Cycling the Erie Canal

New York is famous for the Erie canal which reaches from Lake Erie at Buffalo to the Hudson River in Albany (about 350 miles). There is a bike path along the canal that we have been wanting to ride for several years. We started with grand expectations- an independent cycling trip where we carried our own stuff on the bikes, camped along the way etc. But then we realized:

A: None of us (except Jonathan) has ever rode more than 20 miles

B: None of us has ever carried gear on our bikes

C: None of us are in shape

D: Two of us cannot ride a bike and need to be hauled

E: George cries when he has to wear his helmet and sit in the bike trailer next to Charles for more than 30 seconds

F: 350 miles is a long way!

Still, we decided it was time to give it a shot. We made a bunch of concessions- we would take a car along to carry George and most of the gear. We would focus on having a positive experience instead of making a set distance, and we would drive to and start in Rome, NY (heading West) instead of Albany.