Today’s ride was really enjoyable. I woke up at the campground feeling relatively refreshed. I took a shower at the campground, had a granola bar and some trail mix for breakfast, then decided to think about the big picture.
I have to arrive in Rochester by early afternoon on Friday in order to meet up with the family in time for a photo shoot. So that’s my goal. This morning I was about 100 miles away. If I forced myself to, I could probably do the 50 miles over two days and arrive Thursday evening. But I figured I don’t really want to rush it. It’s so beautiful here, and I enjoy the ride so much more if I don’t feel rushed. Also my legs are so mad at me and they will be making life miserable if I push too hard. So now the plan is to just little chunks over Wed, Thurs, and Fri, and spend more time enjoying the journey.
I biked out of the park and found the bike path again. The weather today was perfect the whole day – sunny but not too warm or humid.
Although most of the trail today was that hardpack sandy stuff, the journey was really pleasant. I allowed myself an hour to stop at a coffee shop for a cinnamon roll and fruit cup, and I charged up my phone there too.
I passed through several, beautiful little towns that are right on the canal. Met a few interesting characters on trail as well, including an older gentleman who was happy to tell me all about the portion of the canal that we were near.
To that end, I realize I haven’t really mentioned anything about the canal itself. There are lot of interpretive signs along the trail that I stop to read, and there are preserved ruins of old locks and structures everywhere. There is an aqueuct system where the canal literally passes over some smaller rivers. Considering this was constructed in the late 1700’s, it is an engineering marvel. I’ve learned a lot – so much history here.
I also passed through downtown Syracuse, which seemed like a really nice city (although really it’s impossible to tell how nice a city is just by riding through one main street).
Most of the ride today was uneventful. Just mile after mile of beautiful scenery and beautiful landscapes.
My bike is holding up really well. There is a small squeak where the rain washed off all the lubrication, and my bike brake sometimes doesn’t spring back open after I press it. But otherwise it’s been handling the rough roads and all the varying terrain really well.
I rode 40 miles today, and decided to stop around 5pm when I passed by a motel. According to Google the closest campground is another 14 miles away, and I don’t want to do that. After 2 nights in a row of sleeping outside, I’m happy to be in a room.
So now I’m about 60 miles from Rochester. I’ll try and do around 40 tomorrow, so that I can make sure to be in Rochester for the photo shoot on Friday.
All in all it was a good day! Looking forward to sleeping in a bed tonight and soaking my legs in the bath. Also they have free breakfast!
Posting pictures on my phone is really time consuming, so here are a few more pictures from the trail all together:
