Oahu, Hawaii

Saturday, October 30
Very early morning flight from Las Vegas to Honolulu
Drive to mission home

Sunday, October 31

Monday, November 1

Tuesday, November 2

Wednesday, November 3

Washington, DC

Saturday, October 16
Early morning flight from Salt Lake to Washington, DC Reagan National
Check in to Capital Hilton
Walk to White House, Protestors
Walk to other side of White House, close sidewalks at 7 p.m.
Dinner at Potbelly's

Sunday, October 17
Drive to Washington, DC Temple
Attend Sacrament Meeting
Visit Temple Grounds and Visitors Center
Drive to Baltimore to meet Hannah Shofner and her mom at the Barnes and Noble at the Inner Harbor
Ride Dragon paddle wheel boat

Monday, October 18
Visit memorials on National Mall
40,000 steps
White House, Protestors from Guinea
Washington Monument
World War II Memorial
Lincoln Memorial
Vietnam Memorial
Korean War Memorial
Tidal Basin
FDR Memorial
Jefferson Memorial
Attempt to walk to Union Station
Taxi to Union Station and dinner
Memorials by moonlight tour

Tuesday, October 19
National Archives
United States Capitol
Dinner at Morton's

Wednesday, October 20
White House Visitor's Center
Ford's Theatre
Museum of American History
Museum of Natural History
Holocaust Museum
Dinner at Luigi's

Thursday, October 21
Arlington National Cemetery
Funeral Procession
Eternal Flame
Tomb of the Unknown soldier
Lunch at Mall
9/11 Memorial at the Pentagon

Friday, October 22
Monticello
Dinner at Noodles and Company
Looked for Best Buy, got lost

Saturday, October 23
51 hours to get luggage, car and bodies home in Cedar City

Seven Peaks

Yes, this blog is being updated

I am updating the blog with the current day's progress and catching up on the days that I was gone.  The post "Ready to write again" will stay at the top of the blog until this is done.

Ready to write again

(originally posted June 29, 2010)  It has been a very full month and it's good to be back together again.  My mother is in our thoughts and we are grateful for her wonderful example.  She will be sorely missed, but we know this is not the end.  WE WILL be together again.  http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/deseretnews/obituary.aspx?n=ann-copier&pid=143635732

But, we must get on with daily life, and our lives right now are helping Lowell complete his goal of riding his bicycle across the country, so it's time to be off and blogging again!  Be patient, I'll write about our current day and catch up on previous days as we go along.

Hannah was in Cedar City for two weeks attending ArtFusion camp at SUU and also participated in the SUU Science Camp at the Mountain Center in Cedar Canyon.  Hannah performed a xylophone solo at the ArtFusion parent showcase.  She texted me that morning and said "I wish you were here to see my solo", to which I responded "I wish I was too!"  My neighbor, Michelle Decker was going to fill in for me as surrogate mom, so I asked Hannah to pretend that Michelle was me, to which she responded "She's not my mom!"  It became very apparent that it was time for us to be together again as a family!

Lowell and I drove from Uncle Whitey's home at Spirit Lake Resort, through Waudena, Minnesota where we witnessed the devastation caused by a tornado two days before and then on to the Minneapolis airport.  Much was waiting for us in Salt Lake and Lowell was a wonderful companion/chauffeur/husband as I took care of funeral business with my family.  Clarke and Olga gave Hannah a ride to Salt Lake on Monday afternoon so that she could be with us at the viewing and for the funeral the next day.  Thank you Clarke and Olga for transporting Hannah back and forth.

Convergence . . . .

When Annette Klassen of Cedar City, Utah and Annette Klassen of Munich, Germany said goodbye to each other on May 12 in Salzburg, Austria, did they have any inkling that their lives would change drastically within a few weeks?  They would both be without a living parent.

Last night I was going through e-mails received during the week of my mom's funeral and finally read the entire sympathy e-mail from Annette Klassen of Munich, Germany.  She told me that her father had passed away on June 12.

My deepest condolences to my friend.

They did it!

