Back in the Spring of 2012, when Eli was finishing up his first year at Oberlin College, we spoke on a Skype call. I asked him if he wanted me to give him a ride back home after his final exams. “Yeah, that’d be great,” he responded, then paused to confirm one important detail. “You are bringing the car, right?”
“No car. Just the tandem bike,” I replied. A few weeks later, I flew into Columbus Ohio with our Bike Friday tandem packed in two suitcases, and my old friend David Levine drove me up to Oberlin the next day. I assembled the bike, and Eli packed his summer gear into the suitcases, which David shipped back East for us. Eli had seven days to ride over 400 miles to central New York State for a family reunion and memorial service for my father, John, who also enjoyed riding his bike. Below is a photomap of our ride (see full-screen version). We originally planned to ride 480 miles across the Northern Tier bike route (by Adventure Cycling) and the Erie Canal bike trail (by Parks and Trails NY) to my hometown of Morrisville, NY. But we modified our trip and rode 429 miles in 5 days, then caught a ride with relatives in Skaneateles, NY to avoid some hills on a very hot day.
Download any of these photos from my Flickr Album
Our final destination was Morrisville NY for a family reunion and memorial service for my father, John, who also loved riding his bike
Welcome to PA
Tandem assembly 9
Tandem assembly 8
Welcome to NY State
Tandem assembly 7
Tandem assembly 6
Tandem assembly 5
Tandem assembly 3
Tandem assembly 4
Tandem assembly 2
Tandem assembly 1
Spotted an actual Oberlin albino squirrel
Snapshot of the original bike photo map
Motorcyclists stopped us to ask about our Bike Friday tandem
We pedaled 429 miles in 6 days
Visiting Michael, Jen Tavi, and Paul near Rochester
Jack's Restaurant
A much-needed milkshake at the end of the ride
Take off from Oberlin
Taking a frisbee on the road
Eli's summer stuff fit into the two bike suitcases
![](https://farm1.staticflickr.com/418/18474828854_1560055f81.jpg "Lunch stop at Geneva on the Lake, where the cook told us, "You must be hippies, or physics majors!"")
Lunch stop at Geneva on the Lake, where the cook told us, "You must be hippies, or physics majors!"
Preparing for take-off from Oberlin
Posing with the tandem
Cruising outside of Cleveland
A side trip to see the Avengers movie
Riding across the Ashtabula bridge
Gorilla chases us away on our bike
Fabulous ride on Cleveland Lakefront Bikeway
A drywall screw flattened our back tire
Eli in deep thought
Eli reads while riding on back of the tandem
We ended our ride in Skaneateles NY, where Linda and Ellen picked us up and drove us the last 30 miles over really big hills on a very hot day
Riding out of Rochester
Welcome to Seneca Falls
Biking from Oberlin OH to Central NYS
Riding into Rochester
Our first view of Lake Erie on the bike
We skipped Niagara Falls to speed up our trip, and found a delicious Mexican lunch in Batavia NY
Ice cream break on a hot day's ride
Eli helps fix the flat tire
Chinese food in Cleveland
Riding along the Erie Canal towpath
Chocolate peanut butter pie to replenish lost calories
Deer crossing our path
Thanks to David Levine for driving me from Columbus to Oberlin
Welcome to Chili NY
Catching up with Annie M. along the Erie Canal
