bktourer1

This summer I am signed up for the Erie Canal Ride with PTNY and have a few questions the handbook does't seem to cover. If you have done this all help would be appreciated.

1. How many shuttles fron Albany to Buffalo are there? I paid for the shuttle but am interested onhow many buses they use.
2. Do they wrap the bikes up carefully when they go on the trucks to Buffalo?
3. Are the campgrounds either schools or state parks?
4. Is there a shower truck at each campground?
5. is there indoor camping at a school gym if the weather turns?
6. is there anyone selling adult beverages at the campgrounds or do you have to go find you own?
7. Are the rest stops well stocked?

All help appreciated either here or PM me

Thanks

Ed

martianone

This is our favorite family ride - we have done it several times with our guys (youngest was 10).
Answer to your quo-
1. Lots of busses - four I think last year.
2. No, last year they started hanging bikes on the truck, liked it better when they transported bikes right side up.
3. Schools, college, state, local & federal parks.
4. Yes - they are good.
5. Some places this is possible - we never tried this - even the very wet year, about five years ago, seemed like it rained every day.
6. Some locations.- yes, some locations this is prohibited.
7. Yes, well stocked. Many places to stop along the way and many communities had services set up -very hard to go thirsty or Hungary.
Relax and enjoy this ride - take in the sites -it is about as well run ride as you will find. Great services & support.

mulveyr 

I haven't gone on the PTNY Erie Canal ride, but my 9-year-old and I did it ourselves by following the PTNY guidebook and road markers.

It's a fantastic ride - you're going to love it.

The only parts that I didn't especially enjoy was going through Syracuse, since it's all city streets, and some sections of the far eastern part, where you're sandwiched between the Thruway and some busy roads. They tend to be pretty loud.

Otherwise - have a ball! It's an ideal family ride.

As it happens, my son and I are signed up for the PTNY Hudson Valley ride this summer. We're really looking forward to it.

DCwom

We've "mirrored" the PTNY folks the past two years on our own. I can't say much about the logistics of the shuttles, rest stops, etc. but the PTNY road markings are very good and I never needed to follow any of my maps. We did find that a number of PTNY riders do opt out of the camping experience on some nights because we ran into some of them at the hotels and B&Bs we stayed at. One experienced touring couple form Michigan we talked to in Canajahorie camped every other night to make the trip more comfortable. If you do consider hotels/B&B be warned that lodgings nearest the encampments book up ahead of the tour, since we weren't with the group we just booked a room in the next town down the trail. I wouldn't plan on finding last minute indoor lodging on a rainy day/night unless you're in one of the cities like Rochester or Syracuse. Enjoy the ride, we had a ball on our own and enjoyed sharing the trail with the PTNY folks.

mulveyr 

My son and I discovered that even when you're not riding at the same time as the PTNY folks, motels in some of the small towns can get booked up. ;-)

Did you stay in Canajahorie? We spent a night at the Pineapple House B&B. Very friendly and accommodating for cyclists.

DCwom

The Pineapple was booked, so we stayed in the Windowbox B&B, also an very good B&B.