Day 45 - Syracuse, NY to Utica, NY - 58 miles, 971 feet climbing - 3:57 hours in the saddle

Fresh Tarmac….Big Lawns….Erie Canal….Got Nothing Else

No major stories lines today….just 58 miles closer to Boston.  Nice weather, headwind (not major, just annoying), pretty ride.  No one pushed it today because we have three big days of rides coming up.  Tuesday - 102 miles; Wednesday - Mountain climbing in Vermont over 80 miles; Thursday -  Mountain climbing over 90 miles.  Then the parade to the beach, which we are all looking forward to!

Rough roads coming out of Syracuse, but on a country road we came upon fresh tarmac that was so smoooooth.  It feels like you are riding a couple of mph faster with no additional effort! The picture may not mean much, but to a cyclist, it is so sweet.

No pacelines for me today.  Just rolled along at my own pace, soaking in all the scenery.  I have noticed that many houses in this area have huge oversized lawns that are well mowed.

We came across strawberry farms and orchards.

We rode parallel to the Erie Canal for many miles.  It seems small now, but in its heyday it was critical to commerce.

  

A few other interesting pics from the ride.

We have 3 tough rides ahead of us.  What makes them seem so daunting is that we are so close to completing the cross country journey.  We will approach them like all the other rides, one pedal stroke after another!

Savor the Journey // Achieve the Goal