The weather report suggested a “decent” day for a good ride. In the 40’s to 50’s, risking 60 degrees, partly cloudy (which means partly Sunny!) and gentle winds. Well, they’re ALWAYS gentle until it’s a headwind!

I was itching to get out on a “fast bike” but when I realized conditions might be good to squeeze in a Century, that would mean carrying capacity for shedding clothing, so … the Rivendell got the honors. That also meant the day wouldn’t go as fast and I’d have to stay on task to be sure I got home well before rush hour … or DARK.

I tried, I REALLY TRIED to get up at 6am when the alarm went off. But it was still dark, my cat was visiting me in bed and getting his scratches, and my weighted blanket is so warm and cozy …

7:30am comes around and I finally develop enough motivation (guilt) to get my ass up and out the door a bit after 8am. Now I’m pressed for time. I’ve been riding enough to guess how long it will take me to knock this one off. I plotted a 102 mile route the night before, figuring “I’ll do what I can … no promises.” Not 2 miles out the door and POP … my 4th, maybe 5th, flat in 2022. (Gravel King tires are a sweet ride, but man, they sure are delicate for a “gravel” tire.) On the noisy highway at rush hour, finding the puncture was a challenge but locating the offender still stuck in the tire helped locate the pin-prick in the tube. More pressed for time … not optimistic.

Back up and running, I headed southeast toward Macedon on “roads” rather than my usual escape from town via trails … yeah … think I’ll avoid “gravel” today.

My turn-around point was out past Clifton Springs … Toll Road out by the Newark Reservoir. The turn resulted in putting the headwind to my back and picking up the pace toward Canandaigua, where of course, I stop again at Dalai Java for rocket fuel … a Red-Eye and a cookie. I take my goodies to the little park across the street and have a look at the computer: My first stop, 58 miles in and it’s only 1:30.  It’s decision time ... I could just head north to the Auburn Trail and head home via the shortest, most direct route. I’d be sure NOT to be late for dinner. Or, I could try to tough it out … Woolston Road being the “barrier” that could make or break the ride. And Me.

Pain is temporary. Mileage Logs are Forever. Let’s Go.
​

The pace slowed down a bit after that, but I was relaxed knowing that I’d certainly knock this one off in time since I’d have a tailwind going home. Until I turned north. The wind had shifted from southeast to northwest. In what seemed like an eternity, I finally reached Mendon Ponds Park and pulled over to refill water bottles. I don’t drink like I should when it’s cool, I dehydrate quickly, and it doesn’t help that I left the house with less than a full bottle. So, a 5 minute stop to drink and refill was required. From Mendon Ponds, the cruise back into the city was pretty simple and putting a foot down in my driveway was a “Special Moment”. I’ve done countless Century rides over the years, but “The First One” each season is important.

It tells me I ain’t dead yet!
​

​So, I hope to do several more centuries this season … maybe ten … with #10 on September 10th, 2022 being yet another “Very Special Ride”. Check it out!

https://fundraise.michaeljfox.org/nepr-2022/bcmbike

Peace!
B

With a somewhat stressful start to the year, this winter has been one where I’ve been MORE than anxious for spring arrive. I was OUT riding this winter as soon as I was cleared from the hernia surgery and I gotta say … I’m not sure if I’ve ever been happier getting back on the bike after an intermission. Weather be damned, I don’t let cold and snow and ice get in the way of a great ride. Studded fat bike tires are the enabling technology if ya like living around here. Yet, this winter has NOT been one of Rochester’s “most impressive”. According to the Golden Snowball, we are about 12 inches behind schedule: 83 vs the 95 inches average to date (3/23/22) and will likely yield this year’s award to Buffalo .... again.  ;-)

Mid-March, I needed to squeeze in one more (?) cool ride on possibly one of our last snowy days of the season.

And just three days later - POP goes spring, sunshine, warm temps (hit 70!), and the first “longer” ride of the season. I was due for a coffee at Dalai Java in C-Daigua!

Warmer weather and longer days also lure friends out on their bikes, so no surprise, Andy has a day free and we do the “Spring Spin” around the bay before the bay outlet crossing sadly slams shut for the season. (Note how that’s worded.) I have more free time than Andy and Karen, so I supplement the ride with an extra loop of my own.

A bit cooler the following day, I have some “research” to do. I’m excitedly watching the continuing upgrades to the Genesee Valley Greenway. New York Parks (formally known as “OPRHP” or “Office of Parks, Recreation, and Historic Reservation” - seriously?) resurfaced the Scottsburg to Avon section last year and are working on the Scottsburg - Ballantyne section this year. Step one involves establishing a track for the hard base that follows.

