To Mount Morris

July 11, 2021

And that detour yesterday to stop by the Amazon locker? It was to pick up a three pack of the base components for the GoPro Mount to replace the one that snapped a couple of weeks ago. We have video again!

Video sound track: Ain’t no Sunshine, by Grover Washington Jr.

And, we have rain again. We have a short run down to Mount Morris today, but we also have a short window of hopefully dry riding to fit it through. With showers duel to start about 11:30 and then worsen all afternoon, we get out the door early and walk across the Main Street Bridge to the nearest Starbucks outlet for a light breakfast, arriving just after it opens at 6. The plan is to rush through some quick bites, hurry back to the room, and be on the road heading south by about 7:30.

Plans oft go awry though and it’s closer to 8:30 before we finally step out the door.

Leaving the city heading south, we follow the Genesee cycle path for the first five miles, staying close to the river and crossing it twice more. We found Rochester quite attractive, and its bike friendliness certainly contributed to its appeal.

The Genesee River must see some serious flooding at times.

The I-490 interstate crosses the Genesee over the Douglas-Anthony Bridge. It’s named for Frederick Douglas and Susan B. Anthony, both of whom lived in Rochester for a substantial part of their lives.

The recently renovated Hamilton Apartments looks like a very inviting place to call home. No yard work, for one.

Rachael extracted this still image from the middle of one of her video clips.

Crossing the Genesee, again. Can’t we make up our minds? This is the sixth time now.

I didn’t realize it at the time, but this is the point at which the Erie Canal crosses the Genesee. That’s the canal entering from the right.

One drawback to how interesting these last miles were is that there were so many places to stop for. We got a late start and are hoping to arrive dry, and it hasn’t helped to have taken so long in just the first five miles. Once we leave the bike path for the roads we pick up the pace considerably, biking more or less nonstop for the remaining 30 miles to Mount Morris. It took some work last night trying to tease out the best route, but it was well worth the effort. We’re really pleased with this one, an efficient route that manages to stick almost entirely to very quiet rural roads.

Still though, we do have to stop a few times - like for this spirited steed.

The Chili Cobblestone School, built in 1842 and in operation for over a century. The former township of Chili is believed to have been named after the South American country.

This is Scottsville? I have to take a photo of that, I suppose.

Twenty miles from Mount Morris a very light mist begins. It’s not concerning at first, but gradually intensifies. Fifteen miles from town it starts feeling more shower than mist, and I start counting down each tenth of a mile we pass - that’s one less we’ll have to bike once the real rain sets in, I tell myself.

Ten miles from town I take one last photo and then stuff the camera in the pannier, to protect it from the rain and myself from temptation - we need to just ride.

Five miles from town, and we start asking each other just why it was we couldn’t have left a hour earlier as planned.

And then, it eases up. The showers abate, and we arrive at our motel all but dry. Undeservedly lucky once again.

One last shoe for the day before I bury the camera in the pannier.

We’re lucky too that we can check in to our motel early - they have exactly one room ready, which is all we need. We relax in the room all afternoon, feeling smug as we look out the window at the now heavy rain.

Come dinner time we borrow two umbrellas from the front desk and walk a mile to the village center for a meal at Borikén Restaurant. It’s a new experience for us, as we’ve never eaten in a Puerto Rican restaurant before. And it’s a new word for us also. We puzzled over the name - if anything, Borikén sounded Danish to us - but as probably everyone but ourselves knew already, that’s the name given to Puerto Rico by its native inhabitants.

We’re in Mount Morris for two nights, but aren’t sure why yet. It depends on the weather tomorrow. Maybe we’re just here for two nights taking a break and hiding out from the rain. If we’re lucky though we’ll explore the dramatic falls and landscape in Letchworth State Park, the Grand Canyon of the East.

In Borikén, checking out what the neighbors are having.

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Ride stats today: 37 miles, 1,200’; for the tour: 1,616 miles, 41,400’

Today's ride: 37 miles (60 km)
Total: 1,616 miles (2,601 km)

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