DnvrFox

Woo Hoo - wish I could have been there!!

Thanks for the pics and the report

Hi, Beverly. Glad you could make it. Looks like you have a new van.

tsl

In total, there were around 320 people at this year's GFLBT.

The club really does a great job too. The only thing that didn't go off perfectly is that the caterers were short-handed Friday night, so the chow line was a little slow. They more than made up for it Saturday night by setting up a second chow line al fresco, with picnic tables outside too.

billydonn

Very enjoyable report... Thanks! (And +1 on the 50-70 mile preference... I thought I was the only one.)

Ken Brown

Am in Syracuse tonight, enjoying the Holiday Inn after 2 nights of camping. Holiday Inn has hot water showers, internet, beds, housekeeping, TV, etc. Camping? What were we thinking?

Still, had a good time, especially meeting the others. Didn't do the planned ride in Watkins Glen this morning because of the rain, but did a ride on the Erie Canal this afternoon. But not until we found a great bike shop for a new tire after finding a flat when taking the bike out of the van. Must have picked up a staple on the long hill to Ovid yesterday. I thought I was flat but I guess it was partly the tire. That is my story and I am sticking to it.

miss kenton

I am in the process of writing my report, but had to jump in here to say how happy I am to see the photos of Seenoweevil on a ride this morning after his unfortunate event and this morning's miserable weather! I truly hope he enjoyed that ride.

cyclinfool

Very nice pictures and sorry I missed it. I had my training ride on Mt Greylock Saturday for Whiteface (which is next weekend) followed by my 10YO daughters concert today. If you are interested - here is the video (the video is dark because of the stage lighting and the audio is rough as it was taken from a camera, the DVD should be much better once it is all mixed). She plays piano and sings, the backup band did a great job too. Anyway - she rocked the house and I was about in tears.

https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/sredi...O8E&feat=email

Beverly

I'm also in the process of downloading pictures and putting together a report. I think we made the right decision to not spend another night at the park and instead head back to Ohio Sunday morning. We drove through nothing but rain in New York and Pennsylvania. It was cloudy when we hit Ohio but we finally saw sunshine a few miles after entering the state. Pennsylvania also threw thick fog at us for a few miles

Seenoweevil worked hard to do Sunday's ride....it was great to see the picture

tsl

Now don't spoil his story!

Although I will say that in the lemons/lemonade department, the man is at the top of the game.

He wasn't so sure about all the wet on the ride this morning. So we let him decide when we would turn back. He timed it perfectly. Except for a mile or so of light pitty-pat raindrops, his judgment kept us dry.

Beverly

Friday was spent traveling from SW Ohio with stops along the way to pick up my two friends, John and Dick, and then a stop in Norton for Louis. Louis’s wife had delicious coffee and pastries waiting for us. After spending a few minutes visiting we were on our way.

As we entered the area around Watkins Glen all we saw were hills, hills and more hills There were probably more hills in that short drive than in all of SW Ohio. We flatlanders were wondering how long it would take to walk those hills because we knew we would not be riding them. It was almost 6:00 pm when we arrived so it was too late for a ride….darn it I should have recorded the conversation in the van as we drove the hills into the park....it would make a good comedy routine.

After speaking with TSL he suggested we do the ride out of Ovid on Saturday morning as it was flat loop ride except for the climb at the end back into Ovid. It was a good choice and we loved the ride….well, all except the 3.5 mile climb back to Ovid that registered 1-10% grades on my Garmin. As predicted my leg screamed for mercy a few times and I had to stop and give it a chance to recover. I was pleased that there was no walking, just rest stops.

The ride was fantastic and we found a wonderful 50’s style diner in Waterloo for lunch. Our waitress, Betty Ann, was a delight and the food was good. I’ll let Seenoweevil tell about Betty Ann and the soup list.

We had planned to move our tents out of the private camping area Sunday morning then ride and spend the night before heading back to Ohio Monday morning. It rained during the night and was sprinkling Sunday morning with predictions of more rain so we decided to skip the Sunday ride and head home.

