A Little Sunshine

To Lyons, New York -- 57.0 miles, 11.5 mph, 1475 ft

Andy was awesome this morning and rode with us all the way out of town. I did ask if he would be riding directly to work after we left him, but he admitted it was a little cold for that (plus he would be working late).

The gentle, rolling terrain continued today. I just wished my knees would appreciate that fact. The temperature climbed into the forties and we eventually removed our jackets for the first time in forever. Lunch was, per our latest routine, at another diner. I was a little disgruntled because they no longer served breakfast, but consoled myself by getting bacon on my turkey wrap. For some crazy reason the kids weren’t interested in pie (but the adults sure were. Go figure.)

More dandelions

When we got to the end of Ganz Road outside of Lyons, Anne was out in front of their beautiful farm house. She and her hubby, Carl, bought the place just a couple years ago and moved out from Arlington where they both worked for the EPA. From the looks of it, they have been crazy busy ever since remodeling the 1840's house and working to convert the twenty-two acres to a sustainable farm. They are clearly do-it-yourselfers, and on the way to our upstairs bedrooms, Dex and Kylie spied the stained glass window Anne was in the process of completing. She patiently explained the process to all of us. Amazing.

Getting Snacks

Anne and Carl's farmhouse

Lyons, like many of the small towns in this region of New York, prospered during the time of the Erie Canal, which was started 200 years ago in July. As a result of the anniversary, The Travel Channel just happened to be filming in town. Lyons has a very active group of Canal Greeters, folks who apparently are on hand when tourist boats come through to assist travelers with their stay. Anne, as an active member of the community and Warm Showers host, was invited to a BBQ at the Lyons Fire Department, and we, by extension, were invited as well. It was fun to bundle up with headlights blazing for the couple mile ride there and back. The firehouse chicken, corn, and potatoes, needless to say, went down well.