Little Falls to Latham

Today as I left the hotel in Little Falls, the air was heavy with moisture. We rode in the mist of the morning’s cool foggy air. It was very pleasant conditions during the morning, but got pretty hot and humid after noon.

We followed route 5 which mostly followed the train track which followed the Mohawk River. The route took a path mostly through the valleys of the increasing foothills. Most of the hills were gradual grades. We went through the small town of Fonda where I took a photo of an interesting building. Then we went through Amsterdam which I’m sure has no resemblance to the original version in Netherlands. I’ll have to check with Piet and Hetty.

I got into the zone and missed a turn at 50 miles and didn’t discover it until I was two miles past. I had to retrace my path back to the intersection where I should have turned. This added 4 miles to my day. Once back on route I went through the small town of Rotterdam and then was directed to a bike path which ran along the Mohawk River. I stopped to take a picture of some pleasure boats I noticed on the river. While I was getting the picture I notice a bush along the path with little round red berries, they looked like they would be tasty, I think you can see them if you click on the photo. Also, while taking the photo a snake slithered across the trail. I didn't get at pic of that.



I finally made it to the second SAG stop at Jumpin Jacks Drivein. It was located on the river front just outside the city of Schenectady. I remember that a former work associate at Dominion, Don Chapman was from Schenectady. The drivein was a welcome stop since it had gotten quite hot and was about 12:30 PM, a good time to get a hot dog and a large iced drink.

After getting refreshed I continued on my way to complete the 20 miles to the hotel. The majority of this was on the bike path. I caught up to John from Seattle again. This must have been about the 5th or 6th time of the day that our paths had crossed. I would catch up to him and pass him and then I would stop at a convenience store or miss a turn and he would be ahead of me again. This time he was stopped at the end of the bike path when I rode up. The directions didn’t synch with our mileage. A home owner drove in there driveway so I asked for directions. Sure enough we had gotten off the bike path and were on a neighborhood path. Together we retraced our paths a short distance to get back on track.

I finished my day at the hotel at 1:50 PM. I had added 4 miles to the mileage with my miss-cues for a total of 80 miles for the day.


Roomate Rick at work on his blog.


While riding today I went through a range of emotions as I thought about the end of the ride being near with only three more days after today. The experiences that I‘ve had are amazing and probably life changing. The new friends that I’ve made have enriched my life. I’ve mentioned before how I’ve missed my family, and friends. I look forward to reconnecting with all, including our pet Shih Tzu Bailey. I’m looking forward to returning to Glen Allen, VA. and reestablishing my daily routine. But first there are three more days of challenging riding to complete!

Response to Previous Comments:

Brother in-law Dennis from Alaska. Thanks for your kind words. Glad to here you are tuned in and find it interesting.

Karen and Sherri from DC, thanks for the encouragement, nothing can stop me now!