Several other tents appeared on a nearby tent site. Will, Warren and Max, the first 'through' transam cyclists on the Northern Tier route. They started back in May - think it was the 10th - and so they are powering along... They are medical students and need to be back at University after their transam. They had got through the Rockies in the snow tho' the road was clear. Warren was having mechanical problems - seemed to be four spokes broken on his back wheel. His solution seemed very neat - getting a taxi - uber - to a mechanic. If you are are a Instagram person have a look at Brothersinbikent for a flow of photos and tags that bring to life their Northern Tier days. Our only problem so far is to have run out of inner tubes. It's early days though, I hope we remain free of all mechanical issues. By 9.15pm we, and they, were all on the road, Walmart's cakes briefly slowed us down but then we wound our way through to Sodus Point, where an old stone lighthouse stood against a background of deep blue sea, then Pultneyville where we left Lake Ontario for the last time and headed south to Palmyra. The average American town around here is not big but it sprawls over many times the land of a British town of a similar population. Well I bet you knew that from your old geography lessons, as I did, it's just a bit of a shock to cycle for miles through the low density sprawl. This means that work, leisure and shopping are all a long way from home and so the traffic gets severe for sych a small town. The middle of towns are empty of most things - empty shops most obviously. Libraries, food coops and town halls remain, of which the most glorious is the library, clearly given a high value and full of books, info and wifi. We reached Palmyra and the Lake Erie canal, and now we're camping in the Marina Park, having phoned the clerk of the council to announce this. It's quiet and grassy and a visit to Dollar General has given us our dinner. In the distance the evocative sound of railroad engine can be heard and the rumbling of trucks. Here's to a peaceful night. The Erie Canal was built in 1817 to 1825 and links the Great Lakes area to New York City and the rest of the world. It was a huge economic success, bringing the products of the west to the world market. Our route goes along the towpath.