Eastbound Day 2

67 Miles

Cute little squirrel statue.

I managed to get up and ready by 6:30. This would prove a much better start than the first day. I was off before any church goers were even awake. I took a few minutes to explore Olean. It wasn't very far from where I grew up but I don't ever recall visiting the small city. The city had a theme of squirrels that it would decorate. Lots of cities and towns do this.Warren PA has bears. Erie has frogs.I have seen places with other things. Some were cute. But I didn't quite get the Ronald McDonald squirrel in the park in the center of town. I would have understood if the local McDonald's was nearby, but it wasn't. 

I just don't get it. 

I set off after a terrible convenience store sandwich. Along the way I had to stop to adjust the front racks. I was missing several parts and the eyelet was stripped. I think I had done a fabulous job at rigging it up with random nuts and bolts as spacers and zip ties instead of screws. The only problem of course is that this would require frequent adjusting and possibly replacing the zip ties periodically. It was still holding up astoundingly well despite the regular adjustments. I also oiled the bike's chain. Sadly, and neglectfully on my part, I had forgotten to oil Upstate's chain prior to the first day. The squeak and rack issues were fixed and I carried on.

high winds

The hills were easy and rolling. That may have been partially due to the early start. I had 20 miles in well before 9:30. My goal was only 53 miles so this was an excellent start. My next stop
I forced myself to eat and drank a soda. I liked the town I was in. It looked historic. It apparently had an oil history to the area. I tried to read the historic markers as I came to them.

The next section of hills were rough. The wind was at my back but I still couldn't seem to climb the hills with any speed. The road barely had any shoulder. I couldn't understand why they chose this road to be part of a bike route. Almost an hour into this and 4.5 miles out of town I stopped to eat and hydrate. It was then that I pulled out my map and realized that they hadn't chosen this road to be part of their bike route. I had gone up the wrong road. The roads out there were scarce and I really only had the option of turning around and backtracking. At least the ride would be downhill, albeit in very high winds. Even with the winds I breezed back into town at a third of the time it had taken me to get the 4.5 miles out. I believe that was testament to the kind of hills I was riding up. 

Finally I was back on my way. I made it to the next town by 12:30 and took a break. I was laying in the grass next to a shopping center when I hear someone yelling 'hey'. I sit up to see a woman in a red truck motioning me to come over. She asks me a little about my trip and then hands me a few dollars and insists I go get something off of Burger King or McDonald's value menu. She told me her uncle went coast to coast on his bike. I told her I was fine and didn't need the money but she insisted that she wanted to help. I thanked her and she drove off while urging me to stay hydrated. The sun was getting very hot. I did need to fill up on water. I went to McDonald's and ate a sandwich and had a nice icy drink. It was hard to eat, as I had anticipated, but the cola went down smoothly. I looked through my maps and decided where I would stay. Then I reapplied my sunscreen, filled my water and headed back out.

The hills and the sun made me very warm and I started to feel very sick. My body just didn't seem to be able to keep cool. Perhaps it was the jelly-like mix of sweat and sunscreen that glazed my skin. My sweat couldn't very well evaporate in a gelatin-like state. I laid in the shade for a good 45 minutes hoping it would help. It barely did. I even bought a bottle of cold water in hopes that it would bring my temperature down. It made little difference. I still felt sick. Finally I opted to do something that I prefer to avoid. I took my helmet off while riding. It offered some relief. I wet my head with some water and the heat and nausea subsided some. I continued riding without a helmet. I figured my chances of heat stroke were much higher than my odds of getting into a crash.

small town? yes, I think so.

I didn't get this either. But to some people,
this is a dream day at the lake.

 I made it to a state recreation area, Kanakadea Park. Camping was $15 dollars but I fancied a shower and a nice walk by the lake. I set up camp and ate. Then I headed to the showers. They weren't too bad. I had seen much worse. I lotioned up my sunburn with aloe and took a walk down to the lake. There was an original Charger down by the water. I'm not sure why. Maybe there had been some kind of cruise-in prior to my arrival and it was the only car still there. It was a really nice car. I sat on a bench and recorded my days miles into my log book. I enjoy the sounds of the water and the breeze on my face. I went to bed before it was dark. I had some difficulty sleeping but eventually succumbed.

