Update #13 - Wednesday, May 09, 2007
Chittenango, NY
4,109.50 miles (6,575.20 kms) since Jan 01st
3,268.74 miles (5,229.98 kms) since March 03

With the new recumbent the miles are zipping passed. It'ws hard to believe that I had left the Maine Coast just a week ago. I spent a couple of nights in my tent along the way, paid for one night's stay at a motel, had a night at a motel donated, and had a home visit with an association member and another one with a close friend who I hadn't seen in almost seven years. I put in several 13 hour days and yesterday I cranked out a whopping 102.52 miles (164.03 kms). This was my second day this year with riding over one hundred miles in one day and the first one with the new recumbent. I'm hoping to do at least twelve more days with totals over one hundred miles in a day.

Vermont went by in a blur. It didn't take me long to ride the 51 miles at the southern tip of the state. The new recumbent took on the hills with grades up to eight percent. Total climbing was around 4000 feet with a high elevation of 2340 feet near the top of Hogback Mountain. At the visitor center/ gift shop looking to the south you should be able to see at least 100 miles away. The downhill coasts were pretty good. From the Vermont State Line, I had about a 22 mile coast down to the Hudson River at Troy, NY.

As I stated earlier, yesterday I cranked out 102.52 miles. I left Amsterdam, NY around 7:30 a.m. and found a place to camp out in some woods behind a church in Wampsville around 9:40 p.m. I would have made better progress yesterday but I rode some distance along the Erie Canal Pathway between St. Johnsville and Little Falls. There was one section where the trail wasn't complete and I had to walk my bike along a dirt road for almost two miles.

I'll be here in Chittenango for at least two nights. I'm staying at the First Presbyterian Church. I've known the pastor for about ten years. I was hoping to see him but he is on vacation this week down in North Carolina. I'm taking tomorrow off since I've hadn't had a break since Freeport, ME and I've ridden 600 miles without a day off. Besides, they are calling for thunderstorms tomorrow and I need to put in some new zippers in some of my gear.

I haven't really decided on how I'll travel the rest of the distance here in New York. I am going around Syracuse. I have some friends in Rochester and Palmyra. I'll probably be here in New York for at least ten more days.

From New York, I'll be riding through the Erie, PA area and then swinging down through Columbus, OH to Cincinatti and then turning northward to the Detroit, MI area.

I'll try and post an update as often as I can if my plans change. The next update should be posted between May 16 and May 23rd