Day 81: Ripley to Hamburg - Racpat Northern Tier 2021 - CycleBlaze

August 20, 2021

Day 81: Ripley to Hamburg

Long day

Mike starts the day by fixing us French toast and coffee and then sees us off. The vineyards continue to be the main crop in the fields, with the return of corn and “watch for deer” signs.  With overcast skies, the humidity is not bad for today. The rolling hills continue with enough momentum to get partially up the next one most of the time. We know when we’ve entered a different region, the road surface and shoulder changes as well as the name of newspaper on the mailboxes.

At Evangola State Park, we take the Lake Shore Road suggested by our Warmshowers host that goes through mostly residential areas. We are very close to Lake Erie, but all along the waterfront are nice houses and fences obscuring the view.  We get a first view of downtown Buffalo across the bay just before turning inland. Patrick navigates us towards Hamburg and texts Mike, our host. He rides out to meet up with us to guide us to his house. First thing when we arrive is a large frozen Popsicle.

Mike will start his own bike trip tomorrow morning, but he still fixes us a nice meal. Later in the evening we meet Mike’s Sicilian dad who has a 1950 Cadillac registered on August 22! Rachel’s birthday!!!!

More Vineyards
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Scott AndersonNice to see the Barcelona lighthouse again! You got a better picture of it than I did, showing off the light keeper’s house with it. Don’t you love the European town names throughout this region? Geneva, Dunkirk, Hamburg, Warsaw, Verona, Syracuse. This was the real melting pot.
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2 years ago
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The Blues Brothers in the garden
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Patrick finds another treasure, a New York License Plate
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First view of downtown Buffalo
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Mike, our warmshowers host, rides out to meet us and ride with us to his home
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Mike and his wife run marathons
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Mike's dad and his 1950 cadillac
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Today's ride: 64 miles (103 km)
Total: 3,333 miles (5,364 km)

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Jeanna & Kerry SmithI love the old Cadilac! Very happy birthday wishes to Rachel!!
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2 years ago
Rachel and Patrick HugensThank you Jeanna and Kerry! We rode an extra 30 miles today (round trip to Niagara Falls) and now on the Erie Canalway. A great way to celebrate #71.
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2 years ago
Scott AndersonHappy Birthday, Rachel! Enjoy the falls. We were in Buffalo on July 8th, celebrating yours and our anniversaries by riding the bus here from Dunkirk to avoid a major thunderstorm. Seems like such a long time ago now.
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2 years ago