A few years ago, my two running friends and I went backpacking. It was in the fall of 2021, and it was awesome. We climbed Mt. Cabot, a 4000 ft. mountain in northern New Hampshire. It was a 19 mile hike. We spent the night at Unknown Pond before continuing on. It was an amazing experience.

I wrote about it in this very blog. If you are curious, or need a refresher, check it out here:
As we had a celebratory beer on our way home, we talked about what our next "Epic Shit" adventure would be. I asked for a cycling trip. One of them suggested riding the Erie Canal Trail from Albany to Buffalo -- or Buffalo to Albany. We instead decided on another backpacking trip. However, the seed had been planted.
We did not go backpacking.
Our next adventure was born.
We chose the Fall of 2023 for our trip. I was starting my museum job, and wouldn't have the vacation time to do it in 2022.
We got maps, starting looking into what we would need to carry our stuff on our bikes, even where we would stop for the night. We decided we would not be "bikepacking", and sleeping in tents, but instead, "glam" it, and stay in hotels.

2023 came and I submitted my vacation time requests. My boss asked me to wait a bit. That was strange, but ok.
In April, we started to make more significant plans, and I found out my co-worker was pregnant. And her due date when I was going to be riding. The trip would need to be delayed, so I could fill in for her.
Sigh.
Ok...2024 it is!
Vacation time was secured, no co-workers were planning anything big, and it looked like this was really going to happen.

The gravel race in March made me really understand the appeal of riding "off road". Not mountain biking, but riding the non-paved trails that criss-cross the state was wonderfully enjoyable. I made a point to attend as many "gravel rides" as possible put on by Women on Wheels, a statewide cycling group that encourages women to get out and ride bikes.
I attended a bikepacking clinic that showed some of the best gear for bikepacking--which would also be great for our trip. Bags that are lightweight, how to pack so your bike is centered and rideable, types of clothing--everything we needed to ride the 360 miles across NY State.
In May we sat down and secured our lodging. Every 50 miles or so we found a Bed & Breakfast, or hotel that would fit our needs. At this point, we had picked up a rider--a sister--and we started a group chat we called "The Biker Gang".
Then it was time to train.
I was leading my weekly Women's Wednesdays rides, so I knew I would get some miles in. And I continued to join as many Monday night gravel rides as possible. But these rides were only 20-25 miles at a time, so 50 miles a week. We would be riding 50 or more every day for 8 days. Would this be enough?

As we got closer, it was time to make packing lists and looking at the weather forecast. Every day it got closer, the weather looked better and better.
A week before we were to leave, Hurricane Helene ripped up the coast of Florida and into the Carolinas. Would the storm mess up the trail? High pressure in the Northeast kept Helene's remnants away. The weather was looking fantastic...sun and 60s, perfect weather for riding. And the foliage in upstate NY should be almost peak!
A few days before, it was really time to pack. How much to take? We found that we would be able to do laundry in Syracuse--our half way point--on day 4. We could also hand wash our kits but would they dry? Also, what would I wear after we arrived at our destination?
I also had to plan for the "mechanicals". What if we got a flat tire, would we need chain lube, tools in case things got loose on the trail?
And food??? We would be eating in restaurants most of the time, but on the trail, we would need snacks. Do I bring them with me and save money, or buy on the road?

So much stuff...so little space.
In the end, I overpacked, but I just didn't know what to do, or what to expect. I guess I've been hanging out with the Scouts too much, because I was prepared...actually over prepared?
The day came to get to Albany. One more check of the weather, and it was still looking good. However, our first day was predicting showers, no not showers, storms. Yuck.
We arrived at the train station all ready to go. Our first "trail angel" appeared in the form of Isaiah, one of the station attendants. He got us down to the platform before the train even arrived, and pointed out which cars would be able to take our bikes. He was awesome!
Once on the train, we could sit back and relax. We had an entire car to ourselves. It was so weird, but none of us were complaining. We talked, played cards, took a little nap, and before we knew it, we were in Buffalo.

This was really happening.
We unloaded ourselves, our gear and our bikes, and rode 2 miles to our stop for the night...the cutest bed and breakfast called Oscar's Inn. They welcomed us with open arms, securing our bikes and making us feel like home.
We immediately questioned starting out the next morning. The breakfast they provided made us seriously want to ditch the whole endeavor--it was that good. But we said our farewells and headed to the canal start.

The weather was beautiful. Warm, sunny, perfect. But, the forecast was for severe storms later in the day. We needed to get rolling.
Our start was pleasant, until it wasn't. About a mile into our journey, and we ran into our first detour. The park was completely torn up, and we needed to backtrack and go through downtown Buffalo to rejoin the trail. Fortunately, the 5 mile detour was well marked, and it was a Sunday morning, so traffic wasn't too bad, as we were on roads, not the trail. Our second "trail angel" was actually several Tractor-Trailer drivers, who blocked traffic near the Peace Bridge so we could cross.

We pedaled north along the canal towards Niagara Falls. About 10 miles in, I started hearing a clicking on my bike. Oh no...we hadn't even made it out of Buffalo, and a mechanical. Fortunately it was an easy fix. My rack had slipped and was rubbing my brakes. A quick adjustment, and we were back on track. While fixing the rack, a gentleman stopped to see if we needed help. We were good, but he did recommend a nice ice cream place about 15 miles up the trail. The way the sun was beating down, that sounded wonderful.

Onward!
With the threat on storms on the horizon, we pushed the pace. In Tonawanda, we turned eastward, and began our trek towards Albany.
Right where he said it was, we found Uncle G's Ice Cream. And it was delightful! It gave us the boost we needed to keep going.
Seven miles down the trail we came into Lockport. The skies were starting to cloud up, but we had to stop. This is the only location with multiple locks--the Flight of Five. Today it is home to Locks 35 and 34, dropping (or raising) boats 60 feet to continue their journey.
Now the race was on...we still had 20 miles to go before Medina--our stop for the night. And the clouds were starting to block the sun.

By the time we arrived, the sky was full of clouds, and it was getting windy, but still no rain. We continually checked the radar, but the front was still a ways away. We got our room at the Hart House Hotel, showered and went to find food.
Medina is a cute little town. We went to the Country Club Family Restaurant, a nice little diner, and had a hearty dinner. We then walked across the street to a bar, and had a beer. Walking home, the wind was strong, and it was considerably colder than just a few hours before. To the east you could see flashes of lightning.
Looking at the radar, the front split up, going around Medina. But I wasn't about to find out if we would get rain. We were all tired from day 1 or of our trip, but it was a great start. Everything was going as smoothly as possible.
We rode 55 miles (5 more than we had planned due to the detour), and everyone was in good spirits. We beat the rain, had a great time chatting, good food, and comfortable accommodations. We couldn't wait for day 2! Stay tuned...

Stats for the ride so far:
Miles for the day: 49.7 (although my friend registered 55)
Hours in the saddle: 4:11
Total Daily Hours: 6:40
Miles total: 49.7
Hours in the saddle total: 4.11
Total hours on the trail: 6:40
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