Just a few days ago, the Oneida LITs set off on their first ever, 120 mile bike trip. We departed CSL at 12:30pm on Tuesday August 10th and headed towards our first campsite in Bath, NY. The first leg of the trip was a little bit tough at times, as none of the LITs really had their “biking legs” quite yet. However, we fought on and everyone felt a great sense of accomplishment as we coasted the final mile into our beautiful campsite.
On Wednesday, we woke up rejuvenated and mentally prepared to tackle the easiest segment of the trip, a relatively flat trek into Corning to visit the Glass Museum. Both campers and staff were equally astonished and impressed with the art work and glass blowing. A couple of granola bars and Gatorades fueled us back onto the road for a very difficult afternoon ride to Montour Falls, just North of Corning. Despite the rolling, arduous hills, we kept a positive attitude, sang songs, and a few hours later made it to our new campsite and home. It was better than we ever could have expected! The Oneidans spent the evening swimming, hot tubbing, and resting up with hot showers for Thursday’s hilly ride into Ithaca (which was ultimately the highlight of the trip!)
We awoke on Thursday morning to a gloomy sky and quickly hustled to eat breakfast and get packed up before any rain could ruin our preparations. We made it just in time, but as soon as we hopped on our bikes to depart, the rain began to fall. Rather than trying to take shelter, we all embraced the wetness, wearing garbage bag rain coats and taking many photos to document the experience. After a very chilly first hour, we warmed up and had a wonderful morning ride. Then came the notorious and immense hills of Ithaca, New York. Everyone was anxiously anticipating this part of the ride. We had to keep things in first gear, and it was incredible to watch as every LIT pushed on valiantly. Soon enough, we were all looking down on Ithaca and were able to enjoy an fun descent down into the city. The evening was a relief to the exhausted group of LITs because we were lucky to spend the night at Oneida counselor Dylan Marcus’s home in Ithaca. His parents kindly took us in, hosted a barbeque, let us shower, and shared their home with us for the evening.
The final morning, we had already completed 110 miles and were ready for a calm day. We concluded the trip with some free time on the Ithaca Commons outdoor mall where we ate and shopped. Then, we loaded up the van, hopped on the bus, and cruised comfortably back to CSL for Shabbat. Everyone felt a great sense of accomplishment and had pretty exhausted legs to prove it! Overall, it was a great last trip of the summer!
Sincerely,
Max Jacobson, Oneida Staff 2010
