusetts.
The terrain was rolling, and there were Amish influences all around, barns and buggies and huge white farm houses.  I passed the longest covered bridge in Ohio, which goes over a railroad and will eventually be part of the bike trail.

Lunch in Millersburg was terrific – pulled pork on a baked pretzel with onion rings.  The pretzel made great bread and was wicked filling.  After lunch I picked up the trail again, and the next ten miles were the most interesting yet.  From Millersburg to Fredericksburg the trail is about 14 feet wide, has a dotted line, and is shared between cyclists and Amish horse drawn wagons.  For the next hour I was the only cyclist in tights and a helmet, the Amish women cycle in their long dresses and small bonnets, the men in their wool pants and straw hats.  Each person was reserved but
shared a greeting.  Fredericksburg, the end of the trail, is a very Amish town.  Every mailbox is either Hostettler or Yoder.

I had not seen Amish since I was a child, and noticed some ways in which they appear to be more connected with the wider world.  I saw a number of Amish women driving cars (all mini-vans), though no Amish men.  They tend their fields with horses instead of tractors, but use a number of machines in their farming.  I was most amused to see a long line of Amish standing outside the Pizza Hut in Millersburg right at 11 am.  They must really like the lunch buffet.

Amish houses are huge, their farms immaculate, the country side gorgeous.  I couldn’t help but compare to the farms I saw in Missouri, which were so much less kept but swimming in stuff.

Another hilly fifteen miles and I landed in Naverre, where I picked up the Towpath Trail, which follows the old Ohio to Erie Canal.  It was hard pack rather than paved, but since I didn’t know how else to get to Massillon I followed it, which was worth the effort.  The abandoned canal is swampy, the towpath winds through dense growth, and it is virtually empty.

I arrived in Massillon to find that two of the three hotels had closed, so I violated my own hundred dollar limit rule and paid a whopping $114 a night to stay at the Hampton Inn.  It has all the
right amenities, but I feel like I am on a business trip.  Blech!

Dinner was a great salad bar and chili at a local place.  The best thing about it was the soundtrack – vintage 60’s songs playing nonstop through dinner.  Remember these?  These Boots are Made for Walking… Hey, I Got You Babe… You Just Keep Me Hanging On… Everyone’s Gone to the Moon… They all play on Saturday night in Massillon.

Amish Buggy on the Trail outside Fredericksburg, OH