Day 124 (9/17): Tonawanda to Lockport, NY

Mileage: @ 19.1; 3,934 total

We had a nice ride along bike paths and quiet roads. Late in the morning we stopped at Uncle G's ice cream shop, and had a nice discussion about New York City with Cheryl, who was dishing out the ice cream, and with Cathy and Karen who arrived on their bikes. Cathy and Karen are fairly avid bicyclists, and I would certainly be happy to find out that our discussion encouraged them to take off on a multi-day bike tour of the Erie Canal. In the picture, below, from left to right are: Uncle G; Uncle G's mother, Cheryl; Cathy; Karen; and friend Steve Libby.

I am proud to point out that at the ice cream stop, noted above, I did not order any ice cream, or anything else.

A bit later we stopped in Lockport, and had lunch. (I had split pea soup; beef on a weck [a local specialty]; a piece of cherry pie; and -- because the other food was all so good, a piece of apple pie.

We then checked into a B&B and spent the rest of the afternoon sightseeing in Lockport. When the Erie Canal was built in about 1825, a major challenge was to get through the Lockport Escarpment, a 50 foot drop. This was accomplished by a series of five locks, one right after another, that was a significant engineering feat. As we toured the canal, and remnants of water-powered factories that once lined the canal, we got a sense of what a busy little town Lockport must was, 200 years ago.

I am glad to have had an easy day today, because I feel like I am on the verge of getting a bad cold. Hopefully, I will be close to 100% tomorrow morning.