June 29, 2014
I Must Be Guffman
Macedon, New York
Day two on the Erie Canal began with a bit of a hangover. Luckily, once I got my legs moving, it subsided and I continued my appreciation for this trail with the canal constantly at my side like a security blanket.
I left the trail for a while to ride into downtown Rochester. I like the action in a big city and I like tall buildings. Unfortunately, there wasn't much action in Rochester on a Sunday morning. The Kodak Tower was most impressive but, considering Kodak is bankrupt, I wondered what was in that building.
I went south again and reconnected with the Erie Canal Trail in Pittsford. That's where I just happened to pass the Lock 32 Brewing Company. You may remember me writing that I do not pass up small breweries when I see them. Lock 32 was no exception. They produce about ten different beers, but it would have been a big mistake to try every one of them when I still had about 14 miles to ride. I am partial to IPAs so I had a pint of their version. Good stuff. And even better was the very personable bartender/business manager for the 4-month old brew pub. I do hope they become a huge success.
About eight miles out of Pittsford, a bike tourist caught up to me. His name was Gary. He lives in the Boston area and he's a week away from finishing his bike trip from San Diego to Boston. We rode together and exchanged stories for the six miles to Macedon where I was planning on another night of free camping. He continued on to Newark where a motel was calling his name.
So I set up camp in the free hiker/biker/boater campsite at Lock #30 in Macedon. Actually, I didn't set up camp right away. A local theater troupe arrived at about the same time as I did and they were going to be practicing lines for a production they were going to be performing in July. The playwright/director was a local guy and came over to introduce himself as I started preparing my dinner. Then he introduced me to all of the cast.
Shortly thereafter, an extremely loud thunderstorm raged through the area and it drowned out the words the actors were trying to rehearse. We were all inside of a pavilion which protected us from the lightning, but strong winds blew the torrential rains in from three sides and there was only one small area that was dry. We all huddled there--me and the actors. When the rain let up, the troupe disbanded and I was alone.
Only then did I set up my tent and, for the first time ever, I set it up INSIDE a pavilion. It was nice, and I knew I would not have to worry about packing a wet tent in the morning.
Today's ride: 46 miles (74 km)
Total: 1,296 miles (2,086 km)
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