The End...

It snowed pretty hard today, which very likely means I've done my last ride for the 2010 season.

It was a great season though - in fact my best ever.  Notable accomplishments include:

- Greatest total mileage in a single year (2215.9 miles).  Beat the previous record by almost 200 miles.  And beat the next best after that by about 1000.

- Did four of my 10 longest rides ever this season, including my longest ride of all time - 115 miles.

- Did two centuries in a single year - first time ever.

- Did a whopping 16 rides longer than 50 miles.  Previous best for a single year was a mere six.

- Did rides of over 50 miles on three consecutive days - first time ever.

But this riding season wasn't just about setting personal records - it was about adventure.  And I definitely had some incredible two-wheeled adventures this year:

- I led a group of 10 kids fresh out of high school on the most memorable ride of their lives, and showed them in the process that they're capable of far more than they ever imagined.

- I rode with over 30,000 of my closest friends on the streets of one of the greatest cities in the world, and I rode completely alone on paths through remote wooded areas.

- I pushed my bike over trails that were covered with snow and black ice, and I struggled against heat exhaustion on the hottest day of the summer.

- I visited places of great historical significance, and places where I could relive my own personal history.

So what's in store for next year?  Well... there are still a few specific rides I want to take.  Like a ride around Cayuga Lake - close to 100 miles with some wicked hills along the way.  And a ride across the state along the Erie Canal.  But I don't think I'll push for any records next year.  If they happen - great.  But if not, it won't matter.  I just want to ride.

Harkness Memorial

Total for this ride: 22.9 miles
Total for this year: 2215.8 miles

Cold and windy in southern CT today (wind chills in the low 30's), but with brilliant sunshine and no demands on my time there was no way I was going to miss the chance to ride.  Shortly after breakfast I filled the tires on the Trek, layered up, and hit the road.

My plan was to ride to the Harkness Memorial State Park, a gorgeous 220-acre estate on the Long Island Sound which was donated to the State of Connecticut in 1950 by the Harkness family, who acquired the property in the early 1900's.  The outbound route was one I've traveled many times, most recently in the summer of 2009.  In spite of the fact that segments of the ride aren't really bike friendly (primarily because of moderate traffic and lack of adequate shoulders) it's one of my favorites when I visit my parents.  It's kind of the biking equivalent of comfort food.

I made good time as I worked my way down to the coast and rode east along Niantic's Main St.  I crossed the drawbridge over the Niantic River, rode past the entrance to the Millstone nuclear power plant, and then turned south toward Jordan's Cove.  I would have loved to take a few pics, but with my cold weather gloves on, and the camera stored in a pocket underneath my outer layer, it's almost impossible to shoot while riding.  I'd either drop the camera, or kill myself, or both.  I waited until I stopped at Harkness to get the camera out.

Knowing I would probably do some walking at the park, I brought a pair of sneakers with me in a backpack.  I really don't like riding with a backpack, but walking in cleats would have been a huge hassle, so the backpack was the lesser of two evils.  Besides, it wasn't going to be a long ride, so I figured I could tough it out.

When I rolled into Harkness I was surprised at the number of cars in the parking lot.  As cold and windy as it was, I expected the place to be almost empty.  But there were actually a fair number of people out enjoying the sunshine - bundled up in their winter parkas, scarves, hats, and gloves.  With my thin layers on they must have thought I was nuts.  But even though it was cold, it was certainly bearable.  I was relatively comfortable during the 20 minutes or so I was there taking pictures.

Before the ride I thought about going from Harkness over to Ocean Beach Park, just to the east in New London.  But then I realized that I'd been riding with the wind to this point, and that I'd be riding into it on the way back.  So having met all of my mileage goals for the year, I decided just to head back.

I took a new route on the return ride to my parents' house, through mostly residential areas of Waterford.  Some of the houses along Niantic River Rd. were absolutely incredible...  I survived the intersection at Flanders Four Corners and head back up the Post Rd. toward the house.  My last decision was whether to make the turn at Ancient Highway and make the steep climb up to Webster Rd., or keep going and turn at Lover's Lane, which is a longer, but not quite as steep, access into Mom and Dad's neighborhood.  I decided to man up...

