The Big Finish!

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[Guido at Grant's tomb]

[Tim and Ike, our volunteer guides through Manhattan]

[The U.S.S. Intrepid - WWII Aircraft Carrier]

[The Statue of Liberty as seen from the Staten Island Ferry]

[The Big Finish at the Atlantic Ocean - South Beach, Staten Island]

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Today we decided that there was not use wasting time, we were going to shoot for the big finish in New York City. NYC was only 73 miles from Highland and we had a lovely Sunday morning. We didn't expect the kind of hills we were going to encounter. The first 50 miles of the day seemed very reminiscent of our days in Washington climbing the Cascades. The first few hills were difficult, but not terribly long. Then we hit the big one. I'm not sure what its name is, but it was about three miles long climbing over 1000 ft in elevation and was absolutely brutal. When we finally got to the top and had coasted to the bottom on the other side we stopped in at a gas station to see if they had a map of the region that could show us a way around the next big mountain. We had been warned by a passing bicyclist that Bear Mountain was as bad as the one we had just gone over. The gas station did have a map, but to our dismay there was no road that went around Bear Mountain, only roads that went over it. Resigned to the fate of yet another excruciating climb we continued on to the base of Bear Mountain only to find that the Bike 9 signs suddenly took us off the road and on to a bike path....sorry, I'm really tired so I'm going to bed. I'll finish tomorrow.

Another Really Long Short Day

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[Albany, NY]

[Flat tire # 3, not bad for a 46 day trip]

[The Vanderbilt Mansion and our guide for a day]

[Kevin and Ben on the pedestrian walkway]

[The room - yuck!]

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Yesterday (Saturday) we began our day riding through Albany, NY. Our plan was to ride about 75 miles (or so our map told us) south to Poughkeepsie. We easily found our way through downtown Albany and across the bridge over the Hudson River despite a lack of signs indicating the way. We made quite a few lucky guesses and they all panned out. Once we had crossed the Hudson our lucky guessing well ran dry. In New York they don't like to have roads with names that are too different. For example, today we saw signs for Hwy 9, 9J, 9W, and 9H. This is in addition to the fact that once in Albany we were planning on taking Bike 9 south to New York City. Once across the Hudson, we saw a sign for Bike 9 and followed it onto Hwy 9. Shortly thereafter we saw a sign for 9J leading down into an industrial area. This same road was not identified in any other way. So we continued on Hwy 9 until 5 miles later we realized we were on the wrong 9. 9J was also apparently Bike 9. Luckily, it was not difficult to find our way back to Bike 9 and we really only ended up biking about 2 or 3 miles extra, including one very large hill. Once we were back on track, Kevin found a piece of wire in his tire that was quickly letting air escape. So once again we stopped to fix a flat tire. At that point we were finally able to start putting some miles behind us. The weather was fantastic (high 70's) and the riding was pleasant, although we were beginning to have quite a few large rolling hills. A few hours passed and we arrived in Rhinebeck where we encountered huge crowds of people lining the streets and wandering all about with cameras. Thinking this was just some sort of festival we rode on through town and continued towards Poughkeepsie. Just outside of Rhinebeck a young man rode up along side of us and began to question us about our journey. After telling him of our trip, its beginning, and our destination we asked what all the commotion in town was for. As it turned out, Chelsea Clinton and her now husband Matt had just gotten married. I guess we should have stopped for a picture. Our new riding companion was very friendly and eventually offered to show us how to get in to see the Vanderbilt Mansion and how to cross the Hudson on the longest pedestrian only bridge in the world (according to him - I haven't looked that up yet to confirm). Unfortunately, he had his tire go flat before he could get us to the bridge, but he gave us great directions to it and we thanked him and parted ways. Once we had crossed the pedestrian bridge over the Hudson, which was very crowded with pedestrians and difficult to bike on, we found ourselves in the town of Highland 93 miles from where we had started in Albany. This was no longer the short 75 mile day we had envisioned. Tired and hungry, we were in no mood to go riding all around town searching for the best price on a room. Big mistake. We stopped at the first one we came to, the Highland Inn, and did get a very cheap rate for our room. Unfortunately, as inexpensive as it was, it still wasn't worth what we paid for it. In the picture above I would like to point out the classy garbage can, the awesome wall decorations, and the dresser missing its top drawer. What you can't see is a full sized refrigerator partially blocking the front door, but also holding the door to the adjacent room closed, the moldy pink (sorry Mike, salmon) bathroom, and the absolutlely disgusting, stained carpet. It was really gross, even for us. It's location happened to somewhat make up for what it lacked in cleanliness and room decor. There was a laundromat right across the street where we were able to do our last load of laundry for the trip (yeah!). There was also the Gateway Diner about 2 blocks down the street where we ate an absolutely fantastic supper. Stomachs full and eyes already droopy, we were easily able to fall asleep to the sound of the scurrying roaches in our room (okay, I'm exaggerating, there weren't really any roaches).

