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

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