. . . and the gin was a-gettin’ low. I scarcely think we’ll get a drink ’til we get to Buf-fa-lo ooo, ’til we get to Bufalo-oo.
So goes the old folk song. (You can listen to the song, see the lyics, and read some background here.) I wasn’t going to Buffalo, and wasn’t thinking about gin, either, for that matter, but this repetitive tune was the meme that accompanied me while pedaling along the Erie Canal last week on my longest single ride to date on Basil — 26 miles.
It was a glorious fall day. We started out at Lock 32:
The towpath is now used by pedestrians and cyclists much of the year, and by cross-country skiers and intrepid souls wearing snow shoes in the winter. It’s open all year long during daylight.
The trail is flat, with a surface that varies a bit; it’s paved in places, cobbled in others, packed at points with some loose gravel– but it’s highly suitable for cycling, even on high-pressure, skinny tires. Basil managed each surface without any difficulty at all — including flying over asphalt cracked by enterprising tree roots.
Ohhh, yeah! Nothing says fall like gold.
Though, come to think of it, I’m pretty fond of the greys and browns, too, and the last of the greens.
I love the bridges best of all, with trees running a close second. I was fascinated to see this one, which appears to be constructed almost identically to one just built back in my home state.
Rust is the new steel? This is a pedestrian bridge over the canal. It’s in Perinton, and part of the trail linkage system improvements.
One of the men working on the site saw my Brompton, and came over to chat a bit. He recommended cycling down by the harbor in Rochester, which I’ll keep in mind.
Here’s the bridge from the other side. You can see how new the trail improvements are.
Love those bridges.
The traditional barges were long. low watercraft, of course, and the canal is so shallow that nothing with a deep draft can pass, but these bridges are built essentially at road level. The lowest ones are lift bridges so that they can be raised to allow modern water craft to pass under without hazard.
There’s no water traffic on the Erie Canal after November 15th, and on this particular day the water was placid and mirror-like.
The canal takes a turn toward Henrietta, just past Lock 32, and looks almost lake-like at this juncture.
There are stretches along the towpath that seem almost desolate, but a sprinkling of small towns, too. You could probably pick almost any section and spend a day cycling and dropping in at various establishments for coffee and a bite to eat. Or, possibly, even a bit of gin to liven up your ride. Obviously, though, you don’t have to wait until spring; autumn is excuse enough.