Start:  Hilton Garden Inn, Auburn, Maine
End:  Boat Dock in South Freeport, Maine

Mileage:
Weather:  Perfect, not too hot, not too cold

States Conquered:  Washington; Idaho; Montana; North Dakota; Minnesota; Iowa; Illinois; Indiana; Ohio; Pennsylvania; Ontario, Canada; New York; Vermont; New Hampshire; Maine

State Being Conquered:  Nothing left to conquer!

States to be Conquered:  Nothing left to conquer, at least on this trip.

Particulars:

Interesting People Along the Way:

Paris, Maine to Auburn, Maine

Start:  King's Hill Inn, Paris, Maine
End:  Hilton Garden Inn, Auburn, Maine

Mileage:  30 miles
Weather:  Perfect with a tail wind

States Conquered:  Washington; Idaho; Montana; North Dakota; Minnesota; Iowa; Illinois; Indiana; Ohio; Pennsylvania; Ontaior, Canada; New York; Vermont; New Hampshire
State Being Conquered:  Maine
States to be Conquered:  None!

Particulars: 

A report from Joe Thompson:  This AM we rode about 25 miles from Paris ME to Auburn ME. It is a charged moment to arrive at the last leg of a two month effort.


Maine seems to me to be like New Zealand with better roads and fewer sheep. Very green landscape. Hills everywhere, intensely agricultural, and pretty gritty in nature. I continue to be struck by the run-on architecture. Even the recent construction seems to emulate the traditional add-on and multifunctional composition of the buildings. Attached see the equally run-on Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul. The cathedral building is conjoined by a residence, completely different design and materials, built in separate time periods, and sharing a common wall.

We will ride into Rockport tomorrow and take a photo and call it good. Then we will go to Boston, get a room for the night and get flights out (Kelly, Annette, Hanna and me) and start driving home (Mike and Lowell).

I will make my last installment in this series tomorrow.

Interesting People Along the Way:

Finally, a connection to Abraham Lincoln

Start:  Comfort Inn, Lincoln, New Hampshire
End:  King's Hill Inn, Paris, Maine

Mileage:  83 miles
Weather:  Heat wave!

States Conquered:  Washington; Idaho; Montana; North Dakota; Minnesota; Iowa; Illinois; Indiana; Ohio; Pennsylvania; Ontario, Canada; New York; Vermont; New Hampshire
State Being Conquered:  Maine
States to be Conquered:  The Atlantic Ocean?

Particulars:  We're staying at the King's Hill Inn, a Bed and Breakfast in Paris, Maine and the birthplace of Horatio King, the Postmaster General under Presidents James Buchanan and Abraham Lincoln.  Maine is BEAUTIFUL although the roads tend to be a bit dicey--a lot of up and down (Hannah and I said woo hoo several times) smooth and well-paved roads interspersed with obviously untouched and unattended roads sadly in need of attention.

The proprietress of the King's Hills Inn informed me that President Obama and his family are vacationing in Acadia, so I think we'll pass on a visit to Cadillac Mountain.  Sounds like that will just have to wait until the next bike trip (yes, they're already talking about the next one) in Nova Scotia. Departure for this trip will be on the ferry out of Bar Harbor, Maine, right next to Acadia and Cadillac Mountain.  We'll plan around the Obama's vacation plans.

A report from Joe Thompson:  Today we rode 83 miles from Lincoln NH to Paris ME. We had new records for both speed on the trip (42 mph) and steepness of grade (21 per cent). That was steep enough that Kelly was zig zaging and Mike had to walk his bike 50 feet to re-start after missing a shift. I ended up riding directly up by standing up in my lowest gear and pulling on the bars as hard as I could.


Attached is a photo of the back of the B&B where we are staying this evening. King's Hill is the name of the place, after the guy who was Abe Lincoln's Postmaster General. The building is interesting in that it conveys the peculiarity of the buildings in the area. What they have in common is that they are huge. It seems that they usually start out as normal size dwellings, but then generation after generation the buildings are modified by adding floors, wings, garages, barns and businesses until they become the architectural equivalent of a run-on sentence. One sees these conglomerated buildings all over the place here, mostly well maintained and functioning as what, I have no idea!

A report from Mike Thompson:  Kelly is at work documenting variations in water tower construction in all the known universe.

