Day 6

Day 6:

Last night around 8:00pm (that's night to me now that I've been on the road) Wally (The fellow cyclist I met riding alone) and I hung out near the camp fire and talked about miscellaneous stuff, mostly about biking.  Since we have both never toured before, but I had a few days under my belt, I told him about the mornings.  "I usually wake up around 5:45." I said.  It didn't take more than a few nano seconds for him to react exactly as I thought he would.  It was the same way I would have reacted If someone told me this before I started riding.  I didn't want to tell him the sun actually rises at about 5:15am and you actually wake up a few minutes before that, but he found that on his own.  He also found out about the birds. For those who don't wake up to the crack of dawn on a daily basis outside in a tent (used to be me) all birds, not just some birds, or a few species of birds, but all god damn birds on the earth begin chirping away at each other the second the sky begins to turn to day.  It really is miserable.  Luckily for me tho, I've gotten semi-used to the squacks, chirps, peeps, beeps, pecks, clicks, whistles, flaps, screeches, screams, and any other noise a bird can make.  Wally unfortunately had not.  At Daybreak, what I thought was a raccoon trying to mess with our stuff, searching for anything for it to scrounger up in its thieving little hands, was actually Wally wide awake at 5:14am. It gave me a chuckle as I mouthed those four special little words ever so quietly as I laid my head back down in my tent and closed my eyes; "I told you so".  I tired to go back to bed so I could have about 30 minutes of sleep left, but the between Wally decommissioning his tend and those god damn, short of murder, Alfred Hitchcock birds I was wide awake.  When I finally got out of my tent Wally was about ready to go.  I could see in his eyes he did not have a pleasent morning and woke up quite abruptly. All I had to do was look at him while smiling to have him reply "Those god damn birds".  "Haha" I laughed, smiled and rolled back into my tent chuckling.

Wally left about 20 minutes before I did.  I took my time packing up camp, checking and double checking, making sure I didnt drop anything.  I'm already living out of a few bags.  Losing something isn't an option.  I left around 6:30am or so to began my day on the Erie Canal.  Nearing just south east of Rochester I caught back up with Wally.  "Hey buddy"  I said cheerfully. "Hows it going?"  His day before was only about 40 miles and he started at noon.  He didn't look like he was having a blast.  I was right.  Turns out he did not expect any hills on his tour to Albany, NY, which by that point we had a few smaller rolling hills.  We exchanged quick stories about what we saw.  Did you see this?  Did you see that?  Was that homeless guy under the bridge dead or just sleeping?  He didn't move for you either?  Haha, yeah that actually happened.  We started riding for a while longer before I took off again.  I like to keep a pace of about 15mph with all of my gear.  It doesnt sound that fast and that's because it's not.  You carry 50lbs on a bike, going over hills and you tell me that's not a good speed.  When it was only about 10:30 I stopped in this one little town for lunch.  There were a fair amount of people there, either in the park for a birthday or moms with babies yoga.  It was a pleasant surprise.  Many of the towns resemble project Manhattan test sites with a few homes and nothing to eat.  The yoga thing was pretty funny tho.  A bunch of new moms all huddled around trees doing yoga with their kids in identical strollers facing each other like they had their own little group meeting.  I came up with stories about what that kids would be talking about but I'll leave that to your imagination.  Doing things like that is high brow entertainment out on the road.  Always good for a laugh. 

When I stopped for lunch I asked some woman, that was packing her child in the car, if there was a good breakfast place in town.  She looked at me, said nothing, and continued on packing her child in the car.  That really made things awkward.  I wasn't sure if she was just being rude or if she didn't hear me.  To top it all off there was a man pacing around, watching me on the other side of the road.  It was almost like he wanted to say something, perhaps answer my question, but couldn't find the right words to.  That too was very awkward.  Very awkward people in that town.  Fearing that the people in this town may all be socially inept I turned around and Vwala, a breakfast place with a $3.95 2 egg, sausage, home fries, and toast special.  Sold.

Half way through my meal I heard a familiar voice behind me.  "Okay, this is just getting creepy"  It was Wally.  He had recognized the same food opportunity as I had and decided to come to this town to get some breakfast.  Again we shared stories about what we saw, mainly about the mothers doing yoga.  Highlight of the day so far.

