We were now out of the flat Midwest and approaching the lovely mountains of New England and the lush forests of the Adirondacks. New York was a brief taste of how different the hills and climbs are in the East compared with the West Coast mountains. The climbs in the east are much shorter and steeper as compared to the west where the uphill roads are long and steady. Both have their different merits and drawbacks.

This leg of the trip also brought us briefly to Canada to stop at the over-glorified honeymoon destination of Niagara Falls. A one night fling with the maple leaf confirmed that geo-political borders are and have always been so arbitrary. This is "our" half of the water fall and "THAT" is your half of the waterfall. I have to say the Canadian side is a bit more dramatic.