Day 3 – Pittsford to Seneca Falls, 54.5 miles

Ok, mileage wise we ended up coming in at just a half mile less than yesterday.  So we were wrong about it being our longest day but mostly that’s because we never really left the route thanks to all of our stops being very convenient to the trail.  Probably a good thing since the end of the day brought us the most elevation we’ll see on this trip.  Getting ahead of myself though, so first here’s a group shot of us this morning in our matching jerseys.  Aren’t we adorable?
What’s worked well for us is to get on the bikes and ride for about 5 miles or so to warm up the legs and make sure everything is working right.  Then we will stop for a about ten minutes and give everyone a chance to get sunscreen on and stow any extra gear they might have been wearing in the chillier mornings.  Our stop this AM was at a trailside park with this fun yellow swinging chair.Soon after that we left the nice paved trail and it was back onto the chipped stone the path normally offers.  Unfortunately the next 15 miles or so was a bit softer than what we’d been riding on so although we were traveling at a pretty decent clip (for us) it was a bit more effort.  Somewhere in the middle of that we came across this seemingly closed bridge.  We poked our heads into this cafe to make sure we could still cross and happened to arrive just as they were pulling cookies out of the oven.  Um, yes please!
We actually stopped at this lock so I could use the facilities but realized we arrived just as they were starting to flood it to lift the ship into the next section of the canal.  It was neat to watch and I spent a few minutes chatting with the lock operator.  He told me this particular boat is part of a group that sails up the Erie Canal, down the Mississippi, around the tip of Florida just to come up and maybe do it all over again.  Sounds like fun to me!
We have some video we took of the process and we’ll post in in a day or two once we speed it up since we know none of you will stare at the screen for the full 15 minutes it takes to process a boat.  As it turns out the outhouse I was gunning for was on the other side of the canal, so I got to walk over the gate. Lunch was pizza and a salad.  This place was hopping the entire time we were there (which was straight up lunch time so it seemed the whole town of Newark was dropping by on their lunch break).  The guys inside said they haven’t seen as many cyclists this year as in previous years.  I suspect that this summer’s weather has something to do with that. The afternoon is where the ride got a bit more difficult.  While it wasn’t a ton of elevation (it certainly wasn’t the Rockies), it’s still rough on tired legs when pulling the trailer or, in Bruce’s case, the kid.  A stop at the Save A Lot for popsicles gave us a boost and then it was back on the bikes for the biggest hill of the day yet. So yeah, no pictures of the next ten miles.  I do wish I had a few to share as it was amazingly beautiful farm country, but honestly stopping the bike wasn’t an option.  We made it into Seneca Falls despite a few minor hiccups at the end.  There was a dropped cell phone (yay Life Proof case), a false start at an intersection, you get the idea…  Dinner was delivered since there weren’t any restaurants in walking distance.  We are ending the evening with a bit of bike maintenance –  putting air in tires, lubing chains, etc.  Oh and the water bottle nightly ritual.  They get washed, filled and stuffed into the fridge to chill until the morning.Tomorrow is our last longish day.  If we can get through it – and we will – the rest of the trip should feel a lot easier.

Day 2 – Medina to Pittsford, 55 miles

EDIT: Yes, some of the pics are still messed up (in fact, one here is upside down). We’ll tackle it on a shorter day.

The riding was easier today, sorta.  We’ll get to that in a minute.  We had a good night’s sleep at the Hart Hotel and a quick, but fantastic breakfast, at the coffee shop downstairs before we loaded up the bikes to get on the road.  Everyone has jobs to make this easier.  Daxton’s is to put the water bottles on the bikes.  We each have our own color so there’s no confusion.
We left the hotel and got back on the trail.  You’ll be happy to know that we made the first 6 miles in about half the time it took us to do it yesterday!  Not that the morning was free and clear of obstacles, however.  You know how you might see a road blocked with cows when traveling through, I don’t know, Wyoming?  Well the canal is kind of like that.  Except it’s geese.  The photo below is a bit blurry, but you get the idea. Later we stopped to watch one of the many bridges go up to let a boat pass.  Here’s the thing about the canal – you can’t go fast on the water.  We basically stayed just ahead of this boat for much of our ride today and had we not stopped for lunch we may have beat it to…well who knows where it was going. But before lunch we swung into this bike shop.  Terran finally weighs enough that his stock saddle was causing discomfort.  We picked up a more, uh, accommodating saddle for him and me?  I got new grips.  I love my hybrid, but the one downside is that I really only have one position for my hands.  On a long ride that starts to take its toll.  After our stop here, that problem is no more.  Great store and absolutely friendly service.  Even better it is right on the trail as the name suggests. Lunch was a leisurely foray into Brockport.  I post this picture because this is what it looks like when we stop somewhere.  Thankfully I think the folks in these towns are pretty used to this although we do get a lot of second looks at Daxton’s Wee Hoo Trailer.  Today’s fare ended up being burgers for most of us. Terran opted in for a garbage plate (thankfully no ill effects later) and we all split what may be one of my new favorite foods – a peanut butter and jelly milkshake. After that it was time to push on into Rochester.  We took two short breaks.  The first was a simple pit stop and bottle refill.  As we hit the the paved path in Rochester, Bruce and I found that after a series of rollers we needed a minute to refuel.  So we plopped down in a park (yay for shade) and hung out for a bit.  We’ve all agreed we’re not in any rush and a big part of this trip is to enjoy the journey.  That’s why the kids are all staring at their cell phones. Ok, just kidding.  They aren’t that bad.  Usually.  And as you can see, at least two of us are still smiling.  We made it to the hotel and chose to eat in as we’re all pretty spent.  Managed two loads of laundry and prepped water bottles (all 9 of them) already.  Now we’re settling down for bed because tomorrow is our longest day and potentially hardest day yet.  We’ve got a couple days after that with much lower mileage though and I think we’re all looking forward to that.

