We headed north on our way to New York leaving Interstate 81 at Greencastle, PA. We drove through a wide valley between two Appalachian mountains to Mifflin. We saw fields of corn and soybeans planted to the horizons and a few horse and buggies along the way to the Buttonwood Campround (really nice)!
Thursday
On our way to the Red Rock Pond Campground in Holley, NY, we drove secondary roads enjoying the scenery. The campground is the same one we stayed at two years ago when we rode the western part of the Erie Canal Trail. The trail is across the road from the campground!
Friday
Today we started our ride on the sections of the Erie Canal east of Rochester; from Fairport to Palmyra. We loved the western part of the trail because you ride next to the canal through beautiful farmland and quaint towns. On this ride, it was apparent that the trail was quite different, often leaving the canal and winding through woods and along highways.
Saturday
In Fairport, we met our friend Sara to ride to Pittsford and back. It was a pretty ride along the canal through suburban neighborhoods…and at the turn around there was ice cream! After the ride we went to Sara and Matha’s house to catch up with them and have dinner. It was so good to see them! We love them and it is so great to see they are happy and doing well in Rochester!
Sunday
Today we drove to Lecthworth State Park, which encompasses a long, deep, narrow canyon carved by the Genesee River. It was the first time we saw a “dry” dam that is only filled during heavy rain periods to prevent flooding down river.
Upon exiting the park, we were only a few miles from Houghton College, Bill and Laurie’s alma mater. So we drove there in honor of them! It is a beautiful campus.
Monday
Today was a travel day. We’ll be camping at the Herkimer Diamond KOA for 8 days to ride the Erie Canal Trail and explore the southern Adirondacks.
Tuesday
We rode the Erie Canal Trail from Niskayuna to Cohoes. It is a beautiful paved section that parallels the Mohawk River but you mostly ride through wooded areas. It is hilly so I was glad I had my RideKick trailer! After riding we drove to Lock 2 of the Erie Canal. It is in downtown Cohoes. Where is Lock 1? Well, there is a lock on the Hudson River that lifts boats up to the level of the Mohawk River, but the first actual lock on the Canal is #2!
Wednesday
We rode the Canal from Ilion to Little Falls. As you can see it is a paved and well maintained! Gretchen stopped to see if she could find a 4 leaf clover 🍀 in this patch, but she quickly realized she did not have the patience she did when she was as old as our grand children!
Thursday
Exploration of the southern Adirondacks was on our agenda today. We did a counterclockwise loop from Herkimer to Lake Pleasant, Indian Lake, Raquette Lake, Old Forge and home. It was a beautiful ride with the leaves just beginning to change color! As we drove through the eastern part of the park, we realized how remote it is. Of course it is the largest state park in the U.S! We also commented on how run down the pockets of civilization were in this area! By the time we got to Old Forge, the first town it would have been nice to walk around, it began to pour!
Friday
God of Worry
Today we drove a loop to see Utica, Rome, Oneida and Oneida Lake. Driving through the towns in north central New York the past week, we just think they appear that better times are in the past! We found a great spot to eat lunch and walk around in Rome, the Griffiss International Sculpture Park.
Gretchen contemplating Sisyphus!
Trip Advisors #1 To Do in Oneida is “the smallest church in the world.” The non-denominational Cross Island Chapel is 51” X 81”, seats two people and is open to the public upon request!
Back at our campground, we had to see what a Herkimer diamond was like; the KOA owns a mine! The diamonds are perfectly clear and on the hardness scale where real diamonds are 10, they are 7.5! You can mine for the diamonds, but since no grand kids were with us, we did not!
Saturday
We rode the Erie Canal from Schoharie Crossing to Pattersonville. Our first surprise was running into a pilgrimage to Our Lady of Martyrs Shrine. There were over 1000 walkers of all ages! It is an annual event.
It was an easy ride on pavement with the trail going through Amsterdam along the way.
Sunday
Today is our last day of riding on the Erie Canal. We went from Verona to Rome. The section is the only unpaved one we rode this week, because it goes through the Old Erie Canal State Park along an earlier iteration of the canal.
We rode 6 sections east of Pittsford this week, covering 62 miles of the Canal. The east is quite different from the west parts of the trail. In the west, it is all finely crushed stone and you ride right alongside of the present day canal. In the east it is paved most of the way, but the trail is not along the current canal and is often quite removed from it! Gretchen called the Erie Canal a “beloved trail” after our ride from Lockport to Pittsford two years ago. Our opinion has not changed following our rides this week!
