Originally Posted by
StoneFence
Has anyone ever done this? There is a supported, 8 day ride in July. I'm sure it can be done without the support, if you have experience planning this type of stuff. It's not in the cards for this year, but it sounds really nifty.
Thanks for any input!
Yes, we did the Erie canal in two summers.
http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/ErieCanalWest2010
http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/8220
We intentionally overlapped with the PNY organized ride you are referring to just to have more company on the trail. Its easy to plan your own ride, we used B&Bs & hotels which takes a little more planning, but is still easy. I enjoyed riding the canal, but some find it boring, it depends on what you like. I did find that some of the small towns are rather dead, depending on how close they are to the nearest Walmart I guess.
If you don't mind camping after a day of riding, then I'd say go with the tour, it sounds like a lot of fun with a group of people. We met a number of the folks on the tour at the B&Bs who alternated between camping & lodging.