Where I race the rain into Waterford NY

September 14, 2017

(And I run into a fellow CGOABer on the trail)

Today's mission was simple - beat the rain into Waterford NY where I could hole up in my motel room. At 7:00am my race began.I fly down the hill (advantage today when it's downhill to the the trail, disadvantage last night when I had to ride it at the end of the 74 miles uphill to the motel) and my wheels are rolling as I leave Amsterdam in my wake.

This view was typical rolling out of Amsterdam - farmland and farms

8:00 - I pass through Rotterdam junction, making good time. Skies are grey but no precipitation as of yet. Trail is paved asphalt and it parallels the historical Canal at this point. It then opens up and you get to ride along the river as it makes its way towards Schenectady.

Old canal section covered with Algae. Can you guess if this is no longer in use?

8:40 and 19 miles down, I make it to Schenectady and find my way to the Jay Street pedestrian mall. I wanted to see what this was all about since they tend to have good places to eat. I roll into the mall and halfway down someone shouts at me - "SIR! You need to walk you bike on the mall!" It was on of Schenectadys finest. I dismount and respond - "sorry, I didn't see a sign". His response "that's probably because it's hidden by an overgrown plant". I can't make this stuff up....

Jay St pedestrian mall where I nearly became a lawbreaker (well, technically, I WAS breaking the law, but was unaware I was doing so)

An hour of riding later and I'm 30 miles complete and rolling through a park in Niskayuna. I stop to apply sunscreen because the sun has now come out and it has gotten quite a bit brighter. As I'm taking photos a man walks over to show me some just-hatched snapping turtles he's releasing in the river. This is the kind of "type 2" fun that's part of a bike tour. It's tough to explain, but people tend to find bike tourists as non-threatening individuals, and then engage them in conversation. I think it's because cycle touring tends to use much of the infrastructure used by the (car-driving) public, so we intersect with them frequently. They see us as true adventurers and access is so close since we're in the same stores, on the same roads, parking lots, hotels, etc. It's slightly different than, say, backpacking, because everyone in the woods, is, well, in the woods and they all have the gear for it. But this is different and people somehow see this as romantic sense of joie-de-vivre and a lust for travel. Like I said, if I were driving through the park I doubt the man with the turtles would have engaged me in conversation.

I love these little libraries. Take a book, leave a book. With my limited setup in the bike it would be hard to find space for one but if I could I'd use these a lot more often on my tours

Sitting on a bench in the park. Just before "turtle man" shows up with a bucket full of turtles

10:05, 34 miles and I pass under the northeast bridge over the barge Canal. Many times I crossed over this bridge on my way to Lake Placid, but here I'm cycling under it. The waterway which I used to cross over by car I now cycled its entire distance, making the trek purely by human power. And to top it off, the sun is out.

The northway bridges over the barge Canal (now just called the Erie Canal)

Then around mile 36 it gets crazy - a rider in the opposite direction passes, and then from behind me I hear, "Paul?" Well, wouldn't you know it, its fellow CGOABer David Lundgren on a morning ride so he gives me company and a private tour of Waterford. He's a very kind soul and very hospitable. Thanks, David!

Cohoes Falls. This is why canal locks are built, to lift and lower boats past this

Boat exiting a lock into Waterford harbor. You'd expect I would have a picture of a boat ongoing through a lock since I've been traveling the Erie Canal for six days, but I shamefully admit this is the first sighting I've had

So I cruise to the Hudson after checking into the hotel. I look at the river signifying the end of the canal journey and I'm reminded of Arthur Dent's quote in Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy where he says, "So that's it, then, we're going to die" and I felt like "So that's it then, I just finished the Erie Canal" I still have another 150 or so miles to Burlington but I finished the canal. There was no grand celebration or ticker tape parade, but my sense of accomplishment was there just the same.

That, my friends, is the Hudson River. The Erie Canal portion of this tour is complete. Now to head north along the Hudson River valley

I'm taking the afternoon off to update the journal and walk. It feels good to ride a short day, and as I sit here at lock 2 it feels like a Sunday afternoon for me -very peaceful and relaxing. And there's no place I have to be right now.

Just thought I'd add this to show my view as I'm updating the journal. Writing on location!

Today's ride: 42 miles (68 km)
Total: 398 miles (641 km)

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