June 20, 2021
To Auburn
I was hitting the road today, heading north back toward the Erie Canalway Trail and then east to Albany. Today's destination was Auburn, located just north of Owasco Lake and former home of Harriet Tubman. Clare taxied me over to Jane and Michael’s after breakfast where I loaded up Vivien George, bid farewell to all, and headed uphill and out of town. Michael had given me route advice – using a combination of less steep hills, bikeways and quiet roads to get out of Ithaca.
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2 years ago
As with Thursday’s route south to Ithaca, I was heading north along the smaller roads between the Finger Lakes, in this case Cayuga and Owasco Lakes. As I progressed beyond the Ithaca commuting distance, the community gardens and hobby farms gave way to larger spreads and smaller roads. I passed several road cyclists out for their Sunday morning ride, enjoying the sunshine, cool temperatures and glorious riding - rolling terrain with views to the east and west and silence broken only by songbirds.
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2 years ago
2 years ago
Most of the roads were paved, though I did encounter one low maintenance gravel road (not taken) and one road that had newly applied small gravel (taken). I was rolling along when I heard the unmistakable sound of tires crunching gravel, but without the roar of an oncoming car. I was a bit confused when Sarah pulled up beside me on her bike. We rode/chatted for a mile or two, discovering that we both had done the Storming of Thunder Ridge climb on the Blue Ridge Parkway a few weeks back. She and her family had just purchased a second house on Owasco Lake and she invited me to come by for a swim – how could I refuse! I followed her as we jogged east, dropping over to Route 39 and down to the lake. I took the plunge, clad in all my lycra best. It was a quick but refreshing dip, and after much thanks and apologies for crashing their Father’s Day festivities I was on my way.
I was back on Route 39, a fairly high traffic road that runs parallel to Owasco Lake. I was a little bit south of Wyckoff where I had originally planned to intersect with R39. Here, the shoulder was a bit narrow, thinned even more by guard rails and overgrown shrubs. I got an occasional view of the lake, but it was not until Wyckoff that the shoulder widened and the lake was on full display to my right. It was a great run up to the the north end of the lake, past a multitude of people on motor boats, pontoon boats and all manner of water recreation vehicles out enjoying this splendid day - perhaps in honor of Fathers, or maybe just happy to once again enjoy the company of others.
Auburn is a largish town with a confusing traffic pattern located just a bit north of Owasco Lake. I found my hotel and did some catching up on the journal before heading out for Angelo’s pizza. I’m back into touring mode, and loving it.
Today's ride: 46 miles (74 km)
Total: 479 miles (771 km)
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