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Day 166 - Friday 6-28-02 - -mileage today 62.7 - climbed in NY 12,438' - MILEAGE TO DATE=6,511.75
From Inlet to Osceola

We started out with a short ride, 5 miles or so to Old Forge for breakfast. At least Myron had breakfast. Chuck and I waited until later to have breakfast on the road. The weather is clearing and we are cycling on some of the nicest roads on the trip yet. We cycled on Moose River road in to a nice little working town of Booneville, NY. Booneville unlike a lot of the nice town we've been in is a working town not a resort town. It is clean and community oriented. It has 2,200 people built on small Rollin hills. The downtown is that right out of an old movie. One main street with old brick buildings housing the hardware store, flower shop, drug store and butcher shop. Side streets have small tree lined neighborhoods. Chuck and I spent several hours in the park. It is a large park with basketball and tennis courts. It has large picnic areas with covered areas for tables. It also has a swimming lagoon. We are thoroughly enjoying the day as it slowly passes by. We went grocery shopping earlier. I now have enough food for a couple days. We cycled on further to Osceola. We saw Myron's bike out front of THE OSCEOLA OUTPOST.
Kevin and his family run the outpost. We met the whole family at different time during our hour-long stay there. The outpost is a general store and diner. It is a great pace to stop and supply up. We were looking for camping and Kevin suggested THE HAY LOFT PUB, four miles down the road. It is right on Adventure Cycling’s route so we didn't have to go out of our way. Our first thought was camping at a pub??? Let me tell you it was GREAT. Steve the owner has converted a large barn into a huge pub and diner. It is very nicely decorated. A lot of money, time, and love went into building this oasis. Steve is also building 150 campsites on the property. If you are Between Osceola and Redfield YOU MUST STOP. You will not regret it. We spent the evening drinking beer and talking to Jeannie, Steve and several others in the pub. We had a fantastic a spaghetti dinner for 5 dollars. We camped in a large grassy area and had a GREAT time.

Day 167 - Sat. 6-29-02 - mileage today 61.8 - climbed today - MILEAGE TO DATE=6,573.55
from Osceola to Hannibal

We are now out of the Adirondack Mountains. We are in the rolling hills that lie between the Adirondacks and Lake Ontario. We are on the edge of the great lakes headed for Niagara Falls. The weather has quickly changed to warm and clear with cool damp nights. Perfect for cycling and sleeping. We cycled into Hannibal in hopes to find Myron. He was ahead of us and we were suppose to meet in Grandby. He was there but he wasn’t when we arrived 30 minutes later. We assumed he continued on. So we did too, but there is no sign of him. We called his office 5 or 6 times and they haven’t heard from him since he called from Grandby. We are camped in the yard of some very nice people right here in Hannibal.

Day 168 - Sunday 6-30-02 - mileage today 57.4 - climbed today - MILEAGE TO DATE=6,630.95
From Hannibal to Webster

We had an Awesome breakfast at a golf course about 8 miles from Hannibal. We ran into a town celebration in Sodos Point today. We stopped to sit in the shade and eat a sandwich while listening to live music. We enjoyed cycling lake road. We stopped at the Pultneyville Pickle for a sandwich and cookie. It was great. We cycled the last 18 miles to chucks relatives for the night. We stayed with Doug, Denise and Nichole. They have a nice home right on the beach. We had a great visit. They made us feel right at home. Doug started a movie for us and Nichole finished the chicken. We met Doug’s parents Julie and George.. We stayed up watching Shaw Shank Redemption and ate popcorn. We slept outside on the deck. We would like to thank Doug, Denise and Nichole for everything they did for us. We could have stayed there and just vegged for a week...

Live bait vending
Music in park
Lake Ontario

Day 169 - Monday 7-1-02 - mileage today 44.2 - climbed today 1,400' - MILEAGE TO DATE=6,675.15
From Webster to Holley

We all slept well last night. We got up and Doug had already left for work. But the coffee was already brewed. Denise got up shortly after we did. Chuck, Myron and I took a drive back into Pultneyville to pick up a package for me. It was my new ATM card and several other items. When we arrived back to the house we packed up and got ready to head out. I had to take a quick swim in Lake Ontario. Just to say I've done it. We are now headed for Niagara Falls. We are cycling along the Erie Canal. I don’t know that much about the canal. If anybody has any historical info on it will you please send it to me? We camped in Holley at the city park. They welcome hikers, bikers and boaters. They have a free camping spot with bathrooms and showers in very clean condition. It sure makes camping easier when your welcomed into a community as opposed to having to hide out of sight all the time. We have hit summer now. We are in the low lands and past most of the winter and spring storms. It gets hot and stays warm at night. I'm sure it won’t be long before we start getting afternoon thunderstorms. They usually only last about 20 minutes or so.

