Final Erie Canal Trail Thoughts (July 3, 2012)

Pata Crossing a Canal Bridge

We got off the Erie Canal Trail yesterday, after doing it from Albany to Lockport.  It was over 300 miles or so on a hard pack dirt trail (for the most part) that followed the canal.  When we first got on the trail we were so relieved that it was flat it was delightful.  The boats and water were interesting.  The small towns were often quaint and we had some really good experiences with folks (like Tony and Kelly).  It also had some shade which was welcome after riding over the Berkshires in Massachusetts in the blazing sun. 

However, as we went further, the trail got monotonous and the dust got into everything!  It got into our panniers and our bikes.  It got into our hair and made it feel like dried straw.  It got into the water bottles making the water taste nasty.  It made me think about the dust that my dad experienced when he was in concentration camp in Topaz Utah during World War II.  He said the dust storms were vicious and the dust seeped through the slats of the housing and into everything.  I have a new appreciation of what that meant.

On the Canal Trail

Riding the trail was also slow.  I mean slower than we usually are fully-loaded.  We were going an average of 8 MPH or so.  This was due to the fact that it was “off-road” and uneven with sand that could take one’s wheel out.  So we went slowly. 

An Old Soap Building along the Canal

Another Abandoned Canal Building

Our Tent and Gear at A City Camp Site in Holley NY on July  1, 2012

View of Canal

When we finally left the trail we were glad to bid it adieu.  Now we are riding the roads and are on the official Adventure Cycling Northern Tier route.  It is good to have a real map to follow, but sometimes I still get lost.  The maps don’t have a whole lot of the surrounding roads and such, so if I get off track it is hard to figure out where I am from the map.  In comes my I-phone. (My family got me an I-phone for winter holiday and I was not clear until now, how very helpful it could be!)  I think with the combination of maps and phone we will find our way across the country. 

Tonight we are in Hamburg, NY and then we will ride along the edge of Lake Erie.  I expect that this will be quite beautiful, but we will all see. 

DW: So far, since leaving Boston, we have traveled over 600 miles