Miles to date: 3,422.0
Our day started with the early morning crowd out for their routine exercises: it was mostly singles and pairs out for a brisk walk or early run. We were on the trail 20 minutes after sunrise, so these were the dedicated types that prioritized their exercise. It was nice to be out early and amongst these folks.
These people were also very polite and accommodating; they weren’t offended or alarmed when we rang our bells to pass them, and they readily made way if they were coming towards us. About 30 minutes into our day as we were approaching Spencerport, one woman yelled to us, “Have a good adventure!”
An adventure is exactly what we continue to have, although as expected it does feel less adventurous along the Erie Canal vacation lands. But it is certainly scenic and fun; I’m glad to have the opportunity to tour this part of the country. Some of the scenery was idyllic and the weather and sky near perfect for a long bike ride.
We really had only one complaint about the ride today: mud. We experienced a fairly heavy storm last night; we had over 1/2 inch and an hour or so of thunder and lightning. This doesn’t sound like much as I write it, but camped in a small thin 30-year-old tent, this was plenty. And the rain turned sections of the crushed limestone canal pathway into muddy quagmires. 250 pounds of human, gear and bicycle on thin tires sinks appreciably and consistently enough to make the travel pretty inefficient. This was the situation for the first 13 miles, and we didn’t have a proper breakfast before hitting the trail, so we began to question our intent to cover 77 miles today.
But, as we approached Rochester we got 15 miles of blacktop and breakfast at Dunkin’ Donuts. After breakfast we were on a trail near the Genesee River crossing when a guy walking towards us yelled, “Damn, that looks like 80 pounds!” I told him it was only about 65; but if I included the weight of the bike he was pretty close. Maybe he was was of those carnival workers who guessed weight for a living?
We also made a stop at REI for some more fuel for the camp stove. And, in true pilgrimage fashion we made a short cut through a hotel construction site, around some concrete forms, and through a small ditch and brush to make the most direct route to the path. As we were coming out the other side of the weeds, we ran into Jim.
I forgot to mention Jim yesterday. He’s from the state of Washington and is spending a week biking the Erie Canal trail. He’s 68 and traveling lighter and slower than us, and somehow we’ve now run into him 4 times. We saw him when we stopped for coffee in Lockport yesterday, and he stayed in Brockport last night, so we weren’t too surprised to see him but the timing was uncanny. He’s staying in Syracuse tomorrow, so maybe we’ll meet again and we’ll be in a more relaxed state of mind to capture a photo.
We traveled through some scenic towns today, maybe none better than Fairport. It was pretty, clean and relatively bustling for a small community on a Thursday morning. We stopped for PBJ provisions to eat later, and we visited the city library for a bathroom and water fountain. The people were all friendly and we wished we could stay longer, but we were only 32 miles into our 77 mile day, so we had to press on with dreams of someday returning.
As we’ve cruised along the canal, we’ve seen quite a few canal boats touring the area by water. After our last provisioning in Clyde, we helped a foursome who had rented a boat tie up at the dock. In the words of Mark Lecy: these guys had no business being out here. They didn’t know the first thing about bringing a boat in against the wind, and their idea of “tying off” was to keep wrapping the rope around the cleat until you ran out of rope. Geeto saw they were having difficulty, so he initiated a minor rescue operation.
After we got them secured, we discovered that one of the two couples was from Chicago; they live on the NW side close to the fire station where Geeto worked for 20 years. They seemed to be enjoying their Erie Canal vacation; they rented the boat for a week and had their e-bikes loaded on top to be able to cruise into the various port towns. They admitted that they’ve bumped into some things on their journey, and they seemed fairly daunted by the thoughts of negotiating some more locks; as we left, they wished us safety on the rest of our journey, and we quietly prayed that they don’t sink their rented ship.
We arrived at Rivers Crossing Campground just after 3 pm. We were issued a site right next to the bathroom and showers; the site also featured a new septic tank awaiting installation. Our first objective was to lay out our camping gear to dry from last night’s downpour. If our things didn’t dry, I noticed that removing two screws could get us access into the new septic tank which seemed like it would be dry and plenty big enough for two of us. As luck would have it, as soon as our gear was dry and set up, it rained again… and again… and again. Three different showers now ensured our tents were wet again. There’s little threat of rain tonight, but there’s also little hope of tents drying in the moonlight and temperatures in the 40’s.
At just under 40 miles, tomorrow’s ride to Syracuse is nearly another day off. I’m note sure what we’ll do in Syracuse other than a bit of laundry. I suppose I’ll try to halt my 3 game cribbage losing streak: Day 48: Savanna to Syracuse
My wife Christin was helping my future daughter-in-law clean and move in to their new rental property today. The previous tenants left a few messes and waste behind, including a half empty package of Newport cigarettes. Before the start of my journey I emailed the folks at Newport to see if they would be interested in sponsoring us; after all, this is a Newport to Newport journey. Geeto used to have the occasional cigarette at the fire house, I’m sure he would’ve smoked a few Newports for the camera; he probably could’ve taught me how to smoke them too. Alas, the fine people at R.J.R. Tobacco never got back to me.
For the Spotify Pedaling Pilgrims! playlist today, I have two things to add:
First, I need to offer up another rain song. I’m hoping that putting this out there will ensure dryness for the next 7 days (though that’s not currently looking likely:Drip Drop
Second, my dad passed away one year ago today. I had seen him a few days before his death, and around this time last year I got a text from my sister that Larry drew his final breath. If you go back to my post on day 2 you’ll find a link to his obituary and some other words about him. I don’t want to say much more now, other than reiterate that music was his superpower and he instilled a love of music in his children. There’s a bunch of songs that I hear that I immediately associate with dad, but this Cat Stevens song seems appropriate for me to include today; rest in peace Larry! Father and Son
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