Day Four – Rome to Syracuse
Breakfast Fit for Royalty
We start our day in Rome with a fantastic breakfast that Mary fixes for us. Great coffee, a beautiful, tasty yogurt and fresh fruit parfait, eggs, bacon, sausage, orange juice, and a peach/berry upside down breakfast pastry to finish it off. Good food and lots of it! We also enjoy chatting with Mary, and between chatting and eating, we get a later start than we’d hoped to get. Our target for today is Syracuse – a longer day than yesterday. We are rested and ready to go.
The weather is lovely as we leave Rome and ride down city streets until we find the path. Again, it’s a little confusing – but this is Sunday morning and there isn’t much traffic. We ride past Erie Canal Village and are sorry to see that it’s closed. This is a re-creation of a mid-19th century canal community, including boat rides in a mule-drawn packet boat on a section of the old Erie Canal. Sounds like it would have been fun – we may have to come back one day and check it out.
Another Lock Adventure
Later in the morning, we come to Lock 21 where we actually walk our bikes across the downstream gate. Just before we cross, we meet up with a couple from Canada who is touring the Canal. We’ve been amazed at how few people we’ve seen on the trail. We’ve hardly seen any people who are touring, and very few local cyclists. It is very puzzling to us. We chat for a bit, then start to cross the gate – and just as we do, they start to let the water out of the downstream gate. What a view to stand right above the water rushing out of the lock! We stay there and watch it – feeling a little vertigo. When it is done and we’ve waved at the young man sitting in the boat leaving the lock, we stop and chat with the lock operator. He is eager to talk with us, and seems to really love his job. He shows us how things work, and obviously takes a great deal of pride in what he does. The lock looks spic and span – fresh paint on everything. Truly picturesque.
Most of the morning we are on stone dust trail, with an occasional trek on local roads. The views continue to be interesting, and we see our first aqueduct with water still in it. The aqueducts were water-filled bridges that carried canal boats over rivers, streams, or valleys. There were 18 aqueducts on the original Erie Canal. It is amazing to think that the canal actually crossed the rivers by going up and over them. I wonder what people thought to see the barges crossing over rivers like that.
Falling for Ice Cream
By mid-day we are hungry, and I am ready for some ice cream. Actually, I’ve been ready for some ice cream since Day 1, but we haven’t found any yet. I decide that today is the day, so I am on the lookout. We leave the trail briefly in Canastota and meet a young woman who is trying to get all the way to Utica yet that day. She is young and athletic, and says she has food and lodging waiting for her – so she will probably make it.
As we are walking our bikes up a little hill into town, I see it. A picture of an ice cream cone on the side of a building! I get so excited that I fall over on my bike…. Okay – I admit it. This probably earns me the cyclist klutz of the year award. It’s one thing to fall OFF your bike, but to fall ONTO your bike when you are just walking it takes a special talent, don’t you think? Fortunately, both the bike and I escape with minor bruises for me and a slightly bent right pedal for the bike. I almost knock Choche and his bike over too, a la Pee Wee’s Big Adventure. But fortunately Choche manages to keep himself and his bike upright even though I fall against them.
We find a park bench to sit down on, and I go in search of the ice cream. Choche’s knee is bothering him, so he stays put and rests a bit. We are regretting not having gotten ice for his knee yesterday. I walk towards the sound of two kids yelling “Bake Sale”. They are sitting on the steps of the ice cream store, and I think this must be perfect – an ice cream cone AND homemade cookies. Unfortunately, the ice cream store is closed Sundays and is letting the store be used for the bake sale, which is raising funds for children whose mom was killed in an accident. I go in and buy some cookies, and then ask the kids where the closest place to get ice cream is. They’re kids – they’ll know, right? They don’t disappoint, and send us down the road on a short detour to Zem’s - www.zemsicecream.com. We both order a double dip cone and sit down at one of the picnic tables to enjoy it. Just what we need!
Dark Skies
Back up the road to the stone dust path, and we are on our way again. We have quite a ways to go yet, and the going is a little tough. The stone dust is harder to ride on, especially in some places where it is fairly thick. Choche’s tires are a little wider, but I have to be careful, and it slows me down. The skies are starting to look threatening. In fact, there are dark skies and thunder and lightening all around us, but not much right where we are. Finally it does start to rain and we put on our rain gear. It rains pretty steady for a while, but then stops and we are grateful. A little further on the path, and we find that it has rained pretty hard here. There are puddles and the stone dust has turned to mud. So now we are even slower and are getting very muddy! What a mess. The trail is pretty much like this all the way to the outskirts of Syracuse. As much as I dislike riding on city roads with traffic, it is almost a relief.