Sacred Ground

Total for this ride: 34.4 miles
Total for this year: 2192.9 miles

It was cold today.  And windy.  Temps when I left the house were in the high 30's, and never got any better.  Winds were out of the east (unusual...) at 12.  So yes, it was cold.  But still no snow (or salt...), so I decided to layer up and hit the road.  I'm glad I did.

The plan was to ride in a big rectangle from Victor up to Rt 31, then east to Palmyra, south to Manchester, and west back to Victor.  The route would take me past some of the most sacred sites in the Mormon Church.

My first stop was the Joseph Smith Farm and Sacred Grove.  I've been near this site several times, but had never made an effort to see the farm.  In fact I hadn't planned to stop there today, but I saw a sign on Rt 21, and wasn't in any hurry, so I decided to make a little detour to see it.  I don't know if it's closed on Sunday (which would be kinda weird) but nobody was there when I pulled into the parking lot.  Fortunately I was still able to ride up to Smith's log house, where the Angel Moroni appeared to Smith in September 1823.  The Sacred Grove (where God the Father and his Son, Jesus Christ, visited the 14 year old Smith in 1820) was just beyond that, but I was wearing cleats, and didn't have a way to lock up the bike... so I hopped back on the bike and returned to my planned route.

Once I got back to Rt 21, it was a couple miles to Hill Cumorah, where Smith received the Golden Plates containing the Book of Mormon in 1823.  The site is now the scene every summer of an incredibly elaborate pageant which recounts the history of the Mormon faith.  I saw it a couple of years ago for the first time - breathtaking.

I stopped only long enough to grab the pic shown below, then head for home.  It took a while to warm up when I got back... my toes were numb for the next half hour...

Rescue Mission

Total for this ride: 2.5 miles

Total for this year: 2158.5 miles

Just a short ride to rescue my truck from the shop where it was in for a new muffler and tailpipe.  Rode in street clothes.  Cut through the school yard, over to Lane Rd., and down to 96.  Windy and cold...

Still no major snow in the forecast... I can keep riding until the salt trucks hit the road.

A Cold, Dark Commute...

Total for this ride: 27.7
Total for this year: 2156.0 miles

Seems like forever since I've ridden... Been so long that I'd already put the bikes in the basement for the season. But with the weather man predicting a run of decent weather, I decided a couple days ago to haul out the Univega and make at least one more commute in to work.

I parked the truck in the usual commuter lot and hit the trail before sunrise.  And yes, it was cold... I heard 30 degrees on TV before I left the house, but that was the temp downtown.  I have no idea how cold it was out in the burbs.  Maybe not quite as cold as some of those rides I made back in March, but it was still cold.  I was glad I went with four layers.

The ride in was pretty uneventful.  It was sad to see that the trees are all bare again.  There's still water in the canal, but it probably won't be there much longer.

The ride home was a little more interesting... I left the office at 4:30.  The sun was still up, but just barely.  It would set by the time I hit the canal towpath, and it would be dark by the time I got back to the truck.  But, being the smart guy that I am, I planned ahead and brought both my head and tail lights.  Good to go.

That is, until I got to the corner of John and Jefferson, and while waiting for the signal to cross, realized that my headlight was out.  Great... I didn't want to ride all the way back to the office to get fresh batteries, but I definitely wouldn't be able to ride home without the light.  Fortunately, I happened to have two spare batteries in my rack trunk.  I keep a set on hand in case the GPS runs low.  But the light takes four batteries.  So I had to cannibalize the two out of the GPS.

It's a good thing I did.  The skies were perfectly clear today, so once the sun went down it got dark fast.  By the time I got to Schoen Place, there wasn't even any twilight left.  I decided that I'd never ridden when it was that dark before.  Because if I had, I would have known that my headlight is woefully inadequate for those conditions.  It was barely bright enough to keep me on the trail, let alone see if there was a deer or bear or whatever up ahead.  If some obstacle appeared, I'd have a couple of seconds to react.  But, luckily, the wildlife was on its best behavior so I made it back to the truck without incident.

