Day 53: We made it!

Carol:
With our bellies full, our eyes were set for Duxbury. Luckily, Colin's dad had spent the night before researching a new route on Strava that minimized elevation. His efforts resulted in a very pleasant ride uninterrupted by map consultations.
We reached Hopkinton, the start of the Boston marathon, by late morning. We made our way south and stopped in Wellesley for lunch. Colin's mom found us and joined us for the tailend of our sandwiches. Most of the afternoon was spent on quiet roads with narrow shoulders, save for a few crowded and hectic streets near a few T stations. As soon as we got into Abington, Colin's dad led us on his usual bike route home. With the end in sight, we pedaled enthusiastically towards the Atlantic. Before I knew it, we were passing by landmarks in Colin's hometown, Duxbury. We crossed the longest wooden bridge in the US to Duxbury Beach and dipped our front wheels in the ocean. Colin's mom and her friends cheered us on with glasses of champagne. After 53 days on the road, we were done! We celebrated our journey with well-deserved large icecreams at Far-Fars.

82 miles
3621 miles total

Day 52: Guest Blog by RJC!

Bob:

I’ve been accorded the honor of guest blogging, as I joined Carol & Colin for their final state and last three days of their journey. Having kept up with their reports, I was still amazed at the mass quantities of food they managed to consume at our hotel breakfast in Northampton. In fact, not once during our time on the road did we leave anything other than a completely clean set of plates.

The day’s ride began with a trip across the Connecticut River on the Norwottuck Rail Trail, eleven miles of wonderful, flat, shaded pavement. Coming to the end of the trail, it wasn’t long before we found some short, fairly steep hills, and headed south in search of flatter ground. Turning east onto state highway 20, we made steady progress with just one long climb approaching our lunch stop in Brimfield. Following lunch, we waddled back to the bikes feeling that the temperature seemed to have risen 10 degrees while we were in the restaurant. It was hot .

Another town, another long climb, and we turned south again to avoid more hills. Our detour became a V when we swung back northeast in Southbridge for a long, steady, but thankfully not steep climb without a bit of shade. At the top we were passing a golf driving range when I got a flat. The break while we replaced the tube marked the end of both my resolve and energy, and I was through for the day less than a mile later, where my wife Nancy, with our support vehicle, picked me up.

Not so Carol and Colin. They continued on for another 15 miles through hilly country. At the end of the day’s ride, we marked the spot (for the next day’s starting point) and headed off in search of a place to stay and a good dinner.

In addition to constant amazement at the ability of two fit, trim individuals to eat so much food, I was impressed with Carol’s climbing ability. The hills didn’t seem to phase, or slow, her in the least. More than anything, I was appreciative with the positive attitude, sense of teamwork, and good spirit they both carried through a long day in the saddle and the sun.

69 miles
3539 miles total

Day 51: Doubling our Clark content

Colin:

After a great breakfast and a tour of the recently constructed Williams library we met up with my parents.
My mom planned to hike and see the sights while my dad joined Carol and I for however much of our ride he wanted.
We set off heading south out of the Berkshire Valley.
Having gotten a later start came with the unexpected benefit of getting to stop at the Old Forge for lunch. This was a favorite restaurant and bar of Williams students and Carol was deeply excited for the opportunity.
After our lunch we continued snaking our way southeast around, and seemingly more often over the hills and mountains of western Massachusetts.
While I had rarely if ever been to most of the towns we passed, it was nice to see familiar names on the road signs. Beyond that, one colonial Protestant church is much like another and the houses and vegetation do not vary much between there and the coast so everything began to feel very familiar.
While in conversation with my dad and passing by another prototypical New England town green it started to set in that we really were nearing the end of our trip. As life on the road had long since become normal this felt a bit surreal and even as I write this a day later will continue to take time to process.
Later in the afternoon with both the hills and a mechanical issue taking their toll my dad hopped in the support car (what a novelty! ) and drove into Northampton to find a bike shop to fix his shifting.
Carol and I followed more slowly, though not much because the final 14 miles were all down hill.
After getting the bike issue resolved we checked into a motel and went out for a wonderful dinner in Northampton.

63 miles

3470 miles total

Day 50: Technical Follies in the Purple Valley

Carol:

After a conversation-filled breakfast with Dani and Nick, Colin and I headed towards Williamstown. Not having been back to campus since graduation, I started to make list of all the things I wanted to do, including a trip to Lickety Split and the new library. However, my enthusiasm was unwise as it made the later delays that much more difficult to bare.
My chain became tangled as I climbed up a particularly steep hill outside of Troy. Attempting to place it back on the gears only lodged the chain between the cassette and hub flange. While Colin was able to remove the chain entirely, the maintenence had disturbed my spoke tension. My back wheel was out of true and rubbing against the frame, making the bike unrideable. Colin took a cab to the nearest bike shop and returned with a new wheel for me.
A local had told us that there was a mountain pass in Petersburg. Having climbed a fair amount on Route 2 going into Petersburg, I thought the worst over. However, we were soon climbing again after Petersburg to get through the Berkshires. Given the lack of water and the heat, my climbing was not in top form. After 5 years, I had forgotten how hilly Route 2 was.
Fortunately, we were treated to many miles of 10% grade downhills on the otherside of the pass. Once in Williamstown, our first stop was for Purple Cow icecream. After, we made our way to my professor's home and enjoyed the company of his family over BBQ and icecream sundaes. It has been a really nice homecoming.

