I set off on my Erie Canal bike trip today. Originally I was going to leave Saturday, two days ago, but yesterday was predicted to be rainy so I waited.
I left Hilton NY around 2 so I only had a few hours until dark. The weather was fine, a bit windy in places but not bad. I'm trying to adjust to the cold weather cycling by taking more breaks to regulate temperature better.
My new saddle is going to take some getting used to. It's actually an old saddle that I pulled off my old bike an put on my touring bike. I think it is harder than the one I was using. It also has a groove down the middle for ventilation and circulation, so it should feel better once I get used to it.
For my first night on the Erie Canal I ended up finding a nice little pine forest area for the night. It's a bit close to a road, but nice soft ground and I'm well hidden. Tomorrow I should be spending the night in Lockport with a warmshowers host who also thru hiked the AT, so that should be good.
Adventuring around the country, one step, one paddle, one pedal at a time.
Showing posts with label new york. Show all posts
Showing posts with label new york. Show all posts
Tuesday, January 15, 2013
Wednesday, January 2, 2013
New Plans for a New Year in New York
Since I am currently in the Rochester, NY area, I plan on spending some time exploring the New York region. I grew up in Rochester, and have been to the Adirondacks quite a bit, but haven't done any long distance trips in New York. Obviously it is pretty cold, but as long as I prepare it shouldn't be too bad.
The first trip to explore New York is going to be along the Erie Canal. The canal runs from Albany to Buffalo, roughly 365 miles. The tow path, where the donkeys used to walk along the canal, is mostly converted to a bike path. I suppose you could say that I am following in the footsteps of a long line of asses.
Anyways, the Erie Canal was billed as the Eighth Wonder of the World when it was built. I figured that it will take me along the length of the state, and through a lot of small towns along the way. Since there is a bike path I can avoid biking through the slush on the roads, and avoid most of the car traffic as well. Probably another week or two before I start this trip, as I still have some planning left to do.
The first trip to explore New York is going to be along the Erie Canal. The canal runs from Albany to Buffalo, roughly 365 miles. The tow path, where the donkeys used to walk along the canal, is mostly converted to a bike path. I suppose you could say that I am following in the footsteps of a long line of asses.
Anyways, the Erie Canal was billed as the Eighth Wonder of the World when it was built. I figured that it will take me along the length of the state, and through a lot of small towns along the way. Since there is a bike path I can avoid biking through the slush on the roads, and avoid most of the car traffic as well. Probably another week or two before I start this trip, as I still have some planning left to do.
Thursday, December 13, 2012
Reassembly and Homebound
After getting in to the Greyhound station in Rochester NY around 8:00pm I had the fun job of putting my bike back together. Fortunately there were only 4 other people in the small station, so I didn't have people wandering around me all the time. The greyhound employees were also behind a wall from me, so they didn't have the opportunity to yell at me.
Overall it took about an hour or so to put the bike back together, making sure everything was working as I went along. The other people in the station gave me some strange looks, but went back to normal disinterest after a bit.
Since the station was in the middle of the city I had to ride out for about 10 miles to get to a good spot to camp. Along the way I ended up having to re-inflate my tires 3 times. Apparently the slime that had been holding my tires together doesn't like freezing temperatures. It probably doesn't distribute properly in the tire to seal any leaks. While its not fun to deal with flats at any time, it especially sucks when its dark out and freezing cold.
After setting up my tent for the night I changed out one of my tubes for my last spare, and called it a night. The next morning I did the last ten miles to my parents house, and the spare seemed to hold. Now its time to do some long needed maintenance on my bike, and try to enjoy the holidays.
Overall it took about an hour or so to put the bike back together, making sure everything was working as I went along. The other people in the station gave me some strange looks, but went back to normal disinterest after a bit.
Since the station was in the middle of the city I had to ride out for about 10 miles to get to a good spot to camp. Along the way I ended up having to re-inflate my tires 3 times. Apparently the slime that had been holding my tires together doesn't like freezing temperatures. It probably doesn't distribute properly in the tire to seal any leaks. While its not fun to deal with flats at any time, it especially sucks when its dark out and freezing cold.
