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 😆.