Nancy forgot her Atlas, so this morning we stopped at a Barnes & Noble to buy one for the tour.
We stopped at the Oak Barrel for gas and for lunch. This was a nice small deli with an ice cream shop right off Route 68. We had a nice, fresh-made sandwich. We both had milkshakes; mine was an espresso and vanilla. We bought cheesecake for dessert tonight.
We saw black clouds in the distance, and in Frostburg, MD, the rain dumped on us, making it almost impossible to see beyond the car’s hood. The rain cleared as we passed into West Virginia.
We are now in Coopers Rock State Campground by. The sun is shining, and it is hot and muggy.
Nancy and I are relaxing in the shade, and Moe is sleeping.
I got up at 6 this morning. We leave as soon as all is packed. I checked the weather for Cape Girardeau. It looks like a week of rain and thunderstorms for the tour’s beginning.
We are ready, it is Monday, May 18. It’s almost 10 am, we drive out of the driveway and onto the road. We head west to New York to connect onto Route 87 and head south.
We stop in Newburgh, NY. for lunch at a rest stop on the highway.
At the connection to Route 81 south, the road work begins, and we slow to a crawl. I relaxed with this slow pace. The road finally opened back up, and the highway speed resumed. Nancy sees a yellow T@B up ahead of the row of four tractor trailers. The chase begins. We must catch that camper. As we pass, Nancy waves. My face is frozen with bugged out eye balls. The car slows a bit, but I’m shutting down.
Finally, we get to Mount Gretna and settle in for the night. Pizza is delivered, and I enjoy a few glasses of wonderful English Ale.
After breakfast and coffee, I loaded my panniers on the bike and rode a six-mile loop to see how the bike handled with some new gear that required different packing. There was also some strong crosswind. The handling was okay, not as good as I’m used to. I now have a baseline for where to adjust.
Adam came home, and we began the day’s ride at 3:13 p.m. This 40-mile ride took us over hilltops and into valleys.
About halfway into the ride, we were on a rail trail that brought us to Amenia, NY. We stopped at an ice cream shop where I asked and received the largest bowl of ice cream that they had a bowl for. My guess is it was a bit over a pint!
Then off for another long climb on our way back to Adam’s home. The sun set just before the finish.
Dinner was ordered from a nearby brew pub. Time to relax.
Debbie and I drove to Great Barrington to meet Adam for a ride he had planned for us. We stopped for a five-minute lunch at Dunkin before hooking up.
Leaving the city, we turned onto a nice side road at the other side of a closed bridge. Another gravel road brought us to another closed bridge that required us to climb with our bikes up and over a four-foot-high pile of large stone dump onto the bridge.
Now we rode up and over the ridge to Mt. Washington State Forest above Bash Bish Falls. The climbs here are steep and long with grades reaching 20%.
We dropped down off the mountain on what seemed to be an endless stretch of twists and turns to Salisbury, CT.
We are now heading back to Great Barrington, MA, on lovely gravel back roads.
We end satisfied with a strong finish. Off we go to a local brewery for a calorie-rich meal. I enjoyed a pint of beer followed by a large slice of chocolate stout cake.
The day was a bit different from the forecast of the rain clearing by 11:00 a.m. Eleven came, the clouds stayed. We, Debbie, Adam, and I began the ride.
Halfway through the route, the sun finally brightened the sky. With the sun came a sharp rise in temperature. The sweater came off. I was overheating at the crest of a very long, steep climb.
We began the descent to Macedonia State Park. The cool air with no sun cooled my core. Now it looks like rain! Yes, light sprinkles of raindrops begin.
In the town of Wassaic, NY, we stopped to look at the Borden Milk Factory.
Sculptures at the art exhibit
The last long climb of the day brought us here.
Back at Adam’s house, a bit tired, I cleaned the mud off my bike and began to relax before dinner.
Today is day one of the test and prepping New York tour with my sister Debbie. Yesterday, we drove to her son Adam’s place in Stanfordville, NY. This morning, after Adam went off to work, Debbie and I began getting ready to tour some local roads. Adam put together a short loop with a nice mix of gravel and small paved country roads.
Moe is limping and not putting weight on his left front paw. Nancy calls a veterinarian in Perry, NY, a nearby town to the Park. Tomorrow Moe will go have his paw looked at. Today we stayed in the campground.
August 28, 2025
Nancy and Moe drive to the veterinarian office. I stay at the campsite to start the process of leaving Letchworth. It looks like rain, I leave the screen test up for the night. The weather report is showing the rain will clear by 8 AM. If this is correct the tent should dry after breakfast in time to pack before leaving. Nancy returns with Moe. Moe dislocated a toe and is on pain medication.
Nancy and I leave Moe resting in the camper while we drive to the Nature Center and Museum.
MastodonThe Wooden trestleThe steel trestle that I saw on QuadZilla
We also decided to hike to Inspiration Point.
Stalactite form by seeping waterMiddle Falls
August 29, 2025
Driving to Utica to spend the night with my sister.
It’s noon and we are at the Irish Mafia Brewery.
We enjoyed a wonderful visit with my sister Corinne and brother-in-law Dan.
August 30, 2025
Utica is on the Erie Canal route so we opt to drive Route 5s instead of highways. We parallel the canal and relive some sights and views of our 2022 Tour.
We cross the Mohawk River into Waterford, NY and drive to the Visitor Center. We stayed a few days here while on our way home in 2022. From this point we followed the same route home as our first major tour.
7:00 PM
We arrived home to an overgrown lawn, unloaded our gear, and began opening up the house.
BeforeAfter
The grass is not greener on this side of the fence.
A donut, that inflated inner tube looking pastry that you eat while drinking coffee. Ever wonder why that piece of dough that was removed to make the hole that creates the donut is now being sold as a donut hole? The hole is in the donut! Do you dig a hole and pile up all the removed dirt and call that pile the hole?
Pymatuning Lake, this morning, has captured the sun as I sip coffee. This might be my last look across this lake, it will be for this year. I take it in as I finish my cup and get ready to pack the gear. We will soon be heading to Letchworth State Park.
We have settled into our chairs. All has been set up and it’s time to relax. We are planning the days ahead. There is so much to see. Tomorrow we begin exploring.
August 25, 2026
Rested, fed, and ready to go. The day is cool and gray clouds fill the sky. We drove to the parking lot for the start of Trail One. We begin our hike along the rim of the canyon overlooking the Genesee River.
We stopped at Great Bend Overlook.
A man comes to see the view. We visit and find out that he is staying at the Glen Iris Inn in this Park. John offers to give us a ride back to our car.
We drive to Lower Falls and hike down to the Falls.
What’s in here?
We have lunch at the Falls before heading back to our campsite.
August 26, 2025
Today we drive to the parking lot and hike to Middle Falls. I remember Letchworth State Park from my racing days. QuadZilla, a four hundred and fifteen mile race around all the Finger Lakes, looped through this Park. Of the three waterfalls, the Middle Falls was my favorite. There is a rainbow at the bottom of the Falls when the sun shines through the mist.
This trail ends on top of the hill under the train trestle. We climb the steps and begin Trail Two. This hike follows abandoned roads.
We followed a road that brought us under the train track that crosses the Genesee River at the Upper Falls.
The road brings us to the house of Mary Jemison and the monument over her grave.
This is the site of the Iroquois Council.
We get back to the car and have lunch at the food cafe. It’s now time to drive back to the campsite and relax.