We drove through torrential downpours and fog before entering Ohio in the early afternoon. We were treated to salad, pizza and beverages when we arrived at Louis’s home. His wife, Maddie, is wonderful and we were all glad we had the chance to meet her. We’re looking forward to a return trip to Norton later this year to meet with Louis and Maddie again.

I thoroughly enjoyed the trip and loved the chance to meet more BF members. I only wish we could have stayed longer. My friends, John and Dick, enjoyed the ride and thought the BF members were great. Dick says he might even forgive me for locking him in the car but in the mean time he’s thinking of ways to get even……

Finger Lakes Ride - Watkins Glen, NY 001..jpg
Breakfast Saturday morning - Wayne (Ken Brown's friend), Ken Brown, me, Seenoweevil, John (my riding friend) and Louis with his back to the camera.

Finger Lakes Ride - Watkins Glen, NY 003..jpg
tsl and Louis at start of Ovid ride

Finger Lakes Ride - Watkins Glen, NY 004..jpg
Ken Brown on Ovid ride

Finger Lakes Ride - Watkins Glen, NY 010..jpg
Just one of the many wineries in the area

Finger Lakes Ride - Watkins Glen, NY 021..jpg
Amish buggy in Ovid

Finger Lakes Ride - Watkins Glen, NY 022..jpg
Back in sunny Ohio - me and Louis on bench, Dick and John (my riding friends) in back

tsl

I forgot about the soup story.

So now Seenoweevil has two stories to tell.

Jim from Boston

GREAT FINGER LAKES BIKE TOUR -- THE PEOPLE

Since I had left the campground on Saturday night, I had hoped to write the first post about the Finger Lakes Tour, but the last of a series of remediable misfortunes kept me away from the computer.

After reading all the pre-departure postings, as I drove to Watkins Glen on that beautiful Friday morning I had the strong ideation of a group of disparate people who did not know each other, traveling separately en route a mutual destination with a shared yet vague purpose in mind; not unlike the characters in the movie Close Encounters of the Third Kind. As I got into hour 7 of a presumed 6 hour drive, passing through some non-descript terrain in the NY Southern Tier, northbound to Watkins Glen, I was having second thoughts. The scenery changed at Montour Falls and on arrival at the Hidden Valley Campground as I met the group I began to realize this could be something memorable.

TSL was my first encounter. He was a remarkably hospitable host and guide to the weekend, making sure everyone had a good time. It was inspiring to hear his well-told tale of his progress in five years from a total bicycle noobie to his guru status. TSL wrote: “Miss Kenton also wins the "You're So Sweet" award for for saying to Yrs Trly last night, ‘You look so much more youthful than your avatar.’ ” FYA, I said the same thing about him upon meeting Miss K, when she asked me who was here. Nonetheless, I’m sure her comment was as spontaneous as was mine. Thanks also, TSL, for your pictures that nicely capture the spirit and scenery of the ride.

Beverly and her “posse” of Louis, Bob and John were a remarkable crew and it was a laff-riot to hear of their previous tours over the “campfire” at their site. If Bev is looking for a nickname, with all due respect, in the spirit of the bad biopic, the title “Ma Barker” came to mind.

I enjoyed chatting with Louis, Ken Brown and his friend Wayne about our touring experiences, especially since I have not toured in over twenty years. I only briefly spoke with Seenoevil, but he impressed me as a real Southern gentleman with a wry sense of humor. I look forward to his Sunday story.

Speaking of Seenoevil, I touted the Bikeforum group to many outsiders I met and recommended the website. SNE’s long drive from Alabama to ride with the group was a great testimonial to the Fifty Plus Forum. When I first arrived at the campground around 3:00 PM, I met the ride organizer, Augie Mueller, and told him of the group. He did remember TSL from the previous year as the guy who raved about the food.