Two Hills and a Flat

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[Check out those rides]

[A unique stoplight]

[The park that does not exist in Amsterdam]

[Pretty amazing story]

[Gunnery Sergeant Guido standing guard]

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Our easy day today was not quite what we expected. It started out nice enough. The weather was great all day. It never got above 80 degrees and the wind was at our backs. The ride down Bike 5 was great until we reached the hills. We knew they were coming. Two large climbs just past the town of Herkimer were waiting. Not only did our map of Bike 5 list them, a friendly local cyclist also rode with us for about two miles leading up to them. Compared to the North Cascades of Washington these were just babies. 700 feet of eleveation change for each one, compared to the 3000-4000 feet required to go over a Rocky Mountain pass. The hard thing about these hills was that switchbacks were not used. The road went straight up and over the hill. No winding and gradual climbs. The difficulty was compounded by the fact that we haven't had any serious hills since Iowa. Luckily our legs remembered how to climb and we completed the hills with minimal pain. We were looking forward to a nice easy ride into Schenectady where we knew there was a campground. Only 10 miles out Ben rode over a staple that mischievously let all the air out of his tire. Once Kevin and I were certain that Ben could no longer use any assistance, we laid down in the grass for a quick cat nap while Ben attempted to patch his tire. A short while later we were back on the road. Half a mile down I spotted both a bike trail and the fact that Ben's tire was once again flat. Apparently the patch had not worked. So while Ben changed his tire for a second time (this time putting in a brand new tube), I decided to call the campground to get directions. To our surprise the directions I was given took us 7 miles out of our way, 2 miles of which could supposedly only be ridden on the interstate. No longer sounding like a very great option, we decided to skip the campground and continue an extra 15 miles to Albany where hotels abound. So our "easy" day turned into a 95 mile day with 2 very large hills (mini mountains) and one persistent flat tire. Sitting here at the Days Inn (where we got a great deal on a room using a RoomSavers coupon we found at Denny's) we are looking forward to the last three days and only 150 or so miles. For those of you that choose not to use your math skills now that high school is over, that averages out to a mere 50 miles per day. We're not quite sure what we'll do with ourselves with all of that extra time. Perhaps we can put in a few more leisure miles after dinner every night. (Yeah right.) New York City here we come!

Just Another Day in Paradise

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[Guido poses by the Oriskany Battle Monument]

[Battle Info for Mark W]

[Monument Info for Mark W]

[Monument Relief for Mark W]

[How we spend our extra time during the day...hard at work]

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Today was an exceptionally uneventful day. That's not to say it wasn't a good day. It's just that nothing really memorable happened. We got on the road at our normal time. The weather was great and we even had a little bit of a tail wind. The roads were fantastic. We made good time. Oh, I guess we did stop and get doughnuts at Dunkin Doughnuts for the first time on the trip. Not an earth shattering event, but tasty. If I were a history buff I'd be raving about our rest stop at the memorial for the battle of Oriskany, but I'm not. I put up some pictures just in case you are (Mark W). We arrived in Utica, NY by 2:30 after an 83 mile ride and found a hotel (there wasn't any camping nearby). Finally, we ate dinner at the Denny's next door and then retired to the room for some good old T.V. watching. Not a terribly interesting story to share, but a very enjoyable way to spend the day. Hope all is well with the rest of you. With only four days to go (cross your fingers) we are doing great!

