Day 41 - Thursday, June 21st - Rest Day in Erie, PA

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Well we are down to the final riding week. It is hard to believe that at the beginning of this week we were in Champaign, IL and I was trying to figure out if I was headed home early because of a cracked frame. That was three states and close to 600 miles ago. 

 I'm actually still stunned that everything fell into place the way it did, down to the car rental return and bike shop in Indianapolis being around the corner from each other, and less than a mile from the hotel. I know I was damn close to just packing it in and heading home as the cumulative effect of 2250 miles had taken its toll on me and the cracked frame just felt like a sign that this was not meant to be.

 When I woke up in Champaign for the rest day, the first thing I did was do a search for car rentals.  Nothing was available for that day. If it had been, I'm pretty sure I was headed to the the nearest airport to fly to Philadelphia and surprise Millie, who was flying that same day from Florida to Philly to spend the summer in Sea Isle City.  There was a sort of symmetry in this possible rendezvous that really appealed to me. Forced to spend the day in Champaign, I decided that I would just delay making a decision until I got to Indianapolis. If I could get a bike there, I would ride, if I couldn't, I'd catch a plane to the beach. My rationalizing brain told me it was out of my hands and by this time in the hands of Federal Express. 

 I wish I could say that I was really pulling for Federal Express, but the truth of the matter is I was about 50/50 before I left Champaign. In short I wasn't really happy with either possible result. Since I was going to Indianapolis, I decided to take a hiatus from the group and drove ahead on the two routes the group was riding. Once there, I played a bit of the tourist and rested, refusing to look at the tracking updates from FedEx. 

 Obviously, I didn't head to the beach, yet. I still may not make it to Boston because s**t happens, but for me the extra two days away from the group ended being a huge 'attitude adjuster'. Since I wasn't able to complete the rides across the desert way back on Days 4 and 5, I've had two goals. Ride at least some miles each day of the tour and ride across each state line. Well, I had to drive across the Indiana/Illinois border so I'm left with riding as many of the remaining miles as I can and most importantly...enjoy the ride, even if it is in the pouring rain 😊.

 Let the countdown begin!

 In this final riding week we will have 8 days where we will cover 580 miles and climb nearly 23,000 feet, the second toughest climbing week of the tour after the first week in Arizona. These totals include the final ceremonial 17 miles to the beach.  Even that day has nearly 600 feet of elevation.  It has all the marking of a pretty scenic route as we cross New York along the northern shores of the Finger Lakes.

 Our stops this week will be.

 Friday - Hamburg, NY - 81 miles and 1900 feet. Our 11th state line
Saturday - Canandaigua, NY - 95 miles and 4100 feet. Pass the 3,000 mile mark
Sunday - Syracuse, NY - 70 miles and 2300 feet
Monday - Herkimer, NY - 71 miles and 1500 feet
Tuesday - Latham, NY - 79 miles and 2400 feet
Wednesday - Battleboro, VT - 75 miles and 5400 feet. Our 12th state line
Thursday - Burlington, MA - 93 miles and 4700 feet. Our 13th and 14th state lines as we ride through Hew Hampshire.
Friday - Boston/Revere Beach - 17 miles and 600 feet.

 As for my rest day in Erie. I walked around the hotel grounds and over to the Erie Maritime Museum. Thought about heading over the center of Erie since there is a shuttle, but decided I had enough walking around. A nap was much more attractive.












Sneak Peek At Tomorrow

81 miles to the northeast along the southern shore of Lake Erie to Hamburg, NY with 1900 feet of elevation gain. Our 11th state line crossing and 12th state.

Hamburg is a town of nearly 59,000 people located just south of Buffalo.  At that size I would have thought it was a city, but in New York state the the municipal designation is tied to the level of services that are provided. The town is named for Hamburg, Germany no doubt in part because many of the early settlers were Germans from New England. The town was formed on March 20, 1812, from the now defunct town of Willink. The first town meeting took place on April 7, 1812, at Jacob Wright's tavern at Wright's Corners, renamed Abbott's Corners, and now Armor. One of the actions of the town board was to place a $5 bounty on wolf hides, due to the complaints of the local settlers. I don't think we will see any wolves, but you never know.
Location: Erie, PA, USA

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