C2C Day 48 Canandaigua to Syracuse NY

“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.

Ontario Rail Trail

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.

Seneca Lake

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:

A wish rock

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

It's a Wonderful Bridge

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.

Erie Canal Aqueduct

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.

0

Paddle Day – Lake Canandaigua NY

No pedaling today, paddling instead. A scheduled extra day allowed us to explore Lake Canandaigua. The 4th largest of the 11 glacially formed Finger Lakes of New York, Lake Canandaigua is 16 miles long and 1.5 miles wide. Jax paddled boarded both the North and South shore, finding the southern waters to be calmer and clearer today.

The steep hills surrounding the lake are great for a short hike. We had fun on the Onanda Park Uplands trail.

The Finger Lakes are also home to New York’s wine region. So, being good tourists, we of course had to sample a local winery. The welcoming folks at Heron Hills winery took good care of us.

We wrapped up this awesome day on a lakeside bench sipping some lovely New York wine. Cheers!

0

C2C Day 47 Medina to Canandaigua NY

90% chance of rain at the start of today’s ride from Medina (that’s Meh-DYE-nah, according to the locals). The precipitation prediction turned out to be pretty accurate, as it rained for 90% of the ride. The rainiest tour day since Milwaukee in 2021 (C2C Day 35).

An early start, 6:45 am, 59 degrees with heavy humidity and wet streets from overnight rain. On the positive side, the Air Quality Index improved to 60.

As I made my way back on to the Erie Canal trail, a host of wild animals came out to provide morning greetings. A turtle, 2 brown badgers, 3 white tailed deer, and a bald eagle. The eagle was no more than 20 yards off the trail, on the ground in a freshly planted farm field. As I approached, the eagle took off and soared down the canal, gracefully swaying among the tree tops, and seemingly pointing the way for me. The experience gave me chills… or maybe it was the cool morning breeze. Appropriately, the next small town I rolled into was named Eagles Nest.

After a brief stop for hot tea and coffee in the charming small town of Albion, the rain began to make its entrance. Light at first, then increasing in intensity as the day and miles wore on.

The crushed gravel canal trail can handle quite a bit of rain. It actually absorbs the rain, meaning far less splash-back than a paved surface. And it’s so heavy packed, from 200+ years of use; ruts, dips, cracks and potholes are virtually non-existent.

New York must know I’m a sucker for historical and geographic oddities… these blue and yellow signs seem to pop up when you least expect something interesting. Here’s my favorite from today’s ride:

Alas, the gravel turned to pavement near Rochester, where the canal makes an arc around the south side of the city. The trail winds thru industrial zones, city parks, and neighborhood back yards. In the suburb of Pittsford, Jax and I enjoyed lunch under a covered pavilion with dry Adirondack chairs.

Pittsfield Pavilion with a view of the Canal

From Pittsford, we veered off the canal southward, eventually catching the Auburn rail trail, named after the Auburn & Rochester railroad. A beautiful trail with a great mural reminiscent of old rail days.

The rain became heavier, and the Auburn trail became a bit too muddy and slippery, so I found some shelter at a town park and rerouted onto some paved county roads… with a rain jacket full of back-spackle:

Finally, after 78 wet miles, a soaked bike and I made it to Canandaigua, a vacation town set on the shores of one of western New York’s “finger lakes”. Time to dry out and hope for some sunshine!

0

Blog at WordPress.com.

Up ↑