From Trails to Roads

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[Lock 33 on the Erie Canal]

[Tug boat]

[A cool spillway and old mill where the canal met a river]

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Bathroom lines suck. We had to wait in line this morning to use the john because all of the boaters that docked overnight in Brockport decided to take showers at the same time. Once we got on the trail, however, things improved. There was a headwind all day, but it wasn't very strong until the afternoon. The pea gravel trail that we were riding suddenly became a paved trail as we neared Rochester, NY. It was very nice and well signed, which was a good thing because our trail criss-crossed about 10 other trails and two rivers once we reached Rochester. We made it through the big city without incident and eventually the paved trail gave way to pea gravel and the dust and turmoil that accompany it. We rode the Canalway Trail to its termination in Palmyra. There we rejoined New York Bike Route 5 (also hwy 31) and continued eastward. Our goal was Port Byron and it was not far off. Highway 31 has nice pavement and a wide shoulder. The only problems we encountered were a suddenly stiff headwind and some rolling hills that were quite steep. Once we reached Port Byron we inquired about camping in the area only to find there wasn't anything in town. However, the sheriff happened to pull in to the gas station where we had stopped and informed us that the next town down the road had a nice big campground with a restaurant. While at the gas station we also ran into a couple from Syracuse, NY that were on a quick 4 day trip to get away from the kids. They were very knowledgable about biking in the area and gave us a great map of Bike 5. We stayed and shared stories with them for quite a while before heading off to find the campground. River Forest Campground was very easy to find and was indeed very large. They had a site available right on the Erie Canal (although it wasn't cheap). The showers were nice and the restaurant at the "lodge" was excellent. We had the good fortune of arriving on the night of their spaghetti special. Once the meal was over and the New York cheesecake polished off, we relaxed in the lodge a while before heading to bed. Our Adventure Cycling portion of the trip is now complete and we are on the final leg of the Bike 5/Bike 9 journey. With any luck we will be in New York City in 5 more days.

Fifteen miles on the Erie Canal...or more

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[A view from downtown Buffalo with the Sabre's arena in the background]

[Cool little fortification in the harbor - still don't know what it is]

[Kevin by the Big Apple]

[Ben on the Erie Canalway Trail]

[Cool Boat]

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This morning, after a grueling 0.1 miles, we decided we needed to stop for some doughnuts. There was a Tim Horton's just up the block from the classy Red Carpet Inn and did they have some delicious doughnuts. After quickly downing a few delectable danishes we made our way towards downtown Buffalo. Along the way we passed 4 or 5 more doughnut shops, but sadly we did not have the time to stop. We made it downtown without incident and found the bike trail that ran along the river up to Niagara Falls. Our route map proceeded into Canada and crossed back to the U.S. by the falls. Unfortunately, none of us had brought our passports and we didn't want to be stuck in Canada for the next three months waiting for the government to verify our identity before letting us back. Luckily, we happened upon a bike trail on the U.S. side with the help of a local woman that took us all the way around Buffalo and up to the Erie Canal while following the river. From there we met up with New York Bike 5 only to realize there were about five different versions of the bike route at this point. It took one wrong turn and some wandering, but after wasting only a few miles we were back on track towards Lockport and the Canalway Trail System. Once in Lockport we got on the Canalway Trail. It is a beautiful, level trail the follows the Erie Canal as it winds its way from Lockport to Syracuse. The only problem is that it is a pea gravel trail, not paved. So the riding was a little bit slower and a little bit tougher. Despite the added difficulty the lack of hills and the scenic views made it the best choice. We continued on the trail all the way to Brockport, NY where, after 91 miles, we decided to call it a day. There is a fantastic welcome center that has showers, bathrooms, and a flat bit of grass behind the law offices where small groups are allowed to camp. The people in the welcome center were very friendly and extremely helpful. In other words, they were exceptional at the job of making us feel welcome. After a pizza dinner and a quick trip to the grocery store we had a nice conversation with a couple traveling up the canal on their boat. Seems like it might be more relaxing than traveling by bike. We might have to try that next time...

Perfect Weather = A Perfect Welcome to Our Last State

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[One more state to go!]

[More Seagulls!]