Old Lyme

Total for this ride: 22.8 miles
Total for this year: 2128.3 miles

Riding on borrowed time...  At this point in the season, every time I get on the bike it could be my last ride of the year.  Got to enjoy them while I still can.  I did enjoy this one. 

I know I've done parts of this ride in the past, but I can't remember exactly when.  All I know is that it was a long time ago.  May have even been back when I was in college, riding the bike I used to commute to high school (which was stolen during my move to CA in 1984, necessitating the purchase of a new bike - a Trek 420 which I still occasionally ride to this day...).  Anyway, even though there were some familiar sights on this ride, the bright sunshine and breathtaking fall colors made for a thoroughly enjoyable ride.

I started from my parents' house in a neighborhood off the Boston Post Road in East Lyme and headed south toward the beach on the Long Island Sound in Niantic.  The traffic was, as usual, fairly heavy between Flanders and Niantic.  But I've ridden that stretch of road so many times I've kind of gotten used to it. 

When I hit Rt. 156, which parallels the coast, I turned west and followed the road for several miles, past the prison on Bride Brook Rd, and Rocky Neck State Park (which I visited earlier in the summer).  The road eventually turns north and follows the Connecticut River inland.

Just past where 156 goes under Interstate 90, I turned to the east and entered the village of Old Lyme.  It's a really neat old town, with a history that goes back to the late 1600's.  George Washington is known to have passed through the town on multiple occasions, and Albert Einstein had a summer home there.

I was apparently spending too much time "leaf peeping" and looking at the scenery -- and not watching for road hazards.  I hit a small pot hole square on, so hard that it rattled my teeth.  I was afraid I had damaged a rim, but I stopped and checked everything out.  Seemed like all of the critical components were still intact, so I pressed on.  After passing through town I made a quick stop at Rogers Lake to take a few pictures, continued on to Scott's Yankee Farmer, and then home.

Third Time's the Charm...

Total for this ride: 10.4 miles

Total for this year: 2105.5 miles

Today's ride was the third of the year through Turning Point Park up in Charlotte - once with the RIT bike group during the "regular season", once with a small group of colleagues from the office after work, and now once with Joe.

I had to leave work early for this ride.  It's starting to get dark around 6:30, and I needed to pick up Joe at his apartment and then drive all the way up to the lake.  I would have never been able to get in a good 10 miles if I waited until 5:00 to leave.  I'll make up the time some time in the next week...

When we got up to Charlotte, we parked near the Port of Rochester terminal, where the "fast ferry" used to dock.  We hopped on the bikes and head south along the Genesee River, past the Rochester Yacht Club, and toward the boardwak through Turning Point Park.  Just before we got to the boardwalk Joe caught sight of a deer on the trail up ahead.  We stopped, took a couple of pictures, then slowly worked our way closer as a second one appeared.  They watched us as we continued to inch forward, but eventually they got bored and took off into the woods.  We pressed on toward the boardwalk.

We saw a few people as we rode through the park.  A couple of fishermen, some dog-walkers, two or three other cyclists.  But it wasn't too crowded.  We got to the end of the boardwalk and started up the long hill which goes slowly up the side of the gorge until the trail reaches Lake Ave.  On the ride up I got a really cool picture of Joe as sunlight was streaming through the trees, casting long shadows on the trail ahead of him.  From there we continued south past Holy Sephlucre Cemetery, then crossed to the west side of Lake to make a quick stop at George Eastman's grave.  We didn't stay long though.  We turned around, started north, and crossed back over Lake at King's Landing Cemetery - the first in Rochester.  From there we just retraced our path back to Charlotte.  When we got there we poked around the terminal a little, checked out a group of people taking a sailing class in the river, and took a couple of pics of a paddle wheeler getting ready to take a group out onto Lake Ontario for a dinner cruise.  I hope the boat was heated... by then it was getting pretty cold out.  We wanted to ride out to the end of the pier, but it was closed for repair.  So with the sun down, dark clouds moving in, and the temps dropping, we called it a day and I took Joe home.

