Day 4 on the Erie Canal- From Weedsport to Canastota

Today was a “light” day of riding-only 50 miles lol. We had 623 feet of climbing and had the fun of maneuvering around the state fairgrounds and getting through Syracuse. This is an adventure after all! I rode 26 miles today and Wynn rode all 50. We had a few sprinkles throughout the day, mostly after lunch in Syracuse, so not on muddy trails. We did ride through two muddy sections. The very first part of the trail was grassy with about an 8” path through the middle. Needless to say, you really had to pay attention or risk a fall. No pics of the skinny trail, but I did get some when the trail widened a bit. We also had to dodge, walnuts and apples from the trees along the path. (no one was throwing them at us at least.)

Right before we arrived in Camilla, our first SAG stop, we came up to an intersection and I looked up and told Wynn that there was a guy standing there with binoculars that surely resembled Bob Stella ( the Dad of our Pastor’s wife, Sharon). And here it WAS him! He said he only lived about 4 miles away. He waited 45 minutes before we came through. What a guy! It was so special to see him there cheering us on! This intersection was said to be the halfway mark across the Erie Canal.

After the ride through the woods, we came out again closer to the canal. We rode through a little water on the trail and had to adjust our speed
down. This is my speedometer. Then the trail was bordered by cement barriers. It was definitely a varied trail to ride today. As we entered Erie Canal Park in Camille’s, we saw a cute little settlement where folks could get a canal ride. This is how we swap out bikes and drivers.

As we headed toward the state fairgrounds, we went over an aqueduct(?) where the canal actually went over a river. It was wild looking and the pic doesn't really show it properly.

We were a bit concerned about getting 13 bikes around the fair traffic. The hint of rain may have held back some of the crowds as we really didn't have any problems getting through. We had to walk our bikes for part of it but made it to the pedestrian bridges and crossed safely. The ride around Lake Onondaga was quite beautiful.

Entering Syracuse found us riding along brick roads and crossing busy roads. Rob, our fearless leader, got us all through safely and we made it to our BBQ lunch stop. We ate outside and had a terrific waitress. Wynn and I both had the pulled pork and coleslaw…yum!! Neighborhood was a little sketchy so we locked our bikes to the fence.

So the group went to an Erie Canal museum in Syracuse. I was starting my drive and after going around in circles for awhile, I finally got in the right lane and made it to our next stop in Chittenango. I went to that Erie Canal museum so I will include pics from Wynn's museum first. He enjoyed the mural on the building and also the walkthrough a canal boat. There was also a display of commemorative items for the celebration of the completion of the canal.

My museum was more outdoor exhibits that included where the dry docks were as well as the mule barns, saw mill and blacksmith stations. The guy at the visitor center stayed an extra hour to leave the bathrooms open for our riders coming through. What a blessing.

Our final leg brought us to Canastota. We are staying at a Day's Inn and are altogether this time. The only place we could walk to dinner was
McDonald’s or Dunkin Donuts. We chose McD's and had to wait over 30 minutes for our meal. At least the fries were fresh! We will make it an early night as our ride tomorrow is starting at 7:15am in order to try and beat the thunderstorms forecasted for 4:00 in Little Falls. Check in tomorrow to see if we stay dry. Wynn and I have truly enjoyed this first week-long adventure we have taken with Silver Wheels.
Good night from Canastota…
Wynn and Brenda