To Seneca Falls

June 16, 2021

Today I will leave the Erie Canal Trail and head south, eventually landing in Ithaca where I will spend some time with friends. Today's destination is Seneca Falls, a city rich in the history of Women's Rights. I was hoping to arrive in time to visit some of the museums and sites commemorating these events – hence the long day yesterday and a relatively short day today.

I awoke to a beautiful morning – crisp clear air and blue skies. I wandered outside before breakfast to appreciate this working sheep farm/Airbnb and then enjoyed a good breakfast and long conversation with my hostess Margaret. I finally retrieved Vivien George from her quarters in the barn and did not depart until almost 9:30!

Wonderful black walnut trees grace the front yard of the Thomas Galloway House

The Airbnb/Bed and Breakfast is also a working sheep farm

Overnight quarters for Vivien George and Vincent

I retrieved Vivien George and Vincent from the barn and headed back to the canal. It was a delightful morning ride on a heavily wooded trail running several meters above the canal. In a number of places, road signs warned of "No Shoulder", and once cautioned that overhead clearance was 8'10" - a height I believe could be easily cleared by Bill Walton on his bike. The canal widened between Port Gibson and Newark, where I stopped at a bakery for some provisions.

There were a lot of "street sections" between Newark and Lyons and I regretted a bit not leaving the canal sooner. Back on the canal trail, I stopped for a quick snack at the dry dock at Lock 28a then said good-bye to the canal, for now.

After Palmyra, the trail runs above the canal until reaching Port Gibson

I didn't know that there had been a shoulder

The canal widens between Port Gibson and Newark

I headed south on NY State Highway 14, which was also Bike Route 14. I normally would avoid state highways, but reconsidered as it was also a bike route. Starting out, the shoulders were rather narrow and there was a lot of truck traffic speeding toward the NY Thruway. However, the shoulder widened after crossing into Ontario County, making for more relaxed riding though farmlands and open countryside peppered with flags and yard signs in support of Trump. I followed the bike route into the north Geneva, riding through neighbors of large, multi-storied homes that had seen better days. A quick pass through downtown brought me to the northern edge of Seneca Lake.

I had scoped out a little lakeside ice cream/hot dog stand and cycled over for a dog and root beer float. It was quite breezy out, and a huge gust of wind dislodged my table umbrella, sending it flying toward a group at a nearby table. I could only cry out a warning as the umbrella crashed into them – thankfully, no one was injured.

After lunch, I rode the shared path along the north edge of the lake though Seneca Lake State Park and picked up the Seneca-Cayuga Canal Trail. The Seneca-Cayuga Canal was opened in 1818 to transport goods between the two lakes and in 1828 was connected to the Erie Canal. The canal trail runs 5.2 mile through a wooded landscape on a crushed stone and dirt surface from the State Park to Waterloo. It provided a nice route east toward Seneca Falls, though the section crossing under the highway seemed more tailored to walkers than cyclists. The trail ended Waterloo and the River Rd took me the last three miles to Seneca Falls. I arrived about 3:30, leaving just enough time for a quick wardrobe change and an abbreviated visit to the birthplace of Women’s Rights.

Navigating roadways - heading south on Route 14, Bikeway 14

Lunch spot and site of "Umbrellas in the Wind" I no longer have an umbrella at my table - it has been packed away for bad behavior

The first Women’s Rights Convention was held at the Wesleyan Chapel in Seneca Falls on July 19-20, 1848. Three hundred people attended the Convention and a group of 100 (68 women and 32 men) signed a Declaration of Sentiments, which was modeled after the Declaration of Independence but stated that “all men and women are created equal”. The Declaration of Sentiments includes 11 resolutions on Women’s Rights, including the 9th resolution that demanded women have a right to vote. Thus began the Women’s Suffrage Movement, which eventually resulted in ratification of the 19th Amendment to the US Constitution in 1920, granting women to vote.

Today, Seneca Falls has several sites commemorating the Women’s Rights Convention and celebrating the contributions of women. Unfortunately, many of these sites were not open today, including the National Women’s Hall of Fame. Undeterred, my first stop was the Women’s Rights National Historic Park, established in 1980 at the site of the first convention. It is a small park, totaling less than 7 acres at multiple sites in Seneca Falls and in nearby Waterloo. The Visitor Center is located at the site of the Wesleyan Chapel and though it was closed today there was an outdoor program set to begin 10 minutes after I arrived. The program was delivered to a party of two – myself and Ellen, who was overnighting in Seneca Falls on her way from Maine to Minneapolis.

It turned out to be a most interesting and informative hour-long program, with the park ranger essentially answering all our queries about who, what, and why. I vaguely knew that Quakers played a prominent role in both abolition and women's rights but I was fascinated to learn that this region of Western New York was a hotbed of a variety of reformers and religious zealots – many brought to this area by the Erie Canal. In fact, the region is referred to as the Burned Over District due to the fervor ignited by religious revivals and new religious movements. I find it a bit paradoxical that both Women’s Rights and the Mormon Church emerged from the melting pot of new and radical ideas that intermingled here in the 1830s and 1840s.

Ellen and I decided to meet for dinner and rejoined at a local tapas restaurant where we laughed and learned we had many things in common. Afterwards we strolled around town, visiting historic sites, wandering the Ludovico Sculpture Trail, and crossing the George Bailey Bridge – of “It’s a Wonderful Life” fame. It certainly is a wonderful life when you get to ride your bike all day, meet interesting people, and visit sites of historical and personally meaningful significance.

Wesleyan Chapel, site of the first Convention on Women's Rights

Important figures in the early Women's Rights Movement. On purple side are Lucretia Mott, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, and Mary Ann McClintock. On the yellow side are Martha Wright, Frederick Douglas, and I forget...

Declaration of Sentiments - the manifesto of women's grievances and demands modeled on the Declaration of Independence

Statue depicting first meeting of Susan B Anthony (left) and Elizabeth Cady Stanton (right) who were introduced by Amelia Bloomer (center)

Amelia Bloomer - along the Ludovico Sculpture Trail

George Bailey Bridge and Ludovico Sculpture Trail. On the right is Amelia Bloomer in the garment she made famous

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Today's ride: 43 miles (69 km)
Total: 383 miles (616 km)

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