Day 23 – Part 2, Brockport, NY on the Eire Canal bike trail

I left my cousin Bill’s place in mid-morning. The GPS showed a route that was convoluted and long. I looked at the map and decided to ride up Transit Rd. from E. Amherst, NY, and head straight north to intersect with the Eire Canal Trail at Lockport, NY. This turned out to be an excellent decision. Transit Rd. is a heavily trafficked road, but there is an ample shoulder and the bike lane is pleasant enough riding. I arrived at the canal in about ten miles (16 km).

My first view of the Eire Canal in Lockport, NY.

The next fifty miles of riding was on a gravel trail. The surface was actually very good and made for easy riding. The day was fine for riding; scattered clouds, warm, and, most importantly, not windy.

The Eire Canal bike path. Not paved, but excellent riding.
On pavement, I can usually travel along at about 15-16 MPH (25 km/h) and here I was traveling at just under that. I was riding through miles of trees laden with ripe apples on one side and a canal full of large fish on the other. It was all very pleasant, although, as the day wore on the temperature kept rising, it became very uncomfortable in the late afternoon.

I decided to find a hotel for the evening, I was starting to feel dehydrated and overheated. In Brockport, NY, the first hotel I found was full and I snagged a room in the second one, their last room. Lady Luck was with me. The room was on the first floor, a big plus when you have an 85 pound (39 kg) bicycle.

Tomorrow’s weather looks good, but I’m not certain about the future. Hurricane Florence is wreaking havoc in the south and I suspect she will come up north to dump some rain. We’ll see.

Thanks for following along.

Author: Dennis Blanchard

Dennis Blanchard was born in Bristol, Connecticut. He and his wife Jane moved to New Hampshire in 1980 where he has climbed thirty 4000-foot mountains, biked the trails and enjoyed the wilderness. Never living very far from the Appalachian Trail, Dennis was always aware of the seductive siren’s call to hike it. Dennis is an electronics engineer who has freelanced for amateur radio, technical and motorcycle adventure magazines. He now lives in Sarasota, Florida.

3 thoughts on “Day 23 – Part 2, Brockport, NY on the Eire Canal bike trail”

  1. You timed your last big adventure to arrive at Nearfest and eat all available hamburgers. Can you do this again on October 12?

    We could tell stories about 300 and 1200 baud modems…..

    Rich

  2. hi dennis-

    its been interesting hearing about your biketrip
    how far do you have to go now?
    vermont is somewhere on the horizon?

    peace***philip

  3. Been following along daily. I guess I’m now living vicariously through your exploits. I remember last year you ended up doing a AAA ad after your accident. This year I reckon T-Mobile won’t be contacting you anytime soon! LOL.

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