After setting up my tent for the night I changed out one of my tubes for my last spare, and called it a night. The next morning I did the last ten miles to my parents house, and the spare seemed to hold. Now its time to do some long needed maintenance on my bike, and try to enjoy the holidays.
Wednesday, December 12, 2012
Another Greyhound Adventure
After spending my last night on the bike trip, my host drove me and my boxed up bike to the Greyhound station around 7:30am, since she had to work around 8:00. I knew the bus wasn't supposed to leave for several hours, so I checked in my box and waited. The bike box actually weighed in at 53 pounds, over the limit, but the station attendant let it slide, which probably saved $40 in overweight charges.
Then the fun began. The bus coming in to Roswell was more than two hours later, coming from El Paso. According to the driver it was due to icy roads, but that doesn't really account for all the time. Then, leaving Roswell we were traveling around 30mph down an absolutely clear highway. Finally one of the passengers complained and the driver said there was engine trouble, and it was smoking, so we pulled off the side of the road for her to check something.
When we pulled back on the road the smoking had stopped, but we were still only doing around 30mph, even with the pedal all the way down. The driver announced over the PA that we could either limp along the highway towards Amarillo, or wait for a bus to catch us from El Paso. The Amarillo option was faster, so that is what she was going for.
When we got to the next town the dispatch called her and told her to stop the bus there, and they would send another bus from Amarillo, which would take about 3 hours. Fortunately there was a McDonalds close by, and a Dollar General.
When we finally got to Amarillo we were 8 hours late, so they had to reroute everyone. They did give complementary meal tickets, but they were for the in-station restaurant, which was typical really bad food. When I finally got rerouted they sent me through St. Louis and Cleveland, instead of through Memphis, and I would have to wait about 5 hours for the next bus.
The positive side of the reroute was that from there on out I was on the newer style of bus, including electric outlets and wireless. Also, for some reason the baggage handling policy was different on that schedule, so the handlers would actually move my bike box over to the new bus for me. Usually you have to move it yourself.
The really bad part of the reroute was that instead of getting in around 10:30am in Rochester, I would be getting in at 8:00pm, well after dark. Originally I was planning on riding all the way to my parents house that day (~20 miles), but the darkness changed that around.
Then the fun began. The bus coming in to Roswell was more than two hours later, coming from El Paso. According to the driver it was due to icy roads, but that doesn't really account for all the time. Then, leaving Roswell we were traveling around 30mph down an absolutely clear highway. Finally one of the passengers complained and the driver said there was engine trouble, and it was smoking, so we pulled off the side of the road for her to check something.
When we pulled back on the road the smoking had stopped, but we were still only doing around 30mph, even with the pedal all the way down. The driver announced over the PA that we could either limp along the highway towards Amarillo, or wait for a bus to catch us from El Paso. The Amarillo option was faster, so that is what she was going for.
When we got to the next town the dispatch called her and told her to stop the bus there, and they would send another bus from Amarillo, which would take about 3 hours. Fortunately there was a McDonalds close by, and a Dollar General.
When we finally got to Amarillo we were 8 hours late, so they had to reroute everyone. They did give complementary meal tickets, but they were for the in-station restaurant, which was typical really bad food. When I finally got rerouted they sent me through St. Louis and Cleveland, instead of through Memphis, and I would have to wait about 5 hours for the next bus.
The positive side of the reroute was that from there on out I was on the newer style of bus, including electric outlets and wireless. Also, for some reason the baggage handling policy was different on that schedule, so the handlers would actually move my bike box over to the new bus for me. Usually you have to move it yourself.
The really bad part of the reroute was that instead of getting in around 10:30am in Rochester, I would be getting in at 8:00pm, well after dark. Originally I was planning on riding all the way to my parents house that day (~20 miles), but the darkness changed that around.
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