More than 600 cyclists rolled into Camillus Erie Canal Park on Wednesday, reaching the halfway point of their 400-mile journey from Buffalo to Albany.
The annual ride follows the historic route of the original Erie Canal, drawing participants from 38 states, and Canada despite hot, hazy conditions.
Smoke from the Canadian wildfires made skies gray and the sun look like an orange moon, while the air quality in Central New York reached an AQI of 151 for fine particulate matter (PM2.5).
The haze triggered an "Unhealthy" rating by the Environmental Protection Agency, which means everyone's health is at risk, especially children, older adults, and people with heart or lung disease.
John Forsyth appeared to be unphased by the haze and mid 90-degree heat. He traveled all the way from Corinth, Texas to make the trip across the Empire State for his third time.
“I've tried to find other rides that might compete with this one, [and] haven't been able to,” the 69-year-old said, “It’s a cool accomplishment to be able to do it, especially at my age.”
Organizers from Parks and Trails New York, a public lands advocacy group, are aware of the health risks the wildfire smoke can bring to riders. But air quality is supposed to get better for riders once they're closer to Albany.
“Everyone's having a good time,” Erica Schneider with PTNY said, “We're hoping the smoke doesn't get worse.”
Meredith Lark traveled from Queens with six other family members to make the trip for the first time.
“I just think it's nice to be outside and away from a screen for a while and just enjoying good company,” Lark said, “It’s really cool seeing historic stops like this along the way and I’m trying my best to soak it all in.”
The Erie Canal's bicentennial celebration concluded last year, but interest in its history continues. Bob Randall, a volunteer at the local Camillus park and longtime Erie Canal historian, took a few riders from the beaten path to the trailhead to see one of the last remnants of the original canal.
The original canal, built between 1817 to 1825, was 363 miles long, four feet deep, and 40 feet wide. All dug by the hands of mostly Irish immigrants and local farmers.
“If you're from central New York and you have Irish heritage, that ancestor probably worked on a canal, either digging it or working on it,” Randall said.
It connected the Hudson River in Albany to Lake Erie in Buffalo, allowing horse-drawn flat boats carrying passengers and cargo to move nearly three times faster than stagecoaches.
“There was so much traffic on it,” Randall explained that ten years later, "the state says we need a bigger one. So, they started digging."
By 1918, the canal had its third modernization bypassing its original path to allow larger steam and diesel-powered cargo barges to move even faster along the corridor.
What remains today along the original canal route are historical markers, parks, and bike paths allowing visitors to reconnect with the canal's centennial history.
After a day of respite in Camillus, those 600 cyclists hopped back on the bikes and continued pedaling, determined to complete the Empire State's historic 400-mile trek to Albany by July 19.
