Ahhh, day 2 of riding across New York State on the Erie Canal Trail.
Day 1 was a blur...Buffalo to Medina.
For me, it was very stressful. I had mapped out each day's ride from hotel to hotel. I was not expecting major detours or riding through downtown Buffalo.
Also, it took a while before it felt like we were really on the trail, since we had to ride through Buffalo towards Niagara Falls before heading eastward. Then we were in towns, like Tonawanda, so even through we were right next to the canal, it was park like, with lots of people, houses, etc.
But day 2 was different. We were now in between Buffalo and Rochester, and it was very, very rural. In fact, we were in apple country.
We left Medina with mostly clear skies, but cool temperatures. Much cooler than the day before. The sunshine felt wonderful, and the company full of life. It was time to continue eastward.
Today's ride would continue along the canal. The trail was the old tow path, and consisted of crushed gravel, absolutely wonderful for my gravel bike.
The sun was nice, but you could see clouds on the horizon. The forecast was without rain, so we should be ok...but having the sun made it everything better.
Seeing apple orchards along the trail that morning made us a little happy, so we did something not advisable--we went apple picking! Just one, but it was a perfect snack after riding about an hour.
Today was another 55 mile day. We needed to make it to Pittsford--southeast of Rochester. We were not in the rush we were yesterday, racing the storm front, but we also did not want to be riding in the dark through Rochester.
We were becoming a tight group. Sharing stories, and learning about each others lives. And laughing a lot.
At mile 30 we turned off the trail to Robb Farms, just outside of Spencerport. It had come recommended to us for their apples, but also their donuts. And I was craving an apple cider donut! The little detour was just what we needed. It gave us some time off our derrières and the donuts (in which they had several varieties), were warm and delicious. If they had hot coffee, hot chocolate or even hot cider, it would have been perfect. The clouds were blocking the sun, and there was still some wind. It was chilly.
Our next stop was the town of Spencerport...another cute little town right on the canal. A nice lunch at the Union Street Coffee House (again recommended to us by other ECT riders), which was delicious.
It was at this time we had a brief mutiny. My compatriots decided that I needed to shed some weight, and fortuntately right behind the coffee house was a post office. We went through my gear, and shipped back almost 7 pounds of items that I didn't need. They were right. And riding my bike after was not nearly as unwieldy.
My rig was by far the heaviest. No only was I personally heavier by at least 30 pounds, but my bike with gear was also heavier. My friends had lightweight carbon fiber frames. Bob was steel, made for bike packing and adventure. I also carried extra tools in case of mechanical issues. But I was keeping up, and I definitely felt lighter now that those 7 pounds were on their way back to Connecticut.
Back on the trail, we continued to ride eastward towards Rochester. The trail doesn't take us downtown, but on the southern fringe. The sun was definitely getting lower in the sky as we followed the trail through the suburbs of Rochester. But the bright spot was that the clouds parted and the sun was still shining.
We got into Pittsford around 5pm. We checked into our hotel room, showered, then it was time to find food. There wasn't a lot within walking distance, so we grabbed an Uber to take us to a restaurant. In talking with the driver, we asked for suggestions for dinner. He recommended the New York Beer Project, just a few miles away. Nice.
Goodies from NYBP.
We had good food, good beer, and our server, was delightful. He talked to us, gave us recommendations, and even when he finished his shift, he made sure to say goodbye and wish us luck.
Back in the hotel, we discussed our various pains. The next day's itinerary would take us another 55 miles to Waterloo -- a few miles from Seneca Falls. However, it would be a 15 mile detour off the trail. That meant the following day would be about 60 miles.
Did we want to do this? Could we find a last minute place closer to the trail? Our choices were slim. Either a very short day -- 25 miles, which would mean a 75 mile day after; or, a very long day, close to 65 miles. Or should we just keep our hotel?
We did have a couple of options about 40 miles in. A small town called Clyde offered a haunted bed and breakfast. A few miles off trail was a casino. Both looked better than Waterloo. A 40 mile ride would also give our bodies a little break.
We voted for the bed and breakfast. It looked fun, and with it being October, why not stay in a supposed haunted mansion. We booked the rooms, cancelled the Waterloo place, and then went to bed.
Day 2 was in the books, and everything seemed to be going as planned.
Stats for the ride so far:
Miles for the day: 56.5
Hours in the saddle: 4:55
Total Daily Hours: 7:23
Miles total: 106.2
Hours in the saddle total: 9:03
Total hours on the trail: 14:02
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