I finally feel like a true cyclist...

All of you who have been following along with me on this journey may remember that I've had some difficulties with the downhills.  While there have been some interesting downhills over the past few weeks, there was nothing too significant to talk about.  Today was the day I had been waiting for...Today we rode 79 miles from Latham, NY to Brattleboro, VT.  We had 6200 feet of climbing.  One climb alone was a 10 mile climb of 2000 feet in the Green Mountains.  With all of the climbing came 4200 feet of downhills.  I DID IT ALL!!!  Even when the sign said - 8% grade for 2  miles, truck ramp to the right.  I got up to speeds of 35 MPH.  It felt GREAT!!!  Even though we still have 2 days of riding left - I feel like today was graduation day and I passed the final exam with an A+.  I did not do this alone.  Every person on this trip has been encouraging me, teaching me and motivating me to get me to where I am today!!!

As if the day could not get any better, waiting for me in Brattleboro when I got in were my great friends, The Koppelman's - Karen, Dave, Matthew, Rachel and Jack.  They drove up from Long Island and we explored Brattleboro, did some shopping and had a great dinner.  They met everyone, came to RAP, and now know the whole routine.  It was awesome to spend time with them!!!

Another highlight of the day was crossing into a new state - Vermont.  Wow, looking at the map, we are so close now to the Atlantic Ocean.

Jack, Matthew, Me and Rachel

Me and Karen

Jack, Dave, Matthew and Me

Crossing into Vermont

Getting ready for the Green Mountains

Today we rode 74 miles from Little Falls, NY to Latham, NY.  The route today was more scenic than the last few days.  We had a nice climb out of Little Falls.  Unfortunately, the fog had not burned off yet so I did not get the full picture.  Then we spent about 50 miles on Highway 5S before we started to ride on a bike trail.  I believe it was part of the Erie Canal Trailway that we rode on a few days ago, however this section was paved.  The sun came out and it was a beautiful day. 

This is our last night in New York.  Tomorrow we ride to Vermont.  I am very excited to get to Vermont because I have great friends meeting me there.  I just have to get through 6200 feet of climbing and the downhills.  This will be our hardest day in weeks.  I think our group is ready for the Green Mountains!!!



I think this is still the Erie Canal



Calling all of you NY drivers...

Slow down and pay attention.  Today is our third day of riding in NY state and after riding through seven other states and Canada, I can honestly say, the NY drivers have been the worst.  Considering NY is my home state I am very disappointed.  I can't tell you how many cars turned and cut us off today.  So while I know all of my NY friends look out for cyclists when driving - I needed to get this out there.  Today we rode 78 miles from Liverpool, NY to Little Falls, NY.  Once again, not very scenic, most of the day on Highway 5.  But this morning, we did have this 5 mile stretch on a quiet road that was so peaceful, I just soaked it up.  Luckily, we had a nice cloud cover and breeze most of the day.  The sun came out when I was about 10 miles from the end - very nice. 

For some reason, I was pretty tired today, so I went slowly (or a little slower than usual.)  We have a big day of climbing coming up on Saturday so I don't want my legs to get too tired before that ride.  When arriving in Little Falls, it looks like a cute town, but unfortunately, like so many of the towns we have ridden through, it is quite depressed, with lots of "closed" signs around the town.

I finally surpassed the 3000 mile mark (3072 miles to be exact).  I'm in a bit of shock myself that I have been able to ride that many miles - I may actually be turning into a real cyclist.  Who knew??

A Better Day than Expected

When I left RAP last night, I was a little nervous about today.  I have not really been nervous about riding for weeks but at RAP we discussed the weather and the winds and neither one was supposed to be in our favor.  I had flashbacks to our epic day of 117 miles and thought I am not sure I can do that again.  Luckily today turned out much better.  We rode 94 miles from Henrietta, NY to Liverpool, NY (really Syracuse, NY).  When we left, the winds were calm and it was not raining.  We had a little drizzle in the morning, and then some showers, but nothing too hard.  The winds stayed calm all day and while the end of the ride had some heavier rain, it was nothing compared to our last rainy day.

Today we rode on the Erie Canal Trail.  I only rode on the trail for a few miles, because once it turned into gravel, I moved to the roads.  We were on Highway 31 East for most of the day, with nice wide shoulders.  Today was our last riding day with a mileage above 90.  Actually, looking at the remainder of the trip, all of our days are in the 70 - 80 mile range.  I feel like we are getting to the point of a lot of "lasts" and each one hits me like a ton of bricks.  I need to enjoy every minute because I think this journey might actually end.

