Day 45 Rochester NY to Syracuse NY

Day 45
Rochester NY to  Liverpool (Syracuse) NY
Miles Ridden 91.6
Climbing 1960 Ft.
Total Miles Ridden 3244.1
Miles to Go 347.7



The first third of today's ride was along the Erie Canal on the Canalway Trail. It was paved for the first six or seven miles but then turned to hard dirt for about 25. The ride through several picturesque villages was pleasant but we and our bikes were covered with dust and grit by the end. The canal here is  stagnant looks terribly polluted but there were a number of rowing clubs out on it for a morning workout.

Lock 30 on the Erie Barge Canal

It took a lot of water to raise a small boat

Riding along the canal in Pittsford

We passed several working locks and watched a  pontoon boat getting lifted. After we left the Canalway, we got on NY Highway 31. New York designates certain roads, like this one, as bike routes. Cyclists ride on the road but there are (generally) wide shoulders and a good surface. This one goes from Niagara Falls to Massachusetts.

The rode continued through Palmyra which I remember from the Book of Mormon as being an important place in Mormon history. One intersection in town had a church on each corner. The route generally followed the old Erie Canal and found the flattest terrain through the region. We rode through what were the Swamps of Montezuma where thousands of Irish laborers died of fever during the construction of the old Erie Canal. It's been drained now but the road had to be raised to keep it from flooding.

Just before we got to the hotel in Liverpool, we stopped at Heid's, drive-in that's been around for over a hundred years. Great hot dogs.

Heid's Drive In, since 1917

For dinner my friends Carol and Charley Cleary drove in from Oneida and took us to dinner at the Dinosaur Bar-B-Que in Syracuse for a great meal. We made plans to stop off on our ride tomorrow as the route takes us within two blocks of their house.

Getting started at the Dinosaur Bar-B-Que

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