Historical markers are a common sight along the Erie Canalway Trail. This one, in Oneida County, marks the spot where construction of the first section of the canal began in 1817.

When my husband, Herb, suggested we ride the Erie Canalway Trail as a family this summer, I was elated. I’m a huge fan of our local sections of the 360-mile trail, which stretches from Buffalo to Albany and is a key segment of the 750-mile Empire State Trail. We have ridden parts of the trail as day trips or weekend trips as far west as Canajoharie, but I’ve wanted to do the whole thing for years.

Here are a few of the factors that went into our trip planning:

I sat down and planned out an itinerary for the trail, riding from Buffalo to our home in Schenectady over 11 days. That put us at a fairly easy 30 miles a day. My leisurely ride was not to be, though — Herb didn’t have enough vacation time to stretch the trip over so many days. Instead, he proposed a nine-day itinerary: eight days of cycling 40-50 miles a day and one rest day in the middle.

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When I protested, pointing........

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