Miss Kenton and TheMister (Tom) were a real fun couple. On Saturday night after the raffle, we stayed at the Dining Hall for the awful Fashion Show and the interesting Travelogue about the train trip with bikes, from Syracuse to Montana for a week long Adventure Cycling tour to Glacier National Park. We had martinis from my Martini Field Kit and stayed until past 11:00 PM. When Augie came over then, we expected a “you don’t have to go home, but can’t stay here”; but rather we chatted about the history of the ride and Augie’s recent mishaps with car encounters. Everyone was great, BF’er or not, but I did come to ride, and did it solo, except for a little help from my friends...

Jim from Boston

GREAT FINGER LAKE BIKE TOUR -- THE RIDE

The Friday Fire Tower Tour was a nice ride to introduce us to the terrain and I got a chance to ride with tsl, who rides with a fine form, as commented on by another group member. I have to admit that those descents were faster than I usually do on my hometown hills, and was left way behind when going down with a group. After dinner we had that nice “fireside” chat at the campsite of Bev et al. on Friday evening and I returned to my motel in Watkins Glen.

I had originally planned on the 79 mile ride on Saturday, but since most of the group was doing the 52 mile ride I changed my mind. I lingered over breakfast with Miss K and Tom, then prepared to drive to the remote start in Ovid. I figured why not just ride to Ovid, not knowing it was 26 miles away, though I was aware of the monster hill on Rte 329 on the last two miles leading back to the campground. As I got into Watkins Glen, I met a group heading out for the 79 miler and I changed my mind again. I only had the 52 mile map but figured the 79 mile loop around the lake would not be too difficult to navigate. It was not a bad ride, but…

At about mile 30 I stopped to apply some sunscreen, and Steve the sag wagon driver drove up to see if I was OK. I don’t like to get my hands all greasy from the sunscreen, but there were no washrooms I could find. He offered me water and paper towels but declined to apply the sunscreen himself. He gave me a 79 mile map, specifically went over the directions through the town of Geneva at the northern end of Lake Seneca, and mentioned that his cell phone number was on the map. As I left my stop, I noted that my rear tire was softer than it should be and soon concluded I had a flat.

The worst part of a flat to me, especially on a long ride, is knowing I can’t pump up to maximal pressure, and am then riding with a less-than-optimal bike. If Steve had not mentioned his cell phone number I don’t think it would have occurred for me to call. He met me by the time I had changed the tire and filled it up to the max with his floor pump. Fortunately I found the offending shard of wire and removed it.

About three miles down the road I got another flat and again Steve responded by the time I repaired the tire. I found a nice puncture but no sharp object. I had only one new tube that I used on my preceding flat so I had to use an adhesive patch to cover the hole. I have found they don’t always work, but this one held. Steve again carefully described the route to take through Geneva a few miles ahead, and I put his cell phone number on my speed dial.

Geneva was a beautiful and relatively bustling town on the northern end of Lake Seneca. While I was stopped at an intersection looking at the map, a man got out of an SUV and it turned out he had ridden his bike down to Florida, and was planning a cross country tour next year. He mentioned there was a bike shop a couple blocks down. I stopped at the shop to buy new tubes, and wouldn’t you know, good old Steve was there. He watched my bike for me when I went into the shop, and replenished my water. By now I knew he was my guardian angel. That shop was also the destination of the man in the SUV, and it was a bustling, well-appointed and friendly place.

The return ride was pretty good, though with a couple drenching rain showers. Miles 40 to 60 are always my worst on an extra long ride and the route over that stretch was hot with not too much shade, so the rain at about 60 miles was refreshing. It washed off my sunscreen though, and when the sun shone again, with some hesitation, I decided to stop and re-apply. The final 26 miles were pretty much flat to downhill, except for…

The monster uphill back to the campground was anticipated as a sign that I was almost home. I was offered a ride in a truck up the hill by a rider I met at a store in Watkins Glen but I wanted the bragging right to the Hill climb. I was able to ride upright the entire length without wobbling but at a cadence estimated at about 20 rpms in lowest gear. I was fortified on my entire ride by my I-pod tunes in a playlist entitled “Hill Country” but wouldn’t you know I lost battery power about one-fourth the way up the Monster. I got back to camp by about 6:00 and enjoyed the rest of the evening chatting, especially after cleaning up. I had been warned the showers were weak and cold, but Bev told me of a farther bathouse over the bridge that was perfect. I lathered twice to wash off the sweat, sunscreen and admixed road grime from the rain.

