Riders in Cycling the Erie Canal traveled from tourism location Seneca Falls through CNY natural beauty to the historic Camillus Erie Canal Park Wednesday. Seneca Falls has a several-part history connected to the canal. The Seneca-Cayuga Canal was actually finished and operating before the Erie Canal, becoming so successful the state eventually bought it to make part of the Erie. Initially it transported agricultural goods, but then allowed parts and equipment to develop a manufacturing base, making products for the world. Gould Pumps is one of the few remnants of that era. Now the region benefits from tourism for the regions history as the birthplace of Women's Rights, along with an improved waterfront.
The day's journey allowed riders to have several glimpses of the Montezuma Wildlife Refuge. A misty morning had some thinking it looked primeval in its vast, natural state.
After traveling through Port Byron and Weedsport, mostly on paved highway, travelers found their way to Jordan, where once again elements of the historic canal have been preserved in park fashion.
The Sims Store Museum in Camillus's Erie Canal Park gave riders a glimpse of what it might have been like to travel the canal. The store is a replica, at the original site, of a canal boat stop. It now houses displays of canal history and the lifestyles of the people who traveled the waterway.
HALFWAY POINT
Once riders arrived at the night's stopping point, Burnet Park, they had reached the virtual halfway point of the journey. The 39-mile section of the trip felt like a relief to some after the previous day's 60 miles. Syracuse audiences will note travelers headed to Tipperary Hill, Armory Square and Dinosaur Bar-B-Que at day's end. 199 miles down, 201 to go.
