Day 45 -- "I've got a mule, her name is Sal . . ."

August 3, 2005

ROUTE: Rochester to Syracuse, NY

DISTANCE:  83+ miles; 88 for those who rode the Erie Canal Towpath Trail

WINDS: WSW at 5 to 10 mph

WEATHER: HOT and HUMID; 90F

TERRAIN: Rolling

TOTAL CLIMBING: 1,900 feet

RIDE OVERVIEW: Eager to be on the road this morning, riders and staff began to pile luggage behind Box at 5:50. At 6:00, we opened Box and began slinging luggage, even though the announced luggage load was supposed to be 6:15. By 6:15 most riders were headed across the street to Peppermints restaurant for breakfast. Here we had a very big breakfast of pancakes, eggs, sausage & bacon, and oatmeal before rolling out.

Most riders opted to take the Erie Canal Towpath Trail, but a handful followed the route printed on the cue sheet. I was in White today, so was in touch with those on the route but not those on the trail for the first 22 miles or so. I got stuck behind a big vehicle painting the shoulder stripes on Hwy 31, and because the sign on the back of his vehicle said "Do not Pass" traffic was strung out behind him for about two miles on this two-lane rural road. White was the 11th car in line. When I finally (about half an hour later) got free, I got to SS#1 just in time to grab a drink, sign in, and get back on the road to support those who were headed for SS#2.

(Because her ankle limits her ability to set up the SS, Barbara drove Silver to SS#1 today. Josh drove Box to SS#1 and set it up (taping to the water jug a pic of crutches and an article from USA Today on the average age for injuries). When Barb got to the SS, Josh took Silver and was back on the road as mechanic extraordinaire. Barb stayed and ran the SS. Last night Mike stepped into a hole and twisted his ankle while he and Karen were marking the route to the Erie Canal Trail. Today he managed to ride Sweep and said his ankle didn't bother him on the bike but quickly became sore when he put his weight on it. He rode Sweep with Jerry, Murray, Karen, and Shane, who will be staffing the East ride with him and who lives in nearby Palmyra.)

Everyone who followed the markings to the canal path really enjoyed the low-stress 25 miles before SS#1. The path varied from smooth pavement to town streets to hard packed dirt and gravel, but it was very easily navigated.  Riders passed many interesting homes, both high rent and low rent, that showed the vast range of real estate along the canal.  A couple of small towns along the path were very quaint with lots of wildlife resting along the banks of the water . . . geese, ducks, groundhogs, and last year, Mike thought he saw a beaver running across the path in one area.  Even though riders  didn't have a route sheet explaining the canal route, it was pretty easy to navigate since they just followed the canal . . . even when riders were forced off the water's edge, all they had to do was work their way back remembering where they last saw the water.  When they found the canal again, there was the path. At the end of the path riders were dumped right on the published route about 10 miles before SS#1.  How con-veeee-nient!

It was a long day today as riders are starting to spend more time on the road sightseeing. It's good to see everyone enjoying themselves the last few days they have together even if they are just looking at plants. Last year a local rider told us about a pretty plant with a magenta flower spike that we've been seeing everywhere along the road. It looks a little like the fireweed one sees in the north and Alaska. It is called Purple Loosestrife, and is a European exotic that is taking over ditches and wetlands and leaving devastation in it's wake . . . even killing the wildlife the wetlands support.  Environmentalists are trying several approaches to control the plant, but sometimes the cure is worse than the illness when it comes to controlling something like this. According to this source, it is one of the worst exotic plants to come along in a long time, that is if you don't count the Kudzu plant we have in the south. I'm familiar with kudzu. It grows so fast, it can catch and smother a speeding bicyclist on a highway if the climatic conditions are right.  Mike says that when it goes dormant in the winter, they discover whole new cities in Alabama. We even have a bit of it in southeast Oklahoma.

I set up SS#2 today in Aqueduct Park just outside of Port Byron. Once again, our SAG fare was wonderfully supplemented. Shane and Kathy O'Leary supplied brownies for the first SS, and alumni Dave O'Dell and his caterer wife, Jill, came through with promised cheesecakes. This is the second year in a row they have baked cheesecakes for this SS. The O'Dells live only a mile from SS#2, and though Jill could not come this year, Dave pulled in 5 minutes after I got there and unloaded about 50 of her mini cheesecakes topped with cherries. He extended his lunch hour to 2 hours and was a happy sight for riders who had ridden with him from Boise to Casper. Each year Dave rides another leg  of the across America North ride.

