This month’s featured ride is provided by Moto-Maps® from their Western New York booklet and was created and reported by the company’s founder, Keith Myers.

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This ride starts and ends in Cuba, NY – a quaint town located right off of Interstate 86 –known for its quality cheeses and impressive (and massive) Block Barn stables, made almost entirely from concrete.  The ride follows a large figure-eight pattern that slices through this quiet and often overlooked section of the Empire State between the Finger Lakes and Lake Erie.  The route is dotted with small towns rich in history and culture.  Most of the attractions along the way are provided by Mother Nature.  The man-made attractions are quaint and nostalgic, with an “off-the-beaten-track” feeling – you can sense the local pride when you visit.  It feels good – it feels very, well… American.

From Cuba, you begin the ride by heading south on Rt. 305 until you merge onto Rt. 417, just shy of Pennsylvania.  Skirting the Pennsylvania border for a bit, you head east though New York’s southwestern oil country. Oil in New York? Yup. At the Pioneer Oil Museum in Bolivar, NY they’ll fill you in on its 150 year heritage of exploration.  Continuing along Rt. 417 for a while, look for County Road 9 on your left – a short-cut to Rt. 19 heading north.  Route 19, like most of the roads on this ride, winds lazilly through the open, rolling countryside with thickets of forest along the way.  When you pass through the village of Caneadea, take Rt. 243 west - the cross over point of this figure-eight ride.  

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Head west along route 243 until you merge onto Rt. 98.  Route 98 heads north at a relaxed pacefor about 28 miles where you turn right and head east on Rt. 20A.  Route 20A is the top of the figure-eight and takes you through the historic town of Warsaw, NY.  Warsaw‘s distinct history offers a range of sights and landmarks in American history, from the Underground Railroad to the pioneering of woman’s rights and suffrage.  Here you’ll find the home of Seth M. Gates - Congressman, abolitionist and “conductor” on the Underground Railroad, which is now home to the town’s Historical Society.  Continue east on Rt. 20A until you come Rt. 36, where you’ll turn right and begin heading south.  You’re only on Rt. 36 for about two miles until turning right onto Park Road in Letchworth State Park. 

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Letchworth State Park is a visual highlight on this ride and is a vast contrast to the open and rolling countryside.  The park is forested throughout, with a beautiful twisty road following the path of an enormous chasm on your left hand side.  Letchworth State Park is renowned as the “Grand Canyon of the East” – which you’ll easily agree once you’re riding through this natural marvel.  Take your time going through this 17 mile stretch. There are several places to stop and take in the views.  After exiting the park, continue on a southward path following Rt. 19A to Rt. 19.  You will once again pass through the village of Caneadea and then the village of Belfast before you turn right onto Rt. 305, closing the figure-eight as you roll back into Cuba. New York, that is.