I met a worker at the Brooks road crossing who told me the expected completion should be around mid June. Hmmm … maybe in time for another southbound S24H … or longer? Who’s in?

I had to jump off the trail at Brooks because the equipment was working south of there, so I took a paved bypass down to Scottsville. Sadly, I met an innocent victim of road rage (f***ing cars!) along the way, and moved him off the asphalt and into the grass. Ya know … I don’t see murdered animals on the side of bike trails. Just sayin’.

At Wadsworth Junction, I turn east across the Genny and lazily cruise the length of the Lehigh Valley Trail through Rush, Rochester Junction, and Mendon to the Auburn Trail connection. Along the way, I see a new development … a creative and natural solution to improve a hikers’ experience in low lying sections.

Anyway, I wrapped up the day with 57 miles on my slightly modified “5 Trail Loop” … the first of likely several runs this coming year(s).

​And ya know what’s REALLY cool about SPRING? It means my skinny bikes can finally come out and play too.

Got some very preliminary ideas for this year's Adventures, and one already locked in:
https://neparkinsonsride.org/the-ride
​

Like Me               DaTscan               NOT Me

In an earlier post, I mentioned “a distraction” that has monopolized quite a bit of my time in the last few months. Not the hernias that seem, in retrospect, a non-issue in comparison. That was dealt with in quick order, and with the exception of two tiny and quickly fading incision scars, hardly deserves any mention at all.

The “distraction” started back in the early spring of 2021 with a general wellness exam with my new primary care physician. But more accurately, the distraction FIRST made a significant appearance in May of 2016 when my Route 66 tour group I was leading for Adventure Cycling took a rest day in Santa Fe New Mexico. We were holed up for two nights at a hostel and I had a lower bunk in a co-ed dorm. In a dream one night, I experienced something attacking me and kicked at it. I quickly woke up realizing that yes, I kicked at the offender in my dream, but also kicked at it for real. I kicked so hard, I broke my big toe on the underside of the bunk above me.

The tour was challenging enough, but took on a new flavor riding the rest of the route to Chicago with a broken toe.

Since then, the frequency of acting out my dreams has increased and Karen can verify that I’ve become increasingly “difficult” to sleep with. (I’ve been told that before, but never really thought about it in quite that way.)

​In fact, Karen has witnessed / experienced enough of my nocturnal outbursts to raise concerns about it, her own safety in particular.

So in the general discussion with my PCP last spring, I noted this issue, asking what might be going on here. I thought perhaps she might recommend seeing a shrink … that would seem reasonable. But no, not a shrink (just yet perhaps), but a sleep study … a polysomnogram. OK … So I go to the University of Rochester sleep center one night, get all wired up and hit the sack. Shortly after, I see the report:

“There was increased muscle tone and gross motor activity during stage REM, consistent with REM Behavior Disorder.”

Idiopathic REM Behavior Disorder, a parasomnia … aka RBD. “WTF?” I ask. The internet comes to my rescue from ignorance. RBD is a condition where the normal skeletal muscle paralysis during REM stage of sleep doesn’t happen. The reason paralysis is “normal” during REM is exactly so that you don’t do what I’ve been doing … kicking, punching, flailing around, jumping out of bed, etc, etc. … so that you don’t hurt yourself, your bed partner, or destroy your bedroom furnishings.

So, the sleep center docs take me under their wing and counsel me on how to prevent injuries. Sleep alone, put your mattress on the floor, remove everything (including weapons … they’re serious … I’ve read the stories!) from the area, pad corners of furniture … essentially create a padded cell. And … there are drugs to help. One commonly used one has some nasty side effects, so they recommend melatonin as reasonably effective, but far safer. OK!

So, I hit the interwebs to learn more about this crazy thing, and I learn something else. You could call RBD “brain damage” or “brain disease” if you like, but that’s nothing compared to what it could ALSO be: a prodromal symptom of a synucleinopathy, like Dementia with Lewy bodies, multiple system atrophy (MSA), or … Parkinson’s Disease (PD). Depending on which source I read from … Parkinson’s Foundation, Davis Phinney Foundation, Michael J. Fox Foundation, NAPS Consortium for RBD … I see estimates of between 75 to 91% of people with RBD eventually develop Parkinson’s primarily, and the other two significantly less frequently, but no less scary.

To be honest, I’ve never been the kind of person who ever thought: “Oh, that will never happen to me!”  like so many people do about things like getting caught drunk driving, dying of cancer, or getting killed skydiving. Getting close to the last of those three taught me otherwise. 

