100 Days 48 States - The Journey

"Do unto others as you would have them do unto you."
– The Golden Rule

TODAY’S ROUTE:
Plattsburgh, NY to Lewiston, NY: SR-3 West to Saranac Lake to Tupper Lake to SR-30 South to Blue Mountain to SR-28 West to Alder Creek to SR-12 South to SR-365 to Rome to I-90 to Seneca Falls to I-490 West through Rochester to Lake Ontario State Parkway West (SR-18) to Youngstown to SR-18F South to Lewiston. (MAP)

THE DETAILS:
The rain was still there in the morning but I knew it would let up about an hour west. So I cruise southwest through the drizzle, down Route 3 into Adirondack Park, the immense nature preserve that covers almost all of New York State north of the Thruway. The road cuts right through the middle of the park and is one of those green dotted routes on my map. Green dots are good. The scenery is good. The road is good. Life is good.

I reach Rome by 1:00 PM and get my first stamp of the day at Fort Stanwick, built by The British in 1758 to protect the ancient water route linking the Great Lakes with the Atlantic Ocean. A replica of the fort exists today. I’m there for about ten minutes. A quick lunch and gas stop and I’m headed across the Thruway to Seneca Falls, the birthplace of the women’s rights movement in the U.S. and the site of the Women’s Rights National Historic Park. It was here in 1848 that a handful of reformers called "a Convention to discuss the social, civil, and religious condition and rights of Woman." The rest is history. I get my stamp but I’m a bit tired, so I stay and listen to the Park Ranger give the tour.

By late afternoon, I’m off the boredom of the Thruway and traveling north towards the shore of Lake Ontario. As I approach the shoreline the cooler air breezing off the lake feels good, a nice relief from the heat of the afternoon. The beautiful road (another green dotter) ends at the Niagara River and I turn South towards my destination for the evening, Lewiston, NY, home town of my Classic Sports Network colleague Scott Marshall. Scott’s mother and sister still live here and own a local bakeshop. I’ll stop by tomorrow morning to say hello.

I’ve run my tank dry (240 miles) and I stop for gas at a nice looking Getty Station. But for the second time today, my American Express card gets rejected and I go see the attendant inside. I’ve heard about credit card companies thinking your card has been stolen when they see purchases across many state lines. Once on the phone, American Express is very friendly, but I ask them to make sure this doesn’t keep happening. The guy working at the gas station strikes up a conversation and guides me to a nearby motel.

After I check in, I clean up and take a stroll around the town. It’s a lovely little village with the best looking McDonald's you’ve ever seen, housed in a 100-year-old historic landmark. I enjoy a great tasting Black Raspberry Frozen Custard at the local ice cream shop.

On the way back to the motel, I stop by the Getty Station to pick up some water and say hello to my new friend. It turns out that Usman Muhammed doesn’t just work at the station but he owns it and seven others in the area. 25 years old and originally from the United Arab Emirates, he’s just moved here from the Harrisburgh, PA, area where his father owns 81 gas stations. He invites me to sit and talk with him for a while and we end up chatting for a few hours.

"Do you like garlic bread?" Usman asks me. "Sure", I reply, and before I know it we are eating the best garlic bread I’ve ever had from Clark’s, the restaurant next door.

Later on, a local fellow by the name of John Heavy stops by. John has lived in Lewiston his entire 58 years and he rides a big Honda Goldwing. The three of us tell tales till closing time. When I try to pay for the bottles of water, Usman refuses to take my money.

Be kind to strangers and always remember the golden rule. Because you were once strangers in the land of Eqypt. At least that’s what I said in my Bar Mitzvah sermon.

THE DAILY TAKE:
Miles Today: 423.2
Total Miles: 2162
Time on Motorcycle: 7 hours 22 Minutes
Average Speed: 57.5 MPH
States Visited today: 1 (NY)
Total States Visited: 7
National Park Service Passport Stamps: 2
NPS Stamp totals: 31 Stamps, 7 States
Weather: Rain in Morning, Clear Skies by Afternoon
Number of Police, driving the opposite direction, who definitely nailed me with radar, but whom I successfully evaded after he turned around to ticket me: 1

RANDOM PASSINGS:
I’ve come close to hitting birds before while riding my motorcycle. They fly across the road and zip right over my head, and I think for a second I’m going to hit them, but they always miss me by a few inches. Well, there is a first time for everything. And this was the last time for what looked like a sparrow. Let’s just say that I fared much better than it did. Sorry to all you bird lovers out there but it really was an accident. Please do not forward this to the ASPCA.