Day 43: Welcome to Vermont

So today was a great day although hot, it was not as bad as yesterday. The scenery today was so beautiful. I took a slow day today, the heat from yesterday wore me down a bit. So every 20 miles I took a short stop and had some food and water. The climbs were not as bad as I expected them to be. The downhills were again very fun today, steep and windy. I made it into New Hampshire for dinner and set up camp. I found a great campground for 5 dollars with a pool, bathrooms and showers. I now have 2 days left on the trip, I will be in Rockport, Maine finishing around noon on Saturday. Sorry I have no pictures posted, I will work on posting them soon.

Miles biked today: 105
Miles biked total:

Day 42: Heat meets hills

Got an early start this morning, was on my bike by 5:30 a.m. I found a great park to camp at last night. It was at Nick's Lake State Park area. Was able to go out for a swim last night before I cooked dinner. The roads out of town where very nice with no traffic and lots of wildlife. I came across my first real climbs of the Adirondacks. Although they were not long they were very steep. These steep uphills had very fun descents on the back side, which made the climbs worth it. As the afternoon wore on so did the heat and the humidity. I encountered the worst humidity I have had on this whole trip today. The temp was also 96 degrees. So the hill climbs were pretty sweaty to say the least. At my lunch stop a very strong, strong storm came on very quickly. I found shelter in the town library. It lasted for about 5 minutes, the wind blew hard and then the wind stopped. Then it really became hot and humid. So I waited it out at a coffee shop until 5:00 then took off to get a few more miles in. 20 miles later I realized I could go no further. The ferry I needed to cross the river into Vermont was closed and wouldn't open until 8 the following morning. Tonight was a hotel night, too hot and humid.

Miles biked today: 123
Miles biked total:

Day 41: Wrong turn

After a great stay in Syracuse I finally headed out a little late. The day before I went with my friend Adam to a bike shop. My breaks had been sticking a lot and the bike had not been shifting very well, so I wanted to get new cables and housing. All of the bike shops had a one week wait, so we tried one not too far from his place. This store said that they were busy as well, and couldn't help me out. So at this point I decided I was going to buy what I needed and try to do it myself. There was a free stand in the back and I asked if possibly I could use a bike stand and a few tools, I explained to him that I was biking across the country and was looking to head out first thing in the morning. He said that he could not OK that, but if I came back in a little while I could check with the boss. So we came back an hour later, I spoke with the boss. This man was not the happiest man you'd ever meet. He wasn't having it and he actually seemed angry that I was asking him a favor. "It's not my fault you are riding across the country unprepared." He then asked me where I was trying to make it to - I said Rockport, Maine by Saturday. He laughed and said, "yea right". So me and Adam left kind of jaw dropped, laughing at this man's response. So as we were heading out a man from behind approached us, "so whats the problem?" This man was a bike mechanic down there who overheard the situation. He agreed to do it for me and said that he would need to bring the bike to his house, because he was off of work. He also apologized for the owner's response and said that he doesn't do well under pressure. So I went to the bike shop across the street to buy the cables and housing, not wanting to return to the other shop. My bike was finished being worked on later in the morning. I met up with him at the bike shop to pick up the bike. I asked him how much, he responded nothing. I pulled out a twenty, but he refused and said just finish the trip. This was some good karma and a greatly appreciated gesture by this man. So I continued out of Syracuse around 11:00 It was pretty hot, in the 90's with a light wind out of the west. My route finding to and from Syracuse seemed to be working out great. Until I started heading north to hook up with my planned route. I was heading down route 5 which hooked up with 12/28. Before I knew it the road went from 2 lane to 6 lane highway. Then another on ramp, no exits. I was always wondering if I would end up on a really bad road on this trip, and this was that road. So I eventually got off this highway and was on a side street in town. I talked to a gentlemen at a store in town, and asked if he could help me out with a route up to Bonneville. We pulled out a map and saw that there was no way up to Bonneville unless I biked on highway 12 for 20 miles. My other option was to backtrack into the wind for 20 miles then head north and east again. So I asked how good the shoulder was, he said it was better after town. So I decided this is what I was going to do, suck it up and bike on the shoulder for twenty miles. I swung back on to the interstate, via the on ramp, which felt very weird on a bike. Then I found that the shoulder was not very good and very narrow. So once again I got off the highway and headed towards a gas station. At this point there was no way I was getting back on. So I found a truck with some people who ended up being very kind . They were heading to Bonneville and said I could throw my bike and trailer in the back. They knew exactly where I would need to reconnect to my intended route. The remaining 40 miles this afternoon was some of the most scenic roads I have been on so far. The hills have become more consistent as I head into the Adirondacks.

