8/9/10: Ithaca & Taughannock Falls, NY

Although I'd spent only two of the previous nine weeks at home, Monday morning's all too familiar comedy-of-errors was a stark reminder that my pack had been little more than an extravagant suitcase since late-March!

That was about to change.

As I showered, methodically packed and re-packed, and finally walked out of Buttermilk Falls State Park toward Ithaca's mysteries, I expected to be cursing my own stupid, out-of-practice "mistakes" as much as anything! Thinking back to Santa Barbara '08, I chuckled knowing it was sure to continue for a short time then thankfully pass!

Aside from the limited information Alex had given me, I had no idea what to expect of Ithaca. She had told me about Cornell, the waterfalls dotting the area, and Lake Cayuga, one of the Finger Lakes, whose southern shore was on the northwest edge of the city. She also described what she saw as an ignored and lingering racial/economic segregation; something she found intolerable.

Alex assured me the night before that she'd call me early Monday afternoon and show me around a bit of Ithaca. I hoped, but doubted, she would so was quite surprised to hear from her shortly after 1 when we decided we'd meet at the library.

I'd spent the morning trying to decide between heading north along Lake Cayuga toward Lake Ontario then Vermont, or east to Cooperstown and the Baseball Hall of Fame, then thru the Adirondack's and into Vermont. I had no inclination either way, so I resolved to let Alex secretly decide. Wherever I ended up that day, that would be my nudge & inspiration. Sounds like a song.

As I walked north toward the downtown library, a navigational error-that-wasn't led to an extra two or three mile walk. It wasn't the only time in New York that a failure to ask directions would cost me, but part of the "plan" (ha!) for New York-Maine was to get on to the back roads and walk more,  so I enjoyed this and quickly realized how much healthier I was.

Did you know walking's easier without smoking? Go figure.

Once I finally got downtown, I realized that what little of Ithaca I'd seen reminded me a bit of Asheville, NC.

Alex suggested Taughannock Falls State Park, which is on the western shore of Lake Cayuga and would launch me north. After a mile-long walk along the stone river bed, we were at the Falls watching Milkshake entertain the masses, and eventually on our way back for our final goodbyes.

I remembered telling myself when I was trying to decide between the bus and Craigslist that the deciding factor was that I'd meet more interesting people. Indeed I had, and I was glad for it. I really enjoyed Alex!

Taughannock Falls

 

Taughannock Falls

It began to pour just after Alex returned to Ithaca and, since it was already after 6, I found a nest on a hill by the campground adjacent to the park and resolved to get a jump on Tuesday.

My apparent idiocy continued to toy with me. It took way too long to set up with me forgetting where I'd put things then, when found, I commenced with my special brand of maddening silliness such as covering them up so as to immediately "lose" them again!  "Everything in its place, dumbass!"

I was thrilled to be beneath the Origami, but I was sweaty, clammy, wet and beyond frustrated with myself. I knew it would get better, but that wasn't top of mind that first night hearing what sounded like Noah's Flood outside!

8/6-8/8/10: Santa Fe-Ithaca, NY

After spending June and most of July sequestered away in Michigan, and then another two weeks back in New Mexico, August's arrival sent me spiraling into "do something...anything" mode.

Purely motivated by a lack of divine inspiration, I took aim for the last three of the lower-48 I'd yet to visit: Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont and after a few days of mental wrangling I chose to forgo the 60-hour Greyhound Marathon to the Maine-Canada border in favor of Craigslist's Rideshare.

Departure day was Friday the 6th with Elissa, a pleasant 60-something latina from Santa Fe on her way to see family in Denver. She was almost the perfect Rideshare: no haggling over money, flexible on the departure, and drove fast with very few stops! It was quite uneventful, and entertaining in that I was treated to watching her drive AND smoke a bowl through Colorado Springs; skills I can only imagine!

