Day 17 - 6/24/16 Sheridan Bay Park, NY to Erie, PA

I was on the same road, Rt. 5 for over 50 miles today so I felt comfortable enough to drown out the sounds around me with a little music in my headphones.  The scenery didn't vary too much– lots of vineyards on either side of me, hills to the left and Lake Erie through the vines on ny right.  

The music really put me in the zone, I felt like a machine on my bike, practically forgot I was the motor making the wheels turn.  Crossing into another state felt like another big milestone even though I know I'll only be here for the night.  Brian, my host took me on a wild bike ride late at night.  

There's a state park that I can't remember the name but he referred to it as the peninsula.  We followed a long road that goes to the very end and loops back which we did on our bikes in the dark.  Only the fireflies and lights reflecting off the water lit the way– and, of course, our lights on our bikes.  He told me only cars can be on the road after a certain time so we were technically trespassing.  A car might've been the best way to go because I kept getting hit in the face with bugs as we cruised through the blackness.  Out of nowhere, headlights started getting closer and closer behind us until they were directly behind us in the shoulder of the road.  And then, the blue lights went on.  I never imagined being pulled over on a bike but, sure enough, there we were on the side of the road.  Luckily, he was a pretty laid back park ranger.  He told us bikes weren't allowed in the park this late and we nodded and apologized as if we didn't know.  We were so close to where the road starts to loop back that he said we should go ahead and finish our ride.  Of course we had to linger a bit longwr though.  We stopped at one of the 13 beaches on the side of the peninsula that's vacant of the bright lights.  We looked out at the calm water and marveled at how the horizon line was just a black void with a few stars high above and a couple lights from sailing ships below.  Where the water stopped and outerspace began was anyone's guess. 

Day 16 - 6/23/16 Buffalo, NY to ...?

I'm not exactly sure what town I'm in but I'm at the Sheridan Bay Park.  Google Maps lists this place as a campground so I didn't even bother to look into it anymore than that.  I had a nice ride today out of the city and along Lake Erie. It's amazing to see a lake that you can't see to the other side.  I wanted to sleep at Sheridan Bay Park because it's right on the edge of the great lake.  When I came upon the sign for the place I had to laugh at how much it looked like a trailer park ghost town.  There was a fair amount of space but only a small handful of RVs filling it up.  Beyond the campers, I could see the lake through the trees just as I expected.  

But when I looked around to see who was in charge there was no one.  After waiting for a few minutes to see if someone would appear out of no where, a truck came down the driveway. It wasn't the owner but, he told me I could just set up camp anywhere and if Rick, the owner, ever showed up I could pay him for a site.  I liked that idea so I headed for the beach to pitch my tent.  Past the trees and RVs a completely vacant beach awaited me.  Not a huge slice of sand but it was nicet bookended by crumbly rock walls and trees.  

After walking up and down the beach and before I got completely settled, Rick made his way down the hill towards me.  Rick was friendly and apologetic for not being here when I showed up and told me he didn't even want to charge me for the night, just to make myself at home.  Within minutes my tent was set up, my sweaty clothes were laying out to dry, I was eating a peanut butter sandwich, and life was good.  I have a private beach on Lake Erie for the night.  

The sun was setting directly across from my tent so I watched the big orange ball slide beneath the water leaving a pink hue above the horizon.  The beach was also littered with an abundance on the best skipping stones I've ever seen.  I collected and heaved as many as I could at the setting sun, hoping by some miracle I could skip one of them to the other side of the lake.  Sometimes it can be lonely having a campground all to yourself but, something about this massive lake makes me feel like I'm in good company.