Monday
Today was a chore day. It was raining this morning so we did wash and went in search of RV toilet paper….the campground was out! This after noon we went in search of apples and found the Fly Creek Cider Mill and Orchard; a very nice place!
Tuesday
It was a tough travel day in heavy rain to Cape Cod. Gretchen gets the “super driver” award as she drove through the worst storms. We got set up in light rain in time for happy hour…so all is well! 😎😎😎
Wednesday
It was our first day on the Cape Cod Rail Trail, riding from Yarmouth to Brewster. The trail provides a tree shaded corridor through the towns, all paved and quite nice! We rode the first half of the trail and will ride the rest on Friday!
Thursday
Visiting Nantucket was on our agenda today. We caught the 11 a.m. fast ferry from Hyannis and arrived on the island in time for lunch.
We explored the large retail area along the water front and then walked up the hill through the neighborhoods.
We managed to find the oldest house on the island (1686) but we failed to find the oldest (1746) working wind mill in United States!
One of the iconic shapes you see when approaching the island is the Congregational Church, with a widow’s watch built into its steeple. It is a beautiful building!
We enjoyed our afternoon on Nantucket and have checked it off our list.
Friday
We rode the second half of the Cape Cod Canal Rail Trail from Brewster to Wellfleet. We logged 27.5 miles in total. The trail was not what we expected. The path goes through conservation land trusts set up by each town and it is almost entirely under a canopy of trees. There are very few changes in scenery; a few ponds and glimpses of wetlands. You never see the ocean! We enjoyed the riding but the trail is certainly not one of our favorites!
Saturday
The Shining Sea Bikeway that goes from North Falmouth to Woods Hole was our riding destination today. We logged 22 miles on this paved, well maintained, scenic trail that follows an old railroad right of way. Think this sub is big enough for lunch?
The Great Sippewissett Marsh is a preserved habitat for marine life along Buzzards Bay, accessible only by boat or foot. This view is from the Bikeway looking west toward the Bay.
Cape Cod has many cranberry bogs. This one bordered the Bikeway on both sides. There were tons of berries on the plants, so we think harvest time is yet to come?
Gretchen looking out at the Atlantic Ocean and Martha’s Vineyard where the Bikeway hugs the shoreline about a mile north of Wood’s Hole.
A cove with moorings was a pretty sight in Wood’s Hole just before the trail’s end at the ferry terminal. Our only disappointment of the day was the Pie In The Sky Bakery was short staff and was not serving pie!
Sunday
Our last day of riding in this area has arrived. We rode the Cape Cod Canal Trail; a 7 mile trail that connects Cape Cod Bay to Buzzards Bay. The Canal is used by over 15,000 vessels a year ranging from small sail and motor boats to large container ships. The low water depth is 32 feet, the width is 480 feet and the bridge clearance is 135 feet. We started at Buzzards Bay and rode to Cape Cod Bay and back.
At the Buzzards Bay entrance, there is a railroad lift bridge. It is operational used by freight trains, a seasonal commuter train and excursion trains….very impressive. Riding along the trail is quite nice. We saw many walkers, bikers, fishermen and shore birds and a couple dozen recreational boats. We must be canal people because we loved this trail too!
Cape Cod Bay Entrance
Monday
It is raining all day today and predicted to last until tomorrow! Being unable to stay in the camper all day, we headed for a spot we visited maybe…35 to 40 years ago…Plymouth Rock. The setting in not what we remember at all, yet we know it has not changed! Somehow our memory totally faded.
The rock is located on Water Street in the busy Plymouth waterfront in a classical pillered structure!
Tuesday
Sandwich is the oldest town on Cape Cod so we set off to see what it was like. Our first stop was at the Cape Cod Canal Visitors Center where we saw a large ship navigating the Canal.
Next we rode around the cute housing development next to the beach, and found the Boardwalk. We walked to the beach and through the Marsh.
Gretchen found a jelly making establishment, the Green Briar Nature Center and Jam Kitchen. So we set off to find it! It turns out it is run by a nonprofit named after Thornton Burgess to inspire reverence for wildlife and nature. Burgess was a naturalist and conservationist who passed on his love of nature to children through his books; the best known being, The Aventures of Peter Cottontail. The actual jam kitchen is awesome and yes….we bought a few jars!
Wednesday
We decided to go and see what Chatham was like today; it is a beautiful quaint town. Our first stop was for a seafood lunch the Chatham Pier Fish Market. The fishing boats bring in their catch to the pier and the Market serves it fresh; wonderful scallops and clam chowder we can attest to!