I left the campground by about 11:30 PM and drove north along that morning’s route on Rte 14 and arrived at the first service center on the NY Thruway at about 12:45 AM to catch a nap in the car. However I soon developed an agonizing right lower back pain, about 7 to 8 on a 10 pain scale. I just couldn’t get comfortable, even after Advil, and some Vicodin I had from a previous dental visit. I tried to sleep up until about 4:30 AM. Then I pretty much drove from rest stop to rest stop to stretch and nap for a few minutes at a time. I got home about 1:00 PM and it was too painful to sit at the computer. A three hour nap on flat on my back on the floor reduced the pain to a tolerable ache, and I did go for a two mile walk with my daughter on Sunday evening.

To my delight though, other than the back pain, my legs felt pretty good on Sunday. Throughout the pain I was thinking, “Oh great, emergency back surgery on my week off, with a planned 700-mile drive to Michigan on Wednesday for a family wedding.” I guess the back pain was retribution for my hubris in riding up the monster hill. I was having some noticeable discomfort in that area while riding up the hill but it didn't bother me again until after driving the car. This Monday morning I awoke at about 4:00 AM, refreshed, and the pain is almost gone. I was at the keyboard for over two uninterrupted hours this morning.

I hope the readers of these two postings don’t consider me bloviating, but I had such a great and remarkable adventure on this trip, I wanted to capture the memory and perhaps re-kindle it for my companions. I only took three pictures during my stay, all of off-road scenes, so thanks to all of you for posting yours. I will forthwith read all of your posts through a new set of eyes. Other than the memories, my own most personal momento from the ride are two perfectly tanned rectangular patches on the back of my hands, IMO, the mark of a cycling road warrior.

By the way, did anybody find a toothbrush in an aqua colored holder? It’s mine.

miss kenton

Except for a few rather unpleasant moments, which as co-winner of the “OOPS” award, I will detail below, I thoroughly enjoyed this weekend’s trip. I would do these sorts of trips again in a heartbeat. I was pleased to find the all cyclists attending the event to be kind and friendly but the BF’s 50+ers were outstanding! Never having been involved in any sort of forum before this one, I was curious to see if the personalities of the real people matched their online personas. I was not disappointed, they do!! I felt very comfortable with them and was glad that we clustered together.

However, due to a series of unfortunate events, I did not have the opportunity to actually ride with any of the 50+ers and I had been really looking forward to that. By the time we arrived to the camp on Friday night, most had already set out on the first ride. Tom and I decided to try it on our own, but having hurried to get to the camp, we hadn’t had time to stop for lunch and hadn’t eaten since early a.m.

After attempting to tackle the first hill, (I say attempting as I had to walk it up the last third), and struggling up the second, we decided it would be foolish to try the whole ride on empty stomachs so we opted to do a nine mile loop around the camp. We hit a hill on a gravel road; a hill tsl might label a “baby roller” but left me wishing I had packed repelling gear. After a long struggle to the top, Tom discovered his bag had fallen off the back of the bike. OOPS! The bag contained his camera, car keys and cash. He rode back to search for it and I waited at the top of the hill, trying to maintain my composure.

Suddenly, our guardian angel drove up in a beat-up black SUV. Seeing me standing with my bike on the side of a deserted road, the driver asked if anything was wrong. When I told him what happened, he produced Tom’s bag, which he had found at the bottom of the hill! He then volunteered to drive back down and notify Tom that we had it and then drove Tom and his bike back up to me! Unbelievably, his passenger had once lived in the town where I reside now in New Jersey!

