the Way of the Turtle

30.3 Mile Ride from Scottsville Rd to Fairport & Back
Saturday, July 28, 2007

Ann had a dinner appointment, so I managed to get out on my bike for a ride this evening... started from the Public Safety Training Facility on Scottsville Rd and originally planned to ride to Pittsford & back, with maybe a side trip or two to bring the distance up to 20 miles. Instead, the riding bug bit and I ended up going all the way to Fairport, for a slightly longer ride... almost all of it along the Erie Canal.

The stretch from Pittsford to Fairport is a little tougher than the rest, because it's all dirt and crushed stone... nothing too hard, but it definitely takes more work than pedaling pavement. That stretch also runs over the Great Embankment, a 70 ft high one mile long stretch embankment that was built to carry the Erie Canal over the Irondequoit Valley. Two massive guard gates are set at each end, to seal off the section if the canal springs a leak in this area (and prevent it from flooding the valley - apparently, this happened in 1974 when contractors tunneling under the canal accidently broke through the bottom.) As usual, see Rich & Sue Freeman's Take Your Bike - Family Rides in the Rochester Area (2003) for more info.

On the way back, just before I hit Genesee Valley Park, I was stopped by a group of riders blocking the trail, who pointed out a hawk standing on the ground just off the trail... we watched him for a bit as he ripped apart the squirrel or whatever small mammal he'd nabbed for dinner. Pretty darn cool... shame I didn't have my camera with me (though it was getting darker by then, so I might not have been able to get a decent shot regardless.)

All in all, a good ride on a nice July evening!

JMH