And I learned a lot about the research that’s been done to date regarding risk factors for PD. They say genetics loads the gun, but environmental factors pull the trigger. Suspected risk factors include:

1. Exposure to heavy metals.

    Does melting lead bullets on a skillet in the kitchen as a kid to pour into molds to make fishing sinkers count? How about working in the foundry of a car battery factory molding the lead grids?

2. Head trauma.

    That wicked crash on my mountain bike where I did a pile-up on my head, ended up in ER with a concussion, and was a spinal wreck for a good 6 months before I could even get back on the bike … I still occasionally visit the bone jerker to unkink the neck.

3. The “gut-brain axis” … H. Pylori infection. 

    Check! Even ended up with a duodenal ulcer.

4. Industrial solvents: Trichloroethane.

    15 years in mold making and using “T” on a nearly daily basis. Check!

I understand enough about statistics and risk factors to recognize what that 75-91% mentioned above really could mean for me.

I’ve read all of Michael J. Fox’s books and I’m reeling at the impact on his life, but damn thankful for what he’s accomplished. I’m learned that some friends in the bike club have volunteered to ride and raise money for Parkinson’s research because it hit close to home for them. And I’ve also learned that a couple friends in the club have developed PD, and that helps me face the statistics as well.

So what to do?

Volunteer! What have I got to lose? I plan to join the bikers in the next Ride for Parkinson’s this year to raise $$ for the Fox Foundation, but that doesn’t seem like quite enough when I could help with a clinical study, and there IS one the UofR is involved with … the Parkinson’s Progression Markers Initiative (PPMI) funded by the Fox Foundation. They need people who have “risk factors” (RBD being a big one) but not yet diagnosed and taking meds for PD. That’s me, so I sign up to volunteer!

They have to screen candidates for the study and step one is a smell test. It seems loss of smell (NOT related to COVID, obviously) is an early sign. Karen has always commented on how I can’t seem to smell anything she picks up easily. I assumed my nose was blown out from trichlor! I take the test and wait for results. The next thing I know, I’m asked to proceed to the next screening test. I guess I failed that one spectacularly!

The next step is a DaTscan. It’s a brain imaging test that can see dopaminergic activity, or the lack thereof, in the area of the brain that’s responsible for PD. I get that done, and wait.

I got a call back from the PPMI study coordinator at UofR.

The DaTscan results:
+++++++++++++++++
FINDINGS:
There is bilateral normal symmetric uptake within the putamen and caudate nuclei.
Impression
Findings not suggestive of Parkinsonian syndrome.
+++++++++++++++++

I’m NOT eligible to participate in the study. And I found myself quite disappointed, a bit sad. Too much time as a Boy Scout, too much time as a Coast Guardsman, too much time volunteering for all kinds of things over a lifetime has kinda made my life all about serving and helping others. And here, where I thought I might have a way to really help find a way to stop this terrible disease, I’m not invited.

But then, a sigh of relief. A huge weight off my shoulders. I realize that I’m a statistical anomaly. I’m surprised considering all the risk factors (and some non-motor symptoms) I’ve checked the boxes on. That’s not to say there’s NO chance I might have something develop later, and I still have to deal with the ongoing impact of RBD, but for the moment I’m happy to know I’m NOT expected to develop PD. I’ve dodged the bullet.

For a comedian's take on RBD ... funny ... but ...  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B02NsP33pRM&t=7s

​Now, back to Biking!

What a difference 24 hours can make!

A cool and foggy / windy day to start the New Year. But then ...
​

​2022 off to a great start! Cheers!

​Or thereabouts.

Wrapping up '21, I’m at the ‘puter now after we enjoyed a really nice ride today, Dec. 31st, with our friends, A&C. 31 miles. 45 degrees. Little if any wind and partly cloudy. The only hitch was my rear flat tire … the second in three days. I’ve had enough flats this year to cover all of ’22 … I think that’s fair.

I did a lousy job of tracking my biking miles this year (2021). I let RWGPS track and record all my “real” rides, but I neglected to let it record the gazillion of commutes to the gym and back.

There. I said it. I went to “the gym”. Never thought I’d say that. I always questioned why someone would drive to a gym to workout when they could ride a bike out the door of their house and have a lot more fun, stay out longer, and burn more calories. (At least, I never DROVE to the gym!) But heck … my gym membership is free because my insurance pays for it, and I’ve been inspired by a revelation this year which may be detailed in a later posting. So, we even splurged to hire a personal trainer for 6 months just to get ourselves started. Given that my only “weight training” experience involved a lot of heavy lifting in multiple factory jobs in my younger days and pressing 100+ pound steel plates overhead while working in a prior career as a plastics mold maker, I figured learning how to do things correctly might not be a bad idea. Better late than never! ​I’ve traumatized my body with enough broken bones and torn connecting tissues over the years that I don’t think I have a lot of UN-injured parts left to sacrifice.