Day 170 - Tue 7-2-02 - mileage today 43.0 - climbed today 680' - MILEAGE TO DATE=6,718.15
From Holley to Lockport

It was another HOT day on the road or should I say, "on the trail". We are still cycling along the Erie Canal. It is a dirt path most of the way. We are riding on the "Toe Path". The toe path is the dirt path where the donkeys walked while pulling the barges down or up the canal. I don’t know how long the Erie Canal is exactly but we've been on it for about 60 miles. It connects Lake Erie to the Hudson River going into the Atlantic Ocean in Manhattan. I had always thought of the Erie Canal as a polluted waterway. Similar to Love Canal. Maybe it has been cleaned up. The fish have adapted to being in the canal by swimming belly up. It is more like floating. I guess it is a way of conserving energy. The truth is we have seen many signs of life in the canal, even me. I'm a water person so, I couldn't resist the chance to go for a swim. So in I go swimming in the Erie Canal, something not many people will do. I took the opportunity to clean up as well. a bar of soap and whal-la, I'm clean. Later in the day we had the good fortune of meeting Eric. Eric was working at the marina in Lockport. Eric invited us to stay at his house. He has a huge back yard. After we set up our tents, Eric invited us in for beers and conversation. It turns out the Eric is a science teacher at the local high school. He is full of local information about the canal history and construction. He filled us in on famous people from the area, as well as geological and geographical information. Eric was a great Ambassador for the city.

Day 171 - wed 7-3-02 - mileage today 37.6 - climbed today 1,100' - MILEAGE TO DATE=6,755.75
From Lockport, NY to Niagara Falls, Canada

MR. MAYOR

After we broke camp Eric met us for breakfast. We offered to bye him breakfast but he ended up buying us breakfast instead. Not only did Eric buy us breakfast but he also played tour guide, showing us all around the city. After the tour He took us to city hall and introduced us to THE MAYOR. Tom Sullivan is the Mayor of Lockport and Dick Mullaney is the city clerk. They both took time to meet us and take pictures for the local newspaper. Erin was the reported who came out to interview us. Coincidently, at one time, she was a student of Eric’s. We hated to leave Lockport but we have plans to get to Niagara Falls. We want to get there in time to goof off and find camping as well. It was a hot day and we stopped at a fruit stand in Peking along the way. To our surprise The Beckon Farms Fruit stand always welcomes cyclist with a cold drink of their choice. The Beckon fruit stand is an Oasis in the heat and humidity of upstate NY in summer. We stayed and chatted with Elaine and Robin for quite a while before our last leg of the trip into Niagara. I would like to take a moment now to thank all of you who showed concern for us. The website was down for about a week. And we received many emails expressing concern for our safety and the completion of the trip. I could not respond to all of the emails but I would like to THANK YOU. Also I would like to thank all of our readers. In the month of June we had over 24,100 readers of the website. I sincerely hope you enjoy taking the trip with us.

Keep it Simple,
Jim and Myron

Day 172 - Thurs. 7-4-02 - mileage today 19.3 - climbed today 438' - MILEAGE TO DATE=6,775.05
Lay Over in Niagara Falls, Canada side

HAPPY INDEPENDANCE DAY

All my life I've heard about Niagara Falls. Words and pictures fall short of its grandeur. Until you can stand at the edge of the falls and feel the wind created by the falling water. Or breath in the gentle mist created by the crashing waters, it is hard to fully know the Falls. Until you see the setting sun as it creates a rainbow, spanning the with of the falls, you cannot know her beauty. As you watch a leaf or twig, as it gains speed before disappearing over the edge and crashing to the bottom, it hard to know her power. It is truly amazing to me how incredibly close to the falls you can get. You can literally get within 10 feet above the rushing water before it vanishes. There is nothing but a 3' wall between you and the ride of your life. In my mind the horseshoe falls are the more spectacular of the two. Until yesterday I didn't realize there where two falls. The American Falls and the Horseshoe Falls. Both come from the same river. They are side by side and separated by an island in the center of the river. Creating two falls.
It is Independence Day in America, (The Forth of July). It is strange to watch America celebrate her Independence live from another country. I'm standing in Canada watching beautiful fireworks over the falls. The falls are lit up with huge red, white and blue flood lamps. It is a spectacular sight. It is weird though as I have said, being in another country watching my own country celebrate. We will be heading back to America tomorrow over the peace bridge. Niagara Falls in Canada is very busy. It is defiantly a tourist trap, complete with tee shirt and souvenir shops everywhere. It also has a section of town that is like a circus or carnival atmosphere. Haunted houses, and the like. I felt it to be too trashy. There are a lot of small motels and only a few large hotels. The east side of town near the Queensland Bridge and heading toward the falls is a beautiful part of town. It has beautifully manicured parks and gardens. It has nicely kept up streets. I really liked that part of town. The drivers of Ontario are very rude. Not to cyclist but to each other. It is a free for all, every man for himself. Courtesy is not apart of there driving culture. I'm glad I'm not driving here. We have had a great time here but it is time to move on to our next adventure.

