Day 50 Manchester NH to Portmouth NH

Day 50 The End of the Journey

Fifty days ago, some 55 individuals left the gray Pacific Ocean at Astoria, Oregon, bound for the Portsmouth New Hampshire, on the Atlantic seaboard. Some were avid cyclists and some were not. Some were in shape and some...were not. All had come to fulfill their own personal quest. All were changed along the way and all but one completed the journey. And everyone found something new inside themselves.

Day 50 started like most all of the previous 49. We had only 60 miles left to pedal and the weather was accomodating. It was cool in the New Hampshire woods, ready made for perfect cycling. The roads and traffic were accomodating as well, as we wound our way through small communities over the back roads of this beautiful state. I discovered early on in the morning ride that my camera battery was dead. So there are no pics until we get to the shores of the Atlantic at Wallis Sands State Beach. And then only because of the genorosity of Helen who loaned me her spare camera.

So we met and massed at Rye Junior high parking lot and were then escorted by the city police chief through the small community and to the beach, a distance of some 3-4 miles. Everyone was wearing the red white and blue jersey of America by Bicycle. At the beach it was pure chaos. Many familly members were on hand to meet their riders and the public joined in the impromptu celebration. The beach was crowded even though it was a Monday.


Some of the more adventutuous dove in the surf although it was chilly.

Others raised their bikes overhead to celebrate the event.

This is Mike and Matt from the LA area. They are a father/son team who rode a tandem. Great guys. Matt is going to be a senior in high school this fall. Think of the story he can tell of "what I did this summer".

Here's Margo with our two Swiss boys. These two police officers came all the way from Zurich to ride. And New Jersey Mark and his beautiful bride! One of my favorite guys!

Dan from Indiana on the left, Bill from Boulder, CO and moi. I spent more time riding with these two than anyone else. They are great guys and excellent cyclists. Thanks, guys!
Many of us pedaled off to visit Maine, albeit, for only a very time since we had to get back to the motel and dissamble our bikes for shipping. That's Nan on the left pic and ....your hero on the right. Yeah, we see ya!

And finally the ultimate triumph. A terrific and difficult endeavor.

Day 49 Brattleboro VT to Manchester NH

Day 48 Latham NY to Brattleboro VT

Day 48
This day dawns beautiful...sunny, cool,west winds...we're off early for 78 miles of pedaling bliss...5000 feet of climbing today...just another day at the office...

This pic is a beautiful pond and falls is just out of Latham this morning. And here's a super sized bedroom set out in front of a furniture makers...the bed is about 12 feet long...hard to see it with nothing to reference the size...trust me on this...


And here's this same guy again posing at the state line...good bye New York

The city of Bennington VT has painted meeses on every street corner...must be a story here...and Helen posing under the moose sign..

A pic of the Green Mountains at Hogback Mountain Pass

and last but not least...me again with the Green Mountains behind...whew, tough climb...

Day 47 Little Falls NY to Latham NY

Day 47
This 72 mile jaunt is looking good today. The skies are clear, its cooler, and a west wind is blowing us toward Vermont. I took this pic of an old building in Little Falls. I didn't find out what it was though. The downtown canal area has been rebuilt and is a great place to see. Original stone buildings and building facades are looking sweet.

The Erie canal is show here. The solid rock was carved away to make this portion of the canal.

A few miles into the rural area I found this old church, circa 1769. It begs the question whether any of our founding fathers worshipped here.

And here he is, in front of a section of the canal...can you say stud muffin...uh, maybe not...We pedal through towns like Amsterdam,Rotterdam, Florida and this one...

We're on a bike path today that gets us off of busy highway 5 East. It follows the canal for miles. One of the stops was Lock #8. A few days earlier we stopped at #32.

Later, at the afternoon SAG, there was a group of young folks with ideas of how to build bicycles. The one on the left waighed in at 200#. I think the engineering is flawed.

And here's a pic of the bike path. New asphalt...sweet...lots of trees and cool pedaling.

Day 46 Liverpool NY to Little Falls NY

Day 46

The weather forecast called for a 30% chance of showers. 8 miles into today's ride it let loose with a 100% chance. It rained so hard that most of us found some shelter until the worst passed over us. Needless to say we were all soaked. It was about 70 degrees, so riding was not unbearable. It served to cool things off too. So 78 miles today with about 60 of it in the rain. I didn't put on a rain jacket because the humidity would have you soaked anyway. By the time we got to Little Falls, the sun was out and tonight it is clear.

Our second SAG was in a park in a little town called Whitesboro. The gazebo provided some shelter. We're just snacking on bananas, peanuts, cookies, apples, water...all that stuff to keep the pedals turning.

The Mohawk River and Erie Canal come together here. I'm not sure what this old structure is but it looks as if it could have been a vry old roadway or an aquaduct.

Just a few interesting signs later in the day.

And then there's this...perhaps this explains why there are so few around?...ah, ya gotta love New York humor...or is it some new form of immigration control...

Day 45 Henrietta NY to Liverpool NY

Day 45

As I near the end of this journey, I am struck by the bittersweet reality that it really will be over soon. All the difficult mountain climbing and long, hot, boring 100 mile days across the prairies are now committed to memories. So its important to focus on the now and enjoy what is.


So here is sunrise over Henrietta...about 6:30 or so...and to get a pic like this you must be up and on the bicycle seat already...the pic doesn't do justice to the orange hues of sunrise. We're off to see the wizard...oh but that's another story...off to the Erie Canal.


There is a wonderful bike path next to the Erie Canal and we rode on it for over 20 miles this morning. Lots of urban developement along both sides. Most of it is serene with some wildlife. The locks still function and some in the group saw them in action, lifting a pleasure boat up to the next level. These doors are open, as you can see.

Two rowing teams went by, getting in some early morning training.

Here's a beautiful wooden bollard and here's a really handsome fellow sitting on one...oh, sorry, that's just moi!

Another pic of a full lock that is capable of lowering at least 20 feet. The bike path is partly paved and partly just graveled. The morning is warm and very muggy. Several small communities along the route, too.

Can't say if Robert is related or not...hmmm...I wonder if he would take a special order....hmmm


And the Palmyra Pirates...shades of Marshfield! And off course Palmyra is where Joseph Smith ran afoul of local folks in the early 1800's...And a smiley face on a silo...


And Christmas ornaments in August...ya gotta love these folks...

And what township is complete without an old Sherman tank...

The day is long(93 miles) and hot(90's) so some of us stopped in Weedsport ...and had lunch. The haddock sandwich was great! We finish a couple hours after lunch in Liverpool...hot, sweaty, happy!