Last night's supper was lasagna again so when the supper is bogus then so is the breakfast, so I decided to blow it off and roll out early. The time table had been moved up 15 minutes so I got my luggage loaded and was on the road by 6:06 AM. Micheal was on the road at 5:40!
There was a lot of cloud cover which was helping to keep the temperatures down. There was even a huge strom cloud moving in from the south. Sure enough I got nailed at the 15 mile mark. It just hammered down so I stopped and put my rain coat on and then it stopped. However I was soaked. Continuing down the road at the 35 mile market I stopped for breakfast at a gas station and Ed and Patrick rolled up just as I was finishing. The three of us rolled on together until picnic at the 45 mile mark, where Patrick decided to not stop but to eat on his own.
I think the story of the day is the combination of the hills and the head winds, which combined with the near 100% humidity and 95+ F temperature to make today a really tough day. It wasn't that there were so many hills or that the elevation gain was so large (it was only 3750 ft), but the hills were so steep, and there were so many of them. The wind was out of the SE and we were headed SE. It was gusting from 5 mph to 30 mph. When it was five, the heat would blister your skin. When it was thirty you could hardly make any head way. By time we reached the school in Sparta I was beat. So was it the hills, or the head winds, or the humidity, or the temperature, or it was the 94.9 miles?
Having arrived at 2:00 Pm I decided to go see the Deke Slayton/Bicycle - Monroe County Museum here in Sparta. Deke Slayton was on of the origninal Merucry astronauts. He never flew but was on the team with John Glen. He came from Sparta. The museum was very well layed out and had a lot of exhibits, including hundreds of bikes of every size and description. Of special interest was the information on the Elroy-Sparta Bike trail which we are going to ride tomorrow. I was kind of limited on time and had to rush though it but I would highly recomend the museum.
I havefound really spotty internet beside the road but it won't load pictures and the ants are eating me. So I will post some pictures as soon as I can.
Exhausted but happy!
Terry
2 comments:
Sorry to hear that you had one of those days. Look on the bright side, you didn't get a flat. We are off on holidays for two weeks and don't have internet access. Catch up with you when we get back.
Ride Safe
Don and Karen
Terry
From Gary Griffin
Feels wierd being back home and at work. When I woke monday I felt like I was in the wrong place.
Started back biking here too monday, I have to get use to and re-aware of the poor and Irate anti-bicyclist drivers here in New York State. So be carefull as you come east, it is less bicycle freindly!
I keep trying to e-mail you, but I keep geting an undeliverable mail message. so if you could e-mail me to confirm your address Hot_bikes1951@Hotmail.com.
Tell Avi to e-mail me the picture he took of me and say hello to every one else. Your rain is on its way here to WNY today
Your Freind
Gary Griffin
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