There was some terrible weather yesterday after we arrived in Waterloo – we’d taken a short walk for a late lunch at the Mexican restaurant on Main Street and relaxed there during the torrential rain. After lunch, we went back for naps in our rooms and it turned out to be a great day.

We slept well in our big bed in our big old house and woke rested. After breakfast, we rolled down the road to nearby Seneca Falls and spent a while in the Women’s Rights National Historical park, a complex dedicated to the history of women’s rights. It’s located in Seneca Falls because that little town was the location of the Women’s Rights Convention in 1848. One big takeaway for me: the ideas in the “Declaration of Sentiments” that resulted from the Convention were inspired, in part, by the women of the Iroquois confederacy which included all of western New York. (Similarly, the U.S. Constitution, by the way.)

The ride back to the Canalway trail was entirely on highways, which were busy on a Monday morning, but the day was beautiful and the shoulders were wide. Our only blip came at a short break, when Paul’s back wheel started to come off – fortunately discovered as he was mounting up. He tipped over, but onto grass, and we got the wheel back on quickly, and there was no damage to his bike (or his body.)

At one point, we were asked by a policeman to get off the trail and onto the road for about a mile – there was some sort of serious looking manhunt underway.

We got back on the trail and rode through forests and small towns and passed the halfway point between Buffalo and Albany – we’ve covered over 200 miles since Friday. We rode into Syracuse on the trail with just a couple of blocks on the city streets. Our hotel is located on the Inner Harbor of Lake Onondaga in a part of town that seems to be in the early stages of gentrification. It was laundry day, so we loaded up on quarters and got to work. We also began making plans to meet and have dinner with old friends Larry and Holly.

Larry was a roommate and friend at Luther College, so we’ve been connected for nearly 50 years. Holly grew up in Syracuse, though the two of them lived in Pittsburgh for 30 years. Last summer, as Lisa and I made our way to Washington, D.C., Larry and Holly met us in Wheeling and ferried us into the city and we had a great day off there with them, one of the highlights of that trip.

Last night, Larry took us to Dinosaur BBQ, one of the best in the state, and we ordered a couple bags full of food and went to Holly and his lovely patio and sat for hours, chowing and chatting. It happened to be my birthday and Larry had gotten a beautiful cake and fresh strawberries (finally, after all the strawberry festivals we’ve ridden by) and it was a perfect birthday evening.

Next stop, Utica – about a 60 mile ride and the day is expected to be beautiful and warm.