We are coming into Syracuse on a Sunday evening, and we decide it will be really good if we can get all the way across the city before we stop for the night. That way we won’t have to deal with downtown rush hour traffic in the morning. Again, the city map in our guidebook isn’t great, but we manage to find the streets to get into the city. But there are HILLS here! We didn’t know Syracuse was hilly – and it’s the last thing we need with our tired bodies and Choche’s sore knee. We keep going and make it through downtown before we get kind of lost. Two kind women walk by so we ask them where Genesee Street is – and find that it is just a couple of blocks away, so we are back on track again. As always the people we encounter are friendly and helpful – with the exception of that guy who yelled obscenities at us from the other side of the bridge in Utica. But I think he was crazy.
Searching for Shelter
We haven’t made reservations ahead because we didn’t know whether we’d make it across Syracuse or not, and we figured since Syracuse is a big city there would be hotels everywhere. Now it’s late and we are riding down a very busy street that seems to be dedicated entirely to car dealerships. Not a hotel in sight. We look at our guide book and find that most of the places to stay are far away – on the other side of Onondaga Lake. And we don’t want to go there. Choche is beginning to talk about looking for a church to sleep behind – but we don’t even have a tarp. There are a couple of B&B’s that appear to be not to far away. I call the first one – and find that it’s a wrong number! But our luck improves with the second call.
Ophelia’s Garden Inn (http://www.opheliasgardeninn.com/) has a room available and a place to put our bikes, and Ophelia assures me we aren’t too far away. Just keep coming down Genesee, she says, until you come to the Rite Aid. Then turn on Avery. It sounds close, so we are disappointed and worried when we’ve gone a couple miles with no Rite Aid. I call back, and she assures me we are really close now, and gives us detailed instructions on how to get there. Never did a Rite Aid look so beautiful! Left on Avery, and we are there in no time. A really beautiful place surrounded by green space – an arboretum across the street in one direction, and Burnet Park (http://www.syracuse.ny.us/parks/burnetPark.html) on the other corner, home of the Syracuse Zoo.
Ophelia’s Paradise
We drive into the driveway, looking like something the cat drug in, I’m sure. We are filthy from riding through the mud, exhausted, and hungry. Ophelia meets us at the garage door with two mugs of ice water. What an angel! We wipe off the gear that we need to take into the house, and leave the rest in the garage. I think we would both just as soon never see our bikes again at this point. We ask about food, and Ophelia and David tell us there is a restaurant not too far away. Choche jumps in the shower first, and while I’m showering Ophelia calls up to tell us that the restaurant closes at 9 – and it is now 8:30. A short shower, and we’re ready.
When we get downstairs David grabs his keys and gives us a ride to the restaurant. These people are BOTH angels! On the way to the restaurant, David points out the only traffic light in the country with the green light on top! ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tipperary_Hill) This is the Tipperary Hill district, which is mostly Irish. Back in 1925 when the light was first installed, local Irish youths were angry that the “British” red was above the “Irish” green so they threw stones and broke the red light. The city kept replacing it, but finally gave up and put the green light on top!
The food at Coleman’s Irish Pub (http://www.colemansirishpub.com/) is good – especially the broiled haddock and the Colcannon mashed potatoes – potatoes with cabbage and onions, traditional Irish fare. We ask the waitress for ice when we are finished, just in case our hosts are in bed when we get back. It is a pleasant walk back to the inn. We relax for a while and Choche ices his knee, which is feeling the 55 miles with hills that we rode today. Fortunately I’m feeling okay – lowering the seat has made the ride much easier on my soft parts. We fall asleep – very grateful that we are not only sleeping in a bed, but a beautiful place with very gracious hosts!
Low bridge ev'-ry bod-y down,
Low bridge for we're com-in to a town,
And you al-ways know your neighbor,
You'll always know your pal,
If you've ev-er navigated on the Er-ie can-al
Low bridge for we're com-in to a town,
And you al-ways know your neighbor,
You'll always know your pal,
If you've ev-er navigated on the Er-ie can-al
Day Five –Syracuse
We Need a Rest Day
After a good night’s sleep at Ophelia’s, Choche’s knee is still really sore. We decide that a rest day would be good for us, and this seems like a perfect place to do that. We go down for the early breakfast we requested, thinking we’d be getting back on our bikes. Ophelia is pleased to welcome us for another night.
