61 miles. “… On the Erie Canal”

That song did not stick in my head today. The one that did, probably since tomorrow will be our third Great Lake shore ride, is Gordon Lightfoot’s “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald.” “And farther below Lake Ontario takes in what Lake Erie can send her.” (One would have thought that lyric might have clued me in about which direction the Niagara River flows over the Falls – see yesterday’s post)

We coasted onto the Erie Canal bike path after only a mile or so on Lockport’s streets and stayed on it the entire day. The first half mile was paved and the balance was crushed limestone but in great shape so we didn’t sacrifice any speed. Over the next 60 miles or so we only saw one lock and that one was in Lockport.

For that matter we only saw one boat! We read that after many years of only sports boating traffic, some companies are now shipping freight and goods again on the canal again.

It’s not hard to envision the impact the canal had on American Westward expansion. By linking the Hudson River with Lake Erie, trade and passenger traffic in both directions led to a vibrant market and competing and expanding canals and rail lines.

It was a hot day today and we stopped in Brockport for water then in Spencerville for lunch and finally to our hotel only a block from the canal.

Tomorrow we have a few more hours on the canal then turn north toward Lake Ontario.