Is that weird? No; not E-E-R-I-E.

E-R-I-E. Follow the footsteps; I mean, the hoof prints, of the famous mule!

A week or so ago I received a notice in the mail about Cycle the Erie Canal; and it sounds wonderful. Much of the trail is away from traffic. It\’s mostly flat, and that\’s great for a life-long flatlander like me.

Eight days, 400 miles does sound rather daunting. I could manage 50 miles in one day, I\’m quite sure, but averaging that for eight days straight is another matter. The training plan sounds very similar to what I do as a regular thing, though; so maybe I\’d be OK!

Unfortunately it\’s not likely I\’ll get to do this tour. Buffalo, NY is far, far away. The tour itself is not cheap; and getting up there, and back afterwards, would add to the cost.

Preparation would mean putting the road bike aside for a while. I do most of my riding with the road bike; but a hybrid is recommended for this trip. Suddenly riding the hybrid all day, every day for over a week would be too much if I didn\’t do something to prepare for it. I\’d especially need to practice a lot of loaded riding, namely, full panniers in addition to the Camel-Bak.

I don\’t know whether there are any ghosts along the Erie Canal; if I saw one, I\’d be saying, \”Is that weird, or what?\” It sure would make the Erie Canal eerie! But if you can make it to this ride, have a great time; and watch out for what my brother calls \”fresh mule muffins\”.