Biking Dude Blog

I traveled about 75.7 miles today.
Good day today, if a bit long. Saw some beautiful scenery in the Catskills before stopping in Binghamton for the day.
I got a new sticker for my bike when I stopped at Water Street Brewing. They have a wide variety of very tasty beers, including an English strong ale that I quite enjoyed. I met Gary and Libby there, a very nice couple that I talked with about my trip. I also met Steven, an avid runner who likes barefoot running, which was of interest to me because I have 'barefoot' sandals as my secondary pair of shoes.

Don rode out with me for a few miles this morning. It was great staying with him, he likes to play bossa nova music on his classical guitar and is quite good. He has plans for a cross country trip when he retires on a few years. I hope that his travels bring him by wherever I'm living then. Thanks for your hospitality Don!

I traveled about 50.5 miles today.
This is my spot, it's how I track my location on my bike trip. I don't know the nitty gritty technical details of how it works, but it pings my GPS location every 15 minutes or so to a server, and those locations are then displayed on my website. It only works when active, and I try to turn it off when I'm taking a longer rest and when I'm done for the day. Today was pretty easy, just fifty miles to Ithaca, and very few hills to speak of. Overcast all day, but no rain, so things were nice and cool. I'll be taking it easy the next few days as I go to Rochester and eventually Niagara Falls. My left knee had been bothering me a little. I tried adjusting my cleat position, which seemed to help a little. I have half and half pedals (clip on one side, flat on the other) and I tried riding about half of today with my left foot on the flat side instead of clipped in. My 'natural' foot position was very similar to the position when clipped in, so maybe that's not the problem. I'll try raising the seat post a bit more tomorrow, I think another half inch or so might help. I'm also going to try to take a rest day soon, that may also help. I'm stay with Geoff today, a friend from college who is going to graduate school at Cornell. As fun as it has been meeting many new people the past few days, it's very nice to see a familiar face.

I traveled about 57.3 miles today.

Didn't get a chance to write much last night, so here are the updates from yesterday. This is Erica, we met at the brewery in Binghamton. She, being an adventurous soul, biked with me for ten or so miles yesterday as I was heading from Ithaca to Geneva. Great to meet you Erica!

This is Matt and Daniel from firehouse brewery/distillery in Ovid NY. Really cool place that used to be a firehouse until the trucks started getting too big for it. Now they brew beer and make firehouse vodka in the old building. I stopped by yesterday around noon or one o'clock. Matt was kind enough to buy me a beer and give me a few snack bars before biking with me for a few miles on my way out of town. A very fun, spur of the moment kind of guy. Got an extra label from their vodka to put on my bike. Thanks guys!

One of the old locks along the Erie canal

This is my bike ride today. Great path along the Erie canal all the way to Rochester

I traveled about 49 miles today.

This is Mark, from Lock 32 brewing in Pittsford. I stopped by yesterday on my way into Rochester, and he was kind enough to pour me a beer on the house (thanks Mark!). We talked a lot about my trip and brewing. They had a wit beer that was particularly tasty. I also met Richard, who works at a nearby bike shop, and is planning a southern cross country trip for later this summer. Good luck Richard! I took a rest day today in Rochester, which was very nice. I stayed with Eric, Rachel, and Abby, a very nice family that I met through the Olin college network. They've done several bike tours themselves, and were very gracious to let me stay with them for two nights. Tomorrow I will be heading to Lockport, and to Niagara falls the next day. I've come so far in a week, but this trip is only just beginning.

I traveled about 72.4 miles today.
Long ride along the Erie canal today from Rochester to Lockport. Mostly gravel trail, but very flat. Still made good time, but my bike got dusty, so I cleaned it off this evening and adjusted the brakes a little.
I really can't say enough nice things about Eric, Rachel, and Abby (who I stayed with in Rochester). They were so kind to let me stay with them, and I really hope to keep in touch with them in the future. Good luck on the D.C./Pittsburgh!
Tonight I'm staying in Lockport with Nancy. Though she doesn't bike, Nancy opens up her home to many, many cyclists in the warm showers network who are on their way to Niagara Falls. She gave me a little tour of the intricate lock system along the Erie canal (the town is called Lockport for a reason), which was absolutely fascinating. The picture is me standing in front of a working recreation of an original wooden lock gate. Each door of the gate is made of white oak and weighs 5 tons. The railing in the right of the picture is the original railing, and there are deep grooves worn in it and in some of the stone blocks from barge ropes being passed over and pulled on.
Niagara falls tomorrow!