Today the Denny girls are back on their own again. It was really nice to have Mom and Dad come to carry our stuff for a couple of days (and to cook for us, clean us, and generally provide for us). The first day they came out, we decided that we were going to do 105 miles, because it would be easy, right without any of our stuff? We all started out feeling great, but slowly, as Liz broke a spoke, and we found ourselves on busy roads with lots and lots of holes, trying to get through Buffalo and into Canada, it turned out to be a bit stressful. Then we got news from our mom that it was actually a lot longer to the campsite than expected: about 10 miles longer. While this just about killed us, it didn't, so I guess it made us stronger. And thankfully, Mom was waiting at a restaurant by our campsite, with 5 beers and 4 plates of appetizers just delivered to the table. This was wonderful. Overall, it was our longest day at 114 miles, and our fastest average speed at around 17 mph.
The next day, we took our time biking through Niagara Falls on the Canadian side, before as Liz stated below, the US border almost labelled us as a security threat. We went through an Indian Reservation where someone asked if Dad and Liz were married. (They are not). We since went one really hard day on the Erie Canal (90 miles on unpaved canal path is not as easy as it sounds), and one easier day on scenic roads by Lake Ontario through northern New York.
Now we are planning the last week of our trip (ah!) and looking forward to riding through the Adirondacks and Appalachians.
-Sarah
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Mom & Dad's perspective:
We had a really great time with the dennygirls. they look great. they each started with different levels of experience on bikes, but they sure ride like pros now. I love the system they have developed for rotating the pace line. They switch every 5 miles. When they switch, they slow down to take long drinks, then the back of the line person calls "Go pandas" or some variation and the lead rider picks the pace up again. They have ridden across the country in 5 mile increments like this. I should also mention "second breakfast". As a rider myself, I can swear to the necessity of something like this. The girls eat pancakes at the campsite almost every morning, then ride for 25 or 30 miles before stopping at a restaurant for some huge repast, hence the name. Later there may be another meal stop or ice cream. Ice cream is a special favorite stop. They also need to stop during the day at towns for food shopping, supplies, and internet access at the local library. they then ride into the evening before stopping to set up camp, cook, eat dinner, and go to sleep. On the road, they are always looking for spots to refill water bottles. They use a lot of powdered gatorade during the day. All this is a necessity if you want to keep the engines going and avoid dehydration or bonking.
Cathy did a fantastic job of driving support for 4 days. While she got to do a little riding, she really sacrificed to drive, scout out restaurants, campsites, and in one case a hotel when no campsite was to be found. Thanks Cathy.
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