Originally Posted by 3alarmer

...lots of great writers were addicted to opiates. Maybe you could turn out an abbreviated version of "The Telltale Heart."

Originally Posted by rjones28

More wine sipping today.

Originally Posted by ls01

My dad had a lump in his cheak. The dr. removed the lump last week. The lab says it is cancer. He is scheduled to have his salivary gland removed and exploritory/ reconstruction for the 12th. I can't write about it any more than that. He isnt in any danger from the cancer, so thet say,just his other health problems.

Originally Posted by Dudelsack

If great writers were addicted, could you become a decent writer by only using them very now and then?

Originally Posted by 3alarmer

...lots of great writers were addicted to opiates. Maybe you could turn out an abbreviated version of "The Telltale Heart."

Originally Posted by Dudelsack

Call of shame, or as I have nothing better to do right now...

I had this great ride all planned out today, but it's gusting up to 35 mph so I re routed to Floyd Park, content to meander along the MUP. I went to use a rest room and when my bike shoes, which have a thin coating of grease on them, hit the polished concrete floor...

At my age you don't bounce. You hit the concrete with a sickening thud. There's nothing broken, but there are parts of my anatomy that are not amused.

As I stepped outside, I got hit with a 40 mph gust of wind and concluded that the entertainment value of this ride had come to and end.

Now I'm waiting fort wife to get me. 2nd call of shame ever. Bummer.

Originally Posted by surgeonstone

Next time call me to go along with you. I will beat the crap out of the Larouchers and you can hold a sign saying that you are not really seeing me beat the crap out of them.

Originally Posted by Dudelsack

Or could you become a good blogger if you use a lot of Advil?

Originally Posted by Ramona_W

Poutine for lunch today accompanied by some Martinelli's sparkling cider.

Originally Posted by RollCNY

So I took the plunge on a crazy trip, and am currently sitting 102 miles from home, in lovely Geneseo NY. I'll do the full @Heathpack report later. Need to find food now. Badly.

Originally Posted by rjones28

Cayuga Lake Wine tour complete. 14 wineries today. I'm kinda tired.

#itsahardknocklife

Originally Posted by RollCNY

So here is the scoop:

102 miles, 4567 ft of climbing, 6:33 riding time. Slow, I know. Head wind the whole time.

Since I couldn't do the full week, I looked for something that would take two days of the weekend, and not kill me with weather. Both days calling for internittent showers, thunderstorms Saturday, and wind from the west on both days: 7-12 Saturday, 18-35 on Sunday. So I headed for Geneseo and ideally Letchworth State Park, the Grand Canyon of NY. I have never seen it.

So I packed everything in my Tangle frame bag, a large seat bag, my Osprey hydration pack, and a 2.5L dry bag under the seat bag. It appears much of what I brought could be described as "dead weight". Left at 6:15, stopped for coffee, and was off like a herd of turtles.

I did not have a cue sheet. I do not have a GPS. I do not have a smart phone. Navigation was a total frigging nightmare. I have offline open source maps on my tablet, and they blow monkey chunks. I tried to memorize the route, and I knew the roads to take, but I had no mile markers, so I started second guessing my memory, and getting impatient to turn. I never back tracked, but there was a lot of rerouting. I have to fix that before the long trip.

I made the choice to use the fusion rims, and not my hand builts. I mounted an 18t freewheel, so I rode 47x16. I knew there was a ton of hills in the last fifty miles, and a headwind the whole way, so I figured I would go ino easy. The downside is it makes my cruising speed 18-19 mph.

I did the first 20 miles on my normal group ride route, so that was easy, wind was mild, and showers were minimal. By memory, I got to Montezuma National Wildlife preserve. I totally dodged Auburn, which is a pain to ride through, so I was pleased. I used backroads, even though "NY Bike Route 5" runs parallel. Montezuma is essentially a giant swamp, with birds in it. I have pics, if I can figure them out.

From there, I got to Geneva easily, but had to use Rt 20, which is where glass bottles go to die. I don't think I have dodged that much glass in my life. I was able to Dodge all of Geneva as well, and found a road that was a straight level shot to Canandaigua. There, I went out of my way to the lake, and watched a slew of sailboats out woking in the wind. I don't know if it was a group of Lazers, as they were to far away to see. I have a bad shot of that too.

Oh, i forgot! I stopped in Senecaf Falls and got some Women's Rights photos, to show support @truckstop, @Heathpack, and Miss Ramona. While I was there, I saw my former boss, who retired two years ago. He lives that way, was headed to the bank, and the timing intersected. Small world.

Anyway, after Canandaigua, things kindof went to crap. I kept picking the wrong roads,stopping and planning a new route, and missing turns again. The wind picked up, the showers got closer together, andit got a titch colder. And the flats ended. I learned that street names with "Hill Rd" in them include hills. I was cutting across the valleys at this point, going down and up, and down and up. I was slow, and had several back to back 30 rpm climbs.

But I got on a straight line route that looked like it was going to work. And then it turned to a dirt road. And presented a steep hill. I was standing to climb it, and struggling to maintain rear wheel traction. On the rained on dirt road. So I chickened out and walked it. But the route worked out, and plopped me back where I wanted to be.

At mile 90, I hit the town of Livonia. In my head, I thought I still had to pass Honeyoye Falls, which is a narrow and brutally steep valley, and I didn't have a lot of leg left. So I stop at a convenience store, and ask the guy there how far to Honeyoye. He tells me ten minutes, but points back the way I came. Apparently, my dirt road passed by that little stretch of horro, and the hill I walked was the northern side of the same valley. So 12 miles later, and I am at the Quality Inn.

I have to make a decision in the morning. Go 30 mileround trip to see the gorge. This is roughly 2000 feet of climbing in 15 miles. Then ride home after. Or just ride home.

tldr: I rode my bike and had swordfish for dinner.

Originally Posted by RollCNY

tldr: I rode my bike and had swordfish for dinner.

Originally Posted by BillyD

@Roll, I'm glad you reminded me of Montezuma, I've been meaning to get there for a couple of years. Maybe this week.

Gotta check out that Letchworth S. Park too, never heard of that one.




@HP, that hammock setup looks sweet, too!

Originally Posted by ls01

My dad had a lump in his cheak. The dr. removed the lump last week. The lab says it is cancer. He is scheduled to have his salivary gland removed and exploritory/ reconstruction for the 12th. I can't write about it any more than that. He isnt in any danger from the cancer, so thet say,just his other health problems.

Originally Posted by 3alarmer

...You're right, it's hard to be beautiful and hang with these people if you're from somewhere else.



Here's me with one of the local celebrities. I know I'm stylin', but how can I hope to compare with the likes of her ?

Originally Posted by Ramona_W

That's twice this week and twice last week somebody has called me "Miss Ramona". Interesting...

Originally Posted by rjones28

What are you doing with your hand?

Originally Posted by 3alarmer

...he was too polite to tell you they needed more in the way of ballast.

Originally Posted by RollCNY

I don't know if Fulkerson is on Cayuga or Seneca, but they have a white called Diamond that is trés tastey.

Originally Posted by Heathpack

I am bad at math and recently tried to learn to play the ukulele, but that didn't go too well. I have not given up totally on that one though, just taking a break for now.

Originally Posted by surgeonstone

I hated math. I still have bad dreams of showing up naked for my calculus final. 40 years later and the damage is still being done.

Originally Posted by 3alarmer

...I'm certain it is because we miss you, now that you are working full time, @Ramona_W.

I wonder what "Women's Rights photos" means, exactly ? Bra burning photos would be cool.

I know nobody will ever do that again now that the fashion industry has turned them into $50 dainties.