Syracuse, NY

August 3, 2018

Well, it was another day of forecast rain and another day of "disappointment." Not! But the clouds made for cool weather and nice riding. At least for the morning.

Today's ride to Syracuse.

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Which started out on the canal . . . but that did not last long. Not even a mile, in fact, and then we were on a local road for about two miles before returning to the canal for two more. This went back and forth one more time before we passed through Lyon and then were on local roads and NY-31 for about 24 miles . . . all the way to Port Byron.

This is also where we were reintroduced to hills . . . not seen since that climb into Niagara.

Sights along the way include what may be the world's smallest cemetery.

Finally, while the road riding was a nice change of pace, NY-31 didn't have much to offer besides a wide shoulder and gentle grades, so it was nice to return to the trail.

So why all the countryside road riding? Because sometime in the 1850s, they built a new, larger canal that went north of Syracuse through Lake Oneida, making the original canal fairly useless. It was abandoned soon after the new canal opened. But the Erie Canal Trail stays true to the old alignment and follows what remains of that canal through Syracuse. It made the city after all. Unfortunately, not much remains on this stretch, but once you get to Port Byron, the trail follows much of what remains.

The old (original) canal. This section is filled with water, but other sections are mostly just overgrown with brush and trees.

The remains of what was once an aqueduct, made of wood but sitting on these stone piers, that carried the canal over creeks and streams.

In this section, you see the form of the canal, now nicely groomed with stairs leading down to the green. The original canal was called Clinton's Ditch, and here you can see why. It was very shallow — two feet was the minimum water depth.

An interesting structure sitting out on the canal.

There is some effort to restore the old canal, but I'm sure it will cost a lot of money just to remove some of the scrub and trees that have grown up over the years. At the Nine Mile Creek Aqueduct, they actually rebuilt the structure using techniques and plans from the 1830s. Impressive.

The Nine Mile Creek Aqueduct as seen from the towpath.

And the original arches that support the towpath.

Finally, we were within striking distance of Syracuse. At about seven miles out, we were back on pavement and working our way through a semi-industrial zone for the city center. I knew I was there when this appeared!

Well, that made me stop and pause! OK, everybody probably knows this building, but it's one thing to know it and another to see it!

Today's ride: 58 miles (93 km)
Total: 972 miles (1,564 km)

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