Fifty Plus (50+) - Rode my age on my B-day & had pie (or 58 miles & the Erie Canal)

Well, 30 miles along the canal anyway. I left the house about 08:00a.m. in bright sunshine and started the slow gradual climb from the shores of Lake Ontario up to the Erie Canal. I usually get onto the Towpath at a spot about six miles from my house but chose to try a different approach to detour the construction on a Boat Launch at Henpeck Park (really, that’s the name…I’m not clever enough to make this stuff up). So I took eleven miles to reach the canal, all up a gradual grade and into a stiff headwind. I believe I’ll take the same route in the future as it’s a very pleasant residential type of route with little traffic.
Below is a picture of U.S. rt. 104, or West Ridge Rd. for any Monroe county readers. The beautification project looks to be working. Very seldom do I venture across this road as it is quite congested and there’s plenty of good riding on the north side of it where I live.
http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r152/crankyolddude/IMG_1044.jpg

I got onto the Towpath at Greece Canal Park which is a large lush and really nice park that I definately need to explore some more. The canal is up there by the railing.
http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r152/crankyolddude/IMG_1046.jpg

Here’s a shot of the Towpath
http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r152/crankyolddude/IMG_1048.jpg

And here’s another, it goes on like this for miles and miles. I headed west, again...into the wind.
http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r152/crankyolddude/IMG_1049.jpg

The canal goes through a lot of nice little communities, most of which owe their very existence to and can trace their roots back to the old canal days.
Here’s a pic of the Adam’s Basin lift bridge. Now there’s a nice summer job.
http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r152/crankyolddude/IMG_1053.jpg

Here’s the Adam’s Basin Inn, a nice B&B.
http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r152/crankyolddude/IMG_1054.jpg

As I rode along the cinder path I passed through the bustling villages of Spencerport, and Brockport and chatted with several hikers and bikers. Here’s Brockport….I've always been fond of that Ivory Soap advert.
http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r152/crankyolddude/IMG_1058.jpg

I turned around at the Town of Clarkson Boat Launch, pictured below,
http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r152/crankyolddude/IMG_1059.jpg
http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r152/crankyolddude/IMG_1060.jpg
And with the help of the wind that had been my foe for the previous twenty plus miles, I felt like I was flying all the way back to my house.

Total miles…..58.32 (1.32 more than my age)
I took the family out to dinner in the evening to celebrate my Birthday in a manner that they too could enjoy and I had Pizza which I hope qualifies as pie.

Wow, looks like a great ride and wonderful weather! Happy Birthday!!

Lenny,
What a wonderful ride.
Happy Birthday.
Hope you have many more of these great rides

Happy birthday, Cranky, and congratulations on a very nice looking ride.

We've had a lot of wind this year, and I've been routing my rides as you did, out into the wind and back with a tail wind.

What a great BD ride and introduction to summer! Pix made me feel like I was riding along with you.

Biking and history -- two of my favorite things.

HAPPY B-DAY! Pizza pie would work for me, particularly as I've had a craving for it of late. Looks like a great area for biking, I wish our trails were paved.

Great pictures. I can really get the feel of the area. A fun place to ride. Thanks.

Pie is pie.

Good pictures. Desktop stolen.

Good pictures. Desktop stolen.

COOL !!!!! Which one?

Happy Birthday Crank Dude!!

I did pizza on mine as well...and paid for it too!

Beautiful scenery for a ride. Congrats !!!

Thanks for the tour. If I ever get the urge to own a 'bent...it will be similar to yours, nice bike.

Happy birthday.

:bday:

:bday: Looks like a great ride.

How scenic a ride for your birthday! :bday::bday:

Now I want to sing that "Erie Canal" song from my childhood. At least I have an idea what it looks like.

A man after my own heart. I love those kinds of rides. Riding my bent at my own pace, along rural bike trails, and stopping in towns to chat with people. I generally do a couple of these every month.

I did a half-age pie ride. 26+ miles with Amish Creme pie at the end.

Almost only did 10 miles. I started riding and had no energy at all. Did a fast (for me) 11 miles after work yesterday then came home and did a couple hours of yard work and was beat last night. Guess I hadn't recovered yet. After 2 miles I was tired, after 4 miles I was tired. Almost turned back at the 5 mile marker to make it a 10 mile day. Some days are like that.

