Seneca Falls to Baldwinsville, NY

40 miles. It was a nice ride today, particularly once we turned off busy Route 5 and onto some back roads, then later onto Route 31. Once we left Route 5, we lost 99% of the traffic. Both roads have a wide paved shoulder, so either is safe for cyclists; it's just a lot more pleasant listening to the birds and smelling the wildflowers than listening to the whine of 18 wheelers and smelling exhaust fumes.

We stopped in Auburn to eat at a cafe and the owner/cook asked us if the hydration packs that we wore on our backs (which we had taken into the restaurant with us) represented all of the stuff we were hauling on our trip. We had a good chuckle over that one and invited her to step outside to see the tandem with panniers and trailer. She and several of her friends did that and gaped at our rig for some time.

We pulled over in Elbridge to check the map as we wanted to make sure that we did not miss the turn that would take us to Route 31 and around (rather than through) Syracuse. We asked a guy for help who was about to pull out next to us and he told us what we needed to know, but suggested that we instead take some quiet side roads that avoided a long hill and highway traffic. He studied our map and showed us what he had in mind, which turned out to be just great. While studying the map he also noted that there was an ice cream store around the corner and said we might want to stop there. We declined as we had just eaten lunch, at which point he added "I own the place". Penny and I later laughed at that too.

At the motel this evening I went to use the computer, which is next to the breakfast area. The motel clerk (a young lady) had been in the room getting it ready for tomorrow morning, but had left to deal with a customer at the front desk is across the hall. Since she was out, I decided to slip in and get a glass of orange juice. I was pleasantly surprised to find the juice dispenser working, or so I thought. I filled my little Styrofoam cup with juice, but then was not able to shut the damn thing off. OJ continued to pour out, flow over the top of my cup and all over the place. When the volume exceeded the capacity of the little overflow tray attached to the machine, that overflowed too. I finally managed to shut off the flow of juice and frantically began wiping up the counter, floor and my shoes with a hotel towel that the clerk had left on the counter (which quickly turned orange). I successfully removed the overflow tray from the machine, emptied it and rinsed it out. But when I went to reattach the overflow tray, the entire front panel of the machine came off! I felt like I was in an old Three Stooges episode, was sure that the clerk would return any minute and I would have some explaining to do. I finally managed to get the machine put back together, threw the towel in the trash and left just as the clerk came back in. "Have a nice night" she said. "You too" I replied.