Today we crossed back through US Customs into New York and soon connected to the Erie Canal Bike Trail. It literally follows the canal for over 100 miles. The surface is like a super hard dirt with a light sand covering. No problem to ride through at all. One of the top 5 days yet! It is pretty amazing that this canal brought so many products to and from Upstate NY and the world. Being Sunday, several of the communities along the canal were having special events. One town we rode through was Pittsford just south of Rochester, NY. Although we rode further east to Palmyra, we returned to Pittsford to get a room and enjoy a good wood fired pizza.
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Early Morning Mist
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Cycling across the bridge to New York
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Now we’re finally on the home stretch.
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This begins a bike trail along the Erie Canal that went on for over 100 miles
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This is the highest point in the Erie Canal which travels from the Hudson River in Albany, NY to Lake Erie in Buffalo, NY. 36 locks allow boats and barges to travel 363 miles from the Atlantic Ocean to the Great Lakes.
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When it was built in the early 1800′s, the Erie Canal replaced pack animals. It was faster than carts pulled by draft animals, and cut transport costs by about 95%. Now it is primarily used for recreational vessels
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And a very cool trail that goes on forever
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Today’s History Lesson
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Lookin Good!
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Visiting one of the festivals we saw today along the ride.