Biking Across Upstate NY

Found these videos online. WOW! They are really interesting to watch. These guys bicycled the path of the old Erie Canal of Upstate New York, from Buffalo to Albany. That’s over 400 miles! Much of the original Erie Canal is now gone, although some old tow paths and locks remain. These guys traveled through the multitude of little towns and larger cities that grew prosperous from the Canal, built in the 1820s.

The videos give a very brief, first-impressionistic look on our Upstate towns and cities. I think the bicyclists captured the feel of Upstate pretty well. And yeah, when it rains, it pours. Sorry about your sleeping bag, man.

After the great Adirondacks, the most beautiful area of the state is in the mid-western section of Upstate New York, the area known as the Finger Lakes region. It is extremely fertile and has been very well-maintained for the hundreds of years it has been settled. The land from Seneca Falls to Rome, NY, is amazing in a car. It must be stunning by bike.

As an interesting sidenote, I was born in Cayuga County and spent the first years of my life in the area. My ancestors has settled it hundreds of years previously. My great-great grandfather was one of the first caretakers of the Montezuma Wildlife Refuge/Howland’s Island area that the video showcases here.

Part two of the video is from Utica to Albany. This section of New York State was once known as it most industrious. Thousands of textile mills and manufacturing sites were maintained here, from the early 1800s to the 1940s. After World War II and especially after political changes made to Upstate, our economic climate has become severely darkened. I think the descriptions in the video are an accurate picture of the eastern section of Upstate.

These guys bicycle all over the world! I am SO jealous, lol. Here’s the guy’s site if you want more.