Saturday’s ride promised to be better as threatening skies turned clear. As we arrived at the remote start, I was happy to find the BFer’s hadn’t left yet. My happiness turned to, um, let’s say, dismay when Tom discovered he’d lost the key to the bike lock and was unable to free our bikes from the rack. OOPS! After waiting an hour for a locksmith who never showed up and 20 minutes of my uncontrolled sobbing, we drove to a nearby hardware store where the owner let us borrow a hacksaw to cut through the lock.
We finally got to ride! We did the Ovid ride in reverse, took a wrong turn and ended up riding 40.8 miles, my longest ride to date! I feel encouraged and confident that I can do longer rides and I intend to do just that!
Although we didn’t ride together, I really enjoyed the social aspect of the trip and wished we were able to spend more time together. Kudos to Jim for completing an 82 mile ride in 90 degree weather and still being able to prepare martinis. Jim’s Field kit martini’s were wonderful yet very potent! I fear had I imbibed more than the one I did, I may have joined the fashion model on his folding table catwalk!
Seenoweevil is an intrepid character and dealt with his adversity in an admirable fashion. Bev did a marvelous job wrangling her group and keeping Louis in line! (Louis is a sweetheart.) I can report that as far as I was able to ascertain, Ken Brown kept his clothes on for his entire ride.

My thanks go to tsl for presenting the trip to us. It was well worth the journey. He and I shared some thoughts on the joys and absurdities of our shared occupation and left with me a quote I can’t wait to share with my coworkers: “Librarians go where police fear to tread.” One may have to work in a library to understand the truth in that statement.

Beverly

That is so funny since Dick and John often call me "Mom" and I refer to them as "the boys". I'm sure Dick will forgive you for calling him Bob much sooner than he's going to forgive me for my little "OOPS".

miss kenton

Louis: Don't forget to send me the link to your friend's website!

seenoweevil

Man, I was hoping you'd give me the one on the soup!

I asked our waitress, Betty Ann, what soups they had for the soup/sandwich combo. She proceeded to rip through what I can only imagine as six to ten different soups without a breath in between to determine where one soup's name ended and the next began. So I told her that where I come from we speak a little slower and would she please run through the list again, which she did with near identical vigor as the first time. I latched onto one word that I discerned and said tentatively "Corn..?" "The corn crab soup?" she replied. It was an excellent choice, home made, tasty and eaten surrounded with wonderful company.

From left: Beverly, John, Dick, and Louis
Beverly's rockin' the 50+ jersey. I would be too if mine hadn't shrunk since the last time I wore it!(Yeah, it's MY story and I'm sticking with that!)

miss kenton

I am posting the only two good photos from the trip (besides the group shot tsl already posted). The close-up of Jim from Boston has been edited to protect the vanity of she who has bad helmet hair.
https://picasaweb.google.com/10801407...15167667470866
https://picasaweb.google.com/10801407...15158359313330

seenoweevil

Let's call this:
SEENOWEEVIL'S INCREDIBLE FINGER LAKES CYCLING ADVENTURE

Dead tired after 14+ hours on the road, I managed to miss everyone Friday night for the first campfire round table. I made a feeble attempt at climbing out of the campground, stopping to rest my leaden legs and swimming vision. I made it about two miles, to the top of (in Finger Lakes terms)a small riser, and decided to ride back to camp and try to find the 50+ gang( led, I would later learn, by the notorious "Ma Barker!). I stumbled around for a while looking but never saw the group, so I went to the showers and bunkhouse, determined to ferret them out the next morning.

