Last night I felt like a little kid the night before Christmas... I was too excited to sleep!
Today was an amazing first day. absolutely perfect weather- blue skies and sunshine. 80s without humidity.
We biked through the town of Ithaca and started the gradual climb along Cayuga lake. We then veered off and took some beautiful quiet country roads to the overlook at Taughannock Falls. The tallest falls in the Finger Lakes. I have been to the falls before but from the bottom. We then rode through more countryside and small towns. There were some good climbs and great downhills.
There are 12 other cyclists on this tour, along with the husband and wife who lead the tour. The tour is well supported and we are staying at beautiful hotels along the way. I am overwhelmed by staying at such lovely places. Tonight we are staying at this beautiful hotel right on Seneca Lake. I can look out my window and see the sailboats on the water. It was such fun to walk into my room and be amazed at how at the lavish and beauty of it all. It made me look forward to heaven... I can't even begin to imagine how beautiful and glorious heaven will be. I can't wait to see the mansion Jesus is preparing for me!
I've enjoyed chatting with others on the tour. We have a diverse group from a set of grandparents to a woman who is training for her second Iron Man. I rode with her for the first part of the day. After lunch I rode by myself for a while and was enjoying the view of Seneca Lake as I rode. I stopped to take a picture of a couple by the water. I then had them take a picture of me in return. It was fun chatting with them as I found out they were from Canada. I love little random moments like that.
After that I rode with two others from the tour and chatted with them. I decided to stick with them for a while so I didn't have to worry about paying attention to where we were going. Once we got to Watkins Glen, we had a good long steep climb that ended with an amazing view of Seneca Lake. Which was followed by an awesome long downhill. Have I mentioned how much I love riding on hills? You get the great challenge of going up and then the thrill of going downhill. Love it.
We enjoyed lunch at Penguin Bay Winery overlooking the vineyard and lake. We of course had to have a wine tasting before going on our way.
After we got to Watkins Glen and checked into the hotel we went to Watkins Glen to hike through the glen. I hike through the glen practically every summer but I never tire of it. Absolutely beautiful.
Enjoyed a nice dinner and sunset over Seneca Lake.
Total riding today was 45 miles followed by a hike through Watkins Glen. Great day outdoors.
My highlight of the day: As I riding this morning the song "I am loved by God" was going through my head as I delighted in the beauty of the day. At one point we had a long steady uphill climb. It was very gradual though and I didn't realize how much we had climbed until we got to the top and then started to go downhill. It was a very long gradual AMAZING downhill. Farmland all around me, not a car or person in sight, blue skies and sunshine above me, view of the Seneca lake below me. amazing! I started to sing out loud "right now, today, I am loved by God." Now some people are inclined to sing out loud, whether in their showers or in their cars. I am not one of them. Yet the beauty of the view and the thrill of the downhill all led to an amazing time of singing out loud and worshiping my Beloved King.
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