But I kept on going and by the 8 mile marker, I had increased my speed and felt good. Rode down the trail to the 13 mile marker (just past Monroe, WI ... my first time down there on a bike). Saw another thunderstorm rolling at me, so I rode 2 miles back to a city park and took cover. Was pinned there for about 30 minutes waiting for the storm to blow past. Then I rode back to my car and went and had pie.

Lots of different flowers were in bloom along the trail. Rode through large patches of yellow, purple, blue, and white flowers. Lots of daisies too. Was startled once when I startled a red tailed hawk out of a small tree along the trail. After riding past hundreds of sparrows, finches, and robins, a large hawk looks like a monster coming out of a tree, especially when it comes out only a few yards in front of you.

Happy Birthday, Cranky! Mine was Thursday. Looks like you enjoyed your ride. Haven't done my ride yet. Maybe Sunday, maybe next week.

Beautiful place to ride, cranky. Happy birthday!

My granddaughter's and I rode a section of the Erie Canal a few years ago. We got to see one of the lift bridges in action. The girls loved it.

Isn't there an annual tour along the canal? I always thought it would be great to do such a ride.

Happy Birthday, Cranky! Mine was Thursday. Looks like you enjoyed your ride. Haven't done my ride yet. Maybe Sunday, maybe next week.

Oh that's right. I totally forgot that we share the same birth date. Happy belated birthday
TSL.


Beautiful place to ride, cranky. Happy birthday!

My granddaughter's and I rode a section of the Erie Canal a few years ago. We got to see one of the lift bridges in action. The girls loved it.

Isn't there an annual tour along the canal? I always thought it would be great to do such a ride.

Yes, it's great fun to watch the lift bridges and locks in action. You're right about there being
an annual tour...http://www.ptny.org/canaltour/
From what I understand, it's quite a good time.....kinda a goal of mine also to ride it. I've
worked out all the logistics of how I want to participate in the tour, now I need to get
the time and the money to do it.

Thank you to all for the well wishes. It was a strange day emotionally...more on that when I've
wrapped my brain around it a little better.

After stepping back for a while I realized we're kinda like a big pack of cyber buddies, I'm glad I came back.

:cheers::cheers: Cranky, and tsl too, sorry to be late but Happy Birthday to you both. Great pictures, Cranky!

Wow...lots of June 19 birthdays! Congrats tsl as well. :D

Very nice. I'll be riding the canal with #3 son in less than a month.

Every time I see stuff like the photos you posted I get ansy to start the ride.

We are leaving Buffalo on Saturday the 19th riding east. I'll be journaling on my blog and maybe we'll see you on the canal.

Is this the bike trail you rode?
http://www.nycanal.com/recreation/hikebikemain.html

That looks very interesting. One of the options I am considering for this fall is to visit my daughter in Ohio, then head up to Cooperstown to visit the Baseball HOF & maybe some driving through the Adirondacks (which I've never seen). Could do some riding in Ohio and/or NY. This trail looks like a great one.

Is this the bike trail you rode?
http://www.nycanal.com/recreation/hikebikemain.html

That looks very interesting. One of the options I am considering for this fall is to visit my daughter in Ohio, then head up to Cooperstown to visit the Baseball HOF & maybe some driving through the Adirondacks (which I've never seen). Could do some riding in Ohio and/or NY. This trail looks like a great one.

Yes sir, it is. I generally ride any place between Fairport (East of Rochester) and Brockport (West of Roch.). Nearer the city the trail is blacktop and farther out it's cinder. Investigate Lockport, N.Y. for tourist info on canal lock operation. At one time they used to have a great program explaining the history and operation of the locks. Also we have the Greenway trail which roughly follows the Genesee River from Rochester almost all the way to Pa.
It started out as a canal, was converted to a railway and is now an MUP.
http://www.fogvg.org/
http://www.ptny.org/greenways/index.shtml

Autunm is a great time in upstate N.Y. For railfans there are several excursion train
rides for an afternoon of leisurely "Leaf Peeking". The Erie canal trail is always fun for cycling.
Check with "cyclinfool" for canal info near Cooperstown as that's nearer to his neck of
the woods than mine. He may also be able to steer you towards some nice cycling in
the Adirondacks. Early October, I believe, is when the Fall colors are usually at Peak.

Any info I stumble across, I'll send your way.

edit: 06/23/2008 3:55pm http://www.lockport-ny.com/Tourism/canal.htm