Pushed off Saturday from Findley Lake, NY to hit the Northern Tier route in Northeast, PA after refreshing family break. On a side note, we attended the Wilco concert on Friday at the fascinating Chautauqua Institution and had nice reunion there with client/friend Buddy Flerl. The landscape on the ride to Lake Erie is filled with lots of local vineyards and grape farms that supply Welch’s. Weather was brilliant with some headwinds that served to cool me on my 87 mile day, 3-state trek from NY into PA in the morning and OH in the afternoon.
Passed by Kent State, the sight of 1970 anti-war protests. It was a reminder that history often repeats itself with the recent campus protests thankfully not ending tragically like they did 54 years ago. While in line at the grocery store, met good samaratins in Doug and Michelle from Medina, OH. Doug is a cyclist so the tour resonated. They not only paid for my groceries and invited me to a group dinner they were hosting, but also asked for the Thor Tour biz card so they could learn more about CRI and the ride. Grateful for how a CC tour engages people and inspires kindness.
Pulled into the town of Geneva-on-the-Lake and was expecting a sleepy lakeside town. Turns out it was like the Jersey Shore meets the Great Lakes! One, long strip of summer fun. The sunsets on Lake Erie are among the nicest you will find anywhere and last night was no exception. Feeling energized!
