Bishop Bike Adventure Day 56 August 25, 2010

Right from the start today, New Yorkers engaged us in conversation about our trip. We met a friendly and interesting couple this morning while poking down the typically large breakfast and icing up the water bottles and Camelbaks. Later in the day, well after we had broken the 3,000-mile barrier for our trip, two individuals proactively came up and asked us if we had accommodations for the evening. Since these were both after we had contacted the motel, we declined their invitations.

We rode along the shores of Lake Ontario today. Here was our first glimpse of it at Pultneyville. While at this site, another friendly New Yorker who was asking all sorts of questions about our trip offered to take our picture, the result of which is shown below. Many of the interested folks have wanted to pursue more serious bicycle touring and such was the case with this individual as well.

Some of the New Yorkers in these parts were not as biker friendly. We noticed that motor sports are of high interest, which for some translates into revving their motors and speeding by us, often without providing the desired space buffer between them and us. We saw one individual practicing aerial jumps with his motorcycle in his backyard. Yet another was found popping a high-speed wheelie with his riding partner adjacent while they passed us on the road. Yikes.

Like Lake Erie, the Lake Ontario region is also an area of orchards. But rather than grapes, the crop of choice is primarily apples, with some peaches and pears tossed in as well. Apparently the lake shields the trees from premature frosts. We found trees plump for the harvest with bundles of appealing fruit attached. The scent of peaches was in the air, something we would assume would be in Georgia, not New York!

Weather today was cool and partly cloudy, with both white and dark clouds gracing the sky. The terrain was surprisingly hilly even right beside the lake. By the end of the day, we had climbed 2,600-odd feet even while ending just 500 feet above sea level. We are being prepared for a ride through the Adirondacks in the next couple of days.