June 12, 2024
Day 6 - Utica to Amsterdam
Cigarretes, Lotto and Beer!
Our stay in Utica was at the Best Western Gateway Adirondack Inn. It was an older hotel but great for our needs and it was easy to get our bikes in and out. It also had one of the better hotel breakfasts of the trip.
Leaving Utica, we followed the Erie Canal for a few miles until the route switched over to a road for approximately 7 miles. Parts of the road didn't have a large shoulder, but it wasn't too busy. The road took us right through a little town called Frankfort. This town was a bit run down and seemed like it had seen better days, but at least in town the road was a bit wider and we were through it quickly. We stopped at a little convenience store for a butt break, but didn't buy anything they were highlighting on their sign. (Cigarettes, Lotto & Beer) I did buy some chocolate and shared it with Doug.
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Mohawk and Rail Trails
Today and through the remainder of the trip, we loosely followed the Mohawk River to Albany. After our road ride, we joined the path that followed the river. Parts of this trail was an old rail line which made for great riding and we made good time of it.
We stopped off at Little Falls NY for lunch at the Ann Street Restaurant and Deli. It's a short road ride across the bridge to town. Our food was OK and the place was busy. It may have been the worst service we experienced on the trip and it was bad enough that it was comical. But all in all it was a nice local restaurant and I'd still recommend the place.
We ran into a few guys at lunch we'd seen a few times earlier on the ride. Their group took turns driving a car while the others cycled since they weren't able to reserve a train ticket with their bikes for the return trip to Buffalo. If there is one thing you should plan ahead for, it's booking tickets for the return trip on Amtrak along with a bike ticket.
After days of riding in some rain and through gravel, our chains were in bad shape. Thankfully the trail provides and the guys we met at lunch hooked us up with some bike lube. Our bikes were happy and less squeaky!
Striking up a conversation
After lunch, a block or so away we saw a single lane bridge along with what appeared to be a park. The bridge provided a nice view of the river, the canal, some historical buildings and some little falls. I'm going to go out on a limb and say that's why the town is called Little Falls. Brilliant!
As luck would have it, I saw someone standing there looking at the falls and struck up a conversation. This gentleman grew up in the area but had moved away for most of his adult life. He still owned a family home in town he was checking on during his brief visit. He proceeded to share some history of the town, floods and what his childhood was like in the area. I've found that on these trips everyone has a story and having these random meetups can be very memorable and informative, as was this one.
Lock 17
To get back to the trail, we were supposed to go back how we came across the bridge you see in the above photo. But instead we decided to follow the canal wondering "Why can't we just go this way?" As it turns out, I'm glad we went rogue.
The path started out as a nice paved sidewalk but quickly it dumped us on a quiet street that led to Lock 17. As it turned out Lock 17 is the highest lock on the Erie Canal lifting and lowering boats a whopping 40.5 feet. Better yet, we were able to watch a boat using the lock.
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After watching Lock 17 we discovered why this wasn't an official part of the trail as the only way down stream was to take a slippery set of steps down to the path below. We made it happen though lowering each bike one at a time and were on our way. The original Lock 36 remains is just a bit downstream from the current lock, so be sure to look for it if you go this way.
Little Falls to Amsterdam
The 42 miles from Little Falls to Amsterdam is kind of a blur for me. I remember most if not all of it being on an old rail trail and smooth sailing.
About 2 miles east of Little Falls was the Herkimer Home State Historic Site. This was well worth the visit with General Nicholas Herkimer playing a pivotal role during the Revolutionary War during the Battle of Oriskany fought on August 6, 1777. It has been described as one of the bloodiest battles of the war. More information on the historic site and the war can be found at this link.
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Ice Cream in Amish Country
The 29 miles between Little Falls and Ft. Plain, was an easy and uneventful ride. Ft. Plain was named after a fort built during the American Revolution as we all learned in school. (I may have missed that day)
Upon reaching Ft. Plain, the little town looked nice enough and we were ready for a snack and found a nice little convenience store that had ice cream. Score! I would have bought some chocolate, but I knew Doug would just steal it while I wasn't looking, so ice cream it was.
While sitting outside of the store we encountered a few Amish folk including a friendly man who asked us about our bikes and our trip. Having grown up in Pennsylvania, I was used to seeing Amish near Lancaster PA. I came to find out that this NY county has one of the largest populations of Amish in the country.
The parking lot of the store had some colorful murals, so of course we had to take a few photos.
The Hills of Amsterdam
Sometime before arriving in Amsterdam, we booked a hotel that looked just a short 3/4 of a mile ride from the trail. Little did we know, it was all up hill. It wasn't long but it was crazy steep. We found out later that in the winter these steep hills are the scene of many car accidents since during snow it's impossible to stop at the bottom of some of the hills.
For dinner we had to walk down this same hill and then back up to get back to our hotel. But it was worth it. We dined at Lorenzo's Southside and the food and beer selection was great. Highly recommend it if you are in Amsterdam NY. Honestly, Amsterdam overall was a cool little town with friendly people.
While the Microtel Hotel we stayed at was great, I'd try to find accomodations closer to the trail and not up that giant hill if possible. In hindsight, the castle in town may have been a better and unique option. Yes... I said a castle. More on that tomorrow.
Today's ride: 66 miles (106 km)
Total: 317 miles (510 km)
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