OUR FINGER LAKES RIDE IS COMPLETE!
Joan's View
Finger Lakes bike trip summary
Miles ridden: 390
Elevation gain: 13033 ft.
# of flat tires: 0
# of times the chain fell off: 2
# of bicycle light malfunctions: 1
# of diabetes monitoring device malfunctions: 1
# of people asking us about the tandem, taking our picture, yelling out positive comments: hundreds
Our greeting puppy |
So many cattails & wildflowers |
Approaching yesterday's hill, we saw it from the intersection, along with the ominous extra slow lane for trucks, so we made our refueling pit stop (cherries, trail mix and a potty break), and we started off. This hill was actually a lower percent grade than what experience had told us. Either that or we were definitely in better shape by now. We huffed and puffed and nailed that "wall", and from there on did some pretty smooth cruising all the way back to Lockport. We saw some of the biggest, most beautiful cabbage, carrot and sweet corn fields that I have ever seen. We saw an apple orchard with rows that seemed to have no end. We saw some really memorable buildings. One old barn was bricked in the front and looked almost prettier than the house. We rode through the Iroquois National Wildlife Refuge and enjoyed seeing some bird watchers doing what they enjoy. We made it back to our truck that was pleasantly awaiting us
We did it! |
Thanks you Reid Group! |
Traveling by bicycle, you really get an understanding of the local culture. One of things I learned on this trip is how many of the New York State residents would like to remove New York City from the state and "give" it to New Jersey, or even just split the state into 2 states. Because the population of New York City is so big, it carries a majority when it comes to voting issues in the State, thereby using "city" mentality on issues that affect rural New York State. New York has the toughest gun control laws in the country, and we passed hundreds of signs all along our rides supporting repeal of that law. In addition, the rural New Yorkers seem to feel that they get the burden of additional New York city taxes.
The other big takeaway is that many of the residents feel that the State's image is dominated by the New York City. The people of Finger Lakes region are lovingly proud of the area, and feel that many Americans think of the State or New York the same as New York City, and there is so much more!
We enjoyed our ride. Hope you enjoyed our blog. 💗
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