Monday, July 26, 2010

Drying Out




One of my favorite overnight stops on the Erie Canal bike tour was at Syracuse, NY. We stayed in a city park with access to a pool and dinner at the zoo. But, the activity I enjoyed best was walking around tent city, taking pictures of the ingenious ways people found to dry out after the previous night's rain.

Friday, July 23, 2010

Cycling The Erie Canal




In case you're worried that I'm lost somewhere in a southwestern canyon and you're about to send out a search party, I should let you know, you're looking in the wrong direction. For the last week or so I've been exploring the northeast. I've been traveling with a biker gang. Not motorcyclists, but a group of about 500 bicyclists traveling over 400 miles from Buffalo to Albany, New York along the Erie Canal.

Now, don't get me wrong. I am not a biker. I own a bike, but it's been sitting neglected in my basement for several years. It's more of a clothes rack than a mode of transportation. I like to drive, walk and hike. Biking...not so much.

My sister, Kay, likes to bike. Every year she finds a multi-day, cross-country trip to join. This year she was tired of setting up a tent after a long day of biking, so she recruited me to be her personal "sag" driver. I transported her luggage and bike, drove her to and from the ride, and provided a cozy place to sleep at night. In exchange, I participated in all the fun tour activities, met a lot of interesting people, had plenty of time to take pictures and learn about early American history, and of course, had a chance to enjoy my sister's fine company.