Old Erie

Total for this ride: 61.8 miles
Total for this year: 2095.1 miles

With good weather forecast for this weekend (probably one of the few I have left before the snow hits...) I decided to go for a long ride in an area I'd never explored before.  The plan was to go the entire length of the Old Erie Canal State Park from DeWitt (just east of Syracuse) to Rome and back, a distance of about 72 miles.  It promised to be a fun ride with lots of old canal artifacts and structures along the way.  And with the fall colors near peak, I expected some spectacular scenery.

I figured it would take about an hour and a half to drive to DeWitt from Victor, so I planned to get an early start - maybe even as early as 6:30.  But I got up at 6, it was still pitch black, and everything was covered with frost, so I took my time getting my act together.  I eventually ended up pulling out of the driveway at 8:00.  A little later than I hoped, but at least the sun was up by then.

As expected, it took just under an hour and a half to make the drive to the parking area at the western terminus of the state park.  There were several other cars in the small lot, so apparently the park was being put to good use.  I loaded up the bike, locked the truck, and hit the trail.

Right out of the parking lot the trail goes along an old aqueduct - one of several I'd see throughout the day.  This was a good sign.  If structures were maintained along the entire length of the ride, there would be plenty to explore.

More good news within the first mile - a perfectly preserved change bridge.  Back in the years when the old canal was in operation, a change bridge was used to allow the mules which pulled the barges to cross from one side of the canal to the other without the need to be unhitched.  This particular change bridge crossed over to a small park on the south side of the canal - a park with a bathroom.  It was one of precious few bathrooms I saw the entire rest of the day.

The path was the crushed limestone I'm familiar with from all my riding on the canal towpath in the western part of the state.  Good - I thought I'd be able to maintain a decent pace.  This was important since I needed to be back home in time for dinner with Joe and Molly.  And with the sun brightly shining in a blue sky, the colors of the leaves in the trees were indeed spectacular.  My pictures don't do them justice.

I rode a good 10-11 miles before getting to the first town, Chittenango.  I took a little time to explore the Chittenango Landing Canal Boat Museum on the south side of the canal.  Unfortunately, this being a Sunday morning, the museum was closed so there was only so much I could see.  But I did check out the ruins of an old cannery from the 1880's which were pretty cool.

The next town along the trail was Canestota.  Canestota was considerably larger than Chittenango - there was actually a small village center, and the whole town was at least several blocks across.  A quaint little place.  Only problem was that as I was heading out of town I was confronted with a large "TRAIL CLOSED" sign.  Hmmm...  That's not good.  I was able to look past the sign, and it didn't appear that anything would preclude me from using it.  Maybe there was some construction just beyond the farthest point I could see?  Normally I would have decided that it would be more of an adventure to just ride past the sign and see what was going on.  But for some reason I chose to heed the warning and take to the street (appropriately, Canal St....) which ran parallel to the trail.  So off I went.

I stayed on the street for at least half a mile, every now and then glancing up at the towpath which was above street level, on the far side of a drainage ditch.  Still no indication that there was anything going on that keep me from using it.  But I stuck to the street untl the speed limit changed from 30 to 55.  With a very narrow shoulder, I figured it was time to get back on the trail.  There was no way I was going to be able to cross the ditch and climb back on the towpath.  Fortunately, not far up the road there was a small driveway which connected the pavement to the trail.  I made the turn and got off the road.  It was then that I discovered why the trail was closed -- it really was under construction.  It appeared that somebody - presumably New York State - was making improvements to the trail.  The path had been cleared and leveled, as evidenced by the small ridges of freshly turned dirt running along each side.  And some sort of base layer of material had been laid down.  But this material was clearly NOT the final layer.  It was a fine, sandy gravel, which had not been packed down.  It was uneven, and it was soft, and it was not an easy surface to ride on.  But it was better than taking my chances with the traffic, so I dropped into a lower gear and pressed on.

After riding on this surface for a while I started wondering whether I'd be able to make Rome in time to get back for dinner.  I did some calculations in my head and decided that I'd turn around no later than 1:00 pm.  That would mean I'd been riding for 3.5 hours.  Assuming an equal amount of time to return to the truck (a reasonable estimate, I thought, since the route was flat and there didn't appear to be much wind), and an hour and a half to get home, I'd be back by 6:00.  That should be OK, I thought.

