Day 114, first flat since Los Angeles

Curtis and Ericha were up early; by the time I emerged from my tent, they were nearly ready to sail off.

I wished them farewell and help pushed their boat away from the dock.

But as the boat swung into the center of the canal, just clearing the boat docked in front of them, Ericha yelled at me to watch out.

The mast hanging several feet off the back of the boat was swinging right towards me. I ducked with a second to spare, the mast arcing over my head.

Thanks for the heads up, that would have been unpleasant.

Then I met Tom, the captain of the third sailboat. He is a school principal, taking a year long sabbatical to sail to Cuba. He is joined by his two high school aged sons, just starting home-school lessons today. Seeing the entirety of the adventure as a learning experience, Tom tailors the lessons to accommodate nautical themes.

Tom invited me to crew on his boat for a bit, but I politely declined. I need to finish my own adventure first. See you on the seas next time!

Ready to leave, I had to say farewell to Matt & Bernice. Matt had just showed up riding his ultra compact, foldable bicycle complete with a Brooks saddle, and Bernice was filling one of the sailboats water tanks.

Thanks for everything!

I continued down the canal trail into Rochester. I was hoping to grab a garbage place at the legendary Dogtown, but unfortunately they were closed. I ate lunch elsewhere, hopped back on the canal and headed out of the city.

In Fairport, I met some wonderful cyclists and shared a beer with them. They suggested I go to Wegmans, a legendary grocery store located only the Rochester area. Veering from my route, I headed to the grocery store and it was completely worth it. Imagine a massive, wonderfully stocked Whole Foods. Wegmans had an amazing prepared food section and the nicest staff, including one employee that helped me find an aged cheddar that wouldn't separate in my bags.

I'm not sure I've been this excited about a grocery store before...

Stocked up on food, I left the Wegmans en-route to a canal campground in Macedon. About 2 miles from the campground, my front tire went flat. I hit a massive pothole that must have pinched the tube. The sun was about to set, so fixing the flat quickly was of the utmost importance.

The last flat I experienced was the day Dave and I parted ways in Los Angeles. The day after that, I located a bike shop and replaced the offending Gatorskin tire with a Schwalbe Marathon Plus tire. It held without issue for over four thousand miles.

That seems pretty good.

Unfortunately, my first patch didn't hold, forcing me to repair the flat again. The second held and got me to the campground. Already pitch black, I setup camp in the designated area, fixed dinner (cheese, crackers and salami from Wegmans) and fell asleep with all my gear tarped and secured for the impending thunderstorm.

Joe