A report from Kelly Thompson:  Kancamagus Pass - the last 2000 foot climb before Maine - Wahoo!

Interesting People Along the Way:

The best road in Vermont, well-paved and SMOOTH!

Start:  White River Valley Campground, Gaysville, Vermont
End:  Comfort Inn, Lincoln New Hampshire

Mileage:  80 miles
Weather:  Perfect in the morning, RAIN int he afternoon

States Conquered:  Washington; Idaho; Montana; North Dakota; Minnesota; Iowa; Illinois; Indiana; Ohio; Pennsylvania; Ontario, Canada; New York, Vermont
State Being Conquered:  New Hampshire
States to be Conquered:  Maine

Particulars:  The bicyclists have made several comments about the condition of the roads in Vermont and New Hampshire.  Hannah and I agree for the most part, but had to report on one road that was the smoothest, most well-paved road that we have driven in Vermont.  Unfortunately, the men didn't get to experience Dairy Hill Road in South Royalton, Vermont.

Now, why would this road be the exception?  It's not even a main highway AND it becomes a dirt road immediately after the most often visited destination located on this road.  Anyone?  Anyone?  Yep, at the the end of the road is the Joseph Smith Birthplace and I surmise that it wasn't the State of Vermont or federal tax dollars that funded the paving.

We'll get the interesting observations about the Joseph Smith Birthplace out of the way before I get to the best part of our visit.  Is this sign grammatically correct?  Anyone?  Anyone? (Can you tell one of my favorite movie's is Ferris Bueller's Day Off).  There is a hyphen between "Worth" and "While".  I've always understood that when you use a hyphen, the two words should be able to stand alone.  That doesn't seem to be the case in this phrase:  "We hope your visit has been worth" and We hope your visit has been while" just don't make sense.  Is there some old rule for this word that allows for a hypen?  Oh well, when I uploaded the picture, I noticed the image number is "666".  Coincidence?

Thank you for allowing me to point out some of the oddities we noticed.  Hannah and I really did enjoy our visit to the Joseph Smith Birthplace and the grounds are BEAUTIFUL with large sweeping grassy areas, a long tree-lined drive to the monument and Visitor's Center, and flowers as beautiful as Temple Square.  There were six sets of couples who are full-time missionaries at this historic site--three assigned to tours and three assigned to facilities management.  Because we were pulling a trailer, we had to park in a lower parking lot and when we finally arrived for our tour, a bus pulled up!  Plus, the Exeter, New Hampshire Stake was holding their Youth Conference at Camp Joseph so we had lots of company!  Fortunately the missionary couples were very good at crowd control, and we proceeded to tour the grounds.

The monument was erected in 1905 in honor of Joseph Smith's 100th birthday.  It is 38 1/2 feet tall in remembrance of Joseph's age when he was martyred.

A report from Joe Thompson:  Friday was a hard day due to humidity, rain, mountains, and me not eating enough and managing to induce an energy "bonk" near the end of the day as we started our climb up a pass in the White Mountains. We rode from Gaysville VT to Lincoln NH, 80 miles. Having never been in either state, I have been gawking like a schoolboy at the form of the land and the impressions of the place. The motorists are terrible dealing with bikes. We get shouted at hourly with "get off the road" or told that we are the jerks that give cycling a bad name etc. I assign this to a combination of narrow roads, the fact that we are several riders together, and the roads are quite narrow. I also share the stereotype impression that the people match the land here, and are "flinty" New Englanders".

A report from Kelly Thompson:  This covered bridge in the rolling hills near Piermont NH. The good news....its beautiful. The bad news...the roads are rutted and bumpy.

Village chartered in 1761. Wall built soon after. Wow that is old.


Interesting People Along the Way:

Do you know what happened on April 19, 1775?

Start:  Jellystone Campground, North Hudson, New York
End:  White River Valley Campground, Gaysville, Vermont

Mileage:  88 miles
Weather:  HOT and STICKY!

States Conquered:  Washington; Idaho; Montana; North Dakota; Minnesota; Iowa; Illinois; Indiana; Ohio; Pennsylvania; Ontario, Canada; New York
State Being Conquered:  Vermont
States to be Conquered:  New Hampshire; Maine

Particulars:  If you were asked the following question and had to answer the question on the spot, coud you?  What significant event in history happened on April 19, 1775?

