Day 7 (October 1, 2004) - Boonville to Lake Ontario, near Sandy Creek
Rabbit Rabbit! It's October already. After staying up later than usual on Sunday night (10:45!) to watch the first Presidental debate, we "slept in" until 6:50 this morning. We had doughnuts provided by the motel along with the yogurt drinks we bought for breakfast, then spent extra time cleaning the bikes and lubing the chains from yesterday's rain. They were quite messy. We got a bit of a late start as a result and didn't hit the road until 9:30 am. The day started with some climbs, and I could really tell that I'd been riding seven days straight without a break! My legs and gluteals stay sore, so I climb more slowly each day, or at least it feels like it. Barry had to wait for me several times today.
There was one climb mid-ride today that I had to walk. It was both steep (~15% grade) and long (1/2 mile or so). Barry managed to tack up, but said that his legs were not the same the rest of the day after that climb! It seemed to take forever to walk up, pushing a loaded bike, but I finally made it. Finally in the afternoon, we got our promised downhills as we headed from the mountains to Lake Ontario, along with welcome tailwinds, sunshine, and blue skies! For the first time in ages, we were actually flying along for miles - such fun! There wasn't much traffic today, so it was one of those great cycling days, and a shorter day than some for us. It also hit 70 degrees in the afternoon, which meant that we got down to one layer of bike clothes, a pleasant change from the previous day!
The ride down to the Rainbow Shores hotel was interesting. It is down a 3-mile rural road straight towards Lake Ontario, and the last mile becamse gravel and was pretty rough. This was one of those days I was glad to get off the bike. The setting was just amazing, though. It was right on the Lake Ontario shore, so we wasted no time in taking some photos.
The restaurant
Cottage where we stayed
The banks of Lake Ontario were right outside our cottage. Shorts weather!
Here I am using my blow dryer on a bike jersey that was still a bit damp from last night's washing.
We ate in the very nice restaurant at the hotel and had a delicious meal (too much, of course). After dinner, we sat outside in a wooden swing and watched the sun set over the lake. Stunning! It was warm and a perfect ending to a very good day of touring. Tomorrow, on the other hand, is expected to bring rain in the afternoon, so we hope to get going early. That means an early night tonight.
Day 7 Stats
Distance: 56.2 miles On-bike time: 4 hours, 23 minutes Avg. speed: 12.6 (E), 13.0 (B) Weather: mid-40s to 70, fog to sun, 5-15 mph winds