I hit my longest tour to date - 566 miles, 9 days, 1 iPhone: eastward along the Erie Canal - CycleBlaze

September 15, 2017

I hit my longest tour to date

(Mileage, days, and days of no rain)

Up at 5:45 and I walk next door to the convenience store for a coffee. That, and the instant outmeal I make in the room makes up my breakfast. I'm out the door and dropping the key by 7:00am so I can race the rain in the forecast (spoiler alert - it was another sunny day) and I'm on Rt. 9 north. Even when I left at that time in the morning I'm in short sleeves since it's so warm out (and humid, too). The route following the Hudson River north and almost instantly passes by the first lock in the Champlain canal system.

The route from Waterford travels mostly on Rt. 9 north - it parallels the Hudson as it makes its way into Queensbury
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One of the best things about touring is discovering those unknown sights along the road. Today, I roll through Stillwater 11 miles in (and about 1 hour riding) and I see a blockhouse. This structure would normally house about. 100 to 120 soldiers and 2-3 artillery pieces. The defensive structure was such that they could point the defenses in any direction. Yet this is something that would be on no vacation map, so I was happy to run across it.

And, happy to come across the random farmer's stand along the way. The fall pumpkins and decorations made for a nice fall scene. BTW - the road had a wide shoulder all the way into Queensbury, so a happy ride all the way north.

A blockhouse built along the Hudson
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A farmer's market on the road near Schuylerville
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My planned route crosses over the Champlain canal, and then back over again near Fort Edward. Here, I'm 35 miles into the day's ride and it's only 10:00. I'm close to the feeder canal entrance which starts in Fort Edward then makes its way to Queensbury wher it then goes to Lake George. There are plenty of interpretive signs about the feeder canal, how it fed the larger canals, and was instrumental in being the "super highways" of commerce in their day.

Crossing over the Champlain canal, with a lock in the background
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The feeder canal bike path winds past a limestone plant. Here again, there are interpretive signs explaining how the limestone here is the whitest and purest in the country. So the industry started in the 19th century and provided the impetus for the construction of the feeder canal, is still in operation. The canal is 7 miles long (I didn't ride the entire length of it) and diverts water from the Hudson River to the Champlain Canal.

On the feeder canal in Queensbury
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In Queensbury, I take a break at the interpretative sign to eat a snack and fill my water bottle from my water bladder. The trail was built roughly on the path of a railroad trunk line which shuttled passengers to Lake George from Queensbury. this would enable passengers to arrive from New York and destinations further south to escape to Lake George making it a resort and vacation destination. It still contains some of its former grandeur as a resort and roadside attraction paradise, as evidenced by magic forest (that's where the picture of the big Santa comes from). The bike paths winds past this attraction, which used to be the "amusement parks" of their day. Classic stuff.

Start of the old trunk rail line from Queensbury to Lake George; 9 miles to go
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Because finding an old roadside tourist attraction and a huge Santa makes a bike tour complete
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The path finishes right at the beach at the south end of the lake. From there, it's a short hop to the motel stay for the night. For the past two nights I booked motels since the weather forecast was supposed to be rain and I wanted to hole up I need a motel room instead of camp with the hammock. But the weather has been great, and unseasonably warm. In fact, tomorrow night is only going to be a low of 62.

On the shore of Lake George. I'm in the Adirondacks now!
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https://ridewithgps.com/trips/17707436
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Today's ride: 53 miles (85 km)
Total: 451 miles (726 km)

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