A quaint town in the middle of nowhere

September 13, 2017

(And an extra 12 miles while the sun is out)

I broke camp early from Lock 20 this morning. It wasn't too bad getting out of my sleeping bag and hammock as it was only 50F. Thankfully, there wasn't dew on everything as there was at Lock 30. I had a great night and really like the camping at the locks. New York has done well with that program.

I had a nice chat with an early visitor as I filled my platypus. He was very interested in the trip and wanted to go riding but said his knee replacement wouldn't allow him. So I tried to encourage him with other adventures. The trail the. Led me away from the lock and through the Utica area. After that, it linked up with NY5 and I rode a very pleasant shoulder for miles.

The only screams I heard were from my legs after the extra mileage I did today!

9:30 in he morning I roll through Ilion NY. I passed the Remington Arms factory. They had a museum but I had made the decision I was going to try and make more miles today since it was a nice weather day and bad weather is rolling in tomorrow.

Remington Arms factory - I skipped the tour

I decided to take the detour to Little Falls, NY. It was a bit off the path, and I knew I had miles to make today but I decided I wanted to see the town and the location. And I'm glad I did because it was a good side trip. I trusted my instincts from the side trip I made to Sylvan Beach, NY that sticking with the original plan (even if I was trying to put miles under the tires today) was the best option.

Little Falls, NY. The canal had to detour around these rocks and rapids

I think that's a Ranger tug tied up against the quay

11:00 I had the option to take a side trip to see Lock 17. OK. I coast down the hill 2/10 mile and see the lock. It raises boats 40.5 feet which is higher than any single lock in the Panama Canal. It's so high boats enter a "tunnel" under the gate to get into the lock. Really cool to see and looking forward to going through in my boat in the future.

Erie Canal Lock 17. Oh, yeah, and my bike.

Just prior to Mindenville, I run into another touring cyclist. We discuss the trail I'm about to encounter (under construction) and I inform him about the trail I just came through. I didn't know it at the time, but it's a cyclist I've seen post on the Facebook bike touring group. I figure I should probably ask more about this but I was enjoying the conversation too much I forget to ask his name. And I'm not one who takes photos of everyone I run across on the bike tour. So, we chat for a few minutes, and then I roll on into the construction zone, which is a mass of mogul-sized washboards requiring some serious bike handing skills. Based on the condition of the trail for the next 7 miles, I am now comfortable I can compete in the Olympic mogul event. I had to slow to maneuvering speed to make it though.

Moguls, moguls, everywhere. 7 miles of this

1:00pm I was making good time and decided to go for Amsterdam instead of Fultonville. Rain is forecast for tonight, and heavy rain so I'm pedalling to make a motel there. I roll through Canojaharie and the trail winds it's way through "downtown". Originally, I planned to take a side trip to see the Canojaharie Falls and the gorge but decided to skip it. Why? Well, I had miles to go and it was a heck of a climb to get to the top of the gorge only to look down into it. I think the serendipitous adventure and discussion I had later in Amsterdam proved it was worthwhile to skip the gorge.

After riding through Canojarharie (and I wish Apple autocorrected the name since I've mistyped it enough) I was riding along the toll road. Not actually on the toll road, but above it (see the picture). It wasn't so much the view was bad (it wasn't), it's mostly about the noise. I think riding on major thoroughfares the thing that bothers me the most is the incessant noise of the traffic. It was noisy with the highway. And while I appreciate a cross-state trail, it was noisy alongside the highway. Maybe not as loud as riding on the shoulder but it did take away from the peacefulness of the ride.

If you think this was noisy, you just might be onto something

Schofield crossing. The Erie Canal trail runs over this bridge, and its pedestrian only

After dinner I went for a walk to explore the pedestrian bridge across the Mohawk River. This was completed last year based on a vision from the Amsterdam city fathers. Right know, the manufacturing has left, but the area is looking towards the future as a low-cost alternative place to live for workers at the Schenectady casino. I engaged a local volunteer at the base of the bridge and we chatted about the area, taxes, living, etc.

Today's ride: 74 miles (119 km)
Total: 356 miles (573 km)

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