Basil and I took a trip to upstate New York recently. Here he is in the trunk of my subcompact car: Basil, suitcase, jacket, cycling gear (in the bag to the right), a tote bag of miscellaneous stuff, and still plenty of room left. Also, no bike rack, and no need to secure Basil along the way when stopping for coffee.
Thunderstorms were predicted for the entire week, but I was hoping for a window when we could cycle, if only fleetingly. We did manage a brief ride along the Erie Canal, for which I was profoundly grateful; a spin on two wheels is a great antidote to seven hours in a car.
As ever, Basil was ready to go.
When the opportunity came, I didn’t have time to change into cycling gear. I think this is the first time I’ve ridden Basil in street clothes. Fortunately, it turns out that stretch cord leggings are plenty flexible enough to be comfortable while cycling (at least for a short spin), and my tall boots were fine, too, thanks to their round toe caps. I took a panda shot to immortalize the moment.
The canal trailway is packed crushed stone here. It’s not a smooth ride, but also no problem for Basil or his Marathon tires; we zip right along.
The Erie looks completely different at the end of winter. This is the first time I’d seen the canal virtually empty.
It’s easy to forget how shallow it is; that’s why canal traffic is generally composed of long flat barges.
You can see the waterline on these pilings:
There was evidence of a little more water farther along the trail.
And more, with trees alongside, just beginning to blossom.
This far north, the grass is just beginning to return, and the lichen to brighten.
This ride was a beautiful interlude between storms. Another reason to love my Brompton: It’s so easy to take advantage of an unexpected chance to cycle.
There was a particularly “bad” storm one night, with thunder crashing for what seemed like hours. We don’t get storms like that on my current home turf. I did mind not being able to ride more, but I loved every minute of the thunder and lightening. Booming skies make me happy, particularly when the electricity stays on.