The western Erie has a laid back character all its own. From the water it is roughly 190 miles of summer camp memories. We met many people that just do the Western Erie every summer. We may join them. The reason may be that so many boats (taller than 15.5″) cannot do this section due to the many many bridges that are fixed and cannot be opened.
The way these small towns are all working to make the hiking, boating, and biking community feel comfortable. We wish so much that Santa Rosa could be more like these small towns. (sorry brief relapse into work life there).
It’s also fun to stay at the Lock and watch other boats travel past you.
The “canal days” section of the Loop is a lovely way to relax and get to know these sleepy summer towns.
We picked a spot on the wall and got settled into Fairport. You can bike the tow path on this section of the Erie and see abandoned sections of the old stone canal. Doing this part of the Erie and mooring on the canal walls gives you a sense of how things were. Its wonderful to watch so many bikers and walkers and strollers go by on the old tow path.
We also saw more of the rental canal boats. When Brian suggested doing the Erie in a canal rental I said “why don’t we just buy a boat. And here we are!
Having our bikes allows us to get past the shops and into the towns to see the houses and we love it.
We loved the western Erie. Glad you are enjoying it also.
We are already talking about coming back. Did you stay in Lockport at lock 35. We may try for it
We didn’t go to Lockport because looking at the distance and surroundings and talking to others we decided not to bother going all the way to Lockport. Middleport was as far as we went. Beyond didn’t seem worth it vs enjoying the other towns on way back to Brewerton for winter storage.