The bathroom was a port-a-potty and there were no showers, but the Lockmaster told me that in the event of inclement weather I could pitch my tent inside a large nearby pavilion that had picnic tables and a carpeted stage. Inclement weather or not, that was where I was spending the night!
When I got back from my meatball sub dinner at the pizza joint around the corner, I found that a father/son team had arrived and set up camp. They were wolfing down their second reconstituted pasta meal when I went over to say hi. They were out doing the Erie Canalway for a week, and it turned out they were from Concord, Mass. Funny how sometimes you need to travel to meet the people next door to you. When I told them about the pavilion, they pulled up stakes and moved in there, too. A few passing rain showers during the night made us all happy we opted for the roof – no wet gear to pack and haul the next morning!
What I Learned: People like to fish in the Erie Canal, even though no one I talked to ever caught anything. (“There was a guy caught a pickerel last week,” was the best evidence I heard for there actually being any fish in there to catch, but it was only hearsay. Fishing is just an excuse to loiter and claim you're doing something productive.)
Distance Today: 38 miles
Total Distance: 454 miles
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