New York, New York, New York, So Good They Went There Thrice

We’ve all experienced it before. The sudden realisation that we have made a mistake: not any mistake, but a big mistake. It hits us in a flash, we start to feel a hot flush creep right from our toes up to our faces until our ears are burning, our throats go dry, and then it’s like someone reaches into our bodies and clenches an iron hand around our hearts.

Last night, as Kat was preparing the GPS route for today, she read something on the internet saying that the bridge that she had decided (despite Anthony’s repeated suggestions to take an alternate route) for us to take to cross the St Lawrence River back into the US did not permit cyclists or pedestrians… oops! Consulting the map, it was either 50 miles further on or 40 miles back to get across the river, and things were looking bleak. Despite the super comfortable bed in our beautiful B&B, it was an unsettled night for both of us.

Waking to the sound of rain falling gently outside, we got up and prepared for the day, with heavy hearts, but planning to ask our lovely hosts Jane and Geoff for their advice. As we ate a fabulous “Full English” breakfast cooked by Jane, we explained our dilemma to her. In a shot, she told us not to worry, and that she would drive us (and Trusty & Steed) over the bridge herself. Just as the words were hanging in the air, the sun came out and we could have sworn we were in the presence of an angel!

And so it came to pass… After chatting away with Jane for quite a while about politics, Canada, the US and many other things, we got ourselves packed up, slotted ourselves, T&S and the panniers into Jane’s little car, and were overjoyed as we zoomed over the bridge from Canada to the US with the river far below. Looking at the fact that there was no sidewalk, that the bridge roadway is constructed of metal grating, and that it is around a mile long, we could see why bikes are not allowed, and were extremely grateful. Jane told us that one of the decisions that she has made in her life is to be happy and to spread that happiness to others. Speaking for ourselves, we can certainly say that we found Jane’s energy, humour and generosity of spirit infectious, and we set off for our ride feeling transformed. Jane – thank you, thank you, thank you!

Having crossed the bridge, it was just a short 28-mile ride into Potsdam, NY. It wasn’t without its challenges, however… one of Anthony’s panniers fell off into the road as he went through a big pothole, and a few miles further on he got a puncture. Still, it was a glorious day, in the 80s (after the 50s and 60s of the weekend), and we enjoyed our time on the road.

Arriving bright and early at our hotel, we went out for dinner at a local Thai restaurant and were back in the hotel by 7pm ready for a relaxing evening watching a bit of trash on US TV.

Finally, a huge thanks to Heather for her generous donation. We haven’t spoken in ages, so lets hope we’ll see you back in NYC

Us x