Day 173 - Friday 7-5-02 - mileage today 58.4 - climbed today 2,200' - MILEAGE TO DATE=6,833.45
From Niagara Falls, Canada to Evangola St Park in NY

We had a great time in Niagara. We stopped along the way today as we met people. We found a great bike path that leads from Niagara Falls to the Peace Bridge where we entered back in to the United States. Once we left Canada we found ourselves in Buffalo, NY. We rode thru what must have been the armpit of Buffalo. We didn’t stop to rest, eat or anything until we were well away from Buffalo. We stayed at Evengola State Park. We watched a beautiful sunset over Lake Erie.

Day 174 - Sat. 7-6-02 - mileage today 77.8 - climbed today - MILEAGE TO DATE=6,911.25
From Evengola State Park, NY to Sarah’s Point, Pennsylvania

We started out early today and quickly separated. Chuck went ahead Myron followed. I brought up the rear. We are slowly getting out of the hilly areas into the flats of the Ohio Plains. The scenery is changing from wooded hilly areas to wide-open fields with various crops. Grape vineyards seem to be the most popular crop around here. I will enjoy the wide-open spaces for a change. Looking at the fields with large farmhouses. When you’re cycling you have nothing but time to think. Believe me we all do a lot of that. I have to wonder, why does one travel. Is it to see different sights? Or is it to say you've been there, done that? Or is it to meet people? Maybe a little of all of them. I can’t really answer why I travel. I can see just as beautiful mountains right at home in California. I can meet wonderful people right at home too. Do I like to brag? Yes I think everybody does.. But it is more than that. I just can’t pin point it. I love to peddle all day, slowly making my way to somewhere or nowhere. Especially when the weather and sights are beautiful. Chuck and I did cycle into a neat little town today. It was Westfield, NY. It happens to be the town where Grace Bedell was born and lived. She is the little girl that wrote Abraham Lincoln about growing a beard. We had a meeting point set for about 15 miles down the road. So we decided to go meet up with Myron somewhere near the border of Pennsylvania. When we got there we found out that Myron had already been there and gone. We left message for Myron that he is ahead of us and to find a camping place and mark the road for us. When we got to where he was, he wasn't there. We called the office and they told us that he decided to continue on and ride into Ohio. I thought that to be strange because he had already cycled 70 miles and Ohio is about another 30-35 miles further. I asked if they were sure he went into Ohio and they said yes. Chuck and I continued on to find camping. We found camping at Sarah’s Point. It was the worst night of the trip so far. The campground doesn't have designated camping spots like most campgrounds. It was a free for all. It was incredibly full. People setting up wherever there was an empty spot there were about 300 more people than what the campground should hold. It was a fire housing. I set my tent up almost under someone’s camper trailer. There were a lot of drunk and loud people. ALL NIGHT. One guy even hit his wife after she told him to turn off the stereo. He turned it on loud at about 2:00am. I WILL NEVER RECOMEND THE SARAH POINT CAMPGROWND. We set up our tents between two trailers that already paid to be there and the owner charged us 20 dollars anyway. There was no enforcement of quiet hours.

Day 175 - Sunday 7-7-02 - mileage today 56.8 - climbed today 900' - MILEAGE TO DATE=6,968.05
From Sarah’s Point Pennsylvania to Geneva by the Sea

We found Myron shortly after we crossed over into Ohio. It’s a good thing we saw him, he was headed the wrong way. Myron did in fact cycle yesterday to just before the Ohio State line. He said he felt good and wanted to just go. We will be in Ohio for a while. We hope to meet up with our friend Jim K again. We saw him once already on this trip. We met in Louisiana while he was cycling west. It is a beautiful day today. We found a rest stop-park that would have been a very good camping spot. But it was about 30 miles too early. We cycled thru some really nice small towns. The kind with old brick storefronts and a town where everybody knows each other. Kids grow up with the same friends all there life. We cycled to Geneva by the Sea. WOW!! It is a lot like a carnival turned town. It was like the Santa Cruz boardwalk turned into a whole town. We cycled about 5 miles out of town and camped behind a water treatment plant. It was quiet, secluded and comfortable.