old Erie Canal

[Bill Verburg]

I've pedaled by here 100s of times over the years, finally took a little detour along the original Erie Canal Tow path, which is now a gravel lane

neat stuff

[masraum]

Very cool! Thanks for posting!

Is your bike running hydraulic brakes?
You are the brake guy!

[GH85Carrera]

The canal was killed by a new fangled technology, trains. So many industries have had radical changes from a new technology. I heard that before the Erie canal a bushel of grain was 80 cents in NYC. After the canal and the barges the price was a nickle a bushel. It seems hard to believe that a train was cheaper than that.

[Bill Douglas]

And killed by nitrates leaching off the surrounding land causing all the water weed to flourish. Causes mud build up and more water weeds.

[cabmandone]

The Miami Erie canal in Delphos looks just like that nice green pea soup you posted.

[ramonesfreak]

Comes through town here (Rochester) and it’s very nice. I have ridden the path and it too is nice. I’ve also taken a canal boat tour through the locks

Though last time I was riding the path there was a group of people hand feeding a deer which is a bit sad

[cabmandone]

I’ve got an old mule and her name is Sal, Fifteen years on the Erie Canal

[red-beard]

I used to live/work in Schenectady at GE. The canal went right through the plant. As kids, we had school trips to an Erie Canal lock near the Mohawk River Lock 8.

At the time, that lock was completely overgrown with trees and crap. Some years ago, they cut everything out and opened it up. You can see it on Google Maps. It is about 2 miles from the GE plant.

Along NY 5S, there is a ditch between the road and the river. It is the old canal. At a point on 5S, it would cross the old canal bed and you could see this "straight pond" going in the distance. It was the old canal. They turned the railroad tracks along the old canal into a bike trail, Called the Mohawk-Hudson bike trail.

[red-beard]

As a kid, the old Aqueduct piers made of stone and mortar, were still in the Mohawk River east of Schenectady. They had been covered in concrete. Nothing was there but the piers.

[smadsen]

We hauled some barges in our day,
Filled with lumber coal and hay,
We know every inch of the way,
From Albany to Buffalo.

Learned the song in 2nd grade in 1952 I think. Best iteration was Springsteen 15/20 years ago.

[Bill Verburg]

Originally Posted by GH85Carrera

The canal was killed by a new fangled technology, trains. So many industries have had radical changes from a new technology. I heard that before the Erie canal a bushel of grain was 80 cents in NYC. After the canal and the barges the price was a nickle a bushel. It seems hard to believe that a train was cheaper than that.

This view of the Mohawk is mostly Waterchestnut, they even have trouble keeping the boat launches open because of it


This one was from the Whipple Bridge a very early and popular truss bridge, yes quite low clearance, yes hyd disks and e-shifting, the only way to go these days


I've taken newer boats up both the new Erie and Champlain Canals, the bridges aren't that much higher, when there was still commercial traffic the tugs had hydraulically
articulated bridges so that they could duck under the bridges

[gsxrken]

I was embarrassingly old when I learned/realized that the canal used mules along the shoreline to pull the vessels. Or they did at least on the uphill sections.

[Bill Verburg]

Originally Posted by gsxrken

I was embarrassingly old when I learned/realized that the canal used mules along the shoreline to pull the vessels. Or they did at least on the uphill sections.

No such thing as uphill on a canal, that's what the locks are for

[red-beard]

Mules on both sides pulling. It was a weird dance of the teamsters to pass a barge going the other direction.

[cabmandone]

You can go to Piqua Ohio and go for a Canal boat ride if ya want!

[daepp]

"Here's the story of a man and his family
And a big trip that they took
Well, I heard all about in a restaurant
And I read it in a history book
They rented a car at the Erie Canal
But the car didn't have no brake
Said ma to pa "My God this car
Is gonna fall into the bottomless lake"

[NYPorsche]

Originally Posted by GH85Carrera

The canal was killed by a new fangled technology, trains. So many industries have had radical changes from a new technology. I heard that before the Erie canal a bushel of grain was 80 cents in NYC. After the canal and the barges the price was a nickle a bushel. It seems hard to believe that a train was cheaper than that.

One correction - most of the other canals were killed off by trains. The Erie Canal remained an economical method of transport until the 1950s, when the viability of it was killed by the opening of the St. Lawrence Seaway. Once an ocean going ship could bypass NYC and Buffalo and get anywhere into the Great Lakes without stopping to handle the load twice, all the traffic went north.

The entire canal was re-built in 1918 as a barge canal (no more mules) and that version (the 3rd version of the Erie Canal) is still open today. I spent summers in college working on a tour boat travelling the length of it from Buffalo to Albany and up the Champlain Canal to Lake Champlain. 8 days end to end. One of the best jobs I've ever had.

There's also an annual 8 day bike ride from Buffalo to Albany that wraps up this weekend run by Parks and Trails NY. A leisurely 50 miles per day, and they transport your camping gear and luggage from site to site. I did it about 15 years ago, and am hoping to jump back in it with one or two of my kids next summer. If you're looking for a scenic and easy going multi day tour, I highly recommend it.

[red-beard]

Originally Posted by NYPorsche

There's also an annual 8 day bike ride from Buffalo to Albany that wraps up this weekend run by Parks and Trails NY. A leisurely 50 miles per day, and they transport your camping gear and luggage from site to site. I did it about 15 years ago, and am hoping to jump back in it with one or two of my kids next summer. If you're looking for a scenic and easy going multi day tour, I highly recommend it.

That sounds great

[NYPorsche]

Originally Posted by red-beard

That sounds great

https://www.ptny.org/cycle-the-erie-canal/annual-bike-tour

[mocha07]

Originally Posted by cabmandone

You can go to Piqua Ohio and go for a Canal boat ride if ya want!

https://www.roadsideamerica.com/tip/57587