Friday, September 17, 2004

Skaneateles, NY to Itaica, NY

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Our luck was bound to end after the first five days of sunny, warm weather. It wasn't raining when we went down for the continental breakfast at the Sherwood Inn, but Rich let us know that we would get wet today. Doppler radar showed a wave of rain from hurricane Ivan was approaching from the southwest. By the time we finished eating it was raining. We gathered on the back stairs for the route talk and to watch the rain come down.

Most people took off as soon as their bags were loaded into the trailer. A few decided to wait for the rain to stop, while others opted to put their bikes atop the support vehicle and ride inside. We were one of the last of the first group to leave. I was wearing a long-sleeved polypropelene shirt under my Burley rain jacket, bike shorts and rain pants, Burley rain booties, and a shower cap over my helmet.

It rained all day, some times harder than others. There were several moderate climbs. I braked more than usual on the downhills, and the v-brakes were just barely able to provide enough braking power.
Bruce with his
showercap helmet cover
We passed one couple from our group on the road, and passed another stopped at one of the only convenience stores along the route in Moravia. They were with John, who as riding his tandem solo since his wife Kate was not feeling well. John chose not to wear rain gear and said he was fine throughout the day.

Right after passing the others, we spotted Barb's diner in Loch. It was the prototypical diner, with the curt waitress and the basic diner menu. It felt great to be inside and warm as the temperature was not much above 55 degrees outside. The coffee and fried egg sandwich have never tasted better. Before we left I put on the rest of the clothes that I had packed, a short-sleeved jersey (saved for when the rain would stop—fat chance) and a nylon vest. With the addition of these clothes I was comfortable.

I never realized that the area around Ithaca was so hilly. We entered town from the north past the Cornell campus.
Gorge at
Cornell University
Just before descending into the downtown area we stopped at a bridge overlooking a spectaculr gorge. From there I held on for dear life as we descended the nearly 20% grade into town.

Our treat today was supposed to be the stop at the Purity Ice Cream shop near the motel, the Holiday Inn, Ithaca. Rich had given us passes for free ice cream. Reaching the shop meant detouring off route a mile in the opposite direction of the motel so we skipped it and rode straight to the Holiday Inn. Luckily for us Rich pulled in around the same time with a box of paper shop rags that we used to wipe down the bike, especially the rims that were coated with black crud.

The motel clerk didn't flinch when I asked about taking the bike into the room, telling us to roll it right in. It seems to have survived the journey; we'll see tomorrow how the brake and gear cables work. After getting cleaned up and warm we wandered through the downtown pedestrian mall. The Titus Gallery had some excellent works by the owner, Ms. Titus, including many etchings. We also saw The Ink Shop and a couple of local craft shops. There must be many local artists in the area. Since we had tickets for free ice cream from Purity we decided to walk the mile in the rain, getting drenched again which required another change of clothes.

After our final happy hour wine and cheese party we walked to Simeon’s Restaurant for a good meal of tuna in a wasabi sauce, topped off by one last bowl of ice cream.

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