Day 81 - Erie Canalway Trail NY - August 31st

Updated: Oct 30, 2022

Buffalo, NY to Brockport, NY

A very nice ride again today. Temps were in the upper 70’s (~25C), and the wind was at my back for most of the day.

I met up with a group of skiers who all belong to the same club. This being out of skiing season, they decided to do a week-long ride starting and ending in Rochester NY.

One of the group told me that he and his wife had been to South Africa on an organized tour, and that they had spent the the last few days at Club Mykonos on the South Easterly side of Saldanha Bay. That certainly brought back great memories of good times, and many miles of cycling in that area.

I later met a fellow cyclist, Chris, also in his 70s. Chris had an inspiring story. He had been diagnosed as having a brain tumor, and on advice of his Dr., had it removed. Not long after the surgery he was told that he only had about 9 months to live, and that he should prepare himself. When we met he had outlived that prediction by 11 months. He has an incredibly positive attitude, and said it is cycling that keeps him going.

Further along, I noticed a dog playfully running backwards and forwards across the trail. I stopped to give her and her owner an opportunity to get past me. Her owner was desperately trying to get the playful dog to walk with her rather than running around chasing insects, and making friends with everyone she encountered on the trail. It was a mistake to stop. As I came to a halt, she came charging over, with tail wagging, to make friends with this person on such a strange vehicle. Her owner kept apologizing. After a few minutes of petting and head scratching, I took off again, but the dog was not having any of that. She ran along next to me. Eventually her owner had to hold her firmly so that I could be on my way.

Exiting the city