Day 6 - Exhaustion sets in - The Long Way to Cleveland

May 20, 2023

Day 6 - Exhaustion sets in

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Colin BakerThat’s a very gradual grade, like something Out West.
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1 year ago

There is nothing worse than gear failure on a long expedition, and last night, my Klymit air mattress, which had performed great on my first night out, developed a leak and would not stay inflated. So there I was, trying to sleep on asphalt with only a half inch of foam under me, with the wind unrelenting all night, rain beating down on the aluminum roof and my hips getting sore from the lack of padding. Needless to say, I got very little sleep, and I wanted to be out of there before anyone came to question me. I now know where the term 'bleary-eyed' comes from. With another storm due to roll in later in the day, I decided to once again book a room at an AirBnb. It would mean a short ride, but a much needed rest. It's really a shame that I didn't sleep, as I was on the road at 6:45 and conditions had greatly improved for putting on some miles. But I have a very nice room in a Victorian bed and breakfast (with actual breakfast) at a price that is much less than what a motel would charge, if there was even a motel in the area. I checked in at 1:00 and immediately fell asleep on the bed.

Right out of Mooers, I began a 15-mile gentle incline to get over the Adirondacks. Long slow climbs like this are uncommon in the East - they're generally short and steep. This one was very manageable and I made pretty good time. Since I hadn't had my normal breakfast of instant oatmeal, I stopped at Sherry's Restaurant, which is located in a VFW hall near New York bike route 11. Sherry and her daughter, Debbie, manage the place, and were kind enough to let me stay as long as I wanted after finishing some French toast and coffee. So I rested there and talked with some of the locals, who Debbie described as rednecks. They were really just farmers, and the main topic of their conversation was who was getting contracts for windmills.

This is what the farmers were talking about.

Just a reminder that this is pretty close to the border.

Today's ride: 46 miles (74 km)
Total: 342 miles (550 km)

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Lou KatzinI’m really enjoying the photos you choose to post. Great reading the descriptions of your travels and the people you are meeting, too.
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1 year ago