The crazy thunderstorms that were predicted came during the night and shattered my sleep. Sigh. Sometimes I wonder if I'll ever get a good nights sleep. Seems I spend a lot of time being tired and yawning on the bike as a result.
In the morning I found out the ferry going from the Island to Cape Vincent in the US, was still broken and not running.
It was pretty crushing to hear that. I didn't want to accept it. I didn't like the alternatives much, didn't like the thought of changing my plans.
My host, Paul, volunteered to drive me to the ferry, confirm the reality and if so, to drop me off at the ferry back to Kingston. So I took him up on it, and was on the first ferry (7:45 am) off the island bound for Kingston,with what looked like a long day ahead of me.
Basically the detour meant I had to ride back the way I had come the day earlier for about 35 kms. (I do dislike out and back type of rides). The good thing was I had a tailwind pushing me along at a good clip. Popped in a Tim Hortons one last time for a bathroom break and a bagel for later.
I didn't have to pay the toll to go over the bridge but I did have to walk the super narrow pedestrian walkway with my panniers rubbing the sides of the bridge from time to time. I wore my running shoes for this part of my trip, much better than trying to walk on cycling shoes!
Oh, and there wasn't just one bridge, there was two! One on the Canadian side the other on the American. The boarder crossing was no problem. They probably don't see a ton of cyclists. The American bridge was equally as narrow and I had multiple people going the other direction that needed to pass me. Awkward.
On the other side was a lovely Welcome Center with tourist information, washrooms and best of all, wifi!
I texted my host regarding my dilemma and he was quick to offer to pick me up (much to my relief). It was already 12 pm by then, and had I cycled the whole way to his house it would've been another 137 km on top of the 48 km I had already done, and with a nasty headwind to boot! Not so doable. So we agreed on time and place to meet and I rode another 3 hours.
It was Amish country. The things that made me smile; an Amish man with his full beard pulled over with his horse and buggy like a car in a gas station. It took me a minute. Horses don't need gas! He was filling gasoline containers, ah.
I saw the cutest little Amish kids, a little boy and girl, who were quietly talking together. When they saw me they said "hi". Probably not every day they see girls cycling by with loaded bicycles!
There were dark clouds looming in the distance throughout the day, but I felt very fortunate in that I didn't get rained on.
I was motivated to ride steady so I could get to Adams Center at the appointed hour, which I'm happy to say I did. But I was pretty wrecked. Just hungry and thirsty and ready to call it a day. 117 kms (including walking over bridges:)
Met my host Ken and he got my bike on the rack and we were on our way to Brewerton, NY.
I was indeed grateful to have that level of support from a WarmShower host! It truly was a blessing.
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