I mistakenly said, in my last post, that we had walked to North Tonawanda when we actually walked to Amherst. In the city, it’s difficult to discern where one city ends and another begins.

I’m writing this a few days after Day 26 and our arrival at the waterfront in downtown Buffalo. This eastern terminus of the trail is located in an area called Canalside.

This was the longest and most challenging stretch of the walk. We walked about 22 miles. The trail in Amherst and Tonawanda meandered through parks and affluent neighborhoods but eventually led us next to oil refineries, under and along freeways, next to the city of Buffalo’s sewage treatment plant and crumbling (yes, crumbling) brick factories of old. The trail was maze-like as it wound its way towards Buffalo. At one point we came to a locked gate with a sign that said this section of the trail was only open Monday – Friday. We were there on Saturday. It gave a street to use instead. We also had a long detour at one point.

It was close to 6pm when we reached Buffalo, hot, tired, thirsty, and just pooped. The streets were mobbed with people as it was Buffalo’s annual “Rib Fest.” The festive feeling in the air was rejuvenating and just what we needed

Thank you for your encouragement and well wishes sent along the way. This was a challenging endeavor and we were, many times, carried along by your words and reflections.

In gratitude,

Ann and Aaron

 

We had to walk a mile and one half to rejoin the Erie Canal trail this morning. Our route took us immediately from the busy road our motel was on to a country road lined with fields of bush beans and a horse ranch. Traffic was light and it wasn’t long before we came upon a pioneer cemetary. It was not marked by a sign indictating its name, nor was there an access road to it. There was no where to park. Although many of the stones were toppled or broken, some were standing, with names and dates readable. Most of the dates indicated that the deceased had been born in the early 1800’s and lived till the late 1800’s. The cemetary is mowed by someone and a quick Google search called it the Calvary Cemetary, owned by the Roma Catholic Church of Lockport and set to be restored. The first Erie Canal opened in 1825 making many of the folks in this cemetary first generation canal residents.

This amazing stone house was very near the cemetary and is where the horses lived.

The trail towards Tonawanda/Buffalo begins with rural farming residences, changing to rural residences, giving way to to suburban neighborhoods, with four lane boulevards lined with Home Depots and Rite Aids swallowing it all. We are staying on the latter. Urban Trail Trivia: the number one piece of litter is discarded cigarette cartons.

This is a picture of the trail early this morning. The official fence along the Erie Canal Trail is constructed as seen above. I’ve contemplated the reason behind the design for many, many miles now. These are my conclusions, in order from the least likely to most likely. Initially, I thought they had forgotten to put in the third rung, then I came to a more meaningful conclusion. The open space, where the ‘missing’ rung is, represents the canal and the rung just above it represents the towpath where mules and horses pulled the boats and barges. A more practical reason for its design is that it makes the trail identifiable if one is not sure where they are…this happened for us today when we weren’t sure which way to go; we saw the fence and knew the correct way to go. The last rationale is purely economical. The canal system would save 25% on the cost of the fence runners by leaving one off.

Here are a few other things we saw today.

We experienced a slight feeling of melancholia today knowing that after tomorrow we would be saying goodbye to the canal and trail that have been our home for the last month. The trail has provided a consistent way forward, strewn with a variety challenging challenges, meant to exercise our commitment and endurance, as well as many open, generous, and heartfelt human exchanges, meant to strengthen our belief and trust in the goodness of the human community. We are also ready to be finished and look forward to returning to Bellingham. I will likely post a few times after we finish. I will take no offense if anyone wishes to unsubscribe from receiving this blog after The Erie Canal Walk concludes. My future posts will likely be focused on walks closer to home.

With many blessings,

Ann Continue reading →

Yesterday continued…

I forgot a couple tidbits I had intended to include yesterday. We thought this was an interesting moment. At this spot, we are very close to Lake Ontario, maybe 8 to 10 miles. Neither of us have seen Lake Ontario but hope to next week. You can really see the absolute lack of shade in this section. In a word: brutal.

We read this on the lift bridge in Holley. We are guessing that the lift bridges are more than 100 years old. How cool , right!?

Today…

We walked about 18 miles today. It was long, hot, and muggy but we made good time, arriving in Lockport around 2pm.

We saw more apples today and this smoke stack, which must been at Lake Ontario. It was SO tall.

Lockport is home to the “flight of five,” which refers to the series of five side by side locks built to climb the Niagara Escarpment, a 70 foot high cliff of sedimentary rock. The double locks enabled boats going opposite directions to keep moving. They remind me of escalators. The city has restored one side of the original locks while the other was enlarged to accommodate modern watercraft. Here’s a little information.

This video is a little grainy but give an idea of the sound and sites.

I’m so glad tonight is the last night of the DNC. Since we are on the east coast, we are watching in real time. President Obama began speaking around 10pm our time. We are staying up way too late to watch, but who wouldn’t want to watch our beloved president give his final address to our nation?

