For the last 22 years, Parks & Trails of New York (PTNY) has sponsored and organized an annual
Cycle the Erie Canal Bike Tour. This is an amazing ride that covers over 400 miles in 8 days. Bicyclists ride along the historic Erie Canal from Buffalo to Albany, camping out along the way and eating at tremendous buffet dinners and breakfasts. The camp sites are at high schools, municipal parks, and, once, at a Jewish Community Center. Riders who do not want to camp can book bed and breakfast inns along the way or stay in indoor gymnasiums.
Unfortunately, the Trump Virus forced the cancellation of the 2020 ride. Instead, PTNY ran a virtual tour with photographs and video from previous years. I hope I can participate again in 2021.
My long-term hiking friend from Albany (see
Kilimanjaro) and I biked the Erie Canal tour in 2018. We had excellent weather, although a few days were
hot. The tour included over 700 riders from all over the world. One couple from Australia had biked to northern New York from Australia (tough people!).
On Day 5, we cycled from Syracuse to Rome, a distance of about 50 miles. We camped at Fort Stanwix National Monument, a restored fort that played a role in the American Revolution. For dinner, we were on our own, meaning eat in town.
Rome immediately caught my eye. It was a bit tired looking and still had some historic architecture. Some of the other riders recommended that we eat at the
Franklin Hotel, at 301 South James Street. The steaks were supposed to be special. Well, after biking 50 miles, a mountain of protein sounded like just the treat. We "deserved" it. (Note:
deserved is dangerous vocabulary in Middle America. It is used as justification to purchase any number of material possessions or excess housing, regardless of the real need of said items.)
The steak was excellent, the sides were fresh, and we all feasted as if we deserved it. Most of the customers that evening appeared to be from the bicycle crowd, but the Franklin certainly did not feed 700 people.
Ah, interesting old stairs with sturdy original banisters. But wooden stairs in a hotel? The Franklin's
web page describes the food service but does not say anything about rooms, so the upstairs may be closed now.
The upstairs halls were clean but, I think, no longer used.
Rome is an old-line industrial town. Tracks once ran through this warehouse and industrial district. I wish we had been able to explore more, but we were tired and had to sleep in preparation for the next morning's early awakening and vigorous peddling. The Erie Canal Ride passed through some interesting towns, but we did not have enough time to explore. A car trip along this route would be a rewarding alternative some day.
The images are from a Moto G5 mobile phone.