Hannah and I visited Fort Ticonderoga, formerly Fort Carillon, which was built by the French during the Seven Years War, or French and Indian War.  It sits on the southern edge of Lake Champlain, strategically located between the Hudson River Valley and the St. Lawrence Seaway.  No wonder the British and the French were more interested in the Fort than the Americans, although Ethan Allan, Benedict Arnold and Green Mountain Boys did gain control of the fort in May, 1775.  No lives were lost as the Fort was not heavily defended and ONE guard took aim at the Americans, turned and ran back into the Fort, leaving the door open allowing for the Patriots to enter and overpower the British who numbered 48 in all.

Our tour guide was interesting to say the least.  He was dressed in an infantry uniform from the 18th century and  demonstrated the use of a musket (he could load and shoot within 14 seconds).  Apparently the requirement to be an infantryman was to load and shoot the mustket three times within 60 seconds.  However, I did find him to be a bit condescending by the way he approached the subject.  When he started to discuss the significance of the American Revolution he said to the crowd, "Well, everyone knows what happened on April 19, 1775.  Can you believe I had a group of 4th graders who DIDN'T KNOW!"  Did I know?  To be honest, no, but I could probably make an educated guess and I had my iPhone so I could look it up.  Do you know?  Here's a clue.  Lexington and Concord.

Ticonderoga did play a part in the battle to drive the British out of Boston.  How could that be?  Boston is hundreds of miles away from Ticonderoga!  Well, when the Fort was under the rule of the Patriots, Henry Knox, a Boston bookseller proposed an idea to General Washington.  They needed artillery in Boston and there were lots of cannons at Fort Ticonderoga.  On December 1, 1775, Knox left Boston on horseback for the 300 mile journey to Ticonderoga.  After seven weeks of travel by water and sled pulled by oxen, Knox entered Cambridge on January 24, 1776 with 59 pieces of artillery including 43 heavy brass and iron cannon.  Washington now had what he needed to defeat the red coats.

Our visit reminded me that it's time to travel to Williamsburg, walk the Freedom Trail in Boston, visit Washington, DC . . . so much to do, so little time.

After Ticonderoga, we travelled to Rochester, Vermont, our proposed stopping point for the day.  Little did we know that we would be competing with the Green Mountai Suzuki Strings festival and there were not hotel accommodations to be found.  Well, there was one room, a suite at the Huntington Inn with two queen beds at the rate of $395 per night.  We travelled 12 miles further and set up camp at the White River Valley Campground.  It's days like today that make us very glad to have the truck and the trailer.  That's two nights in a row where hotels/motels have not been an option.  What will the next few days bring?

A report from Mike Thompson:  The four amigos on the ferry crossing from NY to Vermont. We're in New England now!

A report from Joe Thompson:  88 tough miles in the up and down country from North Hudson NY to Gaysville VT. We passed Fort Ticondaroga and took a ferry across Lake Champlain to pass from NY to VT. We also took an optional route to go through Middlebury VT, home of Middlebury College, where most of us have associates who are alumni. We rode smack through he Green Mountains, where we had the opportunity to ride sustained grades or 14 per cent, which any of you that ride a bike may recognize is quite steep. The steepest pitch on the road in Little Cottonwood Canyon, for instance, is 9 per cent. Our original destination was Rochester VT, but alas there was no lodging to be had and no camping. So we rode on down the route to Gaysville.


All rode strongly, completed the planned ride, and were in good spirits at camp.

A report from Kelly Thompson:  Baaad roads near Ticonderoga NY on Vermont border.

Interesting People Along the Way:

66.667% of the participants have now received medical attention

Start:  Pine Knoll Lodge, Old Forge, New York
End:  Jellystone Campground, North Hudson, New York

Mileage:  84 miles
Weather:  PERFECT!

States Conquered:  Washington; Idaho; Montana; North Dakota; Minnesota; Iowa; Illinois; Indiana; Ohio; Pennsylvania; Ontario, Canada;
State Being Conquered:  New York
States to be Conquered:  Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine

Particulars:

A report from Kelly Thompson:  Rolling through the Adirondacks.

