Day 39, Corning, NY to Cazenovia, NY

Today was Day 39 of my journey. I have 5 more riding days and about 410 miles to go. This would mean I have cycled about 3,260 miles of the total 3,670 miles. Today I covered 100.44 miles and 5,237 ft. of elevation gain.

What makes Ithaca unique? Is it the towering waterfalls, lush ice-age gorges, endless panoramic views? Is it the hiking, the biking, the boating? Is it the beauty of Cayuga Lake, the largest of the Finger Lakes? Perhaps.

But perhaps it's something more. Maybe it's the buzz from Cornell University and Ithaca College. You feel it everywhere—in our museums, our galleries, and in our restaurants. You hear it in our theaters, our nightclubs, our Finger Lakes festivals. You see it downtown on our pedestrian mall, the Ithaca Commons, where PhDs cross paths with street musicians and families stroll the solar system on an interactive "planet walk." You experience it in our area hotels, B&B's and waterfront cabins. You can't put your finger on it, but there's something special going on here. The bumper stickers say "Ithaca is Gorges," but it's more than that. Ithaca is beautiful and smart and always unexpected. It's intense and laid-back and disdainful of convention. Ithaca is Ithaca. There's a vibe here unlike anywhere else in America. And experiencing it is the only way to discover it.

A view of one of the gorges in Ithaca.

Finally, after a long and hard day, I entered Cazenovia, the destination for the day.

My abode for the night is the Brae Loch Inn.

On my journey across the country I have met some very wonderful people. Tonight I had the pleasure of meeting a very sharp young lady called Leah Thies. She waited on our table but I sensed something special about her. As the conversation flowed, we realized that she had spent time in Denver, Colorado and now lived in Syracuse. Her true calling is to sell real estate. With those sparkling eyes and ready smile and the intellect that I sense she possesses, I have no doubt that she will pursue her dreams to fruition. I look forward to seeing her running her own real estate empire in Northern New York someday soon. She is seen here with “Big wave” Dave Edwards, our lead guide at the BrewsterInn where we dined tonight.

What a fitting end to such a wonderful day to see my dear friend Tom Lizzio of Syracuse who drove down to Cazenovia to see me. He had come to Portland, Oregon to see me off on my journey. The only regret I have is that I was so sleepy that I was unable to spend as much time with him as I would have liked to. But I know we will have plenty of time in the Adirondacks when we climb together for me to fill him in with all my cross country stories.

My wish for today is for you to listen to someone's story, let them tell you about their dreams. Promote the younger generation to dream big, help them follow their dreams, stay true to themselves, not give up hope at the first stumbling block they encounter, and teach them to use obstacles as stepping stones for success. If you can do nothing of this, at least do not laugh at their dreams or criticize them for dreaming "big". I was one of those dreamers once. I had a lot of people that believed in me and a lot more that did not. The ones that did not helped me the most by challenging me to prove me right and not them wrong. Now that I have realized my "big dreams", it brings me great satisfaction to somehow inspire the younger generation to follow theirs and make our world a much better place for all. 

Goodnight.