Archive for New York

NY/Canada, PA, OH Photos

Posted by Andrew on July 5th, 2009 - No Comments;  

Rain. Not sure what else stands out for me from NY, PA, and OH other than the rain, which is disappointing. Riding farm country in NY wasn’t bad, but I’ve seen farms in the northeast, so nothing new there. The best part of NY was not actually in NY at all - it was crossing into Canada, then back into NY later that day. Crossing the border on a bike amused me:

Border Policeman: where are you coming from?
Me: Um, New York? (huh? Bridge starts in NY and ends in Canada…)
BP: Where did your trip start?
Me: Maine
BP: Where are you going?
Me: Uhh, Canada?
BP: Where will your trip end?
Me: Hopefully in Oregon
BP: OK, go ahead.

The vineyards out in NY/PA were interesting too, but I blasted through most of it due to the rain. OH was my first experience riding in a truly flat area. We have little stretches of flat roads in VT, but nothing like this. Completely flat for as far as I could see in every direction.  More on the midwest later…

View NY photos on flickr…

View PA photos on flickr…

View OH photos on flickr…

ArrayAt Niagara Falls, Canada
view on flickr»

ArrayWelcome to Pennsylvania
view on flickr»

ArraySunset over Lake Erie in OH
view on flickr»

Photos from Graduation at Union College

Posted by Andrew on June 30th, 2009 - 3 Comments...  

I took about 2 days off to attend graduation at Union College on June 13, 14.  I rode from Ticonderoga, NY to Brant Lake, NY, then straight down route 9 to Schenectady.  Great ride down route 9 then route 50 - there are designated bike lanes for almost all of it, and wide shoulders for the rest.

Congrats to Kara!  We’ve all made a lot of trips up to Union during the last 10 years - for me, then Gillian, and finally Kara.  3 graduation ceremonies, all great days, all great experiences.

View more photos from graduation on flickr…

ArrayBike at Union
view on flickr»

ArraySmile!
view on flickr»

1,000 Miles, Rain, Suburbs, Glass

Posted by Andrew on June 22nd, 2009 - 2 Comments...  

1000 miles!  Finally out of the  suburbs of Cleveland, the weather is good, and the roads are excellent.

I was not having fun at all for a few days - it seemed like nothing went well.  After I left the Erie Canalway (very nice ride) the weather got nasty and just wouldn’t let up.  I missed seeing the Canadian side of Niagara falls because of the rain and fog and the Cycling Museum in Orchard Park was closed when I got there (slow going in the rain).  Oh yeah, first flat in the rain too, that was fun.  It let up for 15 mins while I took things apart, then promptly started to pour again.  Outside of Buffalo I got into wine country for a bit, which was nice, but then the suburbs started.  I had a feeling I wouldn’t like riding through the suburbs  and Cleveland itself.  I was right.  I stopped on the corner of 3rd and West Superior in Cleveland and thought, “why the hell am I riding my bike through Cleveland!@#%?  Of all of the places I could ride in this country, why am I here?”

I remember standing in front of the train station in Buffalo for a bit thinking about packing up and going somewhere else because of the weather.  Not home, just somewhere else.  In retrospect, I should have taken the train right through Cleveland to the other side and started again.  I’ve got more to stay about the start of the trip, but I’ll save that for later.  In short, things got off to a slow start because I am so familiar with the northeast.  I’m glad it’s out of the way.

So, goodbye Cleveland.  Excellent parks along the lake (most with ice cream), well done on that front.  Really awful roads around the city, but thumbs up to Avon Lake and Sheffield Lake for the outstanding bike path.

Side note: what’s the deal with the broken bottles on the side of the road?  To the asshole that launches bottles out of the car, uhh, you’re an asshole.  Topped only by whoever is dropping dirty diapers on the side of the road.  Come on.

Headed to Bowling Green, OH, about 70 miles for the day.  I’m excited to ride this part of the country - I don’t know where I am, I’m looking forward to rolling through little towns along the way, and the sun’s out!

NYS Bike Route 5

Posted by Andrew on June 16th, 2009 - 1 Comment...  

You might have noticed that I’ve been well off my mapped route for a few days; I turned south at Ticonderoga, NY to get to my sisters graduation at Union College on Sunday.  It was a great time, a great break, and wonderful to see my family and Amy for the weekend.  After leaving Schenectady, I’ve been using the NYS DOT Bike Route 5 to get back to the mapped route in Rochester.  Almost there as of right now, I should pick it up in about 30 miles.

1. Outstanding signage for the bike route: occasional route signs, just like highways, and there are always signs at intersections.

2. Roads are in excellent shape, great shoulders, and fairly free of debris (aside from roadkill - I had no idea so many dead critters litter the road until you get up close and personal with the side of the road)

3. Can it be routed around larger highways?  Route 365 was interesting…  It’s not an interstate, and it’s posted at 55 mph, but it looks a lot like an interstate, so people treat it that way.  Big shoulder, but trucks blasting by at 70+ mph isn’t very much fun.

4. Great maps, time for an update though - the trail has been moved to route 69, which I only discovered after bailing on route 45 because of the speed/interstate-like traffic.

A friend told me that he spent almost an hour a day trying to figure out where to spend the night.  I thought, “nah, it can’t take that long.”  I still don’t know if it will, but I do know that I need to spend a little more time looking for somewhere to crash at the end of the day.  I assumed, incorrectly, that there would be a campground along the south shore of Oneida Lake.  Nope.  My 80 mile day turned into a 99.5  mile day.  I thought about riding that last .5, but the thought of a shower and soft bed squashed that idea quickly.

I spent last night in a brand new hotel in Cicero, NY.  I was the 2nd person to stay in the place, and they only opened on Sunday.  It’s a little creepy being in an empty hotel.  When I rolled my bike out of the room this morning, I had this odd urge to clean up, since everything is so new!

Port Byron, NY right now, headed to Rochester to stay with a friend from college tonight.  Lockport/Niagara Falls tomorrow, somewhere south of Buffalo on Thursday.