Check out these locks!

Today’s major attraction was in Lockport, which boasts the Flight of Five, a set of consecutive locks, and a truly impressive feat of engineering, considering they are now 200 years old.

Since we stopped short of Lockport proper last night, we had time this morning to check out the locks and the historical information they have there. We wouldn’t have been able to do that yesterday if we’d pressed on to the campground, so it definitely worked out.

I would recommend checking the Flight of Five out online, as it’s really quite amazing what they accomplished back then.

Once we got riding again, the trail changed to crushed limestone, which was in very good condition the whole day. We were right next to the canal all day, and other than going through Lockport and Gasport where we ate lunch, had no street riding to deal with.

The place we ate in Gasport was originally supposed to be our breakfast before the schedule change, but it turned out to be a great spot for lunch, too.

Not long after getting back underway, we came across this creepy abandoned Christmas tree area. I can only assume it was a display over the holidays and it just got left there, because they were all still decorated. Very weird.

Today was very rural, a lot of freshly tilled and planted farmland. And Canada geese. Plenty of those.

There was a pattern to today. Long stretch of trail with the canal on the right and farmland on the left, then a town with a bridge going over the canal. Then more farmland… and so it went.

When we approached Medina the trail changed to run along the top of what looked like a dike, a wide, old and potholed concrete structure. This is where the Medina Falls are, the falls being on Oak Orchard Creek, which passes beneath the Erie Canal through a stone aqueduct called the Medina Culvert. It’s quite strange to see water routed under water, and the falls are an odd sight in an otherwise flat area.

We also saw a few of these vertical lift bridges today. The arrows indicate the center of the channel, although I like to think they’re reminding everyone which side of the bridge goes down.

After the diversion of the falls, I was starting to really look forward to getting to the campground. That’s how touring usually goes for me. An enthusiastic morning and then by mid afternoon the sun is feeling harsh and I just want to get done. But as always, we did finally reach the “route complete” navigation announcement at the Red Rock Ponds RV Resort.

This campground is very nice, and we were both super pleased. The cyclist-only tent area is pretty plush, with purposely planted soft grass on level ground, plus a pole with a water spigot and electrical outlet and picnic table for each tent site. We’re also very close to a facility building with nice showers and toilets, and a laundry room. They also have great WiFi. I’d say it’s almost on par with last night’s “Quality” Inn, but for way less money.

We’ve got a longer day tomorrow, so hopefully we’ll have a restful night and be moving on by 9am. Tomorrow is another camp night.

It’s 9:30 now… time to get to sleep. But first, here’s today’s Relive video!