I guess I play a little too hard. Or, I’m just terribly uncoordinated.

But anyway … that gym time took a hit on my bike mileage this year. 2020 was much better with over 11,000 miles, but I’m OK with 8400 (or 8500, or 8600 …whatever). But two or three days a week at the gym for almost 6 months DID have it’s payoffs, however. I hit my lowest weight / BMI / BMR ever since boot camp, could do a plank for FIVE MINUTES, and on the bike, I could climb hills like a raped ape. OK!!

But let’s not blame the gym for sucking up ALL my time off the bike.

Then there was the hernia. Or two, actually. Now, full disclosure … I knew I had a hernia for years before the gym thing. I didn’t bust anything working out. 

Well … not there anyway. More likely from schleppin’ overweight luggage for bike tour guests who can’t follow simple instructions on gear limitations.

A DOT physical revealed the hernia years ago, and I was TOLD to see a surgeon about that. (It didn’t bother me so …) But I got a new Doc this year, and she told me: Get it fixed! OK, OK! I mentioned to the surgeon that I had another “bump” nearby that had been there as long as I can remember. Turns out, I had TWO hernias to fix. So all that set me back with over a month off the bike!

All stitched back up, and back on the bike, and feeling’ great!

But then … there’s that “other distraction” that’s on my mind. Sadly, I neglected to share the story of a wonderful 4-day bike camping tour down into the southern end of the Finger Lakes with Karen, Todd and Dave, because I’ve been so distracted, but I’ll get to the tales of that adventure later … really. It was likely THE highlight of the year for me.
​

I’ve been on the ‘puter doing a lot of research in the last year, particularly the last 6 months, and since I don’t have the right “confirmation” to share just yet, I’ll save that discussion for a later post ... perhaps in just a few weeks. Stay tuned.

So, 2021 was a disrupting year. My sweet sweet kitty Ziplock passed away, I did no BIG tours, I got laid up for longer than planned, and I discovered a potential “issue” to deal with looking forward. But I might have big dreams and adventures in the works for ’22!

​Happy New Year!

 Just another (century) ride. Nothing special, just an easy loop on a rare day of low temps and low humidity. Well, THAT’s kinda special in late August, wouldn’t ya think?

But I got rolling early. Out the door at 6:30am … in case it DOES get hot. But it’s a special, special day ‘cause I’m ridin’ the FrankenTrek with NEW TIRES!

Yeah … that last episode of riding a front flat in from 5 miles out on the Independence Century (after flatting THREE times) has made me question if going long on the FT is a bit too risky, given that the bike is jinxed with flats. Even with Conti Gatorskins, that I’ve always loved, this bike just can’t seem to stay on the road.

So, new tires, new tubes … and can ya believe it … I actually finished this day’s century w/o a hitch.
​

Headwinds increased a bit as I approached Sodus Point, and they were on full display at the beach and breakwalls at the bay, with huge waves crashing and throwing spray 30 feet in the air.
​

Exciting to watch, as well as the kite surfer who was having mostly good luck staying upright. But bummed that the food stand wasn’t open. Alas, the c-store at the corner met my basic needs of Spicy Chili Doritos (400 calories and 28% daily sat-fat!) and a coke.

Southbound on NY14 toward Lyons, I veered off the highway to take in some gorgeous farm country views on Klippel Road, which reminded me of the rolling Flint Hills of eastern Kansas, without the gravel. That extra loop was added to help meet my century mark. Easy decision.
​

In Lyons, I grab a coke at the Sunoco station and decide to just hop on the Canal trail for the quiet, yet surprisingly quick cruise back to Rochester. I did stop briefly at the Pal-Mac park to do some stretching as I’m not used to being so stretched out on long rides on my road bike, but I do see the advantage!  102 miles in 7 and 1/2 hours is not the numbers I get on any other bike.

OK … the FrankenTrek is (probably still) jinxed, but it IS the speedstar in my fleet.

Keep Rolling!

Beechwood State Park. Ever hear of it? Maybe if you were a Girl Scout long ago. Or maybe if you’re a Sodus area resident, you may have wandered in after hearing from friends.

Or, maybe you’re a cyclist who has ridden out Lake Road countless times and finally decided to go check out this tiny pocket of damn near wilderness pine forest. That was me back in April when I took a ride to the east and discovered a GEM of a campground. Beechwood State Park, long ago abandoned by the Girl Scouts and handed over to NYS, is managed by the Town of Sodus and the “super” (Sal V.) overseeing the property lives practically on-site.