Saturday morning, just out of the breakfast line, I found several of the group, and we discussed where to ride, etc. As Miss Kenton and others have already mentioned, I was delighted by the smiling faces and personalities I finally had the opportunity to connect with the names from the forums.
While Miss K and hubby K were waiting on the locksmith, we set out on what turned out to be a fantastic ride for an old fat guy allergic to climbing! The weather complied by keeping us out of the sun with grey clouds, and cooled us further with (I think)a westerly crosswind.
After the aforementioned lunch and more great scenery than I could keep the camera out for, we started up the climb toward the finishing point. After about the second leg of that climb, Beverly and Louis and I stopped for a few minutes to catch our breath. Bringing up the rear on our start up, I pulled the right pedal around to where I could stand up and put my weight on it to take off. As I stood up on the pedal and started through my start up stroke, there was a loud "POP" (Louis later said he thought I just missed a shift, and smiled to himself thinking how many times he'd done the same). I looked down from where I stood, as I'd slammed down through the pedal stroke to stand, shaken. My derailer was wrapped up around the seat stay. Well, part one was wrapped up by the seat stay. Part two was still attached to the derailer hanger, and part three, the arm and pulleys, was lying on the ground with one end of the broken chain.

I didn't yell for Louis or Beverly because I guess I was in shock for a minute, taking it in, chin slack( no jokes about banjo music now!) and dumbfounded.
Before I could yell for the gang, a couple rode up, had SAG on the phone, helped me pick up my mess(Had a plastic bag in my seat pack with wet wipes, how lucky is that?), and I was off to meet the SAG wagon. After touching base with John and Dick(Louis and Beverly were farther on up the hill), I was off to the car. The SAG guy didn't have a derailer, told me of one sporting goods store in town, but doubted they could help me.
After loading up the bike and talking briefly to TSL, I ran back to town as fast as I could. The sporting goods store was no help, so I thought MAYBE I could find someone at camp that could help. Single speed was no choice at all for me. As I rode up the hill back to camp, just by the turn off, there was a bike in the front yard of a house with a red duct tape "For Sale" sign on it. I slammed on the brakes, then backed up to the house thinking "If I can get this derailer off this thing, I'll still be able to ride tomorrow!" The bike was NASTY, 20 years in a basement, a Japanese cro-mo steel frame bike called a TAKARA. The sign said $30. The guy walked up to me as I frowned at the dirty, flat tired bike, and said "Any Questions?"
I asked him if he'd take $20 and he said sure, his wife just wanted it out of the basement! He said it's a mid 80's model, with "Professional" on the top tube. The geometry is almost identical to my Miyata.
After getting back to camp, we all gathered around to look at the bike. Then I found my derailer hanger was bent badly on the Miyata, and the back wheel was tacoed as well. With help from TSL, Beverly, and several strangers, I cleaned the Takara up, got tubes in the tires, lubed up everywhere I could, and was confident I had a bike I could ride on Sunday. It cleaned up so well, it didn't even look like the same bike! Scratches and rust turned out to just be grime from years in the basement! I hate to admit it, but the Takara looks to be a better bike than my Miyata, at least with nicer components, and it DEFINITELY had a better derailer at the time! Ha!

Sunday morning, the rain started, and got worse and worse. That just left TSL, Biker John, and myself from our group to try the Sunday ride. It was horrible by the time we got to the start site. TSL tells the rest of the story, and the pics of me are on my new bike! Now you know why I'm grinning like a 'possum! TSL was a most gracious host, full of energy and interesting conversation, and kept his anchor down so I could keep up!

Arrival at the Sunday ride starting point
Well rats, I have to resize several of the other pictures, and can't do it on this computer evidently.

The downside to this has to be that I missed Saturday night's campfire meeting from working late on preparing the other bike. That leaves me sad because I really enjoyed the company of many incredible people over the few hours we spent together. I spent only a very few moments with Jim from Boston, and only a few more with Miss Kenton and Ken. Take very good care of yourselves, friends, and with a little luck ( and a beefed up derailer and one in the trunk!) I'll see y'all next year! We already have much to catch up on!

tsl

Yep, we have to actually deal with (and sometimes touch and occasionally clean up after) the bums and assorted crazy people that the cops just drive past.

I forgot to ask, do you read the online library comic Unshelved?

tsl

Bragging or not, that little climb makes you my hero!

Louis

Check yr PM's

Louis

I'm not much of a photographer, I seldom take pictures. I have no pictures to offer. Only words.

