Clocking the Miles: September 6-7, 2009
Sunday, September 6, 2009
I woke at 6.13 and by 7 am was on the road. It was cool and misty. The map that Martin had drawn was a great help. At one point I thought I had taken a wrong turn, as the roadside markers said route 17 and not 352.
Luckily, though, the Southern Tier Hospice office appeared ahead of me and I knew I was on the right track.
Corning, NY
My plan was to get two good days of walking in beyond Corning, so that I could reach Buffalo in time. So I took a picture of the Southern Tier Hospice, then walked on into Corning.
In the early morning mist over the river two blue herons stood in the waters. On the bridge into Corning I met a man who had recently come to America from India. We chatted. I explained about my walk, he wished me luck and we went our separate ways.
In Corning I took a photo of the buffalo's head breaks through the wall at the Museum of Western Art. Crossing back over the river I took a photo of the Corning Museum of Glass, then kept on walking.
Through Painted Post, Campbell and Savona I walked on, clocking up the miles.
Just Getting the Miles Done
By about 10 am the mist cleared and the day became hot. I wore a denim shirt over my t shirt to protect my arms from the sun. During the day I had one 15 minute rest at 10:15 to eat my peanut butter sandwiches and one rest at 2 pm in some shade. Apart from that it was head down and get the miles done. The road was quiet and passed by trees, and clear flowing rivers.
The highlight of the day for me was seeing a praying mantis. It flew up in front of me and then landed on some Queen Anne's Lace. I moved in close with the camera and managed to get a good picture.
As 4.30 came round, after 9 1/2 hours walking I passed a small lake called Lake Salubria and stopped at a Citgo Gas Station on the outskirts of Bath.
Retrieved by Martin and Linda
I phoned up Martin and. Linda and they said they would come pick me up. Sitting outside the gas station on a small concrete parking bay marker, I made the most of the shade and drank a bottle of orange juice and a bottle of chocolate milk.
As I sat there cars came and went. In one of the cars was a young woman called Lisa.
She came up to me and said she had seen a report about me in the Courier newspaper. Her father had been helped by hospice. I gave her the National Hospice Foundation Web site address and she wished me luck.
I was relieved to see Martin, Linda and Ashley pull into the gas station.
Lake Keuka-- and Some Science
In no time we were speeding down the road into Bath, then on to Lake Keuka.
Martin explained how much of the Finger Lake area was used for growing grapes for making wine. At the top of a hill we stopped to take pictures of Keuka Lake, which is possibly 600 feet deep or more. The Finger Lakes had been gouged out by glaciers during an ice age.
Martin's job was for the US Department of Agriculture. He researched plants for use in conservation. Some of the plants were types of rye grass that could hold the soil together and prevent erosion washing soil into the rivers. Martin had also been involved in a trial where they had planted grass and nitrogen fixing leguminous plants amongst the grapes of the vineyards to prevent gullies forming between the lines of grapes.
As we stood high above Lake Keuka we could see great stretches of land covered in the grapes. The blue lake and seemingly endless low green hills of Upper New York State stretched to the horizon. On the shores of the lake were fancy holiday homes and motorboats cut across the beautiful waters of Lake Keuka.
Beer!
We drove to Watkins Glen on the shores of Lake Seneca and had dinner in a pub that brewed its own beer. Martin and I had a beer called Hop Warrior. It had a high alcohol content, so you were limited to a 10 oz glass. As the waitress brought these two small glasses I said to Martin that it was sacrilege...in Britain we only drank pints!
Over dinner we talked about Martin's work and my work in genetic research. We also talked about US politics and the hope that President Obama could bring change and reforms to the U.S. health care system.
In the dark we drove back to Big Flats and Martin and Linda's home. My journey was 30 miles further on and I had another day to clock up the miles.
Monday, September 7, 2009
Labor Day, But No Holiday for Me
I woke at 5.45 and by 6:37 Linda was driving me back out to Bath to carry on the walk. She dropped me off at the point I had stopped walking, by Lake Salubria, and I had about 9.5 hours to try to reach Dansville.
At 5:45 pm I was due to meet up with board members and staff at the Southern Tier Hospice for a dinner.
Hours of Walking Through Countryside
The morning was cool again and I was glad of that. In about 30 minutes walking I passed by the old court house and village green in Bath and turned on to route 415 North. Seeing some of the old buildings in Bath brought back memories from 1988 when I had last walked through Bath.
It was Labor Day and the streets and small towns beyond Bath were sleepy and quiet. Farmland, with fields of sweet corn lay all around, nestled amongst tree covered hills.
A sign for the town of Avoca came miles before the gas station that marked the turn off into the town. At 10AM, at the gas station I drank orange juice and chocolate milk. That was my first break from walking all morning. My left foot was sore, but I pushed on.
An old barn made in 1876 had the date in tiles on its roof. Before the town of Cohocton there was also a wooden building called the Davis House, which had been built in 1811.
Before I entered Cohocton I spotted a large bird of prey, wheeling through the air way up above. Above Cohocton, too, were large wind turbines, set up on the hill beside the town.
My walk went on and the hours ticked away. At 3 pm I phoned Linda. She would set out at 3.30 pm and meet me at the end of Route 415...if I could get there in time.
Barking Dogs – A New Threat
Just after I phoned Linda two dogs came out from a nearby farmhouse and began barking and circling me. I kept my cool and just kept moving. My biggest concern was that they would be hit by cars as they stood on the road. But it’s true that I was also worried they might actually bite.
Eventually they gave up and I moved on.
The road beyond Cohocton twisted and turned and then descended to meet the highway.
I saw a sign on the highway that said 1 mile to exit 3. It was now about 4.10 pm. I picked up my speed and hoped I could reach the end of 415 in time.
Success! Meeting up with Linda
The road was fresh new black top. The minutes ticked away and I could see a stop sign up ahead and the end of 415. Parked there was a van that looked like Linda's.
It was good. Linda waved as I reached the end of Route 415. I jogged across to her van.
“Hey dude! How's it going?” Linda's greeting cheered me up no end. I was tired but had made it to a good point, about 7 miles from Dansville.
We sped away, back to the Radisson Hotel. As we drove it was good to see the 56 miles that I had covered in the last 2 days and know that Buffalo could be reached in time.
Dinner at the Radisson Hotel with Southern Tier Hospice Folks
At the Radisson Hotel I changed into my combat trousers in the restroom, combed my hair and tried to get my head together. I was tired and my face was red from the sun.
By 5:45 Paul Rossi, the public relations officer for Southern Tier Hospice, his wife Barb, the executive director Mary Ann Starbuck, the spiritual counselor Margie Rodgers and member of the Board Bonnie Harrison and her husband Jared were with me and eating dinner.
The food was the best I had had in the last few weeks. It was a good meal. We talked about my walk, health care and hospice issues, but also had some fun. At the end of the meal we posed for photos. It was good to meet the people behind the hospice and start to see what the Southern Tier Hospice was all about.
