Day 78 Syracuse, NY

August 2, 2018

We left the motel this morning as a large tour group was getting ready to hit the trail. They have a trailer to carry their luggage, so they didn't pack nearly as light as we have for this summer.

Some of this group seemed to pack a lot for a ten day trip!

I liked this old boat docked on the canal.

We didn't see any tugs and barges at work on the canal today, but we did pass this. Kerry figures it's a canal maintenance facility.

Our first stop was in the town of Clyde. It had a very nice little town park where we stopped for a drink and a snack.

Much of today's route was on the road. There were a few steep hills we didn't particularly enjoy, but asphalt was a nice change from gravel. When we did get back on the Canalway trail, parts of it were much less developed than the trail we've ridden the past three days.

Ar Weedsport, we saw the remains of an aqueduct - a stone and wood structure built to carry the canal over a stream.

At Camillus, there is a fully restored aqueduct. Camillus is also the halfway point on the Erie Canal. We're about ten miles east of there tonight, so we're over halfway from Buffalo to Albany.

Today's ride: 59 miles (95 km)
Total: 3,584 miles (5,768 km)

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Michael SchoenAmazing how close you came to another of my old stomping grounds, Cortland, NY. My step-daughter attended State university of New York at Cortland. I used to go up there from Baltimore every Fall for Parents' Weekend. Cortland apples are the best eating and cooking apples I have ever had.
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5 years ago

Alain AbbateTo Michael SchoenMichael,
Your comment about Cortland apples reminds me of a question Jeanna has been wondering about. Do Rome apples take their name from Rome NY?
We could probably look it up online, but we've been hoping to run across someone who knows. Even virtually running across you would count ;-)
Alain
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5 years ago

Boris FayferTo Alain AbbateThe 'Rome' apple (also known as 'Red Rome', 'Rome Beauty', 'Gillett's Seedling') is a cooking apple originating near Rome Township, Ohio, in the early 19th century. It remains popular for its glossy red fruit and for its utility in cooking.
The story is given that in 1817 Joel Gillet (also spelled "Gillett" or "Gillette" by his descendants) found a seedling tree in a shipment from a nursery.[1] His son planted the tree on the banks of the Ohio River in Rome Township near Proctorville, Ohio where several years later it was found producing red fruit. His cousin, Horatio Nelson Gillett took cuttings and started a nursery to promote the apple. Originally known as 'Gillett's Seedling', it was renamed the 'Rome Beauty' in 1832 in honor of the township. The original tree survived into the 1850s until it was felled by erosion of the river bank.
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5 years ago

Michael SchoenAlain - I must admit ignorance about Rome Apples, except for having enjoyed more than a few. They are my 2nd favorite apples right after Cortlands. Sorry I cannot be more help.
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5 years ago