Low bridge, everybody down

Troy to Amsterdam, New York. Tuesday, April 20, 2021

Up till now, I have been heading south, to get to Ground Zero. Now it’s time to head west, hopefully all the way to the Pacific. And what better way to start that on the legendary Erie Canal?

It’s hard to overstate the importance of the canal. Although seen as a backwater in this day and age, when it was built it represented the epitome of human innovation. The farsighted New York governor, Dewitt Clinton, saw this was an opportunity to make his state gain national prominence.

He took advantage of a happy accident of geography. As I mentioned earlier, the Appalachian mountains, though low compared to the Rockies, formed a natural barrier against westward migration. Traversing them was hazardous, the roads were poor if even existent, the indigenous people not always friendly, and there was no easy way to haul any cargo.

Clinton saw that the Hudson River, and its tributary the Mohawk, carved a natural valley through these mountains, with only a few rapids (none below Troy). Where the Mohawk petered out, it was fairly flat all the way to Lake Erie, with only the Niagara escarpment to contend with. He had the audacious idea to dig a canal, with locks around the rapids and up the escarpment, 360 miles from Albany to Buffalo. The project, derided by skeptics as “Clinton’s Ditch,” was completed in 1825, and almost immediately became an international sensation.

It changed everything. Now it was fairly easy and cheap to break through to the Great Lakes and the Mississippi riverine system. New York City became the gateway to the west, and the state became the Empire State. Towns like Buffalo, Rochester, Syracuse, Utica, Schenectady sprung up along the canal, and soon became a major cities. The route became the innovative equivalent of the Silicon Valley of the 1800s, attracting companies like General Electric, and later Kodak and Xerox. Rockefeller’s family got its start near the canal. The flood of innovation attracted people from all over the world, and many religions were started there, it was often referred to as the “burned over district.” Some of these were prominent, like the Oneida community, but most died out, with the exception of the Mormon church, which started with Joseph Smith’s vision on Hill Cumorah in Palmyra, outside of Rochester.

I could go on and on, but time has not been kind to the Erie Canal. The original ditch has been revised four times, the thoroughfare is now the New York State Barge Canal system, and only parts of it follow the original route. Canal shipping has fallen off over the years, of course. The rush of innovation has moved elsewhere, and many of the cities have fallen on comparatively hard times, and are mere shadows of their former glory. There has been something of a comeback in recent years, however, fueled in part by historical tourism. Much of the original Canal it has been restored, at least in the form of the Canalway Trail, which is almost complete, anticipating the Ditch’s bicentennial in 2025.

For me, the canal was as attractive as it must’ve been to the early settlers. What’s not to like? An almost-flat pathway to the west, scenically and historically significant, with a fair number of tourists support facilities along the way. I couldn’t wait to get started.

It did start out great. There was a sharp climb at the beginning corresponding to the Cohoes Falls of the Mohawk River, but after that it was quite flat and beautiful. In most cases, the pavement was in good shape, there were occasional sections with stone dust and scattered areas undergoing construction. I was in bliss, just like yesterday. The route took me through the historic and beautiful stockade district in Schenectady.

Alas, reality intervened. The wind shifted to the west, right in my face. I had to tuck down deep into my drops, or my aero bars. That’s fine for a few minutes. After a while the need to crane your neck got oppressive, and in my case tweaked some cervical nerves, leading do a heavy feeling in my left arm I had to repeatedly shake out (don’t worry, this was not cardiac).

The temperature was 51 and still somewhat sunny, but the relentless wind was chilling and I had to zip up my parka, which led to sweating and even more chilling. I had hoped to go 50 miles that day, but I realized I was lucky to make 40. I had an important phone call at 3 PM, so I took it at the table of an outdoor café that was somewhat out of the wind. Afterwards, a very nice man had spied my bike and had lots of questions, and I am always happy to talk about myself. However, the whole process had me sitting for an hour in damp clothes, and I was thoroughly chilled.

The thing about the Canalway Trail is, as long as you stay on the canal you are fine. However the walls of the valley are close by. My motel was up by the Thruway, and a 200 foot climb. Typically, not much but in my chilled state it was quite arduous. I collapsed in my room and striped my clothes, desperate to take a long hot shower. I was grateful for a good Chinese restaurant nearby that delivered.

So overall, a good day, but not quite the blue ribbon day I had before. I am going to have to figure out a way to deal with headwinds, fully aware that the predominant winds will be out of the west.

Distance 41.5 miles, 200.9 total. Time 5 1/2 hours with stops. Elevation gain 1,124 feet.