Adventures of an AT Section hiker "Mapless"

Tag: Canal Trail

  • Heading home – the end of this adventure

    Monday September 1, 2025 – Day 20 of the adventure road trip and time to head home to Franklin NC. Was packed and out the door at 8 am central… going to lose a hour heading to eastern time zone. Planned to break up the ride home with a stop at campground in southern Indiana.

    After about 3 or 4 hours on the road it was decided to just bite the bullet and drive all the way home… I was in zone and really did not need another night of camping…

    Ende up being a 12 hours drive (with stops). Rolled into Franklin at 9pm in the dark, rain and fog. Always weird to drive in the dark the first time in fall, right?

    And with that the adventure is over…. here are some details

    • 2412 total driving miles
    • visited 7 states
    • drove through 9 states
    • rode rail / canal trails in 6 states
    • 166 miles on the bike
    • 2 national parks visited
    • 0 – number of Buc-ee’s visited

    Next adventure – 11 days on the Appalachian trial starting September 9

  • A good day / bad day

    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.