We had superb shoulders most of the day today.  I think New York gets the vote for the nicest roads to travel by bicycle (once you get free of Niagara Falls). . . and the scenery is beautiful, too, with all the farms and animals dotting the landscape. The shoulders were smooth, clean, and very wide most of the day.  We ran into two nasty spots of road construction fairly close to the motel that required cyclists to walk their bikes through gravel and dirt for about a quarter mile. This coupled with the places on the unpaved sections of the Erie Canal Towpath Trail saw everyone washing their bikes at day's end. The hotel gave riders a great hose with a gentle spray nozzle, and we still had rags galore left from the huge piles of rags we were given for bike cleaning by the housekeeping staff in Boise.

Here are those facts I promised about the Erie Canal

• The Canal was proposed in 1808 and completed in 1825; it links Lake Erie in the west to the Hudson River in the east. 
• The original canal went right through downtown Rochester and crossed the Genesee River on a major aqueduct. 
• The Erie Canal was enlarged three times: in 1862, 1895, and 1918. 
• The Canal today is 363 miles long, has 57 locks, and the total rise from the Hudson River to Lake Erie is 568 feet. 
• Shortly after the canal was opened, branches to the canal were built to connect other important water routes. Today the New York State Canal system extends over 524 miles and connects with hundreds of lakes and rivers. 
• The Erie Canal song ("Mule Named Sal") was written by Thomas S. Allen. Here is the first of its four verses and its refrain, which varies with each verse:

 I've got a mule, her name is Sal

Fifteen miles on the Erie Canal
She's a good worker and a good old pal
Fifteen miles on the Erie Canal
    We've hauled some barges in our day
    Filled with lumber, coal, and hay
    And we know every inch of the way
    From Albany to Buffalo

Low bridge, everybody down
Low bridge for we're coming to a town
And you'll always know your neighbor
And you'll always know your pal
If you've ever navigated on
The Erie Canal

Tomorrow we head to Little Falls.  Another day on good New York country roads (the city streets are another matter) but we will be in busier areas tomorrow and all the way to New Hampshire from here.  As we close in on our destination, riders are starting to realize the journey is almost over. New friends we've made in the past 45 days will go their separate ways in just one short week.  I think riders will all start to slow down a bit and start exploring the villages we'll be pedaling through and stopping at more roadside cafes, markets, and attractions than they have in the past . . . we'll see.  Tune in again tomorrow for a report.   See you then. Susan

HEARD ON THE ROAD:

• "Driver carries no cash; he's married." (Bumper sticker)  
• "Horn broken, watch for finger." (Bumper sticker on the same vehicle as that above. This guy was a rolling stereotype of the "in your face" New Yawka. Hey I'm not knocking 'em. I are (or were) one.)  
• "Is a foot injury a prerequisite to being a staff member?" (I had an infected toe, Barb now has a sprained ankle, an Mike has a twisted ankle. We're the [non]walking wounded.  Karen and Josh, look alert!) 

PHOTOS OF THE DAY:

Purple Paul applying No-Ad SPF 50 with the aid of White's side-view mirror.

Joy shows off her bright pants. Sister, Jill, had a crazy bright pair also. Rumor is that Photographer Paul wants to borrow these shorts for the ride to the beach on the last day of the ride. Think they would clash with the ABB red-white-and-blue jersey?

"Cook-ee!" Cookie monster Steve gobbles down some  cookies at SS#2.

Barb talks to one of her daughters from her "sick bed." Actually she fell and sprained her ankle
the day before and is icing it here. Last night Mike stepped into a hole and twisted his ankle.
We tell them that if they strap their two bad legs together they may be able to get around
on their two good ones.

Mike puts on a happy face as he rides past a smiley face.
We've found smiling water towers in several towns.

This farmer probably brands each of his animals by name: 
C-O-W, G-O-A-T, C-H-I-C-K-E-N, etc. so that he doesn't forget what they are.