FLCC> Cayuta Lake Loop

[Brenda Smith]

What a weird day!  So, today was the Cayuta Lake loop ride, which is
41 miles.  The weather forecast was totally schizophrenic.  One
website had it as "chance" of showers all morning and definite showers
in the afternoon, and another said it was just plain going to rain all
day.  I had to go run some errands downtown before going to the ride
anyway.  So, at 9:05, I looked outside, and it was pouring.  And I
said, "Forget it.  I am not riding today."  I remember doing this same
ride, only the 25 mile version of it, last year, and it was the same
exact kind of weather, and it was un-fun!  So, I dropped Jordan off
with his dad, got a few groceries, picked out some movies to rent,
came outside....    and it was dry as a bone.

So, NOW, I was faced with a BIG dilemma!!  By this time, it's 10am,
and the ride was starting over on West Hill.  But, if I went home,
rode my bike directly out my driveway and hauled butt straight down rt
79, I just might be able to catch them at the meeting place for the
"shortened" version of the ride.  So that's exactly what I did.  Mind
you, by this time it was raining again.  But I HAD FAITH that it was
going to stop again!  But it never did!  It rained for the entire
ride!  And then the darn sun came out 2.5 hours AFTER I finished the
ride and shone for the rest of the afternoon!!!  But I'm not bitter or
anything....

Anyway, I made a bee-line for Mecklenburg, get to the parking area,
and there is not one car there.  Pfffffffft.  "Well this is not my
idea of fun," I said to myself.  "I'm not riding 40 some miles alone,
in the rain. I'm just going to do a short 20 some mile loop," and so I
headed up rt 228 toward Trumansburg, intending to make a big circle
back to my apartment.  I went about half a mile, maybe not even, and I
saw the FLCC train thundering down the road toward me going the
opposite direction.  "Huh," I thought.  "Must be they decided to alter
the route."

The first group passed me, and I looked to see if there's anyone there
I know, and more importantly, anyone I can keep up with, but didn't
recognize anyone that met both criteria.  Of course, it's rather hard
to tell in the pouring rain and only getting a split-second glimpse of
everyone.  So I waved and kept going, still wavering on whether to
ride with them or do my own thing, when I saw a second group coming up
close behind.  Eva!  Bill!  Steve Powell!  Okay, we are back in
business now!!!  So I did a U-y in the road and caught up with them.

We started up the hill out of Mecklenburg toward Cayuta.  This is the
best part of the ride.  Well, not going up that hill, but what comes
after it!  The downhill, and then the road just up past Cayuta that
goes through the "tunnel of trees," as my son likes to call such
places.  I kept up with the first group for about a mile...  maybe.
Because it was downhill.  LOL!!!  But, then I couldn't keep up with
them anymore, but I was going faster than the second group.  So I made
up my own B-group of 1 to bridge the divide.  We all met together just
outside of Odessa, and there we split again.  Some went down into
Odessa to eat at the diner; the rest of us continued back up rt 228.

I followed Steve-in-the-red-jacket for a little while, until I
couldn't handle the rooster-tail of water spraying in my face anymore,
and went on by him.  I rode the rest of the way back to Mecklenburg
with John Dennis in my sights, but not trying really hard to catch up
with him.  By this time, my toes and feet were getting numb, and I
could feel water sloshing around in my shoes from the relentless rain
coming down.

By the time I got to Mecklenburg, I had lost John Dennis, and I was
unsure of which route they had taken back to the parking lot.  It
didn't really matter anyway, as I know the roads fairly well over
there, and I would've had to split off from them anyway when I hit Van
Dorn road.  So I kept riding up 228 until I saw a road off to the
right called Buck Hill.  Well, it appeared to go east, and that's the
direction I needed to go.  Hopefully, eventually, it'll cross Van Dorn
Road, and so I turned onto it.  Soon after that,
Steve-in-the-red-jacket caught up to me, and not wanting to be
responsible for getting him lost, I said, "Well, I don't really know
where I'm going.  I don't know which way the rest of them went, and
I'm just trying to get home."
"Where's home?" asked Steve.
I said, "Rt. 79 near Van Dorn, so I'm trying to get to Van Dorn."
He said, "Oh, well this is a good road to get there."
Alright then!!!  :)

Soon, we came upon and turned onto Iradell Rd., then took a right onto
Waterburg, then a left onto Aiken Rd., which turns into Hayts Rd.  I
have to say those last 5 miles or so were pretty rough.  Mostly
uphill, I was freezing, and I was soaked to the skin.  I did come up a
few miles short of the 41 at only 36 miles, I think because we didn't
go down into Odessa, and probably because I left from my house.
Regardless, I felt very accomplished when I turned into my driveway,
at long last.  I knew I could take a really hot shower to get warmed
up, and then lay on the couch for the rest of the afternoon watching
movies totally guilt-free.  And that's exactly what I did.  :)

~Brenda