Eventually the trail ended where the park crossed over the New York State Thruway.  I wondered how many times I'd crossed under that overpass without ever realizing that it was part of the park.  I picked up the trail again, in all of its sandy glory, on the other side of the thruway.  It didn't go very far though before it abruptly ended in Durhamville, with a sign indicating that there would be no trail for the next 22 miles.  Great.  Back on the street.  Luckily, all of the remaining roads would have large, ample shoulders.

A couple of miles outside of Durhamville I noticed a large public parking area - like one of those rest stops without any amenities.  But there was a historic marker, so I rolled in to check it out.  After taking a picture, I noticed that there was an access point to the trail, again running right along the canal.  There was a red rope dangling between the two sides of the gate across the entrance of the trail.  Obviously a sign that the trail was closed here too.  Back on the road.

In the next few miles I crossed through a few towns that looked like they were nothing more than names on a map: State Bridge, Higginsville, Stacy Basin.  Aside from a few farms, there wasn't much to any of them.  Surely no place to eat - and no bathrooms...  I could deal with the lack of bathrooms, but it was now after noon, I'd been riding for a few hours, and had nothing to eat since a bowl of cereal at breakfast.  I needed food.  I dug into my handlebar bag and pulled out a power bar.

My map told me that I needed to keep an eye out for Lock Rd. just past Stacy Basin.  Lock Rd. would take me to Lock 21 on the current Erie Canal - the one which is still in use.  From there I'd hop back on the towpath and make a straight shot into Rome, where hopefully I'd grab a quick lunch, check out the Canal Museum, and head back.  It would be close, but I thought I could make it.

So I get to Lock Rd. and don't you know, there's a sign indicating that the bridge is out .8 miles ahead, and only local traffic is allowed.  What did that mean for my ride?  I didn't know.  But I knew I was getting tired of all the prohibited areas on this ride, so I ignored the sign and pressed on.  In a few minutes I arrived at Lock 21 - a really cool facility.  Very clean, very well maintained.  Apparently popular with the locals too - there were several fishermen with their lines cast in the canal on the east side of the lock, including a grandfather with his grandson, who looked to be maybe four years old.  The kid waved at me.  He was having a great time.  I took a few pics, then crossed over the lock gates at the west end in search of the trail.  No sooner did I find it than I saw the dreaded "TRAIL CLOSED" sign blocking my way.  That was it.  I'd had it.  I threw in the towel and decided to head back.  This meant that I'd have to go without lunch, since I didn't see any place to eat on the outbound leg.  But if my situation grew dire I was sure I'd be able to find something in Canestota when I got back there.  So I ate my last power bar and hit the road.

The ride back was fairly uneventful.  I did notice however that with about 20 miles to go, I was starting to get a little sore.  I thought that was unusual, since this was not a hard ride, and I've certainly had days when I spent more time in the saddle.  But the tightness in my upper hamstrings just didn't go away.  I actually took a couple of quick breaks on the way back just to stretch them out a little.  Maybe I just need a break from riding for a while.  NAH!

Made it back to the parking lot OK, packed everything back in the truck, and went home.  Had take out from the India House with Joe and Molly for dinner.  A nice way to end the day.

Trip To The Post Office

Total for this ride: 3.2 miles
Total for this year: 2033.3 miles

As the title says... just a quick trip to the post office to mail some bills.  When the weather is reasonable, it's the quickest and easiest way to get there.  Just cut through the school yards behind the house, zip down High Street, across Main, and over to School St, and you're there.  It takes literally minutes.  After dropping off the bills, I decided to do some exploring.  I haven't been on the Auburn trail south of Main in a while.  The trail's pretty much the same, but the Victor Hiking Trails organization has done a nice job of putting up some signage.  Really helps make people aware that the trail's there.  Anyway, nice little ride.

AT-TI-CA! AT-TI-CA!

Total for this ride: 68.2 miles
Total for this year: 2030.1 miles

Another long ride with Roger.  The plan today was to start in Geneseo, a quaint little town which is home to one of the campuses of the State University of New York, and ride in a big loop which would take us to Attica and back.

