To Medina

July 9, 2021

We arise today to see a morning unlike any other so far on this tour - it’s overcast and a bit foggy. We’re happy though to see that the threat of rain has receded to midafternoon, a great improvement from yesterday’s prediction for showers throughout the whole day. We hustle our way through breakfast down in the lobby and break camp early, hoping to make it to Medina dry.

Probably the most scenic route would be to follow the waterfront and canals the whole way, but it saves us eight miles to take the direct route northeast out of town, continuing to follow New York Bicycle Route 517, the same one we followed into Buffalo yesterday ever since crossing the state line. It’s an on-road route, but the traffic is reasonable and there are bicycle markers on the pavement of the right lane. Not really scenic, but it feels like the strategic choice in the interest of staying dry today.

A look back as we leave downtown Buffalo. Uniformly grey, a bit foggy. 70 degrees this morning, which is the warmest it will get all day. By midday it will drop to 65.

What a color riot! This is Metamorphosis #5, by Tavar Zawaki. At the time it was completed in 2019 it was the largest mural in western New York.

After nine miles it finally feels like we have left the city behind. We enjoy this pleasant mile or two on the Ellicott Creek Trailway and then return to the roads again until finally reaching the Erie Canal at Lockport.

American Black Ducks? I’m not really familiar with this species, which we don’t have out west.

Twenty miles into the ride we arrive at Lockport and latch on to the Erie Canal trail. The previous five miles have been slow and unattractive - traffic has gotten worse and we’ve been riding on the sidewalk over broken pavement cracked by roots. With more time and better weather I’d probably rather have taken the longer route to this point. And, the fog is settled in more here - it’s greyer, damp, even misting slightly. It’s a relief to finally reach Lockport and get off the road.

Lockport features what is probably one of the most interesting points in the entire Erie Canal system. There’s a 50 foot drop in the water level of the canal here, managed by two parallel sets of locks. The original ones, a narrow, stair-stepped set of five, was long ago superseded by newer, wider locks 34 and 35. The area is torn up now from a project to restore the state of the older locks to working order as a tourist attraction.

Dave, a retired mechanical engineer working at one of the locks, gives us an extended overview of the history and the project. He’s very enthusiastic, informative and upbeat - a heartwarming encounter. It’s a shame that this comes precisely at the most questionable moment in today’s weather. The mist is getting heavier as we listen to him and it feels like it may sound tart raining at any minute. Otherwise, we probably would have stopped here to get off the bikes and look around more.

In Lockport, this is the ‘Flight of Five Locks’, a complex part of the original canal system from 1849 with manually operated wooden gates. It is in the process of restoration to working condition again.

The original locks on the right, and the ‘new’ locks (#34 and 35) that replaced them.

Within five or ten minutes of leaving Lockport though the fog starts thinning out again; and it really isn’t a factor for the rest of the day. Riding is quite comfortable - cool, in the mid-sixties, a few degrees cooler than when the day began even. The canal surface is crushed stone, quite cycleable. We ride it for about ten miles and appreciate the solitude and serenity before leaving it at Middleport to follow a quiet paved street the rest of the way to Medina. We arrive at our motel, the modest Medina Inn, at 1:30 and check in early. We knew this would be an option because we had called earlier in the day to request it.

Along the Erie Canal, east of Lockport. A grey, foggy day, the likes of which we haven’t seen before on this tour.

At Gasport we were lucky to see one of the lift bridges in operation. It was just going up to give clearance for this boat as we biked by.

So what is this? It looks like a moveable breakwater. What is its purpose?

Medina’s a small place, not like Buffalo. It doesn’t take us long to check out the sights. We take a short bike excursion back to the canal to check out the main attraction here, the 40 foot Medina Falls where it drops over the lip of the Niagara Escarpment.

For dinner we walk a short distance to Mariachi de Oro, a restaurant that Rachael found in her research and is excited about. She was right to be excited. It’s a very appealing place, run by a Oaxacan family. A broad, diverse menu and an upbeat character, and very popular. It’s Friday night and this evening there’s a constant stream of folks arriving and queuing up to be seated. We were lucky to arrive at a time when we could be seated immediately as long as we were willing to sit in the bar area. For the next hour we enjoyed our meal (Rachael especially liked her shrimp and scallop fajitas) and the ever changing, boisterous scene at the bar.

Along the Erie Canal, looking back at Medina.

Just outside of Medina, Medina Falls on Old Orchard Creek drops about forty feet over a limestone ledge - part of our old friend the Niagara Escarpment, the formation we saw back in Door County.

This is an interesting perspective. On the left is the Erie Canal, and on the right is Medina Falls. Old Orchard Creek flows underneath the canal here.

I would have been happy to check out the bar and grill or bistro in downtown, but Rachael insisted on Mexican tonight so we’re eating at Mariachi de Oro. And she was right - it’s a great place, and where else do you have a chance to sidle up to the bar on a saddle?

Mariachi de Oro is very popular. We arrived early and we’re lucky to get in without a wait, but it’s been packed ever since. The bartender is slammed, trying to keep up with customers waiting at the bar for a table to free up.

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Keith KleinMe again,
You rode less than four blocks from my childhood home on Oxford Avenue in Amherst. If you continued down Bailey Ave past Millersport where you went right and took the second left onto Oxford you would have seen it.
Spell check seems to have deleted the « c » in Ellicott Creek. Used to go there to swim. The pollution in the creek might explain a few things….
Cheers,
Keith
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3 years ago

Ride stats today: 45 miles, 600’; for the tour: 1,531 miles, 39,200’

Today's ride: 45 miles (72 km)
Total: 1,531 miles (2,464 km)

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