Wanting to get more “under-the-stars” time, I cajoled a gang of friends to join me for a bike-overnight out to Beechwood … roughly a flat 40 spin from our place. 

Dave and Todd arrive at our place …
​

… and together with Karen, we four head to Steve’s where we pick up Steve, Joe and Andy.
​

And off we go! Taking frequently used and familiar roads out to Wayne County, we dipped briefly into Williamson to grab some lunch. Joe suggested a short detour off-route to the village park “behind the school” … across the grass. So I promptly steered us wrong down a driveway into a cemetery … with grass … thinking I found the spot.
​

But no … the park is waaaaay over there! Down the road, up a hill … through the grass. We get to the ball fields, and find picnic tables, water, porta-pot and shade. Cool!
​

​Exiting the park, we head right out a driveway. Did we see the driveway beforehand? No. Would we have used it if we had? Likely not. Joe wanted to share an adventure and we all cooperated, of course.

Back on route, we meander down Old Ridge Road and into Sodus where we stopped to gather supplies for the evening. Subs, drinks, and ice. Uh, ice? Yup. Figuring a cold drink at camp is worth a little extra effort, I had selected my Surly Long Haul Trucker to be the bike for this trip, partly because it’s too easy toss a set of panniers on, but also because that’s the bike that pulls my Bob trailer. I found that a mid-sized Coleman cooler fits perfectly on the deck of the Bob.

​We loaded 3 bags of ice, cold drinks and sandwiches into the cooler and off we went … slowly at first. It took me a few miles to adapt and “smooth out” the huge handling differences of the bike after loading up the cooler, but it became manageable in short order. The trick really turned out to be simply relaxing MORE, letting the bike find it’s line, and supply only essential steering input. The snake-like motion of starting out quickly settles into an easy cruise if you don’t hammer it. The extra weight makes crossing busy highways a real adventure, but otherwise, it’s quite fun rolling a bike down the road that FEELS like an 18-wheeler. Yeah, I know … only a rabid bike-geek would find that  “fun”.  Guilty!

We arrived at the park …

… and took little time to decide on where to pitch tents.

​Perfect! Nice wide open grassy area on a short bluff overlooking Lake Ontario and a fire ring in the middle of it. Best Part? Soft ground that you can drive a tent stake in with NO effort at all. It doesn’t take long before we start settling in. Tents go up …

… food explodes from panniers …
​

… and we enjoy some quiet time awaiting the advancing sundown.
​

Some of the gang did a little exploring of the park earlier, and found the detritus of the days when this was a Girl Scout camp.
​

And yes ... these lean-tos ARE available for camping.

The pool needs work though.

And, then we have a stunning Sundown!

Time for a campfire …
​

A beautiful night’s sleep (speaking for myself … I was exhausted), and we’re up the next day headed for breakfast! Joe suggested we try Nick’s on Old Ridge Road and that was a winner! I got my corned beef hash benedict and way too much coffee.
​

Must have been the coffee, or maybe the lightened load on the trailer (all fluids had been disposed of), but I was feeling my oats in the morning.
​

But maybe it was the candy! We stopped in Williamson to check out the Candy Kitchen and I scored some cashew-chocolate things. (Can't wait to get home and ...)
​

On the way back west toward home, we started splitting up for our respective homes. But Todd, who parked overnight at our place, willingly followed Karen on a special reward detour:

​Netzin’s Ice Cream.

That's How We Roll!

Of course it’s perfectly appropriate to wanna run the bike club’s “Independence Century” on July 4th, calendar-wise. It’s maybe NOT appropriate to ride it on a bike that has a “history” of getting you far away from home and THEN starts to let you down. Such is my relationship with my "FrankenTrek".

It’s jinxed.

I shouldn’t complain. It’s history goes back to 1995 when I walked into the Park Ave bike shop and chatted with Andy (August - owner) about parts or something, and caught the sparkle of something in the corner of my eye. I turned to see a stunning all copper-ice colored carbon road racing bike.
​

One of THOSE bikes … not like anything I’ve ever owned. It only had TWO chainrings, and a “corn-cob” cassette.  And it weighs … like … NOTHING.

This was no touring bike. It was “A Fast Bike”.

I don’t deserve a bike like that.

I want it anyway.

I took it home.

And the trouble starts.

Brifters fail and get replaced by reliable bar-end shifters and “braking-specific” brake levers. Ten years later, the frame cracks at the bottom bracket shell and is replaced under warranty.  The frame steering tube spec changed from 1” to 1 & 1/8” over that time, so adaptors are pressed into the new frame to accept the old copper fork … the last remnants of “The Reason” I first bought the bike. Gearing get’s reduced and replaced as age bears down on the rider. 