Raquette Lake NY in the Adirondacks - this is where NY comes to play.

Interesting People Along the Way:

Looking for Kellerman's, Johnny Castle and Baby Houseman

Start:  Riverside Inn, Fulton, New York
End:  Pine Knoll Lodge, Old Forge, New York

Mileage:  102 or 103 miles, two different reports
Weather:  Warm and muggy

States Conquered:  Washington; Idaho; Montana; North Dakota; Minnesota; Iowa; Illinois; Indiana; Ohio; Pennsylvania; Ontario, Canada
State Being Conquered:  New York
States to be Conquered:  Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine

Particulars:  If weather and bodies hold up this could be the last Tuesday of the tour!  Only fitting that we're sitting in Adirondack chairs at the edge of one of the Fulton Chain Lakes in the center of the Adirondack Mountains.  Old Forge reminds me of Springdale, Utah which sits at the entrance to Zion Canyon National Park--lots of motels, restaurants, shops . . . . As we drove through the Adirondack Mountains, I wondered if we would find resorts similar to Kellerman's in the movie Dirty Dancing.  That may be a possibility although Johnny Castle and Baby Houseman were in the Catskills not too far from the Adirondacks.

This area is beautiful with lots of rolling hills and some mountains although the climbs are nothing like the bicyclists experienced in the Cascades and the Rockies.  It's obvious that development has been cut into thick heavy forests.  Kelly reminded me of a Robert Frost poem that must be based on his travels through an area like this.  The last stanza of Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening reads:

The woods are lovely, dark and deep.
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.

A report from Joe Thompson:  Today we rode 102 miles from Fulton, NY to Old Forge, NY. We are now in the Adirondack Mountains. I can see the appeal; it is cooler by far than the country we have been riding through. We gained about 1,500 feet in elevation and dropped about 15 degrees! Old Forge has a nice lake and looks like the full-on summer and winter resort town that it is.

This is a picture that Joe took from the entrance to our hotel room.

A report from Kelly Thompson:  Today we rode about 85 miles through the heart of the Adirondaks from Old Forge to North Hudson NY. Beautiful country and terrific weather today. We are camping at Jellystone Park (no kidding) for the evening!

Interesting People Along the Way:

My love affair with Wegmans (only Christie will truly understand)

Start:  Holiday Inn Express, Victor, New York
End:  Riverside Inn, Fulton, New York

Mileage:  85 miles
Weather:  HOT!  Wind from the South

States Conquered:  Washington; Idaho; Montana; North Dakota; Minnesota; Iowa; Illinois; Indiana; Ohio; Pennsylvania; Ontario, Canada
State Being Conquered:  New York
States to be Conquered:  Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine

Particulars:  A message for Christie Thompson:  The Wegmans in Canandaigua is still #1 on on my list, although Fairport was quite good!  Mike and Lowell still think I'm completely nuts!

This is Hannah in the parking lot of Wegmans in Fairport, New York, an amazing grocery store, a place for those who love food!  There's a sushi bar, a salad bar, a sandwich bar, a bakery, an olive bar, a deli  and on and on!  The produce sections makes your mouth water and you want to buy a little bit of everything!  I had to get out of there quickly.  The bathrooms are beautifully tiled works of art!  I love this place!  But, some are nicer and have more amentities than others.  The very first Wegmans that I visited in Canandaigua, New York back in 2006 (and Christie Thompson can vouch for this) is the gold standard.  We were so excited to introduce Lowell and Mike to the amenities offered as we travelled around the Finger Lakes.  To our dismay, the Wegmans we were able to get Lowell and Mike to finally enter was nothing like the Wegmans in Canandaigua.  I still don't think they believe me what an amazing place this really is, if you find the right one!

From Fairport, Hannah and I travelled to Palmyra and walked through the Sacred Grove.  It was beautiful and peaceful.  We stopped a few times and listened to the birds and the wind rushing through the trees.  Hannah read the Joseph Smith History found in the Pearl of Great Price.

