DEDICATION

This ride was dedicated to the memory of Kathy’s and Lou’s son (my grandson) LCpl Philip Johnson, USMC, who lost his life in Iraq in 2006, at the age of 19, and all those who have made the ultimate sacrifice. If it wasn’t for them, this 72 year old probably wouldn’t have the freedom to do something like this.

You will see pictures of Kathy’s bike with the United States Marine Corps flag and the Stars and Stripes proudly displayed.

INSPIRATION

In 1984 I came upon the poster of Garfield and Odie sitting in a tree. The quote from Garfield became my life’s motto and was the inspiration for this trip. I thought it would be fun to try riding the Erie Canal from Niagara Falls to Albany, NY. I had no idea whether or not I could do it, but I owed it to myself to try.

That’s why I did it. What about Kathy? I think she felt it was her obligation to the family to go with me to keep me out of trouble. ☺ If she had not been able to ride, I’m not sure what would have happened.

MOTOVATION

When things got tough on the road, and they did, we had the back of Kathy’s shirt to remind us there are others who have it tougher. We had a few “read my shirt” moments.

General Information

Notice this blog is set up so that you read it from here and scroll down until you come to the end. Most blogs go the other way. When you get to the end of a page click on OLDER POSTS to continue. And remember, every photo can be clicked on to enlarge for a better look.

Some generalities are necessary in order to lump together common themes.

FIRST, WORDS OF THANKS
I have to thank Robin McCahill at Intuit Bike Fit in Thomaston, CT for fitting my bike to me. The process is fascinating in that the adjustments that I expected, turned out to be opposite from what she actually did. What a difference!

Then there is REI for outfitting my bike and body. The Keene Commuter sandals combined with the Smartwool® socks were especially instrumental in making me more comfortable. From new tires and tubes, panniers, and blinking rear light for the bike to some new clothes for me, all contributed to a comfortable ride. Their store at Blue Back Square in West Hartford, CT offers great Customer Service.

WILDLIFE AND INSECTS
We saw several deer, lots of blue heron, a flock of wild turkeys, loads of chipmunks, at least one attack squirrel and dragon flies of all colors—the color red was prominent in one area (we associate dragon flies with Phil). We saw a lot of one particular bird that I thought was a quail, but, thinking better of it, decided it must have been a mockingbird. I have decided that I really don’t know what it was. It had a white patch on the lower part of its back just above the tail, visible when it flew. And, of course, ducks and geese.

ON ROAD CONDITIONS
Because the pathway right along the entire length of the canal is not completely accessible, we did a lot of on-road riding. It was easier because pavement offered little drag on our tires, but we had to contend with lots of hills. The worst of it was the speed at which trucks travel on New York roads. Frightening. The wind created by one truck almost knocked me over.

The on-road route we rode most often was Rte 31, which was also Bike Route 5. It had a good wide shoulder, lots of rolling hills, and spectacular scenery.

One comment on using the WALK SIGNAL on street corners: when crossing major intersections…the walk signal does not stop all traffic. When the walk signal comes on so does the green light for traffic going in the same direction. Some of the walk signal buttons did not work. Those crossings were a little exciting! Watch for cars turning right. ☺

MEDIC!
As we rode along, one of us would call out: shoulders down. The other would answer: thank you. We had a habit of bringing our shoulders up to our ears and that put an unnatural strain on our back muscles. I rode many miles feeling like I had a hot knife in my left shoulder. Kathy had to wear a knee brace on her right knee. At one point she jammed her wrist when riding over a small pothole she didn’t see in time. Then, of course, there was my dizziness.

TRACKING MILEAGE
It had been my intent to accurately track the mileage between towns. That became impossible. From Lockport to Palmyra it was pretty easy because the ride was all on the old canal pathway. After Newark, things became very complicated with mistakes made following the maps. My energy was focused on getting from A to B. Once we got on-road, it was difficult to accurately calculate the mileage because I was never sure where the center of any given town was and we missed one town all together.

B&Bs AND BREAKFAST
I had no idea we would eat so well for breakfast! Fresh fruit, yogurt, cereal, pancakes, eggs, sausage, bacon, tea, coffee and cream or half-and-half (I can’t stand 1% or skim milk. UGH).

WRITING STYLE
I have a long-standing habit of writing in present tense, skipping to past tense and sliding into present tense again. And I can do that all in one sentence if it’s long enough. ☺ In order to write the journal and give it my personal flavor, I just let it roll. I hope it doesn’t bother the reader too much.

SET UP OF EACH DAY’S JOURNAL ENTRY
Speaking of my writing style, I tried to be consistent, but here again, inconsistency if one of the things I’m consistent about. I did my best and hope the reader will overlook any inconsistencies that develop.

I kept the “Expectations” section (in red). The expectations were written long before the trip was taken to help me visualize how each day would progress.

AND, last but not least I have two other on-line journals you might want to check out:

Look What I'm Up To Now! and A Very Personal Journey

Here we go. Come. Ride with me.

Travel Day - September 5, 2008

Leave Enfield for Niagara Falls, NY in two cars
Drop one car off in Latham, NY.
Proceed to Howard Johnson’s
454 Main St., Niagara Falls
Phone #: 800-282-5261

Expectations: If early enough do some sight seeing. Maybe see the Falls lit at night and watch fireworks. HoJo’s front desk suggests walking across to view the Falls would be faster than going by bike. She said we would have to wait in line with the cars. We have ground level rooms so we can bring bikes in.

I left home at 7:25 a.m. Estimate 20 to 25 minutes to Kathy’s. The weather is extremely warm and humid. Hurricane Hanna is bearing down on Florida and the Carolinas.

Arrive Kathy’s at 7:54 a.m. Her bike is ready to be loaded!

8:30 a.m.—I’m pacing the driveway waiting to get under way. We haven’t even done the Erie Canal yet and already we’re having an animated discussion about the East Coast Greenway, which we may or may not ever do! This is going to be a great trip! Kathy says it’s going to be a long one. The question is, for which one of us? ☺☺

Finally, Kathy notes we are leaving “at 9 a.m. on the freaking nose!”

MUSICAL CARS
It will take two cars to do this. We begin in Kathy’s Ridgeline and Lou’s Acura. Lou’s car is dropped at the Acura dealer in Latham, NY. After lunch at Red Robin in Latham, we are back on the road at 12:24 p.m. Lou has the pleasure of riding with us in the Ridgeline. Tomorrow, Lou will drive back to Latham to pick up his car and drop the Ridgeline. We will end our ride here and the Ridgeline is our ride home.

2:41 p.m. stopped for gas. E.T.A. (according to GPS navigation device) Niagara Falls is 5:15 p.m. We arrived at Howard Johnson Motel at 4:58. Didn’t even have time to settle in when Kathy and Lou are ready to go.

Howard Johnson motel two blocks from Niagara falls.
My room. Notice we were allowed to bring our bikes into our rooms.

Niagara Falls; below the falls; the Rainbow Bridge.

The three of us are overwhelmed by the magnificence of Niagara Falls. The size and volume of water is mind-boggling. We walked to the Falls and took lots of pictures. Had a stranger take our pictures as well.