Day 1 – Buffalo to Medina, 51 miles

Whew!  We’ve got day one under our belts and what a crazy day it was.  First, let’s meet Team Potter of CycleOverride, shall we?  From left to right:  Terran, age 17; Bobby, age 13; Bruce, let’s just say he’s got a big birthday coming up; Daxton, age 4 and Heidi, that’s me.  I’m the oldest but that’s all I’m going to tell you.  The hotel staff kindly took this photo for us right before we jumped on the bikes and road off.  Daxton is obviously very excited.

He’s also the cutest of this motely crew so here’s a better look at his enthusiasm.

As it turns out, it’s pretty hard to get pictures while we’re all riding so what you’re getting to see is snapshots of our stops.  There are some pretty views though, so it’s not all bad.  The morning started with rain so we opted to sit tight and wait for it to pass.  You can see the remnants of the downpour in the picture above.  The first two miles of the ride were pretty easy but then we hit detour city.  The next four miles of the ride would take us over an hour to navigate as we ended up riding on broken and uneven sidewalks through intersection after intersection to get around the detour.  Not the best start to the day, but we eventually wound our way back to the trail only to find ourselves facing a pretty strong headwind.  Oh well, at least it was paved and flat and had views like the picture below.
We made one quick stop at a bike shop to pick up some spare tubes for the trailers and we were off at a pretty good clip for a bit.  The trail went back and forth between a paved path to some road riding in stretches.  We stopped for a quick snack about 8 miles out of Lockport.

The last few miles into Lockport?  Probably the worst part of the ride not counting the morning.  The route took us down a milled road and if you’ve ever rode on cobblestones, this was much worse.  We slogged through that and then stopped for lunch at a Tim Horton’s just because it was RIGHT THERE.  Lockport in general though?  Pretty awesome.  On our way out, we stopped briefly at the Erie Canal Museum and learned a bit more about the history of the area.

From there on out we were on the Canalway trail proper and it looks pretty much like what you see below.  We didn’t see a lot of traffic on the trail, mostly locals either biking or canoeing near the towns we’d pass. Finally we rolled into Medina to stay at the Hart House, a converted t-shirt factory of all things.  Medina is up and coming and this hotel is pretty neat.  We had an amazing dinner just down the street – seriously on par with some of the better restaurants I’ve eaten at in my travels.  All in all, a wonderful end to our first day.We plan to get on the road earlier tomorrow.  The coffee shop downstairs opens at 7:30 and if all goes well, we’ll be on the road just after 8.  We are all tired and certainly sore from sitting in the saddle much longer than anticipated today, but we’re pretty pleased to have accomplished day one of the ride.  For 3 of us, it’s the longest we’ve ever ridden.

So Heidi had an idea…

EDIT: On some browsers some of the images are sideways. We’re aware of it and will work to fix it… later. It’s time to rest for the ride.

A few months ago I might have opened my big mouth and said something like, “Wouldn’t it be neat if we took a multi-day family bike ride?”  If you know us than you know I should know better than to give Bruce an idea and an opportunity – especially if it involves bikes.  Thankfully I had the sense in the moment to add “But, you know, on something flat.”  Ten minutes later and the internet pointed us in the direction of the Erie Canalway Trail.

Fast forward to yesterday and we loaded up the MCC (yup, we still have it) and headed first to Allegany for a quick dinner with Bruce’s family and then up to Buffalo where we checked ourselves and the MCC in the Courtyard Marriott Canalside which is conveniently located near the trailhead.

I might make a post about the gear we are hauling later, especially after we get a sense of what works and what doesn’t.  In a nutshell, we have 4 bikes, a wee hoo (Daxton’s ride), a loaded bob trailer and 4 saddle bags.

Today Bruce took the MCC to Albany and got a one way rental back to Buffalo.  Confused?  Let’s take a look at the route.  In the pic below you can maybe see a thin green line – that’s our path for the next week.  We’ll need the MCC at the end of the ride to haul us all home, so Bruce took one for the team and drove all day while I had fun with the kids.

The boys and I spent the morning walking around Harbor Center – grabbing breakfast at Tim Horton’s and then visiting the Buffalo and Erie County Naval and Military Park.  That place is a bargain at $10 per adult and I highly recommend it.  2 ships and a submarine kept us busy for a couple of hours. We went back out again in the afternoon for some ice cream and another walk near the water.

Bruce rejoined us and we ended the evening catching part of a Buffalo Bison’s game.  The best part?  They were playing the Syracuse Chiefs – a National’s feeder team.  Go Nats!

Tomorrow?  We ride.