Miles biked today: 90
Miles biked total:

Day 40: Funk N Waffles

This morning I headed off my planned route to go see a friend of mine, Adam Gold. Adam lives in Syracuse which really wasn't too far off my route and only 70 miles from where I was camping last night. So a little background on my friend Adam. I met Adam through my roommate Joe and have known him for about 5 years, although he went to school in Syracuse I would see him once a year at school. In college, Adam played in different bands and was also a DJ. He went by the name Sweaty Funk, specializing in funk music. So he and his friend Kyle started up this concept of throwing parties where Adam would be in charge of the music and Kyle would be in the back in charge of making waffles. So this is how the concept of Funk ' n Waffles began. It quickly caught on with the students and they were getting booked just about every weekend for parties. So a year ago Adam and Kyle came through Fort Collins. They had just finished college and were on their way home after a cross country road trip. A year ago we were all talking - I was talking about my plans for my cross country bike ride and they were talking about turning their party gig into a business, called Funk 'n Waffles. Here I am on my bike ride, biking through Syracuse to see Funk 'n Waffles. So as you can imagine I have been eating a lot of waffles. When I rolled into town I immediately went to their restaurant. I started out with a spinach feta and turkey waffle, which was amazing. Then followed that with a butter milk, chocolate chip waffle with bananas, strawberries and whip cream. In the evening I had the feta spinach and salmon waffle(They were out of salmon earlier in the day so I did a repeat with the salmon.) Then I followed that with their Brownie Sunday waffle. They warned me of this one. They actually use brownie batter, so it is essentially a brownie the size of a waffle topped with three scoops of ice cream and whip cream. As I type this on Tuesday morning, I am having a buckwheat, blueberry waffle and some tea. It has been an amazing experience stopping here, being with good company and reflecting back a year ago, when these things we wanted to do were just dreams.


Miles biked today: 70
Miles biked total:

Day 39: Niagra Falls

From where I camped last night it was a short 10 mile ride to Niagra Falls. I had a hard time finding a place to camp last night. Eventually I found a fire station with a pavillion behind it. I found a fireman and he said it would be no problem. I have wanted to see Niagara Falls for awhile but never would have guessed that this was how I would see it. I hung around in the park at Niagara Falls on the U.S side for awhile. About 10 miles out of town I ran in to a local bike club. I got the typical response from them - You biked from where? Why and how long have you been biking for. As I approached Rochester I found a nice bike path which was a nice break from the traffic lights and traffic of the city. The trail went right along the Erie Canal, which was very scenic. Once again I had a hard time finding a place to set up camp. I went about 15 miles further than I was planning on and eventually found an area on the Erie Canal. It was actually another fire station pavillion. I made myself some Annie's pasta with broccoli alfredo sauce and threw in some lemon pepper tuna. The mosquito's were bad so I ended up eating it inside my tent. I passed out shortly after that.

Miles Biked Today: 127
Miles Biked Total:

Day 38: Corn Fields to Vineyards

Woke up after a great nights sleep last night. Dave, the mechanic was very kind and ended up being well worth the effort to bike to his place. As he promised the morning was downhill for 7 miles back to the road I needed to be on. Once I reached Lake Erie, there were vineyards everywhere. For a good portion of the day I was biking through these vineyards right along lake Erie. Ended up being one of the highlights of the trip for me. Ended up stopping for my first swim in lake Erie. The water was as cold as I expected it to be so I wasn't in it long. I am planning on finishing the ride on June 30th. My parents are flying out to see me finish, so I had to give them a date. Also I am trying to see my friend George who lives in the town I am finishing in, he leaves for vacation on july 1st. I heading to see Niagara falls first thing tomorrow morning.

Miles biked today 115

Miles biked total: 3155