“When what to my wondering eyes should appear, but a road straight ahead with no mountain to climb!”  It is almost a “Catch-22” situation when I think about the mountain ranges I have pedaled up and over the last few days. I won’t miss the long hard climbs, but I also won’t receive that emotional “high” one gets when accomplishing difficult tasks. Oh yeah, just like life itself! I leave behind the White, Green and Adirondack mountains, but the magnificent scenery will be forever etched in my brain.

Inlet, NY was my next stop, but AT&T is not the most reliable carrier in Central New York. I stopped for a late breakfast at Long Lake and called the Marina Motel to see if by chance they had a room for the night. (Black flies are now my least favorite critter. I passed a small church on the way to Inlet and their sign read, “I wish Noah had swatted both the black flies.”)  Anyway, my conversation was like the old cell phone advertisement “Can you hear me now?” I walked around a small deck looking to get the best signal. The owner said, “I don’t think I have a room, but you pedal on to Inlet and I’ll find something for you!” As always, I glanced down at OMJSN and thought, “ Here we go again!” I rolled into Inlet and started looking for the Marina Motel. A few seconds later, I heard a lady yelling at me from a car pulling up beside me, “Are you the man who called the Marina Motel from Long Lake? I was getting worried so I have been parked at the corner looking for you.” She actually did have a room and escorted me to the motel. I am so embarrassed that I either did not hear her name, or had a senior moment and it slipped my mind, but as the late Paul Harvey always said, “Now the rest of the story.”

The next morning I went down for breakfast at the motel and encountered Grace, the  teenage daughter of the owner. Now, it was 6:30am on Saturday and yet Grace greeted me with a bright, shining smile and a “Welcome to our breakfast area!” I told her I was a retired teacher and her she started asking questions about Alaska and what grades I had taught. We had a delightful conversation as she busied herself making coffee and cleaning up tables. Remember, this a 13 year old teenager who was working at her parents motel while her friends were probably either still in bed, listening to music or getting ready for a day in the sun! What a delightful, charming and out going young lady. The Dr. Seuss quote, “Oh, the places you’ll go” fits Grace perfectly. (Grace is an exact copy of my own Olivia.) Their enthusiasm for life, caring personalities and intense curiosity are examples of how loving parents can and do mold young adults. Grace, thank you for shining your light on me last Saturday morning.

I know, I am long winded, but the beauty and uplifting individuals I am meeting truly brighten our world. Even though I can’t for the life of me remember Grace’s Mom’s name, I think I have an even better name for her:

Grace’s Mother – Filled with grace. Thank you so much for helping to make our world a better place, and for entering my life.

I have seen the names of many places of worship on this journey in just 450 miles, but this one caught my eye! Oh the scenes we see traveling at 8 mph.

Greg

Pulaski, New York on the shores of Lake Ontario, almost.