Raising the Stakes

We had breakfast today at the "Why Coffee" cafe in Niagara Falls. A silly question, why coffee. Because we need it! Anyway, if anyone wants a good breakfast in Niagara Falls, look up the "Why." I had two eggs, french toast, fried potatoes and toast for $4.50. That is why we are under budget on our trip ... finding wonderful places like the Why Coffee.

As usual, we were on the road by 8:00 this morning, and heading straight into the rising sun. The only glitch in the ride today was Ryan's tummy ... he follows a teenager diet rather than a bicyclist's diet, and this morning, it meant that he was worn out and had to ride with Pat for awhile (after 50 miles, which is still a pretty good ride).

It seems like every town we went through had English names, and we saw stone fences and village squares, so we are unofficially rolling into the beginnings of New England. In fact, where we are staying tonight, in an American Legion Hall in Avon, New York, is just a few miles from the farthest northern reaches of the Revolutionary War. When we rolled through the village of Caledonia, I mentioned the Scots, and none of the boys had any idea what I was referring to. I had to explain to them the meaning of Caledonia. Different generations, for sure.

As we approached Avon, we were given an escort into town by half a dozen motorcycles from the American Legion...three in front of us, another three behind us, followed by Pat in the support vehicle, the Legion Commander in his car, and few hapless motorists who became unwitting participants in our parade through town! But it was all worth it! At the Legion hall, we were presented with checks from the Legion Riders, from the local chapter, from individuals, all in all helping us reach our second fund-raising goal of $15,000 for Operation Comfort Warriors. So our new fund-raising goal is now clear up to $25,000. If you are an anonymous blog reader and haven't yet had a chance to donate, you can go at any time to Bike Trip America and click on the "Donate" button. You can be still be part of this. 100% of the funds donated to Operation Comfort Warriors goes directly to help wounded veterans. 100%. There are no administrative overhead fees charged by the American Legion to run the charity.

We are six miles from the first of the Finger Lakes, and tomorrow we will move past them, going over 90 miles to Syracuse. We have been promised a few big hills along the way, so we are all going to have to eat healthily tonight and tomorrow morning! It will be our longest remaining day, so watch for tomorrow's blog update to see how we fared!

And if you see us on the road, honk or flash your lights or wave at us! Cheer us on! We are on the home stretch, and every mile gets us closer to our exciting finish at the World Trade Center!