I've always wanted to go to Attica - there's a huge prison there.  This prison was the site of a large riot in September 1971 in which 39 people died.  It's also where a number of infamous, high profile criminals have been incarcerated, including Mark David Chapman, the scumbag who murdered John Lennon.  My goal for the day was to have my picture taken in front of the main gate.

It was cool when we took off from the courthouse in Geneseo.  Cool enough that I layered up for the ride - three on the top and two on the bottom.  It was the first time I've ridden in the long tights in months.  Although I was warm enough when the sun was out to take off the jacket, it was overcast most of the day so consequently I spent a good portion of the ride with all of the layers on.

The ride was a little hilly.  I guess I didn't really notice it, but the GPS data shows that we spent about 15 of the first 18 miles climbing, reaching the highest elevation of the entire route right before we hit Warsaw.  From there the bottom dropped out and we descended about 600 feet in 1.5 miles.  We were dropping so fast that I rode the brakes most of the way down.  The road was kinda windey and there was traffic, so I wanted to make sure I stayed in control.  Thank God we didn't make the loop the other way... 1.5 miles of a 7% grade after riding 50 miles... not my idea of fun...

The only problem descending into Warsaw is that it's in a little valley.  So once you get through town (which doesn't take long) you have to climb your way back out.  Fortunately Roger and I picked a route which (we believed) would give us a climb which might be a little longer, but not quite as steep, as some others.  This route took us north toward the little town of Dale.  Dale is tiny - and has the tiniest post office I think I've ever seen.  After leaving Dale, we rode along the west side of the Carlton Hill State Forest, which was absolutely beautiful with all of the fall colors in the trees.  Riding in this part of the state you really get the sense of being out in the boonies.  For several miles we were riding on roads with no markings of any kind - no white shoulder lines, no lane markers, and in some cases, no street signs.  I was OK with that.  I was not OK with all of the loose dogs.  We were chased three times on this ride.  Thankfully we were never jumped while climbing up a steep hill.  I don't know what we would have done if we had been.  But it was still unnerving to be chased that many times.  It kept us on the lookout for other dogs for the rest of the ride.

We eventually worked our way back to civilization as we approached Attica.  My cue sheet indicated that we should take a left onto Main St. once we hit town.  From there, a left turn on Exchange would take us to the front of the prison.  Unfortunately, it appears as though I made a mistake when writing down the turn-by-turn directions.  We should have gone RIGHT on Main and then left on Exchange.  We realized after a mile or so that we were heading the wrong way.  We could see towers of the prison off in the distance, but it was clear that we were heading away from our destination.  In fact, we were riding along the back side of the prison property, as shown in the image below.  When we realized our mistake, we turned around and head toward the village in search of lunch.

We had lunch at a great little deli on Main St.  Roger generously paid for my ham and cheese sub.  When we finished, it looked like some nasty weather was headed toward us, so we decided not to look for the prison main gate, and just head back as quickly as we could.  I was only mildly disappointed, but I knew that it was the right decision.

As it turned out, it started sprinkeling shortly after we hit the road, and it didn't stop until after we got back to Geneseo.  The last 1/2 mile before the finish took us through the SUNY campus and up a nasty little hill.  The average grade was about 5%, but the last 150 yards or so were significantly steeper.  It was one of those hills where you wonder if you're going to be able to unclip your foot from the pedal in time if you have to stop.  Fortunately, when we creeped up to the stop sign at the top of the hill, there was no cross traffic coming so we could roll through.  Otherwise, it's entirely possible we would have fallen, still clipped into the pedals.

This ride was notable for a couple of reasons.  For one, it was my 15th ride of 50 miles or more, which is kinda cool.  But more importantly it was also the ride that put me over the top in terms of annual mileage.  With the completion of this ride I set a new PR, which officially makes this my best riding year ever.

Feet for Food

Total for this ride: 14.5 miles
Total for this year: 1961.9 miles

Second ride of the day.

