It’s not the fault of the Erie Canal. That’s where we’re riding now and will be tomorrow as well, with a little luck. Despite everything, we did alright mileage wise today (May 11).
Michelle got a flat tire near the end of her first segment. The sealant didn’t work and neither did the dart. So she found a bike shop not too far away that was open while I rode my first segment. The canal trail is pretty great, but it is mostly gravel. Some areas have bigger, sharper rocks like the one that took out her tire, but other places it’s fantastic.
I rode for a bit with a guy who was riding Buffalo to Rochester. Retired, just getting some miles in. When I got to my stopping point I googled nearby restaurants. And like magic a guy from the next town over pulled up. He rode with me to a nice family type place and we visited while waiting for Michelle to get back
When she got back she was sporting a new tire, thicker. It should do her proud.
She rode her next segment, then I was ready for mine. Only thing is, we kept missing each other. She was busy making a camping reservation so I got ahead a bit. And it’s not easy trying to get around in a 29 foot RV that can’t do a u-turn just anywhere. so I rode a little further and a little later than anticipated.
And on the way to get in after loading my bike what should I see? A blown out tire! I’d rubbed a curb pretty hard in a too narrow turning lane the other day and I guess today the potholes were too much for it. We called a few tire places that were open late but nobody worked on duals. So we limped back to our campground.
Looks like there might be a place not far from here that can do it, but we really won’t know until morning when they get to work. Tomorrow we may be flying by the seat of our jeans. Who knows when we’ll be back on the bikes!
It was just a lot of stress in one day.
By the seat of our bike shorts 