Day 3 dawned cool and sunny, and we were ready to roll!
While most of our hotels offered at least a continental breakfast This one did not, so breakfast was on our minds. Our uber driver the night before recommended great diner in the next town over, Fairport. It was only 5 miles, so we packed up and got on the road early.
Riki's Family Restaurant was exactly what I needed. A big hearty breakfast before a day in the saddle. And it was delicious.
Not only that, but one of the bikes had developed a squeek the day before, and wouldn't you know it, there was a bike shop across the street.
I suspected it was the brakes, but that type of repair was our of my wheelhouse, so the having a bike shop close by that could take a look was optimal.
The shop didn't open until 10, so we decided to eat breakfast, and by the time we were done, the shop should be open.
And...the breakfast was delicious. The place was hopping. I'm sure we looked strange, all dressed in lycra, but it didn't phase the locals. In fact, we had one lady stop by our table to talk with us.
She asked if we were riding the trail, and which direction. She then proceeded to tell us that she felt she had to share the story of her father. He was a bike racer, and she knew of the Tour de France long before Greg LeMond and Lance Armstrong. She even mentioned a photo she had of Eddy Merckx and Raymond Poulidor. She wished us well, and admired us for our adventurous spirit.
That truly made my morning!
A quick brake adjust by the folks at RV & E Bike and Skate-Fairport, and we were back on the road. Our bodies were beginning to feel the effects of consecutive days of riding 50+ miles, so deciding to shorten today's ride seemed like a great idea. Knees, hands, necks, and butts were all feeling the miles.
The crushed gravel trail was pretty nice. There was very little vibration, and there were no ruts or roots. I was definitely glad that I kept my gravel tires on instead of a road tire. Bob was riding like a dream, especially since I adjusted the rack, and ditched the unnecessary stuff.
Since we would be riding a little less today, we decided that we needed to stop and check out some of the scenery.
With our aches and pains we made a conscious decision that every 5-10 miles we would stop to give our various aches a moment. Just a few minute off the bike and not pedaling really did help. We'd typically stop at a lock to check it out, but today we also stopped in Palmyra.
One of our group found that this town had several museums, including a coverlet museum. Why not check it out?
After missing the turn, then backtracking about a mile, we found the town and the museum. It was a cute town, and coverlets have quite a backstory. Who knew it was a whole industry in the 19th century.
And they are quite beautiful. And the staff was very knowledgable and helpful. The Alling Coverlet Museum and the town of Palmyra was a nice break from the trail.
Palmyra is also known as the location the Book of Mormon was first published. I had forgotten about the Mormons beginnings in NY State.
After an hour or so wandering town, we knew we had to get going. The sky was starting to cloud up, and we still had almost 25 miles to go.
Back on the trail, and about 2 miles in we ran into another detour. This one would take us on the road, and as we discovered, up quite a hill. The 5 miles detour took away from the canal, and flat of the trail. It was definitely not enjoyable, and we were happy to have that behind us.
The detour also meant we only had 15 miles to go. We were in very rural NY now. No more apple orchards. These were small towns, and some of the restaurants were beginning to close for the season. We needed to get to Clyde so we could get settled and find a place for dinner.
We pulled into town around 4pm. We met the owner and got inside into our rooms. He showed us where we could store our bikes (in one of his garages), and how to open the door the next morning when we left.
We asked if he had recommendations for dinner places, and how breakfast in the morning would work.
Of the 3 or 4 restaurant recommendations, some were closed, and one was closing for good. Breakfast would be at 9, and consisted of getting in his car and going out to breakfast.
Ok...that's weird.
The rooms were odd. The red room claimed "tasteful erotica" along with a mirrored canopy bed. The green room had quite a bit of taxadermy, as well as a coffin coffee table.
I did like the knife holder in the red room (see photo above).
The locks to our rooms were skeleton keys.
There was no shampoo, but at least a bar of soap.
We all took quick showers, and decided that we would uber into Seneca Falls for dinner.
Our uber driver, Rollie, was a very nice man, who was promoting a book he wrote, supposedly in film production. He was great, and when we asked about getting back, he gave us his card, so we could call him directly.
We walked around historic Seneca Falls. Unfortunately it was after 5 so the museums were closed, but it was sure cool to be walking where Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton started a movement for women's rights.
We had a nice dinner, at Parker's on Fall and discussed our options. The more we talked, the more we realized that even though the rooms were probably fine, and the proprietor harmless, we just didn't feel "good" about the situation.
It didn't help that every person we talked to had the same reaction when we said we were staying in Clyde.
"Clyde? Why?"
Ok...so we aren't going to stay in Clyde. We'd find somewhere else, then get up early and uber back, grab our gear and get out of dodge.
Our waitress recommended staying at the casino. She said they always have rooms (especially this time of year, and a weekday), and would even have some toiletries. Sold!
Our man Rollie picked us up, and we told him our plan. He said he wondered if we would be staying at the Casino. Just another confirmation of our choice. We asked him if he would be available to pick us up in the morning, and he assured us he would. Done!
We checked in, walked around a bit, and headed to bed. I grabbed a quick shower, because washing my hair with bar soap just did not feel good.
I thought to myself as I laid in the hotel bed that the trail angels were in full force this day. From beginning to end we were surrounded by people looking out for us. From the lady at the restaurant sharing her tales from the Tour, to the quick fix at the bike shop, to all the folks advising us to stay at the casino: we had good "ju-ju" on this day.
Day 3 was in the books, and we all decided to chalk it up to a bad mistake and let it go.
At the very least, we have a good story to tell. But a long ride tomorrow to Syracuse.
Stats for the ride through Day 3:
Miles for the day: 40.5
Hours in the saddle: 3:34
Total Daily Hours: 6:44
Miles total: 146.7
Hours in the saddle total: 12:37
Total hours on the trail: 20:46
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