Jim

Jim
Let the Adventure Begin

About Me

Las Vegas, NV, United States
This is my 2008 grand adventure...riding a bicycle with 35 international bikers across Europe, following the Danube River along the Orent Express route through eleven countries. The ride is 4000km over 50 days of which 39 are ride days with camping and 11 are rest days in hotels. Our tour group, TourdAfrique, provides a tour leader that provides directions and transposts our luggage, a mechanic, and a chef who promises gourmet local cuisines. We start out in Paris on June 1 and travel through France to Germany, where we pick up the Danube river. We then follow the Danube through Austria, Slovakia and Hungary. Then we ride cross country through Romania, Bulgaria, and finally Turkey, where we finish in Istanbul on July 20.

Jun 24, 2007

June 24 Day 38 Canandaigua to Syracuse, NY











Tour Day! It was a picture perfect day with a relatively short distance - 70 miles - so we got to sleep in an extra hour and have a leisurely sight seeing ride to Syracuse. NY has some of the best roads we have ridden with wide and well maintained shoulders. Sunday morning traffic can't be beat too.

First stop was the Finger Lake at Geneva, which looked like a Swiss resort. Then it was Waterloo, the birthplace of Memorial Day in 1866. Next the beautiful town of Seneca Falls, where we visited the birthplace of the Woman's Rights National Park (woman's rights started in 1840). Finally, we had a boat tour on the Erie Canal. Interestingly, the canal was built in 1824 and resulted in the industrialization of northern NY. The canal was a boom for 20 years, but then the railroads came in. By the 1850s the canal was in decline. Probably a lesson on how long a profitable industry lasts. Today the canal is being taken over by volunteers and the NY State Parks for biking, walking, and kayaking.

The ride was easy, today. I had some cords starting to show on my tires, so replaced them after 3600 miles and 10 flats. They were good to me. These northern roads seem to be much easier on the tires.

Tomorrow is a 77 mile ride to Little Falls.

Stats: 70 miles, 15.6 mph avg, 2200' climbing, winds 0 - 10 variable, 61 - 80 deg temps.

1 comment:

Jill said...

The countryside is beautiful! So sorry to hear about Frank; to get so close and have to quit is quite a disappointment. However, nonhealing saddle sores can become quite a big deal. He survived the root canal to be taken out by a something relatively simple.
You look great, and it appears your body is holding up well.