We had a nice traditional breakfast at the B&B — eggs, bacon, and potatoes, with some fresh fruit thrown in for good measure. And we had a later than normal start, a little before 10:00 AM . . . but that always works for me. There were, again, threats of rain, but nothing materialized, so we rode the mile or so into town to admire the street wall and take some pictures. Yesterday we had arrived in the rain, but now we could enjoy it in full daylight.
Our next stop, about five miles down the canal, was at Adams Basin, where we spied a vintage house, built in 1825, that has served many functions for travelers on the canal, including general store, post office, and tavern, but mostly as an inn.
A historic house that once served as an inn on the canal.
We were making a more concerted effort today to read the historic markers along the way rather than just keep pedaling. So we stopped at the Junction Lock, which is buried in dirt with only the gate levers still evident. While there, I also chatted with two local chaps who were quite entertaining.
What remains of the Junction Lock in North Gates, just west of Rochester. It is literally buried in dirt.
Time for a selfie! Jerry and I do not ride at the same pace, so we often are separated, but I've learned to actually like, maybe even prefer, selfies, so it's ok lol.
At the same stop, I met Dave and Tony (Portuguese and Italian, respectively, as Tony mentioned several times). Dave, on the left, is an experienced cyclist, and Tony is just getting into it.
Originally, the canal ran through the middle of Rochester. When the canal was enlarged and realigned, the alignment went south of Rochester, but the old canal was still used; hence, a junction lock (i.e., Junction Lock) was required to join the two canals. Subsequently, the "downtown" canal was abandoned, and Junction Lock was no longer required.
So passing this lock meant we were approaching Rochester, our first major urban experience since Toronto, really. The trail through Rochester is paved, which was a nice change of pace from the cinders we've been on most of the way. And there were very few at-grade intersections to cross. In fact, Rochester has done a pretty good job of integrating the trail into the local parks and trail system. And it looks like they should have ample opportunity for future rail trails!
As we approached Rochester, we started crossing abandoned rail lines into and out of the city. This looks like a future rail trail to me!
The far side of Rochester was relatively anticlimactic since you pass through more suburbs, including past a new REI store! There was nothing remarkable until Palmyra . . . so here are views from the trail.
A short-span railroad truss bridge, highly skewed, crossing the canal near Pittsford.
I haven't seen too many boats on the canal navigating the locks, so I stopped to watch this one pass through. It had already filled, so I was there just in time to watch the gates open.
So a lot of the older trusses, still in use today but probably built in the 1930s, need repairs . . . and are closed to road traffic until that can be undertaken! Fortunately, they were open to us! Not that it would stop me . . .
When I rounded the corner coming from the towpath, I was surprised to find a closed bridge . . . then I saw the passage for pedestrians. Good, no detour required!
So I lingered there for a bit and met a nice family unit of Dad, son, and two girls, out for a bike ride. They live near Newark and were out for a day ride. We chatted for a while, with me hoping Jerry would catch up in the meanwhile. But no such luck, so I rode with them partway to Newark. We separated, and then Jerry caught up with me. Oh well. Time to get to our hotel . . .
Our last challenge of the day, a much newer but closed bridge in Palmyra.
