Northern Tier Day #9 Pulaski, NY to Palmyra, NY
Northern Tier Day #9
May 28, 2019
Pulaski, NY to Palmyra, NY 101 Miles
Ride Time 8:45
Tour Total 711 Miles
I slept well At the Pulaski Super 8 motel last night. First thing this morning I looked out the window, and, sure enough, it was raining. I woke up at 5:30am and went back to sleep for an hour. My friend from Slovenia called me at 5:18am and then again at 6:01am. My socks that I had washed last night were still wet, but it didn’t matter. My stomach flu was back, and my poor legs were sun burned and covered with bug bites.
In the hotel breakfast area I had a bowl of Frosted Flakes, I made myself a waffle, and I had two cups of orange juice. How can styrofoam plates, bowls, and cups still be legal? I met a Canadian woman at the hotel who is planning a cross-Canada bike tour next year. She’s done several month-long tours. When I complained about the rain, she replied that it was better than wind. The hotel proprietors were from India. A school bus pulled right up to the hotel front entrance to pick up their kids while I made waffles.
Last night after I uploaded my report, I watched the last episode of Game of Thrones. Westbound Northern Tier cyclist Heath, who is less than 2 days ahead of me, has problems at home and will be returning to Dayton by bike. I’m expecting to cross paths with him on Thursday.
It’s a gray wet day. I began pedaling the Coastal Seaway Byway trying to stay warm and dry. Along Lake Ontario I noticed marinas, cabins, bait stations, and such. It’s definitely a fishing vacation destination. The pavement was wet and slick. I turned on my lights because of the poor visibility. There was mist on my goggles. The lenses were blurry with water droplets.
After New Haven, on my way to Volney, I continued through an intersection and the sign read County Highway 51North. It seemed wrong, but the little blue little bubble on my iPhone app showed that I was on course. I was in a downpour with my goggles on. With them on, I could barely see the road but I could somewhat make out my map and the app. The other problem was that I had gone past the match line on my last map section and needed to flip the map. But there was a downpour and nowhere dry to stop. Long story short, the app had malfunctioned, I was lost, I was blind, and I went a mile off route.
My iPhone really doesn’t work very well in the rain. It can’t read my touch with the rain cover on. Today it couldn’t read my touch at all. I tried drying the screen and my fingers with a bandanna. The stuck blue bubble on the ACA map was a defect. In addition, my feet were cold. It was a cold gray rainy day.
I crossed a long bridge over the Oswego River into the center of Fulton. This town has seen better days, but the old post office was a gem. I stopped at Foursome Diner for an egg sandwich, home fries and an orange juice. The folks inside were talking about Trump’s wall when I arrived. Fox News was on. A patron sitting at the counter said he’d gladly send money to help fund the wall. Fox News was covering the tornados in Ohio. Those storms certainly put this rain in perspective.
After my meal, I left State Route 3 for a detour on old County Route 3 which had much less traffic. The rain let up after Hannibal. At two different points, squirrels ran across the road in front of me. I’m on the Great Lakes Seaway Trail.
In Sterling there was road work where they were putting in a new water main. Traffic was down to one lane and I had to wait for a signal to proceed. I enjoyed Haywood Road riding past recently plowed fields and grass pastures. At a certain point I was surrounded by fruit orchards that extended as far as my eye could see. The trees were just now flowering.
I had a couple of dog scares on Wadsworth Street Road. It’s illegal to have pepper spray shipped to an address in New York City. I ordered mine from Amazon and had it sent to my uncle in Kentucky. I picked it up from him the last time I was in Cincinnati, and then mailed it to myself.
Poor Walcott New York has seen better days. Damn, I could have gotten a room for $29 above the tap room. But it was only 2pm and I had plenty of miles left in me. I crossed over a bridge over part of Sodus Bay. This was the first time I really got a look at Lake Ontario. It was cold, foggy, and the water was choppy.
I passed numerous vineyards in the area. This part of New York kicks out the fruit. The economy is much stronger than where I was yesterday. In Sodus Point I passed huge old grain elevators and a large marina. The majority of boats were still dry docked. I stopped at the lighthouse in Sodus Point and got a good look at foggy, cold, gray Lake Ontario.
I rode through more fruit orchards and vineyards. It’s a very lush agricultural area. This is the region where my pie apples come from. I like to bake with Rome apples, and I’m gonna have to return and ride this route at harvest time. For my current roadside fruit options I guess I’ll have to wait until Washington state. There are asparagus stands everywhere.
My rear light battery ran out of juice so I connected it to my battery pack in my handlebar bag. If I were smart I'd have two of those rear lights, so I just ordered another one and had it sent to Minnesota.
I located and contacted a Warm Showers host in Palmyra. They got back to me and were unfortunately out of town. Most Warm Showers hosts prefer to be contacted 3 days before arriving. I was able to do this with Alicia at the start of my tour, but at this point it’s difficult to know where I’ll be and when. There are weather and road conditions to consider. Ferries may not be working. Soon I’ll be crossing international borders. I can only project out a few days. Today I was originally planning to stay in Sodus Point but the rain broke and I still had energy. It’s supposed to rain tomorrow and Thursday and I wanted to bank some extra miles. The earlier I get into Buffalo the more beer I get to drink with Scotty.
Charlotte and I stayed in Palmyra when we rode the Erie Canal from Buffalo to Albany. We stayed at a sketchy Airbnb. The room seemed like their master bedroom, and all of the windows were taped shut. There were Morman pilgrims staying there as well. Palmyra definitely had a weird vibe. Joseph Smith, founder of the Church of Latter Day Saints had his first vision here.
I stopped at at the Sunoco station in Williamson for a Gatorade and cashews. From Marion I took the back way into Palmyra. I cut over on Walworth-Marion Road and then took a left on Parker Road to Jeffrey Road and finally Maple Avenue brought me into town. It’s always nice to be off the state highways.
I’ve seen hundreds of ‘Look Twice Save A Life’ signs since I got to New York State. I wouldn’t mind seeing bicycles being included in that effort. I entered Palmyra on Division Street. I followed a double railroad track, which is always a good sign because of the easy grade. The whole Erie Canal towpath is going to be a super easy grade. It’s my reward for crossing the White Mountains, the Green Mountains and the Adirondacks. I’m a little worried about my wet sock that’s been rubbing against my right Achilles tendon all day. I hope I don’t have a blister, because I decided not to bring moleskin this year.
Coming into Palmyra the bridge over the Erie Canal was closed, but I rode over it anyway. According to my map, there’s free camping at the marina, but I needed to clear it with the police first. I went to Mark’s pizza while I waited to hear back from the police captain.
The police captain at first told me that I wasn’t allowed to camp in the marina, and that I’d have to pedal to the next town. I was rather insistent that my ACA maps indicated the marina as an option. He called me back a bit later and said that I could camp there.
I set up my tent besides picnic tables under an enclosure with an outlet for my devices, and there was a restroom. It was really cold out, but Woohoo!
Comments
Post a Comment