Cross Country Day 65: Brockport to Macedon

Today did not go according to plan

Today was supposed to be a shorter day and it was for mileage but not for trials.

I woke up super early and took the chance to just sit on a bench on the edge of the canal and just stare. It was so calm and still. Eventually everyone else woke up and the day began. (After coffee of course.) Alex also installed a new rear tire for me. I rolled out of camp a little later than usual as I had to log into work to look at a couple problems. We are continuing along the Erie Canal. It's pretty flat which makes for enjoyable riding. I found some new wildflowers I've never seen before. Wild peas! Not sure if native/invasive or somewhere in between but their fuchsia blooms sure stood out against the green background.

Rochester was the major metro of the day and as I came into town I had a chance to ride for a couple miles with a guide from Women Tours. She was very excited about helping people have adventures and would backtrack occasionally to check on everyone. What a fun gig.

I then got a text from Art saying to not go past REI in Rochester because his bike was dead. Uh oh. What does that mean? Turns out he had a wobble in his rear tire and in trying to fix it at REI the mechanic pulled a spoke though effectively breaking the rim.

This is another one of those no progress till fixed issues and we thought our day would end in Rochester. Alex called around and found a shop (Tom's Pro Cyclery) just a couple miles away that had a wheel but the wrong cassette (gears). Well something is better than nothing and Alex was able to once again play mechanic and rig Art up with a single speed setup. The crew was awesome and let us borrow the tools we didn't have to get it done.

Lunch was just around the corner at a wonderful little Mediterranean restaurant where Alex made yet another call and found yet another shop 7 miles further on the trail that had a cassette that would work. So that's what we did. We rode as a group to Tow Path cycles where once again we were welcomed with kindness and advice. They told us about free camping along the locks and of a great little brewery in Fairport. As we were at the bike shop it looked as though it could rain, and it eventually did as we rolled along. I know it's wet but the canal looks so lovely in the rain.

We took shelter at the Fairport brewing company and waited for the rain to pass. It was then a short ride over to Macedon to set up camp. Pizza for supper and a chance to sit and talk. We've been together quite a bit over these last couple months and there are moments where we are stressed by and stressed towards each other but we make an effort to come together at the end of the day.

Tomorrow is yet another day. We're a week from the end. Doesn't seem real but I'm going to do my best to enjoy the journey.

'til next time

-Matt