June 20

Remember how you felt as a kid in the summer when the calendar turned to August?

Where I grew up we had maybe a little more than three weeks before school started. The remaining days of summer vacation suddenly felt more precious. In June and July, summer had felt eternal. Then you woke up on August 1 and could feel the helium slowly starting to drain from your summer balloon. 

I got a similar feeling today.

I was riding along the Erie Canalway Trail on my 42-mile ride from Little Falls to Amsterdam. I had gotten warmed up after about 10 miles. My body was telling me it was ready to pick up the pace and get cruising. But I decided instead to relax, go slow, take it easy. I wanted more time to appreciate the scenery around me. I wanted more time to recall and reflect upon the experiences I've had since I left from the Santa Monica Pier on April 1. I wanted more time to savor the joy of being on my bike. I just wanted more time.

As I mentioned yesterday, I'm tired and ready for this trip to come to a conclusion. I'm eager to get home to reconnect with Susan and Rachel; spend time with our dog, Lucy; sleep in, sleep often, let my body fully recover; and just resume a regular routine. Yet, I know I'm going to miss my daily discoveries about the people I meet, the places I see, and the person I am.

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I can't complain about today. At this moment, I'm sitting in my room in a hotel called the Amsterdam Castle, which got its name from its appearance. The building was constructed in 1895 as a National Guard Armory, and is on the National Register of Historic Places. In 2005 a couple bought it from the state of New York with the intent to renovate it and sell it. Selling it turned out to be difficult, so they operated it as a bed and breakfast for a few years. They finally found a buyer, a financier who spent $5 million on further renovations, as well as suits of armor and other items fitting for a castle, and turned it into a hotel that opened in 2018. This afternoon, when I got off my bike and stepped inside, I let out an involuntary "WHOA!!" at the sight of the large, main room. 

(You can see more pictures in the gallery on the hotel's website.)

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The day started off great, even before I left the parking lot of my Little Falls hotel. Once again it was cool and sunny, but with much calmer winds than yesterday. I had just pushed off and was coasting toward the street at about 10 a.m. when I spotted a group of young people walking toward me up the drive. It took a couple of seconds, but I recognized them as the group that I had met on the trail outside of Sylvan Beach yesterday. They were staying at the same hotel and were returning from breakfast. The guy who seemed to be the leader answered my question that I forgot to ask yesterday: They had started in Buffalo and were going to ride to Albany, the length of the Erie Canalway Trail. However, he quickly clarified, they had changed their minds. They decided they'd had enough and were going to turn around and head back to Buffalo.  When I asked why, one of them responded, "We're not retired. We have jobs." I told them I understood and left it at that. (Now, if I'd only thought to take their picture!)

As they prepared to turn around, I kept moving forward.

A few turns down the street from the hotel parking lot and I was on a bridge crossing the Mohawk River.  I stopped to look back and record my view of Little Falls.

The route over the next 12 miles alternated between roads and the Canalway with the stone-dust surface. The trail was back to being smooth, with a nice width.

With about 30 miles to go, I saw a sign indicating I was entering Montgomery County. At the very same point, the trail turned from stone dust to beautifully smooth asphalt. The trail would remain paved all the way to Amsterdam. (Way to go, Montgomery County!!)

As mid-day approached, I was in the village of Fort Plain and a tradition sounded — the noon siren. However, when I checked my watch and phone it was only 11:59 a.m. I figured somebody had jumped the gun. But as the siren faded and my clocks struck 12 sharp, a church's carillon began to play. I was on my way out of town as it began to strike the hours. The folks of Fort Plain had coordinated their mid-day ritual just fine.

Today was also a good day for animal sightings. At one point I came upon two deer munching on foliage alongside the trail. I slowed to a stop about 20 yards from them. They stayed still, watching me as I reached for my camera. At the moment I got them in the frame, but before I could take the shot, they leaped into the brush and were gone.

Near the village of Canajoharie (pronounced kana-jow-HA-ree), I spotted an interesting juxtaposition — an Amish horse and buggy tied up in the parking lot of a discount store.

I had seen quite a few of these across Indiana, Ohio and New York, but there were always people in the buggies. The Amish are sensitive about having their pictures taken, so I never took out my camera. This time, with the owner apparently in the store, was my chance.

The horse didn't flinch when I stopped, got situated and finally took the picture. I told him I appreciated him being so well-behaved — that he was a good horse and was very well-trained. He then lightly tapped his front right hoof once on the ground. I took that as a yes, that he agreed. I thanked him and moved on.

A few miles outside of Amsterdam, I saw my first skunk of the trip. I'm actually not sure where he came from. I didn't notice him until he was right alongside the trail, about 6-8 feet away from my front wheel. He looked as surprised as I was. He squared up to face me, fortunately with his tail in the opposite direction. Still, it was a shock, and all I could say was, "No no no no no!!" as I tried to accelerate away as fast as I could. 

I'll try to go slower tomorrow on my way to Troy, north of Albany. Rain is forecast for the afternoon. So, I may end up riding through some raindrops. I'll try to make an august effort.

Contact me: Thoughts or comments? Email me at richardridesusa@gmail.com.

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