My plan was to ride Hwy 5 through Buffalo and on east.  But soon after continuing on Hwy 5, it turned into a freeway with many exists and entrances.  These are difficult because I ride the shoulder and then have to cross traffic lanes at each entrance and each exit.  So I decided to get off the freeway, and just pick my way through Buffalo.  Unfortunately, I got off into a maze and could not get out of it.  Even my Garmin GPS was working against me, showing me roads that didn’t exist.  I was stuck in tangles of railroads and waterways.  I back tracked out and finally got into downtown Buffalo and made my way out of town.

Buffalo has some nice parks and I noticed that nearly everyone in the park was talking on a cell phone.  I wonder if we are really better off with all the communications we are doing.

            I got back on Hwy 5 on the east side of Buffalo and took it to Harris Hill, Clarence, Pembroke, Batavia, Stafford, Le Roy, Caledonia, and Avon.  At Clarence, the Akron Bank was providing a lunch of hot dogs, ice cream and soda for their customers and the community. I explained that I was neither, but was invited to join them anyway.  So there is such a thing as a free lunch.

            When I got through Batavia, I stopped at Blondie’s Sip-N-Dip for a root beer float.  It was crowded when I got there, and people kept streaming in.  I asked why it was so popular, and was told by late afternoon would be even more crowded.  They said Blondie’s is known for large servings at a good price. 

            While, at Blondie’s I responded to an e-mail from “Coach”, a guy I hiked for a while with on the Appalachian Trail in 2008.  He mentioned that he and his wife were biking along the Erie Canal from Buffalo to Albany, and where in the area.  I responded that they must be several days ahead of me, and that unfortunately I would not likely catch-up before they got to Albany.

            I stopped in Le Roy and found out that this is where JELL-O was made from 1900 to 1964.  While going down to see the plant it was made at, I met Kodey, TamTam, and Kizzy who asked me to mention them in my trail report.

            In Avon, I stopped at Duffy’s for dinner.  I’m sure you are reading Avon with a pronunciation similar to the cosmetic products.  But they take pride here in correcting us visitors that the city of Avon is pronounced with a short “A” sound and the accent on the second syllable.  I checked my e-mails and found a response already from “Coach” who said he and Sharon would be in Syracuse tomorrow night.  I asked and was told that Syracuse was 60 miles away.  So I planned to get a room in Avon, already having 77 miles in today, and only need to go 60 tomorrow.  I was told there was a hotel in East Avon.  On the way out of town I was told to stop at Tom Wahl’s root beer stand; it is homemade and the very best.  When I got to Tom Wahl’s the parking lot was full and signs for overflow parking at a car dealership next door.  There was a long line for service, so I left and missed the world’s greatest root beer.

            I got to the motel and called “Coach” and told him I would see him tomorrow night, and called and made reservations at the same hotel in Syracuse.  How strange is this that someone I hiked on the Appalachian Trail with, that our paths would cross again while biking?  It will be good to see him again.