42 miles
3407 miles total

Day 49: Catan has been settled

Colin:
Waking up next to lock 10 on the Mohawk River was a great experience. To the west, mist clung to the calm surface of the river and to the flow through the lock left the water much more turbulent. We ate our breakfast perpindicular to the lock and took in the sight.
For most of the second shortest riding day of our trip we enjoyed the Mohawk Hudson bike trail which kept us largely in forests along the disused erie canal.
Eventually this led to the suburbs of Albany and we made our way to my friends' apartment downtown.
With so little ground to cover we reached our destination in time to get cleaned up and meet my friend Nick for lunch. We spent the afternoon with Dani until Nick came home and passed the evening playing Settlers of Catan and catching up.
It was nice to have a short, restful day in preparation for our first mountains in almost a month.

35 miles
3365 miles total

Day 48: Lock and Load

Carol:
After a delicious breakfast of pancakes and waffles with Andrew and Megan, we hit the road and headed east. We learned from Andrew that many Amish families have moved into Central NY, given the affordable land prices. This was confirmed by both the horse and buggy traffic signs, as well as the actual horses and buggies on the road. The roads were very hilly but provided beautiful views of the valley throughout. After lunch, most of the ride was on Erie Canal Bike Hike Trail, which was both shady and scenic.
Throughout the day, we debated whether or not we wanted to do the full 108 miles to Albany. Ultimately, we decided to stop around 4:30pm and make a short trip in the morning. A Warmshowers host was not able to host us but recommended making camp by a canal lock. Taking his suggestion made for a great campsite and wonderful views in the morning.

76 miles

3330 total miles

Day 47: Old Stomping Grounds

Colin:

After a late, and consequently hurried breakfast we headed east putting Syracuse behind us. Fueled by Dinosaur BBQ from the night before we rode along quickly.
I have been to Geneva before and driven through Syracuse but today was the first day when we really started passing into land I knew. I pointed out the airforce base where I had taken the foreign service exam, we passed signs for the Turningstone Casino and Vernon Downs.
Just after 11 I caught a flat and so we used the opportunity to eat lunch as well.
After that, I knew not just landmarks but all of the streets. Being able to pack up the maps and our phones because I already knew the way was a first for our trip.
Shortly after 1 we rolled up campus road and into the Hamilton College campus. Not having returned since graduation meant that the experience was a mix of a nostalgia tour and sightseeing to all of the new buildings and facilities. College campuses area constantly changing but it was great to stop by all of my old haunts.
After getting our fill of the darkside we headed to the bookstore for a snack and so I could add to my already sufficient supply of Hamilton gear. A pair of bike shorts and hat filled that need and we prepared to head out in search of a place to stay.
At just that moment, Andrew Jillings, the director of the Hamilton Outing Club walked by. I flagged him down and we caught up, yielding an invitation to join he and the Adirondack Adventure interns on a trip out to Tex Mex as well as an offer to stay at Andrew's house down the hill.
We greatfully accepted both and spent a wonderful evening reminiscing about past trips, discussing how Hamilton has changed over the years and  hearing about Andrew's upcoming kayak trip along the Maine coast.

48 miles

3254 miles total

Day 46: Bushwhacking to Restoration Road

Carol:
After a breakfast of homemade bagels by Luke, Conor's friend, we hit the road for Syracuse. We rode along the lake for a while which provided great views of one of the Finger Lakes.
Throughout the day, we saw other cross country cyclists, who were part of the Crossroads group. We were jealous of both their speedy road bikes and SAG van. Between the hill climbs and the dripping sweat in my eyes, I was glad that we had scheduled a short day. Unfortunately, the 10 mile route from Callimus to Syracuse proved to be a touch confusing as we couldn't continue on the state highway and Google indicated a road that didn't appear to exist. Due to our persistence and reluctance to backtrack, we eventually bushwhacked our way onto the road. A photo of Colin emerging from the wilderness is below. After a quick grocery trip, we made our way to our motel.
For dinner, we met up with our friend Christina from college and study abroad at Dinosaur BBQ. While I am proud that we conquered our respective plates of ribs and brisket, I imagine I will be stationary on this bed for quite some time. Delicious!

58 miles
3206 total miles