Beach by the fishing pier
The Chatham Lighthouse was built in1808 and is one of the few lighthouses in operation 24 hours a day. It is also a Coast Guard Station.
Our next stop was the Atwood Museum that documents the history of Chatham. It is built around the restored house of Captain Joseph Atwood built in 1752. Visitors can tour the old house with a docent. It is a very informative tour. Our docent, Linda, is from Virginia but has spent every summer on Cape Cod since she was one year old! The rest of the museum was built around the old house and contains very well done exhibits on Chatham through the years. There were two visitors at the Museum when we were there!
A few blocks from the museum we found the Godfrey Windmill built in 1797. It powered a grist mill that provided corn meal for early settlers.
The windmill is in a park that also contains a huge labyrinth that is a replica of the one found on the floor of the Chartres Cathedral in France…pretty cool!
Thursday/Friday
Travel days…from Cape Cod to Lehigh Gorge Campground in White Haven, PA…and then from the campground to New Holland, PA. Interesting though, we chose a non-interstate GPS route today and it took us on back roads. We were driving through countryside we did not recognize until we came to a stop sign. On the right was the house I lived in during elementary school, straight ahead was Heisler’s Dairy, a little further we went by the road up to Pricilla and Phil’s house….so then we had to ride through Schuylkill Haven where Gretchen and I lived during middle and high school! Quite a random trip down memory lane today!
Saturday
Our campground is in New Holland, PA, surrounded by Amish Farms. The photo above was taken from the campground! We toured the area today since shops will be open. We went to the Bird-in-Hand Cafe for lunch and ate outside on the balcony!
Pumpkins and gourds are for sale everywhere you go, at markets and along the roads at farms!
Gretchen went to Nursing School at Lancaster General Hospital so we drove by there to see how it has changed. Well, the entire old hospital is surrounded by additions! Gretchen thinks the area around the hospital has changed as well; not for the better.
Gretchen wondered if there were any covered bridges in the area and we found one; Erb’s Mill Covered Bridge in Rothsville!
Our final stop of the day was at the Bird-in-Hand Bake Shop, and we could not resist! However, I must say their pies are not anywhere near as good as Gretchen’s; especially her Shoo-Fly pie!
Sunday
We rode the Enola Low Grade Trail today from Quarryville to Martic Road. It is a compacted dirt, smooth ride that follows the rail corridor with only a one percent grade. There are areas all along the route where at least 90 feet of dirt were removed and transferred to dips in the route to make the almost level trail. We rode a 10 mile segment today; most enjoyable.
P.S. On our drive back to the campground on this beautiful Sunday afternoon, we passed at least 90 Amish buggies out for a ride. Yes, the detritus left on the road does get on your vehicle and even on my bicycle!
Monday
Riding the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal Trail was on our agenda today. We started in Chesapeake City, MD, and rode to Delaware City, DE. It was a pretty ride along the canal on pavement. But…there were a couple of hills around marinas making me wish I was pulling my RideKick. We logged 15 miles between the cities. The canal is known for the big ships it handles year round but we did not see any large boats, only a few recreational boats.
Tuesday
The Northwest Lancaster County River Trail connects Colombia to Falmouth paralleling the Susquehanna River. It takes you through towns, woodlands and farms. The entire trail is paved and exhibits great planning and cooperation between the supporting municipalities! We logged about 14.5 miles between the towns.
Today we saw a sign by a farm that advertised “97% Fat Free Milk.” So, there is no fat milk, 1% and 2% milk and then there is whole (3%) milk, so that is a clever way to market whole milk!
Wednesday
Today we rode a second section of the Enola Low Grade Trail along the Susquehanna River. It is a beautiful ride with cliffs on one side and the river on the other. There was a construction fence dividing the trail in two parts; one for construction vehicles and the other for trail users. When we got to the turn around point, we asked a driver what was under construction? He said a bridge for the trail over the Conestoga River! When it is complete and the Martic Forge Trestle is repaired, the trail will be about 23 miles from Quarryville to the Turkey Hill Nature Preserve! Eventually it will reach Atglen adding another 6 miles. FYI, we saw an Eagle today!
Total miles we rode our bikes on this trip: 304.79.
Plus we filmed 7 trails for new Bent on Bike Trails YouTube videos!
Thursday
It’s time to pack up and go home. We have about a 6 hour drive. We had planned to stay at a campground in Pasadena, MD for three more days so we could go to my 50th year college reunion! But I think they canceled it again due to the pandemic. Our camper slide-out is struggling so we decided to forgo the last stay and bring our trip to an end. We had a great time and we got to see a lot of countryside we had not been through on previous visits to the states we traversed.
