Day Three

Without having any kids around, we were able to get up and going much quicker than before. As we were getting on our bikes outside the creepy motel that we were so grateful for, a disheveled man came out of an adjoining room and straggled up to us. He started to complain about the noise we were making, until he noticed my mom. it was love at first sight, it was just a shame we couldn't stick around.
The scenery was absolutely beautiful. We continued riding down the 5, and on one side of the road there were these beautiful vineyards, I didn't realize that New York and Pennsylvania had vineyards! And on the other side was the lake. The weather was perfect, when we would start riding there was a bit of a chill in the air, but it was just enough to make us not get too hot after riding for a bit.
For breakfast we stopped at a little farmer's stand. There we had some fresh fruit.
I loved riding while listening to my music. Even though we all rode near each other, we were spaced enough apart most of the day to have our own thinking bubble. So many feelings and memories would emerge, and because of the endorphins from riding, they were all really positive feelings. I would think about my family, my boys, my friends, and feel so much love for all of them. If I were a better rider, I would've called them and told them how much I loved and appreciated them.
There isn't much that compares to exercising your body, having a small breeze go through your hair and on your face, listening to music, all while seeing great scenery.
For a short time, when the traffic was really low, Todd and I rode side by side and talked. I love those stress free moments where all that we do is talk and express our love. - I was really high on endorphins.
The route was not too difficult at all. The road was maintained well, and it was mostly flat. There were some hills (a hill in Ohio and a hill in Utah = totally different things) and even though there was work involved in biking up them, they were totally welcomed. I loved having the variety, and the speed that was achieved on the way down the hill was exhilarating (and nerve racking), and the sense of accomplishment on reaching the top - awesome.
We rode into Pennsylvania - looked pretty much like New York.
In the late afternoon, my mom was ready for a stop, and with biking, when you need a stop and a refuel, it's pretty much the same as refuelling your car - necessary. At this point we were only 3 miles from Erie, PA so we decided that we would stop there. As we got into Erie, we realized how run down it is in the areas we were riding. We wanted to stop and eat somewhere we could sit down, and my mom's favorite is Bob Evan's, so we rode farther to fulfill our desires. It wouldn't have been so bad if there weren't so many stop lights - hated those.
After riding for miles and miles, we finally made it to Bob Evan's. We were so excited to eat. Todd had been craving a Strawberry shake all day and was so excited to finally get one. He asked the waitress for a Strawberry shake, she informed him that they didn't have any shakes, or anything like shakes. He was so disappointed. Poor guy.
We ate and ate all while enjoying the rest our tushies were getting from not being on the bike seats. We ordered more food than were able to eat, so of course Todd asked for a to-go box. He got one, then asked if they had any sacks, they had a brown paper bag. Todd brought it out to his bike and quickly realized that he couldn't go any real distance with the food so he had to chuck it.
We were planning on going 10-15 more miles that evening, but my mom pointed out that it was our last night without the kids, so it was probably our last night of real rest. So we ended up riding only 2 more miles. Todd was frustrated because if he would have known we were only going that far, he would've kept the food. He just did not have good luck. We stayed at another creepy motel, the kind that doesn't have someone working in a office, rather you lift up a phone receiver and are connected to someone who tells you which room to go into and stay. The room that they told us to go into was locked, so the owner/manager had to drive over and bring some keys.
The room was stinky, and outdated (by many decades) but my biggest complaint was that they didn't have any shampoo in the rooms! Todd really liked the room, it had a little kitchenette ... secretly he is very White Trash.
The TV had cable, which we don't even have at home, so since we were to exhausted for anything else, we watched TV. It reminded me of why we don't have cable - waste of time. We watched "Hitched or Ditched". It was so stupid, but like a train wreck, we just could not look away! Oh well, we slept well at least.