Auto Immunity: The Largest State Park in America, aka the Adirondacks

Greetings blueberries and long johns,

We left our night abode in Utica (Bills house) after typing our blog and made our way to the post office for a special treat! Those cookies were amazing, thanks Daphne! The note in the box was from Daphne's son, Carter. I told a group of the kids at the JA Conference an impossible goal I set for myself to achieve was to shake everyone in the worlds hand. This comment was met with a response of shaking lots of hands, which put a huge smile on my face. I knew the goal to be impossible, but I didn't know the length of time that it would take to shake all those hands. Carter wrote in the letter that it would take 19,178,083 years to accomplish the goal I set for myself... At least I'll have an eternity to strive for something, a goal in my head that I will always have to work towards, which I find to be a great lesson in life. Along with the the stunning statistic, Carter also wrote that I am an inspiration to him. Well, Carter, kids like you are an inspiration to help push me to achieve something like bicycling across the United States.

We left the post office feeling happy to have homemade cookies in our bellies and made our way to Welch's Bike Shop. This bike shop could not have had a more kind group of people working/owning the place. It's the kind of bike shop that has hidden treasures, like a used bookstore that has the smallest possibility of unknowingly having a leather first print copy of Don Quixote. To some, just heaps of bicycles... To kids that have wanted a bike their whole life, a haven. The three guys working there said right away that they would let us clean up our bikes, which they seriously needed! We got to cleaning the bikes and conversing the with 2 employees, then the owner who showed up a bit later from the other Welch's Bike Shop he owns in another part of town. They were amazed at our journey, and I believe we even inspired these gentlemen to get out and do some more riding of their own. Thanks heaps and heaps for allowing us to clean our machines, they truly needed it. Also, thank you for starting your organization too help kids get bicycles, you guys are heroes!

The hill climbing out of Utica was a slow drag and a long morning haul. But once we hit the plateau, we actually still just climbed. Then we made our way into the Adirondacks... Simply amazing, the feeling of MOUNTAINS! Though we only cruised into the south foothills, it was still a mountainous feeling we had inside. The wind was cool, almost cold. The amount of people we didn't see made us happy.

All was dandy, the ride amazing, the sights gorgeous when all of a sudden it happened... RAIN IN THE MOUNTAINS! Whew, cold rain in the mountains. When your descended a good hill and its raining with the wind and the cold and the shivers and the brrrrrrs and the splashing and chillyness. I think you get it. Being sweet as sugar like we are, we managed to outrun the rain and leave it in the wet dust, which may be called mud... We reached our destination of Lake Pleasant and started to check out places for us to stay, which just involved biking until we found a place to stay.

By chance, we rolled up on a giant house with cars parked out and a sign that read something like "Christian Bible Ministries Home". We asked ourselves if we should stop and see if we could camp on their lawn. Well, not only did we get to camp, we were welcomed with open arms! We came in at dinner time, so we got some spaghetti, salad, cupcakes, and pear crumble. Not to mention some good stories and kind folks to chat with! The Building is part of the church in Piseco. This specific building was bought and renovated and turned into a place, from what I gathered, as a place to find yourself. A place to come and get closer to God, if that is what your looking for. Yet they said they take in drug addicts, depressed people, families, broken marriages, and just help them. It is a place where, I felt, that you can find home even if you've never had a home.

In the morning we left, but before we got too far, we stopped and had Breakfast with Ken. We met him the night before and he offered us breakfast which a cyclists just can never resist. We found his place a okay because he was standing in front with a dog he is dog sitting. We the awesome canoe that a 9th grade class made for a project and they won in a raffle... Really really awesome canoe! Then we had a great breakfast of eggs, potatoes fresh from the garden with onions, toast, and Jersey Handroll (which is bacon, but not bacon, but still just as good as bacon). After being filled up and chatting for awhile with Ken and his family, we once again made got what I call home now a days, my saddle. "Home may not always be comfortable, but its where you want to be the most." My quote about my bike seat being my summer vacation home.

Thus the ride today was gorgeous, the Adirondacks were beautiful and we were sad to leave. Before we got to Glens Falls though, we did stop at a brewery, Adirondacks brewery and restaurant! We had a beer and our server, Nick, hooked it up with some free chips! Then we met some folks, shouted out our story, and we ended up getting free stickers and t-shirts! SO COOL! Not only was the beer great, which it was, the service awesome, which it was, but we also got things for free. Who doesn't like free things?

Now we are at my Great Uncle Jacks house in Glens Falls. It is always good to be at familys, a place that feels more home than my summer vacation spot! Though I have only met my Great Uncle Jack and his wife Aileen (sp?) once before when I was seven, it just makes it better that I get to meet them again 15 years later! We chatted about my grandmother and grandfather and it made me happy to hear these things. I never really knew my grandfather because I was so little when he passed away, so it was good to hear stories of him. Also, stories of my grandmother that brought a chuckle to me vocal chords! We got back from some great food in town at "Talk of the Town" Cafe a little while ago and now I am here. Upstairs, sitting on a bed, in a house that I haven't been in in 15 years and I am typing this blog for you all and I couldn't be happier.

Thanks everyone for following! Please donate, we are inches away from Portland on a map! Tomorrow is the Green Mountains in Vermont, so we may not blog... Check anyway! Life is a dream, that is why I love it so dearly.

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