Wednesday, August 06, 2008

Bon Ton Roulet: 7-21 Downhill Day

After a small 300 ft climb this morning on the Bon Ton Roulet the day pretty much went downhill. Literally, we ended 700 ft below where we started. Figuratively there were other downhills as well.
  1. The biggest and steepest downhill ever descended (not just for me but for many of the others. It felt like my rear wheel could just lift up and over the handlebars at any second.
  2. Millard Fillmore, the 13th president of the United States was born just outside Morovia, NY. Along the route. He was the 1st president not elected to office but once in the whole thing went downhill from there.
  3. Montezuma National Wildlife Refuge - where we took refuge from a huge downpour.
  4. Tylenol PM - At night I discovered why I haven't been feeling as energetic as usual. (Also why you really should read the label of the medicine you take). Seems I've been taking tylenol PM, instead of regular tylenol.
All in all however, it was a great day. We ended at Seneca Falls. A lovely little town with a bit of history.

Oh - and another funny downpour story! When we arrived at the camping site for the night it was nice and sunny. Our bags and those of 500 others lay in the field waiting for us. As we sorted among them the sky darkened. As I went to put the bikes under the bleachers and S. carried the bags out to our spot on the field - surprise! - it started to pour - torrentially. I looked out from the bleachers to where S. should have been but saw only a blue blob in the field. A moving blue blob. From which a head them popped out. S. had grabbed the floorcloth from the tent bag and covered himself and all our gear! We were saved from a very wet night.

Tomorrow, after about 24 miles of relative flats we climb 500 ft in 5 miles. (Real flats to follow.)

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