This one was the annual charity walk/ride for the local food cupboard.  I think I've ridden in every one since they started allowing bikes.  Some of them have been absolutely miserable... I remember riding last year in a driving rain.  Fortunately the weather today was OK.  Overcast, cool, and breezy, but at least no rain.  Registration for the ride started at 2:00 -- just about the time I got there.  I filled out the form, turned in what little money I'd raised (really didn't solicit contributions, since I put the hard sell on family and friends for the Tour de Cure...), and got my cue sheet.  The ride wasn't scheduled to start until 2:30, but I didn't feel like hanging around for another 20 minutes, so I took off early.  No big deal - it's really a pretty informal event... I did the "long" ride, which is only 10.8 miles, but I also counted the miles I rode from home to the start, and then the miles from the finish back home again, which gave me the total I reported above.

Bloomfield

Total for this ride: 23.6 miles
Total for this year: 1947.4 miles

First of two rides today.  This one was nothing special.  Just trying to get some mileage in while the weather cooperates.  Probably aren't many more rideable weekends...

Noticed my pace is starting to drop a little.  Average for this ride was only 13.8 mph.  Granted I did almost 1400 feet of climbing, but still... Maybe it's because it's starting to get cooler and it takes me longer to warm up.

Or maybe I'm just getting old.

Ride, Interrupted...

Total for this ride: 32.1 miles
Total for this year: 1923.8 miles

This is precisely why I prefer to ride alone...

So a few days after the Western New York Bike Adventure I decided it would be nice to give the kids a little time to get settled in and then offer them an "encore ride" - one that would give them a chance to see what's on the canal towpath going east, instead of west toward Niagara Falls.  It looked like I didn't have any other commitments this weekend, so I sent out an invitation to the group - if you're interested, show up at the Carlson Building at 1:00 on Saturday.  The plan was to ride to Schoen Place, have some ice cream, and head back.  21 miles in maybe 2 1/2 hours.  If they weren't in a hurry, and wanted to do some exploring, I could add a few miles by taking them up to old Lock 50 (?) behind Pittsford Plaza.  If they were real ambitious we could ride through UR and into town.  The possibilities were endless...

I could have driven out to campus to meet up with the group, but there's not a lot of time left in the season and I really want to put in as many miles as possible before the weather shuts me down for the year.  So I decided to drive to Bushnell's Basin and ride from there to campus.  We'd do the encore ride, and then I'd ride back from RIT to the Park-N-Ride where the truck would be waiting.  I figured that would be enough riding to give me my 15th ride of the year longer than 50 miles.  It was a plan.

I started riding about 10:30 and hit the canal in Bushnell's Basin a few minutes later.  First thing I noticed was a big orange sign which said "NAL CONSTRUCTION AHE D".  For a second I thought about climbing back up to Marsh Rd. and taking the surface streets to Pittsford where I figured I could catch the towpath.  But then I decided that I wasn't in a hurry, and it would be more of an adventure if I stayed on the towpath, so I pressed on.  As it turned out, there was no construction on the nal.  It was smooth sailing the whole way.

It was very apparent on this ride that fall is upon us.  It was cool enough when I took off to wear the lightweght blue shell.  I left it on all day.  The trees have definitely started changing color.  Not at peak color yet, but it won't be long.  And many of them are starting to deposit their leaves and seed pods (or whatever they are...) all over the trail.  In some places it's like a little obstacle course, trying to avoid all the debris.

I got to RIT just before noon and figured I'd eat before we started the encore ride.  I was hoping to go to the Crossroads Cafe and get a quick sandwich, but they were closed.  Instead I ended up going to a new restaurant that's kind of a "Moe's" on steroids.  They feature southwestern fare... burritos, tacos, nachos, quesedillas, and specialty SW pizzas.  I went with the burrito.

I wasn't sure how many of the kids would show up for the ride.  I'd heard from a few of them, but you never know with college students.  It could have been most, or it could have been none.  In the end, four guys showed up.  My current student Kevin, and three of the new freshmen, Andrew, Jeremy, and Evan.  I waited until about five after one before pushing off.

