Scouting Courses: Erie Canalway Trail--West

Bicycle: 16.5 miles in 1:20:00 min. @ 9:00 a.m.

Weather: Partly Cloudy, 82°F with a Humidity of 67%!
Pace: 4:51 min./per mile avg.

For my "recovery day" today, I finally took my bicycle out for a ride to scout another potential running route, one with which I am already partially familiar, the Erie Canalway Trail. All of my running/bicycling on this path has been East of the Genesee River heading from Rochester out toward Fairport. Today I decided to go West, beginning once again at the nexus of waterways, where the Genesee River and Erie Canal cross path, out toward the town of Greece.

My journey on the new path began where the canal and river met. This nexus is visible from a small walking bridge. Immediately I recognized how well paved and maintained the path was--perfect for either running or bicycling on. I went at an odd time of day I suppose, so there was not much traffic on the path; a few walkers and recreational cyclists. I combined three pictures to put together a panorama from the bridge of my "starting point":


This view by Canalway Path West of Rochester is a slightly more "industrial" beginning with bridges (like the one pictured) and building until the scenery is primarily factories (some new, others in various states of disrepair).


As I pedaled along I tried to look for things (signs, birds, whatever...) that were different on this side of the Genesee than on the East. One thing I had not seen in my previous travels, but were plentiful here, were signs announcing the presence of an oil pipeline(?). Come to think of it, the large holding containers, like midget silos, were fairly obvious on the return trip.


There were a number of "Stops" along the trail for both road and railroad crossings. The "stops" were well marked in advance, which was fortunate development for me as a few came directly at the bottom (from East-to-West) of steep downhills.


The paths were very wide at certain points, my guess is to allow access by large trucks--there appeared to be debris such as stones and cut trees in a number of places. The path also went directly beside, as well as under, the busiest expressways in the area.


I enjoyed my brief roadie down through the "Westside" by bicycle and am looking forward to running this path, especially as my training plan calls for mid-range to long weekend runs. There was a surprising amount of familiar wildlife (American Robins, Goldfinches, chipmunks) and the path provided a goodly amount of shade for those is need of a break from the glaring sun.

Breathe in, breathe out... YOU AND I ARE ALIVE!