After breakfast we road for a bit and again I took off.  This time we didn't cross paths again.  The next major city I was to head north into the mountains and he was to continue east along the Erie Canal.  Not soon after I turned north I came to my biggest hill yet, and destroyed it.  I completed my first major hill!  It felt good.  Well, after panting like a hot dog for 5 minutes and downing a half a liter of water it felt good.  The rest of the major uphills I wasn't so lucky.  I would get about half way up and my legs would stop working.  I had to walk the rest making the experience dreadful.  I eventually got the hang of how to take on hill climbing and successfully did some more medium sized ones.  The path led me to the cool old town of Williamston...burg or something in Northern NY, near Lake Ontario.  The town was founded like 1804 or something and had some of the original churches, homes, and shops.  It was very cool.  Further north I finally hit Lake Ontario and took full advantage of that refreshing lake breeze.  Today was 80*F, tomorrow will be 90*.  It was and will be a great help as I continue down the lake.  ALong the lake I came up to an old safe house / estate for the underground railroad.  I stopped, looked around for a bit, fiddled with my bike and continued on the rolling hills.  It was about this time when I pulled a muscle on my right thigh.  It's the one on the left side right above the knee.  Physiology majors help me out here.  I had planned on going another 30 miles but my right leg was getting worse and worse. I just didn't have it in me.  A few more miles of hills and I was only using my left leg to propel me.  My right leg could help on the up swing, but I had to let it lose coming back down or a bolt of pain would shoot through the muscle and into my knee.  Just about the point where I was going to stop again for a rest I came across a sign that said "Burnap's Fresh Fruit: Farm Market". I took my break there. A break at Burnap's Farmers Market was just what the doctor ordered.  Not only does Burnap's carry fresh produce, they also offer lunches.  I ordered a Turkey Sandwich on home made wheat toast, with lettuce, tomato, cucumber, pickle, topped off with a cranberry mayo.  I also bought a few bananas and home made granola made with fresh maple syrup.  I'm currently eating it with a spoon.  Really delicious.  Thankfully there was a campsite not too far away from my lunch spot so I could get off of my leg, but not without a few left legged up hills first.  Up hill, down hill, up hill, back down, small up, big down and I saw some RVs.  I had told myself that if this wasn't the camp site I was just goin to pitch tent and say to the hell with it.  As it turned out it was the campsite and because I'm a cyclist it was gonly $5!  How cool is that?!  If my leg isn't any better tomorrow then hell, I'm staying.  It's only another five bucks, why the hell not right?  It's right on the lake too, so the view is spectacular.    

The woman who worked the front office of the camp ground was very friendly.  A sign said "If I'm not here then walk around to lot 20 and find me".  So that just what I did.  It turns out that she had just sat down to talk with some friends not too far down the camp road.  She laughed and told me to find a place then walk on over to the office.  We got to talking, which led to laughing and sharing cycling stories.  I then told her about my bum leg and when I hurt it. "You know those gals I was talkin' to over there?  Go ask for an ice pack, they'll get you one".  "I already love it here and may never leave", I told her with a big smile.  After I paid my $5 for being a cyclist, just sayin', I went over to the two older woman in their 60's and asked them for some ice or an ice pack for my leg after apologizing for breaking up their fun with Merry, the manager.  They laughed, said it was no trouble and both went into their own separate Rvs.  One got me a bag of ice, the other got me an ice pack.  The people in the country are super nice.  A bit slow with how they work, but truly friendly.

As I sit here now iceing my leg there is a man behind me about 20 yards away or so that is worth mentioning.  He is probably in his mid 40s and is wearing clothes only found in Nepolian Dynamite.  He has just been sitting there with his two tiny little yippy dogs taking to the smaller, less harry of the two, on his lap.  I've tried not to stare, but some thigns are just out of your control.  Just until a moment ago I thought he lived alone with his two yippy little dogs.  Turns out he lives with his mom (I think).  This could get weird.  One more person and then I'm done I swear.  A nice man (joe dirt esq without the mullet) is in the trailer not too far away from me.  He recently went out into the field to pick some flowering weeds and stick them in a lemonade jar to, and I quote, "Impress my lady friend who is currently mad at me".  She's pretty but her two little kids (probably his) remind me of the two kids from Ricky Bobby.  Walker and Texas Ranger.  I'm just waiting for one to say "I'm gana come at you like a spider monkey!" and "Chip I'm going to scissor kick you in the back of the head!".  This is truly a special place.

Thats it for today I hope you enjoyed it.  I'm going to make camp and call it a night.

Adios!