I thought northern Ohio had a lot of wineries, but the Finger Lakes region has more than you can imagine.

Traveling up to Finger Lakes was a blast because of the endless supply of witticism bouncing around inside Bev's car...or as she refers to it "the bike hauler". With Dick and John in the car, the pressure on me to make wisecracks was much less; those guys are professionals. Between the three of us, Bev's sanity was in great danger. Trooper that she is however, and with the guidance of the "Tin Lady" better known as GPS, she managed to get us to our destination in relatively sane condition. (John and Dick have a much better name for the GPS lady - the initials are b.i.t.b, but this is a family forum.

We had a rope thrown over a tree limb with tsl's name on it because of the brutal hills in the area. But wouldn't you know it, he suggested a beautiful, nearly flat route for our ride on Saturday. I later realized that either tsl is magic or there are more than one of him. He is everywhere, perpetually smiling and offering helpful advice. Too bad there aren't more people like him in this world.

I have to say, the 50+er who won the "Louis' Man After My Own Heart" award was Jim From Boston. Anyone who would carry a portable martini bar all the way to Finger Lakes is a friend of mine. Somehow, although we did get a chance to chat, we ended up doing separate rides. Next time Jim.

Miss Kenton walked right up to me while standing in a chow line. We recognized each other immediately. I got to spend quite a bit of "table time" with her discussing a number of interesting subjects from music to raising children. She brought "The Mister" along who seemed to have an endless supply of Finger Lakes' Best. Although Miss and The Mister Kenton are very kind and friendly folks, one thing I noticed was their near lack of a New Jersey accent. I was really bummed. Hopefully, next time, they will have brushed up on it for my benefit.

Ken Brown was quite easy to spot with his long hair and the Canadian license tags on his car. I was able to chat a bit and also ride with him and his friend, Wayne. Very nice chaps, and yes, I was able to pick up on the accents. Eh?

Seenoweevil is...well look up "Southern Gentleman" in your Funk and Wagnalls...you will see his picture. Anyone else, after driving nearly 1000 miles to ride then destroying a rear derailleur, would have been in a pretty foul mood. Not seenoweevil, he diligently went about the task of finding a solution to the problem, assuring a ride on Sunday.
Sometimes in this cruel world, when the planets are aligned properly and ones biorhythms are in an optimal position, good things do happen to good people. Such was the case with seenoweevil on Saturday afternoon. Read his complete story. I'm glad I got to ride and chat with a true Alabamian. BTW - seenoweevil took home the furthest traveled award and the accent award.

Louis

I wanted to make a separate post for Beverly.

What can I say about the pleasure of hanging around and riding with with Beverly that hasn't already been said by everyone? To me she is sometimes a sister, sometimes a mother, sometimes a co-worker, sometimes a fellow soldier in a foxhole, but mostly she is a friend.

Beverly bought a new car, equipped it with a first class 4 bike rack and drove three of us (****ers all), plus our gear and our bikes to Finger Lakes and back taking a full blast of our teasing and other shenanigans without uttering one bad word. The lady is a saint. Thanks Beverly, from the bottom of my heart.

bikerjohn

You all make a nice group of riders! It was a pleasure meeting you folks! I was impressed by the great distance many of you traveled to get a feel of the NYS rural countryside.

here are some bikejournal blog links to other folks including some photos:
www.bikejournal.com/thread.asp?ThreadID={C73AB8E3-FBC1-4A2D-AED2-A017D310851F}&mostRecent=1

https://www.bikejournal.com/blog.asp?...name=bikerjohn

Jim from Boston

Aw, shucks. Thanks for the kind remarks.

I posted likewise. I only heard of your disaster in reading your post and I admire your tenacity and I was glad to hear of all those who helped out.

I think Miss K chose the exactly right collective noun, the mot juste, for the group: we were a CLUSTER.

Today I noted a thread on the Fifty+ Forum, "Purpose/Tone of 50+ Forum" and I referred that thread to our "Second Annual 50+ Forum Ride Weekend (Official Thread)" and the après-ride posts