FLCC> Cayuta Lake Loop

[Wayne Gottlieb]

Funny, as I read this, I considered how un-fun it all
sounded until I realized I've been riding my own bike
running erands all day and it was very nice.  (still
looking for the perfect, affordable raincoat though).
Wayne

--- Brenda Smith <brenda.smith at gmail.com> wrote:

> 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
> 
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