Already where they want to be.

I take back anything derogatory I have ever said about gravel, or at least crushed limestone, as a cycling surface. We experienced 3 types of surfaces on the Erie Canalway trail today: crushed limestone, asphalt, and concrete.

The concrete section was one giant rumble strip. Fortunately, this was a short section leading to a nice waterfall.

A nice waterfall next to the canal. Where did the water come from?

The falls come from a stream that flows under the canal. You can see the shadow of the canal (and the shadows of team A).

Several rivers pass under the canal, but this is the only road which goes under the canal.

The asphalt sections were full of uplifts caused by tree roots. Although we could go a couple of mph faster on the asphalt, the jarring bumps from the roots made me long for the limestone.

The crushed limestone is well maintained. What's not to like?

Team S reaching the northernmost point on the Erie Canal.

We made a breakfast stop in Albion. It's a good looking town with lots of Medina sandstone buildings.

The Swan library in Albion. Carnegie was not the only benefactor of small town libraries.

The stone for this church must have traveled down the canal from Medina.

We made a brief circuit of Brockport, home of one of the many branches of the State University of New York (SUNY). All the campus buildings are made of brick. Perhaps the sandstone quarries had been played out by the 1960s, maybe brick was cheaper, or maybe fashions had just changed.

This building dates back to learning institutions that predate SUNY.

No shortage of rectangular buildings on campus.

Virtually every house on the street next to campus was a student rental.

In places, the route of the Erie Canalway (the newest and largest version of the canal) differs from the earlier 19th century canal routes. Near the town of Greece, the water levels of the old and new versions differ by 3 feet. Most of the new Canalway was completed by 1918, but this section was not finished until 1920. For 2 years, boats had to use the old canal to get through this section. This meant only smaller boats that could fit in the old locks could pass.

This is where the old canal route was used to bypass the new canal route during construction of the new canal. A lock was needed to account for the 3' difference between the old and new canal water levels.

One reason the new canal route took an extra 2 years in this section was they had to cut through this rock for a couple of miles. Even with the "modern" power tools of 1918, this would have been a challenge.

We saw quite a few canal boats today. They look like rentals rather than tour boats. Lots of them had bikes stowed on the roof.

Folks like to combine boating and biking on the canal.

The bridges go right up for even the smallest boats.

There are lots of other bikes on the Canalway trail. For the first time since we left the Katy trail, many of the bikes we see are loaded with gear for long trips. It's ironic that they are traveling a long way, when all the cycle tourists we have stopped and talked to are already exactly where they want to be at this moment in time.

Most deer run away when a bike approaches. Deer on the canal amble away.

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