Day 3, Pittsford to Waterloo 55.4 miles
Tuesday, July 9, 2002

Below article appeared in the Democrat and Chronicle newspaper, Tuesday, July 9th edition:

Pedalers take statewide tour

About 300 bicyclists ride along canal to promote parks
       By Staff Writer Jeffrey  Blackwell

They come from as far as Canada and California and endure eight days of aching muscles, sore butts and sunburned skin.

But the more than 300 cyclists making their way across New York state along the famed Erie Canal say the experience is well worth a little pain.

"It's just fun," said Pat Yackel, a rider and medical volunteer from Syracuse.  "It's the kind of ride where you have the time to get to know people."

The tour is an annual event sponsored by the New York Parks Association, a nonprofit organization created to protect and promote the state's park system.  Each rider pays about $475 to make the trip.

The tour began in Buffalo on Sunday.  The riders will cover more than 400 mile before they finish in Albany next Sunday.

"It's really not as strenuous as it sounds," said Jim Farr, one of the ride volunteers and an employee of Rochester's parks and recreation department.  "We ride about 50 miles a day, the trail is fairly flat and each night we stop to eat, sleep and for entertainment and history lessons."  The association is providing meals, support along the canal, and arrangements for camping sites.  Vans are carrying tents, backpacks and sleeping bags.

The mass of riders reached Rochester Monday afternoon after spending Sunday night in Medina, Orleans County.  They spent Monday night at Nazareth College in Pittsford after Rochester city officials hosted bike tours of downtown and the Genesee River by canoe.

The riders are a diverse group.  They come from 28 states.  The average age is 50, but ages range from a 3-year-old in a child carrier to an 80-year-old.

Tom McCarthy, 71, of Danbury, CT, is participating in his third Erie Canal tour.  "I used to be the kind of rider that would ride 20 miles and then rest all the next day," he said.  "But I found the tour on the Web and the pictures were of people my age."

Randy and Karen Jackson of Calgary, Canada, are traveling with their 12-year-old son, David.  Karen Jackson said this is a good opportunity to bond over the long miles of riding and camping out at night.  Randy Jackson said cycling the canal could be a major attraction for a family.  "These are great trails.  Parts are very scenic," he said.  "I think the trail will draw a lot of people when it s completed."  David said he was having fun, but with one reservation  "My neck hurts from riding all day."

For more information on the tour, click on:  http://www.nypca.org

	Rain started about 9 a.m. and kept up until about 3 p.m.  We spent our lunch hour in a McDonalds - they had to keep mopping up the floor and wiping off the seats from all the drenched cyclists that descended on them!
Another of the museums which allowed us to tour through at no cost.  We spent quite a bit of time in here since it was still drizzling.
Once the rain stopped in the afternoon and we got our tents set up, we headed into Seneca Falls.  There were a number of attractions, including the Women's Rights Museum and a boat ride through the canal, including the change from one lock to the next.
Day 1, Sunday, July 7, 2002	Buffalo to Medina 47.4 miles
Day 2, Monday, July 8, 2002	Medina to Pittsford 52.1 miles
Day 3, Tuesday, July 9, 2002	Pittsford to Waterloo 55.4 miles
Day 4, Wednesday, July 10, 2002	Waterloo to Syracuse 50.5 miles
Day 5, Thursday, July 11, 2002	Syracuse to Rome 50 miles
Day 6, Friday, July 12, 2002	Rome to Canajoharie 69.1 miles
Day 7, Saturday, July 13, 2002	Canajoharie to Schenectady 42.8 miles
Day 8, Sunday, July 14, 2002	Schenectady to Albany 24 miles