Rochester New York has a great bike trail system. The trail along the canal is paved and signed very well, still we got confused when we came to the intersection between the Erie Canal and the Genesee River, the river and canal look a lot alike. A crane on a barge was removing hazardous drift logs while a few people watched from a bridge above the crane. We stopped and talked to Karen and Jonny, to get directions to the canal. We ended up talking to them for quite some time. They were very helpful with directions and interested in hearing about our trip. One more example of how great it is meeting people on this trip. When we reached Palmyra (of Joseph Smith fame) we left the trail and rode north, on roads again, to Lake Ontario. We have now seen all 5 Great Lakes; Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie, and Ontario. This area we are riding through was important in the early 1800’s as a shipping port for coal, but lost importance as a port after the Erie Canal was completed. One of the claims to fame around Sodus Point was the fact that the village was burned, except for a single building, in the War of 1812. Since next year is the 200th anniversary of the War, it seems as if both here and in Canada that interest is increasing in the War of 1812 history. Today Sodus Point is a major recreational area. On the walls of our lodge are lots of pictures of fish and references to ice fishing and hunting. It has been cooler today, a little respite from the heat that makes pedling easier.
Greg
— Sent from my Palm Pre