Day 31

                                                                           Day 31
                                                          Liverpool, NY to Amsterdam, NY
                                                               119 Miles, Avg. 18.6 MPH

     Today saw the return of a direct tailwind.  We haven't had one of those it seems in quite some time and it was well appreciated.  We traveled again easterly through upstate New York, passing by farms, beautiful scenery, and dieing towns.  Where we're staying tonight, Amsterdam, is a good example of this.  Lots of empty stores and large idle factories.  We're staying at a large older hotel, currently under the banner of America's Best Value Inn.  It's obvious that this place has changed ownership a number of times.  I'm not certain, but I think our 26 person group may be the sole occupants in this 5 story hotel.  Along the way today we again got to see the Erie Canal and after a long climb got to see a great view of the surrounding countryside.  I also passed a small chapel in the middle of a pond, billed as the world's smallest chapel.  The seating capacity in there was two, provided that we're talking about small people.
     Having previously sworn off hotel food, UK Steve, Simon and myself ended up eating here at the hotel because the only other local option was Dominoes Pizza.  Everything else was miles away and was out of the question.  We sat in the bar to eat instead of the empty restaurant, and as it turned out, the food was pretty good. 
     Aside from the good company at dinner, the highlight of my day was cleaning my cassette and chain using UK Steve's, "FS Foaming Degreaser" made by Fenwicks, a British company.  After this experience I will never use any other product again to do this job.  It was amazing!  You just spray this pink foamy stuff onto the cassette and chain, brush it in with a paint brush, then wash it off with a hose.  Voila!  My drivetrain is so clean now I could go blind just looking at it.   
     Little Chris reportedly returned to the hotel last night with the diagnosis of a Cervical spine fracture (C5).  His prognosis is good, and he will need to wear a neck brace for four weeks.  However, he was not permitted to continue riding and had decided to make his own arrangements to find his way back to San Diego.  The loner that he is, he stuck to form and did not see any of us before we departed this morning.  I wish him the best. 
     Tomorrow the work begins anew and it will continue into the next and final day of the ride.   Climbing,  and lots of it as we make our way into Vermont and New Hampshire.  About 7000 feet each day.  We've been warned for days of what's ahead so none of us will be shocked when that first hill arrives.   I'm glad that today wasn't terribly difficult.  There's no escaping the fact that the worst is yet to come.

-Grinner

World's cleanest cassette and chain, compliments of Fenwicks FS Foaming Degreaser (biodegradable)

Riding past the Erie Canal

View from a vista after a long climb

World's smallest church