Day 29
Liverpool? AJ will be happy.

New York is beautiful especially around the finger lakes region where we rode today.   I think it surprises most people to see how much of NY is farm land.  When I think of New York I see NY City with all the concrete and people.  But when you get away from the city, large rolling hills dominate the landscape and the pungent odor of corn silage will fill your nostrils as you pass by small dairy farms that dot the landscape...the only skyscrapers you see out here are silos behind big red barns.  We passed through several small and very old towns today to include:  Leroy, Caledonia, Avon, Lima, Bloomfield, and Geneva all before lunch.  Many of these towns have been around since the mid to late 1700s and everywhere you look you'll see plaques that tell of colonial times and the stories of the famous people who made history developing this country into what it is today.  People like Ben Franklin, John Adams, and Alexander Hamilton all were from this area and all were instrumental in the ground work for the freedom we share today.  Other places of note include Seneca Falls, the birthplace of women's rights and Waterloo which is the birthplace of Memorial Day.  The final treat today was riding along the Erie Canal just outside of town.  It's neat to ride along places you've read about as a kid in history class.  Much of the canal is still as it was years ago and you can almost see the mule teams pulling the boats along the canal.

It was pretty much an uneventful day...most rode well within themselves to be prepared for Wednesday and Thursday.  One concern we had in the middle of the day was that David and AJ got separated somewhere during the day.  That meant that half of their intuitive navigation system was absent to the other all afternoon...not that that should have degraded their navigation ability in the least, but I'm sure that may have been an issue had they been on more than just one road all afternoon.  As long as they kept the sun to their right they would be fine.  They both made it in without any problem...maybe that's the secret to the intuitive technique...one input and you are confident you've made the right choice.  Two inputs and  you're not sure.

 On big surprise this afternoon was a group of friends of AJ's took the time to surprise him at the motel.  The big surprise, however, was they brought him his new favorite American pastry...STICKY BUNS!  They were really a treat for everyone the next day at the SAG...thanks for the treats.  I'm sorry I've lost the names of those who visited, but thanks anyway if they are reading.

Well, we closed another day in our our journal.  We have only 3 more days until we dip our wheels in the Atlantic and while I think several riders will welcome the finish, I think most of them will hate to see it end.  They've endured a lot on this ride, but they just keep turning those pedals and inching their way toward Amesbury.  They are definitely a family now...they have their goal in sight, but they still have more journey to experience.  That's the important part of this ride...the journey, not the destination.  Tune in again tomorrow as we try to navigate our way out of Syracuse...it ought to be worth the price of admission.