Easy Day

It was a short, mostly flat day from Syracuse to Utica. I got up around 6:30, practically clawed my way out of bed. I had some rhubarb coffee cake from last night for breakfast, said farewell to my hosts, and then was off again. They gave me decent directions (different, and I guess better than Google's) to get me out of town and onto the Erie Canal Trail. I was excited to reach it, knowing I would be able to follow it essentially all the way to Utica, car and trouble free.

...But it was not all that I hoped. The trail's conditions were rough at times, sometimes turning rocky or into dirt, or becoming a narrow line between the grass. But with my tires, that in itself was fine. The bugs that plagued me any time I stopped, festering along the slow moving water of the canal, that was not so fine. And the canal was brackish and almost ugly, certainly far from scenic. It was a hot day, horribly so, building quickly from the nice 60 something of the morning up to nearly 90 at the peak. And I wanted none of it. So, bored of the canal, once I hit the point that it started heading northward for the tow. Of Rome, I wandered my way off it onto highway for a more direct, and hopefully more interesting route. I think I ended up with the better time that way. And at the least, it led to a couple interesting conversations at a gas station from people asking about my trip, one telling me about all the hiking I need to do in Maine someday, the other about his own failed bike tour down the coast twenty years ago. Also, I got an ice cream bar at that gas station and it was the best thing ever.

I got in early, around 2. My host was next door at the neighbor's, putting on his address numbers for him. He showed me around the place and explained that it actually belonged to his friend. He normally stays here, but is currently staying with his friend's sister out at her ranch. He's a bit of a vagabond like myself, and has toured around a good chunk of the country. I got left to my own devices for awhile and had a chance to relax and call folks, while he went back to work. Then he and his friend came back, a dinner of black bean burgers (which he had never tried to make but turned out fantastic) were prepared and eaten, along with beer from the local brewery. His friend works for a company called Indium, which surprise, surprise, does work with indium, as well as other metals and a lot more. It was a good chat where I learned a lot and told a lot.

And I haven't much else to say. I am one week out now on this adventure, a little over 500 miles in according to my bike computer, and just getting started. We'll see what tomorrow brings.