Day 44 - Sunday, June 24th - Canandaigua to Syracuse, NY - 336 Miles to Go

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Distance:  70.1 miles
Elevation Gain:  2347 ft. or 33.5 ft./mile
Net elevation change:  -258 ft.
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Well today started out like the past few days with cloudy skies and a good chance of rain, but it never got any worse than a bit misty while riding, followed by some light late showers. At the start it was borderline foggy so my planned diversion to Canandaigua Lake for some pictures was scuttled. I settled for some pictures of Seneca Lake in Geneva and Onondaga Lake in Liverpool, but the overwhelming grey made fro underwhelming pictures. Today's 70 miles made for a short day. It was really nice to get to the hotel a bit after noon and have your room be ready! 

Hoping for some sun before Boston. That thought was bouncing around in my head as well as one verse of some ditty/rhyme I learned somewhere along the way that goes something like..."by and large a man's a fool, when it's hot, he wants it cool..."  There is more, I just don't remember it.  Having this popping in and out of my head today was more annoying than an ear worm of an annoying pop tune. 

Leaving the hotel we got back on US-20/Highway 5 and went east about a mile to start a 200 foot climb over the next two miles. At about the 10 mile mark we began the roughly five mile descent into Geneva which is situated on the northern end of Seneca Lake. The city identifies itself as the lake trout capital of the world and has a population of over 13,000. It is believed to be named after Geneva, Switzerland. The Seneca tribe had a major village here by 1687 which the British helped fortify against the French during the French and Indian War. The Sullivan Expedition of 1779 mounted by rebel forces during the Revolutionary War destroyed many of the dwellings, as well as the winter stores of the Seneca people. European-Americans settled here about 1793 after the forced removal of the Seneca people following the Revolutionary War.




 




Leaving Geneva we reached Waterloo at mile 22. With a population near 5200 it is named after Waterloo in Belgium where Napoleon was defeated. Seneca Falls quickly followed at mile 25. Seneca Falls is a town of about 9,000 and there are many people who believe that it the inspiration for the fictional town of “Bedford Falls”, portrayed in Frank Capra’s classic 1946 film It’s a Wonderful Life. Both Waterloo and Seneca Falls became part of the Central New York Military Tract, a tract of nearly two million acres set aside to compensate soldier from New York for their participation in the Revolutionary War.








Throop and Sennett followed at mile 40 and 43. With a population of nearly 2000, Throop is best known for its colorful houses spread throughout its neighborhoods. Since we didn't go through those neighborhoods we didn't see any of those homes but I did get a pretty good picture of the Owasco River that we crossed at mile 39 right before we got to our SAG stop at Classic Cones. Unfortunately Classic Cones wasn't open that early on a Sunday morning.



At mile 48 we went through the town of Elbridge. With a population of nearly 6000 it is named for Elbridge Gerry, one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence and the fifth Vice President of the United States.


We went through the town of Camillus at mile 55. The town was named after the Roman military leader Marcus Furius Camillus by a clerk who was interested in the classics and has a population of over 24,000.





Mile 62 brought us to Seneca Knolls, a hamlet of just over 2000 people followed by the lakeside village of Liverpool at mile 66. Named for Liverpool England it is located on the shore of Onondaga Lake and is a suburb of Syracuse. 



On the way to the hotel, I missed a turn and came upon this sign

Seems that the either Onondaga County, the State of New York or both decided to sell some naming rights. Well that's my name for it. There are a number of sponsors that have funded improvements and operating expenses for the park. For whatever reason I was just saddened and a bit offended to not be able to find any mention of of the actual name of park, other then in the really fine print on the sign. Really odd on my part since I'm not a taxpayer in New York. 

 Well at least the view isn't ruined by a sign and it is a really nice park.




Sneak Peek at Tomorrow.

We have 336 miles to go and tomorrow we go 71 miles to Herkimer NY that look pretty flat.

 Herkimer is a village of over 7500 people on the north side of the Mohawk River and also the county seat of Herkimer County. It takes its name from the Herkimer family, Palatine German immigrants who settled in the area in 1723. The most notable family member, was Nicholas Herkimer, a general in the Tryon County Militia who died from wounds suffered in the Revolutionary War Battle of Oriskany.  Palatine German immigrants first came to New York in 1708 as refuges from the religious wars in Europe. 
Location: Syracuse, NY, USA

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