cycling the Erie Canal 2008
An 8-day 400 mile bicycle tour from Buffalo to Albany
sponsored by Parks and Trails New York
www.ptny.org
July 6-18, 2008 I rode along the Erie Canal from Buffalo to Albany. My
wife, Nina, came along with me in the car and we camped with the tour group
along the way. This is the schedule of the trip that provides setting
for my
5th novel.| day | date 2008 | ended at | miles ridden |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | Saturday July 5 | Buffalo | 0 |
| 1 | Sunday July 6, 2008 | Medina | 47 |
| 2 | Monday July 7, 2008 | Pittsford | 53 |
| 3 | Tuesday July 8, 2008 | Seneca Falls | 62 |
| 4 | Wednesday July 9, 2008 | Syracuse | 39 |
| 5 | Thursday July 10, 2008 | Rome | 50 |
| 6 | Friday July 11 | Canajoharie | 63 |
| 7 | Saturday July 12, 2008 | Scotia | 42 |
| 8 | Sunday July 13, 2008 | Albany | 39 |
That's a total of 395 miles ridden (I guess they like to round it up to 400).
About the Erie Canal
To get an idea about the importance and size of the Erie Canal.
| Canal | Length | Year Opened |
Locks | Height boat raised | Aqua- ducts |
Width | Depth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Erie | 363 miles | 1825 | 83 | 568 feet | 18 | 40 feet | 4 feet |
| Suez | 102 miles | 1869 | none | 0 feet - free flowing | 0 | 197 feet at narrowest |
26 feet |
| Panama | 48 miles | 1914 | 3 | 85 feet - up and back down |
0 | 110 feet at locks |
43 feet average |
Since the Erie Canal was put out of business by the railroads, there is no question that the Suez and Panama canals are of more importance today, yet the Erie Canal is still quite impressive. It is more than twice as long as the Suez and Panama put together. All dug by hand, it was built long before the invention of the automobile and years before the other two canals. It played an important part in settling Michigan and the whole Great Lakes region (Michigan didn't officially become a state until January 1837). Imagine traveling west by horseback or stagecoach and all that bouncing and jolting. Then visualize sitting on a canal boat, gliding along smoothly and comfortably. It would take a month to travel from Albany to Buffalo but by canal it was only a week. I know which method I'd use to travel. All along the canal major cities sprang up and it even played a major role in the growth and importance of New York City
The figures above represent the size of the canals when first opened. All of them have since been enlarged for bigger boats. Today the Erie Canal is mainly used by tourists, and I think of it as a linear park. In the summer it is kept open and the locks raised and lowered even for canoes. In the winter the canal is closed and parts of it drained.