July 17, 2021
To Ithaca
Afterthoughts on Watkins Glen
Oh, OK. Perhaps I was wrong, and maybe Watkins Glen is well known for reasons other than its incredible state park. For instance, you may have known of it for its colorful, iconic pier extending out into Seneca Lake:
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No? We’ll, maybe you knew of it for the exceptional Schuyler Iron and Agricultural Works, built in 1873 by Charles Sherwood Frost. The three-story 100' by 60' "nearly fire proof" Italianate brick building, "by far the largest and best which has ever been erected, for the purposes designed, in Schuyler County." The steam engine was the "very best, of great power, and works to a perfect charm." The thrifty Frost used sawdust from a lumber yard, and corn cobs, for fuel.
Not that either? We’ll then, you probably knew it as the town with the World’s Smallest Diner:
Or maybe because it was the site of the Summer Jam at Watkins Glen, the huge music festival held in 1973? Headlined by the Allman Brothers, the Grateful Dead, and the Band, it was attended by 600,000 spectators and for a time held the Guinness record for the largest audience at a pop festival.
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Still not it? We’ll, I’m running out of ideas then. Just as an offhand idea though, maybe you knew it as the place that staged the first post World War II automobile road race in America. I certainly never knew this, or that for years the town staged a criterium right in its streets that began in front of the county building; or that for many years its race track hosted the Formula One Grand Prix; or that it has hosted prestigious automobile races of all classes and is regarded as the Mecca of a North American road racing. Maybe that’s it.
The town sure thinks this is something to toot its horn about. There are car racing murals on walls about town, the sidewalks are embedded with inscribed stones honoring past racing winners and luminaries, and its crosswalks are patterned with the design of the flag waved at the finish line.
So maybe that’s where you heard about Watkins Glen. Impressive, but really the park is pretty great here too.
Today’s ride
More and more often we’ve started thinking of ourselves as not just cycling vagabonds but also as climate migrants. The severe, unprecedented weather events just keep occurring more frequently and with more terrifying impacts all the time. The extreme heat, drought and fires in the west; the intensifying storms and hurricanes along the east coast; and yesterday parts of Western Europe were devastated by historic rains and floods. We’ve been luckier than we deserve and have been spared anything truly severe so far, but the Midwest is certainly having to cope with abnormal weather here - particularly severe thunderstorms and cloudbursts that spring up with little warning and drop inches of rain in an hour or two.
When we sold our home and hit the road three years ago, we assumed we would settle down again some day and buy another home, probably in or around Portland. We’re not so sure now. Looking around the world now, what region looks like a good bet? Maybe we’ll keep flexible and just keep moving around indefinitely.
Which is a windy way of leading into the fact that we had our doubts about today’s ride. For the last two days it has looked like today would bring rain and thunderstorms all day, and we were mentally gearing up for a decision to call a cab again to get us to Ithaca. We have to move on - we’re booked there and can’t cancel, and I doubt we could find a room here in Watkins Glen if we wanted to sit out the day anyway; so we are bracing ourselves for either bailing out on another ride or risk getting soaked.
The forecasts are very volatile though, so we just sleep on it and vow to get up early and check the weather in the morning before making our decision.
This morning we arise to great news - the thunderstorms have moved out, and now only cloudy skies are predicted for the next four hours. It’s only 27 miles to Ithaca, so of course we’re riding. We’re on the road by 8 heading southeast on Highway 14, the same road we followed down from Geneva two days back.
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We didn’t expect that much out of today’s ride, really. We chose the most efficient route: 12 miles southeast on Highway 14, and then the rest of the way northeast on Highway 13. We just wanted a fast ride that would get us there dry - and early enough in the day to stop by a bike shop to have our bikes’ gears adjusted - they both are grinding terribly and getting worse by the day. I’m not sure I’ll even pull the camera out all day.
So it’s a pleasant surprise when we get a couple of miles into the ride and find a pretty little unnamed cascade spilling down the hill right beside the road.
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Not two hundred yards further down the road we hear a roaring ahead and come to a truly impressive falls, again right beside the road. Impressive enough that it earns a name on the map - Aunt Sarah’s Falls.
And then we come to the village of Montour Falls. I hear a low roar off to the right, look down a street as we’re crossing an intersection, and then almost cause an accident when I stop suddenly and turn right. I can hardly believe what I’m seeing five blocks in the distance, towering above the town. Obviously we’re taking a little detour here.
Shequaga Falls is absolutely stunning. 156 feet high, from one reference I read. A sign in front of it states that a sketch of this falls may be found in the Louvre Museum, drawn by the French king Louis XVIII.
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So far we’re not doing too well with our plan to bike straight to Ithaca and arrive before the rains hit - we’ve stopped three times in only three miles. Now we’re really moving though, and keep a good pace as we steam down Highway 14, aided by a flat road and bit of a tailwind. So well that we miss our turn and overshoot it by two miles. We puzzle over the GPS for a while trying to make sense of what happened, but finally just turn back. When we reach the turnoff again we see why we went wrong. We knew we were staying on 14 all the way to 13, but missed the fact that there are two 14’s - the state road, and the county road.
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County Road 14 brings the best and the worst riding conditions of the day. The best because it’s an empty two laner through bucolic farmland up above the valleys; and the worst because it’s a mile and a half 9-10% climb getting up there. But it’s especially memorable for the rescue we inadvertently provide to a hapless cowbird, still alive but trapped in the mouth of a black cat. We’re shocked when the cat darts out of the bushes in front of me and is so startled by us that he opens his mouth and drops the bird. You’re welcome, Rachael calls out as we bike past and watch him weakly flutter off.
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A few miles later we merge onto Highway 13 and bend northeast to Ithaca; and a few more miles on we begin a fast four mile descent to the Cayuga River and the outskirts of Ithaca. As we bike along the river a half mile from town, we’re feeling smug about arriving dry in spite of our wasted four miles. Then Rachael looks at the sky and notes how dark it looks all of a sudden. I stop to take a photo and comment to her that it feels like it could rain in five minutes so we’d better hurry.
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Video sound track: Heavy Cloud No Rain, by Sting
Too late. We don’t have five minutes, we have five seconds. Literally. I’m still pocketing the camera when the first drops hit the pavement. I race after Rachael. By the time I pass those two walkers in the photo above it’s raining hard already. What the hell, I say to them as they break into a run themselves. By the time we make it to the bridge it’s a real downpour, so of course we’re going to just sit here for awhile and feel grateful for the shelter.
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It doesn’t last long fortunately, and ten minutes later it has eased enough that we decide we should make our break before it gets worse again. Five minutes later we’re at the door of Cayuga Ski & Cyclery, pleased to find that they can fit us into our schedule. Ten minutes after that we’re walking down to State Street Cafe for breakfast, and just as we’re wrapping up there the bike store calls to let us know that the bikes are ready to be picked up. Perfect.
Ride stats today: 32 miles, 1,400’; for the tour: 1,825 miles, 50,700’
Today's ride: 32 miles (51 km)
Total: 1,825 miles (2,937 km)
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| Comment on this entry | Comment | 5 |
Seriously, yours is the second journal recently that’s made me actually think about planning a ride in upstate New York. Looks very nice! Loved the pictures.
3 years ago
Sincerely,
Parnelli
3 years ago
3 years ago
Certainly the bird will deposit some coins into the Great Anderson Adversity-free Bank!
3 years ago
3 years ago