Since day 5, I've added this low tech day counter to our niagarabycycle sign. Thanks for the suggestion, Alice. Michael had also pointed out that the closer we get to Niagara Falls, the less impressive the idea of riding there by bicycle becomes. I hope this helps convey the idea that we've come a long way.
A common question that I heard before the trip was "What will you do if it rains?" My flip answer was always "We'll get wet". That's what happened in the early afternoon today. A light rain was actually appreciated by all three of us. It kept us cool as we rode. But the right questions for the later afternoon would be more like "What will you do if it rains hard?" Answer: get really wet. And "What will you do if it keeps raining for hours?" Answer: get really, REALLY wet!
Our destination for today was the home of Michael's aunt and uncle in Manlius - just outside of Syracuse. Our progress early in the day was slow. We started the day with a very long climb out of Bainbridge. We stopped in the town of Guilford to visit an old friend of Diane's. Guilford was a very pretty little town with classic old houses and a very nice lakeside park on the outskirts.
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| Diane leaving a note when it looked like nobody was home. This is one of several interesting buildings owned by Diane's Guilford friends. |
We found ourselves midafternoon 40+ miles from our destination with a rain that returned and picked up in intensity. Not a downpour but a steady, solid rain. We couldn't afford to wait for the rain to pass so we kept on going. By the time we reached the town of Deruyter, 21 miles from our destination, we were soaked through even with rain jackets on. We took cover under at a small shopping center, changed into dry clothes under our rain jackets and prepared to make the final leg of the trip.
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| Diane ready to go back out in the rain |
As we got back on the road, the rain started to let up and soon stopped completely. By the time we reached the northern end of Deruyter Lake, a rainbow stretched across the sky. As we watched, it intensified and we saw a second band.
Rainbow over the fields of Deruyter (Thanks to Michael for this picture)
We approached Manlius on a road called Pompey Center Road following a route suggested by a member of the Onondaga cycling club. It is a good road for cycling, almost entirely free of cars with nice scenery and rolling hills. At this point, we were racing to make it to Manlius before darkness fell. Another cyclist with a bicycle loaded for traveling approached us from behind (I guess our idea of racing was a bit slower than his). Peter was on a multiday trip from New Jersey to the Thousand Islands area and was also planning to stay with relatives in Manlius. We were all struck by the odd coincidence. Peter's route took him due west to Pennsylvania and then north to Wellesley Island. This 9 mile section of road was clearly the only place that our routes crossed and we happened to be there at the same time. (Peter, let us know how the rest of your ride went)
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| Parting ways with Peter just outside of Manlius (another photo courtesy of Michael) |
We made it to our destination while there was still light in the sky. We were welcomed by Michael's aunt Dorothy and uncle Burt. We had yet another late dinner - this time Middle Eastern carry out. We took advantage of their washer and dryer to get our clothes clean and dry again. Since the start of the trip, we had packed our clothes in plastic bags inside our panniers so that a rainstorm wouldn't soak through all that we carried. I carried so little, however, that one change into dry clothes at Deruyter basically used up my whole wardrobe.
We rode 73 miles today. 473 miles total.
Remember that you can check Michael's album for more pictures (and insightful comments, of course).
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