A Great Day to Start our Final Week of Riding...

Wow, I can't believe this is our last week of the trip.  It will take a long time to sink in that I just won't be getting up and getting on my bike everyday when I get home.  (But don't ask me what I will be doing because I don't really know yet, except for a much needed haircut from Lindsey.)  Today we rode 82 miles from Niagara Falls, NY to Henrietta, NY.  We are actually very close to Rochester, NY today.  It was a bright sunny day, but with a nice crispness in the air, a good breeze all day to keep us cool, and winds in the right direction.  We did not take such a scenic route but we did have some fun rolling hills to ride on. 

After every day off, I typically feel great, my legs are rested and I've caught up on some sleep.  Today was no different because I had a great day off yesterday.  My friend Martha lives in the buffalo area (on Grand Island) which was about 15 minutes from our hotel.  She picked me up bright and early and brought me to my always needed massage.  Then we drove back into Canada to have lunch at Niagara on the Lake.  Niagara on the Lake is a stunning town about 20 minutes away from Niagara Falls - it's the total opposite of the Niagara Falls cheesiness.  Driving up you pass beautiful vineyards and wineries and charming inns and homes.  The town itself is beautiful with zillions of flowers (see pics).  We had a great lunch (no buffet involved) and then we walked around the area.  I would highly recommend a weekend trip to this area.  Then we walked into a bakery and asked if they had any gluten free desserts.  They pointed us across the street to an Irish Tea Shop.  You will never believe this but all of their desserts were gluten free - I was in heaven (See pics).  After watching everyone devour tons of desserts this whole trip - it was my turn.  Plus I got something to go as a treat for today.  After Niagara on the Lake, we headed back to Buffalo for a trip to the local bike shop and the supermarket so I could stock up on gluten free foods for our final week.  Then Martha made me an amazing dinner with GF pasta and veggies plus I got to meet her boyfriend John (who was great!).  Overall, a productive and relaxing day.  By the time she dropped me back at the hotel, I had so many bags she had to help me upstairs to my room.

I have no pictures of Martha and I because I asked the only person in the world who doesn't know how to use a camera to take our pictures.  In every shot our heads are cutoff.  Looking forward to seeing Martha and John again in a few weeks when they visit Minneapolis.




Downtown Niagara on the Lake



Downtown Niagara on the Lake

Can you believe this???

The display case of gluten free desserts - HEAVEN

My dessert (Bailey's cheesecake) and Martha's dessert (Lemon cheesecake) - DELICIOUS!!

More flowers in downtown Niagara on the Lake

Finally..something more than cornfields

Today we rode 72 miles from Brantford, Ontario to Niagara Falls, NY.  Yes, we said Goodbye to Canada and Hello to New York State.  It was another GREAT biking day.  Our route had a few more rolling hills than we have seen over the past few days but so fun.  We rode into Niagara Falls on the Canadian side. It has been a long time since I have been to Niagara Falls - it has been turned into Disney World - a giant tourist trap.  But the Falls are beautiful.  We had cloud cover all day that kept us cool while we rode but as soon as we hit the Falls the sun came out.

Lucy, Jim, Jeff and I stopped at a cute Italian place for lunch - before we got to the Niagara "strip" to avoid the touristy restaurants.  Then we hit the Falls.  See pics below.  After spending a few hours hanging out on the Canadian side we decided it was time to head back to the USA.  Even though we were on bikes we had to go through customs with the cars (instead of pedestrians.)  The traffic went pretty fast and then we rode the final .5 mile to our hotel for our final rest day.  I am excited to have a rest day but cannot believe it is our last one!! 

This also bring me to an important milestone - we have hit "the last page".  In our rider kits that we received before the trip, it lists all of our hotels for the trip over 5 pages.  When I started the trip - the last page seemed so far away - Now we are on page 5.  The trip is flying by.

Enjoy the pics and I'll be back on Tuesday, after a day of rest and recharging.

Niagara Falls

Lucy and the Falls in Canada

A different view

The Rainbow Bridge that we crossed to get back to the U.S.

Waiting in traffic - on our bikes - to cross the bridge and go through customs.

Finally...NY

Page 5...The last page