Cycling
the Erie
Canal
2015

map
The Erie Canal was started in 1817 to transport cargo from the Great Lakes, at Buffalo, all the way to Albany, where the Hudson River was used to continue down to New York City.

SUMMARY, MILEAGE STATS, TENT CITIES, and FOOD are located below on this page.
LOCKS, WATERFALLS, SIDE TRIPS, LIZ Photos, and GEORGE / BIKE Photos are located on separate web pages.

SUMMARY

Back to: Uncle George Home Page
All Bike Rides

On Saturday, July 11, we drove up to Buffalo. My car was parked all week at the Nichols School.

Liz and I were among the 600 people who biked the entire length from Buffalo to Albany on July 12 through July 19, 2015. We biked 403 miles. They said about 300 miles were on the mule path along the canal, and 100 miles were along paved roads. (There were some hills.) It was about that ratio. (I didn't keep track.) I did keep track of our total daily mileage below.

Our overnight stays were in tents provided by Comfy Campers.
The tent Cities were set up at each stop when we arrived.
I was tent 132, Liz was 133.
More photos of Tent Cities below.
Day Date That Evening Tent City Location City
Saturday July 11 Nichols School Buffalo, NY
Sunday July 12 Clifford H. Wise Middle School Medina, NY
Monday July 13 Martha Brown Middle School Fairport, NY
Tuesday July 14 Mynderse Academy Seneca Falls, NY
Wednesday July 15 Zoo in Burnet Park Syracuse, NY
Thursday July 16 Fort Stanwix National Monument Rome, NY
Friday July 17 Canajoharie High School Canajoharie, NY
Saturday July 18 Schenectady Jewish Community Center Niskayuna, NY
Sunday July 19 Econolodge Room 134 (no tent, actual bed) Buffalo, NY
Tent No.
Our bags were transported each day by truck. Each morning, we had to carry our bags onto the truck, and help stack them. In this photo, my bags are right behind the girl's right shoulder. When we arrived at each destination, we had to locate our bags in the rows of unloaded luggage. I had bright colored straps around mine, to make it easier to find. My Bags

Most meals were provided by the sponsor of the trip, Parks & Trails New York. There was a lot of food. They served up a big breakfast each day, there were morning and afternoon rest stops, and they prepared most evening meals. In addition, small towns along the way provided a large variety of treats and meals to fuel up the bikers. (Note the many occurences of Chicken and Ice Cream in the Food section.)

There were many activities and sites each day. I made separate pages with photos for these topics: Side Trips, Locks, Waterfalls, Liz, and George/Bike. There were also some nightly lectures in auditoriums, about the Building, History, Engineering, and Economic Impact of the Erie Canal.

After biking to Albany, we rode the shuttle bus back to Buffalo. Our bikes rode back in separate trucks.

Bike License
Wrist Band

Bike License Plate to the right.

I wore a Wrist Band all week, as my ID. Each duffle bag had one also.

The weather was very good, compared to the rainy June and beginning of July that we had. It rained on us, Tuesday afternoon when we were biking on paved roads. Cleared up enough for us to tour Seneca Falls and get dinner that evening. Then light rain, and some rain overnight. Wednesday morning was overcast and cool. We did get some light rain as we biked, but then it cleared up. There was light rain Thursday evening and overnight. We had 8 days of good weather. We only had about 2 hours of biking in the rain.

These are typical views of the trip, taken on Sunday July 12
(Click each image to enlarge the view.)
Video (0:35) of bikers going by, after road crossing.
Wednesday July 15
Looking ahead from trail Looking back from bridge Drone view of straight section
Trail view Trail View
Video

After the bike tour, on Monday, July 20, we took our own side trip to Niagara Falls. We entered Canada on our bikes, viewed the Falls, visited a Casino, and got donuts at Tim Horton's. Upon our return to the USA, the border guard asked us the normal questions about where we were from, why we visited Canada, and how long we stayed. When he asked if I had anything to declare, I said, "No, I ate the donuts." We biked to an American Casino, toured it, and drove back to Pittsburgh. We were back home Monday afternoon.

 MILEAGE STATS

  Weekday Date Daily Miles Time (hr:min) Average Speed Maximum Speed
Day 1 Sun. July 12 48.3 4:42 10.2 16.5
Day 2 Mon. July 13 68.4 6:53 9.9 22.0
Day 3 Tues. July 14 54.0 5:17 10.2 21.0
Day 4 Wed. July 15 40.7 4:09 9.8 22.3
Day 5 Thurs. July 16 49.2 5:00 9.8 22.3
Day 6 Fri. July 17 67.2 6:34 10.2 26.8
Day 7 Sat. July 18 45.7 4:29 10.1 28.4
Day 8 Sun. July 19 29.4 2:48 10.4 23.6
    Totals
403

39:52

10.1
 

 TENT CITIES

Tents and accomodations provided by Comfy Campers.       Click on each image to enlarge.

