A good day / bad day

Thursday August 21, 2025 – Day 9 of the adventure. 7 am packed up the van headed to Middleport NY, a small town on the Erie canal. I found a free place to park / camp on the IOverland app that looked to great place.

The drive was about 3.5 hours on the NY Thruway, traffic was moderate but not too bad. As I was getting off the highway the check engine light came on. I assumed it was the same code I had on Day 2. I was not happy and obviously stressed about how I was going to resolve this and how it will affect the rest of my trip.

I got into Middleport and found the Erie Canal Trail. I decided I needed a ride before I dealt with the van issues. I rode 16 miles. The trail was very nice as it followed directly next to the canal. Saw a few boats.

After the ride I called and traveled to local repair shop. The scanner showed it was the same code I hade before. They thought the issue was a activator switch but the part could not be found. I even drove to Toyota dealer thinking they would have the part but no… frustrating.

The only logical thing to do was to go to the local tavern for a few hard seltzers and some wings… (if you did not know I am Celiac and have not had a real beer in 8 years )

The camping / parking spot ended up being a place where boats traveling the Erie canal could dock and stay the night, they had tables, electrical, water, showers and bathroom. It was perfect for the price … free. The location is maintained by the city and they do have signs asking for a donation. The parking was directly behind the police station and when I asked a officer he said it was ok to stay for 1 night, they just don’t want people staying for a extended period or making it a home.

The cloudy day turned to clear and it was a gorgeous sunny evening to sit by the canal.