Thursday July 18:  Canandaigua, New York to Syracuse, New York
Distance:  70.2 miles
Total time:  6 hours 51 minutes
Riding time:  5 hours 13 minutes

If yesterday was the Pain in the Rain, today was the Run for the Roses.  As in smelling the roses.  It was a short day, the weather was nice, it was hilly but not Missouri hilly, and so we took our time and enjoyed the ride.

Yesterday I mentioned that Ned from Charleston had joined us in Buffalo and will ride with us to New Hampshire.  This is Ned.  He's a former colonel in the French Foreign Legion.  Well, not really.  He's a medical doctor in Charleston.  But I love the hat.

About 12 miles into the ride we came to Geneva on the Lake.  That's Seneca Lake, one of the Finger Lakes.  I remember my grandmother telling me that Geneva was a destination for her family and others from Ohio back in the day.  This is my grandfather on the left, his sister and his parents at Geneva in about 1914.

And here I am 105 years later at the Lake.

The Finger Lakes region is charming and has a 1950s resort feel to it.  Lots of roadside motels and cabins, very quaint towns, and the lakes are beautiful.  In Lake Seneca I could see rainbow trout from the shore.  Take note Pat Nealon and Richard Rodriguez.

Soon after Geneva we entered the village of Waterloo and screeched on the brakes when we saw Coach's Diner.  Good call.  Coach is the world's biggest New York Yankee fan.  Check the decor.  Each table is dedicated to a famous Yankee player.  We sat at the Reggie Jackson table, next to the Mickey Mantle table.

I asked if he had any Red Sox memorabilia and he said just the door mat you walked on when you came in.  Nice.

I had the strawberry shortcake, which was another good call.

The next town after Waterloo was Seneca Falls, site of the famous conference that launched the women's rights movement in the United States.  Elizabeth Cady Stanton's home still stands there.  You historians of women's undergarments will also recall that the Amelia Bloomer home is also in Seneca Falls.  Ms. Bloomer gave her name to, uh, bloomers.

After yesterday's record five punctures, I was worried that today might bring more of the same.  As I mentioned yesterday, sharp little rocks get into the tire and eventually work their way into the tube and pop it.  I had one flat at 30 miles, but that was it.  Here I am "helping" Fearless Leader Jim fix the flat.

The Three Amigos were pleased to be joined today by Sean from the UK, who cycled with us all day.  Sean is a better cyclist than we are, especially on hills, but he kept the lid on all day and we enjoyed riding with him.  Here he is as we wait for a rare traffic jam to clear up.

We also got stopped by a train for the third time in 3,400 miles.  Not bad considering we've crossed many hundreds of railroad tracks during that time.

We cycled alongside the Erie Canal at various times during the ride.  Here we are posing in front of it.

The day wouldn't have been complete if Michael hadn't had a root beer float, and he didn't disappoint.  This was the fifth straight day that he's had a float, which is a personal best.  Well done Michael.

As sometimes happens, Sean got a flat less than a mile from the hotel.  Nothing to do but take the time to fix it.  I got a flat in Buffalo a half mile from the hotel and walked my bike in.

So only five cycling days left.  Two of them will be among the toughest we've faced so far, but at this point we're ready to cycle through the Empty Quarter or up K2.  Nothing can stop us.   Tomorrow we pass the 3,500 mile mark and we'll be about 300 miles from the Atlantic when the day is done.