With love,

Ann

Holley to Albion…

Our day off in Holley was restful even with the heavy rain that began early in the morning and persisted, on and off, well into the afternoon. Our tent, the Big Agnes Copper Spur 2 ultralight, is performing beautifully. Upstate New York is proving to be an excellent testing ground for tent performance. I was dry and cozy, reading away, while the thunder growled and roared overhead with the rain pouring down. New York rain storms can come and go, suddenly and fiercely, like a shower being turned on and off. We’re getting better at reading the sky and preparing accordingly. Here’s a picture of the dramatic stormy sky.

The stretch between Rochester and Buffalo has become quite agricultural with the leading crops being corn, apples, and cabbages. We have also seen tomatoes and what I believe were eggplant. Fields of food stretch as far as the eye can see, filling us with gratitude for the farmers of the world. As we walked this morning, we reflected on the farmers of upstate New York who, at least for our west coast experience, have been eclipsed by the celebrity of New York City, a city which owes its fame and success to the ancestors of these very farmers and canal laborers. We are learning that there is so much more to New York than the Big Apple.

Albion to Medina…

We left Albion 6:55am to beat the heat. There isn’t any shade over the trail anymore. We are glad we are walking west with the morning sun at our backs. I don’t think I’ve mentioned the constant headwind that we are walking against. We are appreciative of it as it provides much needed ‘convected coolness.’ We stayed about a mile from the trail last night and on our way back to the trail this morning we walked right pass a NY State correctional facility in Albion. All I can say is that it was a sight to see.

We have seen a bit of wildlife in the last few days, including a fox, a groundhog (the canal’s enemy…think holes), several river otters, a tree FULL of turkey vultures (I counted 15 from across the canal), and a snapping turtle who wouldn’t come out of his/her shell, no matter how nicely Aaron asked or how gently I nudged it with my walking stick.

Medina (pronounced with a long “i”) is famous for its apples, sandstone, and the Robert H. Newell shirt manufacturing company. In the early days of the canal, Medina apples were shipped as far as Africa. Barrel makers, from nearby Knowlesville, called ‘coopers,’ crafted the finest barrels from oak and metal. This is a picture of the Medina harbor covered with barrels of apples awaiting shipment down the Erie Canal to NYC and onto ships bound for distant continents.

Medina sandstone became the building material of choice during the growth of towns along the canal. We read that there were many sandstone quarries in this area. The stone proved strong and abundant. On our stroll around Medina this afternoon, we measured sidewalk pavers measuring 7 x 11 of my feet. So the sidewalks were/are sandstone and all the curbs are granite. Here is St. Mary’s Church made of Medina sandstone. It is utterly magnificent. Medina sandstone is also found along the trail under bridges.

Robert Newell made shirts in Medina for celebrities such as Bob Hope and Winston Churchill. His factory is now home to the Hart House Hotel and we are staying here tonight!

We have three days of walking to finish this walk. Our next stops will be Lockport, Tonawanda, and Buffalo. We are ahead of schedule, which gives us a little time to explore the greater Niagara Falls/Lake Ontario area. We have decided to rent a car in Buffalo, camp near Lake Ontario for a few days, and take day trips to see the sites! We’re very excited to be finishing!

All the Best,

Ann

 

 

 

Sunday…

After a leisurely morning at Adams Basin Inn, we walked about eleven miles to the tiny village of Holley where there are campsites for boaters, bikers, and hikers. We will stay here two nights, taking a rest day. We are camped right next to another lift bridge! I’m sure one grows used to the wonder of watching the whole bridge lift, but not us. We are still captivated by them. We had a long conversation with Jane, the lift bridge operator about the history and operation of the lift bridges.

She explained that the bridges were built a long time ago and were not constructed for amount and kinds of traffic they are serving now. Heavy trucks, loaded with gravel or stopped traffic on the bridge, are taxing the bridges beyond their abilities. Increased boat travel has the bridge going up and down more frequently and operators, pressured to get to get car traffic moving, raise and lower the bridge too fast, basically slamming it down into its fittings. The bridges are so charming to tourists but impact the lives of locals. Coming through Brockport yesterday, where there are two lift bridges, one of them was not working. Car traffic was stopped intermittently and boat travel was just stopped. They couldn’t raise the bridge. When we got to Holley, there were boats waiting for the bridge to open.

Monday…

We woke to big thunder and lightening and rain. We put all our gear in the tent, put on rain gear, buttoned down the hatches, and headed for the local diner for breakfast. Well-needed rain is expected all day so we will likely be in the diner for a while. ( :

Here’s a short video of the Holley harbor. The orange and white tent is ours. Aaron is filming from a gazebo and I am warm and dry in the tent, reading and listening to the rain fall.

Waiting for the sun,

Ann