Update #21 - April 22nd, 2002
Albion, New York - 4,149 miles

The ride between Parkman, Ohio and Albion, NY went okay without much problem. The hardest part was finding a bicycle friendly route through Buffalo to Niagara Falls. It was really tricky trying to stay on the Seaway Trail (NY 5).

The weather has been a mixed back of everything. I had for almost a week temperatures in the seventies and eighties. Today, I had snow and temperatures in the low thirties. At least, today wasn't a full-blown blizzard. While in Parkman, Ohio, I also went through a tornado warning (stayed in an all concrete room in the basement of the Congregational Church until the major part of the storm passed) and pea-sized hail. It has been a yo-yo with weather. Between weather events, there has been sometimes a change in temperature by thirty degrees. It is a wonder why I am not sick.

I had spent four nights and three days at the Congregational Church. I was happy to be on the road Tuesday morning (April 16th). I don't mean that I had a bad time. In fact, I had a great time but I was getting antsy.

Because of good weather and all the stored energy, I made the trip between Parkman, Ohio and Buffalo, New York about two days earlier than I anticipated.

Churches have been friendly towards me and my cause along the way. The United Methodist Church in Girard, Pennsylvania was my home for the night. The Victory Christian Church in Lockport, New York was my home for one night and then they offered to put me up in a motel room so that I could have Sunday off. I met some nice people there especially J. Gordon of Niagara Falls. He went out of his way to make me welcome and he gave me a substantial "Green-Handshake" even though he was out of work due to a major illness. J. also made some great organic muffins.

My plans here in New York has changed. Originally, I was looking forward to ride along the shore of Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence Seaway to Plattsburg. This was changed by a magnitude 5.1 earthquake in the Plattsburg area Saturday morning around 6:50 a.m. I felt it in Niagara Falls. No people were injured but there is some highway damage. NY 9N twelve miles south of Plattsburg has collapsed pavement. I wished that I could go up there to see if there is anything that I could do to in disaster relief but the Governor of New York has posted a state of emergency for the two Northeastern counties of New York. Because of this, I will be following my usual route across central New York along the Erie Canal through Syracuse to Albany. When I get to Albany, I might see how far north I can go on the New York side of the Hudson river on the way to Burlington, Vermont. I haven't figuered out my route between Burlington, Vermont and Belfast, Maine. I hope to be in Belfast in three or four weeks.