Day 46: Liverpool, NY, to Little Falls, NY

Today's Mileage: 78
Average Speed: 15.3 mph
Max Speed: 30.7 mph
Moving Time: 5:05
Blog & Ride Details

When you're cycling in torrential downpours, it requires a little more effort to remember that you chose to take this tour. In an effort to maintain a more positive mindset in the pelting rainfall, I began thinking of all the things that could be worse than cycling in tropical storm conditions.

Humidity. We've dealt with some sticky, muggy days over the last week. Menstrual cramps. Daytime talk shows. Pink slips. Root canals. Unanesthetized amputation.

With my new FujiFilm Finepix XP10 waterproof, shockproof, freezeproof, dustproof point-and-shoot camera*, I was able to catch a few rainy day action shots. I really should have invested in a more sports-amenable camera before the tour.

*I dropped my old Canon point-and-shoot camera along the Erie Canal and broke the lens. Along with 12 megapixels, a 2.7" LCD screen, 5x optical zoom lens and digital image stabilization, my new FujiFilm camera is waterproof up to 10', which will not only be ideal during inclement cycling weather, but will prove useful in Playa Mujeres when my girlfriends and I celebrate our 30th birthdays over Labor Day Weekend. It is also shockproof (or "droppable") up to 3.3 ft - convenient for when it bangs against my handlebars while dangling from my wrist ... or when I inevitably drop it. Freezeproof and dustproof will be beneficial when I cycle across Alaska and Africa.

Alex noticed that Andrew had worn an appropriate cycling jersey to honor the weather. Here is a closer look at the fabric design.

When the rain stopped and Andrew and I were able to ride side by side on a remote backroad, he told today's Shakespearean-type tale. After this tour is over, I'm going to make him call me everyday with a new story.

More images from Liverpool to Little Falls:

Click here to view my entire photo album of Day 46 [TBA].

The Ride Leader's Official Report:

Little Falls, Day 46

Across America North:

Little Falls photos

Day 32: Rochester, MN, to La Crosse, WI

Today's Mileage: 90

Average Speed: 13.4 mph

Max Speed: 43.0 mph

Moving Time: 6:40

Blog & Ride Details

I cycled to the Mississippi River ...

... from Oregon!

Willpower will get you over mountains.

Our final morning in Minnesota began with 30 miles of torrential downpours and blistering headwinds. As I trudged along, sealed within my rain jacket, rain pants and shoe covers, I couldn't help but think of all the things I'd rather do than cycle in the rain. Lay in bed under a downfeather comforter in my old apartment on West 51st Streeet listening to the tink-tink sound of raindrops on the aged, rickety fire escape just beyond the exposed brick walls. Curl up on the couch with a cup of tea watching beads of rain stream down the 31st-floor windowpanes of my new apartment overlooking Downtown Brooklyn and Lower Manhattan. Sit in an over-sized chair in a dim library with a good book. Lounge in a stable while raindrops tap on the wooden shingles and horses stomp softly in their stalls. But I wasn't in any of those places. I was maneuvering over slick road surfaces, being slapped in the face by pellets of water and straining to see the road through foggy eyewear, which Oakley told me would not fog.

As the cyclists began to arrive at the first SAG stop, the cloud cover was starting to clear. I tossed my rain pants in the SAG bin and shed my rain jacket. Aside from clammy sweat, I was still dry! I decided against removing my shoe covers; even with clearing skies, I was expecting a lot of road splatter. And with the help of the rolled-up rain jacket stuffed in my back pocket - just in case the rain returned, I could have an ass like J.Lo's all the way to Wisconsin. I was pretty excited about it.

The highlight of the day - aside from riding over another state line - was seemingly endless miles of gorgeous bike paths, winding through the Minnesota countryside. If I'm ever wealthy enough to own a second home, I'll purchase one along the Root River Trail so that I can cycle to Barista's Coffee House on summer mornings. Best white chocolate and raspberry scones ever!

The terrain in southeastern Minnesota was an unexpected surprise. Throughout the day, anyone could have told me that I was in a Midwestern cornfield, the jungles of Costa Rica or the foothills of The Appalachians, and I would have believed all three. There was even a curve and a bend, where we were overlooking fields of crops, and the mist-covered hillsides in the background could have been lightly stretched into a believable backdrop of Vietnam.

After a one-mile, 10% grade climb and a screaming descent into the Mississippi River valley, we had officially crossed over into eastern United States territory. I still can't believe we began ... in Oregon.

More images from Rochester to La Crosse:

The Ride Leader's Official Report:

La Crosse, Day 33

Across America North:

La Crosse photos