A report from Joe Thompson:  Today we rode 85 miles from Rochester, NY to Fulton, NY. We took a somewhat round-about route to include some coast on Lake Ontario, including Sodus Bay, a beautiful area with wonderful islands and steep shores and wooded slopes.

The weather is turning hot and humid again; all four of us were dehydrated at the end of the day. Tomorrow, as always, we continue East, to Old Forge.

A report from Kelly Thompson:  Egypt NY between Rochester and Fulton. The tower and the town both looked a little sketchy.  Rode 85 miles into the rolling hills above Lake Ontario. With 90+ degrees and 85% humidity, the day was a bit of a challenge in the hot part. Tomorrow we get into the Adirondaks - Wahoo!

Interesting People Along the Way:

Did Donny Osmond attend our Sacrament Meeting?

Start:  Holiday Inn Express, Victor, New York
End:  Holiday Inn Express, Victor, New York

Mileage:  0 Miles
Weather:  Beautiful!

States Conquered:  Washington; Idaho; Montana; North Dakota; Minnesota; Iowa; Illinois; Indiana; Ohio; Pennsylvania; Ontario, Canada
State Being Conquered:  New York
States to be Conquered:  Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine

Particulars:  The Hill Cumorah Pageant is obvisously a welcome tourist activity in this area.  Although our hotel is over 30 miles from the Hill Cumorah, I was told by one of the hotel employees in charge of preparing our breakfast that this weekend is a particularly busy weekend because of the pageant.  Many of the hotel guests were there because of the pageant.  When I passed by one of the hotel meeting rooms, I noticed what looked like a Sacrament Meeting.  Could we have attended Church in our hotel that morning?

Lowell, Hannah and I attended church meetings in the Fairport Ward in Pittsford, New York.  It's been interesting to attend Gospel Doctrine week after week in a diffferent ward.  Each teacher has their own distinct style.  The teacher in the Fairport Ward used quite a bit of classical art in his lesson and since he teaches in the chapel and uses the large screen, his computer and a wireless microphone.

During the "Good News" section of Relief Society, one of the women mentioned that she had just met Donny Osmond and gave him a big hug.  Apparently he had snuck into our Sacrament Meeting, unnoticed by most who were in attendance.  Shoot, I could have told him that I met his youngest son while visiting Utrecht Ward.  Donny and Debbie's youngest was servigin his mission in The Netherlands.

A report from Kelly Thompson:  Susan B Anthony was one of seven kids. Born in 1820 and died in 1906, she lived through the Civil War and lots of other history. Rochester Cemetery.

Interesting People Along the Way:

Why would I think otherwise?

Start:  Comfort Inn, Lockport, New York
End:  Holiday Inn Express, Victor, New York

Mileage:  70 miles or 75 miles (two different reports)
Weather:  Perfect weather.  Not too hot, clear, slight tail wind, beautiful blue skies

States Conquered:  Washington; Idaho; Montana; North Dakota; Minnesota; Iowa; Illinois; Indiana; Ohio; Pennsylvania; Ontario, Canada
State Being Conquered:  New York
States to be Conquered:  Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine

Particulars:  A report from Joe Thompson:  Today we rode about 75 Mi from Lockport NY to Rochester, NY paralleling and sometimes riding along the footpath that follows the Erie Canal. We did not see any commerce on the canal, but there are many recreational users, mostly fishing, boating and riding and walking on the path that runs adjacent to the canal along most of it's length. The weather today is severe clear, about 80 comfortable degrees and negligible wind; perfect.

In Medina, Joe and Kelly observed this "Devil Dog" attacking the Baptist Church.

Once we settled into our hotel in Victor, New York, Lowell, Hannah, Mike and I headed out to dinner and then on to Manchester Township where we would see the Hill Cumorah Pageant.  We arrived two hours before the start of the Pageant and most of the seats were already "reserved".  Many of the cast members were milling about in the audience talking to the people and sharing information about the show.

Since we had two hours, I took Hannah into the Visitors Center and we watched the movie "Joseph Smith--Prophet of the Restoration".  It is a wonderful movie!  I think I enjoyed it more than the actual pageant as we had two crying babies sitting next to us and the parents decided not to remove them from the audience.  Crying babies and the megaphones of the "anti's" made it quite an interesting evening.

