May 30, 2025
Day 19 Fair Haven to Palmyra
Average speed: 10.1
Overall a good day. Weather was good. It started cloudy and cool, but the sun came out after an hour. The roads were ok, some nice back roads and some busier county and state roads with varying shoulder widths. One section had climbs, in decently heavy traffic, with a very small shoulder. That’s the worst situation since when in a low gear (easy) going up hill, it’s more difficult to keep the bike going straight within a narrow, 1.5 ft shoulder.
Most cars were good, giving plenty of space in passing, some almost like they are passing another car. You can hear cars approaching you passing the median and know they are giving you space when you hear their tires cross the median rumble strip. But there are others. I think some cars feel that if you’re on the other side of the white line, even on a narrow strip, then that’s my space and they have their space and they barely move. That’s annoying.
It’s always a nice respite to get on a side road, even with no shoulder, but very little traffic and better scenery. Today’s scenery was fruit farms. I did not realize this, but this section of New York is filled with orchards of varying types - apple, grapes, strawberries, and others I could not identity. (I could only identify them if there was a sign describing them). Some fields had posts set up with wires diagonally anchored to the ground, but nothing growing yet so I could not tell what was planted. I’m clueless on this stuff. Three tomatoes plants a year are the only things I’ve ever successfully grown.
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I was wondering, since this is clearly Bills country, whether Orchard Park, where the Bills play, had or has a similar agricultural origin. It’s not hard to infer and probably quite an obvious conclusion.
The hills were more significant than the past couple of days. A couple of climbs, but generally the elevation gain was greater, and seemed with less long downhills. But still not difficult. Nothing like Ti to Long Lake.
The route hugged Lake Ontario for a bit, which was nice. Sodus, Pultneyville and other small places have beautiful views of the lake. There are some nice parks and homes which are situated right on the water, and several marinas and yacht clubs. Then the route heads south, which brought some more hills.
Farms were along the lake portion and more inland. Farmers were out plowing, cutting grass and generally tending to their crops. It’s a hard life, harder than this bike trip, which I’m very fortunate to have the opportunity to do.
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I need to be more deliberate about taking breaks. The mileage isn’t difficult and I can manage the hills without an issue, but it’s more enjoyable to stop and assess where I’ve been and where I am. Today I did “OK” but not great. The one longer break I took was about 10 miles outside of Palmyra. This place was perfect. Coffee and pastry were just what I wanted. And it was on a beautiful farm. A place to make a note of.
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Then it was onto Palmyra (named after an ancient city in Syria), a town rich in history. First was the Erie Canal. I think Palmyra’s nickname is "Canal Town," since I’m seeing street signs and other references to the name. The towpath, along which horses pulled the barges is now a trail (which I’ll be on tomorrow). It has one of the last existing “Change Bridges.” Occasionally the horses (or donkeys?) had to change sides of the canal to keep pulling. Palmyra preserved the one they had.
Palmyra is also one of 10 towns in the US that has four churches at the intersection of two highways. Here they are:
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And for good measure, the Catholic Church was a block off the intersection, near where Alvin Smith (Joseph’s father) was buried.
Note, the Mormon Temple is two miles down the street, but I did not feel like walking there, and the bike was done for the day.
The biggest historical draw for Palmyra is the Mormons, of Church of Latter Day Saints. This is where Joseph Smith grew up (he was born in Vermont, and I’ve biked near his birthplace), and this is the birthplace of the Mormon Church. Near the Mormon Temple is the Sacred Orchard, where Joseph Smith found the Golden Plates, which form the basis of the religion. He was only 24 when he started the movement. Then the church moved on to Ohio, the Midwest and eventually Utah. But Palmyra is where it began and where the first Book of Mormon was published, and where copies of the Book of Mormon (there is one in every Marriott hotel room) are produced.
A lot of interesting things to take in this town, which draws thousands of visitors, I'm sure many of them Mormons. There were three busloads of younger high school / college kids walking the streets and taking in the sights. The boys in white shirts, ties and dark pants, and the girls in dresses. Members of LDS, I think.
Dinner at the Hog and Hen (really good and expensive - I’m definitely not roughing it). Tomorrow Brockport, maybe in the rain!!!
Today's ride: 50 miles (80 km)
Total: 722 miles (1,162 km)
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