In Denver, I began coordinating with the bullet-train of this cross-country adventure: Alex. She too was flexible on when we could leave, which made everything possible in that she was willing to wait until late afternoon. Once I was in town, Alex needed time to connect with and pick up Scott, another Ridesharer, so we decided to meet at REI where I could entertain myself until Rapture if needed.

I had chatted with Alex a few times during the week, so we were vaguely familiar with each other when we met for the first time. Driving an older Subaru Outback and with a small dog in tow, my initial instincts were to categorize her as a 20-something hippie, but it didn't take long to learn that would have been a massive miscalculation.

Alex was returning from Denver to Ithaca, New York to stay with her grandmother for reasons she never offered, and I never asked. In fact, we never asked each other a whole lot. I still have no idea how old she is.

Scott was in his early 20's, from near Albany, smoked insane amounts of pot, and was pleasant and genuinely nondescript. He was traveling to random spots and meeting a friend in Davenport. Nothing about him stood out.

Everyone seemed to click quite nicely as we settled in for the Friday night ride across Nebraska and Saturday's Iowa crossing to Davenport, which naturally included a reunion with the Iowa 80. Alex's corgi, Milkshake, and I shared the backseat and, aside from having to pull off for a thunderstorm in eastern Colorado, the ride was smooth and quite enjoyable.

Nebraska Sunrise

Familiar Ground

Alex & Scott

Milkshake

Things got interesting in Illinois. Alex was in no hurry to get to Ithaca, so I offhandedly suggested I contact Leslie in Chicago to see if she wanted to join us for a couple of drinks. That never materialized, but set the stage for an entertaining and spontaneous couple of hours.

Alex detests toll roads, and once past Chicago, that's what you get if you want to cross Indiana and Ohio quickly. We decided to say, "fuck quickly", and more importantly, "fuck their nearly $30 in tolls."

Fun Fact: Indiana SOLD their told road to another country, so the tolls don't even go to the state.

An alternative is to take I-94 into Michigan. Alex wanted to stop somewhere in the state to have a beer, and my initial suggestion was Battle Creek where I hoped my old radio friend, Bobby, was hosting karaoke. He wasn't and, unable to reach anyone else at the last minute, we left I-94 for US-12 to find the first decent hole-in-the-wall to have an "authentic Michigan experience." That ultimately led us into Edwardsburg; a place that's positively "Pure Michigan"...whatever that is.

With visions of rednecks dancing in my head, I was mildly concerned about stopping at a random bar on a Saturday night in backwoods Michigan, but it quickly became obvious that they were the ones who needed to beware.

There were maybe a dozen people in the bar, along with a karaoke host-- who was sitting by himself, ignored--until Alex arrived. A few songs later, the bar had an influx of her energy, people were laughing, and although I didn't hear it, Alex later told me that the townsfolk had equated me to Bill from True Blood. She assured me it was an enormous compliment and it offered quite a perspective into how people might see me on the road!

US-12 is always maddeningly slow, even at night. So, Alex relented and rejoined the foreign-owned Indiana Toll Road in Elkhart. We slept for a few hours at the nearby service plaza before entering Ohio, and leaving the toll road in favor of US-20 early Sunday morning. That route took us past my sister Michelle's house, making for a nice out-of-the-blue Sunday surprise.

We had lunch in Cleveland before joining one of my favorite roads anywhere: US-6. Chris and I had ridden this way with Stacey from Massachusetts to Ohio last year, and since it was daylight, I enjoyed it even more this time.

I've never spent much time in rural Pennsylvania, and I have a special disdain for Philadelphia, but the intoxicating landscape dotted with Leave It To Beaveresque towns made me think I had found the Land that Time Forgot... or at least been sucked into Pleasantville! I don't typically make recommendations, but if you get the opportunity, take US-6.

Coudersport, PA

Once off US-6, into New York State and thru Elmira, it was nearly midnight, and we were quickly in Ithaca. Alex dropped me off at Buttermilk Falls State Park, we made arrangements to chat the next day,  I collected my things, and after 2-days and 2,000- miles, I set up the Origami and began the arduous task of re-learning how to live out of a backpack again...