Three things I would have not believed at the start of this cross country adventure on the shores of Oregon back in 2018: a) a global pandemic would shut down the world b) the Denver Nuggets would win an NBA championship c) New York would be the rainiest state I would cross through.

Today’s ride of 62 miles started with rain. 55 degrees, and excellent air quality :). And an immediate wake-up call with steep hills right off the start – climbing up and away from Saratoga Lake on quiet farm roads. I had to remember how to frequently shift gears, using all 24. A radical departure from the canal paths which are incredibly flat, as you might imagine. By comparison, a long ride on a canal trail might use 3 or 4 gears total.

Despite the wet roads and light rain, the rolling scenery was very pleasant. And green.

Quite a bit of Revolutionary war history in this area. Which means more of my favorite Blue + Yellow NY informational signs. This one proudly proclaims that General Washington was a guest here at Sherwood’s Tavern back in 1783. If Yelp was available at the time, I’m guessing Washington would have left a favorable review.

On to the small hamlet of Fort Ann for some lunch with Jax and a dry spot away from the rain. Any dry spot will do.

Eventually I met up once again with New York’s Empire Trail, which has a North-South route in addition to the East-West Erie Canal trail we’ve been on or near since Buffalo. The North-South trail runs from New York City to the Canadian Border.

The Empire Trail is very well maintained with excellent signage. Today I spent some brief time on a beautiful section of the trail along the Champlain Canal.

As I made my way to the Vermont border, the rain intensified into a downpour. It was one last sucker punch from New York. Ha! I’ll miss those great trails and blue+yellow signs, but not the rain.

Just a few miles into Vermont is our place for the next two nights – a guest house on Lake Saint Catherine. Tomorrow is a rest day and hopefully clearing skies.

Overcast skies, wet roads, and 61 degrees at today’s start in downtown Syracuse. Already warmer than all of yesterday, and no falling precipitation.

First stop, Green Lake State Park. Jax was hoping for an early morning paddle, but the pristine lake does not allow personal watercraft. The glacial lake is very deep and gets its unique dark green color from calcium carbonate, not algae. A strikingly clear and pristine lake.

Then a nice mid-morning stop at small town coffee & pastry shop in Oneida.

And then, back on the Erie canal trail. When lo and behold, the clouds departed and the Sun made a brilliant appearance. It warmed up to a balmy 75 degrees.

A bit of Erie Canal history we’ve learned on the trip: There are actually three generations of the Canal. The first iteration was referred to as Clinton’s Ditch – after a visionary NY Governor who championed the construction of the original canal from 1817-1825. People initially ridiculed the idea, but it was an immediate success that sparked westward expansion. The original canal was so popular, the US government decided to expand the canal in order to fit bigger boats and accommodate newfangled steam engines. The expanded Erie Canal was completed in 1862. Then, in a ‘last ditch’ effort to compete with railroads, the Canal was further widened between 1905 and 1918. In some cases, widening the canal meant relocating away from the preceding route. So some remnants of the earlier canal iterations remain intact, even though they may not be connected to today’s navigable Erie canal (which is primarily used by personal pleasure boaters).

All that is to say that the Erie Canal Trail is a beautiful 360 mile path that runs alongside multiple generations of the historic waterway.

And in some places, especially as we traverse further eastward, the canal navigates through rivers and lakes. Today’s final destination of Little Falls is an example where the Canal and the cascading Mohawk river both flow through the town.

Celebrating the sunshine and a successful 80 mile ride, the paddleboard was launched and a kayak rented from the Little Falls marina. Here’s to another great day on our coast to coast adventure:

“Anyone can ride in the sunshine!”, a fellow biker from back home would cheerfully exclaim during a drenching ride. Yes, indeed, it takes a true cycling nut to ride in the rain.

7am start. Steady rain. 50 degrees. Not ideal cycling weather. The Ontario County Rail Trail was first up, and it started out rather pleasant. I came upon a seasoned trail hiker who asked what I was doing out there in the rain. Good question. I asked her about the trail conditions and she said there would be some mud after a bend, more mud before a bridge, and some standing water after that. Unfortunately, she was spot-on correct. It was a wet slog into the town of Geneva.

Seneca Lake State Park sits on the outskirts of Geneva would have been a splendid spot for a paddle, but the weather did not cooperate today.

Onward to the Cayuga Seneca Canal Trail, which was in fairly good condition despite all the rain. I came upon a ‘wish rock’ clinging to a tree:

Holding the bright blue rock, I made a wish that it would stop raining.

The next town was the lovely hamlet of Seneca Falls, thought by many to be the basis for the fictional town of Bedford Falls in the classic movie ‘It’s a Wonderful Life’. Jax and I met up on the town’s proclaimed bridge that stars in the opening scenes of the movie. Jimmy Stuart’s character (George Bailey) threatens to jump off the bridge before an angel changes his plan. Here, Jax provides a thrilling re-enactment. Perhaps most wonderful of all… the rain stopped as we were there.

Not to seem ungrateful for the respite granted by the magic wish rock… but upon reflection, I should have specified a duration as part of my rain-stoppage wish. Like, “I wish it would stop raining for the next several hours”. Careful what you wish for! About 2 miles out of Seneca Falls, the rain resumed and would keep falling for the rest of the day.

A few miles from Syracuse, I passed over an 1842 Erie Canal aqueduct that has been beautifully preserved and restored. Jax snapped a pic from the creek view as I stand atop the well-engineered aqueduct that amazingly continues to hold the flowing canal waters.

After a wet and chilly 75 miles, we finally arrived in the metropolitan city of Syracuse with a finishing temperature of 59 degrees. With some luck, and maybe another wish rock, we’ll hope for dry and sunny weather tomorrow.