Breakfast is wonderful. Lots of fresh fruit, cheddar and apple quiche, orange juice, Tuscan toast, and sweet breads. Breakfast is served at a table in the backyard, which is a beautiful, peaceful place. The weather is perfect, and it feels like a real luxury to just relax and enjoy it. Ophelia’s father, Hugh, joins us. He is full of interesting stories and he and Choche spend a couple hours lingering over breakfast.
Hugh was a World War II flier; he dropped out of Cornell to join the army. At twenty he became the captain of a bomber (B24?) flying missions in the south pacific. He had quite a bit to share. He had a crash landing when a tire blew out and lost his tail gunner in the accident. He couldn't get him out and the aviation fuel did ignite. Hugh has kept in touch with his crew, a true "band of brothers." A life long aviation enthusiast, he only recently let his private pilot's license expire. Hugh had an interesting career in private sector engineering topped off with service work in Africa. One thought that sticks with Choche is that even though Hugh saw the atrocities of war in the south pacific air battles, he has never met a Japanese he didn't like. War, common as it is, seems so artificial to humanity.
Hugh grew up in Syracuse and knew the region in its industrial heyday. Lots of factories, lots of employment, and all shifted to war production. Ceramics factories making land mines, casket companies , cutlery factories all joining the effort. Prosperity never seemed to return after the war and the long decline is represented by the abandoned and rusting industrial complexes along the Erie Canal. For example, Kodak (in Rochester, NY) is at less than $2 a share.
Hugh grew up in Syracuse and knew the region in its industrial heyday. Lots of factories, lots of employment, and all shifted to war production. Ceramics factories making land mines, casket companies , cutlery factories all joining the effort. Prosperity never seemed to return after the war and the long decline is represented by the abandoned and rusting industrial complexes along the Erie Canal. For example, Kodak (in Rochester, NY) is at less than $2 a share.
I decide to take a walk in Burnet Park while the guys are talking. I circle the park and then climb up to the kiosk above the golf course. The view is breathtaking! I soak it in for a while until the heat of the sun gets to be too much, and then I head back to Ophelia’s.
By the time I get back, Choche is upstairs resting. I get him some ice for his knee and relax and read while he naps. When we get hungry for lunch, I go down and ask Ophelia where the closest fast food is. She is on her way to do some errands, and offers to give me a ride. David suggests Wegman’s (www.wegmans.com) which is a really good local grocery store that has a section with deli foods. I buy a sub, a couple sodas, and some roasted veggies. Ophelia lends us a wicker bag, some silverware, and a blanket so we can have a picnic in the park. We walk over to Burnet Park and eat our lunch. After lunch we walk up to the kiosk to enjoy the view. And finally we find a nice bunch of shade trees, put the blanket down, and lie down. We spend some time just watching the highest branches of the trees dancing in the breeze. What a wonderful way to spend a restful afternoon. It couldn’t be better.A Perfect End to a Perfect Day
We do a little cleaning up when we get back. We’ve washed some of our biking clothes, and ask if we can hang them out in the backyard on the clothesline in hopes they will dry by morning. We use the hose in the backyard to wash off the bikes, and Choche lubes the chains again. We should be ready to roll in the morning.
We had a big lunch, so all we really want for dinner is – of course – ice cream! We ask if there is ice cream within walking distance, and after thinking for a while, our hosts offer to drive us over to their favorite ice cream place – Abbott’s. (http://www.abbottscustard.com/) We each order a cone with chocolate almond ice cream and enjoy every bite. No wonder it’s their favorite!
Back at the B&B, we gather our things together so we’ll be able to get an early start. We fall asleep feeling thankful that we decided to take a rest day and delighted that we were able to do it in such a beautiful place with such gracious hosts. Ophelia’s Garden Inn B&B – don’t miss it if you are in Syracuse.
Don't have to call when I want my Sal,
Fif-teen miles on the Er-ie can-al,
She trots from her stall like a good old gal,
Fif-teen miles on the Er-ie can-al,
I eat my meals with Sal each day,
I eat beef and she eats hay,
And she ain't so slow if you want to know,
She put the "Buff" in Buff-a-lo OH
Fif-teen miles on the Er-ie can-al,
She trots from her stall like a good old gal,
Fif-teen miles on the Er-ie can-al,
I eat my meals with Sal each day,
I eat beef and she eats hay,
And she ain't so slow if you want to know,
She put the "Buff" in Buff-a-lo OH
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