August 11, 2018

From the Hornblower on it has been as the Aussies say ” a Bloody Adventure “. I have not been to this area of the country and I am surprised at how similar it is to Wisconsin. We got out of the US side of Niagara Falls as quickly as possible. That area is very depressed and not an area that would be a good stopping place. We continued on and were soon out of the urban feel into the country again. We are looking forward to the reputation of Upstate New York and all the scenery it has to offer. We entered the Finger Lakes area of Upstate New York and began a constant rythmn of undulating Hills and gradually increasing inclines. We stayed in the town “Seneca Falls” where women’s rights first became recognized and there is now a national park there. We cycled across toward the eastern shore of Lake Ontario and then back north a bit to get to see some of the most beautiful homes on the shoreline. There is a definite line between the Lake Erie folk and the Lake Ontario folk. The wealth tends to spread along the shore according to the proximity to the major urban centers. The closer we got to Toronto, the nicer the places became.

There are vineyards and wineries everywhere in the Finger Lakes. The climate is milder but they do get a lot of Lake Effect snow in the winter. The have orchards as well but mostly grapes.

As the elevation changes again, the nights are getting cooler. This is a welcome change as this week we had some significant thunderstorms, especially at night. The riding was still mostly fine but the light was so low that picture taking was minimal. I am hoping that others have some better shots than I do.

Once we reached Lake Placid, the weather changed to absolutely perfect! The excitement from the Olympics of 1980 is still palpable and the community has managed to keep “The Dream” alive. Tourism is a vibrant part of the economy for good reason! It is a beautiful area and they have made investments in catering to the active lifestyle. I have never seen so many people out Biking and running and walking unless there was an organized event going on. There are more canoes and kayaks than you see in northern Minnesota! There are even more bikes than in Colorado!

The Lake Placid Ironman competition is a popular one because of the natural beauty of the lakes and the mountains. From what I can see, that also would make it quite challenging… there are very few flat roads around here. I sense that it is an area that people come to for training as well. Lots of folks out this morning in tri suits. I will go down to the Lake later this morning to check this out. I also hope to sneak on to a boat tour of Lake Placid. Yesterday they were all sold out!

I still have more thoughts to write about that pop up during each riding day. The one that keeps bubbling to the top is the word “satiety”. I think that will deserve it’s own entire entry so for now I will just say there is more to come.

The the days dwindle down to this last few and it is hard to believe we are almost finished with this epic journey. I will have to make a few more entries as things wind down.

I am very much looking forward to being with family again. I am so grateful to them for supporting me for this long time away!