Old Forge, NY to Redfield, NY:

June 7, 2012

A feather in our cap

I shouldn't leave Christy's Motel without a kind word for the owners. Without asking he offered to have us store the tandem in room #9 that was being renovated. He even gave us a key for the room. Imagine my surprise this morning when I accidentally entered identical room #8 and saw there was no tandem or trailer. It took 15 long seconds before I realized I was in the wrong room. The owner was renovating each room with new painting, plumbing and electrical fixtures. There was an outside heated pool, playground for kids and a grassy lawn. We paid $55 for the night although I'm sure it will be higher when Blackfly season ends.
We had to walk several blocks to find a diner open for breakfast. I made the mistake by ordering the short stack pancakes. Fortunately I was warned that nobody could eat the larger size. I couldn't even eat the smaller size. It was a longer waddle back to the motel than our amble to the diner had been.

It's a good thing I only ordered the short stack of pancakes.

The first 10 miles flew by as we took advantage of flat smooth roads heading toward Moose River. Two highway workers were peering over the side of the Moose River bridge. I implored them "don't jump". Highway workers get used to all kinds of crazy people. Unfortunately although the terrain along Moose River looked promising we didn't sight any moose. Throughout the trip the most frequently sighted wildlife (other than deer) has been turkey. The other day we startled a hen and her chick causing the chicks to fly into a tree (Rhona says the proper term is "turklet").

We were on track to make 30 miles by lunch when Rhona heard the familiar sound of a trailer flat tire. She showed the good sense to refrain from taking a picture of a sweaty husband changing the tire. The tire is not a good quality tire and something had sliced through the tire into the tube. I doubt this will be the last flat unless we find a bike shop with a more rugged tire. For much of the afternoon we were in a remote area with no houses and not even power lines.

When entering a hamlet called Osceola we paused at an intersection and I took a picture of of "The World Famous Osceola Hotel".

One of the guys from the bar said he bought a bicycle once but never managed to get out of the town because there was a hill in every direction.

A woman and a couple of men called out to us and offered to fill water bottles. It turns out she was the bartender of the facility which was not really a hotel, just the bar. Inside I had a softdrink while Rhona ordered cottage cheese, all for a cost of $4. I didn't realize you could order cottage cheese in a bar. In addition to the conversation with the friendly and curious bartender and patrons the bar dog struck up a relationship with Rhona. The Border Collie brought a slobber covered tennis ball for Rhona to throw which the dog would catch mid air. The remarkable thing was the dog would then roll the ball back to Rhona for another go around. I got some video which I hope to upload someday even though the imagery was dark. It was a bar after all.

We made reservations at The Drift Inn Lodge outside of Redfield. Phil and Donna are the owners of a unique lodge which features an apartment built upstairs of what they call a barn. The place sleeps four although my picture does not do it justice.

The apartment was beautiful, the picture does not do it justice. But Phil and Donna our friendly hosts made the stay memorable.

The Adventure Cycling Northern Tier decal displayed on the door to the apartment of the Driftwood Inn.

After we showered we joined them for drinks on a beautiful lawn overlooking two ponds stocked with a variety of fish, including several huge Grass Carp. A female swan named Peggy also visited with us.

Donna and Peggy the swan have not yet determined who is dominant and Donna has the bruises to prove it.

Although Donna claimed Peggy liked men she got in a few playful nips before allowing me to rub her neck. Where is the proper place to rub a swan's neck anyhow? Phil and Donna were very interestimg and hospitable, even taking the time to show me the ongoing renovations to their home. They recently dug out the basement(about one fifth by hand) and ended up with a 97 ft. long narrow basement (and attic too). They resisted the temptation to add three feet more to make an even 100 feet and joked what a fine bowling alley it would make.

Room for a bowling alley here. the flash on the camera was insufficient to light up the far reaches.

Phil gave us some Deer Fly sticky tape which we will attach to the back of our helmets. We'll give a report on how it works. Phil is inventive having improved a device he purchased which was supposed to attract and kill biting and stinging insects. It had a fan which was underpowered so, like Tim the Toolman Taylor on the TV show, he connected a stronger fan which while effective resulted in other problems. His most innovative creation was a solution to a weather related problem because of heavy snow. Houses in the area do not have gutters because the snow and ice weight them until they fall off. Phil's solution was to mount the gutters on hinges. Before snow season he disconnects the downspouts and the gutters swing down under the eaves. There should be a patent in there somewhere. We don't have internet or cell phone access again tonight so I'll upload my notes and pictures tomorrow.

Today's ride: 57 miles (92 km)
Total: 1,371 miles (2,206 km)

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