Everyone who followed the markings to the canal path really enjoyed the low-stress 25 miles before the SS#1. The path varied from smooth pavement to town streets to hard packed dirt and gravel, but it was very easily navigated.  Riders passed many interesting homes, both high rent and low rent, that showed the vast range of real estate along the canal.  A couple of small towns along the path were very quaint with lots of wildlife resting along the banks of the water . . . geese, ducks, groundhogs, and last year, Mike thought he saw a beaver running across the path in one area.  Even though riders  didn't have a route sheet explaining the canal route, it was pretty easy to navigate since they just followed the canal . . . even when riders were forced off the water's edge, all they had to do was work their way back remembering where they last saw the water.  When they found the canal again, there was the path. At the end of the path riders were dumped right on the published route about 10 miles before SS#1.  How con-veeee-nient!

It was a long day today as people are starting to spend more time on the road sightseeing. It's good to see everyone enjoying themselves the last few days they have together even if they are just looking at plants. Last year a local rider told us about a pretty plant with a magenta flower spike that we've been seeing everywhere along the road. It looks a little like the fireweed one sees in the north and Alaska. It is called Purple Loosestrife, and is a European exotic that is taking over ditches and wetlands and leaving devastation in it's wake . . . even killing the wildlife the wetlands support.  Environmentalists are trying several approaches to control the plant, but sometimes the cure is worse than the illness when it comes to controlling something like this. According to this source, it is one of the worst exotic plants to come along in a long time, that is if you don't count the Kudzu plant we have in the south. I'm familiar with kudzu. It grows so fast, it can catch and smother a speeding bicyclist on a highway if the climatic conditions are right.  Mike says that when it goes dormant in the winter, they discover whole new cities in Alabama. We even have a bit of it in southeast Oklahoma.

Tomorrow we head to Little Falls.  Another day on good New York country roads (the city streets are another matter) but we will be in busier areas tomorrow and all the way to New Hampshire from here.  As we close in on our destination, riders are starting to realize the journey is almost over.  New friends we've made in the past 45 days will go their separate ways in just one short week.  I think riders will all start to slow down a bit and start exploring the villages we'll be pedaling through and stopping at more roadside cafes, markets, and attractions than they have in the past . . . we'll see.  Tune in again tomorrow for a report.   See you then. Susan