Ive turned away from the lake and am heading inland. Yesterday and today (the morning at least), I’m traveling on the Erie Canal trail. The whole zone is a National Heritage Corridor. The bridges, half of which are out of service, are khaki colored (note that i am color blind) and all are turning 100 years old.
The trail is hard packed and easy to ride, until it started to rain. Then the tires sank in the surface.
It rained on and off, more refreshing than a detriment. On the other hand, I could do without the headwind. Those will continue today. Que sera…
This is Tom. He runs Dog Ears Bookstore in South Buffalo. A portion of sales supports the Enlightenment Literary Arts Center.
And, as the first bookstore I’ve seen since Cleveland, I was able to get myself a book to read that I hasn’t already read. Finally.
Buffalo buffalo buffalo buffalo.
Last night stayed in Evans, NY. Evan is part of the Angola-on-the-Lake to Point Breeze vacation zone. According to one source, this is the third most popular vacation destination in New York State. Numbers one and two weren’t listed. If New York City is excluded, because I think it’d be number one, then maybe Niagara Falls and the Olympic/high peaks region of the Adirondacks?
Point Breeze has a Jersey Shore feel about it. I ate at Castaways. It was $2-Jagerbombs-until-you-stagger-off-to-violate-your-restraining-order night at the bar.
There were storms of potentially damaging quality predicted last night. I out extra effort into closing the hatches and securing the lines.
Never materialized. It drizzled some small drops this morning. Disappointing.
I gangly had to change my tire this morning. I’m outfitted now with a brand new tire. It sticks out, obviously less traveled than the rest of the bike.
Eagle Bay, NY
Barcelona, NY’s lighthouse is the oldest remaining on Lake Erie. Built in 1829, it was lit off of it’s own natural gas well. The well ran dry 9 years later and the light was decommissioned shortly thereafter when someone realized that there was no harbor there.
It’s now a private residence.
New York rolls out the mat for the schooner. I promptly lie on it.
It’s the state that obtains my endpoint, and that’s already bittersweet, but I am telling myself it’s too early for nostalgia.
Also, this marks the last place I make make the obvious pun about my PENNultimate state. Whew, that was close.
Sure, sure. It’s 10 am. But this America’s biggest wine region east of the Rockies!
And, ok, “biggest” isn’t necessarily the best bragging point, but the ice wine was fantastic.
Stealth camping in plain sight. At the Lake Erie Community Park, I couldn’t find anyone at the office, free waiting around awhile I helped myself to the perfect campsite above the lake.
Nobody bothered me, no one cared. And that’s fine.
Sunset over Lake Erie from my campsite outside Lake City, PA.
The shoreline is straight here and for 180 degrees over the water, I can’t see land. There are no lights from boats. Only streaks of wind on the surface of the water.
15 minutes after the picture was taken, my small borrowed piece of ground turned away from the sun.