But, the wheels are the real mystery. I’m really impressed with these wheels. Deep-V aero design rims, original from 1995, true and round as the day I bought the bike. I’ve never even touched them with a spoke wrench, not even once, and it’s the lightest wheelset in the stable. They take “skinny” tires. 23’s are best. 25’s are OK. 28’s are a bit too close a fit. Tires wear quickly on this thing. I’ve gone through several sets over the last 26 years, but I’ve gone through so many patch kits and spent so many hours sidelined on the road fixing flats that I’ve gotta be crazy to ride the thing more than walking distance from home.

It’s jinxed, I tell you! And it reminded me yet again on the Independence Century.

Surprisingly good turnout of riders for this year’s run. It’s a long hard ride that starts in Dansville requiring an early morning start just to get there. Weather was cooperating for a long day ride, and I’m stunned to find that the other 8 riders are doing the cut at 65 miles, rather than doing the century. Ya drive all the way to Dansville for a 65 mile ride at 8am start? (10:00am maybe)

We get some miles into it before I separate from the main group and pass by the 65 mile cut. The ride was rolling wonderfully, since while riding alone, I tend to fall into my pace that makes for comfortably loooong rides. A few miles after Wellsville comes the turn east toward Independence and the real hills begin.

Independence Road, running between Independence and Andover, just keeps throwing the roller-coasters at you, one after another, till you finally come down to route 417. Gentle north winds slowed me down a bit, but the cooling breezes in those hills were welcome.
​

​Another three miles of minor grades up Shovel Hollow Road and then it’s TEN miles of gently descending around the bends.
​

​In Hornell, I grab a drink at a c-store then head north toward the reservoirs. It wasn’t exciting to see our twisty little escape route out of Hornell on Old Big Creek Road freshly chip-sealed, but Reservoir Road has been (finally!) freshly paved silky smooth. NOW I’m excited!

Arriving at Hornell Reservoir #3 (with the hole to hell), I stand up to make the corner and … thump! … my front rim bottoms out. Flat. REALLY? I’m 90 miles into the ride, I’m less than an hour to finish, and I flat! This sucks, because the tire I have on the front is way too tight of a fit and it takes a miracle to get it off. It take THREE levers and a lot of teeth grinding, but I get it off, find the hole, patch it, and STILL can’t find the cause … NOTHING in the tire. Takes a 1/2 hour till it’s pumped up and on the bike, so since I’m stopped, I kill the remaining 1/2 of a cliff bar (it was opened a couple weeks ago … I should finish it anyway) and finally get going again.

Untrusting, and riding gently into South Dansville, it flat’s again!

OK … repeat … tire off … patch tube … try again to find the source of the flat. I only now realize that BOTH punctures aren’t facing the tire, rather, they face the rim. Close inspection reveals that the (original 27 year old) rim tape has dried up, slipped a little, and exposed a spoke hole. AHA! I’m thrilled beyond belief! I can finally relax knowing that the problem is solved and I can go ahead with a fast downhill back to Danville. One-half hour later again, I’m back on the road and at the “bump” climb at the Stony Brook Glen intersection, I stand to climb the hill and … POW.

WTF!!!!

I walk the bike up to the top and stop to think.

Every patch job take a 1/2 hour to do (not to mention jackin’ up my blood pressure!) and it’s getting late. I’m obviously missing something but haven’t a clue what. I only have one patch left and if it too fails to get me in (likely), I’m still gonna have to walk another 5 miles back to town or hitch a ride. It’s ALL downhill to town. Screw it!

Gently, slowly, I ride it in. 5-6 mph is faster than walking. I just have to be careful not to ride on a sloping surface and not make quick steering adjustments. Shouldn’t worry … it’s not like I’m gonna roll THIS tire off the rim. I make a special point to watch for any bumps that might damage the rim, and hope I can get back with a good wheel, but sacrificial tire and tube.

I made it back to the ride start 2 hours later than expected. It could have been much worse. I could have had my flats in Independence!  I’m blessed, right? I got home, hung up the bike, had a bite to eat, went to bed.

Another hard hilly century, complete with “special challenges”.

Wonderful Day!
​

Sub-24 Hour Overnight. A term that arose from the initiative to gently introduce new cyclists to touring by bike. The idea is that jumping on a bike and riding across the country might be a bit over-the-top for beginning tourists, but perhaps a short, easy-to-recover-from overnight camp trip might be the place to start to get your feet wet (sometimes literally). It’s a chance to test-drive your bike, your gear, your preparation, and maybe … yourself.

How convenient that the Genesee Valley Greenway offers a neat little option to do that!

