July 16 Geneva to Ithaca

Monica McGowan is not one to let a guest out of her sight without a mega-breakfast, and we were no exception. Wish I could have eaten more but I gotz fulled up! Somewhere in between repairing a flat tire on Ellen's bike and visiting Dan's shop in town, a reporter from the College's Alumni newpaper shows up and we do photos and a brief interview about my trip, perhaps to show what can be done with a Bachelor of Science degree after 30+ years hanging on the wall.
Finally...around noon...more farewells and photos and GT2M reverses course back through Geneva town and around the north end of massive Lake Seneca (one of a half dozen or so deep, glacier carved Finger Lakes of upstate NY). We take Rte. 96A southward, and with a light tailwind find ourselves in rolling farmlands. The sky is high today and warm. In Ovid, we meet Jim Rundle, a longtime friend of Ellen's, who has cycled north from his home in Ithaca to meet us. The China Dragon supplies us with some tasty takeout and we have a fun, lunch round of eat and gab under the shade of the town park's gazebo. Brindil scores a lunch treat from Phyllis, a local senior, who comes quickly across the street with a handfull of raw hamburger meat and tells us each individually that she's "always loved animals, was raised on a farm and thinks that animals are much smarter than people". Who can argue with that?
It's great to see Jim again and he leads us southward on secondary farm roads toward Ithaca, with only a much needed stop at the Interlaken creamery for "you-know-what".With all the jigs and jogs, plus some gravel roads, the afternoon is long and we, at last, descend (and descend!) down 10% grades into the lovely town of Ithaca. We meet up with Tammy, Jim's wife and others for a fast, but fabulous, dinner prepared by Andrea, before carpooling exhausted people, bikes, dog and gear back to the Rundle's home 5 miles south of town.