I woke up this morning in a very soft, warm, and comfortable bed. Bob was up early, already watching biking videos, and Jean was in the kitchen preparing a sumptuous breakfast of eggs, sausage, toast, and coffee. They were extremely generous hosts - Bob gave me a pair of camp sandals for nights when I wouldn't be as fortunate, a biking jersey, and even a USB cord to charge the Garmin GPS. While drinking our coffee, Bob and I watched videos of the Erie Canal bike path from a biker's vantage point. To say that Bob is an avid biker would be to understate the fact. He has ridden several 200 mile days, just because, and he and Jean have been huge Warmshowers advocates, hosting countless cold and hungry trekkers like me over the years. They even keep a guestbook just for people they've hosted to sign in and comment on their stay. I really can't say enough about this generous couple.
I spent most of the day riding on the canal path, which was in very good shape overall. Although not paved for most of it, it is very well packed and quite smooth for a gravel path. With sunny skies and more favorable riding conditions, more people were out on the path today than yesterday. I met several people biking the length of the path, and one couple hoofing it from Buffalo to Rochester.
Not a lot of boats on the canal today, but this was a nice one.
The main advantage of canal paths is that there are no hills or traffic, no small matter mind you, but they can get monotonous, with long stretches of very similar scenery. So I got off periodically and rode on bike route 5, which pretty much parallels the canal. I could easily ride 2 to 3 mph faster on the pavement, and it did offer a change of scene.
Colin BakerThe only tractors that big in Maine are up in Aroostook County where they farm huge tracts, usually for potatoes. A new tractor with special rigs for planting or harvesting 12 rows at a time can be $0.5 million or more. It takes a lot of potatoes to pay for that. So they have to farm thousands of acres. It’s kind of a vicious circle.
The rig in the pic is older and a local welder made the cab and is probably maintaining the rig. Saves a huge amount of money and risk for the farmer. Reply to this comment 10 months ago
jim katzinTo Colin BakerActually, there were two other identical tractors on this site. They might be imported, but I really don't know. Reply to this comment 10 months ago
as I was riding on the highway, I passed this medium sized manufacturing plant with a parking lot full of cars. I was curious to find out what was being made there and attracting full employment. I went into the office and asked a manager, and he said that are one of the largest manufacturers of the woven tape used in plaster and drywall joints.
Mark WhiteSo is the woodchuck the NYS rodent? Why is their Conservation Commission flagging their Burrows? I had woodchucks camping on my property in New Paltz and no one from Albany offered these nice pink flags to me. Reply to this comment 10 months ago
Colin BakerLocks must be the most expensive part of the canal. Lots of stonework or concrete, and pumps to move water, depending on the direction of travel. Reply to this comment 10 months ago
jim katzinTo Colin BakerI'm sure this was the most expensive lock. It's actually a triple lock, with one set of mechanized locks and one set of manually operated. Reply to this comment 10 months ago
Late in the day, I contacted Bob again to inquire about places to camp near the trail where I was going to be at quitting time. He was very helpful with several suggestions, including the town youth camp, called 9 mile island youth camp, where I will spend the night. I pulled into the camp, and it was totally deserted and looked it hadn't been used in years. Everything was kind of falling apart, there was an unregistered mini-van parked in front of the caretaker's house, and all of the buildings appear to have been taken over by rodents. But the grass had been mowed at least once this year and there were plenty of level spots to pitch a tent. While I was setting up my tent, a man pulled into the camp in a jeep. I introduced myself and told him of my plans. He is the scoutmaster of a local boy scout troop that uses land adjacent to the one that I was in for scouting activities. He said he didn't think anyone would mind if I spent the night there.
Among all of the buildings, there was one unlocked door, and that was on the boys' bathroom. I opened the door and discovered lights that worked, water turned on, and flush toilets. No hot water, but luxury nonetheless! I crawled in the tent after sunset and prepared for a very cold night.
The bathroom with flush toilet and electricity. Too bad it didn't have heated toilet seats.