As the Greenway heads south out of Mount Morris paralleling NYRoute 36, it takes a turn through the now-closed Livingston Correctional Facility and into the Sonyea State Forest. The original canal route and the subsequent railroad went into the Keshequa Creek Gorge, but severe erosion has left the original route impassable, so the Greenway trail winds up an old road into the forest and comes to a trail that accesses the gorge. DOWN into the gorge, one can find a nice single track trail leading to campsites along the creek. That’s our destination for a “First Run” of a Scottsville to Sonyea bikepacking overnighter.

Our tiny “advanced scouting team” of myself and Karen of course, plus veteran off-road tourist Todd, and “bike packing newbie” Mark all planned to meet at the church/park parking lot in Scottsville at 10:00am. Even with the chance of rain, Karen was OK to ride down the Greenway from home in the city to Scottsville, a 17 mile warmup. Todd did the same from his home, 8 miles away, so Mark’s was the only car left overnight in the park … with permission, of course. We hit the trail.
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​Heading out of Scottsville from Canawagus Park, our first stretch of trail has us riding the newly resurfaced section of trail between Scottsville and Route 5 just east of Avon. A major project, NYS Parks went all in on widening, clearing, installing a new base and top surface (stone dust … like on the Erie Canal in places) and adding amenities and water management structures. Wonderful work, but as I mentioned in an earlier post, the section south of Wadsworth Junction …

​… where the Lehigh Valley Trail crosses the river and connects to the Greenway … had seen heavy horse impacts on the trail. It seemed a bit less jarring this time, but perhaps because I was on my fat bike this time. Time will tell if the trail “settles” and packs down hard like others have. Just before reaching Route 5, we explored the Erie-Attica Trail that extends eastward from the Greenway toward the village of Avon and found that it too appears to have gained some attention, but it too has been pocked by horses. Not a problem for the right bike. The trail crosses the Genesee River …

… and stops at a parking area accessible from Route 5&20. From here, it’s easy access to downtown Avon for food and refreshments.

Returning to the Greenway and crossing Routes 5&20, the trail reverts to natural surface, double track …
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​… and leads us to the remains of the Genesee Valley Canal’s Lock Five.

​It’s easy to miss with all the tree and brush growing up around it. Perhaps a work party can address this sometime? We continued south through Piffard and found our hopes for a cool drink dashed when we discovered that the Yard of Ale opens for dinner only, no afternoon bliss in air conditioning for us!

​Onward, we tried again for a break … food AND fluids …, but no luck in Cuylerville either as the Greenway Pub was open for drinks but wasn’t serving food.

​No problem … Mount Morris is just a stone’s throw. We planned on stopping here for supplies anyway, but the bartender at the pub suggested Brian’s (not MINE) USA Diner on the highway just north of the entrance to Letchworth State Park. We’ve been there and knew the food was good, so that became the dinner plan. After dinner, we hit the Kwik-Fill in town to stock up supplies, and headed south, but not before the obligatory photo on the bridge over the river in Mount Morris!

​Mark, I’ll mention here, is just beginning to ramp up into this whole bike-touring thing and didn’t have all the gear, or capacity FOR the gear, so his plan was to ride with us to the gorge, but not camp there. Rather, Mark got a reservation at the Greenway Motel just south of Mount Morris and right across the highway from the trail. We could intercept him in the morning on the way to breakfast. Simple! So we pulled in there, Mark got checked in and dumped some gear, and we took off for the forest. It was a short stretch from the motel to turn into the grounds of the former Livingston Correctional Facility. Strange and spooky place! The grounds appear well kept, but most of the buildings look like something out of a Hitchcock film. Mark captured some interesting light on this one:

​Anyway, we enter the forest via the closed off end of Union Corners Road. You can’t drive a car into the forest from this end, but you can get in via Tuscarora. The route in is little more than a double track till it gets to the gate restricting access to the gorge itself. Down we go into the gorge, riding it mostly, but dismounting to hike-a-bike down for the final drop to creek level.

​And the reward? Perhaps one of the sweetest, discreetest little out-of-the-way campsites you could ever find. Alongside the creek with it’s waterfalls, pools and pollywogs, we find level tent sites, an impressive fire ring, and a selection of nicely spaced trees to experiment with hammock camping.

In the morning, we climbed out of the gorge and headed toward Mount Morris, bypassing the Greenway Motel and heading for the Radisson Country Inn where we meet Mark. Mark shared a harrowing story of a night-gone-bad at the hands of a less than hospitable desk attendant at the Greenway Motel. He "upgraded" to a bed at the Rad in town, and was surprisingly upbeat about the whole thing, Mark being Mark and all. I suspect he may be enthusiastically searching for gear for camping now.

