Yesterday I considered staying in Buffalo for a rest day, but when I listened to the weather forecast I changed my mind because yesterday was supposed to be a drier day than today. Then when I got to Dunkirk I thought I'd press on today - but when I woke up this morning I knew it was time for a rest. Sometimes you just have to listen to your body. I pried myself out of bed, dressed for cycling, and went to breakfast. As I was eating, I decided it was time for a quiet day, and a sudden downpour cemented that decision. I didn't fall asleep again, but I did spend the morning reading in bed. What decadence! When I checked about extending my stay here for another night, the desk clerk asked if I needed anything from housekeeping. She gave me fresh towels and more shampoo (used to hand-wash my clothes!), and told housekeeping not to make up the room. That was great, since it stopped them from waking me up if I had fallen asleep again.
There were several periods of downpours this morning, and there's a severe thunderstorm warning tonight. The humidity is supposed to be better for the next couple of days, which will be a welcome change. I'm glad I didn't travel today because I would have been facing pretty bad headwinds in addition to the rain. There were noticeable headwinds yesterday, but not as hefty as today. The winds have been out of the west at 18 miles per hour, with gusts to 31.
Once I was done lounging around this morning I did get on the bike for a while. After all, it is my only transportation. I rode into Fredonia for lunch at a bakery, took a quick tour of the SUNY College at Fredonia campus, then rode up to Lake Erie to visit a historic lighthouse and War of 1812 memorial. Unfortunately, it turns out that the grounds and the museum are only open for 4 hours a day, and I didn't happen to catch the right four hours. I also rode by that large industrial building on the lake that I mentioned yesterday. It turns out to be a power generating plant.
I somehow managed to ride 17 miles in my wanderings today - oh the joy of riding an unloaded bike for a change!
Before I left for my ride I spent some time talking to the motel staff who were taking a lunch break outside. They have seen other cyclists here, but didn't realize that they were on an established cross-country route. They were pretty amazed about my trip That seems to be a universal initial reaction from most people. I got a "you really rode here from Massachusetts?" today...
I've been staying in motels much more than camping so far. Sometimes I've opted for staying inside because of the weather, sometimes because there were no campgrounds around (especially around the larger cities like Rochester, Buffalo, and soon Cleveland), and a couple of times because I was just lazy. Last night was both a weather-related decision and an "I've gone far enough for the day" decision. I knew there was supposed to be heavy rain and wind last night (and that forecast was right) as well as rain all morning today. I figured if I decided to take a rest day I'd rather not be stuck in my tent in the rain. I keep thinking I should send the camping gear home to get rid of some of the weight but that would be the absolute wrong thing to do. I looked forward to my map of Indiana and Illinois, and not only are all of the services off route by quite a bit, but there are also only campgrounds shown, no motels or B&Bs. So I really do need that camping gear!
I was hoping to pull another 3-state day getting from here, across Pennsylvania, and into Ohio, but I just looked at the maps and I think it's probably too far for a day. Tomorrow should be my final day in New York though. I know I've been making good progress, but I can't believe how many days I've been in this state! I'm sure I'll have the same feeling about Missouri where I'll be riding both south and west through the state, and Kansas, which is a really wide state.
