Category Archives: Uncategorized

Niagara Falls, New York. Friday, April 30, 2021 Breakfast at the Anchor Bar again, the service was spotty but well-intentioned. I asked if the maple syrup was real, and the waitress said sure, it’s real maple-flavored syrup. Oh well. The pancakes, eggs, sausage, bacon, blueberries, and home fries were hearty and filling, would be goodContinue reading “Ain’t that America”

Brockport to Niagara Falls, NY Thursday, April 29, 2021 The title of today’s blog is a medical pun. The substantia nigra is a pigmented part of the basal ganglia of the brain that plays a prominent role in Parkinson Disease. A number of family and friends, some of whom I hope to visit on thisContinue reading “Substantial Niagara”

Rochester to Brockport New York Wednesday, April 28, 2021 This is a case of one picture being worth 1000 words. Here is the track of my route today, recorded by my Apple Watch. The big green dot is the starting point, Lindsay‘s house, and the red dot is my destination, a motel in Brockport. TheContinue reading “It’s not easy being me”

Lyons to Rochester NY Tuesday, April 27, 2021 When you get a day like this, where everything goes right and there is such a a surplus of fun experiences, you almost wish you could save them up and distribute them to the more challenging days. For the first time in eight days, I had anContinue reading “There’s nothing like family”

Syracuse to Lyons NY. Monday April 26, 2021 I knew I would have to pay the piper. Cutting yesterday short meant having to cycle 56 miles into a bitter headwind today to make up for lost time. I left my sinfully sumptuous hotel by 8 AM, and was a bit startled to find myself inContinue reading “Rough start, great finish”

Canastota to Syracuse, New York Sunday, April 25, 2021 It was raining in the morning, and I had to Loctite all 44 screws on my Ortlieb panniers, so I didn’t get out of the motel until noon. A number of friends have told me I shouldn’t focus on the goal so much, just enjoy theContinue reading “Follow the yellow brick road”

Little Falls to Canastota, New York Saturday, April 24, 2021 This is from the Springsteen version of the old Erie Canal song. And today, Spring had finally arrived! Sunny, highs in the upper 60s, and only a 13 mph headwind! Like Bruce, I felt sprung from cages. The Mohawk had broken free from the gorgeContinue reading “Get up mule, here comes a lock / We’ll make Rome ’bout six o’clock”

Amsterdam to Little Falls, New York Friday, April 23, 2021 Well I needn’t have worried. It was cold but the sun was shining, and my gear was adequate to keep me fairly warm. I was delighted to make 10 mph, which doesn’t sound like much on a flat surface, but the headwind was significant, mitigatedContinue reading “It’s always something”

Amsterdam, New York. Wednesday and Thursday, April 21-22, 2021 The weather only worsened after yesterday’s chilly encounter with a headwind. The WNW winds increased to 20-30 mph with gusts up to 50, a couple of inches of snow were predicted, with temperatures in the low 30s and wind chills in the low 20s. This wouldn’tContinue reading “Taking a zero (or two)”

Troy to Amsterdam, New York. Tuesday, April 20, 2021 Up till now, I have been heading south, to get to Ground Zero. Now it’s time to head west, hopefully all the way to the Pacific. And what better way to start that on the legendary Erie Canal? It’s hard to overstate the importance of theContinue reading “Low bridge, everybody down”