A new update on our Erie Canal Book

To All,

I recently got this update from a reader of my Erie Canal biking book:

“I've been reading through your book in prep for my participation in the PTNY Canal ride in July.  On page 48 under "Special cautions" you make note of Lock 33 and a couple flights of stairs to carry your bike down.  I wanted to let you know that there is now a street crossing at that location now. No need to carry the bikes down the stairs.”

Thanks to our digital technology we were able to update our book on Amazon. That updated version is now available from our webpage at: https://rogerfulton.com/ny-trail-guides/state/

We always appreciate our readers checking in with updates. We can’t be everywhere all the time.

Thank you,

Roger 

Erie Canalway- Lockport to Amherst update

We just got back from a trip to Western New York to explore the newest segment of the Erie Canalway Trail from Lockport to Amherst.  This segment closes about an eight-mile gap in the Erie Canalway Trail.  So, to update our 2016 book, Bicycling the Erie Canalway Trail, Tips and advice for your adventure(s), we just had to go out and see for ourselves what was going on.  And we found out about a five-and-a-half-mile paved section from Pendleton to Lockport is complete and very nice.  However, the section from Pendleton to Amherst, although only two miles, is still pending construction.  Despite this, you can still complete the Erie Canalway Trail, just that last segment is still “on road”.  Should you be interested in riding this new section, from Lockport to Pendleton, the Lockport Trailhead is accessible from Stevens Street and State Road in Lockport.  The GPS for that location is N 43˚ 09.838’, W 078˚ 42.055’.  

Any questions about this new segment, drop me a note at roger@rogerfulton.com or give me a call afternoon or evening at 386-956-6089.  Hope you enjoy this new segment, headed east or west.

The Erie Canal Book is out!

Roger Fulton

27 ½ N. Church St., Apt. A, Cortland, NY 13045

Afternoons and Evenings: 386-956-6089

Web: www.RogerFulton.com            Email: Roger@RogerFulton.com

________________________________________________________________________

Press Release

(For release after May 16, 2016)

Bicycling the Erie Canalway Trail:
Tips and advice for your adventure(s)

 

Whether you want a local day trip, or want to travel the entire 366 miles of the Erie Canalway Trail from Buffalo to Albany, we can help. This guide details the routes, GPS readings for key locations and accounts of the key attractions and destinations along the way. It also gives details of "what we found" as we personally bicycled all along the entire route.

We found cyclists who had lost their way and travelled miles out of their ways with inadequate preparation and guidance. This book wants to help you avoid those pitfalls. With our GPS readings and accounts, and your GPS or phone, you can look forward to a great series of outings, or a continuous trek across the state of New York, retracing the steps of those great pioneers of the 1800's.

It's a "fun" adventure and we hope this book helps you to enjoy it.

2016, 100 pages, full color photos, water resistant paper, spiral bound, 4 x 8 format.

Price: $19.95

To order this book, or any of our other titles, with a credit card, call the publisher Common Man Books at 866-793-0555 or go through their website at www.commonmanbooks.com.

Media Contact: Any of the contact points listed above.

Day 14 - Headed Home

It's been a great experience, flat tires and all. A couple of wrong turns along the way, no negative experiences and we met some interesting people along the way. We started August 1st and ended August 20th of 2015. We actually covered about 400 miles of trails and roads overall. So now we are headed home to Central New York; Cortland to be exact, just south of Syracuse. We will make it along the New York State Thruway in my Jeep Wrangler much faster than these folks did nearly 200 years ago when the Erie Canal first opened. We'll just have a few more sore muscles than they did after our 14 day bike tour along the Erie Canal.

I'm here to answer any questions you may have about biking the Erie Canalway Trail. We will have one of our usual trail guides out about it in 2016 if all goes well. But until then you can always contact me through my webpage at www.RogerFulton.com or via email at: Roger@RogerFulton.com.

 

Day 13ish - On to Albany - 29 miles

At this point the days were a little fuzzy as we headed out on the final leg to Albany along the paved and very nice Mohawk-Hudson Bike Trail. Great trail but hills and headwinds were the order of the day. Serious hills (the walking kind) around Knowles Atomic Power Lab coming out of Schenectady. Yet there was a perfectly flat old trail we could see along the river below. Yea, the terrorists won this round! But, undaunted we continued into Albany fighting a headwind most of the way, but we finally arrived at the Albany Basin on the Hudson River in downtown Albany. The sign said "Buffalo 360 miles" and pointed West. But only 145 miles to NY City if we wanted to continue South. Not today, thank you. 360+ miles has been enough for this summer. :-) It has been a GREAT experience, but we ARE tired. Wouldn't trade it even for a pot of gold!

Day 12 - Palatine to Schenectady 35ish miles

Well, my calculations said about 25 miles, but that was apparently "as the crow flies" and not the bike trail route. Great trail to Amsterdam and a nice lunch, right on the trail, at La Cucina Restaurant. No sign, but you'll see it at the parking area and there's a bike rack on the trail. Then several miles of Bike Route 5 along Route 5S. Yea, we hate road riding but we had to do it. In Rotterdam we picked up the Mohawk Hudson Bike Trail and cruised into the Rotterdam Kiwanis Park for a break. Then it was an easy paved trail ride into Scotia. Then a few city streets in Schenectady to our hotel in the Stockade section of Schenectady. A long, hot day but all's well that ends well.

Our Fan Club greeted us along the way

In the Stockade Section 

Day 11 - Herkimer to Palatine Bridge 30+ miles

After great tune-ups of our bikes at Dick's Wheel Shop in Herkimer, (Dick was VERY nice to us to get us on our way), we headed for Palatine Bridge, NY, across from Canajoharie. First stop was at the Herkimer Church and Fortress. Yes, by today's standards it is an oxymoron, but back then it served both purposes. A church with gun ports. A piece of history. That was the frontier at the time!
As we continued  along the trail we took shelter from thunderstorms at the Herkimer Home Historic Site and monument. and again at a lock along the way. Lockmasters are great!
Two miles from the Palatine Motel in Palatine Bridge - another flat tire. Walked it on in and changed yet another tire. Getting to be a habit. :-) Great hospitality at the Palatine Motel and all was good for the next day's outing to Schenectady.