June 19, 2008
Day 38: Palmyra, NY to Albion, NY
64.44 miles, 5:43:06 Ride Time, 11.26 Average Speed, 22.20 Maximum Speed
The long ride yesterday, and less sleep than usual the night before (I hadn't gone to bed until well after midnight), combined to make me tired this morning, when I rode out at about 7:15. In less than a mile I got on the Erie Canalway Trail, where I would be most of the day. Most of the trail is not paved, but is fairly smooth. It's definitely slower than pavement, however; despite the complete lack of hills today, my average speed was below 12 mph.
The day started off sunny and cool. After about four miles, I made a breakfast-and-bathroom stop at McDonald's, just off the trail in Macedon (pop. 1,486), then continued on to the busier, larger Fairport, where I had to slow down while sharing the trail with joggers and dog walkers.
After Pittsford, another small town along the canal, the trail turned to pavement, and began to follow the outskirts of the large city of Rochester (pop. 219,773), where the scenery changed to interesting (if not pretty) industrial landscape, much of it decaying. The canal had been to my left all day, but now I had to cross the Genesee River and continue on the trail on the other side of the canal. This could have been confusing, but, unlike the Rock Creek Trail back in Washington, DC, this area was extremely well-signed, and it was no problem.
The city gradually changed to countryside again, and after seven miles with the canal to my right, my map instructed me to cross back over to the other side at Long Pond Road. I wasn't paying attention, and missed the turn. As the "trail" became increasingly rough, eventually turning to gravel and then mostly grass, I realized I was on the wrong side of the canal. Instead of backtracking a few miles, I decided to keep riding on until I could find my own place to cross over. Just as I was about to give up and go back (at this point I was riding on the mowed grass of what was probably someone's back yard), I entered the gravel lot of a marina, where some of the men working there gave me directions that got me onto the road, over a bridge, and back onto the trail. Apparently I wasn't the first cyclist who'd made this mistake; they seemed well-practiced in giving directions back onto the path.
Five miles later I stopped in Spencerport (pop. 3,559), a nice enough looking town, where I parked in front of a barbeque restaurant, walked in, waited five minutes for someone to seat me, gave up, and walked next door to an ice cream place instead. While I ate a good, if overpriced, sundae, I talked to a nice older couple about my trip. They were from Cincinnati, about an hour from my home in Kentucky.
After another seven or eight miles on the path, which by now was getting a little boring, I stopped at Brockport's nice welcome center (internet access availabe in the office, showers available in the bathroom), where I talked to the lady there for a while about the canal, and the surrounding area. I probably should have stopped for the day in Brockport, or a few miles later in the smaller town of Holley (pop. 1,802), where free camping is apparently available. Instead, I rode on another 15 miles under increasingly gloomy skies to Albion (pop. 7,438).
By now, my mood had darkened along with the sky, and as I searched for a place to stay, I formed an unfavorable opinion of the town, which looked depressing to me (in my current frame of mind, anyway). I did my usual asking around about motels, and learned that my best option was the Dollinger. One of the locals did warn me that the social service agency placed evicted people there frequently, but I had begun feeling very tired the last few miles, and decided I really had to stop for the day.
The motel didn't seem terrible, but it was overpriced. At least it was next door to a well-stocked supermarket, where I bought enough snacks for the next few days, and a sub sandwich for dinner. Back in the room, I didn't feel well, and after eating only half the sandwich, I collapsed on the bed, listening to it rain outside my window. I had probably overdone it the last few days. I woke up several times in the night; whoever was in the room next door had their TV on all night long. I had grown weary of staying in these kinds of places, and resolved, weather permitting, to try camping more often.
Most of the day had been enjoyable, but it ended lousily. Oh well. It can't be fun all the time.
| Heart | 1 | Comment | 0 | Link |
Today's ride: 64 miles (103 km)
Total: 2,757 miles (4,437 km)
| Rate this entry's writing | Heart | 3 |
| Comment on this entry | Comment | 0 |