[The World War?...Must Be Pre WWII]

[An Old Train Engine in Hamburg, NY]

[Quido poses in front of Ralph Wilson Stadium]
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Today we entered our last state that we plan on visiting during our cross country excursion. It didn't take us long to reach the Pennsylvania/New York border. When we did we found a sign, a vinyard, a country club, and two young bikers from Indiana. After a brief conversation with the fellas from Indiana (who were on their way to Maine), a couple of snap shots of the Welcome to New York sign, and a quick watering of the grapes we headed into New York. The weather was fabulous. The sun was shining, the temerature never got above 85, and the humidity was way down. It was great weather to go for a bike ride. Our route kept us along Lake Erie. We stopped in Dunkirk for a break in a park where they had a wonderful war memorial with monuments to past wars and fallen soldiers including one for The world war. It had been erected prior to the second world war, and we thought that was interesting. The park also overlooked several docks that were covered with seagulls. We continued along the lake until we finally got a glimpse of downtown Buffalo. At that point we turned inland (an uphill) heading for Orchard Park. We reached Orchard Park after having come 95 miles only to find that we needed to continue for another 5 miles to reach the "motel" district. This was located just down the street from Ralph Wilson Stadium, home of the Buffalo Bills. Our century ride complete, we showered and walked about a mile down to Danny's. The food was good, the service was excellent, and the decorations were eye catching. We sleep tonight in the air conditioned comfort of our room at the Red Carpet Inn. Don't let the name fool you, it's really not all that nice and the carpet isn't even red, but it was the cheapest place in town.

And the skies opened up - Sunday

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[Pennsylvania - I guess it counts because we ended up spending the night]

[Guido and Wilson our lunch stop after the rain]

[Seagull]

[The channel by our campground in Erie, PA]

[A view of the campground]

When we woke up Sunday morning we could see the storms brewing out across the lake. We ate breakfast, packed up, and began riding with hopes that once again we would luck out and the storms would miss us. Our luck had apparently run out. We hadn't made it 2 miles when it began to rain. It wasn't hard, but more than a drizzle. The winds were whipping at our backs so we continued. As we rode the skies got darker and the rain drops grew bigger. After about 10 miles we stopped underneath an abandoned gas station so that we could change/remove sunglasses. As we did the skies opened up and poured down upon us. The weather had quickly turned from a standard rainy day to an inland hurricane. After 20 minutes of deluge and with no signs of a quick end Ben and I decided to cross the street and ride out the storm in a local diner that was serving Sunday breakfast. Kevin decided to take a nap on the concrete at the gas station (the locals were very concerned, asking us several times if we were sure he was alright). Blueberry pancakes and orange juice have a way of brightening the day. After finishing our second breakfast and with the rain subsiding Ben and I rejoined Kevin and rode on towards Pennsylvania. No sooner had we started than it began to rain again, not hard, just a steady soaking rain. We reached Pennsylvania soaking wet, but the rain had finally stopped and we were eager to reach Erie. The rest of the day was uneventful except for the change in wind direction after the rain had passed. We reached Erie after 80 miles and 8 hours (it would have been 7, but we waited an hour for the morning storm to pass) and found a nice campground run by the Erie Port Authority down by the port right in the harbor. It was rather new, had great facilities, and although none of the trees were big enough to provide much shade, the weather had cooled to the point that shade was not necessary. The only problem with the campground was that it was 3 miles away from food. We had been told about a wonderful little restaurant called Ricardo's that apparently is famous for its cheap filet mignon. Excited we rode the 3 miles into town only to find that it was closed on Sunday evenings. So we ate pizza and fried food at Bull Shooters Bar and Grill instead. It wasn't filet mignon, but it kept away the hunger pangs. Sunday night we fell asleep to wonderfully cool weather and the sound of sirens and fog horns from the port.

Cleveland Rocks...but the Roads Jar. (Saturday)

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[Guido hanging out at the playground]

[Caveman gets a glimpse of downtown - terrifying!]

[Ben at Cleveland Browns Stadium]

[Another fighter jet - Blue Angels edition]

