11/14/2011

Day 33--Weedsport to Bridgeport, NY

Friday, May 18, 2012

We spent the night outside of Weedsport in the country home of Warm Showers hosts Bill & Jerri Field. They are in a beautiiful house they built on seven wooded acres. At the mo, it is 6:30 a.m. Jerri, who works for Welch-Allyn, makers of medical diagnostic equipment, has just left for work, and I am having an English muffin and coffee with Bill, a support engineer at Honeywell who doesn't need to be at work this morning.Why so leisurely? Bill will drive Jess and her bike to a nearby bike shop later this morning so that she can get new tires and have her gears adjusted.

Bill Field in front of his beautiful home

Jess and Bill got back from the bike shop close to 10. Jess didn't get new tires but she did get her derailleur fixed and bought new tubes. She's a happy camper now. Thank you Bill for the shuttle service to the bike shop. Thank you also Bill & Jerri for your unexpected donation to the Judith Karman Hospice! Our stay at your house was a real treat.

Bill and Jess just back from the bike shop

Before we left, we phoned Judy Barrett, our next overnight in Bridgeport and the woman with whom I rode the Danube River in 2008. Judy has driven and ridden our route to Bridgeport and will meet us at the halfway point to guide us on a scenic route to her house on Oneida Lake in Bridgeport.

Homes along the Seneca River

Jess and Judy Barrett en route

There were three horses in the barn door watching us very curiously, but I took the photo primarily because of the field of buttercups
My B.O.B. was loaded, so Jess and I took to the road shortly after 10. Bill told us of an easier route to NY-31. Our route to get to his house yesterday was quite hilly but this route was beautiful through woods and tree tunnels. Best of all, it was primarily downhill.


We felt strong this day and made short work of our ride of about 25 miles to meet Judy. Once we met Judy, she put us on a beautiful route on peaceful country roads with such weird names as Mud Mill and Muskrat Bay. At the actual Muskrat Bay we saw large carp roiling the shallows in mating frenzy.

Poor pic with Jessica's and Judy's faces shaded, but taken at the narrow end of the lake

We stopped for lunch at Borio's at about 2 o'clock, only 5 or 6 miles from Judy's house. Borio's sits right on Lake Oneida, one of NY's beautiful lakes. The lake is 23 miles long and 7 miles wide at its widest. We sat outside because the weather has been gorgeous--cool and sunny. Judy and I had the crab stuffed flounder lunch plate and Jess had an antipasto. Jess and I also had a beer, which succeeded only in lowering my lids to half mast. Had to have a cup of coffee before we left.


Photo op before Oneida Lake and in front of Borio's Restaurant


That Judy Barrett's house sits on Barrett Road is not coincidental. Her family owned a vast lakeside farm on which Judy grew up. It was sold, and the area subdivided into tracts and new homes, some very large. Judy's front yard runs down to the lake and we enjoyed a wonderful dinner of pulled pork sandwiches and salad while watching birds and the sunset.

Below is another photo husband Jeff sent after he managed to photograph both the barred owlets nesting in the ravine before our house. He named them Fred and Ted. Now it is 9 o'clock and I am beat--time for bed.

Fred and Ted checking out Jeff as he photographs them

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