To Massena

July 26, 2021

Sherman’s Inn advertises a fine breakfast, but it doesn’t start until 8:30. That’s too late for us, so the lady of the house was kind enough to leave fixings in the refrigerator for us last night; and the lady of the team was kind enough to work it into a delicious breakfast this morning: an egg scramble with minced veggies and cheese mixed in, plus bacon, grapes, strawberries and bananas, and some delicious muffins. A great way to start the day. We roll our bikes out of the giant toy room and say our goodbyes, leaving with very warm feelings about the place.

Leaving Sherman’s Inn, your go to place for staggeringly huge rooms, and a good breakfast.

Today was more of the same, but a bit less so. We’re still under the same weather conditions as yesterday, riding northeast in front of a steady tailwind. The road is almost totally flat, so there’s not much effort involved - but there’s not as much of interest today with the flat terrain. Not that much to say about it, it’s just a fast, easy ride. We don’t make it out the door until 9 though, which was a mistake - it’s too hot and humid when we arrive in Massena at the other end.

Riding northeast. Same wide shoulder, same friendly tailwind.

For much of the ride we’re close enough to the river to see it behind estate-sized yards or pastures.

I puzzled over what this is until looking it up on the map later. That’s the Iroquois dam. Not a hydro power source, its is purpose flood control and to help maintain a manageable water level on the waterway and artificial lakes.

And another one. I really had to reach high for this one, and my shoulders are still sore from the effort. I like this one for the perspective it gives on the lock next to it, with the freighter penciled through the middle.

We pass some lovely, broad meadows along the way.

The second half of the ride is largely forested and the road often passes close by the river. This was probably the prettiest part of the ride.

Pretty enough that it drew Rachael back to capture it on video from the best side of the road.

Video sound track: The Gypsy, by Urban Knights

The big attraction comes at the end when we add a few miles and swing by the Eisenhower Lock on the way into Massena. This is the lock that put Ogdensburg out of business as a shipping relay point when it enabled ships to navigate through the 40 foot drop of the former falls.

There’s a viewing platform above the lock, and I’m sure it would be incredible to be here when one of the large freighters comes through. It’s really hard to imagine how they thread themselves into and through this narrow space, especially remembering that recent catastrophe when the Suez Canal was blocked for days by a ship that got stuck there.

Not much action today though. A large ship came through early this morning and another is due in the late afternoon; but for now we’re lucky that four pleasure boats happen by, looking ridiculously tiny in the huge channel. They’re enough though, so we get to watch the locks in action to let them through.

The lock is full when we arrive. This is the view northeast, downriver.

Here comes some business. The information center told us that there’s a $35 fee for these smaller craft to pass through the locks. An agent walks by and drops a basket from above to collect the fare.

The gates close at the upper end, sealing it off before opening the lower end.

The lower gate opens, and the water level drops as the lock empties out. It’s a 40 foot drop that goes surprisingly quickly. It must be exciting in one of those tiny boats. We can’t see them below the lip of the lock, so I don’t know how they hold their position during the drop.

And they’re off! Pretty neat ride, for only $35.

I forgot my meds for the first time in awhile yesterday and am paying for it today when I have an SVT episode standing at the locks, doing nothing but looking over the edge. Maybe the dizzying effect triggered it, or standing around in the heat and humidity. Who ever knows? Fortunately we’re only four miles from our room, and after we check in and I cool down I’m fine. Note to self: don’t forget your meds, you idiot!

Massena isn’t loaded with fine dining options, but there is a decent looking Italian place only a half block away. From its menu it looks like it could be associated with the place we ate last night in Ogdensburg. We leave the room a bit after five, and are surprised by the weather. It’s very lightly sprinkling, but the sky is getting very dark very fast and it’s really windy. We walk briskly, congratulating ourselves on our good timing when we see lightning flash to the north. We’re arriving just in time!

But we aren’t. We’re a day too early - there’s a sign in the door saying the restaurant is closed today, even though it’s normally open on Mondays. We’re disappointed, and while we’re just starting to discuss what to do it starts pouring. We’re under cover by the doorway of the restaurant, but the wind is so fierce that we’re getting wet anyway. Nothing to do but dash back to the room through the downpour, Rachael running ahead because she can, me fast-walking because my knees don’t care for running anymore. Better to get wet than to suffer a setback in the joints that I’d pay for in the coming days.

Back in the room, the storm intensifies. A huge crash rattles the windows, and water is streaming down them. We’re wondering about calling somewhere that does delivery when I see that there’s a bar and grill two long blocks away. I check the weather app and see that it looks like this weather should pass quickly, so we decide to wait it out.

And it does. As quickly as it arrived it’s gone. We’ve not been back ten minutes when Rachael looks out the window and sees that the rain has stopped. We step out under a mixed sky - to our right its clear and blue, to our left it’s deep grey, and we walk to the restaurant right beneath a dramatic seam in the sky. I should have thought to take a photo, but at least I remembered to take one of the IPA.

A Free Flow IPA, from Otter Creek Brewery. Not the Otter Creek back by Alexandria Bay though - this one is from Middlebury, Vermont, which we’ll arrive at this Friday. Vermont this weekend! We’re nearing the end of the road.

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Ride stats today: 45 miles, 900’; for the tour: 2,164 miles, 63,600’

Today's ride: 45 miles (72 km)
Total: 2,164 miles (3,483 km)

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Kathleen JonesI had the chance to go through some locks on the Mississippi and the Ohio in a pleasure boat just a couple of years ago with a friend who was doing the Great Loop. The first time was interesting. Waiting in the high heat and humidity for a few hours for the barge traffic to clear was not so interesting. We even had to listen to the lock master drone on over the marine radio about a special Honduran recipe that used sliced hot dogs with tortillas. There was no escape.

There were no fees involved on those rivers, so it tickled me that the lock masters lower a basket on the St Lawrence.
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