We all returned to Brian’s USA Diner for breakfast to fuel up for our return to Scottsville. Food was great and portions were “truck-stop standard”. Wow!

A great day 2! Weather was warm and sunny and people were out enjoying the trail. We arrived back in Scottsville early afternoon but chilled for another hour or so at Artisan’s cafe. From there, Mark drove home, Todd had 8 more miles to home, we had 17. Wrapping up the overnight, Karen and I logged just over 100 miles on loaded fat bikes and slept really well that night. This overnighter proved out OK. We’ll plan another run to Sonyea!

Who's Ready for Beechwood State Park?

A reasonably cooperative weekend, weather wise, let me score some club ride miles in the style I like best … scenic!  (AKA … Hilly!)

It started with Saturday’s RBC #223, Naples-Haskinville ride; an “Al Davis” creation, on Mayday (May 1st). Long term members of the Rochester Bicycling Club get the Al Davis reference. The route is a 54 mile cruise in the hills south of Naples NY and the highlight of the ride MOST folks think of is Neil’s Creek Road, which meanders generally downhill and twisting along a creek valley for miles on a very, very quiet road. Sweet! It starts at around 25 miles into the ride and one pops out on the highway pointed to a food stop in Avoca at around mile 31 … IF you take the route unedited as people sometimes do.

Why “sometimes”?

Mack School Road is a barrier.

It’s a nice road. And, unlike when this route was created, it’s nicely paved now (OK … chipsealed) and no longer a muddy dirt road. (Sniff!) But it’s got a bit of rather stiff climbing that can be avoided with a minor detour. The “moderate” group I was riding with that day elected to avoid it, but I blindly stuck to the main route, well, because. And because I was riding my Co-Motion Pangea, currently shod with knobby tires (on a road ride? Idiot!), I took a short-cut on the (dirt) Demmery Road which passes by a very old cemetery …
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… before connecting with Mack School Road.

OK … I’m a cheater. The reason I don’t have a reluctance to hit steep roads is GEARS. The super-low ratios of the Pinion gearbox on my Pangea allows me to climb grades that, quite honestly, SHOULD be avoided by any reasonable person on a reasonable bike. Never have been accused of being reasonable, I felt fully empowered to be myself and have a grand time.

I barely intercepted my group later at the store in Avoca who arrived there much earlier and were just heading out. I skipped the chance for a slice of pizza, and rejoined the group , heading toward another classic section of the route, 12 Mile Creek Road. Our club has a few routes that use this road on the return to Naples, but I never tire of it. Ten miles of very quiet and nearly imperceptible climbing though the woods to the top of the hill south of Naples is a joy, particularly when it’s a sunny day with gentle southerly winds.

But then … it’s a fast wild downhill on the highway to town to wrap up the ride. No complaints!

OK … THAT was cool. What’s next?

Sunday, May 2.

I’m the Ride Leader for yet another classic “Al Davis” ride: RBC #199: The Killer Hills. This time, the weather is looking “iffy”. Possible showers off-and-on most of the day, and not exactly warm enough to manage that without raingear. Wisely, most people I would normally expect to do this ride are no-shows on the club’s Meetup page. But Mike K. hangs in there till the last moment and decides shortly before the start to give it a shot after I make a post … 

“Do ya Feel Lucky?”

We start from Geneseo with a few drops of rain that disappear quickly. After the first of 4 climbs, we’re cruising nicely till we get to the first of the two “memorable” climbs: Vista Hill.
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​It takes a while, but we clear it OK w/o broken chains or broken bodies. Plunging down to Dansville via Sahrles Hill Road, we stop for coffee before the climb up Coffee Hill Road (see what I did there?), the second of the two “memorables”. Is there a better plan? This hill is a pretty tough grind as well, and we start hearing pinging sounds from Mike’s rear wheel spokes that suggest that he’s been torquing the crap out of it. We stop to check and it seems survivable, so we continue on. We enjoy a wild cruise down Kyserville-Byersville Road to highway 36 and we stop to evaluate the weather. We see rain ahead up on Groveland Hill. Radar on the smartphone says we are gonna get wet no matter which way we go. May as well stick to the plan! We cross the valley to Groveland Station, getting a bit damp from the “Heavy Sprinkles” (not quite a “light rain” in my weather spectrum), but as we turn up the hill, Mike mentions a wise proverb about the birds we hear singing … that they do that when the rain is about to STOP.

10 seconds later, the rain stops and the sun begins to cast our shadows on the pavement.

Thank you Oh Wise Ones!

Over the top and with a bit of headwind, we enjoyed the quick and general downhill back to Geneseo to wrap up a Really Cool Ride™, dry and happy that we “Felt Lucky”