We camped in two locations in New York. The first was in Westfield, on the banks of Lake Erie and home to a lovely harbor and a lighthouse. The second stop was at Green Lakes Campground, just outside Syracuse. It is located right next to a section of the Erie Canal. Today we did morning and evening rides along the canal, which is decked out in its finest fall colors.
The canal is almost 400 miles long, and because of its function (to facilitate hauling water freight by mules and horses), the trail is incredibly flat and easy to ride. And, as you can see, the scenery this time of year is spectacular.
Unbeknownst to me when I made the reservations, Westfield has a family connection. Ellen’s brother Bob married Marcia Delaplain, who hailed from this section of the country. What we didn’t know was that Marcia’s grandfather was a minister who at one time served in Westfield, and named his son (Marcia’s father) after the town. Marcia and Bob’s son Doug was named after his grandfather — Doug Westfield Schuster.
To travel between the two locations, we chose the longer, more scenic route through the center of the state instead of I-90, which runs through Buffalo along the northern border.
The first 2 pictures are from the harbor at Westfield. The third is representative of the five hour trip between the two campgrounds. The final pictures are all taken from our bikes along the canal.
Needless to say, we hit this part of the country at just the right time.
