Victor, New York to Syracuse, New York 87 miles and 2581 feet of climbing

 Today's ride of 87 miles was a beautiful tour through the Finger Lakes Region of upstate New York. Among the towns we went through was Geneva, located on the shores of Seneca Lake (pictured above).

We also rode through Seneca Falls, home of the It's A Wonderful Life Museum. The town of Seneca Falls was the inspiration for the fictional town of Bedford Falls in the classic Frank Capra film starring Jimmy Stewart. Indeed, many of the homes and buildings in these towns have the look of the 1930s, 40s, and 50s. There has been much development here since those days, but the classic older homes and buildings along the main streets harken back to a different time. 

On the outskirts of Geneva, I passed what was once a little resort of small cabins by the riverside. It looked as if 40 years ago, the owners just packed up and left. The office structure and 10 little cabins all in a row are now rotting and falling down. A mile down the road, an old abandoned gas station reminded me of the abandoned motels and gas stations we saw back in New Mexico on historic Route 66. A little further down the road, we passed a large brick building that must have once been a factory. Its restoration looked to be only beginning. The sign in front was advertising "Available Office Space." A beautiful building with wonderful character, it would seem to have great potential to be re-purposed. We passed older homes built in the '30s and '40s, many that were beautifully kept up, others looked vacant.

Here, as in many other places we've ridden through, you can physically see that time marches on. Just down the road from the abandoned gas station were two new gas stations/convenience stores/ coffee shops right across the street from each other. A Walmart SuperCenter,  a Lowes, and a Home Depot are right down the road as well. 

We also passed the Finger Lakes Gaming and Racetrack, which, even from afar, stood in stark contrast to the classic architecture of the surrounding towns. The complex sits far back from the road in what was pasture land. I noticed it in the distance, with its modern design and huge parking lot mostly empty on this Sunday morning. Then I remembered reading about the push a few years ago to bring gambling to upstate New York in an effort to boost the economy.  

Toward the end of the ride, we were encouraged by our tour director to stop at Erie Canal Park in the town of Camillus, New York. I did stop for about 2 minutes. I looked around and decided that, with only 15 miles to go to the hotel, a Subway sandwich sounded more appealing. I must say that the Erie Canal, built between 1817 and 1825, is an amazing story to me. But, having ridden my bike over 3000 miles in the past 6 weeks, I'm now focused on only one thing, finishing this 3400-mile ride.    

Today, Stephanie from the UK had a problem with her bike. So they put her on Jean's bike. Jean, who went to a wedding in Sturbridge, Mass., and conveniently was not in need of her bike today. That's the same bike that they put Jill on yesterday when she had a problem with her bike. Having trouble following this? I'll put together a chart for tomorrow's blog post. The point is, here is yet another instance where having a spare bike was essential to keeping a rider (client) moving down the road. Jean is now back from Sturbridge and presumably ready to ride tomorrow. Heaven help the person that has a major bike issue when we start out for Utica, New York, bright and early tomorrow morning. 

We now have four full days of riding left. I've had the full spectrum of emotions on this trip. I've felt the exhilaration of riding on perfect cool mornings and looking out at most every type of beautiful landscape this country has to offer. Deserts, mountains, farmlands, cattle yards, lush green forests, sleepy small towns, and bustling cities. I've also felt the effects of age. I'm four years older than I was when I last did this ride. I've felt anger at the lack of help I got from this supposed tour company when I needed them most. Unfortunately, even after 6 weeks, that feeling still stays with me, as does the vision of the tour director putting her finger in my face and yelling at me the very next day.  

Even today, she spoke to me like I was a second grader when she asked me if I had my paperwork together for getting my bike shipped home after this trip. I'll stop now. The more I think about it, the more agitated I become. Thank God I've got Bill Evans playing on Spotify and a glass of Vodka by my side. Cheers.

I can't wait to see my wife on Thursday.