The 2022 Spring Tour was a 371 mile self-supported bike camping trip from Buffalo to Albany on May 15-20, 2022

(Editors Note: This ride description is in-progress, 5/22/22)

This tour was a unique one for us at 718, as it was our first time on the route. I had heard so much about it from customers over the years that I had to get this route under my belt.

Day 0: “Day 0” was Saturday, May 14th as the group of 14 riders made their way from NYC to Buffalo. Some drove, but most took Amtrak and reserved a bike storage space to travel. I must admit the train experience was smooth and easy at Moynihan Station. We were able to get to the platform via elevators before the general passengers in order to get the bikes secured, Amtrak has converted 1 luggage rack on each coach car to hang bikes. The biggest requirement is that it doesn’t protrude in the aisle, so generally rear panniers and front wheel has to come off, and the bike is hung by the rear wheel. Conductors were there to assist. The ticket was $88 (+ $20 for bike) and is scheduled to take 8 hours.

In Buffalo, group stayed in a combination of AirBnB’s or the Hostel Buffalo. I stayed at the hostel and loved it. It reminded me of my days trekking through Europe in the mid-90’s. Clean, cool and very affordable.

Day 1: (Day 1 Ride Data) The group was scheduled to meet at the corner of Erie and lakefront at 8am to start our ride. Temps climbed to the 80’s, with a clear and sunny sky. This first day has alot of unpaved sections, which kicked up alot of dust. We stopped for lunch in Lockport, and stopped again to gather up food for dinner at Albion.

For the first 2 days, we were joined by Paul from Kingsbury Cyclery in Elmira. We had long been digital friends, and he drove the 3 hours to the start. He has led many trips on this section of the Empire Stater Trail, so it was great having a guide.

Camping on Night 1 was at Red Rock Ponds RV Park. We arrived after the office had closed (right after 4), and they left us a map. Our sites were close to the bathroom build…good for using the facilities (which were clean), but not so great as it is very brightly lit at night and lit up our tents. I had woken up at 12:30am and was lucky enough to view a lunar eclipse.

Day 2: (Day 2 Ride Data). Day 2 was the beginning of 3 straight days that had to be re-organized due to weather. We were supposed to ride 69 miles, and were only able to hit 50 as we were stopped in Rochester for 3+ hours

DiBella’s Sandwich Shop (for 3 hours), Rochester, NY

This delay caused us to switch from camping at the Fire Station at Lyon to finding spots at Lock 30 in Macedon, NY. Lock 30 had a clean porta-potty, running water and a great pavilion to camp under (the pavilion is actually own by the local Fire Department)

Day 3: (Day 3 Ride Data) Because of the shorter ride on Day 2, we had to adjust our camping on Day 3. Our situation was a little unclear for camping, but with our mileage a bit behind, we were able to find a campsite (River Forest Park) just north of Weedsport, NY. We had a great lunch at the Blockhouse Diner in Clyde, NY

Day 4: (Day 4 Ride Data) Because we had to make 371 miles by early Friday morning (so that people could make their trains home from Albany to NYC), we had to bust out an 86 mile day to get back on track. We worked our way through Syracuse, and mad a mid-day stop at Mello Velo. Aside from being a world class bike shop, most of the ride group would agree that this was the best meal we had (at their on-site restaurant)

The tail end of our day had us swinging through Rome, NY on our way to Lock 20, ten miles south in Marcey, NY. The good news was there was a great pavilion to camp[ under as we had rain overnight…the bad news was that their bathroom building was locked (with no staff on site at this time of the season). this caused a few member of the team to seek a hotel 4 miles downstream at Utica.

Day 5: (Day 5 Ride Data) We had a decent amount of rain to start our day, and found a great bakery for a late morning snack in Frankfort, NY. Day 5 saw us again delayed a bit by mid-day rain, spending 3 hours in Little Falls for lunch. Highly recommend making a stop here, as there is a great pizza shop, coffee shop and bakery on E. Main Street.

Camping on Day 5 was a real treat, as the crew at lock 12 in Tribes Hill NY were so unbelievably accommodating. They allowed us into their work space/control rooms to use their bathrooms, let us have their filtered water, and even gave us a tour of the place.

Day 6: (Day 6 Ride Data) Day 6 was a 55 mile sprint from Lock 12 to the Amtrak Station at Albany/Rensselaer. The weather all week was a little damp and slightly chilly…this day say the beginnings of a heat wave where temps climbed all day into the high 80’s

The train ride back for many of us was frustrating for a few reasons. Boarding in Albany, the train staff and throngs of passengers made it difficult to get to our reserved bike spots (some of them had luggage in them). In addition, there was an issue with the bridge at Spuyten Duyvil which caused about a 2 hour delay.

7 members of the group decided to continue home from Albany, but that is a tale for another blog.

Although this doenst add up to 371, I believe they are describing the distance to the Albany city limits. Our trip was all the way to the train station on the east side of the Hudson River

General Notes:

Elevation gain for the entire trip was 8.851’, and I averaged 11.83 mpg moving time
Take a listing of all of the Locks, their locations and phone numbers. Its best to call ahead to speak with the lock master so they they know you are coming. Lock List
Of the 371 miles from Buffalo to Albany, 235 (63%) are paved, 136 are not (meaning hard packed gravel, hard dirt or cinders). The unpaved portions can get dusty when hot, and slippery when wet. Please note this surface calculations is done off of our RideWithGps Maps, may change, and takes into account the towns we stopped in.
The biggest threat out there is the geese. Many times they are traversing the path to get to/from the canal with their young ones. They can get threatened and aggressive very quick (we had 2 close calls). Best practice to to proceed with much caution, and even get off the bike and walk past them.
Be flexible and know the potential stopping points up ahead. We had a snazzy little Ride Program, but ended up changing 3 of our 6 days on the fly.
We used RideWithGPS for route creation, and WhatsApp for Rider Communication. WhatsApp is turning into my go to tour and micro-tour tool as it is easy to communicate and locate/ people and share waypoints. I was able to create new routes and share them on the fly with the entire group.

Right Pannier (Arkel Dolphin 32). 14 lbs, 4 ox (6468 g)

Tool Kit
Water Kit
Food
Personal Hygiene Kit
Tent Poles
First Aid Kit
Tube #1
Fir Starting Kit
Knife
Paperwork
Safety Pizza
Hip-lok
Garmin In-Reach
Clothes (*outer)

Left Pannier (Arkel Dolphin 32) 12 lbs, 12 ox (5790 g)

Utility Kit
Cooking Kit
Tea Mug
Kite
Speaker
Water Color Set
Sketch Book
Electronics Kit
Plastic Bags
Tube #2
Guide Book
Collapsible Backpack
Clothing (Inner)