Eastbound Day 1

58 Miles

I struggled to wake up despite some excitement about the day and week ahead. I got into Jamestown pretty late the night before. I still had to finish getting Upstate ready for the ride.
I got a shower before loading Upstate with all my gear. I ate breakfast and said my goodbyes shortly before 10. And then I was off.
I had ridden the first ten or so miles prior to this on random outings on the bike. It was an easy start.I stopped very early into the ride for some groceries and a snack. I didn't really feel like eating but knew I needed to eat anyway. I was anticipating the loss of appetite. My last excursion left me without appetite for nearly a week. I am not entirely sure why it occurs.Maybe my body just needs time to adjust. Maybe it is the heat. Whatever it was that was stealing my appetite, I didn't like it.
I buzzed through Randolph which was having some sort of community days. I would have investigated  if I hadn't started so late. Shortly after that I encountered one the larger hills on my anticipated journey.I had an awesome tailwind pushing me up the hill but the hill was still winning. It wasn't just winning. It was kicking my ass.I took it slow and was unafraid to stop and breathe.
I took a break in the shade outside of Salamanca and talked to a nice guy named Johnny. He showed me pictures of his brother and all the celebrities his brother met as he crossed the country in his wheel chair.He was friendly and I enjoyed the chat. I was happy to see my travel personality was instantly back. Its amazing how personable I become when I roll into some place with a fully loaded bike.
The scenery was lovely and green. I may have actually been taking it for granted. The hills with green trees and rolling heights cut with fields and meadows were what I grew up seeing every day. It was still beautiful but I found myself more amused by the random things I would see. I saw a man in a chicken suit outside of a reservation smoke shop.I saw a fellow touring cyclist traveling West. He and I waved and smiled. I wish I had talked to him. Nevertheless, seeing a fellow cyclist made me really happy. I was almost overcome with emotion for a moment. Despite all the hardships the cycling can be and cause, I truly love it. When I am bike touring I can be whoever I want to be. On the road I am brave. I am not a coward. I am self-sufficient.I am strong. Out here, I can do anything, be anything. I was at home on the road and closer to myself than any other time. I think that is the only part of my adventures that would qualify as being brave. It takes a certain amount of bravery to be alone with yourself day after day. I knew I would be spending the next few days looking inward.
I had a rough idea of where I would end up. When I rolled into Olean I didn't bother looking for campgrounds. Instead my plan was to find an out of the way church and set up my tent. I managed this easily. The church had a big yard and was mostly secluded. I pitched my tent at dusk. I was tired and sunburned and passed out quickly despite the sound of a nearby party. I would wake early in the morning and head out before the church goers arrived.

Eastbound Intro

The idea was always there that I would ride from Jamestown New York to the East coast. This would mean I would cross the entire country, the entire continent using my own power. I looked up possible end sites. I decided that somewhere along the Connecticut coast line would fit my needs well. In addition to I never being in Connecticut, it was the shortest distance to coastline at roughly 450 miles. It was also close enough to Jamestown that I knew I could convince someone to pick me up along the Atlantic coast.

My gear prior to being packed

I ordered NYS bike route 17 maps. They are free from New York State Department of Transportation. The map would prove very helpful along my journey across the state. 

I set the dates for my trip and requested the time off of work. I would leave 2 years and 1 day after leaving for my original trip. 

June 16 rolled around quickly. I was not physically or mentally prepared, but I was willing to jump right in anyway. I made sure Upstate was ready though. He was tuned up and fitted with new grips and tires. I set up (with some difficulty) the front racks and panniers. I also gathered my gear and aired out my tent and sleeping bag. I was as ready as I could be.

My gear all paced up ready to load on to the bike

I packed up all my gear and caught a ride from home in Pittsburgh to Jamestown the night before I left. I got into Jamestown late and crashed out late at a friends.