Day 5 – Syracuse to Rome

The day started with breakfast at the zoo a short ride down the hill from camp. I didn’t make the mistake of having just cereal and fruit like I did yesterday. Today I filled my plate with scrambled eggs, bacon and French toast with syrup and a big cup of the hottest coffee I can remember. I won’t be hungry for hours!

We said goodbye to the flamingos, ducks and geese before cycling back up the hill on our way to Fort Stanwix National Monument in Rome. The forecast calls for a much warmer, sunny day.

The route started out with four miles through downtown Syracuse with lots of morning commuter traffic, traffic signals, bike lanes and street crossings. It’s tricky to watch cars, traffic signals and route markings on unfamiliar roads so everyone in our small group of 8 or so cyclists all watch out for one another, making sure no one gets off track.

The dynamic of this large group of 350 cyclists is pretty amazing. While the average age is 60, there is a wide range of ages from probably early high school age to college age, 20-something men and women, middle aged working people, retirees and seniors, grandparents with grandchildren, couples and singles. Everyone is considerate and friendly even after long, tiring days. I’ve witnessed many acts of kindness and compassion over the last few days. It’s also amazing to me that I haven’t heard anyone swearing or cursing. Not that I’m above cursing, as some of you know well, but it’s another example of the respect these cyclists show to one another.

Once on the canal trail, we passed through very rural areas between Syracuse and Rome. I spotted a beaver swimming alongside the trail and had to dodge lots of geese who were very protective of their goslings.

The morning rest stop was in the Village of Chittenango where we toured a museum with a boat shop and blacksmith.

I spotted this creepy scarecrow in a backyard garden just after leaving the rest stop and right before arriving in Canastota. I had to do a double take to figure out what I was seeing. That thing would scare anything away!

It was only 10 AM or so when we arrived in Canastota, too early to eat lunch so we grabbed a delicious chicken almond wrap and stashed it in the bike bag for later on. I toured the Canastota Canal Town Museum before continuing on the trail.

The sun and heat took a toll on our energy today so we were happy to stop at a shady picnic table with some other cyclists and enjoy our lunch.

One last rest stop for watermelon and water bottle refills before we finished the last 10 miles of the 48 mile day. Riley has been a real trooper, riding these long days with his swollen and now multi-colored leg.

The last mile or so before Fort Stanwix was horrible. Large loose gravel and numerous potholes made in it seem like it was 5 miles instead. We dropped our bikes off at the fort and boarded the first motor coach to Verona Beach State Park where we’re camping tonight. We swam in the beautiful lake, showered and headed to town to once again wash out laundry which had become gross stuffed in the duffle.

We had a nice dinner and great conversation with Bruce and Julie Cline at Captain John’s Restaurant in Sylvan Beach then watched the sunset over the lake.