Longest Ride. Ever.

Total for this ride: 115 miles

Total for this year: 558.5 miles

It was an absolutely perfect day for riding.  And I took full advantage of it with the longest ride I've ever taken.  By far.  I've done a few centuries before, but they've all been just over 100 miles.  This time when I hit the century mark I was still 15 miles from home.  But it didn't matter.  With cool temps, light winds, a great route, and a new bike, I was in the zone all day.

I left the house at 8:15 am knowing I was going for a long ride.  I had it in the back of my mind that I might go all the way to Weedsport - a small town something over 50 miles to the east - but on my cue sheet I noted all of the places where I could bail and take a short cut back if I wasn't feeling up to it.  I headed out on Rt 96 and quickly passed through several terminally quaint little villages - Phelps, Waterloo (birthplace of Memorial Day), and Seneca Falls (home of the women's rights movement and the National Women's Hall of Fame).  I made great time for the first 30 miles.

I took my first short break at the Montezuma National Wildlife Refuge.  I've driven through the refuge a hundred times on the NY Thruway, and always wanted to check it out.  This was my first chance to do so.  But while I had high hopes that it would be a fun place to explore, before I even reached the visitor center I was greeted with a sign that said bikes and walkers weren't allowed on the "wildlife drive" that took visitors around the refuge.  That struck me as really, really stupid.  Why in the world would you allow loud, polluting, obnoxious motor vehicles to travel on a "wildlife drive" but not clean, quiet bikes?  It made no sense, and I immediately felt like I wasn't going to be welcomed there.  So I hopped off the bike at the visitor center, downed a couple of granola bars, hit the bathroom, and got back on the road.

I continued east on Rts 5 and 20 until I reached Auburn, then turned north on Rt 34 toward Weedsport.  I rolled into town at about 1:00.  First order of business was to get new batteries for the GPS (they were running dangerously low, and I wasn't about to ride over a hundred miles and not have a route map to show for it).  Picked them up at a convenience store, rode across the street for lunch at Arby's, and called Jill with a progress report before finally heading back east toward Victor.

I took Rt 31 most of the way back.  It's a cool stretch of road because it so rich in Erie Canal history.  The canal has been rerouted and expanded a couple of times since it was originally built in the 1820's, and it's still possible to see remnants of each generation all along Rt 31.  Perfect example was a little park between Weedsport and Port Byron where they've preserved some of the supports from the Centerport Aqueduct.  It was a cool place and I would have loved to do some more exploring, but I was wearing cleats so walking was a huge hassle.  So I just took a few photos and resumed the ride.

From Port Byron there are a series of small canal towns spread out every 5-10 miles.  Clyde, Lyons, Newark, Palmyra, and Macedon.  Really, really neat little towns, each with its own charm, personality, and history.  The area is a mecca for Mormons.  The Mormon prophet Brigham Young lived in Port Byron in 1831, and the angel Moroni presented Joseph Smith with the Golden Tablets near Palmyra.

Just past Macedon, after crossing into Perinton, I turned to the south on Victor-Egypt Rd for the home stretch.  I was pleasantly surprised that I felt so good as I took the hills during those last 6 miles.  Make no mistake - I wasn't setting any speed records, but I really didn't feel too bad.  A little stiff in the lower back, but that was about it.

I got home at 6:45.  I'd been on the road 10.5 hours, 8.5 of which was actually on the saddle, according to the GPS.  In the end, I was really glad that I took full advantage of an absolutely gorgeous Sunday to get in such an incredible ride.  I'll remember this one for a long time to come.