dunkirk, new york

And now there are four!

UNDER 800! 

After a 60.99 mile ride, today, we are now in Dunkirk, New York. Four more states to go, one is wide and three are skinny. Look out Atlantic! We were blessed with wide and smooth shoulders and minimal traffic for a Saturday. And . . . our mileage stands at (drum roll please) 2,948.77/approximately 766 miles to go! Tomorrow, our total mileage should go over 3,000 miles and the day after, our miles to go should drop to under 700! 

I found a Pennsylvania license plate but not along the road where I usually find them. I stopped at a garage sale! I don't think I've ever been to a garage sale where I've found a license plate for sale. But . . . anyone who has a garage usually has a license plate or two hanging on a nail on a wall. I met Michelle, told her I was looking for a Pennsylvania license plate and told her why, she looked at a wall where there were quite a few license plates hanging on quite a few nails, and told me she did have one . . . or two. She took several off of the wall and said, "Would you like a truck, trailer, or car tag?" I picked the car tag and she told me, "No charge." Thank you for the tag, Michelle. Your kindness and generosity made my morning.

We pedaled out of Pennsylvania through some beautiful farming country including vineyards that look like we could be somewhere in Italy. Somewhere near Orchard Beach we were joined by Sarah, Barry, and Geneva. (For those of you who don't know, Sarah is our daughter, Barry is her husband, and Geneva is Barry's mom.) Sarah and Barry pedaled with us for the rest of the day. Tomorrow we head to the Erie Canalway Trail near Buffalo. From there we will be on the trail for about 300 miles to Albany. Here is the online information from the trail's website:

The Erie Canalway Trail follows the Erie Canal, which opened in 1825. At the time of the canal's construction, railroads were just coming into vogue. The Mohawk and Hudson, New York’s first railroad, opened in 1831 and ran from Albany to Schenectady. At first, the railroads were seen as competition for the precious canal, so the state’s lawmakers only permitted trains to carry freight during the winter when the canal was closed. But this restriction was soon lifted and, by the late 1800s, trains had clearly won the battle of transportation supremacy. Today, about a third of the Erie Canalway Trail (more than 100 miles) is built on these former railways, largely consisting of the West Shore Line on the trail’s eastern end.

As most of the trail follows these canal and rail corridors, it is nearly level with an average grade of 1 percent. A few steeper grades and hill climbs can be found in the Mohawk Valley section on the trail's eastern half. Large sections of the trail are surfaced in stone dust from crushed limestone; however, some stone dust sections are being converted to asphalt paving. A range of bike types can be used effectively on the trail, including mountain and hybrid bikes, as well as road bikes equipped with wider tires (28 mm or more recommended). The two longest paved sections are at either end of the trail: from Albany to Schoharie Crossing and from Buffalo to Pendleton.

I haven't mentioned anything about my notes of encouragement lately but I'm still reading one or two a day and it looks like they will last until we finish at the Atlantic Ocean. I plan to, near the end of the journey, doing a blog listing the names of everyone who texted, emailed, wrote, and doodled words that were encouraging, funny, and very special. Thank you for all the kindness.

"No act of kindness, no matter how small, is never wasted."  -Aesop

"People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget the way you made them feel."  -Maya Angelou

"In a world where you can be anything, be kind."

"Kindness is more than deeds. It is an attitude, an expression, a look, a touch, It is anything that lifts another person."  -Plato

"A great man shows his greatness by the way he treats little people."

"Kind words are like honey--sweet to the soul and healthy for the body."  --Proverbs 16:24

"Be kind and tender to one another. Forgive each other, just as God forgave you because of what Christ has done." --Ephesians 4:32 

The more kindness you give away, the more you'll have. Be kind.

One cool barn.