Day 8: Hamburg to Canandaiqua, New York 95 miles, 4,698 feet of climbing

I think I woke up this morning in a time warp.  When I went to bed last night, it was raining, but it was still summer.  This morning, it was Fall Foliage season.  We left the hotel in the mist of a morning fog with temperatures in the low 50's.  Windbreakers, leg and arm warmers all around.  The temperatures remained in the mid-60's as a high for the day.  Brrr!

Reader's Challenge #1:  Anyone know what "Southtowns" are?

The ride?  Pure hell.  Unrelenting, undulating hills over 95 miles with a moderate headwind for all but the last three miles.  With nearly 5,000 feet of climb, today was one of the hardest days of this entire cross-country ride.  Just after surmounting one hill, there was another, and another, and another right in front of us.  Demoralizing.  Just demoralizing.  There was one single mile of flat roadway, along the Genesee Valley floor.  I can't remember a day, other than Montrose, Colorado with a 30-mile per hour head wind, that compared with the challenges we faced today.

Reader Challenge #2:  Anyone know what it means to be "A Right to Farm Community"?  Any reason why you wouldn't be able to farm?  (Every town we passed through had one of those signs)

One of the historical highlights of today's ride was going through the town of East Aurora.  Besides being the headquarters for Fisher-Price Toys, East Aurora is where Millard Filmore, a local resident and our 13th President, started his law and political careers.

Vidler's 5 and 10.  An East Aurora institution for over 85 years.  I don't know if you can see it, but the main street in town is paved in all brick. 

We had a bit of a food challenge this afternoon.  The locals from the ride leadership team who used to live in the area, swear by a local burger joint called Tom Wahl's.  More importantly, they think Tom's homemade Root Beer is the best there is.  Well, after having tried Richardson's Root Beer at the White Turkey Drive-In in Ohio, the riders all agreed that Ohio beat New York this time.  But Tom's burgers were, indeed, awesome.

Tom Wahl's, a local burger joint with their own version of homemade Root Beer.  Not as good as what we tasted in Ohio, but not too shabby either.  Their burgers rocked.

Hey, we have a winner to an earlier trivia question!  Cathy Robins, from Seattle, used to live in Ohio and knows what those stars on houses signify.  "They are 'Barn Stars,' a symbol of good luck in Ohio that dates back to the Civil War."

Tomorrow, we continue through the Finger Lakes countryside and along parts of the Erie Canal.