Saturday July 11 Sunday July 12 Monday July 13 Tuesday July 14
Nichols School,
Buffalo NY
Clifford H. Wise Middle School,
Medina NY
Martha Brown Middle School,
Fairport NY
(View from Drone)
Mynderse Academy,
Seneca Falls NY
       
Wednesday July 15 Thursday July 16 Friday July 17 Saturday July 18
Zoo in Burnet Park,
Syracuse NY
(View from Zoo)
Fort Stanwix National Monument,
Rome NY
(View from Drone)
Canajoharie High School,
Canajoharie NY
(View from Drone)
Schenectady Jewish Community Center,
Niskayuna NY

 FOOD

(Lots of Food!)       Click on links to see photos

  Saturday July 11 Sunday July 12 Monday July 13 Tuesday July 14 Wednesday July 15
Breakfast   Nichols School Cafeteria - Buffalo NY
French Toast/Apple casserole, Fruit Salad, Danish, Fried Potatoes, Juice
Clifford H. Wise Middle School Cafeteria - Medina NY
Eggs, Sausage, Fried Potatoes, Orange Juice
Martha Brown Middle School - Fairport NY
Eggs, Sausage, Pancakes, Potatoes, Banana, Juice
Mynderse Academy Cafeteria - Seneca Falls NY
Eggs, Pancakes, Sausage, Orange Juice
Morning
Rest Stop
  Buffalo Niagara Heritage Village - Amherst NY
Banana, Peanut Butter Crackers, Cheezits, Choc Chip Cookies, Lemonade
Uncle G's Ice Cream - Black Cherry Cone
Holley Canal Park - Holley NY
Oreos, Watermellon, Crackers, Banana, Gatorade
Palmyra Canal Park - Palmyra NY
Fig Bars, Peach, Banana, Watermellon, Gatorade
Port Byron Middle School Park - Port Byron NY
Snacks
Lunch   Lockport NY - Passed on big box lunch Subway - Spencerport NY
Cherry Coke
Abbott's - Custard Choc Sundae
60's Diner - Lyons NY
Large Strawberry Sundae
Daddabbo's Pizza - Jordan NY
Big Pepperoni Slices
Afternoon
Rest Stop
Nichols School Lawn - Buffalo NY
Wine, Cheese, Fruits
Middleport NY
Watermellon, Raisons, Crackers, Gatorade
Genessee Valley Park - Rochester NY
Watermellon, Oreos, Cookies, Gatorade
Village Park - Clyde NY
Oatmeal Raison Cookie, Watermellon
Sims Erie Canal Store - Camillus NY
Soft Ice Cream Cone and snacks
Dinner Nichols School Tent - Buffalo NY
Salad, Chicken, Rice, vegs, Sweet Potatoes, Brownie, Ice Cream Bar
Clifford H. Wise Middle School Cafeteria - Medina NY
Meatloaf, Gravy, Scalloped Potatoes, Green Beans, Veg Salad, Brownie
Martha Brown Middle School - Fairport NY
Pulled Pork, Baked Beans, Cole Slaw, Rice, Boiled Potatoes, Brownie, Cookie
Parker's Grille - Seneca Falls NY
Hot Roast Beef Sandwich with Fries
Rosamond Gifford Zoo - Syracuse NY
Wine and Cheese
Hamburger, Hot Dog, Corn on Cob, Boiled Potatoes, Cookie, Free Cokes
 
  Thursday July 16 Friday July 17 Saturday July 18 Sunday July 19 Monday July 20
Breakfast Rosamond Gifford Zoo - Syracuse NY
Eggs, Bacon, French Toast, Potatoes, Fruit, Orange Juice
YMCA - Rome NY
Eggs, Pancakes, Sausage, Peaches, Juice
Canajoharie High School Cafeteria - Canajoharie NY
Eggs, Bacon, Sausage, Fruit, Apple Juice
Jewish Community Center - Schenectady NY
Pastries, Muffin, Apple Juice
Econolodge - Buffalo NY
Waffles, Juice
Morning
Rest Stop
Chittenango Landing Boat Museum - Chittenango NY
Cookies, Crackers, Gatorade
Schuyler Town Hall - Utica NY
Fruit
Saranac Brewery - Pint of Ale and Pretzels
Town of Glen - Fultonville NY
Fruit, Snacks
Farm Outlet - Amsterdam NY
Peach Pie and Hard Vanilla Ice Cream (9:30 am)
Peebles Island State Park - Waterford NY
Banana, Cheezits, Gatorade
Tim Horton's - Niagara Falls, Canada
Honey Crullers, Pop
Lunch Pizza Shop - Canastota NY
Big Slice
Chicken BBQ - Ilion NY
Half a Chicken, Potatoes, Cole Slaw, Roll
Fire Department - Pattersonville NY
Klondike, Cheeseburger, Soda
Olde English Pub, Quackenbush Square - Albany NY
Scones, Ice Cream
 
Afternoon
Rest Stop
Lock 21 - Rome NY
Watermellon, Cookie, Gatorade
Canal Park - Little Falls NY
Bing Cherries, Ice Cream Sandwich
Mabee Farm - Rotterdam Jct NY
Snacks, Gatorade
   
Dinner Franklin Hotel - Rome NY
Salad, Chicken Parmesan
Arkel Museum - Canajoharie NY
Half a Chicken, Baked Potato, Cole Slaw, Choc Chip Cookies
Jewish Community Center - Schenectady NY
Wine and Cheese
Turkey, Stuffing, Mashed Potatoes, Gravy, Salad, Pepsi 2-Liters, Piece of Cake
Roy Rogers - New York Thruway
Chicken Fingers and Cherry Coke (ate on bus)
Fireside Dr - McMurray PA
Grilled Chicken, Corn on Cob

And after all that food, I came home 2 pounds lighter!

 

Photos taken by George, Liz, and Jim
Drone views from Call of the Loon Productions