I have thought about signing up to participate in this production with Hannah, but I think I changed my mind.  The cast was VERY LARGE!  Have I not made myself clear enough about my love of crowds?

Interesting People Along the Way:  Two times today I had an experience where my initial reaction was a negative reaction.  While waiting for a red light to change in Lockport, New York, a car pulled up next to me and the woman int he passenger seat motioned for me to roll down my window.  Had I left the door open on the trailer again?  Was something wrong with my lights?  No warning here.  She welcomed us to the area and asked if we had been to the Falls.

When Hannah and I arrived in Rochester, we stopped at Meridian Centre Park and unloaded the bikes so that we could bike along the Erie Canal and meet the men along the way.  The park was part of a business park and the parking was around the office buildings.  Just as we had unloaded the bikes, a car stopped.  Shoot, were we not allowed to park in this area?  Well, once again my initial reaction was wrong!  He noticed that we were from Utah and he asked if we were headed to the pageant.

We can honestly say that people have been VERY NICE!

A great place to separate you from your money, just like Disneyland!

Start:  Holiday Inn Express, Hamburg, New York
End:  Comfort Inn, Lockport, New York

Mileage: 
Weather:  Lot's of rain, but warm

States Conquered:  Washington, Idaho, Montana, North Dakota, Minnesota, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania
State being Conquered:  New York (with a short trip into Niagara Falls, Ontario Canada)
States to be Conquered:  Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine

Particulars:  Hannah and I stopped in Niagara Falls again today.  She asked if we could do the walk behind the falls again.  Not sure if it's a smart thing to walk the tunnels below and behind the power of Horseshoe Falls.  It's quite amazing.

We're glad we went last night with Lowell, because today was cloudy and rain--a much better view of the Falls last night.  I never cease to be amazed at how quickly one can be separated from their money in Niagara Falls.  Last night we paid $20 just for parking and way too much for dinner for a sub par meal at a restaurant overlooking the Falls.  Looking through the coupon book only verifies that it's impossible to do everything when visiting this area from the Dinosaur Museum, Ripley's Believe It or Not, Wax Museum, Skylon Tower, Whirlpool Car, Whitewater Walk, Butterfly Conservatory, Marineland and on and on.  It's worse than Disneyland.

Hannah and I ate lunch at Outback Steakhouse which came with free parking!  We then took the incline railway to the Walk Behind the Falls, then the incline railway back to the car.   Hadn't paid much attention to the gas gauge and it reported that I was close to empty, just 48 miles left.  Couldn't find any diesel fuel on the way to the Queenston/Lewiston Bridge, and even took a wrong turn on the way to the bridge.  I was getting nervous, very nervous when I crossed the bridge and ran smack dab into a traffic jam.  We watched the gaue very closely.  Finally found diesel in Lockport, our final destination for the day.

A report from Kelly Thompson:  Home of the best handmade mushroom burger and the friendliest camp yet - in Lockport NY by the Erie canal.

This hitching post is 50 yards from the Erie Canal, and is in the parking lot of the Widewaters Drive in. This drive in makes the best mushroom burger ever. Joe, the manager is leaving the restroom unlocked tonight and letting me camp on the dry ground under the picnic tent. Great Folks.

A report from Joe Thompson:  Today we rode from Hamburg NY into Canada across the Peace Bridge from Buffalo to Fort Erie, along the Niagara River past Niagara Falls and back into the US crossing the Lewiston Queenston Bridge and on to Lockport. This was "only" about 70 miles, and the temperature was moderate and rain was falling, but the day seemed quite hard.

The attached photo shows the American Falls from the Canadian side, and the Maid of the Mist at the bottom of the gorge. From the "Fun facts to know and tell" file, Babe has a photo of her and her sister Flora as kids on The Maid of the Mist. I have no idea of the date of the photo.

Lowell Klassen at Niagara Falls.

A report from Kelly Thompson:  Shuffling thru Buffalo - yech! The only thing harder than riding was the navigating. Our lady of victory cathedral is on the right.

A report from Kelly Thompson:  Yes - It is impressive. Niagra Falls

Interesting People Along the Way: