Biking 80 miles to celebrate 80 years
Ralph Wilson last weekend celebrated his 80th birthday cycling 80 miles along the Erie Canal, ending on Sunday in Fairport.
Wilson, a Chautauqua County resident who shares a name with the late Buffalo Bills team owner, said he wanted to celebrate the milestone birthday exploring the canalway with his family, including sons Mark, a Brighton resident, and David of Chautauqua County. Several grandchildren, who live in Rochester, also pedaled with the family for part of the journey.
The crew, led by Ralph Wilson, traveled from Lockport, Niagara County, to Fairport. The 80-mile trek took three days, with overnight stops at canal side inns in Medina and Adams Basin, a hamlet in Ogden, just north of the canal.
The Wilson family stopped each day for a midday picnic, and Ralph Wilson also napped under a tree for an hour. The group cycled about a mile past the end point, an ice cream shop in the Fairport Box Factory, and doubled back to ensure they reached the milestone number, said Mark Wilson.
In all, the group cycled around 82 miles from Friday to Sunday. And Ralph topped off his tour with some buttered almond ice cream.
“It was beautiful along the canal,” he said. “I’m impressed with the high maintenance of the trail and had a great time bonding with my grandchildren.”
The family’s trip comes several days after 600 riders completed the annual Cycle the Erie Canal tour from Buffalo to Albany, organized by the nonprofit group, Parks & Trails New York. According to the group’s 2014 report, visitors to the Erie Canalway Trail generate approximately $253 million in sales, 3,440 jobs and $28.5 million in taxes for New York’s upstate economy each year.
Much of the 450-mile New York State Barge Canal Historic District was added to the state and national Registers of Historic Places last year.
Like many canal visitors, Ralph Wilson, a retired civil engineer, said he appreciates the historic significance of the canal and returns regularly. Two years ago, the family traveled by pontoon boat on the waterway, from Tonawanda to Syracuse.
“We love the canal and will be back,” he said. “It was quite an engineering feat in its day.”
The weekend trek was not the first cycling outing for Ralph Wilson. to celebrate his 75th birthday in 2010, he rode 75 miles in a day, from near the Pennsylvania border to Ralph Wilson Stadium.
“For years, my grandchildren thought the stadium was named for me,” he said with a laugh. “They were really disappointed when they became teens and realized it wasn’t.”
Mark Wilson said his father picked up recreational cycling in retirement and the family together planned his birthday trek. He turned 80 on June 21.
“I thought it would be a good idea to do something different, something fun,” Ralph Wilson said. “Next, I’d like to do a combination bike and pontoon boat on the canal, but that’s still in the dream works.”
VFREILE@DemocratandChronicle.com
Cycle the Erie Canal
A newly launched website, cycletheeriecanal.com, promotes cycling along the trail. The site includes interactive trail maps and hotels, points of interest listed by region and interest. There are also sections for canalway events and rider reviews.