[Our campsite in Perry City Park along Lake Erie]
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We haven't had access to internet recently, therefore I will be posting three times today so I can add in all the pretty pictures from the past three days. Saturday was the big ride through the city of Cleveland. We had camped over night as close to the city as we could and we hoped to reach the nearest campground 92 miles away on the other side. Saturday morning we started bright and early with hopes that we could beat some of the traffic. We enjoyed a nice ride along Lake Erie through the western suburbs. We were frequently treated to the sight of enormous houses, or more appropriately estates, along the lake shore. It was a pleasant morning, although it once again was heating up fast. Before we knew it downtown Cleveland was in sight. I was very surprised by the number of very nice parks we passed. There were pools, awesome playgrounds, and beaches. While not all of Cleveland is a paradise, most parts that we saw were quite nice. After riding through downtown and past many cool sights (Cleveland Browns Stadium, the Science Center, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Fighter Jets, Submarines) we exited the city via a bike trail down along the shore. This dropped us into one of the most upscale neighborhoods that I have ever seen. These "houses" were surrounded by walls with gates complete with gate houses. There were guest houses, large garages, manicured lawns, and oh yeah, did I mention they were right on the lake. Lifestyles of the rich and famous, but why were they living in Cleveland? From there we had another 25 miles through the eastern suburbs and some of the worst roads of the trip. They had awful cracks and pot holes, there were no shoulders, and there was a tremendous amount of traffic. Not a great way to end a very long day of city riding. We finally reached Perry, a little town just past the outer ring suburbs. There we found a city park that had a legitimate campground that was right on Lake Erie. We were welcomed by a very friendly campground manager who let us camp for free and showed us around. There were hot showers (not nice on a hot day because they wouldn't turn cold), trees for shade, and curious campers who exchanged corn on the cob, cookies, and refreshments for tales of our journey. It had been a long, hot day, but the evening was very relaxing. We fell asleep to a cool breeze blowing through the tent bringing tidings of the storms to come.

Hot and Windy, but the Wind was with Us

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[We made it! ... to the sandy beaches along Lake Erie]

[Our private swimming beach at the campground]

[The Erie Kai Tavern/Resort]

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We left Bowling Green this morning with a wind that was already gusting and a temperature that was quickly soaring. We quickly found our way back to isolated country roads that brought us further across the Buckeye State. One of our first roads was freshly paved, no wider than a bike path, and had no cars the entire time we were on it. As we rode we began to see more signs of civilization and before we knew it were back into what I will describe as heavily populated rural areas. We passed through several legitimate towns taking rests when we thought we deserved them. Between Fremont and Clyde our route took us on an actual bike path. As we rode the sun continued to blaze and the mercury continued to climb. By the time we were nearing the end of our ordeal the temperature was in the high 90's and it was very humid. If the weather continues as it was today I may be forced to invest in whatever company owns the Gatorade brand (Coca Cola or Pepsi I'm sure). Our last rest stop found us eating luch on the shores of Lake Erie. From there we rode the last blistering 6 miles to the Erie Kai Tavern/Resort/Campground which is located in Vermillion, just west of the greater Cleveland area. While it was more expensive than we are used to paying for a camp site, the beach made it worth it. They have a lovely sandy beach on Lake Erie. Once the site was paid for and the tent set up, we quickly found our way into the cool, brown waters of this most refreshing Great Lake. The swim was delightful and the strong winds were creating some reasonably large waves to play in. Once the swim was over (tear drop) we showered and headed to the tavern for some refreshments and food. Once again, more expensive than the food in podunk, but delicious none the less. We will be crossing through downtown Cleveland tomorrow and heading eastward following the shores of Lake Erie. Ben can't wait to immerse himself in the buzz of big city life once again.

Greetings from the Buckeye State

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[The wonderful shelter in Monroeville - so sad to say goodbye]

[Ladies, he's single!]

[A parting shot of Indiana]

[Ohio here we come]

[Guido is trying to sneak some of Big Boy's burger]

We crossed into Ohio today and into urban sprawl. We no longer were required to ride 25 miles between clusters of houses that were called towns. It seemed as though today we were never more than 5 miles from a gas station complete with food, water, and restrooms. We also seemed to by in the land of nice city parks. We stopped for breaks at several of them along the way. We spent a great deal of the time biking along the Maumee River. While it was very scenic and easy riding, the water of this river made the Mississippi seem clean enough to drink. The towns we passed through were very quaint. There was a definite shift in the architecture of the city halls and also some of the old farm houses. We also rode by several farms and country estates that had some interesting man-made lakes that we are pretty sure act like pools. The weather was hot and we had a cross wind most of the day, but we arrived in Bowling Green, Ohio, after a 92 mile ride. We rode through the college of Bowling Green enroute to our motel (there weren't any cheap campgrounds or free city parks here). After dinner at Big Boy while some severe storms passed nearby, we returned to our room for a few episodes of America's Funniest Home Videos before turning in. Tomorrow we ride for Cleveland, which rocks according to Drew Carrey.