Empire State Trail Ride
Just me and my bike, from Buffalo to Scarsdale, over about 500 miles.
See it on the interactive map · Flyby videos
Chapters
- Train ride to Buffalo · 1 pebbl
- Evening in Buffalo · 1 pebbl
- Tonawanda to Lockport · 3 pebbls
Train ride to Buffalo
Got on the train after loading in my bike and panniers and sat next to a young man from China. He grew up in a desert in Inner Mongolia and now lives in Shenzhen just north of Hong Kong. He had just arrived in Newark the previous day and hadn’t slept since. You wouldn’t know it because he was so happy and excited to be here. He’d flown for over 20 hours, visited NY City with a friend all night (the night of the Knicks game with Trump in attendance) and was on a long trip to “the largest water park in the US in Valley Forge, NY. He’ll be working there this summer. He was so gracious and excited
9 June 2026 - 22:00
A little bit of Buffalo as I head to my motel after 8 hours in the train and then a light 15 miles on the bike. Everything seems to be working well with the bike (and me), and I got to visit my son Aaron and have dinner with him!
Evening in Buffalo
Nice visit with my son Aaron (a student at Univ at Buffalo), including an excellent all you can eat sushi meal - partially served by a robot. It was good! Sushi in Buffalo?! Yep.
10 June 2026 - 19:54
(I forgot to turn on the tracking during my trip from the train station to the Buffalo Hotel. I’m trying to manage at least four different apps while I’m riding, and forgot this one)
Tonawanda to Lockport
No, go that way dammit!
10 June 2026 - 20:02
So a funny thing. I’m using this new RideGPS app so my family can track where I am, and because it does a good job of following the trail (unlike Google which wants to route me through cities so that my ride is more efficient). The new app insisted I turn left onto the trail when I thought I needed to turn right. I even passed the bicyclist and when we told each other where we were going, he said he was going “east”.… I’m going east I thought. I wonder if I should tell him he’s going the wrong way? Anyway, 10 miles later I finally saw a landmark. I had passed the day before! Yep, I went 10 miles to the wrong direction before realizing what was up. I had skipped that section of the trail when I as directed “inland” to get to my first night’s motel. it was a strange sort of luck, though, despite the extra 20 miles I had just tacked onto my days trip. Just as I recognized a riverside restaurant and then knew for sure I had been going the wrong way, I realized I was hungry for lunch since breakfast was just a hastily prepared instant oatmeal package. I stepped inside the restaurant, and just then it started to rain. It kept raining for about 45 minutes - hard - while I contentedly ate an alarmingly good hamburger. As I finished, the rain stopped, and I was back on my way. So today’s journey was a little more than 40 miles of writing, but a little more than 20 miles in progress. I expect I’ll be able to make up the time later on. You know, like those Airlines do.
Moore, interestingly I certainly hope, is the cool Erie Canal, and even more cool locks that are preserved and used in these towns, including this one: Lockport. I’m guessing I’ll be pretty sick of Erie canal related stuff by the time it’s time for me to turn south at Albany, but I do very much like it’s flat flat flat terrain.
Lockport to Brockport
Today the trail was crushed stone rather than pavement. The same is going to be true for tomorrow. It was a bit harder and slower going as a result. Also hot, but not as hot as I hear it has been in the Westchester/NYC region. I think my body rebelled a little bit today, and I’m a little more tired tonight. I expect I’ll feel fit as a fiddle after a good night’s sleep.
Tomorrow I’m planning to go past Rochester (hello Mia and family!), and onto lovely Palmyra. I’m modifying my mileage expectation a little bit because of the slower trail paving material. The ride was beautiful though. Lots of recreational canal boats pass me by going the other direction. That seems to be a theme for me. 😊
Oh yeah, one more funny thing: as a result of my helmet’s air vents on its top, and the very steady, unwavering direction of my path today, I now have a checkerboard pattern of burn/tan on my bald head! I used sunscreen and everything, and my reward was burning eyes as sweat plus sunscreen dripped into them. (New sunscreen for tomorrow.) But here’s the point, It’s a little bit embarrassing! I look ridiculous. I think I’ll be wearing hats of some sort for the next month 😆.