Things went pretty well on the ride out to Schoen Place.  We had the wind with us so we were making pretty good time.  But when we got to our destination, the little ice cream shop at the east end of Schoen, it was closed.  Kevin suggested we press on to Bushnell's Basin and go to the Abbott's.  I asked the group if they were up for it, and they were.  So we pressed on.

We got to Abbott's and everybody ordered their ice cream (frozen yougurt, really).  We didn't linger too long though, because Andrew was supposed to sit at the Engineering House table at the open house, so we needed to get back.

We crossed back over the canal on the Marsh Rd. bridge and started west on the towpath.  We had only gone about a mile and a half, most of the way past the Great Embankment, when Kevin starts shouting for me from the rear of the pack.  He noticed that Andrew's rear tire was flat [the picture I took of the guys as we left Abbott's clearly shows that the tire was flat before we got back to the canal].  Nobody had brought any spare tubes or patches (I specifically indicated in my invitation that I would NOT be fixing any flats on this ride...).  We were still 13 miles from campus so walking back wasn't an option.  But we were only about two miles from my truck.... So there weren't many options - Kevin, Jeremy, and Evan would continue the ride back to RIT.  I would ride to Bushnell's Basin and get the truck so I could pick up Andrew and his bike and drive them back to campus.

Right then and there my plans for a 50 mile day were trashed.  I guess it could have been worse.  At least it was a short ride back to the truck - if I had driven all the way to campus Andrew would have had a much longer wait until I could rescue him, and I would have had to drive twice as far to get him, return him to campus, and then drive home.  And it was also lucky that for some reason I decided to bring both of the racks in the truck.  Really don't know why I did.  There was no reason to.  Maybe I had a premonition...

Anyway... that was my ride.

Hello, George!

Total for this ride: 10.3 miles
Total for this year: 1891.7 miles

A short and easy ride after work from Ontario Beach Park in Charlotte, through Turning Point Park (see my posting of August 3rd), to George Eastman's grave on the grounds of Kodak's main manufacturing facility at the corner of Lake and Ridge in Rochester.  Went with Roger, Maria, and Sue.  Not really much to say about the ride...  Saw a great blue heron in the river near the Port of Rochester facilities... Had pumpkin frozen yougurt at Abbott's after we finished the ride... Watched the cops nab one car after another in the parking lot for rolling through the stop signs at the end of each row...  But other than that, it was just a short, easy ride.

A Quest for Cookies

Total for this ride: 12.5 miles
Total for this year: 1881.4 miles

This was a totally unexpected, unplanned ride.

Jill and I were just sitting down to a simple dinner when Joe popped in.  Molly was at class and he needed to use the printer so he decided to come over and hang out for a while.  The sun was still up when I finished eating, and neither one of us had anything better to do, so I asked him if he wanted to go for a ride.  Which, of course, he did.  I was kind of craving some cookies after dinner, so I suggested we ride out to our friends' house in Pumpkin Hook to see if they had any.  It's not a long ride, and I knew if we didn't linger there too long we'd get back before it got too dark.

There are a few ways to get to Pumpkin Hook.  I took the shortest and least demanding route, in the interest of saving some time.  It was actually a little chilly when we hit the road.  I wasn't uncomfortable, but I think I would have been better off if I had worn a sweatshirt.

The outbound leg of the ride was nice.  The sun was starting to get low in the sky and the shadows were growing long.  I tried to take a couple pictures of my shadow on the corn to my right, but none of them turned out as well as I would have liked.  Then I tried several of my famous "behind the back" shots to see if I could get one or two of Joe, but apparently my aim was way off.  Every shot was well to the right.  So eventually I gave up and while riding forward I turned around and aimed the camera in his direction.  Finally got one that I liked.

We got to our destination, dismounted, and rang the door bell.  No answer.  Knocked a few times.  Still nothing.  We concluded our quest for some cookies was all in vain.  We had no choice but to mount up again and head back home.

The return to Victor wasn't quite as much fun as the first half of the ride.  The sun was much lower in the sky, which meant that it was getting cooler, and when we were traveling west it was right smack in our faces.  I hoped that the glare wouldn't keep us from seeing some hazard on the shoulder, and I hoped that it wouldn't keep a car coming up from behind from seeing us.  But... we made it.

The end.