I am so close to home I can taste it. Yesterday we had an 86 mile ride from Niagara falls to Rochester and today we rode about 95 miles from Rochester to just east of Syracuse. Much of the 2 days was along or very close to the Erie Canal and the terrain and scenery has definitely gotten me into thoughts of HOME. For a Cancer who is very much a home-body, I have struggled being away for now almost 7 weeks. And sleeping in 45 different motel rooms every night for the past 7 weeks is a nightmare.

Now all that remains is 85 miles tomorrow and then a night in Little Falls just east of Utica, before Albany, Brattleboro VT and Manchester, NH before our arrival on Monday in Portsmouth. For me these last few days will be enormously busy and hectic. The plan is to organize a splinter group tomorrow night of several of my penguin friends and allies. The tentative plan is to skip the stay in Albany on Friday and modify that days modest 75 mile ride and extend it to about 110 so that we can stay at HOME in Stockbridge. The decesion will be weather dependent and only if we have the "legs" with a strong start leaving Little Falls, NY on Friday morning. I will have assistance from my good friend and Trojan, Chico who will SAG our luggage and provide support for the Albany to Stockbridge leg. I am already dreaming of a night at home in my own bed and decent meal in place of another Holiday Inn and Old Country Buffet out near the malls in Latham, NY.

It will mean a long ride on Friday and another tough day on Saturday to catch the group in Brattleboro, VT, but worth the effort. This will probably be my last post until I get home and can catch up, because somehow in addition to all of this, I desperately want to return from Brattleboro for Sarah's art show opening at Naumkeg in Stockbridge on Saturday night. Please wish me luck because I will need it!!!!!