Hiding From The Sun
While Colin's been relaxing, we've made the most of this opportunity. It's odd that with Colin we averaged 30 miles a day, but in the last two days alone we've done over 250 miles. Huh. That is weird. It's also been nice having the extra room in the tent. Colin, are you sure you shouldn't take a few more days off? Eat some more ice cream.
We actually have commented quite a few times how it doesn't feel right without Colin here with us. We're now enjoying staying at Alex Jospe's (a fellow Nordic skier and friend from Colby) in Pittsford, NY. We did 150 miles these last two days and it has been brutal with temperatures consistently well over 90 degrees. Today during lunch Eric’s bike computer reported 95 in the shade. We stayed in Fairhaven, NY on the shores of Lake Ontario last night. With the horizon stretching far out over the water, the sand, and the waves, everything about it said, "Ocean," except the smell. It didn't smell like salt water.
At this campsite we met a guy named Steve who is following the same route we are, but he's doing it by himself. We chatted with him for a bit and then decided that he should ride with us today. We found out quickly that Steve can move. He was a strong rider with interesting stories, which made him a good companion on the road. He grew up in South America where his father was a bush pilot doing emergency transport to the only hospital for hours around. He's currently a tutor for the son of "Scotland's premier oil baron." He is trying to raise money for an organization in Nicaragua that gives much needed help to the thousands of starving children living in villages built in the country’s many landfills. Most of the kids have become addicted to huffing rubber cement as a remedy for their constant hunger pains leading to a endless list of far greater problems. Upon hearing this , we were reminded once again how incredibly lucky we are to have the opportunity and means to riding each day. Steve left us at lunch while we nailed down some rough directions to the Jospe’s and hid from the sun. We each took a picnic table, stretched out with a bottle of water, and commenced complaining about the heat non-stop.
Finally we mustered the motivation to get back on our bikes and do the last 20 miles of the day. After soaking our jersey’s with cold water from a park bathroom, we had enough temporary relief to continue in the hot sun. For these few miles we enjoyed a dirt path, just wide enough for two bikes side by side, that ran along the Erie Canal. Eventually we arrived in Pittsford, NY and promptly rewarded ourselves with a ice cream from the first gas station that we came to. Adam and Rudy discovered a walk in beer fridge that we all thoroughly enjoyed. We all stood there, surrounded by countless beers, until we were shivering, which was the best feeling imaginable. We eventually found our way to Alex’s after asking three different people how to get to her road, all of whom responded with opposing directions. We made it though, we were greeted by Mrs. Jospe, cold water, fresh fruit and a delicious swim in their pool. We heard that the Pittsford Wegman's is the most incredible grocery store ever. She was kind enough to offer to drive us there tonight. The store was amazing. There's no question. But what really shocked us was driving in the car. The miles just seemed to slip by, and we cold barely keep track of the scenery as we zipped along. It felt like we were cheating somehow. We enjoyed a wonderful steak dinner, with fresh greens, corn on the cob and topped everything off with more fruit, ice-cream and cookies (we had ice-cream twice today too, we are so spoiled.) Man it was good.
We talked to Colin tonight and it sounds like we're going to reunite in Buffalo, NY. Buffalo is approximately 130 miles away from us, so we'll break that up over two days. We're looking forward to getting the group back together.
All for now.
posted by EricF @ 7:06 AM
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