June 23, 2021
To Amsterdam
The tour is nearing it's end and there are only a couple more days of cycling until I reach Albany. After a long and good night’s sleep, I woke today rested and hungry. I was told at check-in that breakfast started at 8:00 and was downstairs at 8:03, ready to start my day. On my way to the dining room, I overhead someone in the kitchen wondering how much bacon to cook – not a good sign. In fact, it was the interminable breakfast, with juice, fruit, and French toast delivered at increasingly long intervals. The wait was even more painful as I am not a fan of sickly sweet breakfasts and kept thinking I should bolt to a coffee shop in town. Instead, I passed the time chatting with the group at the next table – four generations of men getting together for a family trip through upstate NY.
The weather had taken a decided upturn from yesterday – blue skies with puffy clouds; temperature in 60s; light westerly winds. The first twelve miles were on small roads, passing through the east side of Utica and the town of Frankfort before reaching the Mohawk River near Illion. From there, it was a delightful ten miles on a nicely paved trail that along the river and/or adjacent fields.
BTW - My camera stopped functioning yesterday. For several days, the lens had been creaking in protest each time it opened and closed. When I turned it on yesterday afternoon, it opened/retracted/opened/retracted several times and then gave me a system error message. I’ll try seeing if there is anything I can do when I get home, but it’s iPhone X photos for the rest of the trip.
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From Illion, there was another wonderful stretch on paved trails that ran along the river and/or adjacent fields down toward Little Falls, which lies in a gorge in the Mohawk River Valley. The city of Little Falls lies on the north side of the river, and reportedly offers great views of the gorge and valley. My route however, passed along the south side through a tree-lined narrow trail. I had brief glimpses of the town/gorge/river, but the trail did not open up until near the Herkimer Home State Historic Site. East of Little Falls was the last remaining unpaved section of the Canalway Trail to Albany. This five mile stretch had a fairly thick coating of stone dust, perhaps recently applied, that slowed my progress a bit. I made it to the 5S Diner in Fort Plain with 30 minutes to spare before they closed, enjoying a burger and quite tasty homemade potato salad.
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Back on a tarmac surface, I made good time to the town of Canajoharie and rolled along to Amsterdam, my destination for the day. For most of the afternoon, the Canalway Trail remained separated from the Mohawk River by the New York Thruway and/or NY5S. The constant hum of traffic detracted from what would normally have been a pleasant ride on a nicely paved cycle route. There were few pass-through towns and no resting spots along the way – not even a tree stump in the shade. I took a break at a small bridge crossing, enjoying (NOT) the views and hums of thruway traffic.
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I made it to Amsterdam in mid-afternoon and easily found my home for the night – the Amsterdam Castle, perched above Amsterdam’s southside neighborhood. It is quite the place, with knights armor arrayed along a vaulted atrium filled with all manner of gargoyles, flags, and historical photos. There is even an air-conditioned garage for the bikes. After a brief rest, I went down the hill for spaghetti and meatballs at Lorenzo’s. It could be the best marinara sauces I’ve had, and I was sorry to leave so much of the large portion on the plate – a disadvantage of touring alone in the States where an entrée portion is often a meal for two.
It was a great day on the road, especially after my struggles yesterday. Back at the castle, I turned out the lights, wanting to get an early start to Albany where I’d booked a 4 pm train to New York.
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Today's ride: 68 miles (109 km)
Total: 651 miles (1,048 km)
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