Miles: 70 Climb: 2,657
We continued our ride on Route 20/Route 5 East through Upstate New York. The first town we rode through was Geneva, home of Hobart and William Smith Colleges. We stopped by beautiful Seneca Lake, one of the Finger Lakes, for a quick break. At mile 21 we came to Waterloo, the Birthplace of Memorial Day, and at mile 26 we rode in Seneca Falls, the birthplace of the Women's Rights Movement. We also got a nice view of the Erie Canal in Seneca Falls and later in the day when we were closer to Syracuse we visited the Erie Canal Museum. As I rode I thought about the social and economic impact of both the Women's Movement and the Erie Canal. Both were led by courageous people who were not afraid of failure and were not deterred by the physical, political and social barriers that existed. In both cases the leaders had a vision for the future and I'm certain the outcome had far bigger impact on future generations than they originally conceived.
Route 5 is newly repaved with wide shoulders, which made for nice riding, but the traffic was heavy. We didn't have the peaceful rural ride we've had the past couple days. I thought about how different the experience was today riding through the small villages with their historical markers telling the past compared to riding in the west where we'd ride for half the morning before we'd come to a road side rest area with a convenience store. While we hold stereotypes about people based on where they live, the physical, historical and geographic differences of the regions of the country truly do influence the norms and lifestyles and make us different, even while in so many respects we are the same.
When I got to the hotel I had a wonderful surprise. Our good friends, Meg and Phil Fazio who live in Syracuse, met me at the hotel and took me to out to dinner. Meg joked that when she last saw Rex and me and encouraged us to come to Syracuse to visit, she never dreamed I would come on a bicycle. Neither did I. We had a great meal and many laughs. It was the perfect beginning to the last phase of my trip through New England.
Tomorrow we ride 79 miles to Little Falls, New York. The forecast is for warm temperatures and thunderstorms.
What a WONDERFUL surprise it had to be, having Phil and Meg greeting you!! So special❤️
ReplyDeleteVisiting on a bicycle, and you didn't have to worry about getting stiff. Soak in ALL in Laura. You've earned it.
ReplyDeleteYou are truly in a different phase of your extraordinary journey of body and soul. The tone of your writing is now that of one who has engaged in a myriad of experiences resulting in a deep and quiet appreciation of each day. Enjoy your "level-up" of comfort amidst the familiar and the new, the known and unknown awaiting discovery!
ReplyDeleteHaven't read much about singing lately. Fifteen Years on the Erie Canal (http://www.eriecanalsong.com) would seem to provide a consistent cadence. Or back to Helen Reddy's "I am woman, hear me roar." Both appropriate for yesterday's region.
ReplyDeleteI think you should cancel the flight and bike back to Michigan. We'll make you an ice cream float with Vernors and Washtenaw Dairy ice cream when you hit the state line. One thing I am liking about being retired (two whole weeks now) is changing my mind about any given day's plan. Something you can look forward to.