11-Pittsford-Medina: Fifty Miles on the Erie Canal

53.3 miles/ +773.6 ft/ Total miles 519.9

Tailwind, no hills, no rain, no cars! Riding on packed limestone dust at 12-14 mph. What could be better!

I enjoyed seeing friends in Rochester, and took advantage of their hospitality. It was nice to have a chance to talk about so many things with long-time friends. 

In the morning, I got back on the Canalway Trail where I left off in Pittsford and headed west around Rochester, and then continued to Medina. I stopped in a couple of the small towns along the trail (to eat) and I stopped to take pictures of some of the canal structures. This part of the canal (after Rochester) is the enlargement of the original Erie Canal, and is so flat that along the entire ride today I did not pass a single lock.

But I did pass several drawbridges: 

And a few of these Guard Gates. They are used to isolate a section of the canal so it can be drained for maintenance and repairs. They are several miles apart. 

Near the village of Holley, I found a couple who are riding the canal from Buffalo to Albany on their Bike Fridays . They are originally from Oregon and have done a lot of bike touring and also sailing. It was fun to talk to touring cyclists on the trail! I’m looking forward to meeting more in the coming weeks. 

As I got close to the village of Medina, the embankment on the north side of the canal (where I was riding) got higher and higher. And then I caught sight of a road at the bottom of the embankment that went under the canal! It is called Culvert Road, and it goes through a rock-lined tunnel or culvert that was re-built when the canal was enlarged. As I came into Medina, the canal (which is basically flat) continued to be elevated above the landscape to the north and then went over Old Orchard Creek, which cascaded below, dropping 50 ft or more into Goodwin Lake. 

I am staying in a beautiful bed and breakfast in Medina, in a house built in 1850. The village is quite charming and has a nicely preserved 19th century Main Street., which is a historic district.