Day 3 and on....

The adventure continues…

Tim:  Here we are on day 3…total travel today 108 miles. It was a day of lessons learned. It started out with me taking the wrong turn coming out of the campground not paying attention to the map and going six miles the wrong way.  My trusty companion collected me and dropped me off where I should have been. After that the day was quite splendid with 70 degrees, sunny, rolling terrain as I left the mountains of the Adirondacks. I had the best road thus far…Moose River Road for about 10 miles of smooth, rolling, tree lined terrain along the river. I also had the worst conditions thus far on Highway 294 which, although paved, would make a VT class four road be proud. Tonight we are staying in Fulton, NY on a campsite next to a small lake.

Marcia: So, this is how Tim’s mind works while out on the road for a day, after a day, after another day. He says much of the time his mind is quiet and meditative, but sometimes he gets a rambling thought and records it for me. Here’s an example of Tim’s rambling voice memo while cruising along through Amish country…

“So if we were making a movie of this bike trip, it would be starring Tim Shea, co-starring Marcia Clark, with best supporting actor would be Tutsi (my bike), best supporting actress would be…hmm…I can’t remember the name of Marcia’s bike. The support crew would be Marcia’s car, and Mavis (our GPS system) would be on navigation, music would be provided by Spotify through Tim’s bluetooth headphones, and it would be produced by Tim Shea and directed by Marcia Clark. The title would be “Tim and Marcia’s Tour de America.” (Credit the title to Nathan.)” 

Tim is clearly so happy on this ride, and it is a blessing to be a part of his inspiring effort. He is getting stronger every day and I am often having a hard time keeping up with him when I drive the route he is riding. If I stop to dip my toes in Lake Erie, he’s coming up behind me before I know it. When I park and bike back to him and we ride together for awhile, it is a challenge to bike back to the car and drive to catch up with him at our next rendezvous point. He’s kind of amazing, cruising along at 15-20 mph when the road allows. 

Amish country through upstate NY was beautiful with orchards and farm stands and hand cut hay stacks. I stopped at one farm where there was a mom with four children selling vegetables from a gorgeous handcrafted stand in their front yard. The little boy in his straw hat smiled and waved when I wiggled my fingers at him. I must be a curiosity with my car packed to the gills and the bike on the back dressed in a tank top and shorts while his mother is in a full length black dress and a white cap on her head in 92 degree heat and blistering sun. Beautiful horse in the breezeway of an old barn, and goats and chickens nearby. A bag of assorted fresh vegetables cost me $3.50. When I thought of what I would pay for the same at the Montpelier Farmer’s Market, I felt a wave of guilt, but we have been enjoying the bounty of these humble people for several nights at our campsites.

Tim: Day four started out by waking up to a beautiful sunrise on a misty lake and a ride through vineyards and peach orchards, meeting Marcia on Sodus Point for a beautiful ride along the shores of Lake Ontario. Marcia had met a wonderful older gentleman walking his dog by the marina and when I came along he flagged me down, took my picture, and pointed towards San Francisco. I then rode 50 miles along the Erie Canalway Bike Path which was stunning, passing  boats, rafters, so beautiful I called Marcia and said “you have to do this”. She parked the car and came out for her second ride of the day. We made it back to our first hotel of the trip, which was a treat, with five minutes to spare before I had to join a conference call for work. I rode 110 miles today with a total of 413 miles completed thus far. The next day included another 50 miles along the Erie Canal where Marcia joined me to finish it. We rode into Lockport, where the locks are a stunning achievement of human ingenuity and the power of water. After a stop at a cafe I headed on to Niagra Falls where we had a nice break and lunch with tens of thousands of other people. Lake Erie State Park for camping tonight. I covered 101 miles today, and we are doing well.

Marcia: Today is our 1st Anniversary. We woke up at Willow Tree Campground to a misty rain. A quick cup of coffee from our tiny camp stove and Tim headed off for Cleveland, Ohio. We have the camp tear down and car pack up figured out to an efficient few minutes, and I headed off on the super highways to rendezvous in West Cleveland instead of trying to follow his slower route. I parked the car and enjoyed beautiful Lakewood Park on the shores of Lake Erie. When I tried to start the car again it was dead. Instead of panicking (my usual go to), I prayed for an angel and started looking around. Two wonderful guys pulled up next to me, and when they heard my plight, they jump started my car and sent me off to a nearby Automaster store. The battery and alternator checked out as ok, so back I went to meet Tim in the park for lunch. I was hoping to find a church to attend this morning, and when I got back to the park there were two churches having services right in front of me. What a treat. When Tim finally made it to me from Cleveland we headed off to Firefly Campground where I was lucky enough to secure a tiny (purple!) cabin for the night right on the shore of Lake Erie. Rustic and wonderful. We had a fabulous meal at a wonderful French restaurant in Vermilion, Ohio, and when our gourmet meal was set in front of us we both started laughing as we thought of the difference between what we were about to eat and our campfire meals. From the ridiculous to the sublime, but all good. 

Tim's response to my asking if he wanted to add any details about his ride through Cleveland: "No. I'm glad it's behind us."

Internet is very spotty, and I can't seem to get our pictures to load tonight...will try to find a way to do that soon. We are well, happy, and having such a wonderful time together. Tomorrow will bring us to a remote campsite in mid-western Ohio. Here's praying that the car holds up until we can get it checked over.