The End is Finally Here... It's the End Already? That about sums up my conflicting emotions. Part of me has been ready for the trip to come to an end for the last couple of weeks. Staying in hotels every night, eating all my meals in restaurants, going weeks at a time with out seeing a face that I know, scouring the weather report for signs of coming discomfort are all things I am happy to have end. Another part of me can't believe the end is already here. The w...

New England Autumn...By the calendar, the season has officially changed from summer to fall. But I can hardly tell by the weather and just a very few of the trees have started to change color. I had hoped to see the blaze of fall foliage before reaching the end of my trip, but it's looking like I will be a week or two early.Since leaving Boston, the weather, the riding, the towns and the countryside have been nothing short of spectacular. The daytime highs have b...

Martha's Vineyard and Cape Cod... The last week has been jam-packed with activity. After driving with the group from Camp Hughes to Woods Hole, MA, we took the ferry to Martha's Vineyard where we rented a house for four days. We spent our time riding around the island checking out sights, spending some time on the beaches, and shopping. The more industrious in the group also went running and a few even braved the Atlantic waters for a swim. Several of us took th...

The Gang's All Here... As most of you know, I've gone on several cycling tours in Europe over the years. Through these trips, I've been lucky to have gained a great group of friends. We've gotten together in Europe and the US many times and always have fun regardless of the location or weather. In this group, I'm known as Surly for my unmatched ability to wait patiently for a dozen other cyclists to gather, make bike adjustments, and remember forgotten water bo...

Cycling Central New York... Central New York certainly has a lot of variety - canals, lakes, wineries, pretty towns and lots of hills! I've been surprised by how hilly it is. Yesterday, I road 65 miles from Ithaca to Norwich and did more climbing than any other day of the whole trip! I was beat by the end of the day and am looking forward to shorter routes in the next few days. But a bigger surprise than any of that was my opportunity to be a good Samaritan yes...