It's still very warm for this late in September. I'm not complaining, just noting. Though trying to cool off here tonight reminds me of days gone by in Midwest summers — take a shower and never get dry. The ride today was pretty easy with little elevation gain, but enough hills to keep me active. Within about twenty minutes of getting on the bike I was seeing this sign.
But an even more welcoming sign for a biker was this one...
...a sign designating a bike route, with an accompanying smooth, wide lane. This was going to be a good day.
I decided that my playlist for today would be music I hadn't listened to recently, so I searched my music library for candidates. I began with Pat Benatar. I've never been a Benatar fan. That doesn't mean I don't like her music. I just don't listen to her much, in fact, I'm not sure when or why I added this to my music library. Had Dick Clark asked me to rate the music I'd tell him the beat is easy to ride to. I followed with Simon and Garfunkel. I am a fan, it's just been a while since I've played this one. It begins with "Mrs. Robinson," a bit of a nostalgic tune as Dee and I were student teaching when it was playing quite often on the radio, to the delight of her students. Others on the list today were the Yardbirds, Steely Dan, and "The Best of Doo Wop."
Wildlife, other than those slow-road-crossers, was a bit scarce today. I did see this flock of wild turkeys (look closely in the shadows on the left) right by the welcome to Pennsylvania sign. I just couldn't get the phone camera ready quickly enough. It would have made a great statement.
The other "wildlife" I spotted were floating on a pond beside the road. Look closely. I could have taken all day to get the camera because...
...they're decoys.
Crops here have changed greatly. While I still see some soy beans and corn (more sweet corn than field corn), the landscape is dominated by grape vines — acres and acres for miles and miles. I could even smell the grapes as I rode. It was like riding in a grape jelly factory.
You likely know by know that I'm a bit obsessed with the nostalgia of baling hay. I mentioned that from Bellingham, most of the way across the country, I've only seen the round bales or very large rectangular ones, except on one occasion. Today I spotted this hay rack and it once again brought back good...and not so good...memories.
One of the historic signs along the way pointed out the old state line.
This was the sign I saw just before arriving at tonight's campground.
Today was the first time that I beat Dee to the campground. The Rialta required some repairs to the holding tank system and Dee cooled her heels (and read, of course) at the dealership in Erie, PA, while I pedaled my way to tonight's spot. Erie was a bit of a challenge. On the Adventure Cycle maps there's a bike trail pictured, but I somehow seemed to miss it. The ride was interesting, but a bit odd. I did have one near encounter with a car coming from a side street without looking. Loud shouts of "WHOA, WHOA!!" from me brought her to a stop.
A three-state day. Pretty good.
Ride Day Twenty by the numbers:
48.9 — miles ridden
1007.2 — feet in elevation gained
4894.72 — calories burned
0 — falls
0 — dogs
1 — car encounter (see above)
Thanks to Beth Golay, who does the blog "Books and Whatnot," you can also follow the journey on Story Map.
If you are following the Erie Canal bike path through NY State call 585 637 2434 for a home cooked meal from former booksellers of Lift Bridge Book Shop in Brockport, Ny.
Posted by: Archie | 09/26/2017 at 11:13 AM