73 miles 702 feet

After a hotel breakfast my entire day was biking on the Erie Canal Heritage Trail, the old towpath for the Erie Canal. It is flat, beautiful, and historic. And an engineering marvel. The story of the Erie Canal is told elsewhere but briefly, the connection between the Atlantic Ocean and Lake Erie was the greatest public works project in North America and responsible for New York City becoming the nation's largest sea port. It was massive, expensive, and engineering marvel, and short-lived.

Today there is a bicycle and hiking path along the edge of the canal, and coupled with a tailwind made for nearly ideal biking. For an hour I biked with an 81 year old gentleman who stayed at my pace for a while before catching up with the rest of his party. He has biked across the country 3 times, which he did taking time off from his work as an electrician. Though he complimented me on being self-supported, he deserved the accolades, as a super-fit person over a decade my senior. This is an example of a person I would be unlikely to meet in other contexts.

I stopped in Albion, the town along the path where my mother was raised, and continued on to visit with and reconnect with my cousin, Tom Gartland. It was a wonderful day despite 85 degree heat.

Tom and I talked for a long time on his deck about family, our lives, and other topics and had a great dinner at a nearby restaurant. Long overdue, and to be repeated.

It turns out we're both early to bed, early risers; yet another compatibility! Susan, his wife, was at their cabin on a lake about an hour and a half away with grandchildren.

Tomorrow up to Fair Haven to the northeast.