An attitude that Zippy really does have most days is from Monty Python's, Life of Brian: "Always Look On The Bright Side Of Life." From that perspective, he wants to be clear on this blog that he has no complaints about the food or the lodging on this trip. Oh, some are better than others---way better--but it's just one of those things that can slip through the cracks in planning such a long trip. He says if he had wanted gourmet food, he'd have signed up for one of the really luxury tours. Yes, it's all the same after a while, but that's just how it is. ABB Mike really apologized to the group for the bad conditions at the last motel and felt really bad about it. They will definitely take it off the list for future trips. Zippy assured Mike that he is a happy camper---no complaints.
With that clarified, the report of today is also generally upbeat. There was more miles along the Erie Canal and it was very pleasant, with some climbing to get ready for the climbs to come, a little wind but nothing serious, and early clouds which gave way to sunshine and nice temps. Melanie & Ron, who joined the tour a few days ago, were Terry's riding companions today. (FYI, people can come and go on different legs of the tour, so new people have joined and some of the original starters have left). They are very strong riders, especially on the hills. Zippy overtook them on one of the hills, which prompted Melanie to declare she wanted a picture of the two of them together to document that feat. I gather not many people overtake her on hills. Zippy has developed a reputation for being a good climber. He swears it's because he's such a light package, he doesn't have to haul lots of pounds uphill.
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| Melanie & Zippy |
Science-teacher Mary, Colins' friend, has told Terry he's her role model for how to age and stay fit. Now, Mary is training for a mini-Ironman race, so after each day's rides, she goes for a run!! I guess being her role model is quite a compliment!
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| Mary--Who Goes Running After The Day's Ride!! |
This part of the tour goes through the heart of James Fenimore Cooper country. He set his novels in this part of New York, in
The Deerslayer, The Last of the Mohicans, The Pathfinder, The Pioneers, and
The Prairie. Reportedly, it's easy to imagine Mohicans, Oneidas, or Mohawks living among the forests and rivers of these parts. (Thanks, Travis, for that bit of literary history). Oh, and I need to submit a correction: this is not upstate New York. It's western New York. Correction noted. Some of the small towns they went through looked quite charming in the photos, but riders usually reported that they were run down.
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| Looks Charming To Me |
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| Phyllis & Colin Rolling Through Scenic Countryside |
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| Little Falls |
One oddity was passing by the World's Smallest Church--a 2 seater, in the middle of a pond. I don't know if it was always surrounded by water, but it is now.
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| There Goes Zippy |
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| Matt & Dan Do Laundry Before Tonight's T-shirt Swap |
The highlight of the day was this evening's T-Shirt Swap--which I don't have any details of yet. But apparently people have been pinching each other's T-shirts and now get to swap them out....or something like that. I'll find out more about it tomorrow. I think it means they're getting punchy.
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| Julie--That's Not A T-Shirt!! |
The consensus is that New York State has been the least friendly to ride in, and downright dangerous. Terry hasn't like it very much, finding the landscape unremarkable, the towns old and run down, and the motorists positively hostile. They crowd the riders, honk their horns at them, cut them off, turn just inches in front of them. Mike warned the group at the RAP meeting last night to be careful because each year, the New York stretch has the highest bike/car incident rate. That's the LAST thing anyone needs now! Just one more day in New York, then on to Vermont and New Hampshire, where the biggest climb of the tour awaits---6,000 ft.
It's not over 'til it's over.
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