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: